“Mama?” Toby said, hurt and disbelief making him sound like a ten year old.
“Who is he?” Eli asked, his voice very much the grown up’s. His anger was thick enough to smell.
Margo brought her hands up to rub her temples. “What am I going to do with you boys?”
“Try telling us the truth,” Alex said.
“What’s the big deal?” Sienna asked, moving to flank Margo’s side.
“That’s what I want to know,” Monica said, moving to Margo’s left.
Renee decided to stay right where she had been planted for the past five minutes.
“The big deal is I don’t want some guy thinking he can come in and replace Pop, that’s what!” Toby said.
“Toby, be real,” Sienna shot at him.
“You’re just saying that because there’s no guy coming in trying to replace your dad,” Toby countered.
“I’m not having this conversation to night,” Margo announced. “You’re right, Toby, I don’t have a boyfriend. I’m going to live the rest of my life in my little house all alone. Is that what you all want to hear?”
Alex reached for her, but Margo jerked her arm away. “No, I’m going to bed. I want to be bright eyed and refreshed when my middle child starts the rest of his life tomorrow.”
She took off down the hallway. Eli went after her, but Monica grabbed the hem of his shirt.
“I can’t just let her go off like that,” Eli said.
Ignoring him, Monica pushed Eli toward his brothers, then faced the three of them. Pointing to the bedrooms where a door had just slammed, Monica said, “That woman has lived her entire life for you three. If she is seeing someone, it’s her business. What makes any of you think you have a right to question whether she’s chosen to start dating again?”
“You’re still new to this family,” Toby said. “How you gonna tell us what to do about our mama?”
Eli started to speak, but Monica stopped him. “You want to know just how much I can tell you about your own mother?” she asked Toby. “What did she do last week that she’s been waiting to do for the last five years? Huh? Any clue?”
The scuffle of feet shifting was the only sound in the room.
“Did you know she was up for head deaconess at her church?” Monica continued. “Or that she was recognized by the head of the Neighborhood Watch Association for her work on the board? Well?” Monica asked when Toby remained silent. “Come on, Toby. You’ve been a part of this family for nearly thirty years, you should know this about your own mother, right?
“That’s what I thought,” she said as Toby looked anywhere but at Monica. “When was the last time your mother confided in you? In any of you,” she practically roared at the three men who towered over her.
She walked up to Toby, getting right in his face. Renee felt like cheering.
“I may be new to this family, but Margo feels more comfortable sharing what’s going on in her life with me than she does with any of you. And do you know why? Because I treat her like a person, and not somebody who’s there to fix dinner, or do my laundry, or be a babysitter,” she said, thumping Toby, Eli, and Alex in the chest with her finger.
“Tomorrow is my wedding, and I swear, if there is even an ounce of tension in the air from what happened here to night, I’m going to kill each one of you. Starting with you.” She pointed at Eli.
He held up his hands. “I was about to defend you, baby.”
“I don’t need you to defend me. I need the three of you to act like men and not a bunch of little boys.”
Even with the suffocating unease saturating the air, Renee couldn’t help but notice how good Alex looked when he was being chastised.
“If you would just tell us what you know, we wouldn’t be in the dark about what’s happening with Mama,” Alex said.
“If there is anything to tell, it is not my place to tell it,” Monica said. “Apparently, your mother doesn’t feel comfortable talking to any of you. Maybe you should think about what that says about your relationship with your own mother,” she threw at Toby. She took a deep breath. “I’m tired, and I don’t want bags under my eyes when I get married tomorrow.”
Monica turned and headed for the hallway that led to the master suite.
“You see why I love that woman?” Eli said, taking off after her.
Toby claimed all the arguing had worked up his appetite, and he and Sienna headed for the kitchen, leaving Renee with a very weary looking Alex. She wasn’t sure how to approach him. The last time they’d talked about this subject, he had not agreed with her assessment. And since her stance had not changed, she figured he wasn’t up for rehashing the conversation.
Renee put her arms round him and placed her head on his chest. “Would it really be so bad if your mother had a boyfriend?”
“I’m starting to suspect it’s no longer a question of if, but rather who,” Alex answered. “I just want to make sure she’s not being taken advantage of,” he said.
“Is that it?”
She felt him shrug. “I’d be lying if I say I don’t feel a bit of betrayal on behalf of Pop.”
“He’s been dead for a long time, Alex. From what you’ve told me about him, your father loved your mother very much. Do you really think he would want her to live the rest of her life alone?”
He sighed deeply, his chest bellowing out underneath her cheek. “If Mama is seeing someone it’s going to take me a while to come to terms with it,” he said.
“But you will eventually, right?”
“Maybe,” he said. Renee had to laugh at his stubbornness.
“Think of it this way. How would you feel if Jasmine had reacted to the news that we were dating the same way you’re reacting to your mother?”
“Actually, this is how I had expected Jasmine to react,” he reminded her.
“Yet she was smart enough to accept that you could move on after her mother’s death. Don’t you think it’s a little ridiculous that a six year old can be more open minded than a thirty eight year old?”
“Which answer will make you more inclined to jump into bed with me?” Alex asked.
