Page 154 of Certified To Handle You 2

Couture laughed and kept walkin’ as three men came toward us. He hugged the first one, dapped the other two and started talkin’ before I could catch everybody’s name.

“Damn, you finally brought her,” one of the men said while lookin’ from Couture to me.

Couture slid his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. “This Sha’Nelle,” he said. “Sha’Nelle, this my cousin Deon, that’s Marc and the ugly one right there is Trey.”

Marc started laughin’ while Deon reached out and shook my hand. “It’s nice finally meetin’ you,” Deon told me. “We been hearin’ about you for a minute.”

I turned my head and looked up at Couture. “You been talkin’ about me?”

Couture ain’t look embarrassed at all. He only tightened his arm around my waist. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Trey looked at me and shook his head. “How you doin’?”

“I’m good. Nice to meet you,” I replied.

Couture pulled me away before any of ‘em could start askin’ too many questions. “Come on. I got more people for you to meet.”

His cousins laughed behind us, and I let Couture guide me further into the reunion. Every few feet, somebody stopped him. He introduced me to aunties, uncles, cousins and family friends who had been around so long that nobody bothered explainin’ whether they was really related or not.

One of his older aunts hugged me as soon as Couture told her my name. She held me by both arms afterward and looked me over with a smile.

“So this the woman got my nephew all settled down,” his aunt said while lookin’ toward Couture.

“Aunt Gina, don’t start,” Couture warned her.

Another woman came over carryin’ a plate covered in foil and stopped when she saw us. Couture introduced her as his cousin Denise, but she barely gave me enough time to speak before she started fussin’ at him for bein’ late.

“You know your granddaddy been askin’ where you at,” she told Couture. “He done asked three times already, and your mama keep sayin’ you on the way.”

“I’m here now,” Couture replied.

Everybody talked over each other. Somebody was always callin’ another person from across the yard and Couture kept gettin’ pulled into conversations before he finished the one he was already havin’.

By the time we made it toward the porch, I had forgot half the names he told me, but everybody made me feel like that ain’t matter. They hugged me, told me where the drinks was, and kept pointin’ me toward food.

His grandparents sat under the shade of the porch with family gathered around ‘em. His grandma wore a dark blue dress with a white cardigan draped over her shoulders, and his grandfather had on a navy reunion shirt with pressed pants and suspenders. They both looked old enough to have seen everybody on the land come into the world, but they eyes lit up when Couture walked toward them.

“There my boy,” his grandma said as Couture stepped on the porch.

Couture let go of my hand long enough to bend down and hug her. “How you feelin’, Grandma?”

“I’m feelin’ better now that you finally got here,” she told him before rubbin’ the side of his face. “You still too skinny.”

“I ain’t skinny,” Couture replied.

His grandfather laughed from the other chair.

Couture reached down and hugged his grandfather next. “What’s up, Granddaddy?”

“I’m still here,” his grandfather answered while pattin’ Couture’s back. “Can’t complain.”

When Couture turned toward me, he reached for my hand again and pulled me closer. “Grandma, Granddaddy, this Sha’Nelle.”

His grandmother looked me over with such a warm expression that some of the nervousness left me before I even spoke.

I bent down and hugged her real careful. “It’s nice meetin’ you.”

“I been waitin’ to meet you,” his grandma replied while holdin’ my hand between both of hers. “He talk about you.”