Made to Love: Carmen and Cooper's Story (9 page)

Bursting with laughter, Cooper kisses me on
the lips. “What would I do without you?”

“
Hopefully, you will never find
out. We all have our demons that we struggle with.” My attention
goes across the room to Celeste’s picture.

Cooper rubs my cheek. “When you are ready to
talk about her, I am here.”

I smile. “Her name was Celeste. She is my
sister.”

That is all I say. He doesn’t ask any
questions. We hold each other in silence.

Chapter
Seventeen

It is three days before my favorite time of
year, Halloween. Growing up my mom always made a huge fuss about
the day. It became a family tradition to dress up, though my dad
hated it.

This year I am thrilled. Cooper was born on
Halloween. We are going to throw him a huge party, even though he
is not interested in celebrating. My mom is excited, since she is
our party coordinator. Oh how she loves to throw a party. Her
services are in high demand and she decides when she wants to
work.

My parents are going to meet
Cooper this evening. We are having dinner at his house. Cooper says
that he is nervous to meet my dad. I reassure him that my parents
will love him. I have not been able to get any work done because I
can’t wait to see my parents. Then I hear my mother’s laughter. She
is walking in front of my father as he smacks her ass. For as long
as long as I can remember, my parents have never been able to keep
their hands off each other. It is so gross.

“
Hey guys,” I say as I hug and
kiss them.

We go into my office. My dad is looking around
at the mess that I have piled up on my desk.

Tossing her iPad on the couch, my mother grabs
my arms, “So tell me all about this Cooper.” My dad
grunts.

“
Mom, isn’t that the iPad Dad just
got you for your birthday? Where’s your case?”

My mom is the best when it comes to planning
functions, but she doesn’t take care of any of her Apple
products.

My dad shakes his head, “I’ve been telling her
to pick one out.”

“
That’s not important, answer my
question,” She says.

“
What is there to tell? He is
thirty-two and an executive advisor at the finance company that
Marcia works for.”

“
How’s he in bed?”

“
Mom!” “Candace!” my father and I
say at the same time. Of course she laughs.

“
Carmen, ignore your mother. How
does he treat you, sweet pea?”

“
Dad he is wonderful to me. I
really like him, so please be nice.”

“
I am always nice, Carmen. This
Cooper is going to have to understand you are our angel and if he
hurts you in anyway, he will have to deal with me. And I never miss
my target.” My dad loves his guns.

“
Mom, make dad behave,” I
beg.

“
Don’t worry about your father. He
will be in a great mood tonight.” She licks her lips. They are out
of control.

“
Tonight, please keep the PDA to a
minimum and mom, absolutely no sex talk.”

“
Oh Carmen, grow up.” My mother
acts like she is offended. “Let’s get some lunch.”

We stroll down the block to the Lunchbox; it’s
a cute little deli that offers salad, soups, and sandwiches.
Walking in we take three open seats at the bar. Different records
are plastered in silver metal frames all over the wall. A jukebox
sits to the right, for those who like to choose exactly what tune
they’ll be eating to. The bar is designed in a black and white
checkered pattern. There’s a large portrait of Marilyn Monroe and
James Dean hung before the entrance to the bathrooms. Guess it
makes it easier to not accidentally walk into the men’s room. All
of us continue to stare at the menu, as if memorizing their
selections. I laugh inside.

While looking at my mom, my dad says. “How
about we share a chicken Caesar wrap and you can suck my
pickle?”

“
Christopher, I would gladly suck
your pickle.” They kiss.

“
Yuck,” I say with utter
repugnance, “I told you guys to keep that to a minimum. Anyways, I
recommend the seafood salad, it’s to die for.”

My dad replies, “We had a big breakfast, don’t
want to eat something too heavy that will spoil our dinner this
evening. I think we’ll just have two Caesar salads. Is that okay
with you Candace, love?”

“
That will be perfect,” she says
with a smile.

The waitress comes to take our drink orders
first, two sweet teas for my parents and a glass of water with no
ice for me. She brings back the drinks, and takes our order. I’m
all smiles surrounded by my love ones; the only person missing is
Cooper. But soon we’ll all be together. I use this time to catch up
with my parents and what’s been going on back home. They say
everything is going well. On their way up to visit, they tell me
how they placed autumn flowers and a freshly carved pumpkin with
the name “Celeste” on her graveside. She always loved dressing up
for Halloween.

The food arrives and brings me back to
reality. We begin enjoying our salads. The crab on mine is tender,
and every bite welcomes a lemon twist. This salad is one my
favorites. I love the bitterness that comes with it, quite the
perfect combo on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers, and
cheese. Once we’re finished scraping the last with our forks, I
call for the check. After paying the tab, I regretfully tell my
folks I’ll see them at Cooper’s later and that I have to finish up
some things at the center. My mom and dad hug and kiss me bye as we
arrive where their Range Rover is parked. I pull Mom aside and tell
her to be on her best behavior at Cooper’s later.

She smiles at me and says, “Honey I won’t
embarrass you. Well, not too much.” She gets in the passenger
side.

My dad wishes me a good rest of the work day
as I wave them off. Back at the office, my desk seems to have more
paperwork than when I left. Soon the clock chimes five o’clock, and
I’m off to my man’s house. I check my appearance as I exit the
parking lot. I always like to look my very best when he sees me.
Thirty minutes later, and rocking out to Miley Cyrus’ “We won’t
stop,” I pull into his driveway, right behind his black Mercedes.
Your lady has arrived I say playfully to myself, as I step out. He
has the door open as I walk up the cement steps leading to his wrap
around front porch.

His sleeves are rolled up, and his shoes are
already removed. “Hey there gorgeous, how was your day at the
office?”

