Let Me Love You (McClain Brothers Book 1)

by Alexandria House

  But you encouraged him to invite her to dinner.

  I was so damn stupid.

  Esther translated dinner as “all day,” arriving at the house that morning before either Everett or I woke up. Ella let her in before the damn sun rose, so when I hopped down the stairs in a t-shirt and sweat pants with a scarf covering my head and without the benefit of having washed my ass to see if Aunt Everlina needed any help with breakfast, Esther was already in the kitchen dressed like she was about to be shot for a spread in fucking Marie Claire magazine. After Everett’s aunt assured me she had it covered, I gave Esther a little nod that she didn’t bother returning and rushed back upstairs to make myself presentable.

  I was a ball of nerves when I made it back to our bedroom. Everett was finally up, his attention on his phone when I returned and headed straight to the shower without even tossing him a “good morning.” I was almost done with my shower when he joined me and screwed me into a better mood, a mood her presence ruined when Everett, Nat, and I made it to the kitchen to have breakfast with everyone—Aunt Everlina, Bridgett, Tommy, Ella, Leland, and Esther—although she barely uttered a word in Everett’s unwelcoming company.

  By ten that morning, I was putting Nat’s coat on her and heading outside to take a walk on the property. It was about fifty degrees out, downright frigid compared to what I’d grown accustomed to. Everett was so engrossed in watching a football game with his brothers that he barely noticed me leaving.

  I was nearing the basketball court about fifty feet from the back patio when I heard her voice. “Jo?!”

  I stopped in my tracks, causing Nat to look up at me with big, curious eyes. Turning my head slightly, I saw her moving toward us in her tight jeans, a navy pea coat, and gorgeous camel-colored riding boots. I cocked my head to the side and watched as she approached us.

  Bending over and clasping her manicured hands between her knees, she smiled at Nat. “Well, hello there. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Esther. What’s your name?”

  “Nat!” my baby answered her with her signature toothy smile.

  “Natalie,” I amended.

  “Oh, how pretty!” Esther gushed.

  “Thank you!” Nat replied without prompting.

  Esther stood erect, her eyes on me now. “Do you mind if I walk with you? I’d like to have a chat.”

  “Actually, I do mind.”

  “Oh? Well, I simply wanted to tell you that I’m happy for you and Everett, and I hope we can all get along for the sake of my Ella.”

  I studied her for a moment before saying, “Okay. Thanks.”

  As I turned to resume our walk, she said, “I’m glad you agree, because as the mother of his only child and the only child he’ll ever have, I will be in his life for a very long time.”

  I chuckled lightly as I picked a restless Nat up. “Okay. Well, nice talking to you.”

  “What’s funny?” She sounded…disappointed.

  “You are, trying to ruffle my feathers, intimidate me, scare me, make me believe you are this huge presence in Everett’s life when every move you make has announced the fact that you are actually not a part of his life. You had to connive your way into spending Thanksgiving with him, he doesn’t answer your calls, and it’s almost embarrassing the way he dismisses you. You reek of desperation. You do not scare me. And that little dig about Ella being the only child he’ll ever have? Um, okay…if you say so, but I’m young. Like, a lot younger than you. I mean, you could be my mom and my little girl’s grandmother. Isn’t that crazy?!” I threw in a giggle, but continued speaking before she could answer me. “Your eggs and stuff might be out of commission, but mine are in prime condition, just waiting to be fertilized by Everett. We’ve been practicing really hard for that. You know? And I’ve been enjoying every second of it!”

  Before she could offer a rebuttal, the patio doors burst open and six feet, six inches of pure rage approached us. Instinctually, I laid Nat’s head against my shoulder and covered her ear, because he just looked like he was about to curse Esther out.

  He stood between us, facing her as he said, “You must be out your muthafuckin’ mind out here talking to her!”

  I peeked around his imposing frame to see her slanted eyes expand to twice their size. “We were just chatting since we’ll soon be family.”

  “I don’t know what language I need to say this shit in for you to get it, but I don’t want nothing to do with you. Ever. You wanted to spend the holiday with Ella? Go do it! She’s in the house, not out here. You stay the hell away from Jo!”

