Nina followed Bennie into the nursery to get Kate and Bella, marveling at the obvious depths of her emotions regarding her children. For the first time in a long time she tried to understand why she couldn’t have those same feelings like a normal woman. And she wondered what John would think of her if he ever found out.
In spite of her initial misgivings about Benita, Nina had an enjoyable afternoon with her. She helped her get the little girls into their clothes and was impressed by how many words they knew. They were almost two and very chatty . The four of them went out for the afternoon and did a little window shopping, had a little lunch and a lot of conversation as they tooled around Atlanta. Finally Bennie turned to Nina with a conspiratorial look and asked a most unexpected question. “So, Miss Nina, how long have you been in love with my brother John?”
Nina was so shocked her face didn’t even get hot. She looked at Bennie who was deftly steering her Volvo station wagon through the mean traffic and seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to pounce on her. “Am I that obvious?” she asked grumpily.
“Oh, shoot yeah, girl. And if it’s any consolation, John is worse than you are, so don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. So tell me, when did it happen?” Bennie was as eager as a teenager dishing on a cute boy with her best friend. Nina couldn’t believe she was doing it, but the words just fame pouring out.
“Well, if you must know, I fell in love with him the first time I laid eyes on him. My publisher was hot to get this book from this uber-shrink and I was handpicked to do the ghostwriting. I had to schlep down to L.A., a town I despise, to meet this nerd and I was not a happy gal. I go to his office, his assistant sends me in and there stands this…this…bronzed god, that’s the only way I can describe him. He was so fine he didn’t even look real; he looked like a photograph of a man, if that makes any sense. Then he said my name and shook my hand and I swear I didn’t hear another word he said. I got hot, I got cold, I was sweaty, my mouth was dry, I was a mess, you hear me? To this day I have no idea how I got the assignment because I can’t remember saying or thinking one single coherent thing that day.”
Bennie burst into laughter and patted Nina’s hand. “I can relate, that’s just about how I reacted to Clay. So what happened then?”
“Well, I was commuting at first, we’d meet about once a week to go over things and set up a writing schedule. Then I agreed to stay in L.A. for a week because his assistant had to go out on maternity leave. That’s when I overheard the conversation about him being sick and that’s when I really knew I was in love with him because I almost died when I heard the words describing his illness. I knew if he died, part of me would die, too. There was no way I was going to let him out of my sight until he was well, because I just couldn’t stand the thought of him not being alive. I know that sounds crazy and melodramatic, but it’s true,” Nina said quietly.
Bennie touched Nina’s hand again. “It doesn’t sound crazy to me, Nina. I married my college sweetheart and he died from Hodgkin’s disease. I thought I wasn’t going to survive. I wanted to die with him, it hurt so badly. So believe me, it doesn’t sound crazy. It sounds like love to me.”’
This time Nina did flush with emotion, a lovely warm feeling that suffused her whole body. “It is love,” she affirmed. “It really is.”
***
Paris’s interview with the Cochran family turned out brilliantly. It was taped two days before Thanksgiving and aired the day before. It was all she hoped it would be, with heartfelt talk interspersed with the taped scenes of typical family life and photographs of the Cochrans and of John’s family. As a special surprise, she’d arranged for Big Benny’s relatives from Idlewild to be flown in and there wasn’t a dry eye in the studio audience when his Great-Aunt Emmaline and his aunts Dahlia, Daphne and Reba walked onto the set. With careful questions from Paris, the story of Benny’s long estrangement from his family and the loss of his first love, Cassandra, was told. Even when it was revealed that Cassandra was John’s mother and it was obvious that the liaison took place while Benny was married to Lillian Cochran, it didn’t seem sordid; it was told tenderly but frankly.
Paris looked at John and asked him point blank how he felt about being found by his biological father. John didn’t hesitate. He smiled as he looked at his father and said, “Blessed. I feel honored to be accepted as a member of this family and blessed to have a brother who gave me back my life.” This was directed to Adam, whose eyes looked suspiciously moist when he heard John’s words.
