“That’s not true,” Mya said, coming to the defense of her date. “Stephen is...”
“If it made you cringe Mya that means that you didn’t like it,” Hunter countered.
“It wasn’t that, it was because I’m not used to it,” she argued glaring at him before she left the room.
Sylvie rose and looked at her sons. “Look, I’m proud that you have accepted Mya into the family, but you have to let her find her way by herself boys. She is a grown woman; sheltered yes, but grown nonetheless. I’ll go and have a talk with her.” Sylvia turned and then stopped. “You four better hope she forgives you.”
“We did it because we care Mom,” Bryan commented.
“No man needs to touch her,” Hunter growled, and stormed from the house.
After a long moment of silence, everyone laughed.
“He still doesn’t know what hit him,” Sylvie chuckled before leaving the room.
Mya sat at the antique vanity freshly showered, and wrapped and pinned her hair the way the hairstylist instructed. Why did her brothers act like that in front of Stephen? If she cared anything at all about Stephen, she would have been embarrassed. Hunter was right about one thing though, she didn’t like it when Stephen touched her. His touch reminded her of the way her mother’s men friends touched her whenever her mother wasn’t looking, but that’s beside the point. How was she ever going to know what it felt like to be in a relationship if the four of them started finding ways to intervene, not that she was totally clueless. She may not have any experience, but all the countless nights she heard her mother entertaining inside her room had to count for something. Although she’d like to take each of the brothers and wring their necks right about now, it did make her happy to know that they cared. Just then, someone lightly knocked on her door.
“Yes?” Mya answered.
Sylvie entered the room and closed the door behind herself. “You alright sweetie?”
“I’m fine,” Mya answered as she placed the last pin in her wrapped hair. She turned to face Sylvie, who had taken a seat on the side of the bed.
“You know they mean well.”
Mya gave her a small smile. “I know,” she said, rising from the stool to sit beside Sylvie.
She looked down at her hand shyly. She wanted her stepmother to know how happy and grateful she felt, but she still had many doubts and insecurities. No matter how at home they made her feel, she sometimes thought she would wake up and the family she always wanted would be gone. That was her biggest fear. These past few months were the happiest she had ever known, and when Sylvie and Henry encouraged her to call them Mom and Dad her heart filled with so much joy she cried, especially when her father suggested that she change a name to Mya Trent. At the moment, she knew she was home. Every night Henry and Sylvie stopped in to say good night as if she were a small child, and thus far the only thing that marred her happiness was the thought of people speculating about her circumstance of birth or ridiculing Sylvie for accepting her. She didn’t care for Hunter’s girlfriend, but care for her or not, she did speak the truth. People will talk. Mya wondered if any of her brothers had made mention to Sylvie about what Heather said, but one thing was clear in her mind. If the scandal of her birth ever became too much for the family to withstand, she would go away to protect her family from ridicule.
Seeing that she was lost in deep thought, Sylvie covered Mya’s hand with her own. “You know you can talk to me about anything Mya,” she said softly as Mya looked up at her with solemn eyes.
“Are you ashamed of me?” She asked quickly.
Sylvie frowned. “Of course not! Where did you hear that nonsense? Oh wait… this has to do with what Heather said, doesn’t it?”
Mya looked at her surprised. Although she suspected that she might, she had no idea that Sylvie knew what Heather had said to her.
Sylvie noticed the surprised look on her face and smiled. “The boys told me what Heather had said that night at the club, and honey, let me tell you this. Never let anyone to make you think that we’re ashamed of you. I know it’s only been a short time that you have been here, but always know that your father and I love you very much. The circumstances of your birth are not your fault, and had your father known about you at the time, nothing would have stopped him from finding you. The Trent’s are a very powerful and proud family. Nothing anyone can say will change how we feel about you. Heather is … well, let’s just ignore her. She’s trying to sink her claws into Hunter, which if I have anything to say about it, will not be happening. Now, you stop worrying about the things people say. Believe me, it’s not worth a hill of beans to us, okay?”
