“It was one time daddy, Ray didn’t have a standing spa appointment with me.”
With me, being the operative words.
He looked at me, head tipped to the side. “Well, it was one time too many, for a grown ass man.”
“Daddy, two weeks ago you were asking me what kind of grown man let himself be named ‘Sean’, remember?” I lifted an eyebrow, and contained my smirk as my dad narrowed his eyes. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why I brought that up. It wasn’t as if I had a problem with my parents taking a liking to Sean – the exact opposite, actually. With Ray, they’d hated him so much, from jump, that it wore on me. I was excited that they liked Sean, but… they kind of liked him too much. So much that when he was here, they monopolized his time.
My dad nodded. “Of course I remember, baby girl. That was when he was another crusty assed fool that had hurt your feelings. But once I understood the situation, now that was different. If he’s right by you, my dear, he’s right by me.”
Mental note – don’t tell mama nothing else, she can’t hold water.
I twisted my lips again. “But dad, even when Ray was right by me, you never liked him.”
“Cause that negro just wasn’t right, period. Ain’t never been, ain’t never gone be. Me and your brother still owe him a visit.”
My eyes went wide. “Okay, I’m going to lay down,” I said, pushing away from the table to stand up. Before I could put any weight on my feet, my father and Sean were both out of their chairs, helping me balance my weight. I assured them both that I had it under control, then slowly made my way up the stairs to my room, where I laid out across my bed, with my phone in my hands.
“Come get your parents.” I sent to Donnie, and not even a minute later, my phone lit up with a reply.
“Aw, c’mon big sis. They just tryna make sure you’re good. – Dancin’ Ass Donnie”
(I always got a good chuckle out of the way he was saved in my phone.)
“I knowwww. But goddamn they are driving me nuts. I can’t even get any time alone with Sean.”
“That’s why you gotta be straight up. Tell mama you’re tryna let Sean release some DNA on you, she’ll chill. – Dancin’ Ass Donnie”
“Little Negro, WHAT?! “Release some DNA on me”?! The hell?!”
“*crying laughing* sorry sis, I forgot who I was talking to for a second, my bad. – Dancin’ Ass Donnie.”
“I’m disgusted.”
“I said I was sorry, damn. But farreal, mama had me buy their plane tickets. Unless they changed them, they’re coming back to Chi at the end of the week. – Dancin’ Ass Donnie.”
“Thank the lord. Are you still in DC with Pixie?”
“Yeah, tonight is the last show in DC, and then back to the Chi for me too. Hey, Auriel says if you’re feeling better, you should come to her birthday party in a few weeks, in Vegas. –Dancin’ Ass Donnie.”
“… Auriel?”
“Sorry. She doesn’t like me calling her by the stage name. – Dancin’ Ass Donnie.”
“Ohhhhhh, I see. So y’all are like… serious?”
“We’re chillin’. – Dancin’ Ass Donnie.”
“So, yes then. Got it.”
“I’m about to text mom and tell her you’re in pain and won’t say anything about it. – Dancin’ Ass Donnie.”
“DON’T YOU DO THAT SHIT, SHE’LL NEVER LEAVE.”
“Catch you later sis. – Dancin’ Ass Donnie.”
“Bye bighead.”
I put the phone back on the nightstand, and gingerly stretched out on my stomach just as Sean came strolling through the door with his hand pressed to his stomach, but looking satisfied. He grinned at me as he closed the door behind him, then collapsed on the bed beside me.
“You feeling okay?” I asked, closing my eyes as his hand slipped under the back of my shirt, and took on a little more pressure.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m good. Stuffed, but I mean… your mom put her damn foot in that meal, so I’m happy.”
“Mmhmm.” I opened one eye, peeking up at him, and I wasn’t surprised to see that he was looking at me too. “They really like you, you know?”
His hand stopped, and he tipped his head a little, like he was confused. “Who?”
