Something About You

by Reese Ryan

  Something About You

  Reese Ryan

  Rose Gold Press, LLC

  Chicago, Illinois

  www.RoseGoldPress.com

  Something About You is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright @ 2021 by Roxanne Ravenel

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  No part of this work made be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from Rose Gold Press LLC, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1-7354167-6-2

  * * *

  Developmental Editor:

  Rhonda Merwath

  Rhonda Edits

  * * *

  Cover Design:

  Sherelle Green

  Contents

  Dear Reader

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Reese Ryan

  Ours Is A Story That Needs To Be Told

  Something About You

  There is just something about sexy, confident Lita Woods that commands Trey Hampton’s attention the moment he encounters her. Until he discovers his son plans to marry her daughter and they're both about to become grandparents.

  * * *

  Lita’s knee-jerk reaction to the news drives her daughter away. She’s left with no choice but to team up with the charming, handsome grandfather-to-be on their common goal of stopping this wedding.

  * * *

  When Trey invites Lita to join him and the kids at his beach house for the summer, their connection is too powerful to deny. And as they conspire to prevent their college-age children from derailing their futures—the way they once did—they find themselves falling in love.

  Dear Reader

  Dear Reader,

  Four years ago, I became a grandparent. It completely changed my long-held concepts about grandparents. While visiting my grandson for the first time in the maternity ward, I had an idea.

  What if two grandparents-to-be met and fell in love while trying to talk their college-age children out of a hasty marriage—the same mistake that had derailed each of their lives?

  I had no idea where I’d find a home for such a love story; I just knew I wanted to write it. When the fabulous team at Rose Gold Press invited me to be a part of their incredible journey, I knew exactly which story I wanted to contribute to this amazing new, author-owned, small press championing Black romance.

  I hope you enjoy Lita and Trey’s journey to finding love and family again. And who knows? Maybe the rest of the Living My Best Life Club will get their own stories, too.

  Visit me at ReeseRyan.com to share your questions or comments on the story or to drop me a line. While you’re there, join my VIP Readers newsletter list for book news, giveaways and more.

  Until our next adventure!

  Reese Ryan

  Chapter 1

  Delita Woods made her way to the bar of the trendy new tapas restaurant in downtown Durham, North Carolina. She was meeting her daughter—now officially a junior at North Carolina Central University—for their traditional celebratory meal at the end of each semester.

  A tall, handsome brother at the other end of the bar nodded, and she couldn’t help smiling in return as she slid onto her seat.

  You’ve still got it girl.

  Lita ordered an island breeze—her drink of choice. She’d been introduced to the drink during her thank-God-I-finally-divorced-my-cheating-ex girls’ getaway in Jamaica five years ago. And she’d been living her best life ever since.

  Her son had graduated from Howard University and landed a job with a high-profile tech company out in Seattle. Her baby girl just had a couple years of college left. Then it was on. She planned on spending her time traveling the world. Catching up on all the things she’d missed out on during nearly two decades of marriage and while raising two children.

  Not that she regretted it. She loved her babies and every single sacrifice she’d made for them had been worth it.

  The bartender brought her drink. Lita took a sip and sighed contentedly. “Perfect.”

  “You most certainly are.” A too-young brother grinned wide enough to flash all thirty-two of his teeth.

  “Thank you.” She offered a polite, but cursory smile. “You’re too kind.”

  Lita wasn’t opposed to younger men, in general. She’d even dated a few since her divorce. But this one was eyeing her like he’d just seen his next sugar mama.

  So, no thank you. She’d raised her son. She had no desire to raise anyone else’s.

  Still, kudos to him for his taste in grown-ass women. Because now that she was forty-five, most younger men looked right through her, as if she were invisible. Despite the fact that her skin was flawless and she hit the gym three times a week to ensure everything remained in its proper place.

  Their loss, and a natural separation of the wheat from the chaff, for which she was grateful.

  But since bruh was still standing too close, grinning too hard, and wearing far too much cologne, he evidently didn’t get her Level-One brush-off. She needed to kick it up to Level Two.

  “There you are, sweetheart. I didn’t see you come in.”

  Lita’s head snapped in the direction of the deep voice, as smooth as honey, coming from behind her. It was the handsome man who’d greeted her earlier. He was speaking to her as if he knew her.

  She was about to tell him he must’ve mistaken her for someone else when he gave her a look that indicated she should play along. “Oh…yes…honey.” Lita smiled. “No worries, I just arrived, so I haven’t been waiting long at all.”

  When Lita turned toward the younger man he was already returning to his group of friends seated in the corner of the bar. They were teasing him for getting shot down.

  Lita faced the older man who was even more handsome up close. His light brown skin was creamy and smooth. His beard and close-cropped hair were both streaked with gray. He looked fit and he was working the hell out of that suit. Yet, he had a full, solid body.

