“Is everything okay?” Phaedra asked, concern rising in her tone.
“We have been summoned,” Mason said with a deep sigh.
Phaedra sat up in confusion. “Summoned?”
He nodded as he threw his legs off the bed. “Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Let’s get dressed,” he said as he tapped her gently against her backside. “We’ve been invited to brunch.”
An hour later, Mason was maneuvering Phaedra’s Toyota Camry uptown into the 14th Ward. With her efforts to pull any information from him fruitless, she was still in the dark about who had called for them or where they were going. When he pulled past the wrought-iron gates of the Broadway Street home, she looked at him, a wave of anxiety filling the pit of her stomach. Her eyes widened.
“Is this your family’s home?” she questioned, eyeing him with reservation.
Mason nodded. “Yes, it is. And my parents are here. It seems that one of my siblings couldn’t keep their mouth shut and they now know about the incident in Phuket.”
Phaedra laughed. “And Mom and Dad are pissed, aren’t they?”
“Very!” Mason said with a deep laugh. He leaned to kiss her lips. “But meeting you is going to make them forget all about it.”
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t place any bets on that if I were you,” she said as they stepped out of the car.
Mason’s mother met them at the door, pulling the entrance open before they stepped onto the porch. Katherine Boudreaux threw her arms around Mason’s
body, hugging him tightly. Tears misted the older
woman’s eyes.
“How dare you frighten me like that, Mason?” his mother said.
Mason hugged her tightly, shaking his head in earnest. “Mom, I am fine. There was nothing for you to be frightened about.”
“That’s not what we heard,” Mason’s father said, stepping out to greet them. “To hear your brothers tell it, things were pretty sketchy ’cross dem waters. Nearly got yourself killed.”
“It was not that serious,” Mason said, trying to alleviate the concern. He kissed his mother’s cheek before extending his hand toward his father.
Mason Boudreaux Jr. shook his son’s hand and then pulled him into a hearty embrace. “It’s good to see you, son.”
“It’s good to see you, Senior.”
Mason’s father tossed a look past his son’s shoulder, spying Phaedra, who was standing nervously on the top step.
“Good morning, pretty lady!” Mason Senior chimed, extending his hand. “Mason Boudreaux Jr., but everyone calls me Senior,” he said as he pumped Phaedra’s arm up and down.
Mason looped his arm around Phaedra’s waist, pulling her to him. “Mom, Senior, this is Phaedra. Phaedra, this is my mother, Katherine, and my father.”
Katherine wrapped Phaedra in a warm hug. “I am thrilled to meet you,” the woman said excitedly. “We’ve heard such nice things about you, dear!”
“Thank you,” Phaedra said, a smile brightening her face. “And it’s so nice to meet you both.”
Still holding on to Phaedra, Katherine gestured for the two of them to follow her into the house. “That was some nasty business in Thailand. I am so glad that you both are back here safe and sound.”
Phaedra smiled as Mason tried to transition the topic. “The house looks great, Mom,” he said, glancing around the large living room. “Are you happy with everything?”
Katherine shrugged. “I’m not unhappy, but with you kids all over the place it still doesn’t feel homey yet.”
“Well, I’m sure once you two settle in, it won’t take long for everyone to find their way back home,” Mason said.
He and Phaedra both sat down against the upholstered settee.
His mother rested on the arm of the chair his father sat down in, wrapping her arms around the man’s shoulders. “Well, Senior wants to go back to Arizona for a few months since all you kids are on that side of the country. And of course once Katrina has that baby, we’ll be in Dallas for a while to help her out.”
“I have to keep that grandson of mine in check. You know how teens can get,” he said, referring to his daughter Katrina’s oldest son. “Have you met Collin yet, Phaedra?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes, sir. He’s a wonderful young man.”
The proud grandfather nodded. “That’s my boy!”
Katherine slid her hands across the tops of her thighs as she stood up. “I need to go get the food ready. I hope you two are hungry,” she said, looking from one to the other.
Mason nodded. “Starving,” he said.
“Mrs. Boudreaux, can I give you a hand?” Phaedra asked, rising to her feet.
