by Tina Martin
He proceeds to serve me a sample of everything on the table. That’s one way to ensure I keep it thick…
“Thank you,” I tell him.
“You’re welcome, baby.”
I take a bite of the parmigiana and moan how good it is.
“You can save all that moaning for later on tonight,” he tells me.
I swat at his arm. “Hey, thank you for coming with me earlier to see my mom. I’m sorry you had to witness that, though.”
“That’s okay. Toward the end, I got the impression she might’ve believed you.”
“Seriously? You didn’t see how fast she bolted?”
“I did but at the same time, I was reading her expressions. There’s a lot she doesn’t say that you can figure out if you watch her.”
“Is that what you do with people? Watch them and try to figure them out?”
“I’m a businessman, baby. I have to be good at reading people.”
“Then if you’re so good at reading people, why didn’t you know I had a crush on you when I started working here?”
He glances up at me before he pours wine in his glass. “Who says I didn’t know?”
“I do.”
“Of course, I knew. I know when a woman is feeling me.”
“You knew but you didn’t act on it.”
He sips. Licks his lips. Lowers the glass to the table. His fingers are still gripping the stem when his eyes roll up to look at me. “No. I didn’t act on it.”
“Why not?”
“I was busy working.”
“And being rude,” I toss back.
“Believe it or not, my rudeness was protection for you.”
“How so?”
I glance her way. She’s so innocently beautiful my heart sings her praises. I’ve made love to her too many times to count and still can’t get enough. It’s her mind, her state of being, her virtuousness that has me deeply in love with her. It’s how she struggles with adversity and keeps on moving forward. She’s not a quitter. She’s a hard worker. A fighter. We have that in common. She’s the representation of who I am. I see myself through her eyes.
Well?” she asks as she waits for me to answer her question.
I say, “I wasn’t the kind of man to find a woman and settle down with her. If I was with a woman one night, the next morning she meant nothing to me. I wasn’t into relationships. Being callous towards you was my way of pushing you away from me, hoping you’d get the message.”
“Oh, I got the message alright. That’s why I quit, but if that’s what you wanted me to do all along, why’d you come looking for me that day you—you were in the accident?”
That still haunts me. Some of my nightmares are about that wreck and him being in the hospital but I don’t have it in me to tell him that.
“I didn’t want you to quit. I wanted you to stay away from me.”
“That’s what I was doing. Since the closet incident, I tried hard to stay out of your way, but then you came looking for me that day when I was working in the flower garden. Why?”
“Because I needed to see you. Eat your food, baby.”
A small smile touches my lips. I resume eating at his request, trying the sausage and risotto, discovering it makes a great combination.
He eats chicken, then shrimp. He takes a napkin, wipes his mouth and says, “Friday, me and Major are going to meet Magnus at my uncle’s house. I want you to come with me.”
“I would love to.”
He looks at me in a way that tells me he wants me again. He picks up the glass instead. Drinks more wine.
“Tomorrow, I think we should go get the rest of your things. I want you completely moved in.”
I nod but feel a level of sadness since I know I’ll be leaving the house for good. My Aunt Jolene’s home. It saved me in many ways. Saved me from abuse. It was my safe haven. It was my home.
“Do you want to put it up for sale?”
“I don’t know, Monty. It has sentimental value. I don’t know if I should sell it.”
“Just think about what you want to do and let me know. I’ll support you in whatever you decide.”
“I hate that I have to leave all of my flowers behind, too.”
“Baby, I’ll buy you all the flowers you’ve ever dreamed of.”
“I know you will, Monty, but those flowers are special. When I was going through it, they saved me. I know that sounds stupid, but—”
“It doesn’t sound stupid. It makes perfect sense.”
“It does?” I ask.
“Of course. It was your outlet. I’m glad you had one.”
I drink wine and eat shrimp.
He says, “If you’d like, I can get the landscapers to go over there and bring some of them over here. You can plant them anywhere you like. You can make your own personal flower garden if you want.”
“I would love that.”
“Then it’s so ordered,” he says.
I smile. I love it when he behaves like a king. My king. It’s so ordered.
Chapter Sixty
Monty
We spend most of Thursday at her house. She tells the movers what to pack and what should stay. I have the landscapers come over to dig up some flowers. Cherish chooses the ones she wants. She also informs me she’s not ready to sell the house. She wants to keep it for now.
Ms. Kettleworth comes hobbling over in her favorite pair of jean overalls – looks like the same ones I always see her wearing. She’s already talked to Cherish for a while this morning but I’m glad she’s making her way over here again because as wacky as she is, she’s been a friend to Cherish and anyone who’s a friend of hers is a friend of mine.
“Howdy,” she says.
“How are you today, Ms. Kettleworth?”
“I was doing dandy ‘til I heard all the commotion out’chere, Mr. Montgom’ry. I had to step out on the porch to see what was going on and by golly, Sherrish is moving out.”
“Yes, she is.”
“I knew it. I knew you were going to sweep Sherrish off her pretty feet! Did she tell you what I said about teeth? Did she?” she asks and nudges me with her elbow three times.
“No.”