After conversation with Bennie and Clay, Adam, Alicia, and the other Cochrans who were present, Paris couldn’t resist a final question. “So John, do you think you’ll be following the pattern of your family and getting married? Is romance on the horizon for you?” she asked with disarming frankness.
“Yes, I plan on getting married and very soon. I was lucky enough to meet the love of my life and I can’t wait until she’s my wife,” John answered firmly. While he was speaking his eyes were on Nina, whom he could see as she stood offstage. Paris’s eyes lit up and there was a collective “ooh” from the women in the audience. “I don’t suppose she’s here,” she said archly. “Is there a possibility we could persuade her to come onstage?”
“Absolutely not,” John replied. “She’s a very private person and I’m sure I’m already in trouble, so let’s leave it at that.”
Nina was beyond blushing at that point; she was simply rendered motionless from sheer shock. She couldn’t have moved a muscle if she was offered a large sum of money to do so. Surely John wasn’t talking about marriage on national television without discussing it with her first. She put her hand on her chest to help still the rapid pounding of her heart but it didn’t help. She was so caught up in the moment she didn’t notice the speculative looks she was getting from the backstage crew, which was just as well. Should she be angry, elated, scared, what? Suddenly John was standing over her and she had no more time to ponder the proper reaction because he put both hands around her waist and bent down to kiss her.
“Go ahead, let me have it,” he whispered. “On a scale of one to ten with ten being consumed with rage, how mad are you?” His handsome face looked so concerned and so full of caring, Nina felt herself fall in love all over again.
“As long as I’m the woman you were talking about, you get to live,” she smiled. She moved closer to his warmth and returned his embrace with one of her own.
“Well, Curly, are you ready to go home?” John was toying with a strand of her hair while he spoke.
Thanks to Bennie, Nina had an adorable new hairstyle, one that she could shampoo every day and still maintain. After their outing Bennie had invited Nina into a room she’d set up as a salon. “When Renee and I decided to go into the spa business, we went to cosmetology school, which is how we met our friend Ceylon. She was our instructor, but that’s another story altogether. I only do my husband and the boys regularly, but Ceylon and I often do each other’s hair,” she explained.
She’d stopped talking and looked at Nina closely. “You know, this would be fabulous look for you,” she told her as she showed her a hairstyle in one of her trade magazines. “All you need to do is shampoo it, put some non-alcohol styling gel on it and scrunch it so the natural curls come through. And you can still style it in lots of ways. Wanna try it?”
Nina looked at the magazine picture and back at Bennie. “Are we talking about my hair here? I don’t think that would work on my stuff.”
Bennie wasn’t listening to her; she was feeling Nina’s hair and trying to figure out how much hair to trim. “Nina, this will be perfect for you. Since you run so often you can shampoo your hair every time you run and you don’t have to put heat on it. And people don’t seem to realize that a relaxer just takes out some of the natural curl of the hair, it doesn’t make it permanently straight. You’re going to be amazed at what your hair will do, trust me.”
Nina got caught up in Bennie’s enthusiasm and let her have her way. In a few hours she was thril
led with the end result. Bennie had meticulously shaped Nina’s shoulder-length hair into a bob that stopped between her chin and her shoulders. The cut added volume and depth and Nina was shocked to see that Bennie was right; with an application of a little silicone based frizz-free serum and a styling gel, she could scrunch her hair and let it air dry and the result was a mass of tight ringlets that looked so adorable John about lost his mind when he saw her. He was entranced with her hair now; he was always stroking it, playing in it, wrapping a curl around his finger or just inhaling the scent of it.
Now she smiled up at him and brushed a flirtatious lock off her forehead before answering. “Yes, Papi, I’m ready to go. I think I’d like to be alone with you for a while,” she whispered.
