ext. I had no words to tell this woman how I felt about her. She wasn’t much of a drinker. So, we wrapped our glasses around each other’s and sipped from the Champaign flutes. My brothers jeered us. They thought we were lame. She chuckled at them. I didn’t care.
Then we cut the cake. I wasn’t about to smear it in Disa’s face. She didn’t smear it in mine either. Unlike Jenny who had it all over Elijah by the time they were done.
Next, we moved to our first dance. I held her against me and moved her around the dance floor. There was no disco ball this time. The normal lighting of Ike’s glowed over our heads as we swayed together for our first dance as man and wife.
Then we were done. We could relax. She talked with the girls and I huddled with my brothers for a while. I just really wanted to take her home. I wanted to make love to Disa as my wife.
Matt, Heath and AJ were talking about what they had learned about Ron Parson. I listened attentively, wishing this was all behind us. I wanted to talk about anything but him on my wedding day.
He wasn’t Jasmine’s father. That man did live where Belle Johnson did right now. Ron was a high school sweetheart who lived at the compound. He left the Babylon First Church of God when Belle married Disa’s uncle, pregnant with Jasmine by another man. She had broken his heart and left him with an obsession for blondes.
“What?”
“Lilah is one of the few women he took that was dark haired, but her eyes are the same as Belle’s, Disa’s and Merci’s,” AJ explained. “Her eyes drew him in and doomed her to become his own personal sex slave.”
Matt walked away with that comment. I saw him stop and talk to Dad. “He likes her,” I stated.
“You think?” Heath said as if I were stupid.
“Women are nothing but trouble,” AJ declared staring at Daisy dancing with her resident.
“Says the man who can’t stop watching his woman dance with another man.”
“Doesn’t appear to me that she’s his,” Elijah informed Heath and nodded at AJ.
AJ snarled at our much larger brother. “She is playing me. She’s been sleeping with me and dating him,” he revealed.
I shook my head at AJ. “Maybe she wouldn’t be dating him if you did more than sleep with her,” I suggested. “Ask Elijah about that before he finally took Jenny on a date.”
My brother glanced at his wife. Then he looked at AJ. “Ben might be right.”
“Shut the fu…”
“Watch your language AJ,” Rachel informed him invading our circle of men. “I want a dance Ben.”
I cringed inwardly. I don’t think I had ever danced with my mother. She took my hand and started tugging me to the dance floor. I peeked over my shoulder at my brothers seeking their help. They were sniggering at me. The bastards. Elijah didn’t have to dance with her at his wedding.
In the center of the dance floor, she put her hand on my shoulder and waited for me to take her in my arms. I rolled my eyes and obliged her. I put my hand at her waist and took Rachel’s hand.
“Happy?” I asked.
“Did that kill you?” She countered.
Not really. I led Mom around the floor without any effort. “I love you Ben.”
I glanced down at her with concern. “Are you okay?”
She sighed. “Why do you have to ask that whenever I tell you that I love you?”
“I just wanted to be sure you weren’t dying or anything,” I clarified.
“Smartasses. I raised a lot of smartasses.”
I surprised her when I pulled her closer and kissed her temple. Rachel had tears in her eyes then. “I love you too, Mom. I appreciate everything that you’ve done for me, Asia and Disa.”
She smiled through her watery eyes. “I love the three of you. I’m happy for you,” she declared. “Now, to marry off the other assholes.”
I chuckled at her. “So, you can have more grandchildren?”