by Vera Roberts
“Keer-ren,” Kieran pronounced his name for the man. He didn’t mind the fact his three-year-old nephew had trouble pronouncing his name. He had an issue when a grown man was purposely butchering it.
“Yeah, I said that,” Christopher grabbed a cocktail shrimp and slurped on it, “how long have you been with Tiana?”
“A few months,” Kieran replied as he coddled Tyson.
“A few months, huh?” Christopher chewed the shrimp, smacking his lips together. “And what is it that you do?”
“I own a child care business,” Kieran studied Christopher. He had a goatee and was only a few shades darker than the white tee-shirt he was wearing. His brown hair was closely cropped to his head. He had an attitude that was half-swagger and half-crap. It was clear he had a Napoleon complex.
Christopher nodded. “That’s cool. I guess Tiana already told you what I do for a living?”
“I’ve heard,” Kieran tersely replied.
“Of course you have,” a slow smirk formed on the corner of Christopher’s lips, “I’m all over the radio.”
You were all over the radio. Champagne Cris hadn’t had a hit in years and it was rumored he was close to being broke due to his lifestyle and extravagant spending. He was notoriously known to wear brand-new white tee shirts every day because he liked the “brand-new” feel. Kieran didn’t have to do too much thinking to know where Christopher’s intentions lay. He decided to get down to business. “Cris, what do you want from me?”
“I don’t want nuttin’, man,” he shrugged, “I don’t want a damn thing.”
Kieran tightened his lips and let out a small sigh. Christopher was wasting his time and playing him stupid. “So why are we talking?”
“I’m coming back,” Christopher took another swig of beer, “I’m coming back for my family.”
Kieran felt his jaw tightened as he held Tyson. There was no way in blue hell he was going to let that happen. “Does Tiana know this?”
“She’ll know soon enough,” Christopher had a smug smile, “I have backup to support me.”
Kieran quickly put two and two together. The dinner Barbara had requested was a ploy to get Tiana to come over with Tyson. Kieran could tell Barbara was being nice to him when he showed up at the front door. He ruined her plans. With him present, Tiana wasn’t going to reconcile with Christopher.
Kieran took a sip of apple juice to quiet his rising anger. Holding the infant was the only thing that was saving Christopher from getting his head knocked off. “Is that right?”
“That’s right, brah,” Christopher took another swig of beer, “don’t get comfortable now.”
“Quick question,” Kieran began, “you say you’ve come back for your family, right?”
“Yeah, and?” The beer gave Christopher imaginary muscles.
“So why is it that the entire time we’ve been talking, you never asked to hold your son?” Kieran questioned.
Christopher finished his beer and held out his hands. “Here. Give him to me.”
Kieran shook his head. “Oh, I don’t think that’ll be happening…”
****
Dinner was surprisingly cordial. Tiana and Kieran put on the best their behavior and kept their comments to themselves, despite often smart comments from Christopher. Afterwards, the men met in the family room while Tiana helped her mother in the kitchen.
“You’re my daughter’s new love interest,” Henry Morris stoically said.
“Yes,” Kieran focused on the screen ahead of him.
Henry nodded approvingly and didn’t say another word for a while. The men sat in silence as they watched the football game before them. Just when Kieran was about to break the ice and offer some conversation, Henry finally spoke again. “Just don’t hurt her.”
Kieran was startled by Henry’s sudden words. He thought the older gentleman was speaking to himself. “What?”
“Don’t hurt my baby girl,” Henry repeated. “She’s been through enough with that last joke of a husband. She doesn’t need any more bullshit.”
Tyson was bouncing on Kieran’s lap and making cooing sounds. “I won’t hurt her.”
“Good,” Henry nodded again. He finally looked over at Kieran and Tyson playing with each other. If Henry didn’t know any better, he could’ve sworn Tyson was Kieran’s son. “He loves you.”
“I love him back,” Kieran laughed at Tyson, who smiled.
