Southern Admirer (Southern Loving Book 2)

by Thorn, Ava

  “We came here to bring you back home,” Dena said, breaking the awkward silence.

  “I’m not leaving—”

  “Do you honestly hear yourself?” Benjamin spat pointing his finger at his baby sister. “I will not stand for you shacking up with him.”

  Jasmine looked up at Shane and noticed the vein in his neck was throbbing. There was something in the way her brother referred to Shane as him. “What do you mean by him because last time I check Shane has a name…use it…it’s very unnerving and surprising how you people are viewing things,” she said, standing up. “Shane is good enough to be your partner, but not good enough to be with me or be the father of your grandchild?”

  “You said it, not us,” her mother said. “I have a problem with the fact that you are not in Denver working, I have a problem that our hard earned dimes went to waste… I have a problem that you got pregnant and didn’t tell me.”

  Her father stood up and looked at her with disgust. “Don’t play the race card! I have plenty of friends who are different races than me, but I do believe that one should date within their own race. I have the utmost respect for Shane, but he is not good enough for you.”

  “It’s time you guys get the hell out of my house!” Shane left the living room and went into the kitchen leaving Jasmine alone with her parents.

  “You’re throwing your life away for him! You gave up having a career to be barefoot and pregnant!” Her mother’s shoulders slumped in defeat when she realized her words were falling on deaf ears.

  “Shane McBride will never do right by you, baby sis.” Benjamin’s face softened as he stepped toward her. “The day you were born I stood over your bassinet and promised that I wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt you nor disrespect you. I wouldn’t be a good brother if I stood by and let you venture down this road of no return.”

  “Jazz, we didn’t come here to argue. I want you to consider everything, including the fact only a black man can appreciate you more than a white man.” Her father said standing up and patting her gently on the back that caused her to jump. “I don’t have anything against anyone, I just prefer my kids to stick with their own kind.”

  Jasmine put her hand to her mouth, was she honestly hearing her parents. She didn’t recognize the people who were responsible for bringing her into this world. “Those some strong words, Daddy, including the fact that Mama’s family has so much disdain for us that no one in her family can even breathe her name.” She looked over at her mother. “Since we’re speaking about sticking with our own kind, ya’ll didn’t stick with your own. Apache to Apache or black with black…if you ask me I’m hearing a bunch of bullshit.”

  Crack!

  Jasmine face was stinging and hot from the slap her mother delivered. “I don’t want my daughter around ya’lls bigotry.”

  Shane stood protectively in front of Jazz. “I will not allow you to disrespect Jazzy in her own home or allow you to put your hands on her again.” He glared at them. “Lay your hands on her again and I will haul your ass downtown and that’s a fucking promise.”

  “I’m done.” Jasmine's voice was like a whisper. “I will always love and respect you guys but I’m finished. All you guys had to do was just allow me to make my own footprints in life; if I stumble and fall along the way…I know how to get back up and dust myself off because that’s what I was taught to do…instead you came here to berate me.” Her lips trembled as she walked away from everyone and disappeared down the hallway.

  Shane could tell that Jazz was visibly shaken from the altercation with her parents. He wanted to pull her into his arms and let her know that everything was okay. “Jasmine is your only daughter and sister—you guys just pushed her away with your hatred. Take pride that you raised this young beautiful, intelligent woman. As her parents, you should want her to find a man who makes her happy.”

  “Let me guess…that’s supposed to be you?” Reginald said with sarcasm.

  “Everything I do from this moment forward I do it for Jazz and our daughter…I love her.”

  “Question.” Benjamin eyed his former friend. “Do you plan to make her an honest woman?”

  “That’s all we needed to know,” Dena shook her head. “If you are not going to do right by our daughter, let her go…we understand she is grown but she deserves to have a man who loves her and want to place a ring on her finger.”

  The unwanted guests left him standing there with their words etched in his head. Going to check on Jasmine and baby, he stood by the crib watching his precious daughter sleeping peacefully with no idea of the quarreling around her.

