The Last Chance Read online

  “I hope you’re right,” she replied as she put on her denim jacket. Keilah was sporting a pair of designer jeans, a jacket, and a cranberry colored tank top. Michael also wore jeans with a tailored pink button-down shirt.

  The plane finally stopped at the terminal, and passengers quickly filled the aisle. After several people filed by, Michael saw a chance for them to exit the plane. He took Keilah by the hand and escorted her out of the plane and down the tunnel. As they walked arm in arm, Keilah stopped and turned to him.

  “Michael, before we go any further, I want to thank you for coming home with me so my family could meet you.”

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the lips. “I’m glad you invited me, because I wanted to meet the men who raised my number-one woman.”

  Keilah smiled. “Number one, huh? That’s sweet, Michael.”

  He kissed her again, this time a little longer on the lips. “No, that was sweet, and if you keep that up, we’re going to be spending the entire weekend in bed.”

  “I doubt my family will let that happen, Major,” she replied as she pulled out her cell phone. “I need to call Ramsey to check in and let him know we got in OK.”

  “Go right ahead,” Michael replied. “I need to use the rest room anyway.”

  Keilah sat down at a nearby table. She dialed Ramsey’s number, and he immediately picked up.

  “I was wondering when you was going to call. I guess you’re on the ground, huh?”

  Smiling, she said, “Yeah, we just got here.”

  “So how are things going so far?” he asked.

  Keilah toyed with a small menu on the table. “We haven’t made it to the front of the terminal yet, so we haven’t seen anyone. Michael’s in the rest room right now, so I wanted to call and check on things.”

  “It’s a normal day around here, no big deal. I miss you already, though,” he admitted.

  “Well, I’m going to let you in on a little secret, Stone. I miss you too.”

  Ramsey held the telephone in silence for a moment. Actually, he was gripping it tighter than he realized he was. “What’s really going on, Keilah? Why are you with this guy?”

  “Excuse me?” she asked. “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean,” he replied with an irritated tone. “Are you trying to prove something to yourself?”

  “No, I don’t know what you mean,” Keilah answered with a slightly elevated voice. “Why don’t you tell me?”

  Ramsey could have kicked himself for blurting out a hint of his true feelings, but the jig was up now. “It’s so obvious, Keilah. Stop acting like you don’t know.”

  “Know what, Ramsey?” she prodded.

  Just as Ramsey was about to tell her everything, Michael exited the rest room. Keilah let out a breath and stood up. She’d almost gotten Ramsey to confirm the words she wanted to hear him say so badly, but since Michael had reappeared, now was not a good time. “Look, Ramsey, Michael’s back, so when I get a chance I’ll call you later so we can finish this discussion. OK?”

  Without responding to her, he said, “Have a nice visit with your family, Keilah, and tell everyone I said hello.”

  “I will,” she said before hanging up the telephone.

  “Is something wrong at the office?” Michael asked.

  She pulled her purse on her shoulder and smiled. “No, everything’s fine.”

  “Good. Are you ready to go?”

  “Lead the way,” Keilah suggested as they made their way through the terminal and into the lobby of the airport. It was there, Luke spotted his very grown-up-looking baby sister and her new friend.

  He mumbled, “What the hell? He looks older than I am.”

  Keilah spotted Luke and ran over to greet him. She jumped into his arms and hugged him.

  “Luke, oh my God ... I’ve missed you guys so much,” she yelled.

  He held her tightly in his arms. “The same goes for you.” Luke set her on the ground and extended his hand to Michael. “I take it you’re Michael Monroe?”

  Michael shook Luke’s hand. “I am. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  “The pleasure is all mine,” Luke replied.

  “Luke, wasn’t it sweet of Michael to come out here for the grand opening with me?” Keilah asked.

  Luke playfully nudged Keilah. “I guess, but I would rather you had brought him on a weekend we weren’t so busy.”

  She nudged him back. “What difference does it make?”

  “It doesn’t matter, sis. I’m just glad you’re home. Let’s get your luggage so we can get out of here and over to the house.”