“I know what my wife is trying to do and I told her I wanted no part of it,” Henry began, “I just wanted to let you know where I stood. I didn’t care for Sparkling Bubbly, Alize, whatever he calls himself these days, when they were married and I certainly don’t care for him now he’s showing back up around the home and act like nothing ever happened.”
Kieran remained silent as Henry spoke to him. He thought it was particularly amusing Henry was giving him advice when he wasn’t known as husband of the year. He kept his thoughts private.
“But I can tell you love my daughter and you love her son, treating him like he’s your own.
That’s all I want,” Henry smiled, “and that’s all I want.”
It occurred to Kieran that Henry was from the old school of ‘Do as I say and not as I do.’ “As long as I’m with Tiana, I would always love and protect them both,” he stated, “I don’t need to go anywhere else.”
“Good,” Henry sipped on his lemonade.
Christopher soon joined the men in the family room, drinking what appeared to be his third beer already. “Y’all are way too quiet in here! It feels like a damn mortuary,” he plopped himself down on another sofa, “liven up a little! Sheesh!”
Henry’s eyes moved towards Christopher, then back at the TV screen. “Although I do wish somebody would go somewhere else.”
****
“You were quiet all evening, Mother,” Tiana took out the tea bags and began setting up the tea cups. “Is everything okay?”
“No, everything is not okay,” Barbara huffed. “I specifically invited you, not your help, over for dinner tonight. Your nanny could have stayed at home.”
It felt like Barbara always found that one nerve of Tiana’s and just pounded on it. “Kieran is no longer just my nanny,” she calmly replied, “we’re also dating.”
“Fornicating with the help, huh?” Barbara’s words cut to Tiana. “I already knew that. He’s changed you. And you’re walking around here all jumpy, not prim and proper as a lady should.”
Barbara had a glance over Tiana’s choice of attire. “You’re wearing jeans and flip-flops. I’ll tell you one thing, you’re definitely getting a new nanny because that one isn’t working out.”
Tiana was used to her mother cutting her down, she brushed the insults aside. But when Barbara began to attack Kieran, it was a new ballgame and Tiana was ready to come out swinging. “You have that much dislike for Kieran that you can’t even call him by his name?”
Barbara got out the tea tray and desserts from the refrigerator. “Tyson needs both a mother and a father in his life,” Barbara replied.
“He has a mother and a father,” Tiana snapped back.
“A father for hire doesn’t count,” Barbara sternly suggested.
“I have given Christopher plenty of opportunity and reason to be a father to Tyson and he has refused each and every time.” Tiana hopelessly explained, “Christopher is more interested in my bank account than what Tyson’s favorite toy is. He has not been shy about his feelings.”
“You need to try harder,” Barbara suggested.
The revelation from Barbara was the beginning of a new relationship between herself and Tiana.
“I need to try harder? This is my fault now?”
“You know how Christopher is and you know how men are in general. We always have to carry the extra weight. It’s been like that for generations past and it will be like that for generations to come. You deal and move on.”
“I did move on,” Tiana replied, “I got divorced.”
“And speakin
g of which, if you dated that nice Black man I picked out for you, this would’ve never happened,” Barbara reasoned.
“Oh, so it’s both my fault that I got divorced because of my White cheating ex-husband?” Tiana tried to keep her temper under control but it was becoming increasingly difficult. “I know you’re not trying to say he cheated on me because he’s White?”
“It is bad enough being half of an interracial relationship, what do you think little Tyson is going to experience when he gets older? You have a curly-haired, fair-skinned child with light eyes, Tiana. Do you think the Black kids are going to accept him? Do you think the White kids are going to accept him? What do you think is going to happen with him?”
Tiana felt her jaw tightened and her nostrils flared. “I will teach my son his heritage so he’s not confused.”
“Oh, I don’t think Tyson will be confused,” Barbara got out the caramel cakes for dessert, “I think you’re the one confused.”
“I’m confused?” Tiana questioned. “How am I confused?”
