Darker The Forbidden Berry

“Are you okay?” Finn asked, his eyes steady on the road.

“I’m just trying to come down from that,” she admitted, the words coming out strangled and raspy.

“Unfortunately, that is just how we talk,” he said softly. “She screams, I scream back, we threaten each other and then we hang up. That’s part of the reason we keep an ocean between us.”

Aja frowned, thinking back to the warm hugs and tender kisses her mother had offered her in her childhood. She was beginning to realize that there was a good chance Finn had not had any of that growing up. She reached over and gently rested a hand on his knee.

“Are we really getting on a plane tomorrow to go to Italy?”

“It seems like that is going to be the case,” he hummed, pulling into the parking lot of an ice cream stand.

Aja opened the door and let out an excited hum. She was worried about meeting Finn’s parents, but there was nothing she could do about it now. What she could do, however, was eat a world-famous slice of cheesecake dipped in chocolate. They each ordered their treat and went to a small picnic table situated on a small grassy field that had a nice view of the rolling waves just over the sand dunes.

“So…Have you thought of any names?” Finn asked, taking a chunk out of his vanilla and orange soft serve.

“Huh? Oh! Yeah…If it’s a girl I was thinking Annabelle…And if it’s a boy I was thinking DeAndre.”

She looked up at Finn to gauge his reaction at her name suggestions. He perked up a little and cocked his head to the side.

 “Is that okay?” Aja asked, almost nervous.

Aja and Finn had never really broached the subject of race. He was aware of current issues, of course, and he seemed abhorred by the idea of racism like most people did, but at the end of the day, he was still a rich white guy. She’d grown up hearing her name called “Ghetto”. She knew that when people read her name they knew she was black and for some people that was a bad thing. She had to wonder if Finn unknowingly engaged in the same micro-aggression. She wouldn’t stop loving him, of course, but it would mean they had some things to work on.

“I like DeAndre and Annabelle. Both strong names,” he said with a smile, kissing her cheek.

Aja let out the breath she’d been holding and smiled at him, leaning into the kiss and the gentle

touches as he ran his hands up and down her arms.

“What about you?”

“I’ve really only come up with a girl’s name.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Shanae.”

Aja blinked in surprise at what she would have considered a traditionally black name. Accepting her suggestion of one was great, but hearing him coming up with one on his own spoke volumes. A smile tugged at her lips and she put her head on his shoulder.

“Shanae or DeAndre. They both sound nice, hmmm?” Aja asked. “I still like Annabelle too.”

“I think we have some good options, but I feel like we need to meet our kid before we can pick a name, you know? Naming someone before you meet them just seems a little weird to me.”

Aja nodded and picked her head up.

“I just want you to know what my choices are because I expect to be loopy, you know what I’m saying? I’m not going to be one of those moms who say no to the epidural,” she said, waving her hand emphatically.

He laughed a little and put an arm around her shoulders, tugging her closer.

“What you’re saying is that it’s going to be up to me to fill out the birth certificate so there are no mistakes, right?”

“Absolutely. I’m a baby and I don’t fu*k with pain.”

Finn chuckled again and pressed a kiss to her temple. They spend the rest of the evening hanging out on the private beach that butted up to the back of the beach house. They laughed with each other, told jokes and did anything they could to distract themselves from what the next morning would bring.

*****

Aja stepped off the private jet, her legs still a little shaky. There had been a small amount of turbulence on the last leg of their flight and Aja just was not used to long flights. She’d gotten used to flights that lasted an hour or two, but the twelve-hour flight was a new experience. Finn held out his hand and steadied her for a moment, looking on with a furrowed brow.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Just need to get my sea legs.” Aja murmured.

“What?” He was clearly confused.

“Ah sh*t. Don’t worry about it,” she sighed, waving her hand “I’m just not used to being on a plane for that long.”

She took a deep breath and eventually managed to steady herself as Finn threw their bags over his shoulder. They made their way off the private landing strip and through the airport to the pick-up area. A man in a black suit was holding a sign with Finn and Aja’s name on it.

“Wow. Your parent’s put my name on it too?”

“I ordered our ride. They wanted their private driver to take us right to their house and I’m just not putting you through that.”

Aja let out a breath she’d been holding. Thank God. The idea of stepping right off a plane and trying to get on the right foot with Finn’s parents sounded like a damn nightmare. They climbed into the black vintage care and she leaned back, taking in the scent of genuine leather.

“If we aren’t going to your parent’s house then where are we going?”

“A small cottage, that I rented out for the two of us.”

“Your parents aren’t going to make us stay with them?”

“My mother tried, but I’m an adult and I have my own money. Given her initial reaction, I don’t really want to put you in that situation either,” he put his hand on her knee gently and looked over at her.

“Listen, no matter what way this goes, you and I are in this together,” he said gently, smiling softly. “She’s not going to convince me to stop loving you, okay? If they go through with it and want nothing to do with us, then I’ll find more work and we’ll live a comfortable life. I was not lying when I said I had other lucrative job offers.”

“I don’t really care what kind of money you make. Like I’ve said, I signed up to be a starving artist. I did not really mentally prepare myself for a life of luxury,” she pointed out, smiling a little. “All I want is to be with you and raise our baby. Everything else will fall into place.”

Finn squeezed her and smiled, pressing another kiss to her temple. The rest of the drive was filled with a comfortable silence as she watched the Italian scenery pass by. She’d never been out of the States and was thrilled to see rolling green hills dotted with olive trees and goats. The houses were bright and uniquely colored with mostly stonework exteriors. The city they were in was a modern one with people bustling to and fro, but eventually, the bustling city gave way to the expansive, verdant vineyards that Italy was so well known for. The sight took her breath away and she could not pull herself from it, even as the car came to a stop in front of a quaint cottage situated on the edge of one of the vineyards she’d been admiring.

They stepped out of the car and the driver started to bring their things in, taking care with the canvas and supplies Aja had brought to finish her final project.

“This is beautiful, Finn. It’s amazing,” she whispered.

“Italy is a stunning country. I would probably spend more time here if my parents did not live here,” he sighed.

He opened the door for them, revealing the cozy layout of the one-bedroom house. It was much smaller than the house they occupied in Michigan and Aja was not really opposed to it. Sometimes the mansion could be a little much. She sighed and settled into the couch, closing her eyes. She grabbed the handmade quilt off the back of the couch and wrapped it around her thin shoulders, deciding that she would allow herself to mentally prepare herself for meeting her…in-laws?