by Reese Ryan
“So I’m really gonna be a grandfather, huh?” Trey stroked his salt-and-pepper gray beard. His partial smile was a peace offering. Something he’d learned over his two decades as a single dad.
Jamil sighed with relief and nodded. “Yeah, Dad. You are.”
“Then I’ve got your back, son.” Trey hugged Jamil. He glanced toward the restroom. “But it looks like you’ve got some work ahead of you.”
Jamil sighed. “I know. We were hoping you could help with that.”
“How am I supposed to help?” Trey asked. “I just met your future mother-in-law—”
“Who you were totally macking on when we arrived.” Jamil raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. “Or did you think we didn’t notice that?”
“Lita and I were just chatting at the bar while we waited.” Trey pointed a finger at his son. “Don’t go trying to change the subject, Jamil. And serious talk, you two didn’t do yourselves any favors by hiding this relationship from her mother. You wanna be treated like grown-ass adults, son? Then act like one.”
Jamil lowered his head and nodded. “You’re right. I wanted to meet her mom a long time ago, but Ms. Woods is super protective. Meeka knew she wouldn’t approve, so she figured it’d be best not to tell her mom about us. Then when she got pregnant, I guess we were afraid you’d try to talk us out of it. We wanted to wait until that wasn’t an option.”
“If you two felt strongly enough about it, no amount of pressure would convince you otherwise,” Trey noted.
“Not gonna lie, Dad. We were both scared to death,” Jamil admitted. “We still are. But we’re doing this, and we could really use your support.”
Trey glanced over at Meeka and her mother as they made their way back to the bar. Lita didn’t look happy, and his future daughter-in-law was teary-eyed.
Fifteen minutes ago, he’d been staring into Lita’s dark brown eyes wondering about her favorite sex position and whether she’d like bacon or sausage for breakfast the next morning. Now the two of them were going to be…grandparents.
It was shaping up to be one hell of a night.
Chapter 2
Lita sat at the table across from her daughter with Jamil and Trey on either side of her. She tried her best to keep it together, but her heart was broken and she was fit to be tied.
Her baby was having a baby. In the middle of her college career.
How could her sensible daughter, who could always be counted on to make the right decision, have done something so foolish?
Meeka had always been her little angel. She’d never given her a problem. And she’d always been Lita’s sense of comfort and support—especially since her divorce from her father five years ago. But her baby girl had apparently gone and lost her mind.
Lita had tried to talk some sense into her daughter in the bathroom—away from the influence of that knucklehead boyfriend of hers and his mack daddy. But her daughter wouldn’t hear a word she had to say, insisting all four of them talk about this over dinner.
That was nothing like her baby girl. They’d always talked about everything. But Meeka hadn’t uttered a word about this boy or her pregnancy, which she’d apparently just entered the second trimester of.
Lita had been completely blindsided by Meeka’s announcement. She couldn’t stop looking at the ring on her daughter’s finger. None of this seemed real. Lita felt like she was in one of those horrible dreams where you couldn’t stop falling.
She kept it together long enough for them to order their meals. Once the server took their menus and walked away, it was on.
“Tameeka, I can appreciate how deeply you two evidently feel about each other,” Lita said, proud of herself for remaining so calm. “But have you thought about how this will work in real life? About how difficult it’ll be to raise a child while the two of you are going to school full-time and then working part-time to support yourselves?”
Meeka and Jamil exchanged gazes. Lita could tell he reached for her daughter’s hand beneath the table. Jamil nodded, and Meeka cleared her throat, then met Lita’s gaze again.
“That’s one of the things we wanted to talk to you about.” Meeka’s voice trembled. “I agree it isn’t practical for me to try to raise an infant, work, and go to school full-time. So right now, I think it’s best if…”
Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it.
“…I drop out of school for the next year…maybe two.”
Lita covered her mouth to hold back the scream working its way up her throat. She was trembling and her hands were shaking. She leaned across the table, her voice lowered. “You’re thinking of doing what?”
