*~I hope you guys enjoy the new installment. Don't forget to comment!~*
*****
She looks beautiful. She's wearing a cute lace white dress that cinches in her waist then flares to her knees. The platform shoes that grace her cute little painted white toes are unique. All her shoes are rather unique but I love the way they look on her. Her halo of hair is shooting from her head in those wild curls with a gold string tied gracefully around her crown. The necklace that I bought her was caressing her beautiful neck. She wears it everyday. I love that she loves it so much and if fills me with joy. We're in the car and I can't help but steal glances at her while rubbing her thigh.
"Do they know I'm black?" she turns to look at me nervously.
"Why would they need to know that?" I told my parents way back when we first met but I doubt they told my brothers and sisters. They don't really care that she's black. They are really worried that she's a little shifty from all the things I told them about our up and down relationship.
"My parents know you're white." she threw her hands up.
"So you talk about me? I'm glad and it kinda turns me on that you do." I wink at her. Fifteen minutes and we're there but it seems we're the last ones to make it.
I go to her side of the car to help her, holding my hand out for her to take. She nervously clutches the pie she made, so hard I'm afraid she'll break it in half somehow. I place my hand at the small of her back for reassurance as we wait for someone to answer the door.
"BFG how's it going? I know you missed me." my cousin greets me with a hug and a playful pat on the back.
"Hey BAM back from the west coast I see. You missed me too much huh?" I hug him back. "This is my girlfriend Kenna. Kenna this is my cousin slash best friend Sebastien." My whole family is full of tall people, I wasn't lying when I told her that so I wonder why she was so surprised that he's tall too. She looks up at him then hands me the pie so he can grab her into his long-limbed hug.
"Ok ok put my girl down." a little spike of jealousy went through me.
"Nice to meet you. Um why does Axl call you BAM?" she looked between the two of us with a smile waiting for the story.
"Long story short I wasn't much of the studious type in school. Got the nickname bad ass motherfucker from Axl here and he shortened it to BAM." he shrugged clasping me on the shoulder.
"Is that my Axl Ray I hear at the door?" my mom yells from the kitchen. She comes through the door and her eyes instantly go to Kenna. "Oh my goodness you're the famous Kenna aren't you?" her hands are already around Kenna pulling her to her chest.
"Ok mom jeez I think you're smothering her. Hey mom." I say as she releases Kenna then latches on to me.
"Come on in. Everybody is already out back waiting for the food to be served. So if ya'll don't mind, I'd like a helping hand to take these dishes out." my mom turns and guides us to the kitchen.
We follow her out back after we help get the dishes to the table and I suddenly get the thought that maybe I should have told them all that she's black because my brothers and sisters all turn to look at us walking up. It felt like a DJ stopped the music with a scratch. My dad is the first to stand up.
"You must be the reason why my son has a permanent smile on his face. Bring it in!" he throws open his arms. Kenna shyly places the dish on the table then walks into my dad's waiting arms.
"Hi Mr. Reeves it's nice to finally meet you." she smiles up at him and I knew he was a goner once he saw that smile of hers.
I introduce her to my five brothers and sisters and they seem receptive enough. The whole family seems to really like her and she seems to like them. The conversations are good with a lot of jokes thrown in here and there. She was right, parents do love her. My mom gets this twinkle in her eyes when she really enjoys someone's company, she has it now. My dad the relentless flirt tries his hardest to make Kenna blush.
"Ok I'm just gonna say it since everyone is acting like they aren't thinking it." my oldest brother, Eddie, announces to the table. Everyone stops smiling to look at his serious face. I'm praying he doesn't say anything stupid or insulting. If he does, I don't mind shoving my fist down his throat so hard he shits teeth.
"She's..." he stops gesturing like he's searching for the right word. "She's just so tiny. If ya'll have babies will the babies be small like you or is our family gene for tallness gonna dominate that miniature height of yours?" he looks quizzically at Kenna.
Kenna bursts out laughing which makes us all laugh nervously at first but then it turns into tear jerking belly laughs.
"Oh my gosh that is hilarious. I'm no geneticist but I think tallness is the dominant gene but hey we like to be called vertically challenged." Kenna says with a wide smile.
That got us all laughing again. For a second I was afraid he was going to say something about her skin color. I should really have more faith in my family, although I will say they have never brought anyone other than a white person home. Everyone dug into the pie that Kenna made. Our mouths exploded with flavor. I knew she was a good cook but this pie was delicious, it wasn't too sweet and the apples were just the right consistency. I'm sure this is impressing my parents big time.
My sister was looking at Kenna in a peculiar manner. Kenna slightly squeezed my thigh subtly nodding her head to my sister. She smiled at me but asked quietly, "Why is she looking at me like that?"
I didn't have an answer for her.
"Is there something on my face?" she politely asks my sister directly and grabbing for a napkin to dab her pretty mouth.
"What do you do for a living Kenna?" my sister changed the subject.
"I am an interior decorator. Why do you ask?"
My sister had that 'ah hah' look on her face. "You're the woman who staged one of my houses. I knew I recognized you! Do you know that a client bought the house including the staged furniture inside of it? I got a substantial commission pay for that." She raised her glass to Kenna. "Thank you for that, maybe we can work together again?"
"Well, Aimee I'm not cheap." Kenna said with a smile.
"What about a family discount?"
Kenna raised both of her eyebrows at that question, not really knowing what to say.
"Oh please. Axl is clearly smitten with you. I wouldn't be surprised if he already has an engagement ring, so you're basically family." Aimee sipped some of her tea lifting her eyebrows at Kenna.
"Luckily I'm quite smitten with him as well so of course, you'll get the family discount." she said placing a gentle hand on my cheek. My heart swelled with joy and pride that she claimed me in front of my family. I had a goofy grin on my face I could feel it.
"Ugh I want one! Even if she is as tiny as you are." my second oldest brother, Derek, said with a fake exaggerated frown on his face.
"Unfortunately she's the only girl in her family but there are plenty of tiny little fireballs running around that you could scoop up D but I'm not sure you could handle it." I said grabbing Kenna into my side.
I was glad that my family liked her but my brothers were laying it on a little thick and I'm not too sure how I feel about that. My oldest sister, Bella, was rather quiet at the table but that was nothing new. She and I are the quiet ones in the family. Bella is a year older than me and Aimee is a year younger than me but Bella and I are the closest out of all my siblings. My third oldest brother, Connor, kept complimenting Kenna and starting personal conversations with her when he thought the rest of us were distracted.
"If you don't mind Mrs. Reeves, may I ask a personal question?" Kenna looked at my mom with those big round beautiful brown eyes of hers blinking at her twice.
"Of course doll ask away." my mom threw her hand out.
"So you have Eddie, Derek, Connor, Bella, Axl, and Aimee. They are alphabetical in order from oldest to youngest. What happened with Axl and Aimee?" she was genuinely confused.
I never really put much thought into our names but they are in alphabetical order.
My mother laughed. "Oh, Aimee was a very welcomed surprise. We didn't think we could have any more children after Axl but finally another girl so me and Bella wouldn't be surrounded by men." my father and brothers feigned offense.
"I think I like the alphabet thing you got going on. It's subtle and cute." Kenna had an adorable glow in her eyes.
"Why thank you Kenna that is very sweet of you." my dad had his hand over his heart like it was his idea.
"All right kids let's gather up these plates. I have to get your mom her medicine and we're heading to bed." my mother was still weak since she was taking the medicine the doctors gave her for her illness. I hated to see her have to be assisted everywhere and I could tell she hated it too. On the bright side, it does seem that the medicine is helping her.