Still Loving You

by Sheryl Lister

  “Welcome to our home, Lauren,” Siobhan said, embracing her. “This is my husband, Justin, our daughter, Nyla, and the newest member of our family and the reason for this celebration, Christian.”

  Lauren smiled at the little girl and boy staring her way. The fact that Christian was older than Nyla and had been referred to as the newest member had her thinking that they’d adopted him. “Hi, Siobhan. They’re adorable.” She didn’t remember Siobhan being so open and relaxed and wondered if it had to do with the handsome man at her side and her children.

  Justin placed a kiss on her cheek. “Nice to finally meet you, Lauren. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  Lauren glanced at Malcolm over her shoulder. What had he told his family? “Same here. You guys have a lovely home.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “Make yourself comfortable.”

  She noted the curious gazes of two women she had yet to meet, but guessed they were Brandon and Khalil’s wives. They came toward her with smiles, introducing themselves—Faith was married to Brandon and Lexia to Khalil—then steered Lauren over to where they had been seated. Brandon and Khalil greeted Lauren with hugs.

  “What’s up, Lauren?” Omar asked.

  “Hey, Omar.”

  He glared at Morgan, and she reluctantly mumbled a greeting.

  Trying to remain friendly, Lauren asked, “When’s your baby due?”

  “Next month.”

  “Congratulations. I hope all goes well.”

  “Thank you.”

  Omar kissed Morgan on her temple and smiled. “Thanks, Lauren.”

  She made small talk with Lexia and Faith and found out that Lexia owned a café and Faith was the vice president of the Grays’ home safety company and worked as a website designer. Both women suggested they meet for lunch sometime, but Lauren didn’t commit because she had no idea how her relationship with Malcolm would play out. Still weighing heavily on her mind was the bombshell he’d dropped about them going public.

  After playing with his niece and nephew, Malcolm finally made his way to where she sat and handed her a bottle of green tea. “See, I told you it would be okay.”

  Lauren accepted the bottle, mumbled a thank-you and rolled her eyes.

  “What?” he asked with a little laugh.

  “You should’ve warned me...and them that you were bringing me.”

  Malcolm regarded her thoughtfully. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  She met his sincere gaze. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because I didn’t think you’d come, and I really wanted you here.” He ran a gentle finger down her cheek and kissed her.

  Why is he doing this? she wailed inwardly. Before she could question him further, Khalil came over.

  “Okay, you lovebirds. Y’all save all that for later.”

  Lauren felt her face warm.

  Malcolm snorted. “I know you’re not talking, as many times as I caught you and Lex—”

  Lexia jumped up. “It’s time to eat. I’m going to start setting everything out.” She grabbed Khalil’s hand. “Come help me.”

  “And make sure that’s all you two are doing,” Malcolm called out.

  Khalil turned back and smiled. “No promises.” He tossed Lauren a bold wink and followed his wife into the kitchen.

  For the first time, she saw that he wore a hearing aid and vowed to ask Malcolm about it later.

  Once the food had been laid out, everyone gathered around and held hands while Mr. Gray blessed the food and offered a prayer of thanksgiving for Christian coming into their lives. After a rousing amen, everyone filled their plates and sat around eating and talking.

  Lauren watched the men interact with their wives and felt a twinge of envy. Anyone would be able to see the love flowing between the couples. She tried to concentrate on her food and not worry about the possibility of her and Malcolm never having the same thing.

  “What’s on your mind, sweetheart?” Malcolm whispered.

  “Nothing. Your brothers really love their wives.”

  He scanned the room. “Yeah, they do. But none of them had an easy path to get to this point. They put in the work, and even though they messed up a few times, they stuck it out.”

  Did that mean he wanted the same for them, and were his feelings deeper than he’d let on? She really wanted to find out, but this wasn’t the time or place. When she finished, Lauren rose to take her empty plate to the trash. Morgan was in the kitchen, and Lauren braced herself for a confrontation.

  “I don’t want you to hurt my brother again.”

  She sighed. “Morgan, I don’t plan to hurt your brother. I didn’t plan to the last time, either, but youth and listening to friends caused me to lose a good man.”

  Surprise lit Morgan’s eyes. “What do you mean?”

  “Let’s just say I was already insecure, and all it took was hearing a couple of horror stories from my friends who’d dated athletes. Don’t tell me you’ve never made a mistake before.”

  “Yeah, I have.” She paused as if remembering. “How do you feel about my brother?”

  “I love Malcolm. I don’t think I never stopped,” she said wryly.

  “Have you told him?”

  “No, and please don’t say anything.”

  Morgan folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. “You don’t want me to say anything to him, yet you’re admitting it to me. Why?”

  “Because you’re the only one who’s convinced I have ulterior motives...and I don’t.” Lauren held Morgan’s gaze unflinchingly.

  “Morgan, Lauren...what’s going on? Morgan, you aren’t...” Malcolm divided a wary gaze between them.

  Morgan waved him off. “We’re fine. Stop worrying.” She rounded the bar and kissed his cheek. Giving Lauren a nod, she departed.