“Don’t freak out, Mom,” Meeka pleaded. “I know it sounds…not ideal…but we’re only talking about a couple of years. Then I’ll re-enroll in school, even if I have to go to school online.”
“Meeka, you picked NCCU for its rich history and because you wanted the HBCU and sorority experience. Now, because of some boy, you’re just gonna throw all of that away?”
Lita could feel both Jamil and Trey stiffen when she referred to him as “some boy.” But she didn’t care. Meeka wouldn’t speak to her alone in the bathroom. So fine, she’d have her private conversation with her daughter right here in the middle of the restaurant with her fiancé and his daddy looking on.
“Mama,” Meeka pleaded, “don’t be rude. I’m not a child. And it’s not like Jamil took advantage of me or something. We were both involved in an adult relationship, and an adult thing happened.”
“Let’s talk about this adult relationship,” Lita said. “If you’re such an adult, why did you hide the relationship from me?”
As far as she knew, Meeka hadn’t hidden anything like this from her before. So it stung that her daughter had kept Jamil and her pregnancy from her all this time.
Guess I won’t be winning any awards for Mother of the Year.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, Mom.” Meeka lowered her gaze momentarily. “But the way you’re acting right now is why I didn’t. You would’ve tried to pressure me into breaking it off with Jamil to focus on school.”
“Sounds like good advice to me, Ms. Thing,” Lita said. “And if you had, we wouldn’t be in the situation we’re in right now, would we?”
“We’re not in any situation.” Meeka released her fiancé’s hand and sat taller in her seat. “Jamil and I are in this situation. I’m just paying you the courtesy of telling you what’s going on in my life.”
There was a quiet thunder in her daughter’s voice and anger in her eyes that Lita had never seen directed at her before.
It threw her for a loop.
She’d always wanted her daughter to get a little tougher. Stand a little taller. Not be so agreeable all the time. Demand what she wanted in life.
However, she wasn’t prepared for Ms. Thing to figure out how to do all of that and then use it against her.
“Meeka, don’t forget who you’re talking to.” Lita was calling her daughter’s bluff. “I’m still your mother, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“I haven’t.” The fire in her daughter’s eyes calmed a little. “But you need to realize that while I might be your child, I’m also an adult, capable of making my own choices. Whether you agree with them or not.”
Lita’s face burned with anger and embarrassment. She wasn’t accustomed to her daughter using this tone with her.
What happened to her sweet little girl?
Lita turned an angry eye on Jamil. She pointed at him. “Are you seriously going to let this boy ruin your life, Meeka? Destroy everything you’ve worked for?”
“Like Dad ruined yours?” Meeka asked.
“Yes. I mean…no… I mean…” Lita stammered. She didn’t mean to imply that having her children was a mistake. But it was too late. She could see the pain in her daughter’s eyes.
“Well, I’m sorry Dad ruined your life by getting you pregnant with Devante and me.” Fat tears filled her daughter’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry you re
gret becoming a wife and a mother. And I’m sorry Dad was a cheating jerk. But Jamil isn’t Daddy.” Meeka sniffled. “He’s the sweetest, kindest, smartest man I’ve ever met. I know I can trust him. That he’ll be there for me. Even when he doesn’t agree with me one-hundred percent.”
“You know I didn’t mean it that way, sweetheart.” Lita was suddenly on the defensive.
How the hell had this conversation gotten turned around?
“But that’s what you said, Mom. And it’s what you’ve implied my whole life. That I didn’t want to end up like you. With two kids and an awful husband instead of the exciting life you’d planned for yourself. Do you have any idea how badly that made me feel?” Meeka pressed a hand to her chest, then answered her own question. “Of course not. It never once occurred to you that you were essentially implying you wished Devante and I were never born.”
“Meeka, sweetheart, you know that isn’t what I meant. I love you and Dev, and I’d do anything for either of you.”
