When Morning Comes: A Family Affair Novel

by Francis Ray

  He glanced down at her. “Because you make me look forward to every day. Before you, it never really mattered that much.”

  Tears sparkled in her eyes.

  “No.” He kissed each eye. “I never thought about harming myself. It’s just that growing up, the next day always meant verbal abuse or a belt if he felt like it. It got to the point I dreaded the next day, dreaded tomorrows. I grew up with the attitude that if tomorrow never came, it didn’t matter.”

  “I intend to make sure you keep on looking forward to each morning.” She kissed him and rolled out of bed. “You stay here. I’m going to take a quick shower and make you breakfast in bed.”

  Cade caught her several steps away, picking her up. He enjoyed holding her, hearing her happy laughter, the softness of her slim body against his. “How about we shower together and I fix you breakfast?”

  She gave him a quick kiss as he set her on her feet in front of the glass enclosure. “Breakfast I can cook.”

  Opening the shower door, Cade stepped inside, bringing her with him. He turned on the water, adjusting the temperature. “Never doubted it. I’d rather be with you.”

  “Cade.” His name trembled across her lips.

  “And I get to do this.” He pulled her into his arms, his mouth finding hers.

  * * *

  Kara was ready when Tristan pulled up in front of her house at noon. After he came in to speak briefly with her mother, they were on their way. Kara glanced down the street toward Sabrina’s house. Dr. Mathis’s car wasn’t there. He hadn’t made it back, but Sabrina had said he would. She and Kara had talked that morning before and after church.

  Sabrina was happy and on top of the world. Yet, while Sabrina freely admitted she was in love, Kara wasn’t ready. She felt deeply for Tristan, trusted him with her paintings, but not her heart.

  “You all right?” he asked, pulling out of the driveway.

  She glanced around at him, felt the tug in her heart and almost panicked.

  “Kara?” He pulled over to the curb a couple of houses from hers and took her into his arms. “What is it, honey? Did your mother say something else to upset you?”

  No, I did this all by myself.

  His hand stroked her arm. His lips brushed the top of her head. “I’m here.”

  But for how long, she thought, then chastised herself. Tristan had been totally honest with her, had pushed her to succeed when she’d doubted. If any man deserved her love, it would be him. If he didn’t return it … well, she’d cross that bridge when she came to it.

  She lifted her head to see the unmistakable concern in his eyes. “Whatever happens, I’m glad we met.”

  He frowned. “That sounds like a brush off.”

  She laughed because he looked so angry at the thought. Then she plastered her lips and as much of her body against his as possible in the cab of the truck. “Did that feel as if I’m going anyplace?”

  He dragged her to him for another long kiss, then sat her in her seat and started the engine. “I’d planned brunch and the art museum, but they’ll have to wait.”

  Kara smiled and snuggled closer as he pulled off. She ran her hand over his thigh. “I’m going to make a feast of you,” she told him.

  Tristan groaned. “I couldn’t sleep last night for wanting you. So behave.”

  Seeing the proof of his words, Kara inched away from him. “For now, but just you wait, Tristan. Just you wait.”

  * * *

  In the kitchen Sunday afternoon, Sabrina eyed the caller ID just before she picked up the ringing phone. “Hello, Mother.”

  “Hello, baby. You sound happy.”

  “I am.” Sabrina hit the speaker, replaced the receiver, and continued cleaning up the kitchen. She hadn’t gotten around to it because she’d wanted to spend every moment with Cade before he left to go home to change and then make rounds at the hospital. Shortly afterward, Kara had picked her up for church. She’d only recently arrived back home.

  “Any particular reason?” her mother asked.

  Sabrina felt too good about Cade to be embarrassed. She smiled, shook her head, and picked up their plates. “Mother, I thought you were more subtle than that.”

  “I’m fifty-seven so I have certain privileges,” she said. “Is there a reason for the cheerfulness I’ve heard in your voice lately?”

  Sabrina leaned against the counter and crossed one ankle over the other. After last night it was time. “I met a man.”

