A Fool for You (The Cochran/Deveraux Series Book 7)

by Melanie Schuster

  Nina was still trembling when she turned to go into John’s embrace. “John, that was…different” she said shyly, when she regained her ability to speak.

  He kissed her face, gently and tenderly, while waiting for his heart rate to slow down enough to allow proper speech. “I hope you liked it, querida. You bring out so much passion in me, Nina. I’ve never made love to anyone as exciting as you.”

  “You’re just saying that because you love me,” she said in a playful voice

  “Yes, Nina I do. Totally and completely,” he declared solemnly. The look in his eyes was Nina’s undoing. Her eyes filled with tears that threatened to overflow. With trembling fingers she touched his face, the handsome face that meant more to her than anything in the world.

  “That’s nice. Because I seem to be in love with you, too.” she said solemnly. “More than I can tell you, more than I can show you, more than I ever knew was possible. I think you may be stuck with me.”

  “This is good news, Miss Parker, so why don’t you look happy?” John teased her as he kissed her neck.

  Nina tried to smile, but her mind was racing too fast. If you only knew, she thought sadly, if you only knew.

  ***

  After their second shower, John and Nina were once again in bed, but this time she was cradled on his shoulder, trying to find a way to tell him what was troubling her. He’d presented her with the perfect opportunity when he started talking about the big interview. “They’re sending the corporate jet, which will be nice. Adam and Alicia are coming, as well as Donnie and Angel and the baby, Dad and Martha and you and me. That’s a huge crowd of people to be entertaining for the Thanksgiving holiday, but Benita says she can’t wait to have us all there.”

  “Well, she’ll have one less person to pick up after because I’m not going," muttered Nina.

  John reacted immediately, sitting up so fast Nina almost fell out of bed. “What do you mean, you’re not coming? What’s this all about, Nina?”

  “John, there’s no reason for me to be there,” she said lamely, startled by the intense look he was giving her. “I’ll just be in the way,” she added feebly.

  “Nina, don’t be ridiculous. In the first place, you’re not going as an appendage, or part of my luggage, you’re my woman, the person who means more to me than anything or anyone in the world. Why wouldn’t you come with me to spend the holiday with my family? And what in the world makes you think I can get through this without you? One of the reasons I’ve been so calm is that you’re always with me, chilling me out, keeping me sane and grounded, and now you just want to bail on me. There’s something else going on here, Nina, what is it?”

  “Wow. You do have a temper, don’t you?” Nina was impressed. John could be so levelheaded and understanding it could make a person nuts but this side of him was unexpectedly interesting.

  John looked apologetic. “I didn’t mean to yell, but you kind of ambushed me with this. Talk to me, Nina, what’s the real reason you don’t want to go?”

  Because I’m scared half to death of Saint Benita of Atlanta, she thought miserably. That sister of yours is more intimidating than all the Cochran women put together and I can barely hold my own with them. And I’m supposed to spend a whole four days with the queen of perfection. Ha, no way buddy.

  John looked so concerned and so upset Nina had no choice but to try to explain, but in a way that wouldn’t make her seem like a simp. “Well, John, for one thing there’s the question of our accommodations. I don’t want to advertise our sex life in front of the whole world; I’m just not modern enough for that. Are we supposed to sleep together or apart or what? How is all that going to work? And I don’t know these people from the man in the moon, what am I supposed to talk about while I’m there? I don’t want to feel like an outsider and I don’t want to look like the town tart because I happen to have a healthy sex life with the man I love. I just think it’ll be easier if I don’t go, that’s all.” Nina took a deep breath after her long speech. It wasn’t total honesty but it was close enough. To her surprise, John looked relieved instead of upset.

