Sizzling Seduction (16 page)

Patrick shook his head. He didn’t trust the fool. But he hoped the man was smarter than he looked, because he hoped the man was smarter than he looked, because he would seriously hurt him if he ever hurt Aisha or Dil on.

After Aisha and Dil on finished their pizza dinner, she decided to curl up with one of her romance novels while she let Dil on watch one of his action cartoon DVDs. Just when she was getting to one of the good parts there was a knock on the door.

Her heart stopped for a moment because she thought it could have been Bil coming back. She knew she had pushed it by being so “mouthy,” the phrase he’d used whenever she stood up for herself when they were married.

She’d tried to be brave and stand up to him, but it was hard to do so when she remembered just how cruel he could be.

And if he was coming back for another round, she worried that she wouldn’t be able to finish this one unscathed.

She took a calming breath and walked down the hal to the door. At least her child was trained properly and knew not to open the door unless she told him.

When she peered through the peephole she was more surprised by what she saw.

Sandra Clemmons-Foster. Her mother.

If she were a superstitious woman she would have thought it was some kind of omen. First her father cal ed, then Bil showed up and now her mother was at her doorstep. She’d spent the past five years hardly ever hearing from them, and now she couldn’t seem to shake them. Her father and Bil must real y have wanted Bil to be promoted to partner if her dad had actual y let her mother come visit her.

She opened the door. “Hi, Mom.” She stepped aside to let in the woman who had raised, nurtured and loved her while she was growing up.

Her mother stepped in, and as soon as her eyes fel on Dil on they lit up. Aisha found it hard to believe that her mother hadn’t actual y seen her grandson in person in five years. Aisha sent her a copy of Dil on’s school pictures each year, but nothing made up for face time.

“Dil on, come give your grandmother a hug. You remember your grandmother, don’t you?” Aisha motioned for her son to come over to them.

Dil on walked over and cautiously embraced Sandra.

The glee in her mother’s smile warmed Aisha’s heart.

Sandra ruffled Dil on’s curls and squeezed him tightly before reluctantly letting him go.

Her mother looked thinner than her normal shapely self and it gave Aisha some concern. Sandra had cut her usual y long salt-and-pepper-streaked hair into a bouncy shoulder-length bob.

“Hi, Grandma.” Once free, Dil on took off to catch the rest of his DVD.

“Hi, baby.” Sandra’s hand went out as if she wanted to get another touch of Dil on.

“Dil on, baby, can you go back in your bedroom for a little bit while I talk to Grandma in the living room?”

“Aww…Mom…it’s just getting to the good part…” Dil on whined.

“Let him watch his show. We can talk in the kitchen. I can’t stay long anyway. I need to be back in Montclair wel before your father gets back from his lodge meetings.”

Sandra made scare quotes in the air as she said the word
lodge
and let Aisha know that she was under no il usions about where her husband spent his once-a-week outings.

Aisha had always suspected that her father was having a long-standing affair. But since he actual y belonged to a lodge and they did meet once a week, she could never real y be sure.

“Wel , okay.” Since this was the first time her mother had graced her apartment, she wanted to at least entertain her in the living room, but the kitchen would have to do.

“Would you like some tea or water or something, Mom?”

“No, sit down. Don’t put yourself out for me. Like I said, I can’t real y stay long. I just wanted to come here and see you. I wanted to make sure that you weren’t considering going to back to him.” Sandra placed her hand over Aisha’s across the table.

“Going back to who? Bil ? No way. You don’t have to worry about that.”

Sandra let out a breath of relief and her eyes fluttered. “I know I haven’t been the best example al these years. But you’re out and you’re doing okay. And you seem happy, Aisha…. I know how your father can get when he wants his way. But you didn’t let them break you. So don’t go back.

Okay?” She squeezed Aisha’s hand.

Aisha’s heart felt as if it was in her throat. She knew the risk her mother had taken coming there. “Mom, you know you don’t have to stay, either. You can leave.”

