Finding Us (Interracial Romance)

Welcome Back, Miller?

Jeremy

"Jeremy, I'm so glad you're home this time because you won't believe what happened lately!" Ellie exclaims while she's eating a bowl of the Fruit Loops with milk.

"Ellie, sweetheart, your brother has just returned home after hours of being on the plane. You can talk to him about the latest news later." Mama tells.

"Don't worry, mom. Ellie's not a bother to me." I assure genuinely and I watch Ellie's cheeks puff up like a blow-fish while the corners of her lips turn up.

"After graduating from high school, I got a job working as a cashier at a Starbucks station in Target and on my days off; I'm a dog sitter."

"Wow! Ellie, that's wonderful!" I grin.

"Thank you! While I'm doing my thing; Dylan and Renae just moved back here from Nevada, Amber and her friend opened up a boutique, Thomas is jobless again."

"Elena Mae Miller!" Mama chides. Ellie's eyes expand and her hand flies over her mouth apologetically, causing me to guffaw.

"What, I'm joking!" Ellie laughs jokingly. "He has a gourmet food truck business. Ellie then whispers to me, "Don't tell Thomas I said that."

"Scout's honor." I vow with a chuckle and give her the scout's sign.

"Speaking of scouts, where are my Samoas?" Ellie queries.

"What are you talking about?" I narrow my eyes. "I gave you your coconut caramel cookies as a present four months ago at your graduation. And it's not even girl's scouts season."

"My best friend and I were looking for those cookies at the grocery store and didn't found them."

"They probably have them at Kroger's, Walmart, or Lidl." I suggest.

"Leedle leedle lee!" I hear a deep, low as a bass guitar voice call from the living room to face my brother, Dylan and his wife Renae along with my two young nieces; Delilah and Aimee and my nephew Dylan Jr entering from the living room to the kitchen.

"Oh, my gosh! Patrick Star has arrived, ladies and gentlemen." Ellie announces monotonously as she rolls her eyes. I snicker.

"Holy cow, Jeremy! You're back!" Dylan throws his arm around me as I mirror his actions.

"Most definitely and permanently." I assure, causing Dylan to stare at me in the eyes with his mouth lowering like letting a sealed bag of sand drop to the floor.

"My baby brother's home this time! We're having a boys night out tonight, brothers edition!" Dylan grins.

"Welcome home, Jeremy." Renae greets me with a hug before the Mini League take over.

"Uncle Jeremy!" The Mini League cheer simultaneously and I swathe my arms around the children as their arms snake around my waist.

"How is my little team doing? I miss you guys so much!" I ruffle Dylan Jr's slight curly hair with my hand.

"We miss you too!" The three little children reply in unison.

I notice the absence of my other niece, Montana. "Where's Montana?" I query.

"We just dropped her off at her friend's house." Renae answers.

"Uncle Jer, our dad let us watch this cool movie for our family movie night!" Dylan Jr says.

"Oh, yeah? What is it?" I sit up straight, supporting myself with my arms on the table.

"There's this one part where a man named Moses parted the sea, the whole sea in half to let the people walk through before the bad guys could get them, but they couldn't because of the ocean." Dylan Jr tells.

"He's talking about the movie we watched three nights ago titled, the Prince of Egypt and the kids were astonished when the staff transformed into a snake." Renae elucidates.

"That's wonderful," Mama comments contently. "Jeremy, you're familiar with the book of Exodus, are you?"

"Of course, I remember. How could I forget? Grandpa read it to me." I recall. Despite the fact of being familiar with the first fourteen chapters of Moses' story in Exodus from my maternal grandfather who happens to be a pastor, I never watched that movie. I mean, my grandpa read me the story of Moses when I was young.

"How's Athena doing?" I ask Ellie.

"Bradley has a new car and Athena is--"

"Mom, dad? Is anyone home?" A gracious female voice calls an I turn my head to her direction. "I'm here--" She stops in her tracks and her deep brown eyes flicker with anger while Ellie bolts from the table to upstairs. Just as my other sister stares me down, a robust feelings between puzzlement and anger coils in my stomach as I notice she's holding a baby with short blonde hair with side swept bangs parted to the right side of her face, big brown eyes wandering around the room, and pink small lips forming a pout. She looks like she could be one years old. My sister has a baby? 

"You could've told me my distrustful twin brother is back in town." Athena shakes her head with a displeased tone before she turns her back and exits the kitchen. I sense a hand rubbing my shoulder and glance up to mama giving me an apologetic expression on her face. I'm back in Los Angeles this time and I come home to have one of my sisters still mad at me.

"See you later, Mister and Mrs. Miller." A sweet voice enters. I lift my head to hear two sets of feet descending the stairs.

"Honey, we're your godparents. Calling us by our last names is really not necessary." Dad chuckles reassuringly.

"See you guys later, I love you both." A teenage girl who looks to be Ellie's age as she stands at, about an inch taller than Ellie, smiles sweetly with thick, voluminous jet black ringlet curls touching her shoulders. She has cinnamon skin with deep brown eyes. As I look at her, I notice who she is too.

"Bye, Jeremy." As she's about to turn to face the door, she halts and her smile fades, dropping ajar as her eyes bulge. She then turns her face along with her body to my direction, appearing mortified. "Jeremy?!"

"Hi, Zayna?" I wave awkwardly. She glances from me to Ellie.

"Ellie, I'll talk to you later. I gotta go!" Zayna wastes no time dashing out of the house like a track runner and I immediately have this wrenching feeling in my gut that she's gonna tell her sister. She may not be ready to face the fact that I've return to Los Angeles and I don't know what I may be expecting from her. She'll probably beat the crap out of me when she sees me.