Fortunate

by nikki blaire

  He didn’t want to set his sister off by saying Trinity’s name, but he hoped he got his point across. Julissa gave him a smile, but he still wasn’t sure that he could count on her not to embarrass him.

  At least Ayda will be there.

  He said to himself, still picking at his plate. He had gotten over the biggest hurdle, so in comparison, everything else was nothing to worry about.

  ****

  “C’mon Renee, you go to cook outs and social things all of the time. You really think I’m going to believe that you have no idea what I should bring?”

  Ayda held her phone to her ear while she sat on her sofa framing her completed drawing. The walls of her apartment were lined with art, but she had never hung any of her own up. That was changing today.

  “I’m serious. I don’t cook, Ayda. I don’t even know why you think I do. I made you a frozen pizza when you came over. That should have been clue enough.” Renee smacked her teeth.

  Ayda let out a long exasperated sigh before responding. She had been thinking about what to bring to Tremaine’s cookout celebration all week, but still hadn’t come up with anything. She wanted to be impressive, and since the potato salad was out, she did have anymore had ideas. Memorial Day was this weekend, so she had to come up with something.

  “C’mon. Tremaine said I should bring a garden salad, but that just feels so basic.”

  “Well, if your cooking skills are basic then that seems like the best option.” Renee was obviously annoyed.

  “Unlike you, I can cook, Renee.” She spat back with a giggle. “I just don’t know what to make.”

  “Fine. Make a dessert. People always forget to bring a dessert and they seem pretty easy. Do one of those layered things.”

  Ayda scrunched up her face as she thought about the suggestion.

  “You’re a genius, Renee. Thank you! And just one more thing, I want to get Tremaine a gift to give him during the cookout. I was thinking about a watch or something like that.”

  “You really do go out all out when you’re into someone.” She laughed. “Well, I’d get him something smaller. His folks are Southern right? It’s probably best to get something small and understated. Get him a nameplate for his desk or a nice pen.”

  Ayda tossed the idea around in her head for a while.

  “The pen is a good idea. Now that I think of it, every high-powered man I know has a Parker pen. Okay, you can go now. I know if I keep you on the phone any longer you’ll ask for overtime.”

  “You got that right, but before you go, don’t forget that you’re moving into your new office tomorrow. We also need to decide what to do with yours.”

  “It’s for you.” Ayda announced. She had been meaning to talk to Renee about her promotion in more detail, but her newfound relationship with Tremaine had sidetracked her.

  “I know you have the option of coming with me as my assistant, but I really think you’re capable of doing this on your own. Be a manager and keep my accounts. You already know everything, and if you do well, I’ll lobby Mr. Whitman to move you up instead of hiring a new director.”

  Renee was silent on the other end of the phone.

  “Hello?” Ayda called out to her. “Renee, you there?”

  “Yea. I just...I appreciate this so much, Ayda. I...I’m speechless.” But Ayda waved away her gratitude. Renee deserved this opportunity.

  “Girl, whatever, and as a gift, you can have my desk so that you don’t have to buy a new one. Actually, you can have anything that you want from my office.”

  “I’m good.” Renee’s usual sass returned, while she laughed. “I don’t know what you and Tremaine had sex on, so I’m just gonna steer clear of the desk and the chaise. You can buy me some new stuff though.”

  “What?” Ayda blurted out. She had thought that she and Tremaine had gotten away with their office rendezvous.

  “Oh yea, I heard you. I came back to get something and you were just screaming. I don’t think anyone else heard it though. The office was completely empty.”

  Ayda’s cheeks grew rosy with embarrassment.

  “I can’t believe you heard that.” She let her head fall into her hands, but Renee reassured her that she would keep their secret.

  “I just don’t want any of that furniture.” She joked again before saying goodbye and hanging up. Ayda exhaled her embarrassment then stood to hang up her drawing in her bedroom. The intertwined lovers seemed a little too risqué for her living room. Once she hung it in place, she stepped back to admire her work. Seeing her art on display was gratifying, even though it was just on her bedroom wall. She snapped a picture then sent it to Tremaine, hoping that he would share in her joy with her. She had mentioned her creative side to him once before, but had never really discussed her particular interest. He quickly responded to her text with a borage of playful emojis.

