Page 57 of Surrender to Love

“My wife says the same thing. I told her she was tripping but you might be right.” Quintus nods. “Now I have to look.”

“Is there anything else you need me to add to this grocery order? Reya is about to hit submit,” Kyrah asks as I drive.

“Nah. I think I’m straight. Deuce is bringing the liquor and I got the fish in the cooler. What else do we need? It’s just one night.”

“Shuga just wants to make sure she has everything we need to cook, snack on, and for breakfast in the morning.”

“Oh breakfast, yeah. Pork bacon. Sis is on that beef kick and I like beef ribs but bacon ain’t bacon unless it’s pork.”

“I got that already. The bag I put in the cooler is the thick pork bacon you like,” she says and I just smile. She knows me and always thinks of the littlest shit when it comes to me. “Oh, I wonder if Shuga is going to cook those little sweet puff things.”

“Masa? Yeah. She’s going to cook a ton of those. They’re Niya’s favorite and my nephews still eat them shits like candy. Every Thanksgiving, we have a million of those and several sweet potato pies.”

“Shuga bakes pies too?”

“Nah. She probably can but she always gets those from Seasonal Sweets here in Crescent Falls. Tre’s on pie duty. He’s picking them up before he comes to the cabin. Do you need to add anything to the list?”

“I’m not trying to eat too much. I need to look sexy in my swimsuits this weekend.”

“Ay, you better eat whatever the fuck you want. Anything you put on that beautiful body looks perfect to me anyway. Don’t be trying to starve and shit. I love every inch of you,” I tell her.

I don’t know why women try to change once they get into relationships. The same body that attracted a man to them and the same body he likes to hold onto and be on up on is the same damn body we want once we’re solid. That changing shit is all in a woman’s mind; men don’t give a damn, especially when it’s the woman he loves.

“I was just playing but I’m glad you love all of me ’cause that’s exactly what’s going to be strutting across that sand on the beach. I’m so ready to leave this forty-five degree weather. I checked. It’s going to be seventy-three degrees there tomorrow. This is going to be the best birthday.”

It definitely is.

“I’m ready too, baby.”

After typing on her phone, she says, “The order is submitted. I told her we didn’t need to add anything else.”

“Good. What’s the name of the cabin again?” I ask as I pull into the resort. The cabins at the Blue Mountain Resort each have unique names and I need the name when I check in at the security gate.

“The Big Bear,” she says right as I pull up to the gate. Quintus’ ride is actually the vehicle ahead of us. “I thought she was already here,” Kyrah utters. “We’re right behind them.”

She calls Mireya like they haven’t been talking all day, and while they chat, the safety gate lifts. Quintus moves forward and I pull up to the guard. After showing my ID and giving the cabin name, the lift opens for us and I drive in. Since Quintus is ahead of me, I just follow him to Big Bear.

When we pull up, my damn jaw drops and my baby exclaims, “Wow!” This cabin is big as shit, a massive, three story, dark brown structure with porches wrapping around all levels. “This is beautiful,” she gushes as she undoes her seat belt.

I pull right behind Quintus in the long ass driveway. Shuga, Deuce, Ace, and the twins’ rides are all here, lined up on the left, so me and Quintus line up on the right. We have to make room for the rest of my nephews to park.

After killing the engine, I get out and open the door for Kyrah. She meets Sis and Niya on the pebbled walkway.

“This is a palace,” Niya says in awe.

“It’s really big and gorgeous,” Sis confirms. “Shuga outdid herself.”

“I can’t wait to see the inside,” my baby says.

“Go in. I’ll get our stuff,” I tell her then kiss her lips.

“Yeah. Y’all go and see. I’m going to grab our bags and the cooler,” Quintus says.

Each brother was tasked with bringing something. Every Thanksgiving it’s the same. I get fresh fish from Phat Fish. Quintus is in charge of the steaks, Deuce gets liquor, Tre grabs pies, and Ace brings the turkeys. We have a traditional Black American thanksgiving with Nigerian dishes in the mix and we eat a lot.

“You see this shit?” I ask my brother.

“I didn’t know they rented cabins this size. I wonder how many bedrooms it has,” he says.