Southern Admirer (Southern Loving Book 2) (9 page)

“Ma’am we’re looking for a Juanita Gomez,”
Benjamin said as he glanced inside the house.

“Ain’t nothing in there
hombre
.” The woman
glared at them.

Shane observed her and could tell one thing, that
hard-core attitude she was displaying was fake. He turned and looked around the
shady neighborhood, curtains moved from the house next door and the neighbor
across the street coming out the house only to stare at them from afar. He
could sense that the woman was scared.

“Juanita don’t live here.”

There was this feeling in the pit of his stomach
that something wasn’t right with the lady standing in front of him. It’s like
she was afraid to talk to them. Red flags started to rise. He didn’t hear the
laughter of kids anymore.

“Do you know where we can find her?” Shane asked.

“I haven’t seen her in a few days,” she said with
her hands on her hips. “If you see my sister tell her, I know damn well she
didn’t lose her damn mind leaving her three kids here.”

“Does Juanita have any hangout spots?” Benjamin
asked.

“What’s your name?” Shane reached into his pocket
and pulled out a business card with his name and contact information.

“Victoria Gomez.” She rolled her eyes as Shane
handed her the card. “I don’t need the Texas Rangers gracing my front porch; I
don’t need people to think I’m some type of snitch.” Victoria stepped out the
house and looked around nervously.

“If Juanita shows up please let her know Rangers
McBride and St. Clair are looking for her,” Benjamin said as he took a step
back off the porch.

Victoria didn’t bother taking the card; she looked
at it with disgust. Walking into the house she evil-eyed Shane before slamming
the door.

Getting back in the car with Benjamin, they drove
down the block that gave them an excellent view of Juanita’s house. Shane sat
in the passenger seat watching the house, but he was also battling his feelings
for Jasmine, she was becoming his guilty pleasure that he was starting to dig.
A name echoed in his head “Max,” who the fuck is the man who Jasmine said was a
fixture in her life.

“I need some advice.” Shane looked over at
Benjamin chewing on beef jerky.

“Is it about the woman you spent lunch time with?”
Benjamin smiled.

“I’m starting to like her more with each passing
day,” he admitted as he continued to gaze at the house. “I want to pursue her,
but she had a friend.”

“Why kind of friend?” Benjamin frowned as bit off
another chunk of jerky.

“I don’t know.” Shane leaned his head back on the
head rest. “I haven’t dated a woman in over 16 years, and I’m not trying to
compete with this dude for her attention. Too old for that shit.”

“Damn you got some raw feelings for this chick if
you’re stressing about her,” Benjamin laughed. “Stop worrying about the other
man, if you’re interested in this mystery woman, show her. Make her forget
about this other dude.”

Shane was silent for a moment to allow Benjamin’s
advice to soak in. He was sitting here getting his best friend’s advice
regarding how to pursue his baby sister. For the past months, he allowed
himself to hem and haw because he felt like it was bad and he should be
apologizing for liking Jasmine. Shane wasn’t apologizing to anyone about what
he was doing with his life and it wasn’t anyone’s business who the hell he was
entertaining in his bed or love life.

I got your sister pregnant and we’re still having
sex. Not to mention I might be in love with her,
Shane wanted to say.
Instead of opening his mouth and spilling
the words out, he picked up
his Gatorade and swallowed the tangy orange taste of the liquid drink.

“How does she look? Do I know her?” Benjamin asked
with a slow grin on his face.

Shane breathed a sigh of relief when his partner’s
phone started to ring. He didn’t have to tell a lie now. He sat there and
listened to Benjamin and his wife have their normal couple spats that seemed to
be more frequents than ever. Picking up his cell phone Shane texted Jasmine.

Shane: How is everything is going at home?

Jasmine: Fine---^Picture mail of Jasmine and Shay
laying the bed.

Shane: Cute!!! Are you okay… no soreness?

Jasmine: I feel fine! Don’t worry
J

Shane: Telling me not to worry is an
understatement. Did you call the doctor?

