by Shane Morgan
“Not you, and not your mother,” he cut me off. “No matter how he acts with her, he’d much rather take her side than mine.”
Dad picked up a few boxes. “Wanna help an old man carry these out to the car?”
“Sure.” I settled the gift down on the table by the stairs and picked up some boxes as well.
“You know what, Branden?”
He held the door open with his foot until we were both outside, heading over to his car.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re a good kid. Every day I came home and saw you here, that you’d beat that disease, it made me proud to be a father even more.”
When we reached his car, Dad put the boxes down on the concrete and opened the door to place them on the backseat.
“Thanks, Dad,” I muttered.
He squeezed my shoulder before heading back into the house. To be honest, there were times I was mad at him, nearly hated him for being so closed off from home. I’d gotten irritated with him for all the fights he’d have with Mom. They’d each had affairs, and were both wrong. But when Dad was there for me, I felt it. And walking back inside now, I realized something I hadn’t when he said he was going to move out. I was surely going to miss him.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Moya
No one liked when someone talked in the middle of a movie, only Branden was super quiet throughout this one. We were watching a comedy, a funny one at that, only he never laughed. Not at one single joke.
When the movie ended and we headed out of the theatre, the silent cloud continued to hover over him. It bugged me how mysterious he was being.
“What’s up?” I asked, squeezing his hand.
“Nothing,” he answered in a low, somber voice.
I stopped him on the sidewalk, resting my hand against his chest. “It’s definitely something. You’ve been so quiet since you picked me up. What is it?”
Branden tucked one hand inside the pocket of his dark jeans and combed the other through his tousled hair as he let out a long sigh. “My parents are splitting up…and,” he made a sarcastic grunt that took me by surprise. “I didn’t think it would get to me this much.”
“Oh, babe, I’m so sorry.” I wrapped my arms around him. “I had no idea.”
When I released him, he gazed intensely into my eyes. “I didn’t want to talk about it with anyone.”
“You can talk to me about anything; you should know that by know.”
He stroked my cheek. “Moya, some things I don’t even want to think about.”
“How’s Ashton, your mom?”
“She’s acting relieved, and Ash is getting ready to leave for Spain. He’s hardly been home since winter break.”
We started walking again, heading towards the parking lot.
“You know what though?”
“What?”
“It’s a good thing, ’cause they couldn’t even breathe the same air. Their marriage was so far gone, they couldn’t remember why they got married in the first place.”
He slowed me down, touching my arms as he said, “We’ll be different. We won’t keep secrets between us and we’ll always remember our love for each other.”
Branden had a serious look in his eyes, for a moment it frightened me. I never thought I’d be at the mercy of a man, but here I was overpowered by this incredible guy before me. All I wanted him to know was he could believe in me.
I rested my hand against his chest and said, “Don’t worry, Branden. I’ll always love you.”
“So will I,” he smiled, towing me into his embrace for a soft kiss, one that left me breathless when it ended.
Tuesday night, I slipped into a graphic, burgundy tunic sweatshirt, black jeans, and laced boots. Then I waited for Branden so we could go to the Christmas Eve festival in downtown Berlin Heights.
I usually went to the festival with Vanessa, but earlier when we spoke she told me Warren would be coming so she’d meet me there. Good thing Calvin was never around during this time of the year. If he ran into them at the festival, things would not turn out well.
Momma had left over an hour ago to have dinner with her friends. They wouldn’t be seeing each other tomorrow so she wanted to give her gifts tonight.
I sat down on the sofa, waiting, fiddling with my clutch. Gazing around the living room, my eyes landed on the presents tucked beneath the Christmas tree standing next to the television set. Aside from what Momma and I had gotten each other, there was a bag for Branden, as well as something for my dad.
It was the first gift I’d gotten for him since I was a little girl. Staring at it gave me jitters. I was far more excited than I’d let on, having him back in my life. I’d missed him so much.
Headlights shone through the curtains and zapped me out of my thoughts. At the sound of a car pulling up outside our gate, I got up from the sofa and walked out of the living room, getting my wool coat from the hanger by the front door. I opened it just as Branden was about to knock.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he complimented, staring at me with his sexy grin that easily made my heart flutter.
“Hey yourself,” I replied. “You’re as handsome as ever.” He looked sharp in a blue shirt, leather jacket, dark jeans, and black shoes.
Going outside, I locked the front door and secured my keys inside my clutch, heading down the porch steps with Branden towards his car.
“Warren told me he’d be at the festival with Vanessa,” he said.
“Yeah, they’re getting closer by the day.”
“You sound as if you still haven’t accepted them.” He lightly placed his hand at the small of my back, sending chills up and down my spine. I’d noticed of late he’d been getting more affectionate with me. Then again, so had I.
“I’m getting there,” I murmured, flashing him a smile.
When we reached his SUV, Branden opened the passenger door so I could climb inside.
“He really likes your friend.”
I buckled my seatbelt before replying, “I hope so, ‘cause she’s giving up a lot for him.”