“Ah ha! She took my advice. This ol’ lady still knows the tricks of the trade, I tell ya dat.”
I have no clue what she’s talking about. I just grin and play along. I take an envelope from my pocket and hand it to her.
“What’s this, Montgom’ry?”
“Open it.”
She tears the envelope open and removes the check. Her eyes grow big. She looks like she’s about to faint. She catches her balance, then asks, “What’s this for?”
“I wanted to show my appreciation for everything you’ve done for Cherish.”
“Well, Montgom’ry, I ain’t do what I did ‘specting payment.”
“I know, but I still want to show my gratitude.”
“You can show yur gratitude by buying me a can of tuna and an extra-large bag of cat food.”
“With that money, I’m sure you can buy plenty of cat food, Ms. Kettleworth.”
“For that Butterball, I tell ya…I’m gon’ need it. I ‘preciate it Montgom’ry.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“Don’t y’all be no strangers.”
“We won’t.”
* * *
When I meet Mason, right away I can tell he’s a St. Claire. His eyes are green like mine and we have other features that came packaged in our DNA – features that’ll be passed down to future generations.
We hug for what feels like an eternity. He’s the closest person to my biological father and somehow I can feel him here in spirit. This is a new beginning for me. For all of us.
He has tears in his eyes when the hug ends and even more when he embraces Major.
Magnus and Shiloh arrive after us and when he steps into the foyer, Mason says, “Good to see you again, Magnus.”
They embrace, then he attempts to give Shiloh a hug, but she’
s very pregnant, so he settles for a side hug.
His wife, my Aunt Bernadette, hugs us and then she says, “You know what—let’s get introductions out of the way so we can start behaving like a real family instead of strangers. Come on in here. Everybody else is waiting in the living room.”
I take Cherish’s hand and when we step into the living room, I’m in awe. All these people – my cousins their wives and children, whole families – are waiting to meet us.
“I’m Montgomery and this is my wife Cherish.”
Magnus has never met the cousins. He introduces Shiloh and tells the family he has twins on the way.
Major throws up his hand offering a single wave as he introduces himself.
Then one of the cousins says, “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I’m Ramsey St. Claire, and this beautiful woman next to me is my wife, Gianna. This pretty shy lil’ girl I’m holding is our daughter, Rianne.” Rianne climbs up on her father, hiding her face in the crevice of his neck.
The next one stand and says, “Hi. I’m Royal and this is my wife, Gemma.”
“Hi,” Gemma says. “Oh, and by the way, me and Gianna are sisters.”
“Neat,” Major says.
A third cousin says, “I’m Romulus and this stunning lady next to me is not only my best friend, but she’s my wife and my baby mama, Siderra. We have a four-month-old son named Egan who’s fast asleep right now.”
“Hi,” Siderra says. “I’m the baby mama.” She laughs.
The last cousin looks more animated than the other three. He says, “What up cousins? I’m Regal, the smartest of the bunch.”
Ramsey shakes his head.
“Here we go,” the woman standing next to Regal says.
Regal introduces her as Felicity, his wife. He says, “I call her WB, but y’all call her Felicity.”
Felicity laughs.
“That little girl who’s been staring at you with those big, pretty eyes since you came in is my daughter Rayne and we have a son on the way.”
Felicity puts on hand on her stomach.
“Congratulations,” I tell them.
“Yes, congratulations,” Cherish says.
“Thank you,” Regal says. He looks at his daughter and says, “Hey, Rayne, don’t just stare. Say something.”
I look at the girl. Her cheeks are red. Eyes brown and big. She looks like a real-life doll.
“Hi,” she finally says. “I’m Rayne.”
“Aw, she’s so sweet,” Cherish says.
“Thank you,” Felicity says.
“Don’t let that innocent voice fool you. The girl ain’t got a shy bone in her body,” Regal says. “She’s feisty, like her mama.”
“Hush, Regal,” Felicity tells him.
“You hush before I come after those lips.”
Bernadette chuckles. “Major, Magnus, Montgomery, Shiloh and Cherish—did I get it right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Major says.
“Y’all gotta excuse Regal. He ain’t got to sense.”
“Lies,” Regal says.
The family erupts in laughter.
“She’s not lying,” Ramsey tells us.
“Look,” Regal says. “Stick with me and I’ll teach you everything you need to know about the St. Claire click. First of all, welcome to the fam. It’s a blessing we found each other. From what I hear, we have Shiloh and Cherish to thank for that.”
“Yes,” Magnus says. “I have so much to thank her for.” He kisses Shiloh on the cheek.
Magnus continues, “And if Cherish had never reached out to me, I wouldn’t have met my brothers—Major and Montgomery—so thank you, Cherish.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Let’s get you a chair, Shiloh,” Mason says. “As a matter of fact, come on. Let’s sit at the dinner table. Bernadette has been cooking all day.”
“Oh, I smelled it when I came in,” Regal says.
I can already see there aren’t enough seats. Mason sets up a folding table in the dining room and brings more chairs.
I pull out a chair for Cherish. “Are you comfortable?” I whisper.
“Yes. I’m okay. How are you holding up?” she asks.