  “W-what makes her so special?” There were tears in her eyes, but I just couldn’t muster up any sympathy for her. She was a shit-starter. That was painfully obvious. And she was using her own child as a pawn in this game she was trying to play with Everett. I had no respect for that.

  “Maybe because she didn’t ruin my fuckin’ life!”

  When I saw Ella watching the action from the patio doors, I turned and continued my walk with Nat on my hip, knowing this family drama was about to boil out of control.

  Fifteen minutes later, I was holding Nat’s hand, letting her walk alongside me, when I heard the crunch of gravel behind me—the rapid footsteps of someone approaching us—and without turning around, I knew it was him. He fell in step beside us, reaching down and picking Nat up, much to her delight. He tossed her in the air and caught her, causing her to giggle loudly. “You got her walking all this way? Her legs are too short for that.”

  “She’s too heavy to carry.”

  “No, she’s not.”

  “I’m not a big tall man, so yes she is.”

  He nodded toward the two-story, white frame house we were now passing by. “This land is the first piece of real estate I ever bought. Had this house built for my mom when I was just nineteen. My house here came later, after Esther and I broke up. Before I had this built for my mom, she was renting a duplex up the road, same duplex she raised me in. Five kids, two bedrooms.” He shook his head. “We had a house before my dad passed. Lost it a year or so after that. He didn’t have any life insurance and she didn’t have any education, so she struggled, but she was a good mother. She was tall, big, and beautiful with the biggest heart. A good woman.”

  “It’s a lovely house, and I know she had to be a good mother to have raised a man as good as you.” As we passed the house, moving toward the tree line of a wooded area, I asked, “What happened to your father?”

  “You mean how’d he die?”

  I nodded.

  “He was a truck driver. Fell asleep at the wheel and hit another semi. They say he died on impact. He was younger than I am now. Leland was just a baby when it happened. Kat was like in kindergarten. The twins were seven, I think, and I became the man of the house at eleven.”

  “That had to be a lot of pressure for a little boy to endure.”

  He shrugged. “I guess, but I didn’t see it that way. My father was a good man, the best. I was honored to step into his shoes.”

  “And then you went on to take care of your whole family financially once you were able to, right? I read somewhere that you put all your siblings through college.”

  “I did what I could, tried to be there for everyone. Especially Leland, because we’ve just always been close. I always felt like I needed to take care of him.”

  “Is that why Leland hangs up under you?”

  He glanced at me with a slight frown. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I’ve barely seen your other brothers since we’ve been here, and I know Kat’s been visiting her husband’s family this week, but Leland’s been kicking it with you since he got in town, and I can tell he admires you.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m his big brother.”

  “Yeah, no point of reference here.”

  “Did you want siblings?”

  “I just wanted a family.”

  He wrapped his free arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. “You got one now, and they’re all back at ou
r house. Albeit, they’re dysfunctional as all get out.”

  I laughed. “How?”

  “Leland don’t want a woman unless her uterus is out of commission, and yeah, that might be him trying to be like me since I made the fatal mistake of marrying Esther. Nolan won’t date anyone unless they need a green card, and Neil won’t stop drinking and gambling long enough to date at all. Kat, she’s good, I guess, but I don’t think she and Wayne are as happy as they want folks to believe. Aunt Ever been shacking up with Uncle Lindell forever, because he didn’t ever divorce his first wife from years ago. You won’t get to meet him today, because he always spends the holidays with the kids he had before getting with Aunt Ever. And you ain’t even met Aunt Wyvetta or Uncle Lee Chester, my mom’s other sister and her brother, or my cousins Lunch Meat and Barbie. They all a trip.”

  “You didn’t mention Esther. She seems to think she’s your family, too.”

  “Jo—”

  “I’m just messing with you, Tick.”

  “Don’t do that.”

  “Man, you got like fifty names, but I think I like Tick the best!”

  “Stop before you have Nat calling me that shi—stuff.”

  I giggled, and we continued walking the gravel road, now surrounded by nothing but trees.

  “We good, baby?” he asked.

