Harlem began to fully wake. She blinked a few times. “I can’t believe I fell asleep.”
“I can.” Carter laughed. “You were snoring the entire way here.”
Harlem was a little embarrassed because she wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not. “I don’t snore. Do I?”
He glanced over and gave her a little shrug and a half-smile. Harlem hadn’t made a sound, but Carter decided to let her think she had.
She almost smiled too. “Whatever. I should text my parents since we are so close.”
Harlem removed her hand from underneath his, and Carter immediately missed the warmth. He tried to shake off the feeling by ignoring it. He used the same hand to turn the steering wheel to make a left turn onto a street called Waukegan Road. His GPS noted they were just a few miles away. Until this moment, Carter hadn’t really thought about how seeing Mr. and Mrs. Thomas was going to go down. The first time they’d met was at Damian’s funeral. This time was different. “How tall is your dad again?”
Harlem was focused entirely on her phone and was texting away. “Don’t you remember from the funeral?”
“That day was kind of a blur.”
Harlem could understand that. “My dad is six-feet and around two-hundred pounds of pure muscle.” She smirked.
Carter had about four inches and twenty pounds over him, not that it would matter. He would never disrespect her dad.
Harlem knew what Carter was thinking and thought it was funny. “I don’t think he’ll do anything to you.” She said underneath her breath. “At least I hope not.”
Damian always managed to get Carter into some shit. Apparently, he was still doing it even from the grave.
Finally, they turned down her parent’s street. Harlem pointed. “It’s the brick house at the end of the cul-de-sac.”
Why was he nervous about meeting her mother and father? This entire experience was foreign and pushed him out of his element. He’d met with powerful men, other billionaires like him, and politicians without so much as a second thought. But Harlem’s dad? There was a little bit of anxiety that had built up in his gut. It was ridiculous. It wasn’t like Carter was Harlem’s boyfriend. They hadn’t conceived this baby together–at least not in the traditional way. And they had only recently decided to become friends. Yet, here he was, performing all the duties of someone in a full-blown relationship. How much support was he supposed to give? The lines were clearly blurred, and it was frustrating.
Carter pulled up into the driveway behind a pick-up truck. The second he cut the engine, the screen door to the modest home opened, and an attractive older woman who looked a lot like Harlem came running out towards them.
“Elijah! They’re here.” Seconds later, Elaine barreled into Harlem, pulling her only daughter into a tight embrace. Then, she stood back to take a good look at her. “My goodness! You’re glowing.”
“Am I?” Harlem asked. “I look the same to me.”
“You’ve definitely got that pregnancy glow.”
Elaine moved away from Harlem and turned to Carter. “Nice to see you again.” Harlem’s dad finally made it out of the house and was now standing next to his wife.
“Nice to see you again, Mrs. Thomas.” Carter nodded. “You too, Mr. Thomas.”
Harlem’s dad didn’t respond to his greeting right away. There was an awkward silence that hung between them. Elijah’s face was hard as stone as he sized Carter up. Elaine knew not to say a word until he was done–Harlem too. Finally, he extended his hand. “I wondered if I was going to see you again.”
Relieved, Carter smiled and gripped his hand firmly.
Elijah still didn’t crack a smile. There wasn’t a hint of warmth, but he was at least cordial. He hadn’t released Carter’s hand when he started asking a series of rapid-fire questions. “I’m not sure how all this in-vitro shit works. What type of relationship are we supposed to have? You’re the baby’s father, but you’re not. What is your relationship with my daughter? I like things uncomplicated and clear-cut. Nothing about this situation is simple.” He said honestly.
Carter nodded. “I think we can both agree that this is a confusing situation. What I can tell you is that I’m here to honor Damian’s wishes and to support Harlem.”
There was another stare-off between the two men. Elijah held his gaze as if searching for the truth in his eyes, and Carter didn’t blink.
The moments ticked by like a melting glacier.
Finally, Harlem couldn’t take it. She leaned over and spoke softly. “Mom.” Her eyes pleaded for help.
“Elijah,” Elaine said in that voice that her husband understood all too well. “We are not going to have this conversation outside, in the cold, in front of all of our neighbors.” She turned away from her husband and back to Harlem and Carter. “Come on inside. I made an early dinner, and for dessert, I have some of that black-walnut ice-cream that you’ve been craving.” She specifically addressed Carter. “I hope you’re hungry.”
Elijah finally released Carter’s hand. He did something that was supposed to resemble a smile, but it looked more like a painful grimace as he spoke to him. “Elaine is a good cook.”
Carter nodded as if the two men had a mutual understanding and Harlem was relieved. That was her dad’s version of a concession. He would hold off on any more questions until later.
Carter smiled warmly at Elaine. “Harlem raves about your cooking all