Katherine nodded, reaching for Phaedra’s hand. “I’d love some help,” she said as she pulled Phaedra in the direction of the kitchen. “It will give us some time to get to know each other while my boys catch up.”
Intrigued, Phaedra tossed a glance over her shoulder. Mason winked at her as she followed behind the matriarch. His smile was canyon wide. When the two women were out of earshot, his father chastised him.
“I didn’t like hearing from other folks about you getting into trouble, son. Why didn’t you call me?”
Mason apologized. “I didn’t want to worry you and Mom. It really wasn’t that serious.”
Senior raised his eyebrows, his expression voicing his disbelief. Mason smiled, his head nodding ever so slightly.
“I promise, Senior, I won’t let it happen again,” he said.
Satisfied, Senior leaned forward in his seat, his hands clasped together in front of him. “So, tell me about your new friend,” he said, gesturing with his head toward the kitchen.
“She’s incredible,” Mason said, grinning broadly as he gave his father an edited version of his time with Phaedra since the two had met at the Stallion wedding. “She’s the most amazing woman I have ever met,” he concluded.
His father nodded. “She sounds very special. And she’s been through a lot. I know your sisters haven’t stopped talking about her. Kamaya and Katrina have been giving your mother an earful.”
Mason shook his head, only imagining how the women in his family had been gossiping. The two men sat in conversation for some time, catching up with each other, while in the kitchen, Phaedra was becoming acquainted with his mother. The young woman stood at the kitchen counter breaking eggs into a bowl.
“Mason’s been wonderful to me,” Phaedra was saying, sharing the story of how he’d been so supportive since the two had come together.
“My son is a good man,” Katherine said proudly, pulling a pan of biscuits from the oven.
Phaedra smiled, nodding her agreement. By the time she helped carry the meal to the kitchen table, Katherine calling her husband and son to come eat, the two women had become fast friends. Katherine reminded her of her own mother, and Phaedra was grateful for the time with the woman, noting how much she had missed the maternal companionship.
The rest of the morning flew by, laughter ringing soundly through the home as the family enjoyed the midmorning meal. Mason’s parents regaled her with stories of Mason’s childhood, his many antics moving her to shake her head.
“Stop, stop!” Mason cried, holding a hand up. “Don’t tell that story,” he said to his father, shaking his head. “Phaedra may not like me anymore if you keep telling her these stories,” he teased.
Phaedra leaned to kiss his lips. “I’m enjoying this,” she said. “Definitely don’t stop!”
He shook his head, everyone trying to catch their breaths from laughing so hard. Hours later, Phaedra excused herself to go to the restroom.
Katherine crossed over to her son’s side and hugged him warmly.
“She’s perfect for you,” she intoned. “She is absolutely delightful.”
Mason nodded. “I love her, Mom,” he said softly. “I didn’t know it was possible to love any woman the way I love Phaedra.” He met his father’s stare, the man smiling contently.
Katherine hugged him a second time as she whispered into his ear, “She loves you, too, but just take it slow and enjoy your time together. She’s still fragile and you don’t want to scare her.”
Nodding his understanding, Mason grinned, joy shimmering out of his eyes over his parents’ approval of his and Phaedra’s relationship. Moments later Phaedra stood in the doorway, staring at the bond between the parents and their son as they sat laughing easily together. Delighting in the moment, she lifted her requisite camera to her eyes and snapped a photo, capturing the moment for her and Mason’s family album.
Chapter 23
John Stallion had dispatched the limousine that picked the family up at the airport. Phaedra was feeding off their excitement, Mason and his parents bursting with elation as they headed in the direction of Dallas’s new Parkland Hospital.
Matthew had called hours earlier to say that Katrina was on her way to have the baby, and with a private plane at their disposal it had taken them less than two hours to get from New Orleans to Dallas, their arrival beating the new baby’s.
Mason laughed warmly. “Your brother is so excited. He sounds like he’s about to bust,” he said as he disconnected his cell phone. “She’s still in labor. No baby yet!”
Katherine laughed. “I told Katrina that baby was going to take his dear sweet time coming here. Collin was a slow baby, remember? Katrina was in labor almost eighteen hours with him.”
Mason shook his head. “If I knew it was going to take that long, we could have taken our time getting here,” he said.
