by Olivia Snow
“No, it’s all right, you go along and sit down.” She smiled tightly. Oh, no she didn’t like me. She was pushing me away. How could Diesel want to be with me if his mother didn’t approve?
I nodded, but asked to go to the bathroom instead. I sat on the closed toilet for a moment, knowing it was time to go home. I had overstayed my welcome. If Diesel wasn’t ready to go back, I’d buy a ticket and fly home, no problem. Quietly walking to the kitchen, I stopped in the hallway as I heard the family arguing. Shit, do I stay or do I go back to the bathroom?
“What the hell have you gotten yourself into, boy?” Grace snapped.
“What do you mean, Momma?” Diesel asked.
“Do you not know who her momma is?”
“I know who her parents are, Momma, it’ll be all right.”
“Diesel, I’ve never asked you for anythin’. I let you live your life the way you wanted. You’re a man now, so you do as you see fit, but I am askin’ you to let that girl go.”
I held my hand to my mouth, ready to storm out the house until I heard Diesel speak.
“No, Momma, I’m sorry, but I can’t. I love her.”
“No, son, that ain’t love, that’s lust. She’s a beautiful girl and you’re a man, you has needs, but it ain’t love.”
“No offense, momma, but I’m not taking relationship advise from you.”
Carson slammed his hand on the table making me jump. “Don’t talk to your momma like that, boy, you were raised better than that.”
“This doesn’t concern you, Unc.”
“The hell it doesn’t, she’s my sister, it’s my job to protect her.”
Diesel let out a cackle. “Oh, you want to protect her now? Where were you ten years ago when she was getting tossed around like a rag doll, huh? You sure as hell weren’t here. I was, I was protecting her, I’m the one who has the wire in his jaw from that punk bitch we call daddy, not you! I’ve given a lot up for this family, not because you asked but because I love ya’ll, because it was my job as the eldest to watch out for y’all after Gage left, and I have never asked for anythin’ in return, but now I’m askin’. I love her, no one has made me this happy, and so y’all could either support me on this or move aside.”
Oh, Diesel, don’t do this.
“Well, I’ll be damned. I never thought you would choose pussy over this family, boy. It must be good, maybe I should get me some of that, too?”
I turned into the kitchen just in time to see Diesel tackle Carson and sit on top of him, punching his face. His mother and I screamed as Axel gripped his arms, trying to get him off their uncle.
“No! Diesel, don’t do this!” his mother screamed, but that wasn’t stopping him.
Carson shielded himself from the blows; I wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t want to hurt his nephew, or if he was afraid fighting back would make Diesel hit him harder. Frantically, I kneeled on the floor next to him, gripping his face. I turned him to me. His eyes were wild, filled with anger, but they softened a bit as he looked at my grief stricken face, unshed tears puddled at the edges of my eyes.
He blinked, inhaling a sharp breath before dropping his hands. Axel was now able to pull him off Carson. They both stumbled back, Axel from Diesel’s heavy form and Diesel from the image of his uncle laying on the floor covered in blood and his mother crying, shielding her sobs with her hands over her mouth.
“Come on,” he said, crooking his finger at me before shrugging off his brother.
“No, baby, you’re not running.” I shook my head. “I’m not letting you.”
Grace, Axel, and Diesel looked at me like I had said something monumental.
Grace inhaled deeply before drying off her tears and looking down at Carson. “You apologize to them or get out of my house.”
“Gracie, you’re going to let him beat me like that? You’re going to take up for this uppity little slut?”
Diesel tried to move Axel out of his way, but before he could, I stepped in front of him.
“I’m not letting him talk about you like that!” he shouted by way of explanation. I stayed quiet, shaking my head as I caressed his face, trying to calm him.
“Get out!” Grace yelled as she marched toward Carson, a frying pan in her hand. Carson’s eyes widened before he scrambled to his feet. He grabbed his keys, giving Diesel and Axel a dirty look before he exited.