Sandra gave a lighthearted laugh that sounded like anything but. “No. It’s too late for me. I’m too set in my ways and I’m not nearly as brave as you. I couldn’t have done what you did. But you did it
in spite of
me and how I raised you. I raised you to be quiet and meek and not to stand up for yourself, because I was so scared. But you overcame everything, and I’m proud of you.”

“I’m stil afraid, Mom, of so many things. But none of that is your fault. I’m an adult. I have to take responsibility for my on life and my own choices.”

Sandra sighed. “Your father was ranting and raving about you seeing some fireman. Is that true? Does he make you happy?”

Aisha closed her eyes, remembering the fib she had told her father. She didn’t want to lie to her mother. And she certainly didn’t want to spend what little time they had together talking about a relationship that probably wouldn’t happen, probably wouldn’t happen because she was too scared to try….

“Mom, if you wanted to you could leave, too. You don’t have to stay. I know my place is smal , but you’re more than welcome here.”

“No. I made my bed.” She paused. “You know, your father wasn’t always so…the way he is…I mean…He was always control ing, and hard, but not so…so…mean…. I think I’ve been a disappointment to him ever since I couldn’t give him a son—”

“It wasn’t your fault you kept miscarrying, Mom. Don’t blame yourself for that.” Aisha knew that her father had always wanted a son, and that he saw Bil as the son he’d never had. But she refused to let her mother take the blame for her father’s issues, and she certainly wasn’t going to take the blame because she divorced the man who was like a son to him.

“How can I not when he just got meaner and meaner with each child we lost? It was something he couldn’t control and he doesn’t like it when he can’t control things. That’s why you have to stay free and be happy, even if it means we won’t be able to see one another. If you give in to your father and Wil iam it won’t make your father happy.
Nothing
you do wil make him happy. I made my bed, but you got away. I real y hope that fireman is more worthy of your love than Wil iam was. I want you to be happy, Aisha. Wil you be happy for me?” Sandra got up and gave Aisha’s hand one more squeeze.

Aisha smiled and tried to hold back the tears threatening to spil from her eyes as she pul ed her mother into an embrace. It was such a smal request real y. And she wondered if she could gather the braveness her mother seemed to think she had and actual y do what her mother wanted her to do. Could she break past al her barriers and go after her own happiness? Was she brave enough to try love again?

After saying goodbye to her mother and putting her son to bed, Aisha reflected on the bad choices she had made when she was thinking about her father’s happiness and not her own. She thought about everything that had gone into her decision to marry Bil . And then she thought about Patrick and she smiled.

I
f she had any second thoughts about spending Thanksgiving with Patrick and his family, it was too late now. They had been going pretty hot and heavy for over three months and things were running smoothly between them. But was it real y time to meet his family?

They pul ed up to the family’s Tudor-style mini-mansion.

“Your home is lovely,” Aisha said to Patrick’s parents.

Dil on handed Celia Hightower the fal flowers that they had brought for her.

“Why thank you so much, young man. Aren’t you just precious—and handsome, too? I love getting flowers from handsome young men.” Celia Hightower winked at her husband and then handed him the flowers. “Here, honey, place these in a vase and put them right on the dining-room table for everyone to see.

“Thank you for the compliment, Aisha. We’re so glad you and Dil on could join us. I’ve heard so much about the two of you.” Celia Hightower gave Dil on a hug and then gave Aisha one.

“Patrick, why don’t you get them introduced to everyone.

I’m finishing up things in the kitchen. Wel …sort of, my new daughter-in-law, Minerva, is a whiz in the kitchen and she has thankful y taken over with the help of my other daughters-in-law, Samantha and Penny. I’m just happy I don’t have to do al the cooking for this gang al alone anymore.” Celia paused and turned to Aisha. “Do you want to come in the kitchen and help us?”

Dil on cleared his little throat and then he and Patrick had the nerve to bust out laughing.

Traitors!

Oh, well, might as well come clean
…“I love the idea of cooking and I experiment with recipes a lot, Mrs.

