Delicious Sin

by Claudia Stevens

  “Your son?” Naira’s mom asked. Mr. Kang nodded and patted my back again.

  “He’s a good kid. Hard worker. He’ll take good care of our daughter,” he proclaimed, looking at Naira’s mom and then to Naira. Naira’s eyes were filled with tears as were her mothers.

  “Then you… approve?” Naira whispered.

  “Yes. I approve.”

  A tear slid down her cheek. I stood up and made my way around the table to her. My balance was still off but there was no way I’d let Naira cry. I helped her up and pulled her into my arms.

  “Don’t cry, beautiful. Everything will be okay,” I whispered into her hair.

  “I’m not sad,” she sobbed.

  “You aren’t?”

  She looked up at me with tears still flowing down her cheeks, shook her head, and smiled. She wrapped her arms around my waist. Her head pressed against my chest and she held me.

  “Those are happy tears, Eli,” Naira’s mom said. I looked at her and she smiled. “She was very worried that you and Mr. Kang would not get along.”

  “Oh,” I whispered. I kissed the top of Naira’s head. “I’m sorry, beautiful. I probably didn’t help matters by hiding from him.” I looked at Naira’s dad and smiled apologetically. He rolled his eyes and chuckled.

  “He wasn’t the only one hiding from me. Was he Naira?” Mr. Kang asked.

  Naira slowly lifted her head and looked at her father. Worry covered her face and I felt her tense up. I rubbed her back to assure her that everything would be okay.

  “I’m sorry, dad,” she sobbed softly. Mr. Kang shook his head and stood up. He walked over to us and held open his arms.

  “No need to be sorry, Naira. I am very happy that I get to be a grandfather,” he smiled.

  “Really?” Naira whispered.

  Mr. Kang nodded and wiggled his fingers reminding her that his arms were still opened, and he was waiting for her. She giggled and wrapped her arms around her dad, who wrapped his arms around her. Their embrace made me smile. It was nice to see the love between Naira and her father.

  “You do know that he will be over here all the time now, right?” Mrs. Kang laughed, standing next to me. She wrapped her arm around my waist, and I pulled her against my side in an embracing half-hug.

  “That’s fine by me,” I smiled, looking at Naira and Mr. Kang. “As long as he knocks and leaves the booze at home.”

  EPILOGUE

  Naira

  Things had progressed since the night I’d found my dad and Eli drunk in our apartment. Once we’d gotten the emotional stuff out of the way, I’d taken my dad aside and yelled at him for getting Eli drunk. Taking the time to remind him of Eli’s parents and the fact that Eli didn’t like to do anything that would alter his mental state. My dad had pouted but promised to never put Eli in the position again.

  Since then, my dad had started showing up with all sorts of things to help Eli fix up the room for the baby. The two of them built shelves for our bedroom to put some of my things from my office on and also set up a small place with a desk and such so I had someplace to work from if I decided to go back to work.

  “Naira, where’s the bag with the curtains you wanted me to hang?” Eli yelled from the nursery.

  “On the shelf at the top of the closet,” I yelled back as I rubbed my stomach.

  It had taken a lot for Eli and me not to find out what the baby was going to be. The ultrasounds were amazing these days and we could have known easily but there was just something about keeping the sex a surprise.

  Holding my back with one hand, I rubbed my other one over the baby’s favorite kicking spot as I wobbled back to the nursery. I was a week past my due date – the baby was as stubborn as Eli for sure – and I felt like if the baby didn’t come soon Eli was going to have to roll me to the hospital.

  Shoving open the door to the nursery, I gasped at the sight in front of me. A rocker sat in the corner with a large red bow and was exactly like the one I had shown Eli in a magazine. However, it was the man standing in the middle of the room with a dozen pink roses that stole my breath.

  Eli grinned at me and my heart melted.

  “Eli Mattis, what have you been up to?” I laughed as I took in his dress pants and the white button-up shirt he was wearing.