  He leaned forward and arranged the pillows at his back so he could lean back on them. Holding out his arm to Nina, he patted his chest to encourage her to rest against him. When she was safe in his embrace, he kissed her gently and told her to put all her fears out of her mind. “First of all, chica, Benita and Clay have a big guest house which has four suites, each one has a couple of bedrooms. We’ll probably be staying out there so it’s not like we’ll be flaunting ourselves under her roof with the children around. But if you want, we can stay in a hotel, I couldn’t possibly care less although I have to admit I don’t like the idea of not sharing a bed with you for even one night. I can’t sleep without you next to me. You’ve gotten me really spoiled, you know that?” He kissed her again before continuing.

  “You are a permanent part of my life, Nina. Benita and her family, well, they’re my family, too. I hope you realize they like you just for you, not because you’re my woman. All my brothers and their wives have each told me at some point that I’m lucky to have you; they think you’re wonderful. My dad thinks you’re perfect for me, even though you’re not too crazy about him.”

  Nina had the grace to blush. “He doesn’t know that, does he? I don’t want to hurt his feelings or anything” she mumbled.

  “Dad has skin like rhino hide. I don’t know if he realizes you’re not in his fan club, but I doubt it bothers him. He lives in his own little kingdom as you well know, nothing much penetrates the wall surrounding the throne,” John said with dry humor. “But that’s not the point. The point is these are my people, my family. They like you, Nina and if you give yourself a chance, I think you’ll like them, too. Please don’t make us spend our first Thanksgiving apart. Please come with me so we can make some more memories,” he said softly, kissing her again and again.

  “You don’t play fair. Of course I’ll come,” she sighed before abandoning herself to his love.

  ***

  The trip to Atlanta was much less taxing than Nina anticipated. The Cochran jet was luxurious and comfortable and big enough for her to hide from people like Big Benny Cochran, but she wasn’t that big a coward. She found herself seated next to John and across from Benny and Martha, whose seats faced theirs. Big Benny just turned on the charm and the four of them enjoyed easy conversation during the flight. The conversation was made even more pleasant by the addition of Lily Rose who took turns sitting with everyone; she plainly adored her grandfather and spent quite a bit of time playing happily in his lap. She was about to celebrate her first birthday and had acquired many new words and wasn’t at all shy about using them. She demonstrated this when she took a turn sitting in John’s lap. Leaning towards Nina she pointed a finger at her and said, “Sing! Sing, Neenee!”

  Nina felt her face grow hot, but she obliged the baby with a song. She held out her hands and Lily Rose went to her at once, settling down when Nina sang “Skylark” to her.

  Martha was particularly entranced by the sound of Nina’s voice. “You know, you remind me of a singer I used to love, now what was her name?” She tapped her finger against her lower lip and tried in vain to recall the name of the singer. Benny also commented on the purity of Nina’s tones.

  “You’ve been holding out on us, Miss Nina. What other talents are you hiding, I wonder?” His eyes were twinkling but there was a piercing assessment of Nina in the look as well.

  Even John was captivated by her voice. “You know, I’ve only heard you sing one other time and that was when Adam and Alicia eloped.”

  Nina blushed again. She’d completely forgotten that she’d sung “The Lord’s Prayer” a capella at the impromptu ceremony. John looked at her intently, seemingly oblivious to her discomfort. “You really do hide your light under a bushel, Nina,” he said in a low voice for her ears alone.

  Nina breathed a silent sigh of relief when the attendant came around to tell them to fasten their seat belts, as
they would soon be landing. Donnie collected Lily Rose for the landing and n more was said regarding Nina’s voice. I have got to stop doing that, she fretted. I need to be more careful, especially around these people.

  Chapter 14

  John was right about their accommodations. There was a certain degree of privacy afforded to them in Bennie and Clay’s guesthouse. The main house was the one where Clay had been living when he met Bennie and they just couldn’t bear to leave the house. Over the years they'd made additions to it as their family expanded, but they conceded they’d probably be living there forever.

  “We tried getting a new place a few years ago but it was disastrous. We just couldn’t get a real estate agent who understood the dynamics of our family,” Bennie said ruefully. “There was one mansion with enough bedrooms and it was certainly large enough, but there was a catwalk upstairs connecting the master suite with the other bedrooms,” she said, making a face. “Clay took one look at it and started laughing hysterically. “Honey, what our boys would have done with a catwalk in the house…” Bennie’s voice trailed away and she shuddered.

