It Was Always You

Ch. 3 Come Home

"Oh yeah? That mean we're gonna have some little brown babies runnin' around soon?"

Angela grimaced; her mother and aunt had been asking her that question since she and Juice got together. When's the wedding? Where are the grandkids? Over and over again. Thankfully, they hadn't mentioned it in front of Juice, but it was only a matter of time. She was convinced the two of them had already planned their damn wedding and were buying baby shit. To be honest, she loved the idea of marrying Juice. Of having babies and making a family of their own, but what they had was so new, she didn't want to jinx it. "Only time will tell," she replied evasively. 

Gemma looked her up and down again in a way that made her shift uncomfortably. She swore sometimes Gemma could read her thoughts. "Juice is a good boy. Take care of him."

"Always have, always will," she replied on a nod. She checked her watch and smiled. "Speaking of, I gotta go. He's in charge of dinner tonight. Gotta make sure the house is still standing."

"Got him cookin' for you, huh? Impressive."

Angela shrugged a shoulder. She was pretty sure Juice would just order out, but she didn't want to give his secrets away. "We switch off. Keeps things exciting. See ya later, Gemma," she said starting to walk away.

"Hey undertaker!" Gemma called after her, making her stop in her tracks. She raised an eyebrow at the older woman. "Doin' dinner. Not tomorrow night but the next. Getting everyone together. You and Juice should come."

She did her best to hide her shock; it was rare Gemma had included them in on family dinners especially after the last time when she'd been so busy at the funeral home that she'd come to the dinner late and empty handed. Juice was supposed to have at least bought a bottle of wine, but he hadn't been able to. Then the boys had to leave, leaving her alone with Gemma and some Croweaters. She'd helped Gemma clean, clenching her jaw as she listened to Gemma make veiled, mildly insulting comments. Did she want to subject herself to that again? No, but it was important to Juice. "Oh, yeah. Sure. Love that. Thanks."

Gemma nodded in response. "Good. Bring dessert. Don't forget this time."

There was that little dig. Angela fought the urge to flip her off. "Go it," she said, tapping her temple as if she was locking it in as she walked away. Her mind was already working on what she could make to appease the queen. She sighed, dreading it a little. She should've just told Gemma 'no'. Save herself the work and the stress. But Gemma was important to Juice, and she knew being included in the dinner would mean a lot to him, so she would suck it up, make some kind of delicious dessert, and put a smile on her face for him.

~'~'~'~

Juice stared at the cartons of Chinese food sitting on the counter with a frown.  It was his night to make dinner, and he'd wanted to cook something. Had pulled a recipe out and everything, and then he got the call that they'd be leaving earlier than expected to head down to the Mayan warehouse in Oakland to get their shit back. He knew he could get to Oakland faster than what they'd planned, but he also knew they were going the long way to avoid getting spotted by Mayans on their way in.

He heard the door open, heard Angela sigh as her bag hit the ground. Peeking out of the kitchen, he watched her take off her boots before straightening to pull the hair-tie out of the end of her braid. She raked her fingers through it with a tired sigh. She looked exhausted. "Long day?" he asked.

She must've known he was watching because she didn't startle. "Mm-hmm," she replied, crossing the room and sliding her arms around his waist as she leaned into him, burying her face in his chest. " 'm tired."

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her and moving his hand into her hair. He massaged her scalp as she'd done moments before, pleased with the happy moan that escaped her hold in response. He buried his nose into her hair, kissing the crown of her head as he did so. He loved the smell of her shampoo that lingered in her hair. It was a floral smell with a hint of something sweet. It was hard to put a name to it other than it smelled like her. It was the same way she'd smelled since he first met her. A smell that was comforting and warm, like home. His hand moved to her ass, slapping it gently. "Go shower. Got dinner ready whenever you are."