Page 16 of Do You Right

I gave him a death stare because I would never do something like that. “Hell nah. I genuinely wanted to help her out. I never told y’all this, but the first time we met was actually when I hit her with my car when it was storming the night I broke up with Tycelyn.”

“Kaizi Carter, what?” My mother shrieked as she spun around quickly.

I gulped down my guilt and pulled at my left earlobe. It was already out there now, so I couldn’t take it back. “I didn’t hit her hard, and I did get her checked out, but she kept crying, and I remembered every single tear had me on edge. At first, I thought it was because she might go to the press and try to extort me for money or something like that.” I chuckled dryly, thinking back to that night. The night I really saw who she was. “But after a while, I realized it was because she had the spirit of defeat on her so heavy she didn’t care about who I was or the fact that I hit her with my car. Without her violin, it was like she lost her will to live, and it didn’t sit right with me. It really moved me that, even in her circumstances, she didn’t use what happened to get over on me when she really could’ve taken it there. Once I knew she was different, I kept thinking a genuinely kind person like that should be taken care of.”

My father’s wide eyes bounced from me to my mother, then back to me. “Well damn. Sounds like you’re pretty serious about her to me.”

“Because I am serious. I’ve never felt like this before.”

My mother came closer on the other side of the island and slid my bowl of pie over to me. “Well, if you want my opinion, I really like Chai. From the first time I officially met her, she didn’t make my stomach turn like Tycelyn. If you had to be serious with someone, I believe she’s a good choice. She’s gorgeous, a sweetheart, and so talented. I listen to her lessons with your sister sometimes, and she really knows her stuff. Not to mention she speaks Spanish and French too. Her and Kava be having their own conversations, and I be sitting there lost and jealous.”

We all shared a laugh as I hugged the bowl of pie to my chest. I tapped the spoon on the side of the bowl. “The first time I saw her smile was when I took her to buy a new violin. She didn’t want anything else from me, but I only wanted to figure out more ways to make her smile. I might have had some selfish reasons for allowing her to move into my spare room, but I never tried to take advantage of my attraction to her. Anything that happened between us happened naturally. All I ever wanted was for her to be safe.”

“Well, if you feel like it’s the real thing and you want to take a chance on that, then I feel like you should. It’s a risk, for sure, but you’re a grown man. You have to decide which risks are worth it for you and which ones aren’t worth the effort.”

I nodded slowly while digesting his every word. I think I knew in my heart that I didn’t feel like it was too fast to explore the ball of light in my chest that was planted by Chai’s presence. After how she reacted when she woke up, I was almost certain she also was open to exploring. If she wanted me to make a declaration, then I would do just that.

A few days later . . .

My heart beat erratically as I tailed the matte-black Mercedes GLE in front of me all the way to my crib. I was tired of slapping balloons back into the passenger seat of my whip, so I sighed in relief when I finally pulled up outside. I pulled my Vette into the driveway after motioning for the driver to park the GLE along the curb.

For the next twenty minutes, I went between the cars more times than I could count. I was so nervous while I set up a huge teddy bear and dozens of roses. On the seats were bags from luxury brands like Dior, Gucci, and Prada, and in the little wallets I put gift cards to places women loved to dilly dally at like Ulta, Sephora, and TJ Maxx.

I stepped back wondering if I was doing too much right now. Would she appreciate it, or would she think I was being cheesy? Her words were to prove to her that I was serious. I couldn’t be more serious than all the effort I put into this girlfriend proposal.

Gulping down a throat of cotton, I finally sighed and dried my sweaty palms on my jeans. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I sent a text to the girl of the hour.

Me: I’ve been so sore since I woke up this morning. Could you come help me bring in these groceries?

I waited on baited breaths for her response, but I didn’t have to wait long. It came a minute later.

: K! Do you have time to soak before you have to head in?

: Did you get any steaks? I’m really craving it with some mashed potatoes.

: I’m hungry just thinking about it

I chuckled at her text messages because little did she know, I didn’t have not one grocery in this damn car, but if my girl wanted steak tonight, I wouldn’t deny her tastebuds the satisfaction. Lifting my eyes to the front door, I tapped my foot, waiting for her to join me.

As soon as I saw the door open and she stepped on the porch, I pressed play on my phone. Tyrese immediately began to belt the lyrics of “Sweet Lady,” and she stopped in her tracks when she saw me there. “Kaizi!” Her hands covered her mouth as she slowly made her way over to me. She was dressed in a pink two-piece set and the black Crocs I’d purchased for her.

“Chai Rose, you asked me to prove that I don’t see you as a fling, so . . .” I stepped to the side so she could get a nice look at the car stuffed with gifts, roses, and balloons.

She bent down in front of the huge teddy bear sitting on the side. He held a sign, asking if she would be my girlfriend, and our initials were stitched on his foot with a heart. Today’s date was stitched on the other side because I wanted to remember this day for the rest of my life.

“This is so cute.” She cried while wiping her teary eyes.

Reaching down for her hands, I pulled her into my chest. “What do you say, Peach? Are you interested in seeing where this could go?”

“Peach?”

With a smirk, I grabbed her ass to insinuate that was where the nickname originated from.

She tried her best not to grin like a Cheshire cat. “Very interested.” She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I knew I couldn’t play with her heart. If she had the courage to trust me, I never wanted her to regret it. Hugging her tighter, I made a vow to be the kind of man she deserved.

“Is this real?” she finally asked, lifting her head.

I nodded excitedly. “Very real. I only know how to go big, baby, so just imagine the marriage proposal.”