John growled something savage in her ear because she knew good and well they weren’t going straight to Bennie’s. They were all expected at Clay’s mother’s house. Heedless of the people milling around them, he tightened his arm around her waist and kissed her hard, resulting in a cascade of wanton-sounding giggles from her. They finally let the backstage area to rejoin the family, holding hands and looking crazy in love with each other.
Meanwhile, Paris, who was observing them from her vantage point some feet away, sighed with happiness. Poking Aidan in the arm she said, “See? I knew they were perfect for each other. I knew it. I’m never wrong about these things, I know a perfect couple when I see it.”
Aidan gave an exaggerated ‘ouch’ and rubbed his arm dramatically where Paris had poked him. “Big whoop. So two people who have the hots for each other end up falling in love. That’s a stretch,” he said in a heavily ironic tone. His eyes widened for a second and he added, “I still say you need to concentrate on your own love life. What’s the forecast for you and that big ol’ detective? Just when is something scandalous and juicy going to happen with you two?” he asked with a mischievously raised eyebrow.
Before Paris could answer a deep voice sounded behind her. “That’s a good question, I’ve been wondering about that myself.”
Paris whirled around and looked into Titus’s mesmerizing eyes. Before she could say anything he spoke again. “I’d really like to hear your prediction for us,” he said, with his devastating smile in full effect.
Aidan excused himself at once, saying, “You can thank me later,” in a stage whisper. He took one glance over his shoulder and he departed, gratified to see the couple moving into each other’s arms for what promised to be a passionate kiss.
“My work here is done,” Aidan said smugly.
Chapter 15
John couldn’t resist teasing Nina after they returned from Atlanta. She’d had so many reservations about going and so much fun while she was there he had to poke a little gentle fun at her. “When are you going to realize that I know what’s good for my baby? I know what you like and I know how to make you happy, so you need to just put yourself in my hands, Nina. Let Papi run the show,” he said, preening like a macho peacock.
Nina put her hands on her hips and dropped one shoulder in the universally recognized “Negro-you-must-be-joking” stance. “Do you realize how that sounds? Either you’re completely deluded or we need to lower your dosage. You must be out of your mind if you think I’m going to sit around and let you make my decisions for me, are you kidding?”
They were in Nina’s bedroom; John sprawled across the bed and Nina standing in front of the closet putting away her clothes. John turned on his side and gave Nina his most winning smile. “Of course I’m kidding. I’m not about to try to run your life; I was just giving you a hard time. But I’m very happy you had such a good time with Benita and the family. She’s something else, isn’t she?”
After spending a few days with her, Nina could agree that his sister was a special person. Bennie was the least pretentious, most laid-back person Nina had met in a long time and she’d made Nina feel like a friend, not just someone who was along for the ride. And her children were adorable, even the irrepressible twins. The babies, Kate and Bella, were sweet and loveable, but Trey was in a class by himself. She said as much to John. “Have you ever seen a child as much like his father as Trey? He’s the coolest child I’ve ever met,” she said fondly.
John agreed. “That party was hilarious. I haven’t laughed that much in years. And it was all Trey’s idea, which was pretty amazing. I think he had the makings of a great producer in him.”
The party to which John referred took place the day after Thanksgiving. It was to celebrate all the November birthdays, which belonged to Clay, Trey, who was born the same day as his father, and John and Adam, who were born five days apart. Trey decided it should be what he called a singing party. The family was still seated about the enormous dining room table digesting Thanksgiving dinner when Trey made his announcement. “Everyone has to sing in order to eat. If they don’t sing, they have to pay and we’ll give the money to church,” Trey had declared. When his parents asked why a singing party, Trey had a simple answer. “Because people like to sing. Singing makes them feel good. It makes them happy. And we’re all happy because we have Uncle John and Aunt Nina in our family so we should have a big singing party and have fun.”
