The Nicest Guy in America

by Angela Benson

  She closed her eyes and wondered if the experience had been as life-changing for him as it had been for her. Had being with her been any different than with the other women in his life? She hoped the answer was Yes. She couldn’t bear to think that what had been so special, so dear, for her had been only ordinary for him.

  As she thought about the other women who’d passed through Reggie’s life, she couldn’t help but wonder again why they’d let him go. “They must have been fools.”

  “What are you talking about?” Reggie asked, pressing a kiss atop her head and tightening his hold around her waist.

  She smiled and snuggled closer to him. “I was thinking about the women in the contest.”

  Reggie rolled her over onto her back and looked down at her.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her eyes open wide.

  “If you have to ask, I must have done something wrong the first time.”

  The man must be crazy if he thought something so outrageous. “And there must have been another man with me if you think you did anything wrong.”

  He grinned the grin of a conqueror. “I guess that means you enjoyed yourself.”

  “Fishing for compliments, Mr. Stevens?”

  “Well,” he said, “you’re the one who woke up thinking about the other women who’ve been in my life. Emphasis on been, as in past tense.”

  She pressed her palm against his cheek, needing to do something to show him how much she cherished him and appreciated the sweetness of his touch. “I’m not jealous, Reggie.”

  “Then what were you mumbling about?”

  “I was thinking that those women had to be fools to let you go.”

  He grinned again. “I was that good, huh?”

  She punched him in the shoulder. “Stop fishing for compliments. I’m the woman here. You should be telling me how wonderful I was, how wonderful I am.”

  His had started to rub his shoulder in mock protest to her punch, but her words stopped him and he pressed her palm to his lips. “You are the most beautiful, the most wonderful, the most generous, the most loving, the most sensuous, the most satisfying woman I’ve ever known,” he said, punctuating his words with soft kisses against the palm of her hand.

  He sounded so earnest that she had to believe he meant it. “And you’re very good with words.”

  His serious expression lightened. “How about my moves?”

  “Still fishing for compliments!”

  “Unless my hearing has gone bad, you haven’t given me one yet.”

  “Yes, I have,” she said.

  He pressed a kiss against her lips. “Well, tell me again. I missed it the first time.”

  “No way,” she said with a playful pout. “You should pay closer attention.”

  Reggie stretched out against her. “I bet I can make you tell me again.”

  “And I bet you’re heavy,” she said, though his weight didn’t bother her.

  “Want me to get off?” he offered, then moved to lift himself away from her.

  She placed her arms around him to keep him right where he was. “You aren’t going anywhere, buster.”

  “Bossy, aren’t you?”

  “Only when I have to be.”

  “Hmmm,” he said, dropping kisses along her neckline. “I think I’m beginning to get a new appreciation for bossy women. Boss me around some more.”

  Kim giggled. “I will not. Anyway, you seem to do well enough on your own.”

  “That’s not much of a compliment on my outstanding performance,” he said. “But I guess that’s all I’m going to get.”

  She pulled his mouth to hers. “I’m not so sure about that,” she said. “Not sure at all.” Then she kissed him and again gave her entire self to him.

  ~ ~ ~

  Reggie stared at the sleeping Kim, thinking how fortunate he was to have her. There had been something special, something so very right about being with her. About having the freedom to hold her, caress her and love her.

  He stroked his finger lightly across her lips and smiled when she moved to knock his hand away as if he were some annoying gnat. Even in her sleep, she was bossy and demanding.

  His amazement at the total surrender with which she gave herself to him had given him the power, for the first time in his life, to do the same in return. He’d given Kim all he’d had and she’d taken it and given back even more. Had he not experienced the phenomenon, he wasn’t sure he would have believed it.

  He touched her jaw again, as if he were a kid unable to wait for his baby brother or sister to awaken, and quietly spoke her name. When she didn’t budge, he said, “Wake up, sleepyhead.”