“Except support one of us when we need you most.” Meeka stood abruptly. “Well, I’m sorry I’ve been such a burden to you, Mom. And you won’t have to worry about me anymore. I’m spending the summer at the beach with Trey and his dad, and then we’re getting married.”
“What?” Lita felt nauseated again.
“Meeka,” Jamil implored his fiancée as he held on to her hand, “I don’t think your mother meant it that way at all. She’s just concerned about—”
“Are you taking her side over mine?” Meeka stared fire at the boy, and Lita almost felt sorry for him.
“No, of course not. I just—” he stammered.
“I’d like to leave now.” Meeka stared at Lita, hardening her gaze. She turned to the boy’s father. “I apologize, Mr. Hampton. I didn’t mean to ruin dinner tonight.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart.” He squeezed her daughter’s hand. “It’s an emotional day for all of us. I think we can all understand that.”
Meeka bent down and hugged the man tightly, then she glared at Lita and stormed away.
“Sorry, Dad.” Jamil hopped up, obviously surprised by Meeka’s dramatic exit. “Sorry, Ms. Woods. Meeka admires you. You’re her hero. She didn’t mean what she said. She’s just really upset and dealing with hormones and sh…stuff,” he corrected himself under both her and Trey’s watchful eye. Jamil leaned down and gave his father a one-armed man hug. “Nice to meet you, ma’am!” he called over his shoulder as he left the restaurant.
“That’s the second time I’ve been called ‘ma’am’ in the past half hour,” Lita muttered, still stunned that her even-keeled daughter just stormed her pregnant ass out of the restaurant dramatically while giving her the metaphorical finger.
Am I being punked, or has my life turned into a real-life episode of Real Housewives?
Lita watched the doorway of the restaurant, waiting for her daughter to return. But she didn’t. She shut her eyes for a moment and sucked in a deep breath.
This definitely had to be a bad dream.
Trey couldn’t help chuckling in response to Lita’s stunned expression.
He stroked his beard and shook his head. “Didn’t know the girl had enough backbone to stand up to her beloved mama, huh?”
Lita folded her arms and narrowed her gaze at him. “I’m glad you’re so amused that our children have just decided to ruin their lives.”
“Like we did?” Trey gestured between them, echoing Meeka’s earlier words.
Lita looked a little deflated. “God, now I hear how that sounds. No wonder Meeka was so upset.” She ran her fingers through her short hair and groaned quietly. “You said like we did. Did you get married young because of a surprise pregnancy too?”
“I did.” Trey refilled his wine glass and Lita’s. “We were young and crazy in love. When Ellen got pregnant, there wasn’t even a question in my mind about what to do. I already loved her, and knew I planned to marry her one day. But she was hesitant. That should’ve been my first clue the marriage wasn’t going to work out.” Trey sighed; a knot tightened in his gut as he recalled how reluctant Ellen had been to get married when they were so young. “I was committed to the marriage, but Ellen felt stifled by it. She’d been restless and unhappy most of our marriage. She left for good when my oldest son Jason was five and Jamil was two. I’ve been raising the boys pretty much on my own ever since.”
“You never remarried?” Lita asked.
“Never even came close to remarrying,” Trey said. “When the boys were little, they were my complete focus. When they became teenagers, they took every bit of energy I could spare—especially my oldest, Jason. He’s serving his second tour of duty in the Marines now,” he added. “Then once both the boys were out of the house and I could finally hear my own thoughts without hip-hop blaring from one of their rooms and the two of them and their little friends eating me out of house and home, I guess I just wanted to enjoy the single life for a while.”
One side of Lita’s mouth lifted in a partial smile. The first he’d seen since Meeka and Jamil had announced their “happy” news.
“I can appreciate that.” Her grin deepened. “A few of my friends and I are determined to live our best lives post-divorce. Especially those of us whose kids are out of the house. It took forever for me to get out of my awful marriage. The last thing in the world I want to do is get into another one.”
“Exactly.” Trey sipped his wine and chuckled. “Definitely not trying to go there again.”