“My parents,” I replied, laughing. “The itis from all the stuff my mother fed you today must be getting to you already. But you should know, that’s one of the ways I know she likes you. She never cooked for Ray. Like, ever.”
“Really?”
“Really,” I nodded. “And for the last two weeks, she has been all about feeding you, ever since you told her about your parents. It’s like she’s taken it upon herself to fill all the meals you’ve apparently missed.”
Truth be told, I really think Sean was enjoying the parental attention he was getting, and I was happy for that. It was the only thing that kept me from being completely exasperated, knowing that at least he was getting something out of their presence.
Sean laughed. “Well, I could think of a lot worse things your parents could do to me besides feeding me and going fishing,” he said, referring to the three trips my dad had taken out to the lake in the two weeks they’d been here.
“Yeah, just make sure you stay on their good side,” I warned, turning onto my back. “My folks are crazy. They’re being nice to you now, but—”
I stopped speaking as Sean lowered his head, pressing his lips to mine in a sweet kiss that made me want to do a lot more than that.
“You can save whatever is on the other end of the but, because I don’t plan on ever seeing it,” he said, kissing my forehead. “I plan on having your mother’s salmon croquettes in my life for a long ass time.”
I bit my lip to hold back a smile.
It was those little moments, innocent comments like that, which tested my resolve not to ask Sean again about defining what we were to each other. I still wasn’t necessarily itching for a title, but after our little miscommunication, I was itching to know exactly where we stood.
Our reconnection, after the hospital, had been seamless. Our gears fit together beautifully, and other than the constant presence of one or both of my parents, we were right back where we’d been before, talking and laughing and eating, but unfortunately… no adult activity for another two weeks at least.
And Sean seemed completely unfazed by that. Not even once had he begged, or whined about sex, even though I had, because I loved that part of my connection to him. But, our bond was strong in so many other ways that for the most part we didn’t even miss – wait, that’s a lie. I definitely missed sex, but I just enjoyed him too. Being around him, being in his arms, and he’d never given the slightest indication that he didn’t feel the same.
Sean was… an unexpected little pleasure in my life, and I could only hope I gave the same feeling to him. He wasn’t the only one who wanted him to have my mother’s salmon croquettes for a long ass time.
“Your parents remind me of mine,” Sean said. He was smiling, but it held a little hint of sadness that made my chest ache. “If they were alive, they would be embarrassing me about you the same way yours are embarrassing you about me.”
I smiled. “Lord, have mercy. Another set of Luther and Anita?”
Sean chuckled. “Yep. They would have had a set of friends for life in Tony and Patricia. My mother wasn’t alive to see me date, but my dad… man, he used to clown the shit out of me. First because I couldn’t get a girl, and then about the girls I got. And my ex-wife… he couldn’t stand her. He overcompensated by being over-the-top nice to her, but man… he swore she was gonna break my heart, and damned if he wasn’t right. He did not clown me about that though.”
“How charitable of him to not tease his son about getting divorced,” I said, hoping my sarcasm came across.
He shook his head. “Man, I’m still shocked, to this day, that he let that slide. But he was easy on me. We sat out on the pier, and went through a case of beer. I remember… he was talking about losing my mom. Los
ing the love of his life. And don’t get me wrong, my father dated again after my mom – hell, me and Charlie were almost step-siblings.”
My eyes went wide. “Wait… you mean, your dad, and Melissa Bennet…”
“Off and on for years. But then him and Lorenzo got into a whole big thing, and… yeah, they broke it off. But, he never loved another woman like he loved my mom. Like… that feeling of just being lost in the world, like a piece of you was missing. And I hurt for him.”
“I thought you were drinking away your divorce pain though?”
Sean nodded, and a grin played at the corners of his mouth. “Yeah. Exactly. I was hurting for him because he was talking about a pain I’d never felt. Even being divorced. It was like… yeah, I was hurt about being betrayed, I was pissed, I was sad that my marriage had failed, but… I wasn’t sad about losing her. I still get angry sometimes about it, even though some time has passed. But I never missed her. I never felt like I’d lost a piece of me. And that night, my dad explained to me… son, that’s because that wasn’t the love of your life.”