“I’m good.”
After everyone takes a seat, Regal stands up again. “Now, as I was saying, here’s what y’all need to know about this family. Get some pen and paper if you need to because this is important. Everybody ready?”
“Yeah, ready for you to sit down,” Romulus says.
Everyone laughs.
Regal continues, “Number one—Mrs. Gianna over there owns a bakery and I swear she sprinkles crack in those cupcakes. They’re highly addictive.”
Laughter fills the dining room.
Ramsey says, “Let me translate what my brother is trying to say. My wife is an excellent baker and her cupcakes are as addictive as she is.”
“Thanks, Ramsey.”
He places a kiss on her cheek.
Regal continues, “Gemma acts all innocent and sweet but she’s married to bad boy Royal, so right off the bat, you know that sweet, innocent thing she’s got going on is all a front.”
Gemma’s tickled. “Royal is not a bad boy.”
“Yes, he is. Look at him. Got the beard and everything going on.”
“We all have beards,” Ramsey says. “Even you, Regal.”
Everyone laughs again.
It’s the first time I realize we have beards. Must be a St. Claire thing.
Royal take a sip of water like he’s unfazed.
Regal then turns his attention to his brother Romulus and says, “And then there’s Rom…he and Siderra have been friends with benefits for quite some time now—they thought they had us fooled.”
Siderra laughs. “Don’t listen to Regal, y’all.”
“Last, but certainly not least is my wife, Felicity,” he says. “She runs a matchmaking company – Wedded Bliss. She doesn’t just set people up—she marries fools off. Major, I noticed you came solo. If you’re in the market for an insta-wife, Felicity can fix you up. She put Ramsey and Gianna together.”
“That’s partially true,” Ramsey says.
Bernadette brings out food. There’s nothing like food to relax this crowd. I quickly discover that my aunt can throw down in the kitchen. Everything’s good. No matter how long you’ve been apart from family, a reunion has a way of bringing it all back together. Of making you feel welcome. It’s how I feel sitting in this room with people who share my last name.
My family.
My heart is full. There’s nothing like being surrounded by people you know who loves you by default because of your relation to them. I’m glad I get to share this moment with Cherish.
* * *
After dinner, we mingle and eat dessert. The women are in the living room talking about marriage and babies while the men remain in the dining room, seated around the table.
Mason says, “I sure wish Micah was here to witness this.”
Magnus nods. “It would be nice. It would bring so much closure to have a discussion with him face-to-face. I know it can’t happen, but—”
“I’d give anything for that opportunity,” I say. “I’ve personally struggled with it, partly because when our foster parents took us in, they never adopted us. It gave me a sense that we were being rejected all over again. I’m not sure if you’ve felt that way Major.” I glance to my left to look at Major. I’m not sure if he heard my question. He’s checked out.
“I can definitely relate,” Magnus says. “No matter how successful I was, my upbringing always haunted me. As men, we’re conditioned to let things roll off our backs, but it got to me. Made me work harder to do more—to be more as if success would compensate for my parent’s decision to put me in foster care. It doesn’t work. All it did for me was cause more pain. In fact, if I wasn’t such a workaholic, my wife and child would be alive and well today.”
“Wait—you were married before?” Ramsey asks.
“I was,” Magnus answers. “Th
ey died in a car accident.”
“Sorry to hear that, man,” Ramsey says. His brother Romulus, Regal and Royal express the same sentiment, as do I. Major’s still in La La Land.
“But with the help of Shiloh, I’ve moved on. She came into my life at my lowest point and completely turned it upside down. I don’t know what I would do without her.”
“We’re similar in that regard,” Ramsey says. “I was engaged and my fiancée died of cancer. It shook me because there was nothing I could do about it. Her death hit me pretty hard. I hadn’t intended on being with anyone after that, but I met Gianna, started over and we have our baby girl and I’m happy.”
“I think the key to overcoming this foster parent situation is never giving up and not being afraid to start over,” Romulus says.
Regal gestures with a beer in his hand and says, “If there was ever a lesson to be learned in all of this, that would be it.”
I glance over at Major again. He’s still sitting there expressionless lounged back in his chair, not trying to participate in the conversation. He gets up, excuses himself, heads out of the room.
“Is he good?” Royal asks, looking at me.
“I don’t know. He doesn’t talk about this much,” I answer.
“You two grew up together, right?” Romulus asks.
“Yep. Magnus was placed first, then Sylvia and Caspian Hawthorne came along and took me and Major in.”
“Caspian Hawthorne—why does that name sound familiar?” Ramsey asks.
“He’s gone now, but he was pretty famous around here. He was an inventor.”
“That’s right—Hawthorne Innovations,” Ramsey says. “Great work has come out of there. Your father was a master at his craft.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate that.”
Regal finishes his beer then says, “So, instead of staying down memory lane, we need to make memories of our own. So, who plays golf?”
“I don’t,” Magnus answers.
“Me either,” I tell him.
Regal asks, “What do you do to relax…to get out of the office and just let it all hang out?”
I chuckle. “I work, take my wife on dates. Swim. That’s about it,” I tell him.