  “Are you sure nothing happened?” he asked, searching Lauren’s face.

  “Positive.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him back into the family room. She only hoped he hadn’t heard any of her conversation with Morgan. Especially the part about her loving him.

  * * *

  Malcolm kept an eye on Lauren for the rest of the afternoon. He didn’t believe for one minute that nothing had transpired between her and Morgan. His twin had made it clear on several occasions how she felt about Lauren, and he didn’t think she had changed her mind overnight. But he was pleased by how the rest of his family treated her. He hadn’t intended to ask her to accompany him because, in his mother’s eyes, it would be tantamount to an announcement of permanency, but he’d wanted her with him. Maybe the thought of being the only single person had prompted the invitation. As Lauren had pointed out, it was hard to miss the love between all the couples, and today, for reasons he couldn’t explain, he didn’t want to be the odd man out.

  He studied Lauren as she talked to Faith. She took a sip from her water bottle and licked her lips. The sight instantly conjured up images of that little impromptu session at her house earlier. His groin stirred, and Malcolm tried to shift his thoughts to something else, otherwise every person in the room would get an eyeful. He couldn’t believe what she’d done. And that little thing she did—sucking him deep into her mouth while her tongue made circles around his shaft—always drove him out of his mind. He had no idea how she did it, but no other woman had come close to making him feel the way she did.

  Brandon came to where Malcolm stood. “Those must be some thoughts, baby bro.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Sure you do. It’s the same look I have when I want to make love to my wife. Just ask Khalil, Omar or Justin. They know. Seems like your feelings for Lauren are a little stronger than what you want us to believe.”

  Malcolm eyed him. “What makes you think that?”

  Brandon chuckled. “The fact that you brought her to a family gathering, for
one. And, for another, your emotions are all over your face. Better hope Mom hasn’t seen it.” He started humming the wedding march quietly.

  A wave of panic hit him, and he searched out his mother. He relaxed upon seeing her playing with her grandchildren. He met Brandon’s smug gaze and wanted to punch him.

  Still chuckling, Brandon clapped him on the shoulder. “Let me know if you want to talk about it. I’ll be more than happy to help you out with this thing called love. Although, since you’ve been there before with Lauren...”

  Malcolm shrugged Brandon’s hand off. “Get the hell away from me.” He refused to acknowledge the truth in his brother’s statement. He wasn’t in love. Yes, he liked Lauren. Yes, he wanted to be with her, but that didn’t mean he was in love with her. His heart started pounding in his chest, and the panic came back. He had to get out. He went through the kitchen and stood out on the deck, waiting for his heart to get back to a normal pace. He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with her this fast. They had agreed to go slow, and this would complicate everything.

  He heard the sliding door open and turned. “Hey, Dad.”

  His father stepped out and closed the door. “Everything okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “You sure you’re not running scared because you just realized you love Lauren?”

  Malcolm couldn’t very well tell his father the same thing he’d said to Brandon—not and live to tell about it—so he kept his mouth shut.

  “Son, we’ve all been down the road you’re on, and though it seems frightening sometimes, being able to find that special one to share your life with is worth it all. When I first realized I loved your mother, I was running so fast, I could’ve broken Usain Bolt’s record in the one hundred.”

  He met his father’s smile. “I never thought about that. You and Mom seem to always be in sync.”

  “Oh, we are...now. I almost let her get away with my foolishness.” He shook his head and chuckled. “I want you to remember something. We men are quick to run off, but we come back just as quickly. A woman hangs in there for a long time deciding what to do, but once she decides to leave, she’s gone for good. Don’t ever let her get to that point if you love her.”

  Malcolm stared out into the yard, processing his father’s words. The thought of Lauren closing the door on them for good made his stomach churn. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Any time, Malcolm. Now, let’s go get some of this cake Lexia made.”

  Inside, Siobhan was helping Christian cut pieces of cake and pass them out. Lexia had done the PAW Patrol theme—Malcolm still had no idea who or what that was. By the looks of the cake, he assumed it had to be some comic or book character and made a mental note to ask Siobhan about it.

  “Is everything okay?”

  He slid an arm around Lauren’s waist. “Yeah, baby. Everything’s good.” When she smiled up at him, it took all his control not to blurt out that he loved her. He promised they’d go slow, and he would try to stick to that agreement, even if it killed him.

  After the cake, Christian opened the mound of presents his new family had bought, from clothes and room decorations to puzzles and a motorized car. Malcolm and Omar had purchased football jerseys in the Cobras team colors of purple and silver—a white one with the accent colors for home and purple with silver for away—with his first name on the back and a football, also with Christian’s name on it.

  By the time the family gathered to leave, Christian had fallen asleep in the middle of the floor with the football tucked under one arm and a puzzle under the other. Nyla had lost the battle to sleep an hour ago. Malcolm stood off to the side observing his family saying goodbye to Lauren. He saw her exchange numbers with Faith and Lexia and hug Siobhan and his mother. Though Morgan didn’t offer any type of affection, she did say goodbye, and that gave him hope. If Malcolm could leave the past behind, so could Morgan.