I say in my sexiest voice. “It was
busy, but I’m so glad to be here with you now.”

He bends down to kiss me and grabs
my bags. He pours me a glass of wine while I kick my feet up and
relax for a little while. He breaks my relaxation when he puts his
hand out to guide me to the area of his huge walk in closest. He
points to a clear hanging area on the left side of the
wall.

I see a single black dress hanging
and he says, “I took the liberty of picking this out for you to
wear.”

He chose a black satin cocktail
dress. The neck line is lace and ends right where my girls begin.
“You can pick whichever shoes you’d like though,” he says with a
smirk.

My choice is black satin peep toes, with
silver 4 inch heels. I’m going for the seductive look; I can’t wait
until Cooper sees me. He jumps out of the shower, as I finish
putting on my thigh highs topped with a lace finish. I step into my
dress, and Cooper quickly zips me up.

“
Wow, you couldn’t zip me up fast
enough, huh?” I say chuckling.

“
I know what you have on
underneath there. I will probably die before the night is over just
trying to keep my hands off of you.”

“
Oh, Cooper,” I smile.

Cooper asks, “What time are they going to be
here?”

He looks tasty in his solid dark red button
down shirt, matched perfectly with light gray slacks. He’s
completed it with his Christian Louboutin black dress shoes. He’s
marking this special occasion by bringing out those red soles.
Every time he takes a step, I get a little hotter. I told him that
he doesn’t have to be so formal, but he isn’t listening to me. He
is so nervous.

“
Baby, relax. They won’t be here
for a while. That gives us time for a quickie.”

“
Don’t be silly, Carmen. I am
about to meet your parents sex is the last thing that should be on
my mind,” Cooper responds.

Irritated I say, “Then sex will be the last
thing on my mind tonight.”

“
My
Carmen, don’t be upset, I am nervous to meet your
dad. That’s all. Sex and you are always on my mind.” I smile and he
gives me a kiss.

Two hours later my parents arrive. My dad
looks handsome in a pressed black dress shirt and black slacks. His
paisley tie is black, purple, and silver. It stands out with the
all-black wardrobe. My mother looks beautiful in her red dress
which hugs her curves perfectly but not too tightly. She has
matched it with a black satin belt that is tied to her right hip.
She has on her favorite black pumps with the red heels. My mom
coordinates with care, I’m sure she helped my father with his
ensemble this evening. My mother hugs Cooper, but my father shakes
his hand.

“
Mr. and Mrs. Williams it is such
an honor to meet you,” Cooper says.

“
Call me Candace. Mrs. Williams is
my mother-in-law,” says my mom.

My dad states, “You may call me Mr.
Williams.”

I look at my mom. She shrugs her shoulders and
follows Cooper in to the living room. He prepares everyone’s
drinks. My mother drinks Chardonnay, my father and Cooper have a
Scotch while I have a glass of Moscato.

My father breaks the tension by saying, “You
have a nice place here.”

“
Thank you Mr. Williams,” Cooper
replies somewhat nervously. “It’s a place to lay my head, nothing
special.”

Cooper needs to loosen up. I know he is trying
to make a good impression on the two most important people in my
life. We lock eyes and smile at one another. I’m thinking of
undoing his shirt button by button with my teeth. My mother
startles my thoughts as she asks what’s being served for
dinner.

“
We are having baked chicken,
green beans, fried potatoes and Dad’s favorite white
roll.”

I request my mother’s presence in the kitchen
to check on our meal.

“
I’ll be delighted too, that way
the boys can have their time, and we can have ours.”

Did she really have to pinch my
dad’s ass on the way out? With an appalled facial expression, I
sigh and catch Cooper in mid laugh. It’s good to see him laugh;
hopefully leaving him with my father isn’t a bad idea. As my mother
and I approach the kitchen everything smells wonderful. Cooper has
already done the tiresome task of setting the table for four. He
makes my heart smile.

“
So now that we’re out of ear
sight, tell me all about Mr. Jackson and his bedroom skills,” my
mom says, taking a big sip from her wine glass.

“
Is that all you ever think
about?” I laugh while checking the chicken in the oven. Putting the
glove to the side, I take a seat beside her.

“
What can I say, Mom, except that
he is incredible. A perfect gentleman when he needs to be and a man
that has taken me and my body many places I’ve only dreamed of.” As
I exhale, she is insistent on fine details. I smile and say “Our
sex life is not one that can be described in words. It’s so out of
this world, it has my toes curling in my stiletto heels right now.
That should tell you everything right there. He takes the best care
of me whether in good or bad health.”

She looks at me as tears begin to form in her
eyes and says, “I’m ecstatic that you two have found each other.
Might I add your father and I also share—

“
Mom, stop, please I don’t want to
hear about you and dad,” I interrupt.

“
Angel, I was just going to say
that we two share the same deep bond and love as Cooper and you do.
I’m sure he will be one to keep you in tip top shape, in and out of
the bedroom.” She kisses my cheek.

“
I never said I love him,
mom.”

“
You didn’t have to, mother knows
all.”

I can smell Cooper as the men enter the
kitchen. Cooper is smiling, which is a reassuring sign. There is no
better moment then right now. I take in the scene: my family around
the man I love. Cooper looks more comfortable, so I’m at
ease.

My dad comments on the aroma and says, “It
sure does smell good in here. Cooper, could you please freshen up
my Scotch?”

“My pleasure, Mr. Williams,”
Cooper replies.

“
Please call me Christopher,” my
father quickly adds.

“
Yes sir, Christopher.” Cooper
smiles while walking back to the mini bar. I get up to check on
dinner, as he returns from the living room. “Shall we toast?”
Cooper asks as he hands the glass back to my father.