  “Anyway, when the people next door moved and put their home on the market we bought it and converted it into a guesthouse with Adam and Alicia’s help. It just seemed like the simplest thing to do because I just can’t see us leaving this place. Too many memories,” she smiled.

  The two women were in the big sunny kitchen of the main house, sharing a pot of tea. John, Adam and Clay were off golfing with Clay’s brothers, and Alicia was with Vera Deveraux, who wanted to feature Alicia on her television show, Personal Space. Donnie and Angelique were staying with her mother and stepfather, which left Nina alone with Benita. She could have hidden out in the guesthouse until John returned, but her fear of Benita was outweighed by her curiosity. Nina wanted to know what the big secret of Benita’s mystique was and the only way to do that was to check her out closely.

  Benita Cochran Deveraux was gorgeous, that much was obvious. She was quite tall, six-feet-one in her bare feet. She had beautiful caramel skin and thick black hair with the beginnings of a burst of silver in the front. Her figure was firm and voluptuous, even after five children, and there wasn’t a single line in her face. Nina had to admit that she didn’t seem to have one physical flaw. And she was friendly and down-to-earth, too. Nothing seemed to bother her, not even when her rambunctious boys ran in and out of the room to distract her attention. While they were drinking tea, Bennie was also going over a list with her houseman, a tall, very good-looking middle-aged man named Braxton. Braxton seemed the perfect addition to this huge household. He was good-humored, unflappable and possessed boundless energy.

  “So there’s going to be about twenty adults and fifteen children, right? Okay, I’m thinking four turkeys, two hams, and all the trimmings. What do you think about oysters in the dressing? And maybe a standing rib roast?”

  “I don’t know, Braxton. Clay will eat anything, and so will Trey, but Marcus won’t touch them and neither will Marty and Malcolm. Let’s just have one pan with oysters,” she mused, checking more things off another list. “Yes on the rib roast, Martin loves it. Although Daddy does, too, so you’re in charge of making sure he doesn’t get too much. Gotta watch is cholesterol,” she sighed.

  Just then, a frantic Labrador covered with lather raced through the kitchen and was tackled by Bennie as he was headed into the dining room. She grabbed his collar after being covered with suds and really funky smelling water and led the panting dog to the patio. Without so much as a glance at her ruined clothing, she let out a yell for her twins, Martin and Malcolm, who were standing like statues in the kitchen doorway trying to look angelic. Bennie made a vain swipe at the suds clinging to her top and fixed the boys with a steely eye.

  “Why did you decide to give Patrick a bath? Didn’t I tell you he was going to the groomer this afternoon?”

  Both boys nodded rapidly. “Patrick don’t like to go there, Mommy,” little Marty said earnestly.

  Malcolm agreed, and said, “He cries when he has to go there. So we washed him.”

  “We washed him good, too,” Marty added with a cherubic smile.

  Bennie pursed her lips and tried not to smile, which was hard because the boys looked so cute, even though they were wet from head to toe and covered with lather and dog hair. “Where did you attempt to give him this bath?”

  “In your bathroom,” they replied in unison.

  Bennie slapped her forehead and pulled her hand straight down her face, mumbling as she did so. “Okay, this is what’s going to happen. You two are going to clean up every bit of water from bathroom all the way down the stairs and through the kitchen. Braxton, don’t help them unless, well, you know, things get ugly. Then you two are coming upstairs to clean my bathroom and you’re going to take a bath. If it wasn’t so cool out I’d put you in the yard and hose you down,” she said sternly.

  Her words were lost, as they had already dashed off to get cleaning rags and paper towels from the long-suffering Braxton. Bennie sighed deeply and looked at Nina, who’d been observing all of this activity with a bemused look. “I wish I could tell you this is a rare occurrence, but this is pretty typical around here. Come on upstairs with me while I change and we’ll run away from them,” she said with a smile.