  That’s dope as hell. Who’d you get to draw us?

  He text her, which made Ayda glance at the drawing again. She had never realized how similar the couple looked to her and Tremaine.

  Me. I must’ve done that subconsciously.

  She responded, thankful for his enthusiasm. It was nice to have someone to share this side of her with. She had received so much disapproval for being herself that somewhere along the way she plastered on a fake detached persona to keep her feelings from being hurt. But now, she was done with that and wasn’t worried about what anyone thought.

  Except for Tremaine’s family.

  She thought to herself, biting her lower lip. She definitely wanted his family to like her. She went back to her phone and opened their messages.

  What’s your mom like?

  She found herself typing then sent the message, but in true Tremaine fashion, he responded by calling her.

  “Stop overthinking this cookout.” He said as soon as she picked up.

  “I’m not overthinking...that much.” She whined. “I just wanna know what she’s like.”

  “She’s a mom, baby. She does mom stuff, I don’t know.” He laughed. “Nothing for you to be worried about. My family’s cool, except my sister. She’s annoying.”

  “Well, what do you think about me bringing dessert? I may have to put it together at your house, so it’s not soggy.”

  “That’s cool. I mean, you can come over whenever, especially if you wanna help a brotha pack.”

  “Aww, you’re still packing?”

  “Yea, Sasha’s got almost ten boxes for her stuff alone. I could use the help. You could come over on Friday actually and stay over...”

  “At your place?” She choked.

  “Yea. Is that okay?”

  “It’s fine.” She swallowed her anticipation. Tremaine’s apartment had been a looming mystery to her and a point of subtle aggression. With him moving, she had wondered if she would even get to see it.

  “I can come over after work tomorrow. Help you pack some boxes.”

  “Then I’mma pack your box...” Tremaine mumbled, sending Ayda into a giggle fit.

  “Anyways, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She hated to hang up, but wanted to let him get back to packing.

  She glanced at her drawing one more time then fell back onto her bed with a sigh. Life was beginning to fall into place, and for the first time in a long time, Ayda wasn’t worried about any part of it being too good to be true.

  Chapter Twenty

  “I have stuff for the box, Daddy.” Sasha waltzed into Tremaine’s room with an armful of stuffed animals.

  “Ladybug, I said we’re packing the important stuff. The stuff you really need, so we don’t leave it behind.” He reminded her.

  “These is important.” Sasha stared at him blankly then slipped the stuffed animals into the box.

  “Fine.” He was in too good of a mood to argue with her. Ayda would be over at any moment and he was beside himself with anticipation. This would be the first time that she shared his space, so he cleaned up as much as possible, but little could be done while he and Sasha were packing.
A moment later, knocking sounded at the door.

  “Ms. Ayda! Ms. Ayyyyyyda!” Sasha sang, as she ran to the door. He followed behind her to open it and was surprised to find Ayda standing in the doorway with several bags.

  “We’re moving out, not in. You know that right?” He joked, while he moved aside to let her in.

  “I know...I just didn’t know what you had and didn’t have and I couldn’t risk looking anything less than well put together for your family tomorrow.”

  “Ms. Ayda has bags to move with us?” Sasha burst between them then wrapped herself around Ayda’s leg for a hug.

  “No, she’s just staying here with us tonight.” Tremaine leaned down to explain.

  “Yay!” She screamed and jumped. “Sleepover!” She motioned for Ayda to drop her bags. “We can play dollies, and makeup, and dress up, and read books!” She began to drag Ayda to her room, but Tremaine gently reached out to stop her.

  “Hold on, Sasha. Let Daddy talk to his friend before you take her. Please?” He picked Sasha up and tickled her. He needed to distract her from Ayda for a little while if he planned to have any time with her before he put Sasha to bed.