Grace laid the frying pan back on the counter and smiled tightly at us before retreating to her room. Both Diesel and Axel turned to go after her, and my heart squeezed at the sight of how much her sons loved her. I stopped them before they could leave the kitchen.
“Why don’t you two take a breather? I’ll go back and make sure she’s okay.”
“No offense, darlin’, but you ain’t Momma’s favorite person right now,” Axel said. Diesel glared at his little brother, but Axel just shrugged and said, “It’s true.”
“It’s all right, I’ll just make sure she’s okay. Okay?” I asked Diesel, and he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Sure, baby.”
***
“Mrs. Knox?” I asked softly, knocking on the door before opening it. She was sitting on the edge of her bed looking out the large window that faced the back of the house toward the woods.
“This is my momma’s house, you know.” She sniffled. I didn’t get close to her, I just closed the door behind me and leaned against it. “She died soon after Carson was born, my daddy was never ‘round so I raised that boy like he was my own,” She grunted before continuing. “Maybe sometimes I treated him too much like one of my own, I babied that boy like you wouldn’t believe.” Turning her body, she faced me, “so you can understand how badly this feels.”
My heart hurt for this woman; life had handed her a crappy set of cards, so it was no wonder her boys treated her with such kindness. I bit down on my trembling lip as I made my way to her. She smiled warmly before taking my hands.
“It’s not your fault, sweetheart,” she said. Without thinking, I hugged her tightly for raising such a wonderful man, for being so warm and loving toward me even though it was apparent she had reservations about my mother. Grace hugged me back. “I’m sorry for being so cold toward you. I couldn’t punish you for the things your momma did.” I froze before pulling back.
“Mrs. Knox?”
“Grace.”
“Grace,” I continued. “Can you tell me what she did?”
Grace shook her head, then looked down. “No, sweetheart, she’s your momma. I’m not going to tell you any details about her life here in Noble.”
“Please, I want to know.”
She released my hand before nodding. “Your momma had a tough life growing up. Your granddaddy, he wasn’t the nicest man, and your grandmother never did anything to protect her children. Growing up she took care of your aunt Roseanne like it was her job in life. It wasn’t until they grew up and your momma got a taste for money that things changed. Roseanne started dating a boy from Oklahoma City she met at a football game. That boy came from a wealthy family. And Cindy, well, she wanted what Rosie had.
“That continued until Cindy found someone with more money, and that’s what she did, it didn’t matter if the man was married she got what she wanted. She always did, sometimes she would just seduce a man to see if she could.” She scoffed and I got the feeling my mother had been involved in her marriage at one time. “Your mother is a very manipulative person and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. I can see you are nothing like her. I can see why my Diesel has fallen for you so hard and so fast. But I have to ask, Vanessa, please don’t continue to lead him on if this is not serious and you’re not willing to fight for him…because we both know your mother will not approve of this.”
“I love him,” I said, gripping her hands.
Grace smiled warmly, tightening her hold on my hands; she understood. After stepping out of her room, Grace and her sons hugged and kissed before Diesel asked if I was ready to go home. I didn’t wa
nt to leave now that Grace and I had talked. She was warm and inviting; being here felt right. Still, I did need to get back to Colorado and I did miss Ava. I wanted to tell her about my short weekend in Oklahoma and the things Diesel and I did.
We packed our things and said goodbye to Axel and Grace with a promise of coming back. Diesel and I took turns driving; in between we talked and laughed, getting to know each other better. He loved to tease me; his new favorite thing was making me pout.
As we got closer and closer to Denver, my stomach roiled with nervousness. It was time to face reality, and this time I was going to stand up for what I wanted. I wasn’t letting Diesel go. Mother would have to try her damnedest because he wasn’t going anywhere.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Vanessa
The apartment still didn’t feel like home, only like I was meant to be here temporarily. Diesel set our bags down next to the front door as I closed it, locking it behind us. I called for Ava. Her bedroom door was closed. I started to knock, but stopped when I realized she was busy with the professor.
“What’s going on?” Diesel asked.
I shushed him, pulling him in the direction of my room. “She’s busy.”