Feeling a lot better, Mya nodded.
“Now, why don’t you tell me about your date with Darrin, alright?”
Mya laughed. “You mean Stephen?”
“Yes, yes,” Sylvie said with a chuckle.
Mya shrugged. “He’s alright. I met him in my design class and he’s working on his Master’s.”
“Do you like him?”
“He’s nice to talk to, but Hunter was right about one thing; I don’t like it when he touches me, and he always does whenever we are together. It makes me uncomfortable and it reminds me a lot of my mother’s old boyfriends. Mom, is there something wrong with me?”
“What do you mean honey?”
“Well, for one I’m 27 years old. I’ve never had a date, I don’t like men touching me, and I’m still a virgin. Do you think that maybe because of my mother I might be a little defective?”
Sylvie chuckled. “Hardly. When the right man comes along you will know.”
“How?”
“When I met Henry, he was a cynical and extremely hard man, and I thought he was the most handsome man I have ever seen. Tall, dark, and those beautiful bronzed eyes. When he touched me the first time my nerve endings lit up and left me all breathless and dizzy.”
“Was he hard because of what my mother did?”
Sylvie nodded. “He didn’t trust women at all.”
“So what did you do?”
“I loved him with all my might. I wouldn’t let him push me away, especially when I knew he felt the same as I did. Oh, he tried at first, but I didn’t let him intimidate me, and more importantly, I was always truthful, upfront, and honest with him. Not once did I ever give him any reason to doubt how I felt about him.”
“So he came around after that?” Mya asked.
“No he didn’t. He truly was a hard nut to crack. Finally, I gave up and went back east to my hometown, but I was so heartbroken.”
“So Dad came after you?”
Sylvie smiled fondly. “Yes he did, and on his hands and knees at that. So, Honey you can trust me when I tell you that you will know the right one when he comes along.”
Mya hugged Sylvie. “Thank you for telling me that.”
“My dear, you are beautiful,” Sylvie murmured full of pride.
“I’m not funny looking?” Mya replied in wonder.
Their shopping and spa day was the best time of her life. It had changed from head to toe, and left her with a closet full of beautiful clothes. Even more special was that tomorrow she was going to meet the rest of the family; her uncles, their wives, and her cousins. It goes without say that she was a little nervous about it.
“Mya baby, we need to talk,” Sylvie said, pulling her out of her daydream.
Mya turned to face her, and suddenly her heart pounded hard against her chest. “Yes Mom?”
Sylvia smiled. “You have been with us for what, about four months now?”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“And are you happy honey?”
“Yes, very happy.”
Sylvie took them deep breath. “Do you like your school?”
Mya was staring to get nervous by all the questions. “Yes I like school… Mom, what’s going on?”
“Whenever Hunter comes by, you always find a reason to leave the room.”
“Do I?” Mya asked, sheepishly turning away.
>
“Yes, you do. Did Hunter say or do something that upset you?” She bristled.
“No. I don’t think Hunter wants me in this family, but I understand how he feels. It’s alright though; I’ll get used to him after a while.”
Sylvie shook her head sadly. Hunter was just too protective of the family. They love him for it, but sometimes he went over the top. Maybe it was because his parents died when he was young and he was afraid that someone or something was going to take this family from him also, but no matter how noble his reasons, she was not going to sit by and let Hunter intimidate Mya because he didn’t trust her.
“Don’t you worry about Hunter, he’ll come around,” Sylvie said as she rose and kissed her forehead. “Sleep well Sweetie, you will be meeting the rest of the family tomorrow and I don’t want you to worry in the least. I got a good feeling that they are going to love you as much as we do.”
Mya sat nervously at her vanity. Today was the big day that she would meet the rest of the Trent family. Sylvie had sent out invitations to what was going to be a surprise party for everyone in the family. Jonathan and Jamison’s families would be flying in with Ghani, and Jackson, along with his family would be flying in from Texas. None of them were sure why Henry and Sylvie wanted to have this gathering; all the invitation said was that it was a surprise. It didn’t matter that her parents and brothers accepted her because Hunter still was cold and aloof to her. He limited his visits only to Sunday dinner, which they both rushed through she suspected. to try and get out of each other’s sight as quickly as possible, and if anybody else in the family noticed, they certainly hadn’t said anything.