  This time his words roused her and her eyelids slowly fluttered open. He took advantage of her obvious disorientation and placed a nice, wet kiss on her still pouty lips. “It’s about time.”

  She rubbed at her eyes in a way that made her seem a child. “What time is it?”

  “Time for breakfast.” He threw back the covers and stared at her with hungry eyes. “Or at least it was. But maybe breakfast can wait.”

  “Oh, no,” she said, now fully awake. “Don’t you ever get tired?”

  He leered at her. “Never of you. Now, come here.”

  Kim shook her head, grabbed the edge of the sheet, pulled it around herself and then got out of the bed. “I’m tired enough for both of us.”

  “No you’re not,” he said, stalking toward her. “And if you drop that sheet, I’ll show you how much energy you have.”

  Kim held her hand out to stop him, but it did no good. He reached her and pulled her back into his arms. “Now are you going to drop the sheet or what?”

  “Or what.”

  He could see her crumbling resistance in her eyes. He reached for the sheet, but the ringing of the doorbell stopped him.

  A slight smile crossed Kim’s face. “Saved by the bell,” she said.

  “Not by a long shot,” he said. “I don’t have to answer. They’ll go away.”

  The doorbell seemed to ring louder and longer.

  “I don’t think so,” she said, trying to scoot away from him. “Anyway, all that noise destroys the moment, don’t you think?”

  He grunted, not taking his eyes from her. “Not for me.”

  “Answer the door, Reggie,” she said, heading for the bathroom. “I have to get dressed. I’m supposed to be working, remember?”

  Reggie cursed under his breath as he struggled between the desire to follow Kim to the shower and the need to answer the door. He made his decision and headed for the bathroom door. When he found it locked, he cursed her quick thinking, pulled on his robe and headed for the door.

  “Hold on a minute,” he yelled, taking out his frustration on the unknown visitor. “Who the hell visits this early in the morning in the first place?”

  His mouth dropped open when he saw his parents standing before him, luggage in hand.

  “You see, I told you he was home, George,” his mother said to his father.

  “How are you doing, son?” His mother turned and gave him a great big Stevens hug. “I knew you’d be here. We tried calling, but you didn’t answer and you know how I hate those answering machines.”

  “What are you doing here?” Reggie asked after his mother pulled away and he was able to get his mouth working again.

  “We came to visit our boy,” she said. “Now are you going to let us in or what?”

  He stepped back. “Oh, I’m sorry, Mom, Dad. Come on in.” After his mother passed, he said to his father, “Let me help you with those bags.”

  “No need, son,” the elder Stevens said. “I’ve got them now. Just tell me where to put them.”

  Reggie’s thoughts went to Kim in the shower and he immediately recognized how awkward the situation could quickly become. “I insist, Dad. Let me take these.” He practically had to fight to get the bags from his dad’s hands but he did so. Then, with a forced smile, he said, “Why don’t you two sit down while I put these in your room. I�
�ll be right back.”

  Reggie made sure they were seated in the living room. Then he rushed back to the room Luther had recently vacated, dropped their bags and headed to Kim and the shower. Unfortunately, the door was still locked. He tried calling her name, but not too loudly because he feared his parents would hear him. He didn’t want to think about the conclusions they would draw if they heard him yelling some woman’s name. Unable to think of anything else to do, he turned and went back to join his parents.

  When he returned, his mother was seated on the couch and his father was standing in front of the window. “So, how was your trip?” he asked, praying that Kim would be dressed when she came out of the bedroom. He hoped she would think someone was there since she’d heard the bell, but then again, she might think he’d gotten rid of whoever it was. And he would have if the whoever had been anyone other than his parents.

  “Come here, boy,” his dad said, with open arms. “Give your old dad a hug.”

  Reggie did as requested and hugged his father as he had countless times in the past. They were a close family and embraces were normal.

  “Now that’s better.” His dad pulled away after a final slap on his son’s back. “To answer your question, we had a good trip.”