“You’re acting so weird lately and I think it’s your nanny’s fault,” Barbara mentioned. “You have never been so mouthy and your hair? What is with your hair? You cut your hair
ridiculously short and curly, looking like a boy lost in the wilderness. I need to book Eva to fix that mess. You go with him to visit his family in the ghetto. I know what Staten Island is like and it’s not pretty. Furthermore, you should’ve stayed here and tried to fix your marriage. It would’ve been better for you than to travel across the country with some guy who’s not even on your level.”
That last comment sent Tiana over the edge. “Funny how I’m getting advice from someone who has an adulterous husband who doesn’t give two shits about his wife or his only daughter.
You’re the queen of keeping up appearances and you’re telling me I need to straighten up my act?”
“Now, you watch your mouth, young lady…”
“No, I’m not watching my mouth. I’ve been watching my mouth my entire life. I’ve been watching what I eat. I’ve been watching what I wear. I’ve been watching how I style my hair.
My whole damn life has been about pleasing you! Making you happy! You never asked me what I wanted. You never asked me what I thought. It’s always been about you and this fake-ass image. We’re not the Huxtables, Mother! Dad is not Cliff and you most certainly are not Claire!
I’m tired of being something I am not. I am tired of pleasing people who don’t care about how I feel. I’m tired of eating this bland and beige diet to stay trim. For fuck’s sake, I like salt!” Tiana let out a sigh of relief. “Kieran has been more of a father to Tyson for the past six months than Christopher ever has been. You know why Christopher has been coming around lately, mother?
It’s because he’s broke! He went through the divorce settlement already. He’s been nice and charming, hoping to score some money or a car out of it. You think Christopher cares about you?
How many times did he call you when we were married? How many times did he check up on you when we were divorcing? Did you ever wonder why you were the one watching Tyson and not him?
“And now, all of a sudden, when he’s broke and damn near destitute, he’s coming around like he’s the prodigal son and you honestly think he’s being truthful? That man wouldn’t know what the truth was if he found her on the stripper pole!” Tiana straightened her shirt out. “I’ve gotten more love from Kieran’s mother and she doesn’t know me from dirt! She didn’t criticize me, she didn’t tell me what I was doing wrong, but you know what she did instead? She gave me encouragement, something you never have!
“Now I’m about to go home with my boyfriend and you know what we’re going to do? We’re going to have a nice big-ass piece of pie with ice cream! Good-night!”
****
“You stood up to your mother back there,” Kieran warmed up the pie slices in the microwave,
“I’m impressed.”
Tiana nodded. After the confrontation with her mother, it was best that all three went home. She felt better already without being under her mother’s watchful eyes. “It was several years in the making,” Tiana took out the vanilla bean ice cream and some forks. “I’m just tired of the judgment and the crap.”
“How long have you been putting up with it?” Kieran took out the pies.
“For as long as I can remember,” Tiana scooped out some ice cream and put it on the pie slices,
“Tiana, do this. Tiana, do that. My mother actually wanted me to go by my middle name, Elizabeth, because she thought Tiana sounded too ethnic.”
“So how did she take your marriage to Chris?”
“She hated it and let me know whenever she could, which was often. She said it would’ve been better if I married a White European because at least Europeans are more cultured,” Tiana rolled her eyes, “but Christopher showered her with bling and gifts and well, money talks.”
Kieran knew he was walking a fine line with the next question. A part of him wanted to know where he stood with her. A large part wanted to know where she stood with him, parental influence or not. “You know why he was there tonight?”
“I know,” Tiana replied, more curtly than she intended, “but I also know what I want and Christopher is not in my future plans. He didn’t care about me back then and I doubt he cares now. I saw how he was around Tyson tonight; he barely acknowledged him. He nursed his beers more than he played with his son. All he did was solidify my decision to divorce him when I did.”
A small silence formed between the pair as Kieran took a bite of his cherry pie. He took notice of how different Tiana’s demeanor was when she was on Staten Island, to just a short while ago with her parents. It was a night and day. “So how do you feel now?”