  And she’s going to bed early as hell tonight.

  He grabbed Ayda’s hand to squeeze it.

  “How about I give you a tour?”

  “Sure.” She grinned. “But let me put this food up. I didn’t know if you’d had dinner, so…” She held up more bags with the familiar smell of pork chops emanating from them.

  “I figured we could have the same thing we ate when you first came to my house. I know it’s corny. You must be rubbing off on me.”

  “And I like that.” He grinned. “And it’s perfect. I actually forgot about dinner. I had my mind on dessert.”

  He sent a hungry gaze her way, which made her blush a little.

  “We can put this in the kitchen, I’ll give you a quick tour, then we can eat. Does that work for you, ladybug?” He turned to Sasha for a high five.

  “Yep!” She slapped his hand then pointed to her room as the first destination.

  “As you can see, it’s pretty small in here, but over the years, we’ve accumulated a lot of junk. I thought packing this place up would be easy.”

  They moved from Sasha’s room, to his, the bathroom, and then finished in the kitchen where they sat down to eat after Tremaine warmed up the food.

  “Sorry for only having bowls. I packed the plates already.”

  He set the table then joined both of them. They chatted aimlessly while they ate, and then went to the living room to watch TV until it was Sasha’s bedtime. Tonight, it was more difficult to get her into a bath and her pajamas because she was so excited about Ayda being there, but eventually she fell asleep.

  “I’m going to have to go the grocery store tomorrow to get the ingredients for my dessert.” Ayda followed him from Sasha’s room back to the living room.

  “You’ve already got the ingredients for my favorite dessert.” He led them to the sofa then pulled her on top of him.

  “Tremaine, is that all you think about?” She playfully slapped his chest.

  “Maybe.” He smiled enough to show off his dimples, while his hands moved up and down her sides. “I mean, you had me on hiatus. I’ve gotta make up for missed time.” He pulled her closer to engage them in a kiss that quickly turned into a steamy make out session.

  “You didn’t show me everything on the tour.” Ayda breathed in between their kisses.

  “What’d I miss?” He was already maneuvering his hands into her leggings.

  “Your bed. We just peeked in your room, but I want to make sure it’s sturdy enough for the both of us tonight.” She moaned sexily in his ear, which sent a sensation all the way down to his toes. Without another word, he scooped her up then carried her to his room.

  “Try not to scream.” He winked then dropped her onto his bed before pulling his shirt over his head.

  “I’ll do what I can.” Ayda scooted back then pulled off her leggings, exposing her lack of underwear.

  “But, I can’t make any promises.” She giggled, as he dropped to the bed beside her.

  ****

  Waking up in Tremaine’s room was surreal.

  Ayda looked over to find him nestled next to her, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. She had missed this tremendously when they weren’t speaking. Her phone’s alarm sounded, which let her know that she needed to get up to get to the grocery store. She refused to have anything less than a perfect trifle for the cookout. She also had to pick up the gift that she had gotten Tremaine for his promotion. She knew that he would tell her that she didn’t have to, but this was how Ayda showed that she cared. Besides, every businessman needed an engraved pen to sign all of his contracts. Her father had one, and so did her brothers. Tremaine would have one too. She moved to get out of bed, but Tremaine’s arm stiffened around her.

  “Tremaine, baby. I’ve got to get up. I need to go to the grocery store.” She smiled to herself at finally feeling comfortable enough to call him “baby.”

  “You already got the groceries.” He grumbled, pulling her closer to him, but she was on a mission.

  “Tremaine. I’m getting up. I’ll be right back. My phone says there’s a grocery store like four blocks from here. Fifteen-minute walk tops.” She pulled his arm from around her then plopped her feet over the edge of the bed.

  “Naw, you can take my car.” He reached over to the side table next to him and grabbed his keys. “It’s on the third floor of the parking garage as soon as you walk in. You can’t miss it.”

  “Tremaine, I don’t need,” But he shook his head to let her know that it was not up discussion.