Jasmine: Yes! I have an appointment for tomorrow
morning and the invitations for the party are done. I submitted them to
everyone on your list including mine.

Shane: There is no going backward….Are you ready?

Jasmine:
L
Heck no... I’m ready to move forward.

Shane: I’ll be home kind of late, but Margie, my
aunt and cook from the main house, will deliver dinner.”

Jasmine: Thank God… I was preparing for a Ramen
Noodle night for us.

Shane: LMAO! I’ll see you at home around 7 p.m. -
try to keep Shay up for me…Please….

Jasmine: Mama Bear needs to sleep when the cub is
sleeping.

Shane: Don’t worry I’ll be home to help… TTYL

Jasmine: Be safe.

***

Earlier in the day, Jasmine wanted to cry because
she’d wanted to take a shower desperately, especially after she had been peed,
pooped and vomited on. Shane had been her knight in shining armor when he
walked through the door for lunch. Her spirit and energy were renewed but now
she was totally depleted again. She felt like she needed to cry, not for the
baby but for herself. All she wanted was a good nap, shower and diapers that
didn’t leak when Shay went to the bathroom.

The knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and
the Housewives of Atlanta. Walking to the door, she opened it and stared at a
short, old, white woman with creamy skin, her grey hair was pulled back into a
bun. Jasmine’s eyes drifted to the casserole dish in the lady’s hand.

“Hello, you must be Jasmine. Shane told me all
about you.” Margie smiled and stepped into the house.

“Yes, he told me to expect you.” She followed the
woman to the kitchen, who appeared to know her way around the house.

Margie stopped in mid-walk to stare at the Shay in
the baby swing. “Oh my.” She had her hand over her mouth and glanced over at
Jasmine. “I’d know a set of McBride eyes and nose anywhere.”

Feeling like a deer caught in the headlights, all
she could do was nod her head up and down. “Shay Melody McBride.”

“Oh, my God,” Margie put the dish on the counter.
“This is my niece and ain’t nobody told me.”

Jasmine walked over and picked Shay up and held
her to her chest. “We were planning on telling everyone in four days at a
celebration party. Did you get your Facebook invite?”

“Facebook?” Margie looked at her in disbelief. “I
didn’t check no Facebook message. My sister is going to flip when she finds
out.”

“You’re not going…to tell her right?” Jasmine
asked. Maybe Shane calling Margie over was a huge mistake.

 “I don’t approve of the decision to keep
this gorgeous baby a secret,” Margie said in one those annoying babyish voices
as she crowded Jasmine’s personal space. “Baby, you have that look on your
face.”

Jasmine frowned at Margie. “What look?” She wanted
to run to the bathroom to see this
look
on her face.

“Sugar pie, I gave birth to five kids and can tell
you right now, the first three months is not a joke,” she chuckled. “Let me
wash my hands and I’ll take this little one for you.”

“I’m not sure,” Jasmine said, looking down at
Shay. No one else had ever held her daughter maybe that was the good part about
no one knowing anything about Shay, they didn’t have their family descending
down on them and wanting to hold her.

“Not a problem,” Margie said in an understanding
tone. “I was the same way with my first born, wouldn’t allow him out of my
sight. By your second one you will be begging someone to hold him or her.”

Jasmine nodded her head and sat down. “There won’t
be a second one anytime soon.”

Margie smiled and cleared her throat. “Becoming a
first-time parent is stressful. Be happy that you don’t have a house full of
friends and relatives putting their two cents in. Believe me when I say that my
mom and mother-in-law were always giving unsolicited advice.”

“Since you’re here, can I show you something?”
Jasmine stood up and walked to the bathroom and came back with a Ziploc bag.
“Her umbilical cord fell off…Do I have to do something special?”

“Awww, what did the doctor say?” Margie laughed. “I
bet you called her.”

“I did,” Jasmine admitted.

“Well, you can give this little one her first bath
after we rub alcohol around it,” Margie said.