  More to hold on to.

  Lita crossed her legs and chided herself for her wayward thoughts. “I appreciate you stepping in, but I could’ve handled him. He was as harmless as a fly.” She sipped her drink.

  “I’ll bet you could’ve.” The man chuckled, and the rumble reverberated deep in her chest.

  Lita couldn’t help wondering just how deep other parts of him might be able to go. She tightened her grip on her glass and took another sip.

  Behave, girl. We are not here for the D tonight. No matter how good it might’ve been.

  “I almost feel sorry for the youngblood. He had no idea he was in way over his head the moment he stepped to a fine, grown-ass woman like you.” The man’s smile widened. He extended his hand to her. “I’m Eldridge Hampton III, by the way. But my friends call me Trey.”

  “And are we friends already, Trey?” Lita slipped her hand in his as she met his penetrating dark gaze.

  Trey’s eyes stayed locked with hers. “Maybe not yet, but if things go my way tonight, we soon could be.” He
winked.

  “I’m Delita. My friends call me Lita.” There was no need to share her last name with a man she wouldn’t see again after tonight. Wrong place. Wrong time. “And as inviting as your offer sounds, Trey, I’m afraid I’m otherwise engaged. I’m meeting a friend for dinner.”

  Lita was proud of her age. But proclaiming she was the middle-aged mother of a college junior wasn’t the sexy image she wanted this man to walk away with. So she’d kept that part to herself.

  “I’m meeting friends for dinner too.” The man sipped his drink. “But maybe we could meet for drinks later.”

  “Unfortunately, I’m headed back to Charlotte immediately after dinner. But it was nice to meet you, Trey. Let’s hope our paths cross again one day.”

  “I certainly hope I’m that lucky.” One side of his mouth lifted in a sensual smirk. He extended his hand again. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Lita.”

  Lita allowed herself a moment to relish his firm grip. When he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it, heat filled her body. She sank her teeth into her lower lip.

  Get it together, girl. This is not what you’re here for.

  Still, she couldn’t help wishing she’d met Mr. Trey Hampton back home in Charlotte while she and her girls were out on the town.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  Lita looked up and grinned. She was a little embarrassed to be busted flirting, but she was thrilled to see her baby girl, Tameeka, whom she hadn’t seen in months. However, Lita was not thrilled to see the young man with the nervous smile who was holding her daughter’s hand.

  “Sweetheart! It’s so good to see you.” Lita hopped off her stool and hugged her daughter.

  “Dad?” the young man who’d been holding Meeka’s hand said.

  All three of them turned toward the man with whom Lita had been shamelessly flirting.

  “Dad?” Lita turned to Trey. “This child is your son?”

  A slow smile spread across Trey’s face. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Great. He’d known she had an adult daughter for all of five seconds, and she’d instantly been relegated to ma’am.

  “I had no idea Meeka was your daughter.” Trey embraced his son and then Meeka. He grinned at her daughter. “But now I can clearly see where she gets her beauty from.”

  So Trey knew her daughter, but she had no idea who this boy with the oversized tie was.

  Lita folded her arms and sucked her teeth as she stared at Meeka, then her little friend.

  “Sorry, Mom. This is Jamil Hampton. Jamil, baby, this is my mother, Delita Woods.”

  “Baby?” Lita asked loudly, though she hadn’t done so intentionally. She raked her manicured nails through her short, pixie cut. “You’ve been holding out on me, Ms. Meeka. We talk several times a week, and you’ve never mentioned you had a boyfriend.”

  “Actually, Mom, Jamil is my fiancé,” Meeka said sheepishly, then bounced on her heels as she held up the ring on her slim finger.

  “He’s your what?” Lita’s heart raced.

  “You’re her what?” Trey asked simultaneously.

  “Tameeka Jhené Woods,” Lita said through clenched teeth. “You haven’t even finished school yet. And this is the first I’m hearing of this boy. How on earth can you two be engaged?” she demanded.

  Meeka’s cheeks flushed. She reached for Jamil’s hand, and they stood together in solidarity. “I realize this seems sudden to you, Mom. But Jamil and I have been friends since we took a class together a year ago. We’ve been seeing each other for the past six months.”

  “Which you didn’t bother to mention.” Lita’s voice rose again, drawing the attention of others around them. She counted to ten in her head and lowered her voice. “Which makes me wonder why you hid the relationship.”

  “I’d like to know the answer to that too. Because all my son has been able to talk about for the past year is your daughter. In fact, she spent some time with us at my beach house…last summer.”

  “This is the friend you went to the beach with?” Lita turned back to her daughter.

