Petra found out that Alice Montgomery was a widow with four children who, although she was a respected, hardworking RN, couldn’t afford repairs that her house in Queens sorely needed. Chance insisted on paying to have it fully renovated. They invited Alice and all of her children to the party. Her children were among the many children of family and friends who attended.
At the get-together, they also found out Meghan and Leo had been approved to adopt a three-year-old boy, and shortly after getting the good news, Meghan had learned she was pregnant. The fertility specialist who’d treated Leo had been right when she’d told him twenty-five to thirty-five percent of couples who were dealing with his type of infertility would eventually have children. Now they would have two children to love. Petra marveled at the way the universe worked. She knew that Meghan and Leo had feared they would never be blessed with a child.
Besides that, Desiree and Decker were also expecting. Petra imagined her mother would be dancing in the aisle for quite a while.
She was so happy with her little family, she might try a few steps herself.
She and Chance stood together looking over the people they loved having a good time in their home. Chance still held Benji in his arms. He loved looking after their son.
“You know, Pet,” he said, peering into her upturned face. “This never would have happened if I hadn’t picked you up in that bar.”
“Who picked up whom?” was Petra’s reply to that.
* * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from Sweet Love by Sheryl Lister.
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Sweet Love
by Sheryl Lister
Chapter 1
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
Jabari Sutton paused in affixing a wheel and grinned at his brother-in-law, Chris Frazier. “Hey, this is for your daughter’s birthday party.” He had been searching the internet and had come across little cardboard “cars” for watching an outdoor movie, like at the drive-in.
“I’m sure Jade will appreciate all this hard work at four years old,” Chris said sarcastically. “Why can’t we just make them like the picture? It’s just a painted box with black paper plate wheels and a little fake license plate in the back.”
“You know I don’t do anything by half.” Jabari had added a cupholder and tray table for the snacks. “Besides, you can’t just watch a movie without food and drinks.” He tightened the screw on the cupholder and jiggled it to make sure it was secure.
“Thank goodness there are only eight.”
Jabari laughed. “Man, Jade is going to love this. You won’t be able to pry her out of it. And just think, at those times when you want five minutes of peace from her thousand and one questions, you can pop in one of those educational videos or Disney movies, fix her a snack and enjoy the silence. Hey, it might also give you and Michelle a few minutes.” Chris had been married to Jabari’s sister, Michelle, for five years.
Chris glanced up. “Say no more. Think we can sell these to the parents afterward?”
“Maybe.” They burst out laughing.
After a few minutes, Chris asked, “How are you adjusting to civilian life?”
Jabari had retired from twenty years in the air force eight months ago. “Easier than I anticipated. Having a job waiting made the transition much smoother.”
“Tell me about it. Not everyone can walk out of the military and into a six-figure job with one of the fastest-growing tech companies.”
“I didn’t just walk into it. I worked my butt off during leave times and whenever Martin and I could get a videoconference in.” When Jabari’s high school buddy Martin Walters had been ready to leave the large company he worked for and strike out on his own, Jabari hadn’t hesitated over Martin’s offer to be a partner. As teenagers, the two of them had often talked about starting a company and becoming rich. When Jabari got accepted into the United States Air Force Academy and Martin went the business and computer engineering route, Jabari had chalked it up to just two kids dreaming and immersed himself in the realities of life. It had taken the two of them over two years of planning and researching before they launched M & J Technologies three years ago. As a cybersecurity specialist, Jabari had put a system in place and monitored it remotely while on active duty. “I’ve already seen a return on my investment, though.”
Chris finished the car he’d been working on and moved it to the other side of the garage with six others that had been completed. “And the other parts of your life?”
Jabari shrugged. “Nothing. I feel like dating has changed a lot in twenty years.”
“Man, the entire world has changed since you went in,” Chris said with a laugh. “What happened to the woman you were seeing three months ago?”
“I left her where she was three months ago.” Jabari scrubbed a hand over his head. “It’s like I’m finding all the women who want nothing more than to be wined and dined constantly and who are only interested in a bed partner. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with the whole wine-and-dine thing, but I’m looking for more than that.”
Chris chuckled. “Well, you are getting on up there in age.”
“Shut up. Seriously, though, I’m ready to settle down and have a family.” Jabari recalled all the letters, packages, phone calls and videoconferences his fellow soldiers received from their wives or significant others and how happy they’d be. He could count on one hand the number of women he’d dated who took the time to send him something. Most of them couldn’t handle the long deployments and, after a while, he’d stopped trying. Now he wanted what his sister and brother-in-law had, what his parents had.