  As they walked together, Keilah cleared her throat before speaking. “Just so you know, we’re staying in a hotel while we’re in town.”

  Without making eye contact or breaking his stride, Luke replied, “No, you’re not.”

  “Yes, we are. I want some privacy, and that’s something we can’t have at your house,” she said adamantly.

  Luke turned to Keilah with a frown. “What kind of privacy do you need? Was this his idea?”

  Just as Michael was about to defend himself, Keilah put her hand up to stop him. “Let’s get this shit straight right now, Luke. I am grown, and Michael and I are dating. So I don’t need him or any man speaking on my behalf. I didn’t come here for you guys to start trippin’. I came here to visit my family and to have a good time. If you don’t do anything else this weekend, respect my wishes, please. Now I think you owe Michael an apology.”

  Luke looked down at the floor and shook his head. Keilah was a true Chance and wasn’t a pushover for anyone, not even him. He looked her in the eyes. “Keilah, I don’t want to fight with you. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so forceful ...”

  “Maybe?” she questioned. “If you guys can’t handle something as simple as allowing us to stay in a hotel, Michael and I will be on the next plane smoking back to the East Coast. Do you feel me, Luke?”

  Luke started laughing. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “I’m sorry, Keilah. No matter how hard we try, it doesn’t get any easier when it comes to you. I’m not going to make any promises, but I’m going to try to chill out a little.”

  “Sounds good, and I hope Sabrinia has dinner ready, because I’m starving,” she said.

  “You’re out of luck today, because Malachi is the cook.”

  Keilah frowned. “Malachi?”

  Without reiterating, Luke laughed as they continued to walk through the airport. They collected their luggage and exited the door.

  Chapter Ten

  It didn’t take long for Luke to get to his neighborhood. Before coming to the house, he took Keilah and Michael by their hotel so they could check in. He knew that his brothers were going to have the same problem he did with Keilah staying in a hotel, but they all were going to have to live with it for the weekend. When he pulled up to the security gate, Keilah noticed what appeared to be elevated security, bearing sidearms.

  She sat up and asked, “What’s with all the guards being strapped, Luke?”

  He didn’t answer her as he rolled down his window and showed identification in order to enter the gated community.

  As the gate was lifted, Keilah asked again, “What’s with all the extra security?” He looked at her from the rearview mirror. “Just some of the fringe benefits of living out here.” She knew Luke was lying. She was in the security business, and armed guards patrolling the community wasn’t something she’d seen on her last visit home. If Luke wouldn’t tell her, she was sure she could get the truth from Genesis.

  By the time Luke pulled into his driveway, he could see that all of his brothers and their families had arrived. As soon as Luke put the truck in park, Keilah stepped out of it.

  “That better be barbecue I smell,” she said.

  Luke and Michael climbed out and laughed as they watched Keilah head straight for the backyard. Within seconds they heard joyful screaming.

  Michael turned to Luke and said, “Luke, I hope
you guys go easy on Keilah while she’s here.”

  Luke folded his arms and asked, “Why is that?”

  “Well, she was a little upset on the plane ride here. I woke up and found her crying. When I asked her what was wrong, she mentioned she was thinking about her mom. I’m sure you know Keilah is tough as nails for the most part, but she also has a fragile side, and I don’t want to see her hurt. She loves you guys, and she tries so hard to please you.”

  Luke frowned. “I appreciate what you’re saying, Michael, but I don’t think you’ve known our sister long enough to have much of an opinion about her nature, and if anyone knows how fragile Keilah is, we do.”

  “Then cut her some slack. You and your brothers raised her into a fine young woman, and it shows if you guys would just open your eyes.”

  Luke stared at this man who had invaded Keilah’s life. What the hell did he know about Keilah? One thing Luke did was respect Michael for defending her. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

  “I’ll take that under advisement, Michael. Now, come on so you can meet the rest of the family and get something to eat.”

