Page 178 of Lau Ahi
“The better question is whether I care, nephew.”
And that solidified everything. I knew that Xerx got his swagger from his mama because Auntie Babette was bad as hell. But this right here showed that Bijan had to be something in his own right to pull her. And that arrogance was apparently hereditary because the normally calm king was speaking like a completely different man.
And damn if I didn’t have firsthand knowledge of how one of those twins could turn your world upside down.
“Well, he doesn’t drink so we will have to do so on his behalf. It seems my uncle has found the next queen of Persia,” Xerx slapped his uncle on the back and Afshin didn’t even blink an eye.
“I want you all to know that your meals are being cooked in a separate facility so there’s zero chance of cross-contamination. There’s no way we could’ve had a wedding and not roasted a pig but we wouldn’t disrespect you by preparing them together.”
“It was nice of you to consider us when making your plans.”
It was my turn to give a nod of respect because we were working together to assist Mr. Avery and maybe more in the future, given how he was looking at Sasha.
“Xerxes is my brother, you’re his family so that means you’re mine too. The rest of your entourage will have the same meals and I’ve already let the caterer know that you have someone who is overseeing the food and why. They won’t mess up.”
“We appreciate your care in this.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“Respecting another’s culture is a big deal. It’s the highest honor you can give another person.” His eyes went to Sasha and he stared at her with an intensity that was all too familiar. At that moment the twins threw their heads back and laughed together the sun streaming in through the windows making them lookangelic. “Hopefully soon I will return the favor to you and your bride at my own nuptials.”
“I appreciate you allowing me to be here today.”
Faith looked lovely in a gold dress that had too many old muthafuckas looking her way. She might not have been around much lately but I still didn’t want somebody trying to get at her like that. Shit was weird.
“It wasn’t something that should’ve been up for debate.”
“Well, I’m sure there are a few people here who aren’t happy to see me. I plan to stay out of the way, but I wanted to tell you thank you in person. I… I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this for anything.”
She was fighting her emotions and I was honestly surprised she was feeling them. I knew about her hanging out with Asha. The way she’d spoken up for her against her mother. I was thankful and I knew that if she hadn’t been sincere then Aunties Safi and Babette wouldn’t have let her linger. But they’d done more than that. They had gotten together and planned to meet up after the wedding to catch up with one another. It threw me off slightly that women who were integral in ensuring that I didn’t become completely hard were now welcoming the reason behind my deficiency. Not complete betrayal but I had questions over their actions. Asking them would probably end up with a knife in my arm or a hex put on me. So I kept my mouth shut.
“It’s just all the other things you were okay with missing.”
She flinched and I hated that my words had come out the way they had. They were the truth, but it was still harsh.
“I deserve that. But I don’t want your today to be tainted by the past. I’m sorry if that happened anyway.”
“It’s not a you problem it’s a me thing. You wanted to be here, it felt right for you to be here, nothing else besides that matters. At least for today. Agreed?”
My heart was fully in what I was saying to her. Maybe it was the excitement of the day but I couldn’t help but look at the woman who gave me life and admit that excluding her from this would’ve been the wrong thing to do. We were building…something. And at a minimum, the relationship she had with my wife meant that I was going to be cordial to her. I couldn’t guarantee that I would give her more than that but being open to it was at least there.
Damn, when did this shit happen?
I’d gone from only being concerned with my brothers to being open to a relationship with my cousin who was one of the groomsmen and now dealing with my mother. Asha must have put some spell on me to have me acting this way.
Faith smiled, my words seemingly the greatest gift I could’ve given her today. She wasn’t sure how I was going to act today but she still came despite it. That showed that whatever she’d endured while away made her stronger or more stubborn. I wasn’t sure if I appreciated either quality yet but there was time to think about it and it wasn’t now.
“I’m thankful for any time you want to give me, Ori. Now, this place is beautiful and while I’m happy to occupy your time, you’ve got something far more important happening today. I’ve seen your bride and she’s going to take your breath away. Let’s get you married.”
She leaned up on her toes and I met her halfway into a hug. It was the first real contact we’d had in years and instead of fighting it; I did what felt natural. When she pulled back she had tears in her eyes which she quickly fanned away.
“I know you ain’t got cousin Faith in here crying?” Hakeem stepped forward since he was going to escort her to her seat before he took his place at the altar.
“Happy tears, Hakeem. C’mon, we need to get in position.” Faith gave me another smile before she looped her arm through Hakeem’s and took her spot. Everyone was paired up and ready to go. All my groomsmen were married and the only singles were Alec and Hakeem so Pappy was the natural choice as best man. I followed behind him down the aisle trying not to wear my usual scowl as I took in everything. The ballroom was beautiful. Set up to look as tropical as Hawai’i. The wall behind the altar opened up so that nature was allowed in and I was thankful it was unseasonably warm this weekend. Flowers in every hue formed a rainbow that matched the theme of each attendant having a different colored dress.
When the music switched up I knew it was time to turn my focus to the entrance of my bride and I was left breathless when the doors opened and she walked in on the arm of her father.
I should’ve known.
