Page 125 of The Need to Know

“What about you, Ezekiel? Any school? What do you do?” my mother wanted to know. The way she appraised him, I could tell she found him handsome, but like my father, she wasn’t too swayed with looks.

Ezekiel was right, on paper he was amazing, and for that, he had nothing to hide. “Oh yeah, my father owns several nightclubs, and he wasn’t just gonna let me jump in. He stressed my going to school, so I went and got a degree in business from Columbus State.”

“Business major, huh? So if Nastasia needs any tips she can come to you,” my father mused.

I rolled my eyes.

“She doesn’t need my help,” Ezekiel said firmly. “I am always here if she ever does, though. She’s been doing this fine without me, so I’m sure she’s perfectly capable of continuing on her own with Paisley.”

My heart had never felt so whole and warm.

Suddenly, I felt full, like I didn’t need to eat any more. All I could do was admire the man beside me for sticking up for me with no hesitation.

“Those two are some bad women running that shop as a duo,” my father commented to my surprise.

Ezekiel was quick to agree. “Yes, sir. That’s what I love about Nas, she’s a hard worker, but super humble and chill.”

The more Ezekiel talked, the more my father and mother looked on at him with approval. The same could be said for Oisin.

“You play any sports?” Oisin asked Ezekiel a while later, his eyes doing a quick scan of Zeke.

Ezekiel shrugged. “I mean, sometimes me and my boy Cesar will spar or shoot hoops, but it’s never been my thing. You?”

“Everybody in my family is into basketball. I did a little rugby growing up, too,” Oisin responded. “I’m the youngest of five boys.”

“Rugby? That’s that extreme stuff, right?” Ezekiel winced at the thought of the sport.

“You get used to it. My brothers never went easy on me, but sooner or later you either get rolled over or you learn to fight back,” Oisin insisted.

Ezekiel didn’t look convinced.

“You tryna play rugby with Oisin, Ezekiel?” my father joked.

Ezekiel swung his attention from Oisin to my father. “So he can take his pent-up resentment out on me? Hell nah!”

The whole room swelled over with laughter and all the hard conversations were behind us.

Dinner with my family had been anxiety inducing, but the whole thing went over so smoothly, I enjoyed myself and didn’t think of rushing off at any point. Oisin was likeable and it was sweet seeing Alannah fawn over him and him adore her. Ezekiel’s presence helped me through the meal more than anything. Seeing my father and mother in action tag teaming Ezekiel and Oisin, a part of me began to see and appreciate their intentions more.

When it was time to go and my father pulled me to the side, I didn’t look for an escape route, I simply took a deep breath and stepped with him into his private den.

Up on the wood-paneled walls were portraits of our family. Me and Alannah from little girls to our graduation days, photos of my parents on dates, some cute ones from their youth I’d never seen before. There was a photo of my mother and father seated on a fountain, she was leaning back and her legs were in his lap and my father was smiling as he rubbed her feet and glanced her way.

I had never known them to be so affectionate and intimate. It was such a cute old photo. I felt no shame in turning to my father and asking for a copy. “Can I have one? I don’t hang enough pictures up at my place, and that’s so cute.”

My father glanced at the memory of him and my mother and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll get on it.” He came back to me, a softness to his eyes. “So, uh, new boyfriend, huh?”

I hung my head. What was this, another lecture? “Yeah, Daddy.”

He reached out, tipping my chin up to see into my eyes. “Unlike Corde, I like this one.”

“Corey,” I breathed out, hiding a smile. “And yeah, Ezekiel is…”

“A man,” my father finished. “Nice to see you finally left those boys at the schoolyard where they belong.”

Ezekiel was nurturing, supportive, sexy, smart, all the things you could dream of in a man. I didn’t know if it would last, but this one was the one I wanted most to work.

“How’s the shop?” my father asked next.