Ink & Lust: Wattpad Version

Chapter 27

"Bourbon pecan pie," Amila said, carefully sitting the ceramic dish that held the desert on the kitchen island in front of the woman that bore the man that had her thinking about her plans for the future.

"Pie!" Dominic's dad, Syrus, quipped. He sidled next to her with a saucer and a cake knife. They met in the foyer, he welcomed her in a big hug that felt like a hundred embraces or maybe she just missed being in the arms of a father that cared about their children. The man radiated warmth and love; and though she was a little skittish about being in the company of new people he felt like someone she'd know all her life. He reminded her of her own dad. Greedy for food and greedier for the company of people.

"Let me see if it tastes as good as it looks." Syrus positioned the knife over the dessert but before he could spear it into a toasted, sugared pecan his wife interjected.

"Sy, don't you do it." Dominic's mom declared, looking up from the massive aluminum pan she was spooning the Dirty Rice out of. She pointed the big, wooden spoon at the graying man that had halted with knife and spoon in hand. "You already had cake. Now, you pushing it. Run your sugar up...all I'm going to do is call 911."

"Tina, it's the holidays." He protested with his words but sat the small plate and utensil down.  He frowned at his wife then turned back to Amila, his smile resumed. "A yearly physical was supposed to be a good thing but I'm not seeing the benefits."

"Your health," Amila said. "More time with the ones you love."

The last word sent Syrus' gaze back to his wife draped in a festive burgundy apron with her hair kept out of sight under a deep green scarf that was elaborately tied and matched beautifully with her deep brown skin. He went soft like a man that had just fallen in love all over again and Amila wished her future husband would look at her like that when they hit sixty, had grown children and grandchildren running around.

"I'm going to watch the game since I can't eat like a king." He ambled away from the island, gave his wife a kiss on her cheek, and whispered something to her. Amila caught the word queen at the end and fell in love with the older couple even more.

Once the man had left the kitchen and his sweet tooth behind, Amila pointed to the decorative ceramic dish Valentina was spooning the spicy cajun rice into. "Do you need any help?"

Valentina looked over at her with a sincere smile that prompted Amila's mouth to quirk up. "I'm fine, sweetheart. You should go in there and enjoy yourself...that is if you like football." She deposited another heap of the seasoned rice and ground beef mixture into the dish.

"This house has a beautiful path to a lake through the tree." She pointed out the window by the breakfast nook with her spoon free hand. "And as my eldest grandbaby said...it's fit for TikTok. I don't know what a clock has to do with walking but I enjoyed it."

Amila's smile grew brighter and then she shook her head. "I wouldn't feel right just sitting down while you're busy here by yourself."

"Nah, I'm not putting you to work." Valentina refuted with a shake of her head as she paused from scooping. "You're our guest and anyway the food is done. We're about to eat."

"And I don't know how he does it." Danielle's voice pulled them to her presence as she walked over to the island. "Nicky always arrives when the food is finished. He did it when we were growing up, never around during the prep but always the first one with a plate."

Danielle peeked into the oven, "The dressing is done." She turned off the oven and heaved the dish out. Once she had it securely on the countertop she joined the back at the island. "How long have you and Nicky been together?"

"Uh..." Amila's mouth opened but her voice halted as her eyes narrowed. She thought back trying to remember the day Dominic walked into the coffee shop. What month was that? The answer found her and she said. "September."