  His ears perked up when he heard sobbing coming from the bathroom. Opening the door, his heart dropped when he saw Jasmine sitting on the rim of the tub crying her eyes out. Leaving the door ajar, he kneeled down in front of her.

  “Please don’t cry,” he said softly. He didn’t know how long he knelt there on the cold hard tile floor before her sobs turn into crying and then eventually turned into hiccups. Pushing her hair off her face, he stared into the brown eyes.

  “I’m such a mess,” she said, trying to move away from him.

  “You’re gorgeous,” he replied, allowing her to move away from him. He took her seat on the rim of the tub and watched as she finger combed her hair. Slowly her finger grazed the left side of her cheek that held the imprint of her mother’s hand. “Jazzy, I would never come between you and your folks.”

  Jazzy twirled around and looked at him. “I don’t want to talk about it, please.”

  Standing up, Shane kissed her forehead. “I’ll make your favorite for breakfast— waffles with butter pecan syrup, bacon and eggs.”

  “Shane?”

  “Yes.”

  “How do you know that I like waffles with butter pecan syrup?”

  “I pay attention,” he replied, walking out the room.

  Later that morning they sat on the patio near the pool enjoying a leisurely breakfast together. He enjoyed the light summer breeze with his two favorite girls, at that moment Shane felt semi-complete as he looked over at Shay snuggled in her baby swing sucking on her pacifier.

  Every so often, Shane would steal glances at Jazzy, he could see she was beyond heartbroken over the choice of words her parents used toward her.

  “While you were in the shower, I called Farrah and Austin and asked them if they could babysit Shay.”

  “For what?” Jasmine’s expression went tense, like she didn’t want to be anywhere near him. When she looked up at him, Shane noticed her eyes were still red from crying.

  “I thought we could go out on a date.” When Jasmine opened her mouth to protest, he lifted his hand up to silence her. “Before you say ‘no,’ Farrah and Austin already said yes to babysitting this little one.”

  Jasmine frowned and picked over the stack of waffles and bacon on her plate. “Mmmm…can I think about it?”

  “Nope. Shay will be in great hands with Farrah and Austin…plus those two need all the help when it comes to changing dirty diapers.” Shane took a drink from his steamy cup of coffee.

  “What does a date mean?” Jasmine threw him a suspicious glare. “I mean we did skip first base and stuff sort of went to third base.”

  “Technically, it was more like a home run,” he grinned like a Cheshire cat.

  “Whatever…you know what I meant.” She smiled around the straw as she drank her orange juice. “Answer the question, what is a date?”

  Shane chewed slowly on a piece of bacon. “Well, sweetheart you know I’ve been dilly-dallying around lately and it’s ‘bout time I get my act right…So I’m asking, Jasmine Bly St. Clair to allow me the honor of courting you.”

  A smiled tugged at the bottom of her lip. “Gosh you sound so old fashioned right now.”

  “I know what I want and how to get it.” Reaching across the table he took her hand into his. “I want the chance to show you how much I love you and want to make you happy.” He looked into her big brown orbs, waiting for a definite an
swer.

  “A date?” Jasmine repeated. It should have been an easy answer. They lived together, had a daughter together, and ate breakfast, lunch and dinner together not to mention the passion and fire between them. “Okay, we can go out on a date.”

  Shane smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. “You really know how to keep a man waiting.”

  Wiping her mouth, she stood up from the table and pinched his cheeks. “I think I like when you’re sweating it out.”

  “We’re going on a picnic to the lake to feed the ducks.”

  “Great, I’ll be ready in an hour.” She kissed him tenderly before picking up Shay and walked into the house.

  Shane continued to sit at the table, his posture changed to a little more confident. He felt like he and Jazzy was headed in the right direction.

  ***

  After an hour of trying on dress after dress, Jasmine finally decided on the white crocheted lace mini dress with a pair of tan cowboy boots. Shane planned the whole afternoon for them including Farrah and Austin watching Shay while they were out.

  A knock sounded on the door.

