Page 87 of The Phyre that Burns

“Are you nervous?” I asked, trying to stall.

“Not really. My parents will be excited because this is their first grandchild . . . well, kinda.”

I pulled her into my arms and kissed the top of her head. “They’ll be overjoyed.”

“Are you nervous?” She looked up at me.

“Nah. I’m good. Let’s go inside.”

I got out and helped her do the same before texting Devyn to let her know we were headed inside. She’d reserved the private room for the festivities and informed me that it was in the back of the restaurant.

“The food here is so good. I can’t wait to eat.”

As we neared the door, I slowed my steps to make sure Ginae entered ahead of me. She didn’t seem to have a clue about what she was walking into when she pulled the door open.

“Surprise!” everyone shouted.

“Holy shit!” she yelled, taking a step back as she held her stomach with one hand and onto my arm with the other.

“Are you pregnant?” Devyn questioned loudly as she headed in our direction to get a better look.

“Oh my God! You are pregnant. Our baby is having a baby.” Mrs. Burns cooed as she came our way with her arms outstretched.

“I was supposed to surprise you with the news, but instead, y’all scared me to death. Now the surprise is ruined,” Ginae whined.

“Sweetness, it’s not ruined. Everyone is surprised,” I assured her.

We still stood near the door while everyone crowded around Ginae to congratulate her and wish her a happy birthday. Thankfully, there were only about fifteen people present, and it wasn’t long before everyone dispersed.

“For those of you who don’t know, this is my man, Phyre. We dated in college, but things didn’t work out, and somehow, we found our way back to each other.”

“Aww, that’s so cute. I love a good second-chance romance,” said a woman who looked to be our age.

“Thank you, Nikki. Baby, officially meet my parents and my brother, Theodore, Beatrice, and TJ Burns.”

“It’s nice to officially meet everyone, although I feel like I know you a bit already.”

“There’s a lot more I’d love to know about you,” TJ said. “Let’s take a little walk.”

Ginae’s brother put her arm around my shoulders and guided me to the other side of the room. I’d invited him to breakfast this morning as well, but he had a conflict and couldn’t make it.

“My parents told me you want to marry my sister,” he said.

“I do.”

“Is it because she’s pregnant?”

I chuckled. “Not at all. I bought the ring when I found out she accepted the assignment in Black Elm.”

“You were pretty confident she would take you back.”

I shook my head. “No, but I’d been praying a long time for us to be reunited. I knew God wouldn’t bring her back to me and not have us finish what we started.”

“Ginae and I are close, so I know about all the shit that went down back in the day, and recently. She’s always been a good judge of character, and I trust that since she let you back in, you can be trusted.”

“I’m not perfect, but I promise you, I love your sister, and she’s safe with me . . . mind, body, spirit, and soul.”

He nodded. “That’s all I ask.”