  “Who is he? What does he do? When did you meet?”

  “Mother.” Sabrina chuckled. “You’ve never been this inquisitive about my dates before.”

  “Because you never dated much when you were home,” her mother said. “There are some wonderful men out there, and then there are the others.”

  From the time she started having an interest in boys, her mother had warned her about the ones who only wanted a good time. Since Sabrina’s father was devoted to her mother, Sabrina assumed it was just a mother’s fear.

  “Sabrina,” her mother urged, worry creeping into her voice.

  “His name is Cade Mathis. He’s one of the top neurosurgeons in the country.” She paused, trying to think of her mother’s other questions. “He has privileges at Texas. You spoke to him on the phone yesterday.”

  “I knew it!” her mother said, excitement chasing away the worry. “How long have you been dating?”

  Sabrina shifted from one foot to the other. “Not too long.”

  “Is it serious?” her mother asked again.

  For me it is, Sabrina thought. She was 90 percent sure that it was for Cade as well, but she understood that with his traumatic childhood it would take longer for him to admit his feelings. “We’re just dating, Mother.”

  “I know you’re grown, but you’re still my baby,” her mother said. “I worry.”

  “Don’t,” Sabrina said, going to the table and picking up the coffee cups. “He’s a great guy. He saved me when the grill wouldn’t work and I had to do the meat.”

  “Where is he from?”

  Sabrina realized she couldn’t answer. “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know? What about his family? Are they in Dallas?”

  She was on slippery ground. Family was a touchy subject for Cade. “His parents are dead.”

  “What about the rest of his family?” her mother asked, concern in her voice.

  Sabrina didn’t know the answer to that question either. “Mother, we’re just dating. He doesn’t know that much about me either.”

  “You just be careful. I’ll ask your father if he’s heard of him,” she said.

  Sabrina picked up a serving dish from the table. It wouldn’t do any good to ask her not to. Her mother was in full protective mode. “Don’t worry, Mother. Cade is a great guy.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Gotta go. I need to finish the breakfast dishes,” she said, then could have bitten her tongue.

  “You’ve started eating breakfast?”

  “Occasionally,” Sabrina said, feeling her face heat up. “Give Daddy a hug for me and tell that little brother of mine to call once in a while.”

  “Stephen is shadowing Dr. Crenshaw in ENT, and loving every moment,” her mother said proudly. “He can’t wait to start premed in the fall.”

  “He’s going to make a great doctor,” Sabrina said. “He’s wanted to practice medicine as long as I can remember.”

  “We’ll have another doctor in the family,” her mother said, then added, “Is there a possibility that there might be another one?”

  Sabrina would like nothing better. “We’re just dating, Mother. And I really have to go.”

  A long sigh drifted though the receiver. “All right. Love you and take care.”

  “Love you too, and I will.” Sabrina hung up the phone. She reached for the flatware and heard a car door slam. She ran to the front door and opened it. Cade was there, taking her in his arms, kissing her, closing the door behind him.

  “Is
everything all right?” she asked.

  He swept her up in his arms and started for the bedroom. “It is now.”

  Sabrina couldn’t agree more. She didn’t give another thought to the dishes or her mother’s concerns then or later.

  Seventeen

  Hand and hand, Tristan and Kara ran up the stairs. They burst into his bedroom, reaching for each other’s clothes and trying to kiss at the same time. They laughed when they bumped noses. Her knit top flew in one direction, his shirt in another. Her bra followed. She unsnapped his jeans. He shucked them off, while she did the same to her slacks.

  “Let me,” he said, his eyes hot when she reached for her panties. He pulled them slowly from her body, his mouth following.

  “My turn.” She reached for his black briefs and pulled them down. He sprang free, proud and ready. Kara licked her lips.

  “No.” Tristan stepped back, reached into the nightstand for a condom, and took her into his arms. “I missed you last night.”

  “Show me,” Kara said, running her hand over his broad chest.