Hightower. But I’m not that great at it.” Aisha reached out and pul ed both Dil on’s and Patrick’s ears and twisted them before letting go.

That’ll teach them to make fun of my culinary creations
in front of new people again.

Mrs. Hightower laughed and pul ed Aisha along.

“Please, cal me Celia. Then you can just relax and watch right along with me. And if I were you, I wouldn’t cook a thing for those two for at least a month. We’l see who’l be laughing then.”

“Cool!” Dil on pumped his little fist.

She was going to have to have a talk with her little man about tact and decorum. And given the way Patrick was laughing and patting her son on the back, she was going to have to have a talk with her big man, too.

“Girl, don’t even study them. My first year of marriage, I burned everything I cooked. And you’d better believe that James Hightower grinned and ate it.”

Aisha laughed. “Dil on wil grin and make jokes, but he won’t eat it if it doesn’t taste good.”

They entered the kitchen and Aisha’s mouth fel open.

Since she’d became addicted to the Food Network and had started to fantasize about preparing fabulous meals in her dream kitchen, she had a pretty good idea of what that looked like. And the Hightowers certainly had a dream kitchen.

Everything from the stainless-steel appliances to the marble countertops and cherrywood cabinets and furnishings had her standing there with her mouth wide-open. The creations and concoctions she could make in a kitchen like this! She was wil ing to bet money that the recipes would come out perfectly every time if she had a kitchen like this one. How could they not?

“Hey, girlfriend!” Samantha came over and gave Aisha a big hug.

Minerva placed a pie in the oven before coming over and embracing Aisha. “Y’al , this is the woman we said might be the one who stole Patrick’s heart.”

Aisha found herself blushing.

Another woman with long sisterlocks and pretty copper eyes got up from the kitchen table where she was playing with a little girl who looked just like her. She lifted the toddler to her hip and walked over to them.

“Hi, my name is Penny, and I’m married to Jason, Patrick’s youngest brother. It’s great to meet you.”

Celia took her grandbaby out of Penny’s arms.

“Gramma.” The little girl placed her chubby little hands on Celia’s face and slobbered on the woman’s check.

“Say hi to Ms. Aisha, Cee Cee,” Celia said as she took Cee Cee’s little hand and waved it for the toddler. “Aisha, this is my grandbaby, Celia Carla Hightower. We cal her Cee Cee.”

“Hi there, Cee Cee. Aren’t you the most beautiful little girl in the world?” Aisha waved at the little handful.

“Hi, Miss I-sha.” Cee Cee did her best to mimic the words her grandmother had said and waved back at Aisha.

“Hey, everybody, where the food at?” A petite and curvy light-skinned woman came prancing into the kitchen and walked right over to Celia and Cee Cee. “Hey, look at my little mini-me. How’s granny’s little sweet meat? How’s my baby girl?” The woman took Cee Cee from Celia’s arms and shooed Celia away. “I got her. Y’al need to do the damn thang and get this show on the road. A chick is hungry up in this piece.”

Aisha noticed Penny rol her eyes and shake her head.

“Mama, give me Cee Cee and go on and sit down somewhere. Unless you want to help with the preparations,”

Penny said.

“I’l help by holding mini-me while y’al do the damn thang and cook. Right, mini-me?”

Cee Cee grabbed hold of the woman’s face and slobbered a kiss on her cheek.

“Look at you giving granny al your sugar. That’s granny’s little sweet meat.” The woman looked at Aisha, and then she turned to the other women in the room. “Harpo, who dis woman?” She then burst out laughing at her own joke.

Aisha squinted her eyes and turned to the other women in the room. Was this woman for real? She didn’t think she had ever met anyone like her before. In fact, she was pretty sure she hadn’t.

“Hi, my name is Aisha. I came with Patrick.”

The women reared back with a gut-busting laugh and little Cee Cee held on for the ride, giggling and laughing with her granny. Aisha wondered if anyone else was at al worried about the child’s safety in the arms of a slightly touched woman.