  Nina followed Bennie as she went up the back stairs to the second floor of the huge house. She had to admire Bennie and Clay’s home. It was clearly a place where love ruled. It was beautifully decorated, but it was also warm and homey and surprisingly unpretentious for a couple with as much money as Bennie and Clay had. They stopped on the second floor to check on Kate and Bella, the twin girls, who were still taking a nap. Watching Bennie with her children gave Nina an odd feeling; she couldn’t put a name to it.

  Finally they arrived at the master suite on the third floor of the house. Clearly it was meant to be a haven for the couple to relax and escape from the rest of the world, and just as clearly, their children had usurped it. were here and there in the sitting room; the bathroom with its freestanding circular Jacuzzi was also home to an assortment of rubber ducks, scuba gear and children’s bubble bath. And of course, the remains of Patrick’s bath were evident in the water splashed all over the floor and the fragrant suds everywhere. “At least they have good taste,” Benny said with a wry twist to her mouth. “They used my very last bottle of Mariella Burani bath gel to bathe the dog, bless their disobedient little hearts.” Still shaking her head she turned to Nina. “Have a seat and I’ll get out of these lovely things and we can it the road.”

  Nina gingerly took a seat in the pale green and ivory sitting room and looked around, admiring the furnishings and to a degree, Bennie. She was a lot more laid back than most mothers would be; the antics of those boys would have driven a lot of women, especially rich women, into a screaming fit. As if she could read her mind, Bennie wandered into the sitting room in fresh clothing, just a simple pair of slacks and a lightweight cashmere pullover. She was putting on a bracelet and talking at the same time.

  “I’m much too lenient with the boys, I know I am,” she said with a sigh. “Clay has to be the disciplinarian or they’d be robbing piggy banks and knocking over toy stores. They have a fatal combination of dynamic energy, high IQs and utter fearlessness,” she laughed. She sat down on a loveseat and smiled at Nina. “I wanted to be a mother more than anything, especially after I met Clay. It was love at first sight for me. I walked around the corner at our headquarters in Detroit and there stood the handsomest man I’d ever seen in my life. When he said hello, it was all over but the shoutin’. I was like ‘stick a fork in me, I’m done’. I had to chase him down like a bounty hunter but he finally admitted he loved me and we got married which was the happiest day of my life.”

  The memories made Bennie glow as she related the tale to Nina. “The next happiest day of my life was when I found out I was carrying Clay’s baby. Nina, I still get goose bumps when I think about it. Clay was so happy he cried when I told him.
So when I lost the baby, it almost killed us both. I came very close to losing my mind, you know. If it hadn’t been for John, I’d probably still be in the mental hospital,” Bennie said quietly.

  Nina couldn’t think of anything to say in response to that. She knew what Benita was talking about. Years before, when Benita and Clay Deveraux were first married, Benita had been in California on a business trip and had been involved in a car accident that tragically caused her to lose the baby she was carrying. She’d been consumed with guilt over the miscarriage, swearing that it was her fault. Her guilt and her grief caused her to sink into a depression so profound the only person who could get through to her was John, who’d been called in as her therapist. Nina pulled herself out of her thoughts and listened to Bennie who was still talking about her gratitude to John.

  “John saved my sanity, my life and my marriage and I loved him like a brother even before I knew we were related. So that’s why it’s so hard for me to sweat the small stuff. I feel so privileged to have my babies, when they cut up it just doesn’t bother me that much,” Bennie admitted with a sheepish look.

  “And as quiet as it’s kept, I think I want another one. I know it seems crazy with five children, but I love being pregnant so much! It’s an amazing feeling,” she sighed. “Believe it or not, I feel sexier and more desirable when I’m carrying Clay’s babies than at any other time. I’d love to have just one more, but I don’t dare bring it up, Clay would think I’ve lost my mind for sure.” She sighed again. Bennie glanced at her watch and said it was time to get the ladies up from their nap. “Then we can boogie on out of here for a minute, if you’d like.”