“Oh.” His mouth formed into a perfect O. I giggled at the face he made; it was a mixture of disgust, and acknowledgment.
“You’re cute, I think I’ll keep you.” I smiled, biting down on my bottom lip.
“You think?” His gaze dropped to my lips, and he slowly stepped in my direction, pressing me against my closed bedroom door.
“Yeah, jury’s still out.” My voice lowered to a husky whisper.
“I see, what can I do to make up your mind?” He caged me in, pressing his palms against the door behind me, and the tone he had taken nearly made me forget to think or breathe.
“Oh, I think what you’re doing now is a good start.”
“Is it now?” He nipped the thin skin between my jawbone and neck. I gasped, bringing my hands to his thick arms and dug my fingers into them.
“Mm-hmm,” I whimpered.
“Let’s take a shower. I want to get you all nice and wet,” he whispered.
“I think I’m nice and wet already.”
Diesel hissed, muttering, “fuck,” before he picked me up, draping me over his shoulder. I squealed as he smacked my behind before opening the door to the bathroom.
***
My palms were plastered on the shower wall as Diesel slipped in and out of me from behind. I was close and so was he, I could tell by his grunts. He caressed my back from the top of my neck to the curve of my backside.
“God, I love you.” He groaned.
“Diesel, oh God, Diesel, baby…I’m going to come.” My muscles tightened around him as he picked up the speed, and I knew I was seconds away from combusting.
“Oh, Vanessa, oh baby, oh fuck, fuck!” His orgasm ripped through me and mine squeezed him into oblivion. He rested his forehead on my back; I hadn’t even realized he was in that position. Slowly, as I straightened myself out, he trailed kisses from the middle of my back to my shoulder. Turning around, I gripped his face, planting a kiss on his mouth.
“I love you too.”
Out of the shower squeaky-clean Diesel wrapped a white towel around me, he tugged on it bringing me closer to his face as he feathered a sweet kiss on my lips. I grinned, the feeling of contentment washing over me. As I walked out into my bedroom, my phone flashed vibrating on the nightstand. My happiness evaporated as I saw Mother flash on the screen. I showed it to Diesel, placing my finger on my lips, silently asking him to be quiet. I cleared my throat before swiping the screen to answer.
“I’ve called you three times, Vanessa. What in God’s name are you doing?” I wasn’t sure what she was implying; if she found out that I went to Oklahoma or about Stellen or just asking in general.
“I was in the shower, Mother.” I didn’t bother hiding my annoyance.
“We are having the Webb’s over for dinner this evening. You and Ava are asked to attend.”
“Huh?” I was surprised she wanted Ava there.
“You heard me Vanessa, the entire family will be there. I am also sending Lollie and her team over to style you and your cousin.” What? Wait, what was going on? We only needed Lollie when we were going to a charity event or some big gala.
“Mother, I need to speak to you. It’s important.” I said looking at Diesel. He smiled knowingly.
“Vanessa, do what I ask for once in your life without any lip, girl.” There went the twang. She was pissed. I swallowed hard feeling the hold she had on me tightened.
“Yes, Mother” I whispered, she hung up without a goodbye.
“Errg!” I yelled gripping my phone before throwing it on the bed.
“What did she say?”
“For me to do as she asked for once in my life without any lip. Can you believe that? I’ve never sassed her back. Like ever!”
“Come here.” He grabbed my shoulders pressing me to his chest, I inhaled his natural scent it centered me and my determination was back.
“I’m still going to tell her, Diesel.” I mumbled against his skin.
“I know baby, I know you will.” He didn’t sound so sure and that killed me because I’ve never really given him a reason to fully believe in the things I said. But I was, I was going to the stupid dinner and telling her I wasn’t living this way anymore, I was living for me now and not for her. Suddenly, there was a crash of pots and I knew Ava and Maxwell had come out to breathe.
“Come on, I want you to meet Maxwell.”
“The Beard?” he asked. I laughed and nodding.
“Yeah, the Beard.”
Maxwell and Ava were busy making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.