Keeping his hand on the door, Branden lowered and gave me a kiss. My senses heightened as I inhaled his fresh, cool breezy scent.
“Don’t worry so much,” he whispered when he regained the strength to pull away from me and closed the door.
I kept my eyes on him as he moved around the car to his side. Sliding into his seat, Branden turned the key and pulled onto the road. I wondered if he knew how much his kisses drove me crazy, if he realized how in heat I was whenever we’d get close.
Pressing my eyes shut for a moment, I tried to control my emotions, hoping to have them in check by the time we reached the festival and met up with Vanessa and Warren. Seeing them together would take some getting used to.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Branden
I’d never been to a holiday festival before tonight. I was usually practicing or playing games around this time of the year. Never had the time to have fun, even when I was dating Samantha.
Peering over at Moya standing next to me, squeezing my hand, she seemed so enamored by the event. Her eyes beamed at the crowd where a few couples, young and old, danced together excitedly, and others mingled about the tents, deciding on which items to purchase.
I twisted and peered over my shoulder at Vanessa and Warren, oblivious to their surroundings, laughing and tuned-in to only what the other was saying.
“They seem to be really happy together, huh?” I said to Moya.
She looked behind and released a sigh. “You think so?”
“Yeah, don’t you?”
Turning to me, she said, “I don’t know, Bran. I mean, Vanessa does seem to like him, and I haven’t seen her laugh so much in a while. But, I still feel like she’s making a mistake.”
“It’s okay to feel that way, but as long as she’s happy, that’s what matters.”
“I hope so.”
Gently, I pulled her close, stroking her cheek. When her eyes met min
e, something exploded inside. I lowered my mouth to her ear and whispered, “Let’s go back to the car.”
“Sure.” She nodded, evidently wanting some privacy like me.
I took her hand and guided her through the crowd, heading back to where I’d parked. The moment we reached my car, I leaned against the side and pulled her in for a kiss. Her mouth was warm, as sweet as ever. Her vanilla scent aroused every part of me, prickling my skin.
Moya locked her fingers around my neck and pressed her body deeper into me. She moaned lightly and began to nibble on my bottom lip. Her burning desire only intensified mine.
I loosened my grip around her and placed my hands inside her coat, caressing her body. She started to kiss my neck. It turned me on even more.
Groaning like a hungry animal, I lowered my hands to her voluptuous bottom and squeezed. This was new, and bold. I hadn’t thought of how she would react, but since she hadn’t slapped my hands away from touching her all this time, I figured Moya was all right with me feeling on her body. I was her boyfriend after all. She’d grown comfortable with me touching her assets it seemed. And right now, I wanted to take it further. With any luck, she did too.
“Ahem.” Someone cleared their throat. “Get a room,” the bubbly voice said. I knew it could only be Vanessa.
Turning around, I saw it was indeed her. Warren stood beside her, scratching the back of his head with an awkward expression on his face.
“We’re gonna take off,” he said.
“Oh, okay. Still on for the game on Thursday?”
He nodded, “You bet.”
Vanessa strutted over and gave Moya a tight hug. “See you tomorrow, girl.”
“All right,” Moya replied in a dreary tone, still collecting herself from our moment of heat. She peered up at Warren with a pointed look, but didn’t say anything to him. It would take some time for her to accept their relationship I guessed.
Slipping away from Moya, Vanessa turned and pulled me in for a hug as well. “Happy holidays, Branden,” she muttered.
“Same to you.”
“See you, man,” Warren nodded at me, walking closely with Vanessa over to his car parked next to mine. With a wave, he drove off.
Moya’s deep exhale followed their departure. I spun and eyed her with a quizzical look.
“Remember what I said about giving things time?”
She smiled. “Yes, Branden, I remember.”
“Well,” I edged closer to her. “This is one of those things.”
“I know,” she said in a soft voice.
I brushed her cheek and asked, “Ready to go home?”
“I guess.”
Moya walked around the car and climbed inside the passenger seat. I stood there checking her out the entire time. Damn, she looked good!
I slid in as well and brought the engine to life, backing out of the lot. When we arrived at her house a few minutes later, Moya reached over for another kiss.
“You don’t have to get out,” she murmured after it ended. “I don’t want to wake Momma.”
I settled my speeding heartbeat before saying, “Okay. I’ll text you when I get home.”
She left me with a loving smile, turning to get out of the car. Just as she closed the door and started for the gate, I remembered something.
“Wait!”
I turned the car off and reached around my seat. The blue box was neatly tucked out of sight in the back.
Opening the door, I stepped out and walked over to Moya. Her face lit up in the moonlight as I drew closer and presented her with her Christmas gift.
“I won’t see you in the morning, so I thought I’d give it to you now.”
She couldn’t hold back the grin stretching across her lips. In sheer excitement, Moya took the box out of my hand and opened it. Only when she saw what was inside, a silver infinity link bracelet with aquamarine gemstones, her smile wavered.
Moya released what sounded like a whimper before saying, “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”
“Don’t you like it?” I asked, confused. I knew she wasn’t materialistic or wanted to be spoiled with a ton of fancy gifts, but I thought she’d at least like this bracelet.