“That’s going to happen no matter what,” she laughed.
“In that case, I defer answering until I’m able to concentrate on something other than getting you naked,” he said. Dipping his head low, he touched his lips to hers and guided her to their room.
Chapter Twenty
“The ceremony was beautiful,” Renee said, pulling Alex in and delivering a quick kiss to his lips. “And you, sir, are looking extremely fine in that suit. You almost outshine the groom.”
“Almost?” Alex asked.
“That smile Eli had on his face from the moment he saw Monica walking up the aisle is pretty hard to beat,” she said.
Alex glanced over to where his brother and new sister in law rocked slowly in each other’s arms as Aria sang Eli’s surprise to Monica, a song Toby had written especially for her. A giant sinkhole could swallow up the rest of the guests; Alex doubted Eli or Monica would notice.
“I just hope their marriage lasts,” Alex murmured.
“What makes you think it won’t?”
He shrugged. “I was happy on my wedding day, too.” Alex felt a pang of regret, and a mea sure of guilt, for comparing his brother’s marriage to his own. It wasn’t fair, especially to Monica, who was nothing like his dead wife.
“I haven’t had the most ideal model of a strong, loving marriage, either, Alex, but I have to believe it does exist.”
“I know it does,” he said. “As long as the two people are willing to work hard at it, marriage can be a beautiful thing. I saw it with my own parents.”
“Is it something you would consider trying again?” Renee asked.
Alex’s first instinct was to shout no since he’d claimed for so long that he would never remarry. But he wasn’t as averse to the idea as he had been just a few months ago. Funny how one woman could change his entire perspective.
; “I would,” Alex finally answered. He reached across the table and trailed his thumb across the rise of her hand. “When the time is right, I want to get married again.”
“The time and the woman would have to be right, wouldn’t it?” Renee asked.
“I’m not worried about finding the right woman,” he said. “Not anymore.”
Her mouth creased in a smile.
“Daddy!” Jasmine ran up to the small round table he and Renee had occupied for the last half hour.
“Hey, Pumpkin.” Alex turned his legs so that he could scoop her up and plant her on his lap.
“Jasmine, you were the cutest flower girl I’ve ever seen,” Renee said.
“I practiced throwing the flowers,” Jasmine answered.
“Well, it showed. You were excellent.”
“What do we say when someone gives us a compliment?” Alex asked.
Jasmine straightened her back and announced in a prim voice that echoed Margo Holmes, “Thank you. You are too kind.”
“You are very welcome,” Renee said with a crack of laughter.
“Daddy, can I go swimming?”
“You can’t swim in the middle of your uncle’s reception.”
“But why? Everybody is out here by the pool, anyway.”
“Why’s my Rosebud frowning?” Eli asked, coming up to their table.
“I want to swim, but Daddy said I can’t because you and Auntie Monica are still having the wedding.”
“The wedding is over. They’re still having their reception,” Alex corrected.
“A pool party reception doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” Eli said. “Baby!” he called out in Monica’s direction. She left the buffet table where Nia and Phillip stood.
“Yes?” Monica asked, kissing Eli square on the mouth.
“What do you say we ditch these clothes for swimsuits and liven up this party?”
“You want to swim at your wedding reception?” Monica asked with more than a bit of skepticism.
“Why not?” Eli asked. “That sound good to you, Calla Lily?”
“Yeah!” Jasmine cheered, pumping her fist in the air and nearly knocking Alex in the jaw. It was amazing how this little girl still managed to get her way.
“Sounds good to me, too,” Monica said. She turned and clapped her hands. “Listen up, everybody. We’re changing into our suits and bringing this party into the pool.”
Jasmine hopped off Alex’s lap and dashed into the house. She was followed by all of the adults, save for himself, Renee, and his mother, who sat just at the edge of the pool area, looking out at the small waves that were crashing onto shore.
Renee must have noticed where his eyes had roamed. She tapped him on the arm. “Why don’t you go talk to her?” she encouraged.
“Do I have to?” Alex muttered, knowing he sounded like a coward, but not caring.
“Go on, Alex. I’m going to go in and change.”
She rose from the table, but Alex caught her by the wrist and pulled her to him before she took a step. He reined her in for a swift kiss. He tried to let her go, but Renee deepened the kiss, dragging it out for a few seconds longer.
“I really love doing that,” she said.
“Not as much as I do,” Alex told her.
He let her go, but could not make himself move away from the table until she’d entered through the glass doors. He was falling in love with this woman in a really bad way. After just a couple of days of sleeping next to her, Alex wasn’t sure he would be able to sleep alone again. That was really, really bad. They had not discussed to any great detail how things between them would change, if at all, once they got back to New Orleans. But it had to change. Alex couldn’t go back to the way things were.
Alex tabled thoughts of Renee and the state of their relationship. Looking over at his mother, who was in the same position she’d held since the ceremony ended, Alex swallowed the lump of guilt that had settled in his throat. He bore a share of the blame for the sadness on Mama’s face. She had not enjoyed Eli’s wedding day the way she should have. She’d pretended well enough. Anyone who didn’t know her would have thought Mama the epitome of the proud mother of the groom. But Alex knew better. Last night’s argument had cast a pall over her day, and because of him and his brothers, Mama would never get a chance to bask in the joy she should have been feeling as her middle son walked down the aisle.