“You are back,” she said, hugging me. I squeezed her back as the boys introduced themselves.
Breaking our embrace, I noticed something different about Ava—a cupful of difference. Either she was wearing a water bra, which seemed ridiculous because she was already well endowed, or her shirt made the difference, only she was wearing a black tank top so I didn’t think that was it.
“Ava, your boobs are huge.” I stared at the girls, then back at her. She looked scared and nervous which made me feel the same; I mean, this was Ava, nothing fazed her.
Maxwell came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders; she immediately sank into him. I smiled at the fact that he was reassuring her and she was letting him.
“Maybe we could sit down, Peaches?” he said into her ear.
“Yeah.” She swallowed. “Let’s sit down.” Once we were all comfortable, she dropped the bomb. “I’m pregnant.”
I gaped. “How, if you’re on birth control? You have been for years!”
Diesel gripped my hand silently, reminding me to relax, to breathe. This wasn’t about me, it was about Ava.
“Right,” I whispered, agreeing with him.
“The doctor said three in one thousand women get pregnant while on Depo-Provera. Even the best forms of birth control can fail on rare occasions. I guess I’m one of the lucky ones.” She said lucky like she really meant it before looking up at Maxwell; he returned her loving gaze. Even under the circumstances, and her age, they looked so much in love and ecstatic about the news. Standing up, I pulled her to me.
“If you’re happy, then so am I, and we’re having a baby!” I squealed, squeezing her. Everyone laughed as the doorbell rang.
“Who’s that?” Ava asked.
“That would be Lollie the stylist and her glam squad. We are expected to attend a family dinner at Mother and Daddy’s new condo.”
Ava let out an exaggerated sigh before turning to Maxwell. “Want to come to a fancy party?”
“Peaches, I’d go anywhere with you.”
“Ugh, enough of the mushy shit,” she exclaimed.
We all laughed as she squealed when Maxwell swatted her behind. Even pregnant Ava was still Ava.
***
Ava and I
got ready in my bedroom since there was a bathroom inside. She had asked Lollie to get a suit for Maxwell, and like the glam fairy she was she was able to get one with Maxwell’s exact fit in a matter of minutes. Diesel was a little disappointed that he wasn’t able to come, but he said he understood. I didn’t know what mother would do to him or what she would say in front of everyone, so I thought it best for him to meet me at his apartment afterward.
He sat in the living room with Maxwell while Ava and I got ready. Ava stood in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting her dress. She looked beautiful in an emerald green A-line that had a slit that ran all the way up her thigh. The capped sleeves made it look innocent, even though the dress was very sexy. Not to mention the way it was plastered on her curves.
Her hair was curled into big waves and she looked like a 1950s movie star. I opted to go for a black mermaid style dress with a sweetheart neckline. Santiago made my light brown eyes pop with smoky silver and black make-up. Ava kept her make-up simple and natural. She was glowing, and I wasn’t sure if it was the pregnancy, the fact that she was actually wearing something other than black, or that she was just happy.
“You hear that?” Ava asked, turning to look at me.
“What?” I asked, trying to figure out what I was supposed to be hearing.
“His laughing, he’s cracking up. Diesel has been laughing.” She smiled. “I didn’t think they’d get along.”
I grinned. “Everyone loves Diesel, that’s just the kind of person he is.”
Ava grunted. “Yeah, not like my Dark Smolder. He’s a grumpy old man.”
I laughed, and Santiago frowned as he looked over at Ava. “That delicious specimen of a man is yours?”
“Hell yeah, he’s mine. I got a bun in the oven to prove it.” She winked. I rolled my eyes.
Santiago snapped his fingers. “Get ‘em, girl.”
“That’s right, honey.” Ava smacked her ass before returning to the mirror.
Dear God. Ava and I had to fight off our men to let us leave the apartment. I promised Diesel I’d return to him in the exact form I was in and he could tear the dress off of me like he said he wanted to. Mother had arranged for a driver to pick us up from the apartment. I kissed Diesel goodbye before he opened the door of the black SUV.