“It’s a beer geared toward women. It’s a strawberry hefeweizen, try it.” He pops both tops, handing them out.
Aunt Carol is the first to respond. “Wow, this is nice. Smooth.”
My mother, more skeptical, takes a tentative sip. “Oh, this is good. And Kiki,” she faces me now, “you thought of this?”
I give a little shrug. “Yeah, well I like beer.”
“And now you’re dating Ellis?”
I smile, with another shrug. “Yeah, I am.” But don’t ask me where it’s going because we haven’t even worked out the details with each other.
My mother smiles. “How did the two of you meet?”
“Yes, we want all the details,” Aunt Carol chimes in, taking another sip of her beer.
Umm. Where do I even begin? Ellis and I exchange a weird look, both of us probably thinking the same thing. How do we even tell our story?
“Well, I saw her, liked her, and kissed her.” Ellis laughs, and my mother and Aunt Carol laugh along as well, not really understanding the whole joke, obviously.
“Mom, it’s a long story. But, we’re happy. And I know now I never loved Henry.”
My mother tears up. “I’m so happy for you two.”
Aunt Carol launches in about her own daughter’s wedding, telling Ellis about every single detail of it. “And we have peacocks,” she says, continuing on with her story.
My mother nods at me. “Let’s use the restroom.”
I feel a bit bad about leaving Ellis alone with my aunt while she brags about Marsha, Marsha, Marsha, but it’s obvious my mother has something to say.
I kiss Ellis’ cheek before I leave.
We excuse ourselves and head in the direction of the restrooms. In the hallway, my mother stops and turns to face me. Her brown eyes searching mine.
“I know I’ve been hard on you…”
“What?” I cut in.
She waves her hand, to let her finish. “No, I’ve been so consumed with Carol and Marsha that I never really asked you what you wanted.”
“Oh, Mom, it’s ok.”
She isn’t finished. “I was a monster,” I laugh a little, “and I never should have put that kind of pressure on you.” She hugs me, tight and true.
“I’m fine.”
“I can see that now. There’s this bright glow all around you, and I can see it in your eyes when you look at Ellis.” She smiles, swiping a tear off her own cheek. “You never loved Henry, and I can see that now.”
I hug her again. “Mom, I really like this one,” speaking about Ellis.
And I really appreciate my mother saying this to me. For too long I’ve felt the pressure of Marsha’s life affecting my own. Many times, I’ve felt I couldn’t live up to the expectations set on me. It’s like a big weight has been lifted and I smile.
“Mom, thank you,” I tell her.
She glances back at Ellis. “I can tell he really likes you, too.”
Later that night, when I’m tucked neatly into the side of Ellis, which I’m realizing is one of my most favorite places to be, I sigh with happiness. I could really get used to this. I want to bring up Atlanta. I want to bring up all the things of the unknown, and get answers.
But, instead I pop my head up. “Are you sleeping?”
“Well, not now.” He laughs, and I know he wasn’t sleeping. I hope.
“I’m just wondering when you’ll hear from Henry about getting the money to start producing the dog beer and other stuff?” I smile. “And I want you to know I’ll be ordering some of the dog beer for my shop.”
He runs his fingers through my hair when I lay my head back on his chest. “Thank you.” He kisses the top of my head. “Urban says Henry’s been kind of flighty. Like when we call, no answer. So, Urban invited him to Yasmin’s wedding. He props up on an elbow. “I hope that’s ok.”
I nod, hoping the reason Henry’s not answering doesn’t have to do with Ellis and me. “Sure.” I twirl my finger over the six-pack abs he’s got on him. “Are you mad I’m making you go?”
He laughs lightly, his chest moving up and down. “No, it’ll be ok. This is important to you. So, it makes it important to me too.”
“I just know how much you dislike your father.”
He shakes his head. “I was in high school when my father cheated on my mother.” He shakes his head, most likely remembering it all. “How can a man do that to the woman he loves?”
“I don’t know.”
“He left my mother with nothing. Absolutely nothing, and she was the one who stood by him and he ruined everything by leaving.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“From that point my father became worse. He became very showboaty about his life, and all his belongings. Then, he started gambling and it has just snowballed from there.”
“I understand.” We lay in silence for a moment as Ellis continues running his fingers through my hair. “Is your mom better now?”
“Yeah, she actually lives up in Atlanta down the street from me.”
“And she’s happy?”
He kisses the top of my head. “Yeah, she’s happy. And like I said. This wedding is important to you, so I’ll be there to support you and only you.”
This man makes me feel all mushy inside. I lean up, pressing a kiss against his abdominals. “Thank you.”
He hisses when I make contact with his skin, and then he sits up. “I’m serious. This is who you are. You’re a dog wedding planner, and I love that about you.”
My ears perk up at the mention of love. “I love that you’re a beer guy.”
He cracks a smile. “I’m a little bit more than that. You forgot kickass dancer, awesome beer master, graphic designs that will knock your socks off.”
I laugh. “And you forgot about the bedroom.”
“Oh, right. I’m an ok lover.” He grins wide.
I kiss his cheek. “You’re so much better than just ok.”
He kisses me quick on the lips. “It’s because of you. It’s easy with you.”
“I hope that’s a compliment.”
He shakes his head. “That’s not what I meant. I just mean, it’s like we’re always on the same page. It’s a great feeling.”
“They say dogs have an internal connection to their owners. That when they’re sad, the dog is sad and so on. I feel like we kind of have the same connection.”
Ellis breathes in my hair, smothering his face in the soft curls before pulling back. “I like that.” And then he kisses me, long and slow, smooth and deep, his tongue penetrating me to the point of complete arousal. When he finishes, he pulls back, cupping my cheeks in both hands. “I really like that.”
I kiss him, because if I don’t I might end up blurting out words like love, marriage, and forever. And even though we have this amazing link between us, I don’t want to rush things.
TWENTY-TWO
Ellis
Never count your eggs before they hatch...