  “Well, I know we decided to wait after the mess I made of your surprise wedding” – Eli shook his head at the memories of either the lengths I had gone to or his night of drunken fun with my dad – “However, I talked to your parents and explained to them how much I love you.”

  Eli went down on one knee and peered up at me as he offered me the roses.

  “Naira Kang, will you do me the honor of making our family official?” Nerves caused wrinkles to crease at the corners of his mouth.

  Tears immediately welled up in my eyes and I fought them back. Eli never handled my tears well.

  “I –”

  “Wait!” Eli interrupted and pulled something from his pocket. “He lifted my hand and poised something metal at the tip of my finger.

  “Will you be mine for eternity?” Eli proposed.

  “Yes! I will.” I gasped and pushed my finger forward so I could lift the ring away from him. I looked down to find my grandmother's engagement ring and I smiled. He really had talked to my parents.

  “Thank goodness, now we need to walk out to the front room.” Eli rose to his feet and looped my arm through his and then looked at the door. Thinking better of his attempt he stepped into the hallway and motioned for me to walk in front of him.

  When I stepped from the hallway I gasped as everyone yelled surprise. My family, our friends, and a few strangers were assembled in our front room. My dad offered me his hand and when I placed mine in his, he looped it through his arm.

  Music swelled and there was no way I could push back the tears now.

  Eli moved around my dad and I. Eli smiled at me then went to stand next to Lola and another of Eli’s best friends by the windows.

  I took one step and let out a groan as my back twisted. I’d been having issues with it the past few days.

  “Naira?” Eli took a step toward me.

  “No, stay there.” I snapped and pressed my hand into the small of my back.

  However, the next step my dad and I took, pressure pushed at my lower belly and a gush of liquid poured down my thighs.

  “Not now,” I groaned and looked around frantically.

  My stomach took that moment to twist up in pain. I gasped and leaned into my dad.

  “Eli,” my dad yelled as he struggled to hold me up.

  It only took my fiancé a split second to reach my side. Eli started to bend as if he was going to pick me up and I grabbed a hold of his shoulder to stop him.

  “No…” I gasped. “We need to hurry.”

  Eli looked up into my face and his own paled.

  “It’s time?” he asked.

  “Yes, but this stubborn little mini you will just have to wait. Who’s officiating?” I looked around the room and heard my dad grumble something about Eli not being the stubborn one. Neil stepped out into the walkway that everyone had left open for me and waved at another man – Judge Lawson.

  “Judge Lawson, I need to get hitched… Ahhhhhhh” I screamed as my stomach muscles spasmed and my back felt like it was being twisted from the inside.

  The judge had to be in his early sixties, and I was sure he had seen a thing or two over the years he’d spent in the judicial system, but he blanched and looked toward the door.

  “You better get your ass over here and marry me, Judge Lawson, or so help me God, you will learn what it means to cross Naira Kang.” I hissed as I clenched my teeth.

  Eli waved at everyone to turn around and Lola rushed up to stand beside me. She leaned over and picked up the roses I hadn’t realized I’d dropped and held on to them as the judge began to go through the vows.

  Another contraction hit me, and I screamed out as I leaned forward and grabbed hold of the judge’s hand. “Just
skip to the important part,” I demanded.

  Eli turned me to look at him, he caressed my face and held it between his hands as the judge said a few more words.

  “Naira, I love you and I am yours for as long as you’ll have me.”

  “Naira Kang, do you take Eli Mattis as your –”

  “Yes!” I screamed. “I do,” I panted a minute later.

  “Then I pronounce you man and wife,” Judge Lawson sighed and took a step back and Eli pressed a quick kiss to my lips.

  “Can I get you to the hospital now?” He muttered against my lips with a chuckle.

  “Please,” I begged. “I need drugs.”

  Five hours after Eli made me his wife, we welcomed our daughter Mariah Kang Mattis into the world. She was perfect in every way.

  ~* THE END *~