  “You must have taken an early flight out,” he said.

  “We drove,” his mother said. “Didn’t you see our car parked out front?”

  Reggie hadn’t noticed the car. He’d been too surprised at seeing his parents standing at his door.

  “Of course, the boy didn’t see the car, Katherine,” his Father said, saving him from having to make up an excuse. “He looks like he just got out of bed. It’s a wonder he saw us standing at the door. Isn’t that right, son?”

  “That’s right, Dad,” he said, then faked a yawn. “You two must be tired, if you drove all the way.”

  “Well,” his mother said, “I could lie down for a little while. How about you, George?”

  “I’m not that tired, but I guess I could use a little rest.”

  Reggie wanted to shout his relief. If he could get his parents into their room before Kim got out of the shower, he’d have a chance to prepare her for meeting them.

  “Okay, then,” Reggie said, “why don’t we all go back to bed?”

  Reggie led his parents down the hallway. As they neared his bedroom, he held his breath and prayed Kim wouldn’t come out. Not that he didn’t want her to meet them. He just knew she and his parents would be embarrassed and he wanted to avoid that scenario. As he was about to release a sigh of relief, his bedroom door opened, and Kim—fully dressed, thank God—stepped out. He looked from her to his parents and back again. It was a toss-up as to who was more surprised.

  It should not have surprised him when his mother spoke first. “We don’t have to ask who this is.” With a big, pleased smile on her face, she extended her hand to Kim. “Hello, Kimberla. You’re even prettier than that picture of you that ran in the paper.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Kim knew as soon as she had opened Reggie’s bedroom door and seen the two older people that they were his parents. At that moment she’d both wished she could fade into the woodwork and thanked God that she’d had the sense to slip on her shorts and top before coming out of the room. She’d never been so embarrassed in all her life. Of course, she was an adult and Reggie was an even older adult, but parents were still parents. And she knew she wasn’t the only woman who would prefer to meet her man’s parents under different and more conventional circumstances.

  Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, on the other hand, seemed to take things in stride. They’d greeted her as if they’d known her forever. After a short while, she’d felt as though she’d known them as long. It wasn’t until Mrs. Stevens suggested that she join her in the kitchen to prepare breakfast while the men talked that Kim became nervous.

  “So, how long have you and Reggie been seeing each other?” Mrs. Stevens asked as soon as they were in alone the kitchen.

  Kim knew the question wasn’t a loaded one, but it sure felt like one. She wondered what Mrs. Stevens would think about her sleeping with her son when she found out how short a time they’d been together. “Long enough, I’d say,” she said.

  Mrs. Stevens smiled at her, a feminine version of Reggie’s warm smile. “Good answer. I like you, Kimberla. And I like your name too. You’re good for my Reggie. I can see that already.”

  Surprised didn’t exactly describe Kim’s internal response to that statement.

  “Don’t look so surprised,” Mrs. Stevens said. “I knew something was going on with Reggie as soon as I saw that picture in the paper. He’s a good son, but he’s a little slow sometimes.”

  Kim sat down on a stool at the counter while Mrs. Stevens rummaged through the refrigerator and the cabinets for something to cook. “I’m going to have to go shopping for that boy before I leave. He doesn’t have anything in here worth cooking.”

  Kim didn’t see a need to respond, so she didn’t. She determined then that she liked Mrs. Stevens. The older woman reminded her of her mother.

  “Okay,” the older woman said, “I may be able to pull something together, after all.” When she turned around she had eggs, milk, cheese and butter in her hands. From the cabinets she pulled out grits and a can of pink salmon. “This’ll have to do. You like fried salmon, don’t you?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Kim said, though she remembered having the dish only once.

  “Good,” the older woman said, proceeding to pull the can opener from the cabinet. “So,” she said to Kim. “Tell me how you and Reggie met.”

  Kim considered what and how much to tell Mrs. Stevens, then decided on the truth. When she told her about the contest, Mrs. Stevens face grew somber. “Reggie goes about relationships the wrong way,” she confided. Then she smiled at Kim. “Except with you.”

