Heartbreaks Daughter

Family Dinner

I sat outside with John and Hanovi. I was helping them with corn and I caught Jayla watching me once with a huge smile on her face. I walked in to grab water and saw her and Catalaya at the stove. Jayla like I saw her mom doing earlier was working with dough but was putting it in a pan.

"Joe, would you mind letting them know dinner is just about done." I looked at her mom smiling.

"Yes ma'am." I walked back out looking at John."Ms. Maria said dinner was about done."

"Thank you Joe, We'll be right in." I nodded walking in and washing my hands at the sink. Whatever was being made smelled phenomenal. I looked at the mantle seeing a few pictures, one of her mom and grandpa.

Another of her and her siblings and the kids and one was of a little girl in native clothing.

"That was Jayla when she was like 6." I turned looking to her brother Sam as he spoke. He didn't really talk much.

"Yeah, your grandfather was telling me about this picture."

"It was the first time she danced. I was 10."

"She any good?"

"Very, you'll see this weekend. You seem pretty nice so far and I wanna apologize for my little brothers actions to you. The bond him and my sister have is ridiculously close so it's going to take him the longest to warm up to you being in her life; she's never brought anyone here before."

"She hasn't." He shook his head and I was honestly in shocked and honored. I knew from being even just her friend before we dated how special this place was to her and to know she'd never brought anyone here made me feel special.

"Honestly none of us liked Dre we just respected her wishes and she wanted to be with him, as you know he didn't really treat her how she should have been treated and she honestly should have known in her heart it wasn't right if she never felt comfortable bringing him here."

"This place is really special to her, even before we dated just hearing her talk about here it was clear what it meant to her."

"You really love her don't you?"

"Yes."

"Boys." We both turned as her mother walked in. "Dinner is done."

"Thank you mother."

"Can you say that again?" I asked causing them to look at me. Sam repeated himself and then I tried it. He looked impressed so I guess I did good.

"You're welcome Joe." Maria said walking off I looked at Sam following her.

"So I take it that was thank you."

"Thank you mother, but yes." I nodded and sat next to Jayla as I watched Apollo walk to me. I put him in my lap as Jayla put a plate in front of me. It was what she had in that pan frying but topped with meat, lettuce, cheese and tomatoes.

" Any other toppings do yourself big man."

"Thank you."

"You ever had this before." I looked at Alex who was staring at me.

"No, I haven't had any native food before."

JAYLA

"It's not like there are many places selling native cuisine while we're on the road."

"Yeah but you go home almost every week." Alex said smarting off

"Yeah, and more often than not I make him go to Florida, our kids are our first priority so he sees his daughter and I see these two. So before you make that comment I haven't gotten to really cook for him yet."

"My granddaughter is a very good cook, you should get her to cook someday."

"I will." Joe said smiling at me

"Well you've had this before just not this way." Mom said looking at him. "This is Native tacos, everything like a normal taco but instead of a tortilla it's frybread."

"Thank you." He replied. I could tell he really enjoyed it from his reaction, then the fact he ate like 4. After dinner I helped with the dishes with Alex as the kids sat with my parents and grandfather, and Joe.

"Could you be a little nicer to him Alex."

"I am being nice."

"Not really, you're being semi rude, standoffish and only speak to him to make a smartass comment."

"Yeah, I'm being nice." I sighed putting the dish in my hand back down.

"He means the world to me, my godfather is already making this hard enough please don't do the same; I'm already hurting as is because of Paul, you're one of my favorite people on this planet don't hurt me too."

"Jayla I'm not trying to hurt you, I'm looking out for you, you've already been hurt enough, I'm not letting some other jackass hurt you again."

"He's not Dre, he's treated me better than anyone ever has or could I, Alex I love him." My brother dropped the plate he was holding looking at me. Before glancing at Joe. Joe looked up at us and smiled watching me. Alex sighed looking at me.

"I'll try to be nicer but I swear he hurts you and I'm kicking his ass."

"Thank you, I love you too." He rolled his eyes splashing water at me making me laugh.