Linda squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry about me, baby. I’m your mommy; I support you no matter what.”
Barrington silently watched tears appear in his mother’s eyes, and he almost hated Perri in that instant. His mind had to work overtime reminding him that he did actually love Perri Milan.
“It’s just that my heart breaks for you; to know some woman, foolish, silly girl that she acted, kept your own flesh and blood child away from you, and from us. Imani’s three months old; three months you cannot get back with your daughter. Perri obviously had no intention of telling you because instead of coming to you like a real woman should, she allowed you to experience the pain and humiliation of discovering your only child in the mall, of all places. I don’t say that to be mean, baby. I don’t. I just need to understand this situation. I can’t readily like a woman who did something so despicable to spite my son. She hurt you, baby. That hurts me. And as a mother, now that she’s had time to develop a strong bond with Imani, I can promise you that even she can understand how I feel as your mother.”
Linda simply told her son the truth. Barrington could not be mad at her for that. “Ma, I get that. I’m not asking you to understand it, especially when I still don’t. I can only ask you to please consider being decent to my daughter’s mother. Perri was selfish. I don’t intend to let her deny that what she did was wrong on so many levels; however, I can’t think of another woman I’d want to be the mother of my babies. I have to make peace with Perri, and I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive her for hurting your son. I know it won’t be today, but I’m asking you to try for me and your granddaughter, Ma.”
Shaking her head sternly, Linda told him, “It isn’t right, Barry. You say you love Perri and I respect that. But I do not have any respect whatsoever for what she did to you. It was uncalled for and it was calculated, cold, and cruel, and she should be exceedingly ashamed of herself.”
Those were strong words even to Barrington’s ears; warranted, he knew, but strong nonetheless. “I can understand how you’d feel that way, Ma. I’m still angry with Perri, too, and I probably will be for a long time to come. But like I said, I do love Perri and you should know I always will.”
“I’m glad that you have love for your daughter’s mother, baby. That will make things a lot easier for Imani. All things considered, I do not like how this went down; all the lies and deceit I cannot condone. And I’m just going to tell you right now, I want to talk to this girl, Barrington,” Linda announced.
Barrington clearly did not expect his mother to say that. “Why do you need to talk to her?”
“Because, son, Perri needs to be held accountable for her actions, and somebody needs to set her straight on a few things concerning motherhood, and a few other things you don’t need to know at the moment,” Linda answered as she strode over to the phone. “What is her number?”
Blinking in surprise, Barrington knew he had to think up a reasonable excuse quick. “Ma, I really don’t want you to do that.” He struggled to figure out a nice way to tell his loving—albeit overprotective mother—to stay out of his personal life. He had his own agenda where the mother of his beloved daughter was concerned, and there was no way he was going to allow anyone, including Linda Knight to cost him what he already knew to be a once in a million long shot at getting back into Perri’s good graces. But it was his shot and he intended to make it count.
“Fine, Barry. You don’t want to give up the digits; I’ll get her number on my own.” Linda opened a drawer on the center island and reached for the phone book, flipping it open.
“It’s unlisted,” Barrington blurted, hoping his mother would take the hint.
Placing an impatient hand on her narrow hips, Linda informed him, “I do have other resources and I am not ashamed to use them.”
“Ma, you’re gonna ruin it for me,” he complained, trying his best to keep his temper in check. Because if he gave in to his flesh and blew up at his mother’s attempt to intervene on his behalf, he was more than certain his daddy would not hesitate to kick his ass all over their kitchen for disrespecting his wife. Barrington was getting angry with his mother, but he wouldn’t get stupid on her. His father chose that moment to clear his throat, unnecessarily, and when he glanced at his father, he understood the silent promise of bodily harm if he stepped out of line with his mother. His parents didn’t raise no fool; plus, Barrington fully intended to get to know his daughter, and to do that he had to live past today. “Ma, you’re gonna ruin it for me,” he repeated.