“Knock, knock. Can I come in? You two have had my garage blocked up all week and wouldn’t let me see what’s going on.”
Jabari and Chris shared a look. Jabari affixed the last tray to the car and stood. “Come on in, Chelle. You always were nosy.”
Michelle entered the garage fully and put her hand on her hip. “I was not. You were just always keeping secrets from me.” She smiled.
He shook his head. At nine years his junior, Michelle had wanted to go with him everywhere, but he hadn’t minded. When he left for the academy, she had cried so hard he’d almost changed his mind. Leaving her had been the hardest thing he’d done in his life. But they had both survived and were now closer than ever. “Come look.”
“Oh, my goodness! These are fabulous. The kids are going to
love these.” She took a slow tour through the boxes, pausing to touch the tray and cupholder. “I cannot believe it. And it’s supposed to be in the upper seventies tomorrow.”
“Perfect for an outdoor movie.” The late September temperatures had been in the eighties for the past couple of weeks and had even reached ninety twice.
She walked over and slid her arm around Chris. “So how much did my brother pay you to help him do this?”
Chris leaned away and gave her an incredulous look. “What makes you think it wasn’t the other way around?”
Michelle kissed his cheek and patted his chest. “You’re handy, baby, but this is way out of your sphere. And I know Jay.”
“I slave in this garage all week after I get home from eight hours of dealing with a bunch of college students, and this is the thanks I get?”
Jabari laughed. “He helped a lot.”
She came over and hugged Jabari. “Thanks. You’re the best big brother a girl could ever have. Always have been.”
He kissed the top of her head. “You’re welcome. What time is the party again?”
“It starts at noon. I was thinking about going for an hour or so, but with these...” She waved a hand in the direction of the cars. “It’ll be the perfect wind-down for them.”
“I’ll put a sheet up under the canopy and project the movie from the laptop,” Chris said.
Michelle rubbed her hands together. “I’m so excited. This is going to be the best party ever. I’m getting ready to make some tea. Do you guys want some? Or coffee?”
“No, baby. I’m fine.”
“None for me, either, sis. I’m going to head home. Do you need me to come early to help set up anything?”
She looked to Chris, who shook his head. “I think we have everything, and my friend is coming a little early to help with the food.”
“Okay.” Jabari followed them inside to the kitchen.
Chris leaned against the counter. “Jay, maybe you should get here a little early. Michelle has a couple of single friends who plan to attend.”
He leveled Chris with a glare.
“What? You said you were ready to settle down. I’m just trying to help you out.”
Michelle got a mug from the cabinet, placed it on the counter and dropped a tea bag inside. “I thought you were seeing someone.” She filled the teakettle and set it on the stove to boil.
“No. We went out to a bar and grill and she’d apparently told a few of her friends. I didn’t have a problem with it until my date decided to go sit with the three of them. They had all ordered drinks—several rounds—and she had the nerve to be upset when I said I had no intentions of paying. I told her since she enjoyed their company so much, she could go home with them. I left and blocked her number immediately.”
Chris doubled over in laughter. “I would’ve given anything to see that. I can just imagine the look on her face. Drinks aren’t cheap and that tab was probably somewhere near a hundred bucks.”
Michelle tried to stifle her laughter and failed. “That is unbelievable. She really couldn’t have believed you would pay for those other women’s drinks, let alone her own after deserting you like that. I promise you not all women are like that. You may have to relax some of your exacting standards to find her, though.”
Jabari lifted a brow. “What exacting standards?” True, he didn’t plan to settle for any woman who came along, but he didn’t think that fell into the category of exacting standards.
“Jabari, you are the pickiest guy I’ve ever known when it comes to women. No one ever seems to measure up.”
“That’s not true. I’m just careful about who I get involved with. I like to take my time and get to know a woman first and get a sense of who she is as a person before jumping in headfirst. That’s sound judgment, don’t you think, Chris?”
Chris held his hands up in mock surrender. “No way are you going to get me to comment on this. I’m trying to have a good night.”
Michelle swatted Chris on his arm and rolled her eyes.
He hugged her. “Baby, you know I didn’t need more than a minute to realize you were the woman for me.”
“Mmm-hmm. All this sweet talking isn’t going to get you any closer to the goodies.”
“Wait. What?”
Jabari chuckled. “On that note, I’m out of here. See you tomorrow.” He and Chris shared a one-arm hug, then he kissed his sister on the forehead. “You don’t need to walk me out.”