Alex strode up to where his mother stood and leaned his elbows on the white, waist high stone wall that separated the pool area from the private beach.
“What’s his name, Mama?” Alex opened, figuring it best to get straight to the point.
She paused for a moment, then on a tiny breath said, “Gerald.”
Alex acknowledged the shot of betrayal that came with the confirmation that she had, indeed, found a man to replace Pop.
“How long have you been seeing him?” he asked.
“Seven months,” she answered.
“That long?” Alex couldn’t keep the shock from seeping out of his voice. His mother had been lying to them for all those months. “You thought you couldn’t tell us about him?”
She turned, the level of animosity in her eyes topping anything Alex had ever witnessed. “You have the nerve to ask me that after last night?”
“That’s not fair, Mama,” Alex said. “You said you were staying in because you were tired. You lied to us.”
“What’s not fair is the way I’ve been treating Gerald, all because I was too afraid of how the other people in my life would react to the thought of me dating again. Well, you know what, Alex, I don’t care anymore. I. Don’t. Care. I’m in love with Gerald, and I’m not hiding it anymore.”
“Hold on.” Alex put his hand up, as if it could halt the words his mother had just spoken, because he surely had not just heard her say she was in love with some man no one in the family had yet to meet. “You’re moving too fast,” Alex said.
“I’m sixty years old,” she said. “I think I’ve lived long enough to know how to pace myself.”
“You don’t want to jump into anything too soon with this guy.”
“How do you feel about Renee?” she threw at him, catching Alex completely off guard.
“What does that have to do with you and this Gerald guy?”
“You’re in love with her,” his mother said with a certainty that made it hard for Alex to deny. “Even if you’re not ready to acknowledge it yet doesn’t mean it’s not true. I see it in the way you act around her, Alex. If you can be in love with Renee after only knowing her a few months, what makes you think my feelings for Gerald are any less real?
“I’m tired of sneaking around,” she continued. “If you boys can’t deal with the fact that I’ve found someone else to love, then that’s your problem, not mine.”
“What about Pop?” Alex asked.
She threw her hands up and sighed. “He’s dead, Alex.” She reached over and patted his forearm, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I loved Wesley so much that after all these years all I have to do is say his name and my world just lights up. I will never love another man as much as I loved your father.” She put her palm against his cheek and nudged his head so she could look him in the eye. “But I still have my own life to live. I don’t plan on going anywhere for a very long time, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my days on this earth alone. “And before you say it, having you three boys and your families is not enough. I deserve to find my own happiness. And I have. With Gerald.”
Alex was about to speak when the glass door opened and Toby and Sienna came out of the house dressed in their swimsuits. They were quickly followed by Jasmine, Nia, Ashley, Monica, Eli, and Aria. Phillip came out in cargo shorts and a T-shirt.
“Alex?”
He turned back to face his mother, and for the first time in a very long while saw her as something other than Mama. She was Margo Holmes, a healthy, outgoing woman, who Alex prayed to God had many years left with her family.
“I hope you
and your brothers can be happy for me,” Mama continued. “But whether you are or not, you will have to accept Gerald in my life,” she said.
The thought caused a sour taste to form in Alex’s mouth, but those words had not been a threat. This man was a part of their new reality.
“I guess we don’t have a choice,” Alex said.
“Yes, you do,” she answered.
“If it’s a question of being a part of your life or not, then no, there is no choice. If this Gerald makes you happy, we’re all going to learn to accept him,” he said, feeling no compunction at answering for his brothers. Even if he had to force them into compliance the way he did when they were kids, Alex would make sure Toby and Eli supported their mother.
“Thank you,” she said, pulling him down and kissing his cheek. “I didn’t need your blessing, but I wanted it.”
Alex nodded, even though a part of him wanted to take it all back. It was that part of him that wished things could go back to the way they were when Pop was still alive. But they couldn’t go there. Things change. Life goes on.
“I’m going to make an effort to accept Gerald, Mama. A true effort.”
“I know you will,” she said, her face lighting up with the first genuine smile Alex had seen from her today. “Are you getting in the water?”
“Nah, I’ll just sit on the sidelines and watch, as usual,” he answered.
“Are you sure? I would rethink that if I were you,” she said, motioning with her chin.
Alex turned fully and noticed what had caught his mother’s eye. Renee had just come out of the house, dressed in a chocolate and cream one piece bathing suit that was sexier on her than the skimpiest bikini on your average supermodel.
It took him a moment to catch his breath.
Mama laughed. “She’s so good for you, Alex.”
“I know.” He nodded.
“I’m going inside to make a phone call,” Mama said. “I think you should come in and change into your swim trunks. It’s supposed to be a party, remember?”
“Only if you join in the party, too,” Alex said.
“Give me about a half hour,” Mama said. “I think I’ll be in more of a party mood.”
Rescue Me Page 28