  “Yeah. I mean, I’m not gonna lie. This situation is awkward, and it makes me feel like things with Ella are hopeless, and I really, really wanna pack my stuff and get my baby out of here.”

  “You do that, and I’ll be right behind you. I don’t wanna be around Esther’s ass either, and you’re the one who said she could come to dinner.”

  “Dinner! Not the whole day!”

  He hung his head. “I know. She and Ella are—”

  “Conspiring against me.”

  We were silent for a moment, then he stopped and turned around. Nat was limp in his arms, having been lulled to sleep by the extended time in nature. “I don’t know what to do about Ella,” he admitted.

  My eyes were fixed on his. “I can imagine you don’t. You’ve never been in this situation before.”

  “I want her to like you, but I’m not letting you go even if she never does. I wish I could make her like you, but she’ll always have her mother in her ear. I—might have to have separate relationships with her and you, which will make days like this impossible. I just don’t know…”

  “I could, we could—”

  “If you say that shit again, I’ma start to wonder if you’re really just looking for a way out. Do you want me, Jo?”

  My mouth dropped open. “You know I do! I love you!”

  “Then stop tryna fucking leave me!” he thundered.

  I jumped, my eyes scanning the woods around us for, shit, I don’t know. He’d never raised his voice at me before. He had to be on edge. “I’m not trying to leave you. That’s not what I want. I’m just trying to be practical and let you know I don’t expect you to choose me over your child,” I said softly. “And you don’t have to yell at me.”

  Nat’s little head had popped up, so he was bouncing her up and down, gently trying to get her back to sleep. “I’m sorry,” he said, lowering his voice. “I’m frustrated. I want Esther to go. I want this day to be over.”

  “Me, too. We better head back. It’ll be time for lunch soon.”

  He nodded and took my hand, leading us back to the house.

  32

  “Sis, I’ma let you know right now, you put your foot in this dressing! Ooowee!” Uncle Lee Chester boomed from across the table.

  “Thank you,” Aunt Wyvetta said, with a huge grin on her face. She was shorter than Aunt Ever, but just as wide and almost as good a cook. Aunt Ever’s cooking repertoire was more comprehensive than her sister’s, but Aunt Wyvetta was a dressing master.

  “It really is good,” Jo agreed. We were at the big table in the dining room along with my aunts, Everlina and Wyvetta, my uncle, Bridgette, and Leland. Nolan and Neil, Nolan’s date, a bunch of my cousins, Ella, and Esther, plus Tommy were either in the kitchen or the great room. Toot’s wife, Miko, had Nat in the great room feeding her. Miko was sweet, quiet, and loved kids. Nat took to her almost instantly.

  That’s the way we always handled holidays in my family, informal, but we made it a point to spend them together. I was glad Jo could be a part of it since she wasn’t close to her family. I was also glad Esther wasn’t in there with us. I was almost willing to pay folks to fill up the dining room table to keep her ass away from me.

  “So, this is the one you was on TV fighting over?” Uncle Lee Chester’s uncouth ass asked me.

  “Lee, why you gotta put it like that?” Aunt Ever scolded.

  “Hell, ain’t that what happened? I saw it on that BET station. That damn channel ain’t been the same since they got rid of Donnie ‘Tight Eyes’ Simpson. Anyway, you put a hurting on that man over this little girl, nephew!”

  I shrugged. “Did what I had to do, Unc. That’s all.”

  “Always could fight, though. Stayed in trouble for fighting in school. Was whooping everybody’s ass,” Uncle Lee said, following it up with his signature wheezing laugh.

  Jo’s head snapped in my direction. “You did?”

  I nodded. “Bullies. They would mess with me about being fat. So I’d beat ‘em up. They eventually got the message.”

  She gave me a sad look, like she was hurting for young me, and I gave her a smile before leaning in and kissing her cheek.

  Uncle Lee reclined in his chair, patting his beer gut. “Well, she cute. Little old bitty thang. And light-skinned. Light-skinned women usually mean as a damn python.”

  “She sure in the hell is,” I said through a chuckle.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jo roll hers.