She decided to leave her hair loose. After her first visit to the salon, she saw her stylist every two weeks, and in the months since she’s been seeing her, her hair has grown to the middle of her back. Today she would meet the rest of her family and she prayed that they accepted her just as her parents and brothers have.
Giving her appearance a final once over, she rose to her feet. Mom said to be downstairs at one o’clock sharp. She knew that the family had arrived because she heard the boisterous greetings downstairs. She glanced at her clock. It was time.
She slowly descended the stairs, glad that she chose the peach sun dress and flat matching sandals that not only complimented her complexion, but made her feel pretty. Henry was standing at the bottom of this grand staircase waiting and smiling up at her and she nervously returned his smile. He was proud of his daughter. In the few months that she had been with them, she seemed to blossom before their eyes. Sylvie loved her as did her brothers, but Hunter worried him. Not that he was rude or unkind; he was just cold and indifferent, and try as he might, Henry could not convince him that Mya was nothing like her mother. His only statement would be time will tell.
“Baby you look beautiful,” Henry said taking her hand.
“I’m so nervous Dad. What if they don’t like me? What if they feel like Hunter feels?”
“Now don’t you worry about that. Hunter will come around eventually, but I know for certain that Ghani is going to love you.”
Hunter stood in the large parlor. He still could not believe his parents were presenting Mya to the matriarch of the family as if she were some long lost daughter. He understood why they needed to do that, but he felt that they should wait at least a year to see if she turned out to be whom she claimed to be and was nothing like her mother. He looked over at his grandmother and shook his head with a smile. Ghani was a pistol. At her age, she was still spry and full of sass. She was tiny, but so full of spirit, that she appeared to be six feet tall. It was true that Mya did favor Ghani. Their eyes and stature were the same, but Mya lacked Ghani’s spirit and heart. He didn’t care how sweet and nice she was to his parents and her brothers, or how intelligent she was in her studies, he was still convinced that there was a deviousness about her and it needed to be brought out.
Still, he had demons of his own to fight. He was attracted to her and didn’t want to be, and whenever she entered a room, his body ignited. That’s why he limited his time in her presence. He wanted her, he admits it. He wanted to feel her body on him, under him, and wrapped around him. He even tried to slake his desire for Mya on Heather, but that didn’t last. It got to the point that even Heather wasn’t satisfying him, so he slowed their intimacy to a crawl until he can conquer his demons, especially this one named Mya Taylor. Sooner or later Heather was going to figure it out, because he was running out of excuses as to why the two of them were no longer intimate. Maybe he should confide in her and tell her about his misgivings about Mya, because something had to be done. This waif of a woman waltzed into his family’s life and turned it completely upside down. They should have given her some money and sent her on her way. At least that way he wouldn’t feel as though a steamroller has run him over every time he saw her.
Hunter watched as is father eased away from the room, probably to go get Mya. Uncle Jonathan and Jamison, the twins, and Uncle Jackson were curious as to why their older brother wanted them back in Little Rock. Uncle Jon and Jam ran Trent’s Construction in Atlanta, while Uncle Jackson ran businesses in Texas. Even while separated they were a close-knit family. He loved them all and he was not about to let Mya ruin the happy nest of his family.
“What’s going on Sylvie?” Ghani asked.
“Mom, you’re just gonna have to wait and see, but I promise you, you will be delighted.”
Just then, the door opened. Henry entered holding Mya’s hand and all heads turned to the door. Ghani gasped, her hand pressed to her chest as a chorus of ‘Oh My God’ went around the room by Henry’s three brothers. Chance, Trevor, and Bryan grinned, but Hunter grunted and left. He did not want to see his grandmother and his three uncles falling all over the psycho’s daughter. Nothing passed by Ghani. She notice Hunter leaving and wanted to know why, but right now she needed to know who this beautiful young woman was who looks so much as she did at that age. She would deal with Hunter later. Ghani looked over at Sylvie, her favorite girl, as Sylvie rose to stand beside Mya.
