Page 26 of Bodyguard My Heart
“She gon’ beat yo’ ass again when y’all alone.” Claude snickered while he helped him into the wheelchair.
“Sure is. Push yo’ ass right in the tub, Charles.” I referenced a famous scene from a popular movie as I attempted to make my way up the front porch.
“We still married?” I felt my body being brought back into Demetrius’s presence. He turned me to face him, and my entire body heated up with embarrassment.Did I just get snatched up by a broken-leg nigga on crutches?
“Duh, I was looking at the papers for the first time when you got hurt,” I replied. His eyes narrowed in on me as he held me in place. We stayed there for a moment, just staring at each other. I couldn’t read him. I had no clue what was going through his head. I barely knew what was going through mine.
“How about we get you two settled? You look jetlagged.” Gran forced her way into the small space between us. “You are staying here, right?”
I turned to look at Demetrius. I thought we might stay at a hotel or resort, but I didn’t know about staying with his family.
“Nah, we were going to get a room up at the resort,” he replied.
“Nonsense! We have plenty of room.” Demetrius’s Grandpapa shouted from where he stood on the porch. I stared at the older version of Demetrius. He was a few inches shorter than Demetrius and you could tell old age was taking a toll on his muscular build.
“I was just about to cook breakfast. Samara can stay in the sunroom, and you can stay with Claude,” Gran stated.
“If we must stay, I’ll stay with my wife in the sunroom,” Demetrius said.
“Ooohweee!” Everyone erupted.
“This is better than my soap operas,” Gran said, making me giggle as I turned to move up the stairs.
“You all don’t have any bags?” Claude questioned.
“No, just the clothes on our back,” I blurted without thinking. I immediately glanced at Demetrius. I wasn’t supposed to mention anything about our situation to them. He didn’t want to stress them out. His grandparents had no idea what he did for a living.
“You come all this way with no bags?” Grandpapa questioned.
“No. They lost them at the airport,” Demetrius lied.
“See, now that’s why I don’t fly on these people’s planes. Damn high-priced death traps in the sky,” Gran mumbled. “We can go down to the market after breakfast. There are plenty of shops you all can get clothes from until yours arrive.”
“Perfect. Is there any way we can freshen up before breakfast? We’ve been traveling for days, and I need to change his bandages.”
“Sure, follow me, beautiful.” She strutted up the stairs. Grandpapa took her hand and kissed her cheek before opening the door and walking inside. I followed behind them, a smallsmirk on my face. Seeing them still have love and affection for each other at their age was beautiful.
As I stepped over the threshold of the home, the smell of home-cooked food and coffee filled my nose. An immediate comfort coated my body as I allowed my eyes to take it in. It was bigger than it appeared to be on the outside. I didn’t see any stairs, so I assumed it was one story. The furniture and everything looked older than me and that was the beauty of it. Everything seemed to have a place. It was quaint, cozy, and very clean.
“I have a few dresses that may fit you, and Claude has plenty of things for D.” Gran talked as she walked through the living room and down a long hallway showing me around the home.
“I know it’s not as nice as what you’re probably used to in America or no fancy resort, but it’s rich in love.” She turned to look at me, still holding her husband’s hand.
“It’s perfect. Beautiful. Thank you for allowing us to stay here,” I replied just as Demetrius was wheeled inside. I could hear him fussing at Claude that he was fine to walk, but Claude just kept pushing. Gran led us through the kitchen to the back of the house.
“This will be where you and Demetrius can sleep.” She opened the door to reveal a large, enclosed sunroom that reminded me of Royale’s greenhouse in Cuba. It was beautifully decorated with flowers. A queen-sized bed sat in the middle of the floor with two nice nightstands on each side.
“It looks good out here, Gran. When you convert this to a guest room?” Demetrius questioned.
“It’s been this way for a while now. You just haven’t been here in ages,” she replied, walking into the room.
“We’re preparing the house for our great-grandson. Between you, Claude, and Fabian, somebody has to be having a baby soon,” Grandpapa said. I glanced at Demetrius, whose facedropped again at the mention of Fabian. I knew he was waiting for the right time to break the news, but a part of me just wanted him to spit it out.
“Here, this looks like it’ll fit.” Gran handed me a bright-colored sundress she got out of the dresser that sat next to the door. “I’ve collected enough clothes over the years from family and friends stopping through that there should be plenty of clothes in here you can wear.”
“This is perfect. Thank you,” I replied.
“Did you see the bathroom when we walked up?” she questioned. I nodded my head. “There are towels in the bathroom closet. Soap and extra toothbrushes under the sink.”