Page 80 of After Midnight
"So she doesn’t work here?" my mama asked.
"Not exactly." I replied looking away from her assessing eyes.
"She smells like cookies, Daddy." Melo chimed in.
We all chuckled.
I nodded slightly. "Yeah—she does smell good."
My mama's head tilted slightly. "Do you know her, son?"
Shit. I couldn't lie to them. I wasn't prepared for this to be the moment they met Gianna. We were still getting to know one another and our situation wasn’t defined. The timing couldn't have been worse. But—I wasn't going to deny her either. That didn't sit right in my spirit.
Finally, I let out a sharp breath. "We're dating."
Angel’s head snapped toward me so fast I thought she might’ve pulled something. “Dating?” she repeated, dragging the word out. "Wait—" she gasped pointing to the menu, "she'sthatGianna?'
I nodded. "That's her."
Pops leaned back in his chair, arms crossing slowly over his chest, that same calm look on his face but his eyes sharp now. Observing. Taking it all in.
Mama…she didn’t say anything at first. Just looked at me long and hard. Then back in the direction Gianna had walked off before looking back at me again. “How long?” she asked finally, her tone even but curious.
“A couple months,” I answered vaguely.
“A couple months,” Angel echoed, eyebrows raised. “And you just… forgot to mention that?”
“I didn’t forget,” I said, already feeling the heat creeping up the back of my neck. “It’s new. I was gonna say something when it made sense.”
My mama hummed softly, not fully convinced. “Mmm.”
Melo looked between all of us, confused but entertained. “What’s dating?” he asked.
Angel snorted. “It means Daddy may have a new girlfriend, buddy." She placed her arm around his chair.
Melo’s eyes lit up. “She gon' be my girlfriend too?”
That made us all laugh again. I shook my head. “Nah, buddy. That’s not how that works.” I ran my hand over his hair.
“But she nice,” he insisted.
“She appears to be," Mama said quietly, still watching me. I glanced over at her. That curiosity mixed with a little concern now in her eyes.
“She carries herself well,” Pops added, finally speaking. His tone was measured, thoughtful. “Confident.”
I nodded once. “Yeah. She is.”
Angel leaned forward slightly, resting her chin in her hand as she looked in the direction Gianna had gone. “She’s pretty too,” she added. “Like…reallypretty.”
“I heard you the first time,” I smirked
“I’m just saying.” She shrugged.
My mama’s gaze shifted back to me, her head tilting just slightly. “And you like her?” she asked direct.
I paused for a second, my eyes drifting across the room until they found Gianna again. She was at another table now, laughing softly at something a customer said, completely in her element before she strolled off. My chest tightened. “Yeah,” I said finally, my voice lower now. “I do.”
Mama studied me for another moment, then nodded slowly. “Okay.”
