Lessons From the Professor
Page 9
“It’s good to see you, too, Mom.”
Sutton stepped back and smiled as Sidney wrapped a strong arm around her waist.
“Mom, this is Sidney. Sidney, this is my mother.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Atkins,” he said as he extended a hand.
She felt her heart race as her mother studied him quietly.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Sidney, and you can just call me Ida.” Her mother stepped back and waved them into the house. “That’s enough jawing on the porch. Come on in before we give the neighbors something to talk about.”
Sutton chuckled as Sidney led her inside. No matter how long she was gone, every time she came back things were exactly the same.
“You guys are the last to arrive, so everyone’s in the back yard. We’ll start bringing out the food now.”
Her mother led them through the kitchen to the patio door that opened out onto the back porch, and Sutton paused.
“Sid, you already know everyone else, so why don’t you go outside while I help Mom?”
He gave her a peck on the lips and gave her hip a squeeze before he opened the sliding door and slipped outside to join her siblings. She moved over to lean against the counter and waited for her mother to initiate the long anticipated conversation.
“What do you want me to say, Sutton?”
“I don’t want you to say anything. I want you to listen. I know this is the first time you’ve met Sid in person, but between my schedule and his it hasn’t been possible until now. As soon as I walk out those doors it’s going to take Carissa about five minutes to notice this.” She held up her left hand to reveal the two carat solitaire diamond ring Sidney had presented her with a week prior.
“Oh my God,” her mother whispered. She covered her mouth with a shaky hand as she glanced up at her.
“Sid asked me to marry him, and I said yes. I love him, Mom. He treats me well, and we balance each other out. I have nothing but the utmost respect for you. You raised us all after Dad passed, and you did an excellent job. But I can’t keep living my life worried about your opinions and how they’ll affect you. I know you’re the one who sent Jackson to my job. Things like that have to stop. You need to accept that I’m old enough to make my own choices. We all are.”
“All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy, Sutton. Of all my children, you’re the one who I worry about the most. I put too much responsibility on you. You were a child, and I forced you to grow up much too soon. That wasn’t right, Sutton.” Tears rolled down her Mother’s face as she took Sutton’s hands in her own. “You took the role of den-mother to heart, Sutton. It’s in every goal you set and achieve. I’ve been forced to watch that drive almost isolate you from everyone else. I guess I’ve overcompensated to assuage the guilt I felt. I wanted to see you happy and settled, so I pushed when maybe I should have backed off.”
Sutton was stunned by the things her mother had revealed.
“Mom, I’ve spent the past few years feeling like a complete disappointment to you. I know you wanted me to follow a different path—”
“I’ve always been proud of you!” Sutton closed her eyes as her mother embraced her and stroked her hair. “I am so sorry I made you feel that way, baby girl. If this man is the one you want I trust your judgment.”
Tears filled Sutton’s eyes as she basked in the feeling of joy. She had not envisioned their conversation anything even remotely like this. For once, it was nice to be wrong. They pulled apart a few moments later. A comfortable silence filled the room as they wiped away their tears and gathered their emotions.
“We should head out there before your brothers come in and demand food.”
She nodded and laughed. “So true, Mom. What do you want me to take out first?”
“Grab the salad, and I’ll get the rolls.”
Sutton nodded, grabbing the giant wooden bowl full of mixed greens, eggs, and cherry tomatoes out of the fridge, and headed outside.
****
Sidney felt the tension rise in his body as time ticked by and Sutton and her mother remained in the house. While he was sure Ida meant well, her meddling and flippant attitude towards Sutton’s goals angered him. Sutton was an amazing woman. Passionate, genuine and intelligent, she’d given him the boost he needed to put his heart back on the line. The day she’d agreed to marry him was probably the happiest moment of his life. He looked forward to a lifetime of happiness and pleasure. He fought down a smirk as he thought about the other changes that had taken place in their relationship.
They’d expanded their play and had fallen into a niche that was comfortable and enjoyable for them both. His gaze locked with Sutton as she emerged with a wooden bowl full of salad. She flashed him a smile, and he relaxed. Whatever had been said inside had gone over well. He stood to pull out her chair and wrapped an arm around her once they were seated.
“Are you okay?” he asked. His voice lowered as he whispered into her ear.
“Better than okay.”
“Good.” He tilted her face up and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I love you.”
“And I love you.” He saw her smile as she glanced back at her family. “You probably have another five minutes before my sister notices the rock you put on my hand.”
“Then I better enjoy the blissful silence now.”
“She’s grown on you.”
“Like a fungus.”
“Sid!”
He chuckled when she nudged him with her elbow. Carissa let out a screech to his left. It looked their secret was out. His life would never be the quiet existence it was before, but life had a funny way of giving you exactly what you needed. Life with his woman would never be boring, and that was a part of the excitement. Sidney swore mentally. He owed Leigh. That debt repayment would end up leading to an adventure in itself. He smiled down at his beaming fiancée and knew whatever Leigh demanded, it would be worth it.
The End
Other Books by Shyla Colt:
Don’t Fear the Reaper
The Wanting
Wicked Temptation
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com