Linda stopped flipping through the phone book, turning to face her son. “Ruin what for you?”
“You know,” he accused. “Ruin my chance of getting back on Perri’s good side.”
“You mean she actually has one.”
Barrington was hurt by his mother’s careless words and he was offended for Perri. “Okay, Ma, that’s enough. I’m going to need you to let me handle this. I will deal with Perri in my own way.” He was going to have to put his foot down even if it meant hurting his mother’s feelings. There was no way he could just sit there saying nothing while she raked the woman he loved over the coals. No way at all.
“Barry, I’m just trying to help you get this mess straightened out.”
“Thank you, Ma, but really, I’ll handle my business.” He cleared his throat after seeing the no nonsense look on his mother’s face. “If that’s all right with you,” he added respectively.
Crush laughed out loud, he didn’t mean to, but having been on the receiving end of Linda Knight’s seething wrath a time or ten thousand, he knew exactly how intimidated his brother had to be feeling right about now.
“Is there something you find funny?” Linda questioned her younger son.
Crush sobered up quick, fast, and in a hurry. “No, ma’am,” he offered weakly.
Fighting back a laugh of his own, Bobby figured now would be a good time to rescue both his foolish sons. “Linda, baby, don’t get so worked up. In his own way, Crush is trying to take some of the heat off his brother, which is not necessary, because Barrington is a grown man, making his own way in the world.”
“I understand that, Bobby but—”
“Baby, it’s our son’s life and like it or not, we’re going to have to let him handle his business the way he sees fit.”
“Well, if he was handling his business, I wouldn’t be standing here demanding a phone number for the woman who singlehandedly ruined our son’s life, baby. This is my son that so-called mother of our grandbaby hurt.”
“Well, he’s not no stranger to me, baby,” Bobby countered.
“Oh, you know what I mean,” Linda insisted with a huff. “Our son is hurt and that woman is to blame, so there, Bobby Knight, and I dare you to tell me otherwise about that foolish little girl.”
“Please, Ma,” Barrington didn’t care how desperate his plea came across at this point, “I love Perri. Do I think she went about this situation the wrong way? Absolutely,” he said, “but all of us have done things we wished we could go back and redo. Perri made a huge mistake. I still love her, faults and flaws, Ma.”
“I can see that, son. But let me ask you something. How much love does Perri have for you to do something so vengeful to you?”
Though Barrington knew it wasn’t his mother’s intentions, her words stung his manly pride. He’d asked himself the same question since he found out about Imani. “You’re right, Ma.”
“Thank you, Barry.”
“It doesn’t change how I feel for Perri, though. I honestly think I could strangle her, if I didn’t love her so much. So, even though a large part of me is mad as the devil himself, I can’t let the devil use me by letting it take over so much that I allow bitterness toward Perri to set in. That won’t help anyone, least of all by baby girl.”
“Are you planning on taking a large active role in that child’s life?” Linda asked.
“Absolutely,” Barrington assured his mother.
“How you gonna mana
ge to do that and travel nine months out of the year?” Bobby asked.
“I don’t know, Daddy.” Barrington hadn’t thought that far ahead. “But it can be done, and I’m going to find a way to do it.”
“Have you even considered your custody rights?”
“No, not really, Ma,” he admitted.
“Well, if you want to sue that girl for full custody, I’d be more than happy to keep Imani while you’re on the road, baby.”
Barrington was shocked at just the thought. “Ma,” he shook his head, “you got the wrong idea here. I would never rip Perri and Imani apart. Perri’s been the one constant parent in her life. It wouldn’t be fair to go changing up her living arrangements now.”
“That’s only the case because Perri kept Imani from you,” Linda reminded him.
“Regardless, Ma, I’m not going to take Perri through those kinds of changes.” He shrugged. “Whatever her mistakes we’ll get through them together. We have to because our daughter’s future depends on it. My future depends on it, too.” Barrington smiled. “She’s done all right for herself, Ma.”