  By the time Luke and Michael reached the backyard, Keilah had already hugged and kissed everyone and was now eating. She had her two-year-old niece on her lap and was chewing on some ribs. She made eye contact with Michael, smiled, and then set her niece down just before walking over to him. Malachi and Genesis watched as Keilah hugged and kissed Michael and then started introducing him to the family. She eventually made her way over to them and with teary eyes gave them huge hugs and kisses. Afterwards she introduced Michael to them and shared a brief conversation before finishing her introductions. After they walked off Genesis whispered, “So, what do you think of the new boyfriend?”

  Genesis laughed. “I guess he’s all right. What do you think?”

  Malachi turned the hot dogs over on the grill. “I don’t know. Look at her. She’s glowing,” he started.

  “She’s not glowing,” Genesis said. “That’s from the heat.”

  Malachi was staring at Keilah and Michael so hard he nearly burned the hot dogs. “I don’t like him.”

  Genesis sampled one of the hot dogs and laughed. “You don’t even know the man.”

  “I still don’t like him,” Malachi repeated.

  Genesis laughed and said, “You don’t want to go toe to toe with Keilah, bro. You remember how long it took her to start talking to you again after you pulled that gun on her ex.”

  Malachi took a sip of beer and grunted. “I’m not worried about Keilah. She can’t whip my ass.”

  Genesis laughed out loud and bit into the hot dog again. “I don’t know, bro. Keilah has gotten pretty tough over the past few years.”

  “I don’t care how tough she thinks she is. I’m not letting her hook up with some buster just because she thinks he’s cute.”

  At that time, Keilah walked back over to them and smiled. “Can a sister get some more love from you two or what?”

  Genesis pulled her into his arms first, hugging her and kissing her lovingly on the forehead. “Welcome home, sis. You don’t come home enough. Six months is too long.”

  “I know, I know, I’ll try to do better. You guys know where I live, too.”

  Genesis hugged her again and said, “You’re right.”

  She looked at Malachi, who was in the process of turning the ribs. He put his tongs down and wiped his hands on his apron. “Hey, Boo. I’m really glad you’re home. Talking on the telephone and e-mailing is not the same.”

  She wiped a lone tear off her cheek and smiled. “When did you start wearing dreads, Malachi?”

  He picked up the tongs to attend to the ribs. “I’ve had them for a while now. You like?”

  She smiled. “I do. They really look good on you.”

  He blushed upon hearing her compliment. “You look good too, girl. D.C. agrees with you.”

  “Thank you, Malachi. Genesis, you’re looking good too.”

  “Thanks, sis,” Genesis replied.

  “Did you guys see Michael?” she asked.

  Malachi sighed. “So that’s your new interest, huh?

  She took a sip of her soda and said, “For the moment.”

  Genesis and Malachi both rolled their eyes. Malachi asked, “Why did you bring him home with you? We wanted this to be a family occasion.”

  She walked closer to him, folded her arms and firmly replied, “I had hoped you guys would want to meet him.”

  Malachi held the tongs up and said, “That’s one thing you’re right about, but I’m going to tell you now, I don’t like dude.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “Malachi, don’t start. Besides you hate everybody.”

  “I don’t hate everybody, just the men you date,” he revealed.

  She folded her arms and walked closer to Malachi. “He’s a nice guy, Malachi, so do me a favor and don’t embarrass me.”

  Malachi brushed some barbecue sauce onto the ribs and laughed. He looked at Keilah and said, “If he does or says anything out of line or disrespects you in any way, I’m going to be all over him, Keilah. You know me, which means you know I don’t play.”

  “Like I said, he’s a nice guy so you don’t have to worry about him disrespecting me. I want Michael to have a good time while he’s here. Don’t mess that up for me. OK?”

  He smiled mischievously. “I’m not going to make any promises, sis. Why are you so worried about us meeting him anyway? It’s not like you’re getting ready to marry him or something.”

  Keilah saw an opportunity to have a little fun with her brothers. She looked them directly in their eyes, smiled, and then turned on her heels and walked away without admitting or denying anything. Malachi almost dropped the ribs.