The party at Bump and Lilian’s house the next night was fun for everyone. True to his word, Trey manned the door and whoever was foolish enough to refuse to sing had to fork over the money if he or she wanted to eat. Paris didn’t even debate the issue; she just thrust a big wad of bills at Trey. John also emptied his wallet and offered Trey a blank check besides. Most of the family participated eagerly, like his cousins Amariee, Jill and Jasmine, who sang a Destiny’s Child number. Trey was unsuccessful in getting his dad to perform, which garnered him a huge donation. He had mercy on his elders, though, and said his Grandpa Benny didn’t have to perform. “You don’t have to make a donation either, Grandpa, you can just take it easy,” Trey said kindly.
Big Benny snorted and strode to the microphone. He nodded to Bump, who was accompanying everyone. It was hard to say who was the most stunned when Benny began singing the Quincy Jones classic “Everything Must Change.” His rich baritone caressed each note, turning the song into a work of art. His voice lingered in the air like the heady fragrance of a thousand red roses and left everyone breathless, except Benita who’d grown up with her father singing her to sleep, and his wife Martha, because Big Benny sang to her all the time. She whispered to Lillian that he’d seduced her with his voice. “I kept telling him no until he started singing one night and it’s been yes, yes, yes ever since.”
Nina and John laughed together as they recalled the evening full of surprises, laughter and love. “I’d forgotten how nice it was to be with a family.” Nina said quietly. She was sitting on the side of the bed with a faraway look in her eye and John simply pulled her into the shelter of his arms and held her. “You’re never going to have to wonder again, Nina.” He kissed her lips softly and smiled. “I don’t think the twins will let you get away from them. They’re in love with you now.”
She leaned into his comforting warmth and laughed. It was true; she’d won their hearts forever. Nina had gone to the kitchen to get a glass of water and found little Marty and Mal looking glum. When she asked them what was wrong they said they wanted to sing but they didn’t know any songs except Jingle Bells. Nina asked them if they wanted to sing with her and in about fifteen minutes they made their debut singing Pip-style backup to Nina’s “Midnight Train to Georgia.” They had mastered a couple of simple dance steps and the “toot-toot” part perfectly and had an absolute ball performing.
“They said I was their best friend and they loved me,” Nina laughed again at the memory.
John wrapped a curl around his finger and kissed the end of Nina’s cute nose. “Just don’t forget who loves you the most. You’re mine and I mean to keep you,” he vowed. Instead of the smile he expected, Nina’s response was a lowered head and trickle of tears down a face stricken with sadness.
“Nina, don’t do that, baby, you’re killing me. Ta
lk to me. What is it that’s troubling you?”
Nina could only shake her head and try to stop the tears from coming. She dashed the moisture away with the heel of her hand and muttered something about P.M.S. “It’s just my hormones. I get like this once a month or haven’t you noticed,” she said grumpily.
“Actually, no. I thought it was just your usual grouchy mood, not the traditional monthly one” John teased her. He groaned as Nina poked him in the chest and demanded an apology. He was happy to give it, as long as the tears stopped and she was back to her normal self. He held her closely and rubbed his face against her tight, springy curls, but he knew this wasn’t the end of it. Nina was still hiding something from him and until he found out what it was their future happiness was in jeopardy.
John watched Nina sleep for a few minutes as he pondered some other events of the weekend in Atlanta. One evening while Nina and Bennie were having girl time with Alicia, John was in the kitchen with Adam and Clay. Each one of them had a twin clad only in his underwear standing in front of him. They were parting the children’s hair and staring at their scalps. The men were so engrossed in their work John hated to interrupt them, but his curiosity got the better of him.
“Um, I hate to be nosy, but what are you doing?” John asked with unconcealed curiosity.
Clay looked up with a grin. “Checking them for ticks.”
John looked skeptical, but Clay assured him he was serious. “They play outside almost all the time and there’s no telling what kind of vermin they could get into. So this is a daily routine. Bennie is adamant about it, she’s read too much about deer ticks and Lyme disease and whatnot.”
A Fool for You (The Cochran/Deveraux Series Book 7) Page 15