“I feel like I have a pair of diamond-encrusted balls all of a sudden,” Tiana beamed. Her shoulders dropped. Dropping all of the weight she’d carried throughout the years made her relaxed and stressed-free. “I feel like I just climbed Mount Everest.”
Kieran took another bite of pie and licked his lips. There was a sensuous air between them. “You want to climb something else tonight?”
Tiana scooped a bite of pie and licked the crust of it, before taking it in her mouth, causing a moan from Kieran. “How do you want me, baby?” She seductively asked.
Kieran felt his cock stir in his jeans. He wanted Tiana in many positions, her body twisted in so many ways. He scooped a little ice cream with a finger and smeared it over Tiana’s chest. He leaned down to lick the ice cream. “You’re dirty,” he murmured, “We have to get you clean.”
Kieran’s tongue was magical and he sent her body into overdrive. He knew how to get her aroused without even saying a word. “You want me in the shower?” She moaned.
Kieran removed his shirt as Tiana took hers off as well. “I want you however I can get you.”
Tiana grabbed Kieran’s hand and led him to the open air shower in her huge bathroom. She locked eyes with his as she began to unbuckle his belt. She pulled down the jeans along with Kieran’s boxer briefs, his thick cock jutting out in anticipation. Her tongue quickly darted out to wet her lips and she softly bit them. She wanted to savor the moment for as long as she could.
She began to take off her jeans when Kieran stopped her. “No,” he stepped closer to her, “allow me.” He undid the jeans and pulled down the zipper. He slid the jeans along with her panties over her hips and pooled them at her feet.
Tiana carefully stepped out of jeans and waited for Kieran’s next direction. She felt his hands slide up and down her body, pausing where her thighs met. He nudged them slightly apart and felt how wet she was. “Damn, bella,” Kieran murmured, his low rumble vibrating throughout the room. He played with her swollen nub with his thumb, gauging her reaction with every stroke.
She didn’t care about her parents. She didn’t care about what other people thought. All she wanted was Kieran on her body, hovering over her as he slid in and out of her tight chan
nel. She felt the moisture pooling at her heat, her pussy contracting again. “Baby…” she warned.
“Shh…” Kieran quieted her. He stopped playing with her and led her to the shower. They washed each other’s bodies and snuck in kisses. Kieran sat down on a nearby bench in the shower and pulled Tiana on top of him. He adjusted her position and slipped inside her, causing Tiana to slightly yelp at the increased pressure. She sat all the way down on his cock, happily accepting all of him inside her.
Tiana slowly rocked her body against Kieran’s, wrapping her arms around his neck. She increased her movement and opened her thighs wider to accommodate him. He fit perfectly inside, completely filling her. “Fuck me, baby…” she moaned.
Kieran grabbed Tiana’s ass and guided her. His breath quickened as he approached his own orgasm. “You want to cum?” Kieran kissed Tiana’s neck. “You want to cum on my dick?”
“Fuck, baby,” Tiana rode him faster. Her body stilled as the orgasm shot through her body, Kieran soon following her. She collapsed on top of him, showering him with kisses. “Baby, I love you.”
“I love you, too, bella.”
FOURTEEN
“What about this one?” Tiana walked over to a big tree at the lot. “I like this one!”
It seemed the holidays sprang upon them in record time. They had a nice Thanksgiving with Tiana’s friends and it was just a few days before Christmas. They already started planning more trips to back to Staten Island during the next year.
Kieran held Tyson as he walked over to the pine tree at the Christmas tree lot. It was a nice tree but he wasn’t sure about it. “I don’t know. It doesn’t have that ‘umph’ to it.”
“That umph?” Tiana teased. “I didn’t think Christmas trees had ‘umphs.’”
“They do,” Kieran caressed the pine needles. “You have to find the right one.”
“I have found the right one. I found the right one about five times, already,” she replied, “I’m tired of finding the right one.”
“It’s because you’re not seeing it how I’m seeing it,” Kieran walked with her to another tree,