  Kim couldn’t resist asking the question that was on her mind. “How do you mean?”

  Mrs. Stevens pulled out a black iron skillet, put it on the stove and turned on the burner. “Well, it’s the women he’s chosen in the past. They’ve always been in need. If Reggie goes to a coliseum filled with thousands of women, he’s going to come out with one who just lost her job or the one whose husband just left her or one who’s about to kill herself. It’s become his way.”

  Kim considered the older woman’s words and realized they accurately captured the women who’d nominated Reggie for the contest. All but one. “Christina was different.”

  Mrs. Stevens looked up from her salmon. “So you know about Christina. Did she nominate him for the contest too?”

  Kim nodded.

  “Christina was different at first, but things changed when she got pregnant.”

  “Pregnant?” Kim couldn’t keep the dismay she felt out of her voice. Knowing Reggie had loved Christina was one thing, but knowing they’d made a child together was a whole other matter.

  “Calm down,” Mrs. Stevens said with a chuckle. “It wasn’t Reggie’s baby though he did volunteer to marry her and give her baby a name.”

  This news almost floored Kim. Now she understood what Christina had meant about Reggie’s sacrificial offer. “He loved her that much?”

  Mrs. Stevens shook her head. “Not love, Kim. Caring. He cared about her and he felt she needed him, so he offered to help.”

  Kim wasn’t so sure. She didn’t know many men who’d marry a woman they didn’t love just to give her unborn child a name. Not even Reggie was that magnanimous. He must have felt he was getting something out of the deal.

  “Can’t believe it, can you?” Mrs. Stevens said.

  “Honestly, no. Reggie’s a good man. One of the nicest and kindest men I’ve met. But I don’t think even he’d go that far.”

  “Then you don’t know him as well as I thought you did.” Mrs. Stevens studied Kim for what seemed to be minutes before extending her hand to her. “Come, sit with me a minute,” the older woman said, inclining her head toward the dinette set in the breakfast nook. “I�
�m going to tell you a story that I think you need to know.”

  Kim grew anxious as she seated herself across from Mrs. Stevens. The serious look on the woman’s face told her that she considered what she was about to say very important. Kim wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it. Her relationship with Reggie was moving along so well. She didn’t want anything to change that. “You don’t have to—” she began, but Mrs. Stevens cut her off.

  “Yes, I do,” she said. “I love my eldest son very much. And even though he’s a man now, he’ll always be my little boy. You’ll understand that when you have children of your own.”

  Kim nodded because she thought it was expected of her. It was difficult for her to think of the Reggie she knew as someone’s little boy though.

  “Reggie has a strong need to rescue women who need help,” Mrs. Stevens began. “It started his first year in college when one of his old girlfriends committed suicide. Even though there was nothing he could have done to stop her, he’s always felt responsible. The way he still seeks out women in need today is proof that I’m right. He’s either trying to make up for not being there for his friend or trying to make sure that no other woman he knows ends up the way she did.”

  Kim’s heart contracted and she felt very full of love for Reggie Stevens. He was definitely a special man. “So that’s why the women left him,” she said, for the first time understanding the dynamics of his past relationships.

  “You catch on quick,” Mrs. Stevens observed. “Yes, that’s the reason. When Reggie finds them, they’re like little birds whose wings have been clipped. He nurses them back to health and when they get well they leave his security nest and go back to tackle their own lives.”

  “Do you think Reggie knows what he’s doing?” Kim asked.

  “I think he’s beginning to. That Double-Minded Women article of his gave me my first clue. I knew things were changing with him. And I think you’re part of that change, Kimberla.”

  Kim hoped Mrs. Stevens was right, but she didn’t think it appropriate to comment on her relationship with Reggie before he did.

  “Oh, you don’t have to say anything. A mother knows. Reggie’s in love with you. It’s all over his face.”