  “Can’t be too mean to allow your ex woman to spend the whoooole day here,” Aunt Ever noted.

  Bridgette slapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes inflated.

  “It’s okay. Ella wanted to spend the holiday with her,” Jo said, sounding almost believable.

  “Shit, wish I was a part of this new generation. Y’all men get away with anything now. Women willing to share…” Uncle Lee shook his head and sucked his teeth. “Must be nice.”

  Jo leaned across the table a little, her eyebrows damn near in her hairline. “I don’t believe in sharing nothing, especially not Everett. I’m a mother, a divorced one, and I get wanting to be with your child during the holidays, but that’s as far as it goes. This big man right here, the one y’all call Tick? I ain’t got no sense when it comes to him. Trust and believe.”

  Aunt Ever fell out laughing, Aunt Wyvetta’s eyebrows rose, Bridgette high-fived Jo, Leland chuckled, my ass was grinning from ear to ear, and Uncle Lee gave me an amused look. “Mean as a striped spider, ain’t she? I told you,” he said.

  “I know, and I love it,” I replied.

  “I bet you do. Oh, got a call.” He hit the button on his Bluetooth earpiece that had to be at least fifteen years old, and loudly answered the call with, “What-up-there-now?!” When he said it, it all ran together like one long word.

  Bridgette sputtered to keep from laughing.

  Jo looked up at me, and whispered, “I can’t believe he has a Bluetooth earpiece. I haven’t seen one of those in forever.”

  I leaned in close to her ear. “Shiiiiit, tell him he ain’t fly.”

  She giggled.

  “I’ma be there when I get there! You coulda come! Shit! Don’t wanna do nothing but sit up in that house and watch Family Feud. I told you Steve Harvey don’t want your ass…woman, I said I’ll be there when I get there! Yeah!” Uncle Lee tapped the button again, shaking his head. For as long as I could remember, he and his wife, Aunt Lou, fought like cats and dogs.

  “Ever, Lou crazy ass want me to bring her a plate,” he said to his sister.

  Aunt Ever nodded. “I’ll fix her up a good one. Wish she’d have come to see us.”

  Uncle Lee shook his head. “L
ou crazy as hell. Don’t never wanna go nowhere. Nephew! Where you find little Jo at? How y’all meet?”

  “Through her job. She worked for a jeweler, delivered a necklace I bought for Ella to me one day, and that was it. Couldn’t get her off my mind.”

  “That’s so sweet! You still work there, honey?” Aunt Wyvetta asked.

  “No, ma’am. Too busy letting Everett drag me all over the country.”

  “On tour? I loved accompanying Everett on tour.” I groaned inwardly at the sound of Esther’s voice coming from behind me and Jo. I didn’t even know she’d come into the room, but assumed she’d slid in through the door that led into the foyer.

  Neil stepped inside the dining room holding a plate, surveyed the room, shook his head, said, “I ain’t about to be in this shit,” and backed into the kitchen where he’d entered the dining room from.

  A second later, Nolan walked in from the kitchen, plate in hand, and leaned against a wall. He took a bite of something, his eyes shifting from me to Esther, then to Jo as if he was watching a damn tennis match.

  Aunt Wyvetta, who never liked Esther anyway, said, “Where you from, Jo? I can tell you were raised in the south.”

  Jo smiled at my aunt. “Born and raised in Reola, Alabama, a little town not too far from Huntsville.”

  “Sho’ nuff? We got people in Alabama. Who your people? What’s your last name again?”

  “Walker, but before I married my little girl’s father, I was a Curry. My mom’s name was April Curry, her parents are Leon and Oradean Curry. My aunt’s name is Audrey Curry.”

  Damn, I’d just learned more about Jo’s family than she’d shared in all the time I’d known her. Then again, I never pried about her family, figuring it was a touchy subject for her like Esther was for me.

  “Who your daddy’s folks?” Aunt Ever asked, taking over Aunt Wyvetta’s interrogation.

  “Um, well…I really don’t know them, but his name is James Bright.”

  Damn, I was learning all kinds of stuff.

  “Bright? Odd name,” Aunt Wyvetta observed.