  “Did you see that, Genesis? What the hell is wrong with her? I know she’s not about to marry that dude. She barely knows him. Keilah,” he called, “get back over here.”

  Keilah looked back at them and waved mischievously.

  Genesis sipped his beer and said, “Dang, bro. Keilah is tripping. I hope she’s not foolish enough to get married yet. She’s too young.”

  Malachi removed the ribs from the grill and dropped them in the pan, one by one. “She’s not crazy. Keilah needs a man that can handle her attitude. You know ... someone like ...”

  Genesis cut him off saying, “Like you?”

  Malachi’s eyes got blood-red. “Someone that’s not a punk.”

  “Call him what you want to, Malachi, but I think Keilah really likes this guy. Besides, he couldn’t have worked his way up through the military ranks being soft.”

  “Whatever,” Malachi responded.

  Before Genesis walked away, he laughed at Malachi’s obvious irritation.

  “You’d better get used to it, because Keilah’s not going to let you or any of us tell her who she can kick it with, regardless of what we say.”

  “Shut the hell up, Genesis, and get those bad-ass kids of yours, Luke’s, and Roman’s out of the pool, and tell everybody the food is ready,” Malachi announced.

  Genesis chuckled at his brother’s colorful antics, walked over to his family members, and made the announcement. He then gave Michael a friendly greeting so Keilah would know he was on her side. He realized a long time ago that they were unable to stop her from growing up into an independent, strong, and beautiful woman.

  Keilah was excited to see her sister-in-laws and all her nieces and nephews. Malachi was still the only one unmarried, but he had been in a relationship with the same woman for over three months, which was an accomplishment in itself.

  As things wound down, Keilah announced that she and Michael were tired and ready to get back to their hotel. That’s when the brothers really started making noise.

  “Look, I’m not fighting this battle tonight because I’m too tired,” Keilah said. “We’re staying in a hotel, and that’s final. OK?”

  The brothers couldn’t do anything but mumble among themselves. Their wives loved to see the
ir husbands being handled by their baby sister. She was the only woman who could bring them to their knees.

  Luke walked over to Keilah and dropped a set of keys in her hands. “If you’re determined to have your privacy, take my Infiniti so you guys will have some transportation,” he said.

  “You don’t have to do that, Luke. We were going to rent a car,” Keilah replied.

  “No need. Now take the truck, Keilah,” Luke answered with an elevated tone. Keilah backed down and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, bro.”

  As Keilah and Michael headed toward the garage, Luke yelled, “Meet us at the casino at noon tomorrow so we can take care of business.”

  “I will,” Keilah answered.

  Michael waved and said, “Good-night everyone.”

  In unison, they replied, “Good-night.

  Back at the hotel, Keilah fell backwards on the bed in total exhaustion. She’d forgotten just how draining dealing with her brothers could be. Michael lay down next to her and asked, “Is everything cool with you and your brothers?”

  She turned to face him. “Yes. They just have to be reminded that I’m over twenty-one from time to time.”

  “Good. Now how would you like a nice hot bath?”

  She caressed his shoulders and whispered, “I’d like that very much, sweetheart.”

  “I’ll be right back,” he replied before walking into the bathroom.

  “OK. I’ll call room service and get them to bring up some wine,” she announced. She picked up the telephone and ordered two bottles.

  After hanging up the telephone, Keilah lay there thinking about the conversation she’d had earlier with Ramsey. She wished she could’ve had the chance to call him back. but now it was too late. Hopefully she would get a chance to talk to him tomorrow. In the meantime she would make the most of her night.

  Michael called from the bathroom just as there was a knock on the door. “Keilah, the water’s ready,” he said.

  “I’m on my way. Let me get the wine first,” she replied as she scooted off the bed. Keilah opened the door and allowed the waiter to enter with a large silver bucket full of ice and two bottles of wine. She directed him over to the table and tipped him generously before opening the door for him. She kicked off her shoes, grabbed the wine and two glasses, and then joined Michael in the steamy bathroom.