Kimber

The front door opens and my mother and I look at each other. “Were you expecting Julián home for lunch?”

“No, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s here. He’s been calling me every hour all day.”

Mom and I are sitting at the table in the kitchen located in the rear of the house. I can’t see who’s entered the front door but it has to be my Julián.

Mom brought groceries and insisted on making quiche for lunch, so naturally I let her. Nobody says no to India West and why would they? She’s beautiful, successful, charming, and talented in everything she puts her mind to. She makes it all look so easy.

I’m embarrassed to say sometimes I’m jealous of her. My daddy loves her with a fierceness that I’ve never seen in any other couple. He worships the ground she walks on and she adores him, too. Their marriage is exemplary. I always just assumed mine would be the same. I was wrong but I have hope that Julián will restore my faith in marriage.

“Hey, baby, Mrs. West, how are you ladies this afternoon?” he says with a big white-toothed grin stretching across his face. His grin widens when he sees Grayson sleeping my arms.

“Fine, aren’t you a few hours early?” I ask. He strolls across the room stopping to kiss my mother on the cheek and then me on the mouth before stealing Grayson from me.

“Yep, I missed you. Any visitors today?” he asks gazing into Grayson’s sweet chubby face as he takes a seat next to me.

“No. Were you expecting someone?” It’s a weird question. We haven’t had any company other than my mother and Tiana this morning for three weeks. Daddy wanted to stop with mom but he had something come up at work. He’s a lawyer in Jacksonville and there were some problems with the case he’s been working on for months.

“No, just asking.”

“Why are you just asking, Julián?” Something’s going on, I can hear it in his voice. He’s a crappy liar.

“My goodness, child, let the poor man be. It was a simple question,” Mom says, and for the first time since Grayson was born I wish she would just but out.

“No, she’s right, India, I had a reason.”

I cross my arms over my chest and nod my head with satisfaction. I know Julián, and he doesn’t ask random questions. If he says something there’s a reason.

My mother can be old-school about letting men be right. That may be why she and my daddy have such a great relationship. Not that he would ever take advantage of that aspect of her personality but it makes it easier for him when there is an argument.

His eyes dart back and forth between the two of us trying to read the mood. He isn’t sure if I am indeed irritated or playing around. I’m irritated.

“I was worried my brothers might stop by today, they mentioned it recently.”

“Why would you be worried about that?” my mother asks before I can.

“I just wanted to be here if they did. They can be a handful.”

He hasn’t revealed much about his family to me other than he has two brothers and three sisters that he isn’t in close contact with because of the military. Until now I believed that because, why wouldn’t I?

I knew they lived on the East Coast and I figured I might get to meet them when we moved out here but Grayson’s arrival threw a wrench in our plans.

“Maybe we could have your family over for dinner sometime so I can meet them and they can see the baby. I know he’s not really their relation but…”

“He is their relation, you’re going to be my wife and he’s my son,” he says, cutting me off. His tone is serious and his frown is also uncharacteristic. I think I’ve only seen him unhappy a handful of times since we met and most of them were after the earthquake in California last year. His friends were injured and he was worried about the baby and me, perfectly understandable.

But this, this feels off, tense, like I’ve touched a nerve.

“Are you okay, Julián?” mama asks.

He jerks his head up and his expression softens. “Yes, sorry. I didn’t mean to snap, it’s just… he’s my son. I watched him come into the world and I’ve been with him almost every second since. I don’t want anyone thinking that because he isn’t biologically made up of half of my chromosomes that he isn’t mine.”

She reaches out and squeezes his shoulder. “You’re an honorable man, Julián. You’re compassionate and kind and you love my daughter and my grandson unconditionally. No one can doubt that, it’s obvious to anyone who sees you together.”

That’s my mama. She’s a pro at making you feel good about yourself. Something’s not right with him, though. I’ve never seen him get so defensive.

“Thank you, India, that’s nice of you.”

I feel kind of left out of the conversation. One minute I’m asking my fiancé if he wants to have his family over for dinner and the next my mama is reassuring him that he’s a good man.

I push away from the table and the chair makes a sharp scraping sound that startles Grayson. His arms fly out to his sides and they both look at me like I committed a crime.

“I’m going to lie down for a little while. You two seem to have this handled.” I shuffle down the hall toward the stairs. I don’t make it to the landing before Julián is right behind me. He must have passed the baby off to my mother thinking I’m angry.

I’m not angry, though. Confused? Yes, a little, he’s acting weird and I’d like to know why but I have confidence he will come to me when he’s ready. I’m genuinely tired, I wasn’t lying to get out of the room, although, I’m sure it looked that way. It’s been a busy day and I’ve only had a quick forty-five-minute nap that was interrupted by Julián’s phone call.

He takes my wrist when I reach out for the railing. “Baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap or be rude.”

“It’s okay, I’m not mad.”

He cups my cheek with his hand and strokes his thumb across my cheek searching my eyes for the truth.

“You sure?”

I lean into his hand and raise mine to cover his on my face.

“Yes, but I feel like we should talk about your reaction to me inviting your family over. Is there something I should know?”

“No, I mean, yes, sort of, but nothing serious. We have never been close that’s all. I’m different then they are.” He shakes his head like he’s chosen the wrong words to describe the relationship he has with his family.

“Different how?”

He pulls me against his chest and sighs. “I don’t know, it’s probably just me. I’ve always felt like I didn’t belong with them. Let’s talk when you wake up, you need to rest.” He scoops me up into his arms and I squeal and wrap my arms around his neck.

“I can walk, you know.” He’s taken to carrying me around ever since he carried me through the hospital when I was in labor.

“I know but I like being close to you. And I like taking care of you, you’re always taking care of Grayson and me. It’s my job to take care of you.”

“Okay, just promise me you won’t do it in public.” He doesn’t respond and I lift my face to his. He glances down at me with an ornery gleam in his eye. “Seriously, not in public.” I say in my best stern mama voice.

“Alright, promise.”

“And we can talk about your family when I wake up?”

“There isn’t much to say but if you want to.”

“I do.”

He lays me on our California king sleigh bed and pulls a fringed blanket I keep folded at the foot of the bed up over my legs.

“I love you more than pudding.” He kisses me on the tip of my nose and I smile up at him.

“I love you more than fuzzy socks.”