  “Come in,” Jasmine sighed, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Of all days why couldn’t her hair cooperate today?

  “Shane wanted me to see if the date was still on since you’re exactly five minutes late,” Farrah teased, strolling into the room carrying an orange orchid.

  “I know…just can’t get my hair to stay put.”

  “Here let me.” Farrah moved to the chair in front of the mirror. Within minutes, Farrah managed to braid Jasmine’s hair into a ponytail and added the orchid. “Finished.”

  Jasmine turned her head from side to side checking out her new hair-do. “Wow, Thanks.”

  “Can I give you a piece of advice?”

  “Sure.”

  Farrah sat on the bed and patted a spot next to her. “I know it’s not easy to allow yourself the chance to be happy or open yourself up to possibilities of love…don’t second guess what you want.”

  “This would be a lot easier it this was lust and not love,” Jasmine said softly. “I love him.” She wished she could tell her mind she didn’t love him and that only her body wanted him. But that wasn’t the case; it was already too late to stop the love that pumped through her veins for Shane.

  “Do you think Shane is lusting after you?” Farrah asked, with a frown on her face.

  “I don’t know,” she said truthfully.

  “Lust doesn’t know what it wants and only lives in the moment, there is no future for lust. But love knows what it wants, it would fight for you and it lives endlessly.” Farrah stood up from the bed and took one last look at her. “What you have with Shane is not lust it’s not a product of the moment. That man downstairs wants and loves you.”

  The door clicked closed signaling that Farrah was gone. Twisting the bracelet on her wrist, she thought about how Shane used to fill her dream, he was the icing she wanted on her birthday cake.

  Jasmine remembered the day she gave up on that dream two years ago. That was the day that her heart broke. She gave up loving him. She remembered the argument she had with Sarah before she died. Standing up from the bed Jasmine knew her time was coming to tell Shane those hurtful words she said to Sarah.

  “I’m ready,” Jasmine said walking down the hallway with a big smile on her face. “I know I’m late…”

  “You’re beautiful.” Shane smiled. “Take care of my daughter,” he said to Farrah and Austin while his eyes were trained on Jasmine.

  Going over to the bassinet, she placed a kissed on Shay’s tiny fingers. Shane stood by the door trying to carry a picnic basket and a red plaid blanket. “Here, allow me.” Her fingers brushed against his as she took the blanket from him. Their eyes locked and for some strange reason, her heart pounded against her rib cage. Get a grip, Jasmine, you’ve known this man for years, she told herself.

  Thirty minutes later, Shane and Jasmine were walking along the ranch to the top of the hill were a weeping willow tree stood proudly in the sunlight. When they finally reached the tree, she gasped. They were on a hilltop that overlooked a lake below. Shane quickly laid the blanket on the ground and set food out that Jasmine assumed Farrah prepared for them. She smiled as she took it all in.

  “Did you really prepare all this for me?” she asked. If she weren't in love with Shane at that moment, she would have fallen head over heels in love with him then. She stared up at him, scared to speak, afraid to ruin the moment between them.

  Shane looked down in her eyes that turned to a hazel color in the sunlight. Just one look into her eyes, he knew he was a goner and there was no going back. He’d known Jazzy for years; he was the guy who sat near her brother threatening the male friends who came calling for her. “I should have done this sooner...you’re a great mother, lover and friend.” He pulled her into his arms and enjoyed the feel of her soft lush body against his. “There have been countless times when you could have screamed, called me names or leave. I love you and I will never let you down. I will always have your back.”

  Looking into his green eyes, she traced his lips with her fingers. “I never told you…”

  “Shhh, let's enjoy this lunch together. We have been through so much.” He brought her over to the blanket. Shane helped her down on the blanket before he took a seat beside her and began to dish out some food.

  This is the woman of my dreams. It was like he was looking for something when Jasmine came to babysit him that night eleven months ago. Maybe there were signs pointing to her after being lost on a broken road to nowhere. He knew that he could spend the rest of his life with her. Pouring a glass of wine, he handed it to her.