  “Fine.” She scooped up the keys then went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. After pulling on something comfortable, she ventured out to find Tremaine’s car. She spotted it, got in, and then made the quick trip to the grocery store. She grabbed all that she needed then dashed to the engraving store where Tremaine’s gift awaited her. She hid it in her purse then went back to Tremaine’s hoping he hadn’t noticed the extra time it had taken her to get back.

  “I’m back.” She announced, as she pushed open the front door. The smell of breakfast hit her nose as soon as stepped inside.

  “We are in the kitchen!” Sasha called out to her, and for a second, Ayda felt like she had just walked into an entirely new life. Finding Tremaine and his daughter in the kitchen was such a warming sight that she just stood there for a moment to watch. Sasha sat on the opposite counter playfully tapping the spatula on the cabinets, while Tremaine stood over the stove.

  “Cheese, Daddy!” She squealed, as she pointed the spatula at the block of cheese next to him. Tremaine gave her a grin then grated cheese into a pan of scrambled eggs.

  “Aight, what’s next?” He asked, finally turning around to face Ayda. Her eyes roved over his bare chest, which perfectly displayed his body art. She was still adjusting to the reality that all of this belonged to her.

  “Toast!” Sasha declared. “Bacon, then eggs and cheese, then toast!” She called out the morning’s menu to the beat of her swinging spatula.

  “That’s right.” Tremaine high-fived her, then pinned his eyes on Ayda who was still watching them in an adoring stupor. “Good morning.” His already deep voice was laced with a morning rasp that made Ayda’s insides melt.

  “Good morning.” She tried to sound unaffected.

  “What are you making that needs all of that?” He averted his eyes to the bags of ingredients that she held.

  “It’s a trifle. Layers of cake, whipped topping, and a fresh fruit compote.”

  “Foot compootey!” Sasha repeated, making them both burst into laughter.

  “Sounds good, but you don’t have to go through all of that for my mom.” He was still trying to appease her, but Ayda knew better. Although she had heard nothing but wonderful things about Mrs. Camilla Henley, she also knew that his mother could make or break what she and Tremaine were
building. A mother’s opinion was integral to any relationship and Ayda knew this from experience. She had stayed in an abusive relationship for years longer than she should have, subconsciously wanting her mother’s approval.

  “Please, Tremaine.” Ayda finally pushed past him to put everything away. “We all can’t use our charm and dimples to make people like us.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” He rubbed his head. “And you definitely can’t use what you used to make me like you.”

  “Tremaine. There are young ears in the room.” She eyed Sasha who had climbed down from the counter.

  “Exactly. She’s young and has no idea what I’m talking about.” He stepped closer to corner her against the refrigerator, but Ayda dodged him. She would not let Sasha see her get felt up on her first morning over.

  “How about we focus on breakfast.” She grinned, going over to the stove to check the pan of eggs. “See, you almost messed these up.” She turned the heat down then grabbed a fork from the drain board to finish the job.

  “I was focused on breakfast.” Tremaine sighed. “But fine, I dug out some plates. I felt bad about the bowl thing last night. I know you’re used to golden saucers and goblets.”

  He moved by Ayda to grab three plates off of a shelf then placed them on the table.

  “Shut the hell up, Tremaine.” She hissed at him, not wanting to laugh.

  “Tsk tsk.” He wagged a finger at her. “There are young ears in the room and you’re cussing. Shame.” He wore a sly grin, while Ayda served them breakfast, then sat down to join them. She eyed him with annoyance, but truly loved the added entertainment to her morning. Tremaine’s corny jokes, bare chest, and playfulness added the much needed something that Ayda had been missing from her life. She even liked Sasha’s rambunctiousness, wondering how she had functioned in that quiet cave of an apartment for so long without going crazy from lack of human interaction. After breakfast, she commandeered Sasha as her assistant and began to assemble her dessert. The two worked together until all of the layers were beautifully displayed in a glass bowl.

  “It’s so pretty.” Sasha gasped at their finished product.