“How so?” she wanted to know, hoping this girl had some redeemable qualities about her.
“Well, for starters, she breastfeeds Imani,” he said still reeling off the amazement of knowing something so intimate that bonded the woman he loved with their daughter. “Ma, Perri's only twenty-two and instead of worrying about her body image, she chose to breastfeed our daughter, giving her a healthy head start in life. She takes good care of my baby girl, I could tell that by how protective she was over her at the mall today. I don’t doubt Perri loves our daughter more than her next breath. For that, I’m forever grateful to her, and I intend to let her know that every chance I get. I’m here now, so she doesn’t have to raise Imani on her own anymore. She's saved, too, and I know you like hearing that, Ma.”
“Yes I do. And praise the Lord, son. That being the case, all that tells me is she should have been convicted into telling you the truth.”
“Ma, that's not a nice thing to say.” Barrington couldn't believe his mother.
Linda had the good sense to look embarrassed. “Well, you see just how upset I am. This whole thing's got me teetering on the verge of blasphemy.”
“It's all right, Ma, I know you don't mean any harm; you just looking out for my interest, and I love you for it. But, Ma, I believe my way is best for everyone concerned, especially for my daughter because I'm considering her above it all. She can't take up for herself, but I can. And I am, Ma. From this day forward, I will meet my daughter's needs or die trying.”
Linda proudly smiled in spite of herself, marveling at her son's wisdom. “I guess I raised you right after all,” she conceded, walking over to firmly hug her son. She tenderly kissed his temple. “All right, baby. I promise I won't interfere; however, I still want to meet Miss Perri.”
“Fair enough,” Barrington said. “Thank you. And you will meet her when the time is right.”
“I certainly hope we'll meet our grandbaby sooner than that,” Bobby said.
“I hope so, too, Daddy. But this is a touchy situation and I have to handle Perri with care.” Reading the question in his mother's eyes, he said, “No, Ma, I don't want to reconsider and let you take over. This is my decision and I've made it.”
“So, how are we supposed to know she's being raised right?” she asked. “What kind of people does Perri come from, anyway?” she inquired, and there was a small attitude back in her tone.
“Perri lost her parents' when she was a little girl. She has two sisters, with her being the middle child. Her grandparents raised them after her parents' died.”
Linda's heart finally went out to Perri. “Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I can't imagine how rough that must've been on her growing up.”
“She turned out good in spite of it,” Barrington boasted.
Instead of telling him that was a matter of opinion, Linda said, “So, son, when do you think we'll be meeting our little Imani?”
“As soon as I can make it happen, Ma.” Barrington glanced at his watch. “I'm on my way over to see her in a few minutes.” He couldn't hide his grin. “She is so beautiful, Ma.” He nodded. “She looks just like me when I was a baby.”
“Then she's gorgeous,” Linda couldn't help boasting a little herself.
“I mean, Ma, seriously, Imani has our yellow-green eyes, and her hair is light brown and pretty straight like Perri’s right now, but I’m pretty sure it’s gonna eventually turn to golden curls like ours.”
His family laughed, sharing in his newfound joy and happiness.
“Perri did good, family.”
Linda heard the passion in his voice. “You really love that girl, don't you?”
“With every beat of my heart and every inch of my soul,” he said and grinned like a peacock. “If I have my way, Perri will be the new Mrs. Knight in the family.” He was so enthralled in his premade future plans for Perri that he didn’t see the questioning look his parents exchanged.
Not sure how she felt about that, Linda asked, “How do you know she's not seeing someone?”
“She's not.”
“How do you know?”
“She's not,” Barrington insisted, irritated at the thought.
“By your own admission, Barry, you two haven't been together in a while. You don't know and you can't take for granted she hasn't met another man, who for all you know, may even be considering Imani his own child,” Linda pointed out.