  Once they made it to the car, Lauren let out a long breath and leaned back against the headrest. “You’re lucky it didn’t turn out bad, because if it had, I was never speaking to you again.” She rolled her head in his direction. “After I punched your lights out.”

  Malcolm threw his head back and roared with laughter. When he finally calmed down, he drove off and said, “That’s a serious punishment, baby. But I was never in any danger.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “I know my family. And I knew they’d treat you just like they always have. Well, except Morgan.”

  “Yep. Except Morgan.”

  “I know you said nothing went down between you two in the kitchen, but somehow I don’t believe that.”

  She didn’t reply for a moment. “She just warned me not to hurt you again. I told her I didn’t plan to. After that, it was fine.”

  He still didn’t believe her, knowing his sister, and he intended to call Morgan later.

  “I noticed that Khalil has a hearing aid. I don’t remember him having one.”

  “There was a gas explosion across the street from the building where my family’s company is located, and Khalil just happened to be outside talking on the phone. A few people were killed and several others injured. Khalil was thrown several feet, had broken ribs and a sprained wrist and lost his hearing for several weeks.” The memory of that time rose to the surface, and he thanked God every day that his brother hadn’t been one of the casualties. “If it wasn’t for Lexia, I don’t think he would have made it through the ordeal. He’d basically shut all of us out.”

  “Oh my goodness. He was fortunate.”

  “Very. He regained full hearing in one ear after almost two months and had surgery to repair the eardrum on the other. He only has about fifty percent hearing in that ear.”

  “Wow. Lexia is very nice, but I thought she owned a café. You said she helped him?”

  He laughed. “Her café is on the first floor of the building, and she was there with him until help arrived. Brandon talked her into visiting him in the hospital. Khalil wouldn’t eat, yelled at any of us if we tried to help in any way...he was in a bad place. But he loves Lexia’s low-fat coffee cake, so she brought a piece. I wish I’d seen it, but apparently when he said he couldn’t eat, she told him his hand was fine—and so was his mouth with all the yelling and fussing she could hear out in the hallway—handed him a fork and said ‘eat.’”

  Lauren burst out laughing. “She seems so sweet and quiet. I can’t imagine her doing something like that.”

  “Ha! Don’t let that little pint size fool you. She doesn’t take any mess. Neither does Faith, for that matter. They fit right in with my sisters.” And so did Lauren. She didn’t hesitate getting into his face during their confrontations.

  “Sounds like they do.” Silence rose between them. “When we left, you mentioned not hiding our relationship anymore. You meant just around your family, right?”

  “No. Like I told you earlier, there’s nothing that says we can’t date and I’m not going to jeopardize your job in any way, but I’m not going to avoid you or barely say two words when I do see you. And if I want to walk you to your car when you leave when I’m not practicing or in a meeting, then I want to be able to do that. There’s nothing to worry about, sweetheart.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” she mumbled.

  Malcolm frowned, recalling her comment in her office on Thursday. “Wait. Has somebody said something? When I came to talk to you last week, you said mentioned not giving someone something else to talk about. What did you mean?” She didn’t respond. His eyes left the road briefly and he saw her tight features. “Talk to me, Lauren.”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “If it’s nothing, then you can tell me about it. Do I need to pull over so we can talk?”

  “No,” Lauren answered quickly.

  “Then let’s hear it.”

  “First you have to promise me you won’t say anything or d
o anything.”

  “Why do I need to—”

  “Promise me, Malcolm.”

  He blew out a long breath. “Fine. I promise.”

  “Well, one of your teammates gained a few pounds, and you know how I send out the weight and testing results with any suggestions to the players and the coaches?”

  “Yeah. I like that. It helps us stay on track.”

  “Which is why I implemented it. But the guy who came in accused me of costing him his starting position and asked me to change his weight before sending the information to the coach. Then he said...”

  “Said what?” he prompted when she didn’t continue.

  “He said he’d keep my secret if I made the change.”

  “What secret?”

  “Us.”

  Malcolm whipped his head in her direction. “What?”

  “Eyes on the road, Malcolm.”

  He jerked back into his lane. He didn’t understand. They’d been very careful in their dealings. “What did he see?”

  “Nothing. He just said he saw you leaving my office late one afternoon and the door had been closed. I told him that two other players had been in my office right before and asked if he was accusing me of sleeping with them, too. That was after I refused to change those numbers.”

  Malcolm clenched his teeth and bit back the acerbic comment poised on the tip of his tongue. He never should have made that promise. “Who was it?”

  “I’m not going to say. He got my message loud and clear. I just didn’t want you to be blindsided if he told other players and they asked you about it.”

  “Then it’s even better that we’re going public. It won’t matter who he tells.” He still wanted to know who had tried to blackmail her, but he understood she wouldn’t say. “Still worried about it?” he asked, trying hard to keep the anger out of his voice.

  “A little, I guess.”

  “You don’t need to. If he does anything to hurt you, he’ll answer to me.”

  “Malcolm, you promised you wouldn’t do anything.”

  “I know.” But promise or no promise, if the coward got in her face again—teammate or not—he would find out how Malcolm felt about him threatening Lauren.