Only for You

32: Meet the Queen

The famous iPhone ringtone fills Zac's bedroom. He groans, shifting slightly, but Fatima's arms tighten around him as she snuggles in closer, her warm body pressed against his.

He exhales, rubbing his hand over her bare back before reaching blindly for his phone on the nightstand.

"Hello," he mumbles groggily into the call.

"Good morning, baby. Are you still asleep? It's almost eleven," Tionne's voice comes through the speaker, sharp yet affectionate.

Zac sighs, running a hand down his face. "Morning, Ma. I must've overslept. I only went to bed at five this morning."

"Mmhmm." Tionne hums knowingly, and he can hear the judgment in her tone. "Listen, I'm having lunch at Nobu. Join me."

He glances down at Fatima, who's still wrapped around him like a koala, her face buried in his chest. "Okay, Ma," he agrees, rubbing his eye.

"Good. See you at one," she says before ending the call.

Zac tosses his phone back onto the nightstand, sighing.

"Good morning, baby," Fatima purrs, stretching against him before hugging him tighter.

He smiles, tilting his head down to kiss her forehead. "Good morning, my love."

She grins, eyes still heavy with sleep, but his words wake her up real quick. "Mmm... my love, huh?" she teases, propping herself up on one elbow.

Zac licks his lips. "Yeah. I like it."

Fatima hums, clearly pleased as she leans in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips before slipping off him. She grabs his shirt from the nightstand, slipping it over her bare body as she stands. "You hungry?"

He watches her with a lazy smirk. "Yeah. Worked up an appetite."

She giggles, running a hand through her hair. "That we did."

Zac reaches out, gripping her wrist and pulling her back onto the bed. She lands with a soft laugh, and he steals another kiss, his hand slipping beneath the shirt she just put on.

When they finally pull apart, he brushes his thumb over her lips. "How about lunch at Nobu?"

Her eyes brighten. "Ooh, fancy."

Then he drops the bomb. "So you can meet my mom."

Fatima freezes. "I'm sorry, what?"

Zac smirks at her reaction, leaning back against the pillows.

She blinks, her brain short-circuiting. "Meet your mom? As in, the woman who birthed you? That mom?"

He chuckles, tugging her back onto his lap. "Yeah, that mom. Relax, it's just lunch."

"Just lunch?" she repeats, her voice pitching higher. "Zac, meeting a man's mother is not just lunch. That's—"

"You are my girl, aren't you?" he interrupts smoothly, rubbing circles into her thigh.

Fatima swallows. He says it so casually, like it's not a big deal. But it is—at least to her.

"I mean... yeah," she admits. "But I thought we were keeping this lowkey."

"We are. But Ma's different," he explains. "She don't play about me, I want her to meet you from me."

Fatima sighs, chewing her lip. Meeting his mom wasn't the problem—it was what it meant. This wasn't some casual hookup. This was real.