Wow.
That feeling he described sounded very familiar.
After the breakup with Ray, I’d been lonely, I’d been angry, I’d been hurt, but… damn. I couldn’t truthfully say that I missed him. I mourned the loss of our relationship, sure, but when it came down to it, Ray had slipped seamlessly out of my life. And though Sean definitely played a part in how easy it had been to move past that pain, I don’t know if I ever felt as empty and hollow without Ray as I did during those three days without Sean. That “lost in the world” feeling was really familiar to me. And according to Tony Keahi’s logic…
Wow.
I shook my head, and didn’t let myself wonder if Sean was thinking the same thing.
“You want to come to Vegas with me?” I asked, shifting the topic.
He shrugged. “Sure. What’s in Vegas?”
“Celebrity birthday party. Donnie’s girlfriend. I think it’ll be fun.”
“Sure. We can go.” He ran a hand down the side of my face, then let it trail down to my stomach. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel okay,” I said, nodding. “Still a little tender, but other than that I’m good.”
“Good.” He smiled, but then his expression turned more serious. “I have a question, but I don’t want you to freak out.”
I cut my eyes up to his. “Why would I freak out?”
“Because… it’s a pretty serious question.”
Immediately, I sat up, ignoring the twinge of pain that shot through my pelvis. “What kind of question?”
“You’re freaking out.”
“Because you’re scaring me! Sean, what is this about?”
He dropped his gaze from mine long enough to place his hand over my stomach again. “Kids.”
Oh.
Oh.
Ohhhhhh.
“You’ve been talking to my mother haven’t you?” I asked, shaking my head. “Has she been appealing to you about grandbabies already?”
Sean chuckled a little as he caressed my stomach, and I dropped my head onto his shoulder. “She has. But… it was something that had been on my mind anyway. I mean, I wondered, with you having the surgery, what that might mean for… our future.”
I sucked in a quiet breath. “Our future?”
“Yeah. I mean, we’ve never really discussed whether or not we wanted kids, but once we’re married, it’s something we’ll want to consider… right?”
My heart lodged in my throat, and I wouldn’t have been able to answer if I tried. Once we got married? Not if we got married, but when we were married, as if it were just some obvious thing that would happen. For some reason, instead of being bothered by this assumption, it made me feel… giddy. A quiet sort of excitement, that went all the way down to my toes.
Ray and I had discussed marriage many times. We even talked about getting engaged once we were both here, and established, but it was obvious to me now that that’s all we were doing – having a conversation about it. And maybe I was lying to myself, but when I thought back, it should have been obvious to me then too.
For a long time, I’d been oblivious to Ray’s shortcomings. From the outside looking in, I could clearly see the little signs that my mind processed, but explained away, because I was so wrapped up in the illusion of love that he could do no wrong. It should have been clear to me that engagement talks were a deflection tactic – just something to appease me, and deepen my trust, while he was out doing God knows what.
But even with that in the back of my mind, the fact that Sean was considering our future together in definitive terms, instead of just a possibility? That made my chest swell. I wasn’t naïve enough – anymore – to think that Sean was some perfect guy, with no deficiencies of his own. They may not have been apparent yet – because those realizations came with time – but what was evident was Sean’s reliability, and his heart. And the fact that he didn’t say things he didn’t mean. If he was considering marriage as our future, after he’d already suffered the breakdown and loss of one before, I was willing to believe he was serious about it.
And therefore, serious about me.
“Sean, are you asking me if I want to have your babies?”
He smiled. “I mean, not right now, but… we should probably be on the same page.”
“I agree,” I said, lifting my head from his shoulder to meet his eyes. “But, just being completely honest, I don’t really know if I want kids or not. It’s never been a serious consideration for me, because none of my past relationships made me want to take a step like that. I’m open to it, though. And, to get back to your original concern, having that fibroid removed was beneficial to my future fertility, so….”