  Meeka’s joyful expression was gone, her eyes watery. She didn’t answer Lita’s question. And now her fiancé was glaring at her like she was the Wicked Witch of the West.

  Lita was about to demand Meeka answer her question when she noticed that her daughter’s hand hovered over her belly protectively for the third or fourth time during their brief conversation. More importantly, Meeka’s usually hard, flat tummy was soft and rounded.

  Lita’s heart thumped and her pulse raced. Her head suddenly felt light. “Tameeka…are you…pregnant?”

  Meeka’s mouth curved in a soft smile. She pressed a hand to her belly and gazed up at Jamil with what looked like love in her eyes. “Yes, Mama. By Christmas, you’re going to be a grandmother.”

  Lita’s knees were suddenly weak, and she couldn’t speak. It was Meeka who was expecting. So why did it feel like her drink was making its way back up?

  She made a mad dash toward the restroom with Meeka on her heels.

  “You two are pregnant?” Trey stammered once Lita and Meeka were gone. “But we talked about this, son,” Trey whispered loudly, not wanting to draw any further attention. “We talked about being careful and how important it was to both of your futures.”

  “I know, Dad. And we were…mostly.” Jamil shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “We didn’t intend on having a kid. But once Meeka found out she was pregnant…we both just knew this is what we wanted.”

  “This is what you want? Parenthood and diaper changes and money struggles while you’re both already under tremendous academic pressure and working part-time jobs. Boy, what are you thinking?” Trey tapped two fingers to his son’s temple.

  Trey Hampton had been raising his two boys on his own for nearly twenty years. He was firm but loving with Jamil and his oldest son Jason, who served in the military. He cherished being the “cool” dad. So he honestly hated to come off as the preachy asshole scolding two adults. But how the hell else was he supposed to react?

  He’d worked his ass off to provide for his family. To ensure his sons would never need to struggle the way he and their mother had when they’d gotten married at nineteen because she’d been pregnant with Jason.

  They’d lived in a room over his grandmother’s garage in Milwaukee, where he was originally from, for two years. But Ellen had been increasingly unhappy with life as a new wife and mother. And after a quick trip to the ocean, she’d mused about how much happier she’d be living at the beach. So he’d made that happen.

  He’d found a job in Wilmington, NC, and they’d moved to Pleasure Cove on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. For a few months, she did seem happier. But then restlessness crept in again. Ellen decided what they needed was a second baby. Surely, that would make her happy. So she’d intentionally gotten pregnant. But by the time Jamil was one, Trey already knew he couldn’t hold on to Ellen any longer. That trying to make her happy, for the sake of their boys, was only making both of them miserable. When she’d asked for a trial separation, he hadn’t objected. Within a year, she’d filed for a divorce. Soon afterward, she’d remarried.

  It was nearly twenty years later, and he was happy with his life. Thrilled with what his boys had accomplished academically. Proud of the job he’d done as a single father, with the help of his mother and his brother Ford, who’d both moved down to Pleasure Cove to help out. But he’d worked hard to ensure his boys would never have to live hand-to-mouth. Had tried to steer them away from all of the mistakes he’d made in his life.

  He wasn’t just disappointed Jamil was following the same path. He was fucking devastated by it. And, it seemed, Lita was too.

  “I was thinking that I love Meeka, Dad. From the very beginning, I knew she was the one, and I told you that. So what difference does it make if we get married and start our family now or two years from now after Meeka graduates?”

  “You just answered your own question, son.” Trey sucked in a deep bre
ath to stop himself from shaking his youngest son by the shoulders.

  Yes, Jamil was twenty-one years old. But right now, it felt like he was that naïve toddler again who needed to be protected from himself. The kid he had to pad all of the table corners and install baby gates for. Only he couldn’t save Jamil from himself this time. Jamil was a grown man, and in a few short months, he’d have a little person of his own to protect.

  “I realize the situation isn’t ideal, and that it’s not what either of you wanted for us.” Jamil nodded toward the restroom where Lita and Meeka had gone. “But given the circumstances, this is the path we choose to take—with or without your help. We’d much rather have you both in our lives and in our child’s life.”

  Trey blew out a long breath. Jamil wasn’t given to outbursts. Had never played the role of the angry, rebellious teen like Jason had before joining the military. But Jamil was smart and determined. He gave a lot of thought to the choices he made. So once his mind was set, it was nearly impossible to convince him otherwise.

  Trying to persuade Jamil to change his mind would only make him dig his heels in to prove just how right he was. He and Meeka would shut Trey out at a time when they’d need guidance. The worst possible scenario.

  Instead, he’d be an ally to the kids and give them his support. Be the good cop, since Lita was obviously going full-blown bad cop. He’d allow them enough space to discover for themselves what a tough road they’d chosen. And that there were alternatives.