Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“We’ll all be going home with a bottle of the house red or white.” Informing him occurs while happily swinging my feet to his lap. “It’s included in the package.”
“Does that mean we get another bottle each?!” Gabby excitedly asks. “As in one we don’t have to split?”
“I think she knows what each means, baby,” Big T scolds.
Warm water from the rag hits my big toe at the same time I reply, “It does.”
“Holy hell, mami,” Rosa sucks in a sharp breath of surprise, “you’re sure you don’t want us to pitch in for any of us? Nothing?”
Laz stops scrubbing the heel of his foot to shout. “Aw, come on, Auntie Rosa! You’re threatening to ruin our free weekend over here!”
She snaps her head at him on a quickly spoken in Spanish scolding to which I swiftly try to soothe by saying, “I’m good! I swear. I just want everyone to have a great time.”
Compliments from the group begin popping like popcorn in the microwave only stopping when Rosa asks her son a left field question. “Is that Blind Blake you’re humming?”
He pauses the foot he’s almost finished working on to look at her as he answers. “Probably? Blues music is Harper’s favorite, but I don’t always know who it is I’m humming along to.”
Her gaze cuts to me in curiosity.
“I grew up on jazz and blues and ragtime with my grandparents. They weren’t fans of rap or hip-hop or really anything they felt was more degrading than romantic. Blind Blake was one of my grandfather’s favorites while Blind Boy Fuller was one of my grandmother’s.”
“Are all blues singers blind?” Laz absentmindedly interjects yet is ignored.
“She’s still debating on which one she wants me to create a music note for,” my boyfriend casually announces the plan to “add my family” to the walking mural that he is. “I’ll probably will just do end up doing both.”
Rather than touch on that subject, I side-step it to further reveal how thoughtful he is. “Sometimes when Tate’s not sure when I’ll be home after my shift, he’ll leave it playing for me over the speakers in the house, so I don’t ever feel like I’m walking into an empty house.”
Rosa’s swoons are cut short due to her son adding, “In fairness, she does the same thing, especially when she knows she won’t be there when I get off. She’ll leave an Elvis film on the tele, an unopen bag of Takis on the counter, a cold pint in the fridge, and make sure all the dishes have been done so I don’t have to worry about them – because she knows how much I hate to do them.”
“Oh,” one hand flies to Rosa’s chest, “I knew you were meant to be my daughter.”
Laughter erupts from both of the men in her life while my best friend loudly swoons, “God, I want that.”
“I’m still single,” Matias calls out from his end of the table.
“There’s a reason for that,” Big T mutters under her breath.
“Sí,” Tate agrees with her on a wink that gets her snickering.
“And I’m still not interested,” Nat loudly repeats her declaration from our earlier car ride.
“Why not?” He inquires right as my boyfriend pauses to enjoy a sip of wine before cleaning his own feet.
“Because I want this,” she waves a hand our direction prior to pointing to where they’re checking out the bent over hostess’s ass, “not that.”
“She’s looking for a man,” Rosa slyly compliments her son while turning to her nephews. “And you three are boys not ready to be men.”
“You know that’s one of my favorite groups,” Felipe easily segues. “You haven’t seen some shit, ‘til you’ve seen some shit like the group we got together for the talent show to sing ‘Motownphilly’.”
Tate immediately begins singing the opening chorus to the song at the top of his lungs, completely catching me off guard. All three of his cousins rush to join him, with the rest of us coming in shortly after. Wine glasses are used as microphones and seat dancing commences all around, accidentally starting another competition on chair voguing that causes me to sigh in happiness.
This is what my life has been missing.
This is what my future will hold.
For me.
For Tate.
And for however many kids we actually do bring into this world someday.
Chapter 10
Tate
I can’t believe this is happening.
Six months ago, I would’ve never even thought about something like this and now?
Now, I’m just one great building away from the second biggest decision of my life.
The first was deciding to ask Harper to marry me three weeks into our relationship. Technically, I haven’t done it yet, but I’ve been ring shopping and more importantly, ring saving ever since.
Those bloody things are just ridiculously priced.
“What do we think?” Nix Wagner, Cora’s youngest son and an old acquaintance from high school, investigates from the center of the room, hands shoved into dress pants pockets. “I know it’s a great location. I know the building has great bones. Hell, I even know that the price to rent is just enough below market asking that you’re getting a white whale piece of property.” His smug grin doesn’t budge an inch. “What I don’t know is how it feels here?” He taps the center of his suit jacket covered chest. “The shit needs to feel right there, or you need to pass, especially considering this will be your first business not only as partners but as individuals.”