Feeling a stab of jealousy and pure possessiveness wash over him, Barrington announced, “I know Perri, Ma. And what you described isn't her. As for Imani, there isn't another man alive who's going to lay claim to my daughter. And for that matter, no other man is going to claim my woman, either.” Just thinking about another man pushing up on Perri set Barrington’s teeth on edge. He knew he was going to fight anybody, including Perri, to make sure that never happened.
“She's not your woman,” Linda reminded him.
Ignoring her statement altogether and mentally dismissing it as rubbish, Barrington said, “Perri will always be mine, Ma. I know it. And though Perri would like to think otherwise, in her heart, she knows it, too.”
Linda wanted to laugh, but said, “And if you're wrong, my stubborn son?”
“I'm not. I know my woman, Ma; inside and out.” He shook his head. “I’m not wrong about this,” Barrington insisted, feeling more than a slither of annoyance.
“She must really be special,” Linda observed knowing her son well.
“Special and beautiful,” Barrington announced as his heart danced a jig.
They all laughed.
Linda looked at her younger son; it wasn’t lost on her he had become awfully quiet in the last twenty minutes. Something was up with her baby son, too, she could sense it; however, Crush was much more private about his business than Barrington. Ever since he learned to talk, every piece of significant information out of him, she had to extract it from him, which was like a dentist pulling wisdom teeth. “Crush, you got any kids we don't know of?”
Crush nearly spit his Coke across the table. “No, Ma.” He shook his head. “I'm simply not the one.”
His family had a laugh at his expense.
“Glad to hear it, son,” Linda said, but are you sure?”
“Ma,” Crush scratched his head, nervously. “I swear, to my knowledge, I ain't got no kids.”
“So, who's Journey, Crush? And what does she mean to you?”
“On that note, I'm gonna excuse myself.” Barrington strode to the door, “Night, folks.”
“Thanks a lot, man,” Crush complained.
Barrington chuckled. “Good luck explaining that relationship, man.” He opened the door. “Call me later and let me know how it went.”
“Bring us pictures,” Linda called after Barrington, now completely comfortable with the knowledge that she'd have to share the spotlight of her oldest son's heart with the two new leading ladies in his life. The glin
t in her eyes were trained on her baby boy, the wisdom of her motherly intuition schooling her to the fact that he was hiding some deep, dark secrets of his own, that no doubt, he wouldn’t be willing to share with her; her two boys were different as night and day, that was for sure. It was pointless she knew, still she announced, “I'm waiting, Crush?”
Chapter Ten
Shaking her head in an effort to return to reality, Perri could feel the hurt and pain of Barrington's betrayal as if it just happened today. “All right, girl, enough of the past; it's done and over, time has moved on and, so have you. Keep going.”
Perri sat back down at the drawing table and traced the outline of the dresses she’d designed. In that instant it dawned on her, she needed to come up with a fresh and new innovative idea for a new line, maybe even two new lines. That was the spark needed to get the creative juices flowing, and already her mind was spinning with several different possibilities she knew would generate interest in at least two different age groups. She was definitely on a roll now and it was these kinds of rushes that Perri loved and literally thrived on; the biggest part of the thrill was sitting down and letting her hands take over as her imagination spoke to her pencil, creating all kinds of beautiful designs as the model-like caricatures wearing her original designs came to life on her sketch paper. It was those times Perri felt like she could fly far above the clouds and soar to new heights, high peaks, and pinnacles never even heard of. She could truly see herself smooth sailing in uncharted waters underneath the friendly blue skies.
After putting Imani down for her afternoon nap, Perri cleaned the house from top to bottom. She then went into her home office trying her level best to concentrate on the preliminary sketches she was planning to design for the fall collection she wanted to use for the grand opening of her new boutique, which she was sure was going to be up and running by the first of September. She still couldn’t believe that part of her dream was finally going to come true. Of course, she still wanted to choreograph the prelude for the opening showcase introducing her new line called: Imani Collection, which is a tribute to the most important person in her life.
If I'd Only Known (Milan Women Series Book 1) Page 12