His father nodded in agreement.
Phaedra chuckled. “Do you think it’s a boy, Mrs. Boudreaux?”
“I’m sure it’s a boy. Katrina was carrying this baby low, just like Collin.”
Her husband shook his head. “What you gon’ do if that baby is a girl?” he asked teasingly.
Katherine tossed him a look that spoke volumes, and both the Boudreaux men burst out laughing.
At the hospital, the families were gathered in the waiting room outside the maternity ward. Their laughter could be heard down the long length of corridor. It was a Stallion-Boudreaux reunion, the likes of which Phaedra had never seen before. She smiled brightly as they rushed into the room to join in the wait.
Her brothers each greeted her warmly, hugging and kissing her easily as they exchanged dap with Mason. The Stallion women were just as welcoming, pulling her into their conversations with ease.
“Where we at?” Senior asked, his arm draped over young Collin’s shoulder.
“It’s close,” John said as Marah stepped into his arms, hugging him around the waist.
“This is so exciting!” Kamaya said as she pulled Phaedra into the empty seat beside her and her sister Tarah, introducing them to each other and Phaedra to the other members of the Boudreaux family.
The noise was abundant and every so often, Katherine and Juanita would shush them to a low murmur. At every opportunity Phaedra snapped pictures with her camera, wanting to capture as many of the memories as she could. Time passed swiftly and before the sun began to set outside, Matthew entered the room, still dressed in the required scrubs expectant fathers donned in the delivery room. Tears misted his dark eyes, his hands wringing excitedly.
“It’s a boy,” he shouted. “Nine pounds two ounces!”
“It’s a big boy!” Katherine said with excitement as she and Juanita both rushed to give him a hug.
“How’s Katrina?” Katherine asked, her husband moving to wrap his arms around her waist.
“She’s doing great. Tired but she’s just fine.”
“So, do we get to see it?” Collin asked anxiously.
Matthew laughed. “Your little brother is not an it. And yes, you can see him.” He smiled, gesturing with his hand for them to follow him to the maternity ward’s viewing window. When the family was assembled in front of the glass enclosure, he gestured at the pediatric nurse, who smiled warmly. The woman pushed a white baby basket to the front and center of the nursery. She mouthed congratulations at the family as they all pushed forward to get a glimpse of the new baby.
“We’ve named him Matthew Jacoby Stallion Jr.,” the new father said proudly. “We’re going to call him Jack.”
John reached his arms out to hug his brother. “Nice job,” he whispered into the man’s ear. “Nice job!”
As the family stood admiring the new bundle of joy, the beautiful baby resting with a thumb pulled into his mouth, his eyes squinted as he struggled to focus, Phaedra tugged on Mason’s arm, gesturing for him to follow her into the hallway.
As the two stepped outside, she tossed a quick glance back over her shoulder, smiling brightly at the love and joy that blessed the space.
“What’s wrong?” Mason asked, concern falling over his expression.
She shook her head. “Nothing,” she said as she reached to wrap her arms around him. “Everything’s perfect.”
She kissed him keenly, her mouth skating with pleasure over his. “I just wanted to tell you something,” she said, the excitement ringing in her tone.
Mason eyed her curiously. “What, baby?”
“I want that,” she said, gesturing back to where the family was gathered.
Mason smiled, joy shimmering in his stare as she continued.
“I want family, and you. I want us to have babies together. Lots of babies. I want this life with sisters and brothers and us being a family. I want us to be like your mom and dad, and my brothers and their wives.
“I love you, Mason, and I want to be your wife more than anything else!” she said as she kissed him again.
Holding Phaedra tightly, Mason closed his eyes, pressing a damp kiss against her forehead. He held her as they reveled in the beauty of their love for each other and the love their families had for them both.
Across the room John stood watching them, sensing his sister’s happiness, a bright smile blessing his face. Mark met his gaze and nodded his approval as Matthew gave them two thumbs-up. As Phaedra’s brothers turned their attention back to the family’s celebration, they knew that they would be Stallions forever, forever a family bonded by much more than blood.
* * * * *
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ISBN: 9781459235045
Copyright © 2012 by Deborah Fletcher Mello
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Forever a Stallion Page 17