  “My pleasure.” Curving his hands under her hips, he surged into her waiting heat. Sensations swept through him. There had never been a woman his body and mind were so attuned to.

  He moved in and out of her satin heat, the fit exquisite as he filled her. She locked her arms and legs around him and met him thrust for thrust. Soon she stiffened, her arms clamping around him. With a hoarse shout he followed, holding her as aftershocks swept through her. Not wanting to release her, he rolled until she was on top.

  “Tell me about Tristan Lowell Landers,” Kara asked when her breathing returned to normal.

  Tristan brushed Kara’s thick black hair from her beautiful face, wanting to catch every nuance of the happiness he saw there, enjoying her trim body against his. She was an exceptional woman, in bed and out.

  “Tristan,” she urged, her finger curving down his face playfully.

  “Hmm.” Happiness looked good on her. Her playfulness was as unexpected as it was pleasurable. He simply enjoyed her. He wasn’t a slam-bam type of man, but he wasn’t known to linger after sex. With Kara, he was content to just watch her.

  “You aren’t asleep because your eyes are open.”

  When women began asking questions about his background, they usually wanted a deeper relationship, which meant it was time for him to make a quick exit. He didn’t feel the slightest urge to move and he attributed it to the fact that Kara might be with him now, but she was still cautious.

  “I’m waiting, Tristan. You already know about me.”

  Not enough, he thought, but her past wasn’t a happy one. “You already know my father was a count. He was also a scholar. He and my mother met while he was teaching and she was studying in London and they fell in love. His family didn’t like him marrying an African-American woman because she wasn’t wealthy or famous or titled more than because of her race. In Vera’s interminable style, she won them over. You never saw such crying as when I was thirteen and we left to come back to America to live.”

  “Why do you call her Vera?”

  He smiled. “My father lived with his parents when he married my mother, and continued afterward. I grew up calling her Vera because that’s what I heard. I understand they tried to get me to say Mother, but I resisted.”

  She grinned down at him. “Stubborn even then.”

  “I guess,” he replied.

  “I know, but no one is going to run over you,” she said, her smile gone.

  She was thinking of her mother, Tristan thought. He wanted to see her smile again. “I posted pictures of your paintings last night on my blog and the response has been incredible.”

  “Really?” Her eyes widened with happiness.

  “Really.” His hand swept her hair back from her face. “I’ll let you see for yourself. Afterward we can run over to the house I’m remodeling. I’d like to see what you think, then we can grab a bite to eat and go by Dale and Bess’s house.”

  She blinked, swallowed. “I’d like that.”

  “Good.” Coming upright, he picked her up and headed for the shower. He’d only gone a few steps before the unexpected thought of wanting to keep her with him, to not let her go back to the woman who seemed to take pleasure in hurting her, hit him. His hold tightened.

  She snuggled closer, then sighed. “Mama was grumbling all morning. I’m not sure if I can go out anymore this week.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Then we’ll make today count, and snatch moments when we can.”

  She lifted her head to look at him. “Thank you for understanding.”

  “I’m not letting you go,” he said with a fierceness that was foreign to him. In the shower enclosure, he let her slide down his body and stared into her face, trying to imagine where those impossible thoughts came from, why they wouldn’t leave.

  “What’s the matter?” Kara asked.

  “Nothing.” He turned his back on her and adjusted the shower pressure. He was just being protective of her because her life was so difficult, that’s all. It didn’t mean anything. Sure of his feelings, he faced her with a lazy smile and slow hands.

  * * *

  Monday morning Cade woke up missing Sabrina. He realized that last night, for the first time in his adult life, he’d gone to sleep anxious for morning to come. Sabrina was the reason.

  He quickly dressed and went to his office. Iris, always the first one there, greeted him with a smile and a list of his patients for the day.

  He smiled back. “Thank you. How was the weekend?”

  She blinked. “F-fine.”

  “Good.” He continued to his office. His question had taken her by surprise. He wasn’t that bad, was he? Admitting he was, he opened his door. Perched on one corner of his neat desk was a beautiful bouquet of cut flowers with red and yellow balloons. Crossing the room, he plucked the card.