“Maybe I do need help,” Jasmine confessed.

“Direct me to the baby items and we can tackle
bath time, she will sleep well tonight.” Margie stood up and obtain the
supplies; pink bath tub, baby washcloth and towel, and Johnson & Johnson
Baby Wash.

Jasmine started to coo softly as she undressed her
small baby, it still amazed her how little those tiny toes were and how soft
Shay’s skin was. By the time Margie placed the baby tub on the living room
table, Shane was walking through the front door.

“What’s going on?” he asked, looking from Jasmine
and then to the baby.

“We’re giving Shay a bath,” she said excitedly. “Her
umbilical cord fell off today.”

“What! Did you call the doctor?” Shane sanitized
his hands and plucked the baby from Jasmine’s arms.

“She’s fine,” Jasmine replied. “When it fell off I
checked on BabyCenter and I called the doctor who said it’s perfectly fine.”

“Did you send him a picture?” Shane asked.

“No.” She laughed when Shane pulled out his phone
and took a picture of Shay’s tummy.

“Shane McBride, did you send that picture to the
pediatrician?” Margie asked with her hands on her hips.

“Maybe we should take her to the hospital, Jazz go
get dressed. Why doesn’t our daughter have any clothes on?”

“Hold up.” Jazz grinned from ear to ear. It was
cute that Shane was being a tad bit overbearing. “Dr. Adan said Shay is
perfectly fine, as well as the baby blogs, and you’re in time for our
daughter’s first bath…Yippee!”

“You young folk and the baby books and blogs,”
Margie said, shaking her head. “Back in the olden days, we didn’t have books or
computers. Good old learn as you go.”

“OK,” Shane said reluctantly, but still sent the
picture to Dr. Adan anyway. Placing Shay on the blanket, he removed the diaper
until his darling baby girl was wearing only her birthday suit.

“I will sit back and teach from afar,” Margie
said.

Jasmine kneeled down next to Shane and took Shay
from his arms. She listened to Margie instructions and began to wash Shay’s
face first. Everything was going smoothly until they put Shay fully into the
lukewarm bath water. Shay wasn’t having it. Jasmine wanted to cry because her baby
was crying.

“It’s okay baby,” Shane said in a soft voice, as
he reached for his phone and took pictures and recorded the baby’s first bath.

It was so scary to bathe her baby for the first
time, especially handling a small bundle of joy that was wiggling, wet and
soapy. Somehow Jasmine mustered the confidence to get through bath time. They
worked together as a team; Shane dried Shay off and put her clothes on while
Jasmine took pictures.

“Thanks, Margie.” Jasmine hugged the woman who was
a lifesaver.

“Dearie, we’re family now call me Auntie Margie.
If I knew ahead of time, I would have been here to help out a long time ago.”
Margie smiled and patted her softly on the back.

“Shane can you feed Shay while I take a bath?”
Going to the refrigerator Jasmine pulled out a bottle of breast milk she pumped
a few hours ago. Placing the bottle under the hot water for a few minutes, she
handed it to Shane and went into her room.

Sitting on the sofa looking into Shay’s eyes as he
fed her, Shane could feel Margie eyes on him, he wondered how long he could
give his aunt the silent treatment before she asked him a million question
about his life with Jasmine.

“I like her,” Margie acknowledged as she sat on
the sofa next to him. “She is good for you.”

“You don’t know her to like her or to know if she
is good for me,” he said sharply.

“Did you know her eyes lit up when you walked into
the room? Or the fact that your eyes sparkle now?” Margie put her hand on his
knee. “Have you forgiven yourself?”

Shane knew what his aunt was hitting at. Sarah’s
death was a tragic accident and to this day, he felt like it was his fault.
Their marriage was crumbling down at their feet and he had a hard time coping.
Her death shattered his world. Shane was left with a gaping hole in his life.
The night his wife was killed, they had one of those arguments over the phone,
he was pulling an overnight on a case he was working. The last words he told
his wife was
“I want a divorce”.