Her bright smile lit up the room as she pulled me into her arms and rocked me from side to side. “My precious grandbaby. I missed you so much, baby.”
“I missed you more, Grams.”
“And who is this pretty young thing?” she asked, eyes going to Jela.
“Grams, this is my lady friend, Jela. Jela, meet my queen and everything in between, PaulinaGramsStone.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Paulina. You have a beautiful home.”
“Oh, please. Call me Grams like everyone else does and thank you, darling. Truce hasn’t brought anyone around for years. I’m hoping you’ll be the one to stick around for a while.”
“I’m hoping she will too,” I said, smiling down at her.
Jela blushed, as she often did when I said things like that. I honestly didn’t know what was happening between us. All Iknew was that I wanted her around for the long haul. With me, she didn’t have to worry about other women, being lonely, or me putting my hands on her. She would get nothing but love, fidelity, queen treatment, and a lifetime of good dick.
“Well, your aunts and uncles are in the den cutting up, per usual. If you two are hungry, I can make y’all a plate.”
“Let us get settled in first, and we’ll be back over.”
“Okay, baby. Jela, welcome, beloved.”
“Thank you, Grams.”
Grams kissed her cheeks as I took her hand and led her back out the door.
“Cuz, where you going?” my cousin, Brayden, asked.
“I’ll be right back.”
“A’ight. I want to show you my highlights when you come back.”
“I got you, my baby,” I told him, closing the door.
I led Jela to the side of the house where the golf carts were and placed our luggage on the back of one.
“Where are we going?”
“My house.”
“Your house?”
I chuckled. “Yes, Empress. We’re going to put our luggage away, then come back to eat.”
“You have a house on this compound?” she asked, shocked.
I laughed. “Baby, I helped build this compound, so I'd better have something on it.” I helped her onto the cart, then walked around and got in.
“I promise, I’m not trying to be nosy or count your pockets or anything, but exactlyhow muchmoney do you make?”
I smiled. “I make enough to live comfortably.”
“Fair enough. This is all just… so much. I’d never seen anything like this before.”
“My brother got money; I’m sure you’ve seen luxurious places and things before.”
“Tuh. Let’s not bring negativity into the conversation, please?”
I nodded and pulled away from the main house.