“Okay. Thanks for everything. Love you.”
“Love you, too, Chelle.” He walked through the house to the front door and loped down the driveway to his car. Jabari slid behind the wheel and sat for a moment. He envied the playful banter and love so evident between Chelle and Chris. He’d been batting a big fat zero in the relationship department and, at thirty-eight, wondered if he would ever find that one.
* * *
“Mommy, wake up. We’re gonna be late.”
Alisha Hunter cracked one eye open and saw her six-year-old son, Corey, standing there fully dressed, with his backpack strapped on. She groaned and stared bleary-eyed over at the clock on her nightstand. “Corey, it is only seven. The sleepover doesn’t start for another five hours.” He had been driving her crazy with excitement from the moment he received the invitation four days ago. Since then, he’d asked every day, “Is it Saturday yet?” Had she known he’d be waking her up at the crack of dawn, she might have changed her answer when he asked last night as she tucked him into bed.
“Mom, come on.” Corey bounced up and down.
“Baby, it’s too early to go to the party. Devon is probably still asleep, and so are his parents.” She dragged herself to a sitting position. “I promise you won’t miss one minute of the party.” While Corey had the sleepover, Lia had been invited to a birthday party for the daughter of Alisha’s best friend from college. Both she and Michelle had gotten bachelor’s degrees in nursing and ended up working at the same hospital.
Corey viewed her skeptically for a moment and then finally nodded. “Okay.”
Alisha smiled and kissed his forehead. “How about you go read one of your books while I get dressed? I’ll make you some breakfast in a minute.”
He grinned, showing off the gap left from the tooth he’d lost two weeks ago. “Can I have pancakes? Lia likes pancakes, too.”
“Yes. And I know she does.” Her three-year-old daughter could devour two pancakes in the blink of an eye. Alisha wondered where she put it all. After Corey left, Alisha stretched, stood and trudged to the bathroom. She had worked overtime three days this past week and had hoped to sleep until at least eight this morning. She loved her job as a surgical nurse, but the hours were sometimes long. Thankfully, she had recently transferred to the same-day surgery unit, which meant no more working on weekends or holidays.
After a quick shower, Alisha dressed and went to the kitchen to start breakfast. On the way, she poked her head in Corey’s room and found him curled up in his beanbag chair, reading. A soft smile curved her lips. She had always been a voracious reader and couldn’t be happier that both of her children seemed to love reading as much as she did. By the time she cooked the bacon, Lia toddled in and wrapped her arms around Alisha’s legs.
“Mama, up, please.”
Alisha wiped her hand on a towel and bent to pick up her daughter. She kissed her cheek. “Good morning.”
Lia laid her head on Alisha’s shoulder. “Hi, Mama.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to make some pancakes.”
Her head popped up. “Yay!”
Alisha laughed and set the little girl on her feet. “Okay. They’ll be ready in a minute.” Lia ran off calling her brother’s name. Alisha hoped they would be as close as she and Lorenzo. Although Lorenzo was five years older, he’d always made time for her a
nd had never minded when she followed him around. While the griddle heated, she cracked eggs in a bowl and took out a skillet. Working efficiently, she timed it so that both foods were done at the same moment. She fixed their plates, added some of her mother’s homemade vanilla maple syrup and placed them on the table.
“Corey and Lia, time to eat.” Alisha fixed her own plate and placed it on the table. Both children raced into the kitchen. Corey climbed into his chair while Alisha strapped Lia into her booster seat. She recited a blessing and they dug in.
While eating, she sifted through the mail she’d been too tired to look at last night. She paused at an envelope from the court and frowned. Alisha put her fork down and opened it. She could feel her anger rising with each word she read. Her no-good ex-husband had filed to relinquish his parental rights. As far as she was concerned, he’d done that over three years ago. She scanned the document and saw a court date set for early November, two months from now. Not wanting to ruin her day, she shoved it back in the envelope and tossed it aside.
“Can I have another pancake?” Corey asked.
“May I,” she corrected.
“May I have another pancake?”
“Yes.” Alisha stood and retrieved one of the last two left on the plate. She cut it into pieces and poured the syrup. Only a small amount of syrup remained in the container and she made a mental note to ask her mom for more.
After breakfast, she cleaned up the kitchen, made sure Corey had everything he needed in his backpack and packed a bag for Lia. She’d promised Michelle she would come a little early for the noon party to help set up, so, after wrapping Jade’s present, they left.
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