“So we have time to figure it out,” he finished for me, rubbing his hand along my back.
I wrinkled my nose. “Well, I’m thirty-four, so not too much time,” I laughed. “But, just know that when the time comes for that kind of decision, I’m ready.”
“Really? You sure you don’t need a little… practice?”
Looking up again, I shook my head. “Nuh-uh. Training facilities are closed for at least two more weeks.”
“For full activities, yes. But,” – Sean dipped his head down, licking me from the crease of my shoulder to behind my ear, then tugged my earlobe between his teeth. – “What if I just want to… run the warm up drills?”
“With my parents downstairs?” I moaned under my breath as he started kissing my neck, then ran his fingers along the crease of my thighs until he reached his hot little destination, pressing his hand against me.
“Guess you better be quiet then.”
“You okay?”
Over the pumping music, I felt the rumbling tenor of a male voice against my ear, and a warm, strong arm around my waist. I knew without turning around that it was Sean. He hadn’t been able to keep his hands off me since we got to Vegas a day ago, and tonight was no exception. The short, sexy, body-hugging black and white dress I’d chosen for the party was doing a great job at exactly what it was designed to do – get and keep his attention. When I’d stepped out of the bathroom in our room, the boar-bristle brush Sean was using to tame his low-cut waves had dropped from his hand, hitting the plush carpet with a muffled thump as he stared at me.
“Goddamn,” he’d mumbled under his breath, and a second later, he was on me, giving me a kiss that had us both considering not even leaving the room.
But that would have been rude.
Because of whatever relationship she had going with Donnie, Pixie had provided us with the gorgeous suite we were staying in at the Drake hotel, plus the limo that would be our transportation to the party. Her actual birthday had been yesterday, and Sean and I met her then. Incredibly sweet spirited girl, who seemed genuinely thrilled about the gift of lingerie – another prototype from Scantilily’s custom line – I’d given her, wrapped in iridescent paper.
So after having met her, and graciou
sly accepting her invitation, accommodations, and transportation, we had to attend the party. So we untangled ourselves from each other, I fixed my lipstick, Sean finished taming his waves, and we got ourselves to the event.
As expected, it was packed with celebrities and their entourage. I wasn’t surprised at all to spot one of my favorite photographers, Rashad Martin, with his “friend” – so they claimed – fashion blogger Bianca Bailey, who’d actually been to Scantilily more than once. Pixie herself wasn’t here yet, and neither was Donnie, so everyone mingled and danced together as we waited.
Pixie’s Vegas birthday party was a mixing pot of people of different ages and interests, but they seemed to be congregating in crowds. The “popped a molly” group had stationed themselves in front of the hall that led to the bathrooms, and by the time I made it through them twice, going in and coming out, I was on the verge of a sweat too.
“Yeah,” I answered Sean, melting against him as he wrapped his arms fully around me. “Just had a hard time making it through to the bathroom. But I’m fine.”
“You sure are.” Sean murmured that in my ear, and I sank into him a little more. “Come dance with me.”
I nodded my agreement, and we headed to the other side of the room, where the DJ was announcing that she was about to play a throwback. I turned to face Sean, wrapping my arms around his neck as we danced to the last chords from the song that was ending.
“You know what this reminds me of?” he asked, dipping his head down to mine.
“The high school dances nobody went to with you, since you were so ugly, and smelled so bad?” I teased, laughing when he crumpled his face as if his feelings were hurt.
After a second, his handsome face turned back into a smile, and he brushed my lips with his. “Almost,” he said. “I was thinking about the first time we danced together, that night at Urban Grind. But apparently, so were you.”
“Mmhmm. The night you kissed me in a way you had no business kissing me.”
He grinned. “You liked it.”
The Way Love Goes (Serendipitous Love Book 4) Page 15