“Mom this is Mya. She is Henry’s daughter,” she introduced.
Ghani frowned and looked at her son with accusing eyes. She knew her son had gone through some emotional changes and turmoil after that horrible Ione Taylor shot him and became a full fledge man whore, but she knew good and well that he did not abandon some woman he had impregnated. His brothers glared at him.
“Come here baby let me look at you,” Ghani said gently.
Mya gave her father’s hand a squeeze before she let go. Ghani was still beautiful even at her age, and had that same reddish hair sprinkled with silver that she pulled into a bun. She had the same button nose and bow shaped lips, but her most stunning attribute were eyes that sparkled like topaz jewels. Mya nervously moved towards her, as Ghani patted the empty seat beside her, and when Mya took a seat, she sat with her back erect and her eyes lowered to her hands.
“Look at Ghani, baby,” she spoke softly. Mya’s head lifted and she looked at the woman beside her.
“Yes you are my granddaughter,” she confirmed.
“Mom…,” Sylvie tried to interrupt.
Ghani raised her hand. “Who is your mother child?” She asked.
No one noticed when Hunter had returned except Ghani. “I want to hear it all; the good and bad,” she ordered.
Mya rose to let Sylvie sit down.
“No baby you sit here beside me,” Ghani ordered gently.
Hunter stood at the marble mantel staring at Mya and she hated when he did that. It was as if he was lording over her, as if his dark eyes were drilling holes into her chest. She glared at his handsome face and coolly gave him a glare of her own. His eyes narrowed and when Mya quickly lowered her head, Sylvie’s eyes narrowed on Hunter. Ghani watched the exchange. Something was definitely wrong here.
“Okay Henry, please tell me who is this child’s mother?”
Mya’s spoke first. “My mother is Ione Taylor,” she spoke quickly
. “I just recently learned that she tried to kill my father. Contrary to what some may think I did not come here for a handout or to hurt anyone. I just wanted to know who my father was.”
Tears clogged her throat and she looked directly at Ghani.
“If any of you have any doubts about my sincerity, please I need to know before I become more attached to this family. I know how evil my mother was. I lived with her for 27 years, and I’m sorry she tried to harm your son.”
“What is this?” Ghani asked, looking around the room. Her shrewd eyes landed on Hunter before moving on.
“Henry is this child your daughter by that woman?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Did you know about her birth?”
“No ma’am, you raise us better than that. I would have never abandoned my child.”
Ghani nodded satisfied.
“Mama I know she is mine. We have the DNA test to…”
“I don’t need a DNA test to tell me this is my granddaughter. I know for a fact that this is my granddaughter just by looking at her.”
Ghani took Mya’s hand and pulled her close as she leaned toward her.
“Do you have a birthmark on your left hip shaped like a crescent moon?” Ghani whispered, speaking for Mya’s ears only.
Mya nodded.
Ghani smiled and held Mya’s face between her small hands. “We don’t ask who our parents are baby. Your mother was a very sick woman, but she was still your mother. I don’t want you to ever hate the woman that gave birth to you. I forgave her a long time ago for trying to take my son from me, and the good Lord has brought you to me.” Tears filled her eyes. “You are the only girl in this family and I am thankful that I lived to see you.” Ghani leaned forward and kissed both her cheeks. “Now come here my sons and the meet your niece.”
Mya rose and was greeted by her uncles and aunts. “Mama, if she is any indication, you were a looker,” one of Mya’s uncles said.
Mya was warmly welcomed to the family. She met the twins Uncle Jonathan and Uncle Jamison and their families, and knew that it would take some time before she could tell the two of them apart. Then there was Uncle Jackson and his family, and it was easy to see that all three uncles were as handsome and distinguish as her father.
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