  Jasmine took the glass from him and looked out at the shimmering lake below them. Closing her eyes, she listend to the beauty of nature around her, from the birds chirping in the distance and the ducks quacking below. “I really like it up here on the hill, Shane. It’s like a private oasis,” she said opening her eyes, her heart quickening as he smiled at her.

  “I thought you would like it.” He took a sip of his wine before speaking further. “I haven’t done this in a long time.”

  “A picnic?”

  “A date,” he admitted. “But I couldn’t go another day without telling you what’s on my mind. I know we have something good together.”

  “Are you ready to date again because…” Jasmine stopped talking when she realized the hurt and sadness in Shane’s eyes.

  “I’m ready to devote myself to another person.”

  It seemed like she was getting everything she ever wanted. Placing her glass down on the blanket, she ran her fingers through her hair. “There is something you need to know…”

  He placed his fingers to her lips. “Baby, let’s just enjoy our peaceful day out here.”

  Jasmine felt lost, and her heart was aching. She daydreamed in the distance looking at the lake below. She thought about the day she started falling for Shane. She remembered the hiding her binders where she wrote in perfect cursive her name with his last name ‘Jasmine McBride’ with hearts all around. She shoved those thoughts of them together away because he was married and continued to be friends. If it were meant to happen, it would, right? And now here she was it happening but she couldn’t stop feeling guilty. She had everything she ever could wanted but at the cost of feeling guilty.

  ‘Honey, you love him. Be with him’ a whisper said.

  “What?” she asked looking at him.

  Shane stopped eating and looked at her suspiciously. “What? I didn’t say anything.”

  “My mind is just elsewhere,” she replied, trying not to appear flustered.

  “Don’t worry, if Farrah and Austin weren’t capable of handling a newborn, I would thought twice about allowing them to babysit…plus Momma is at the guesthouse just in case she is needed.”

  “Well, McBride, it seems like you thought of everything.” She smiled. “Even the shrimp wraps, fruit, chips, vegetable platter with dip, sweet iced
tea and red wine.”

  Shane brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “I wanted to do something special for you. You have been so gracious about moving to Texas.” He leaned back with his hands supporting him.

  “Thank you, it’s really nice of you, Shane.” Jasmine's eyes returned to the food on the blanket.

  Shane chuckled and grabbed a sandwich. “Take a bite,” he said, holding a sandwich in front of Jasmine’s mouth. She opened her mouth and took a small bite.

  “Mmm, it’s good.” She nodded her head. “Here, now you try mine.” Jasmine grabbed a sandwich out the container label ‘grilled southwest chicken wrap,’ and fed it to Shane.

  The two continued to feed each other, going through the sandwiches, grapes, strawberries, peaches and Doritos chips.

  “I can’t wait until we give Shay a playmate,” Shane said excitedly.

  Jasmine cleared her throat as her iced tea threatened to travel down the wrong pipe. “What?”

  Shane popped another grape in his mouth. “You haven’t thought about having another baby?”

  “We’re not together like that,” she reminded him. “Not to mention Shay is not even five-months old and you’re already discussing having more kids.”

  “I know but I can’t help but think we make beautiful babies and it wouldn’t be bad to start another round of baby making when Shay gets to six months at least.” Shane laid on his back looking up the clear blue sky. “Think about it…nine months pregnant that mean we will be welcoming another baby when Shay is over a year old.”

  Jasmine giggled when he pulled her down next to him. “This is quite romantic.” She turned and looked at him. “It’s these simple moments that we have together that I cherish. The way you love me feels like something out of a romance novel.”

  “Don’t go changing the subject.” Shane trailed his finger up her thigh. “I’ve been thinking, it would be nice to have another kid when…”

  Jasmine sat up quickly. She never even thought of having another baby. She remembered the morning sickness she had with Shay. How could Shane think about another baby when they’re dealing with the sleepless nights? They weren’t even at a stage where Shay would turn one and two with those screaming temper tantrums.