  Missing you. Have a great day.

  Sabrina

  Rounding his desk, Cade picked up the phone and punched in Texas’s main number. “This is Dr. Mathis, please connect me with Sabrina Thomas.”

  “Yes, Dr. Mathis.”

  “Good morning, Sabrina Thomas. How can I help you?”

  “You already have,” Cade said, watching the balloons dance in the cool breeze from the vent. “I’ve never received balloons before.”

  “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

  He chuckled and reached for his cell phone. “I’m looking forward to it. In the meantime, could you give me your phone numbers and I’ll give you mine.” They exchanged information. “I’ll be at the hospital later. Maybe we’ll have time for some bad hospital coffee.”

  “I’d like that. Kara and I plan to grab a bite around noon, which means we’ll get to the cafeteria around one if we’re lucky.”

  “I’ll look for you then. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  Cade hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and enjoyed looking at his flowers.

  * * *

  In the coming days, Cade received a cookie bouquet and Texas Motor Speedway NASCAR tickets. Thursday morning he received an invitation to a Wine Walk in Uptown Village for that night. He wasn’t surprised that Sabrina made the event fun, even taking their picture.

  Each night she left a note in his pocket, always saying the same words, “Missing you. S.” He was touched that she was making sure he looked forward to each morning. She did that just by being herself. He told her as much as they sat in a quiet booth at Bailey’s in Uptown Village Friday night having dinner.

  She blinked rapidly. Sniffed.

  “If you cry, you won’t be able to read this.” He handed her a business envelope.

  She brushed her fingers across each eye and opened the envelope, gasped, then threw her arms around his neck. “You never take a weekend off.”

  “Then it’s about time,” he told her, enjoying her excitement. “A chartered jet will take us to San Francisco, a chef from the Ritz-Carlton will prepare the food for th
e plane trip, and a limo will pick us up at the airport and take us to the Ritz there. The weekend will be ours. You just pick the weekend you want to go and I’ll clear my schedule.”

  “Is two weeks enough time?”

  “I wish we were already there,” he told her.

  “Me too, but Mother is coming tomorrow.”

  He tensed. “You didn’t mention her visit before.”

  Sabrina twisted in her seat. “She called a little bit before you picked me up. She wants to meet you. She’s a great mother. You’ll see. She’s not pushy or anything.”

  Cade saw all too well that her mother wanted to protect her. In one way he was pleased, in another he was shaking in his wingtips. “Is she flying or driving up?”

  “Flying in on American. I’m picking her up at the airport,” Sabrina said, looking uncertain.

  He took her hand. “How about we pick her up?”

  She leaned into him. “I’d like that very much.”

  * * *

  Saturday morning at Love Field Airport, Cade was no less nervous than when Sabrina had first told him that her mother was coming. Sabrina loved her mother. If the woman didn’t like him, he’d have a problem.

  “There she is. Mother!” Sabrina yelled, waving happily.

  A tall, attractive, well-dressed woman in a white suit waved back. As soon as she passed the checkpoint, she and Sabrina were embracing. “Oh, baby, it’s good to see you.”

  Sabrina laughed. “You just saw me three weeks ago.”

  “It seems longer,” her mother said, then she looked at Cade.

  “Mother, this is Dr. Cade Mathis,” Sabrina said, her eyes shining up at him proudly.

  Cade extended his hand. “Good morning, Mrs. Thomas. Sabrina has been excited since she knew you were coming.”

  Sabrina’s mother curved her hand around her daughter’s shoulders. “Hello, Dr. Mathis. Sabrina is very precious to us.”

  Sabrina rolled her eyes. “Mother.”

  “I can see why,” Cade said. “She’s a unique woman.”

  Sabrina reached for his hand. Cade caught it and squeezed. He wasn’t the demonstrative type—or at least he wasn’t until Sabrina. Her mother caught the motion. Was there censure in her gaze?