“Oh no,” her eyes snapped up to meet my gaze. “It’s great. I just thought…” she peered back at the box.
“You thought what?”
She looked up at me again and shook her head, “Nothing. It’s beautiful.”
“Well, here,” I took the bracelet out of the box. “Let’s see how it looks on your wrist.”
It glistened in the moonlight, as Moya examined it on her wrist. She draped her arms around me, whispering again, “Thanks, babe.”
When she backed out of my grasp, she tipped to plant another kiss on my lips. I pulled her in for one more before she eased away.
“I have a gift for you too,” she said. “Wait here.”
And I waited as she hurried up the porch steps and took her time to enter her house. Anticipation dispersed all over my body. She’d already given me so much, so I really wasn’t looking for anything else.
Not a moment later, Moya came out of the house, a bag in tow as she eased her way down the steps.
“Merry Christmas,” she said, handing it to me. “But don’t open it until tomorrow.”
“Huh? You got me all riled up.”
“I know,” she pouted and leaned in for a hug. “But please wait until tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I sighed, kissing her once again before letting her go back inside.
“Goodnight, Branden,” she said heading up the walkway.
“I love you, Moya.”
Glancing over her shoulder, the corners of her mouth curved up as she replied, “I love you too.”
She waved at me, and I waited until she went inside the house before getting in my car and taking off.
I definitely couldn’t wait for our weekend getaway now.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Moya
“Merry Christmas!” momma woke me out of sleep.
I uncovered my head and sat up on my elbows, squinting at the brightness of the sun lighting up the room.
“What time is it?” I croaked, tired.
“Uh, it’s Christmas morning. Who cares what time it is? Get your butt up.”
She hauled me out of bed and handed me my robe. “Let’s go open gifts.”
Momma always seemed more excited than I was during the holidays. Probably ’cause she was an early bird and I wasn’t. Still half asleep, I followed her down the hallway and into the living room to open gifts. She handed me a square box when I sat down on the sofa.
“Open this first,” she gushed, sitting down beside me.
When I removed the red wrapping paper and opened the box, a black dress was folded nicely inside.
“Aw, this is lovely, Momma,” I enthused, giving her a peck on the cheek.
I lifted the dress to get a better look at it. It was classy with its fit and flare, high-low design. I particularly liked how the sweetheart neckline and sleeves were shrouded by lace.
“Every girl should have a black dress, and you, my dear, ain’t got none.” She brushed my cheek then got up and went for another gift. “So I wanted to get you something nice. These would go well with them.”
I placed the dress over the sofa and took the next box from her. They were black pumps with red colored heals. The height was just right for me too.
“Momma,” I tilted my head in amazement, smiling at her. “This is so nice. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, baby,” she draped her arms around me.
“You gotta open your presents now.”
I hopped up from the sofa and went over to the tree, handing her a gift bag along with the envelope containing her certificate for a day at the spa. I couldn’t wait to see her reaction to both gifts.
“Thank you, Moya,” she got excited as she took the presents from me.
“Well, open them first,” I teased.
She tittered as she
reached inside the bag and took out the first box—the smallest one. When Momma lifted the top, her eyes expanded and her face lit up even more. Tears started to well her eyes as she took out Nana’s birthstone.
“My God! Where…how’d you get it fixed?” she whimpered.
Sitting down next to her, I took her hand into my grasp. “Daddy knew someone who cleaned it up for you. Don’t it look as good as new now?”
We both glanced at the rose gold ring with an oval red garnet in the center, surrounded by tiny diamonds that glistened back at us.
My grandmother had given the ring to Momma three years ago before she passed. It got damaged somehow and we thought it impossible to have it restored. Luckily, it turned out okay, because Momma couldn’t stop touching the ring now. She was in awe.
I tapped her hand and gazed over at the other present in the bag. “You want to keep going?”
She sniffed, dabbed at her eyes, then placed the ring back inside the box and set it on top of the coffee table. Taking the other gift from me, she quickly untied the bow to see what was inside; a printed satin scarf and a gray handbag. She squealed when she opened the envelope and saw the gift certificate to the spa.
Momma planted kisses all over my face, until I managed to break away saying I wanted to call Vanessa and Branden.
“Don’t take too long now,” she called out as I headed out of the living room. “I’m going to make us gingerbread pancakes.”
“I won’t. Be right back.”
Gingerbread pancakes was our traditional Christmas morning breakfast. Around noon time, we’d always make eggnog bread, then Vanessa and her mom would come over to start the big Christmas dinner. I wished Branden could join us.
“Merry Christmas!” I shouted in the phone the second Vanessa answered.
“Oh shut up!” she sounded hung-over.
“Well, seems like somebody partied till late last night.”
“Yeah, Warren and I hung out for a while before he brought me home,” her voice rasped. “I had fun; way too much ‘cause my head feels like a construction site.”
I chortled. “Well, for what it’s worth I’m glad you’re happy with him.”