As Lita gulped some of her wine, sadness seemed to descend over her again. She set her glass on the table with a thud. Then she turned her ire on him, those brown eyes flaming.
“If you understand, why didn’t you speak up and tell the kids that they’re making a colossal mistake?” She pointed an accusatory finger at him. “Instead, you’re hosting them at your beach house for the summer. What kind of parent does that?” she demanded.
“One who didn’t drive his child away just now,” he reminded her, slightly enjoying her gasp of outrage.
“That’s what happens when you behave like an actual parent,” Lita retorted. “Sometimes your kids get mad at you. It’s okay. They’ll get over it, and the world won’t end.”
“If Meeka was a kid…I’d agree with you,” Trey pointed out. “But she isn’t, Lita. She’s a grown woman, and a very special young lady who apparently knows her own mind. Maybe if you’d treated her that way just now, she’d still be sitting here.”
“I don’t subscribe to the ‘treat your kid like your best friend’ parenting model,” Lita said.
“I can respect that.” Trey nodded, taking another sip of his wine. “But you’re the mother of a grown woman who felt the need to hide her romantic relationship and pregnancy from you. So with respect, the ‘treat your adult child like a kid’ method doesn’t seem to be working, either.”
Lita’s mouth fell open, and her eyes went wide. There was outrage in her expression, but also sadness.
Trey felt badly about that. He didn’t want to hurt Lita, who seemed like a perfectly nice woman. But it was the truth, and it needed to be said.
“Don’t tell me how I should raise my daughter.” Lita jabbed a finger in his direction.
“You certainly didn’t mind telling me how you think I should be raising my son,” he reminded her. “Besides, you’re already done with the raising part, and you’ve done one hell of a job. Meeka is a wonderful young woman. It’s been a pleasure getting to know her. She’s been good for Jamil, and I believe he’s been good for her, too.”
“So the kids getting married and my daughter dropping out of college is just fine with you?” Lita cocked one eyebrow and folded her arms. The move lifted her breasts, highlighting her cleavage.
His gaze dropped there momentarily. “Of course not. But I’m not too old to remember that as a young adult, the more your parents try to dictate your life, the more you dig in your heels to prove them wrong. If there’s any chance the kids might rethink this, I don’t want t
hem so locked into making a point that they’re afraid to admit they didn’t think this through.”
Lita sighed. “Since I struck out, let’s hope your approach works.”
“Does that mean we’re doing good cop, bad cop?” He chuckled.
“Sure, whatever floats your boat.” She picked up her purse and stood. “I’m going to ask the waitress to make my order to go. It was…interesting meeting you, Trey.”
“Wait…you’re leaving?” He stood and buttoned his sport jacket.
“I came here to have dinner with my daughter, to celebrate another successful semester of school.” She shrugged sadly. “Instead, she’s headed to the beach with your son. What reason do I have to stay?”
“Like it or not, we’re in this together, Lita,” Trey said. “In a few months, we’re going to share a grandchild. And if our kids do get married, we’ll have a lot of birthdays and holidays together ahead of us. So why not take an hour to get to know each other?” He shrugged. “Besides, your daughter is angry with you right now. I think you could use an ally.”
Lita narrowed her beautiful brown eyes at him, her nose crinkling. She tilted her head and studied him. As if trying to decide whether he was worthy of her trust.
There was something about Lita Woods that did things to him in a way no woman had in years. She was stunning in a fitted, pale yellow dress that hugged her curves. The color looked gorgeous against her warm brown skin. And her short pixie cut with a hint of blond in it was playful and a little bit edgy. He honestly wouldn’t have believed she was the mother of college-age children. And he certainly wouldn’t have seen her as a soon-to-be grandmother.
Though he hadn’t imagined himself becoming a grandfather any time soon, either.
Lita sucked in a deep breath, set her purse in the chair Jamil had abandoned, and sat down again. She shrugged. “Why not? We’ve already ordered our meal.”
It wasn’t the most enthusiastic acceptance of a dinner invitation he’d ever received, but somehow, it felt well-earned.
