When they pull apart, the woman looks over Jasmine’s shoulder to see me. Her eyes go large with surprise. It’s clear that she wasn’t expecting me. I really need to talk to my woman about preparing people for what they don’t know. It would have saved me finding out about her family last night the way I did.
“Hello,” she says, not taking her eyes off me. In fact, her gaze moves over me, cool and calculating. I get the feeling what she sees might not measure up to what she wants for her baby girl. That’s just tough shit. Red is mine. To prove that, Jasmine immediately moves back into my arms. One hand is flat against my stomach as she talks to her mother.
“Mom, I’d like you to meet, Luke, my…old man.”
I snort, “Baby.”
“It didn’t sound right calling you my boyfriend, Luke. You don’t exactly do dating. Remember?” she questions, looking up at me, her eyes sparkling.
“Yeah, Red, I remember,” I laugh, kissing her forehead.
“You’re the man who has practically kidnapped my daughter and held her hostage?”
“Luke, this is my mom, Carrie. She has a flair for being overly dramatic, as you can tell,” Jasmine says with a sigh.
“Oh please, like you don’t act just like me Jasmine Nicole,” Carrie snaps, making me laugh.
Jasmine rolls her eyes.
“Jazz-Min! Jazz-Min!” Daisy says, running toward us and breaking up the tension that’s started to build. Jasmine bends down as Daisy runs into her arms, hitting her with such force that Jasmine rocks on her feet.
“What’s up, sweetheart.”
“I got a new friend! Her name is Tyra and she likes me! Auntie Gabby says I can stay at her house and play with Tyra! Can I, Daddy?” she asks, finally looking up at me.
“Auntie Gabby said that did she?” Jasmine mutters as Gabby comes up behind Carrie.
“Oh, come on. Let her. You and Grunt can come and get her tomorrow,” Gabby says.
“Let me think on it, okay, baby girl?” I tell Daisy, not sure how comfortable I am with any of this. I don’t know any of them and with the things I know concerning Gabby…
“Okay, Daddy,” she says, clearly dejected that she didn’t get an immediate yes.
“Hey Jasmine, did Ty show you where the swing set was?”
“There’s a swing set?” She asks excitedly.
“There is and it has a playhouse and everything on it,” Gabby laughs, trying to bribe my daughter.
“Yay! In the new house that me, Daddy and Jazz-Min are buying. There’s a pool, and a playhouse, and I have my own room!”
“Shit,” I hear Jasmine mutter under her breath and a smile pulls at my lips.
All eyes are on us, but mostly it’s the heat of Jasmine’s mother’s stare that I feel the most.
“You’re house shopping together?” she asks.
“No,” Jasmine says immediately. I grin.
“We’ve already bought one. They just moved our closing, or we’d already be living in it,” I tell Carrie.
Jasmine gasps, elbowing me. Hell, there are two or three women around us now and they all seem to be making that noise. My woman is the only one I’m looking at though, with her flustered look and the fire in her eyes that says she might just want to kill me.
“You bought a house Jasmine Nicole?” Carrie snaps.
“Jasmine Nicole? You been keeping secrets from me, Red?” I murmur.
“At least one of us can keep secrets, Luke,” she grumbles.
I wrap my arms around her and pull her so her back is pressed against me, bending down to whisper in her ear. “I got the woman I love moving into a house with me and my daughter. Why would I want to keep that a secret, baby?” I feel her body tremble against me. They’re all watching us, but I don’t give a fuck. They’re not important, only Red.
Always Red.39JasmineI let the words that Luke whispers soak into me and I swear that’s exactly what they do, they soak inside of me, filling me with their warmth.
“Quit being sweet. I’m not equipped to handle it in front of my family, Luke,” I mumble, my legs feeling like jelly.
“Sorry, baby, not going to happen. I like what happens when I’m sweet to you,” he laughs.
“Jasmine Nicole,” Mom snaps, and reluctantly I pull my attention away from Luke.
“Yes, Mom?” I ask, trying to sound innocent—and since that has never been who I am, I fail miserably.
“Don’t you yes Mom me. You’re moving in with a man and you didn’t think to tell your family first?”
“Well, that’s part of the reason he’s here, Mom. Meet the fam and all that jazz. Jazz, get it?”
I laugh, I can’t help it. Jasmine elbows me in the stomach.
“Oof,” I breathe out.
“Stop with the laughter back there, I’m drowning just fine without your commentary,” she complains.
“I don’t think you were drowning until the lame ass joke, Red.”
“It was lame, Sis.”