CHAPTER27
Brutus
“If you’re nervous, you can tell me,” Mia said as I backed out of my driveway. It was two weeks after the opening of Cup of Joy, and we were on the way to her parents’ home to have dinner. Mia’s sister and brother-in-law would also be there.
I reached over and brought her hand to my lips. “Are you nervous?” I could hear it in her voice, so I didn’t need to ask but still chose to.
With her free hand, she stroked her thigh as if trying to relieve some tension. “Yes, a little.” Sucking her teeth, she shook her head. “I’m a grown woman.”
“Don’t I know it,” I said, giving her a glance and smirk before looking back at the road.
“Shut up.” She pulled her hand free from my hold to swat at my shoulder. “What I mean is even though I’m fully grown, my parents’ opinion still matters to me.” She pinched her lips. “For years, my mother wanted me to settle down, get married, have babies, and become a stay-at-home mom like she was. Like Sharise. She blamed my job and working too much for never finding a good man.”
Mia sat up straighter.
“And my dad … well, he was less vocal than my mom about wanting me to marry and have a family, but he would tell me to make sure I found someone who was worthy of me. I could tell he barely approved of the few guys I introduced him to over the years.”
She shrugged. “But then again, he didn’t like Boris when he first met him, either.” Boris was Sharise’s husband.
I raised an eyebrow and looked over at her. “Why?”
Mia snorted. “Because he thought Boris worked too much. The first few times they tried to have him over, he had to cancel for school or work. Boris worked three jobs while in college. My dad told Sharise she deserved better than someone who couldn’t put her first.”
She laughed.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s just ironic. My dad was a workaholic himself. Many nights he stayed late at work or would pick up a second shift. It worked out since all that extra work helped him retire early at fifty-five, but I think he didn’t want to see either one of his daughters go through what he put my mom through.”
I didn’t say anything to that. A slew of memories of the times in which I’d been called away from a dinner or out of my sleep in the middle of the night because of my job came to mind.
What I’d told Mia the night of the gala about not being nervous about meeting her family was true. However, her words hit me in my chest. She did deserve someone who would put her first. Always.
My job made that impossible.
And her family was important to her. It was one of the many things I loved about her. In the months that I’d known Mia, I started to realize how much I craved a family. That was part of what drew me to my job and why I loved it as much as I did. The Townsends were as close-knit as they come. I’d seen how wealthy, powerful families played the part for the public, but behind closed doors, they were either at each other’s throats or barely speaking to one another.
Not the Townsends. You could feel the warmth between all of them.
Family.
I wanted that. Always had. I came to realize it was why I sought Rick out after my mother died and why I kept him close despite the fact that he was able to live on his own and had plenty of money to do so.
As I looked over at Mia in the passenger seat, I recalled that time in Mexico when I went in her raw. I hadn’t said it out loud, but I wouldn’t have minded if she ended up pregnant. I grew disappointed when she told me she’d gotten her period the following month.
Even back then, I knew. I wanted a family and I wanted it with her.
So, while I wouldn’t exactly describe myself as nervous about meeting Mia’s parents, I recognized it for the big deal it was. This would bring us one step closer to my end game.
* * *
“Mama, it smells good,”Mia said as we entered her parents’ home, behind her mother. “What did you make?”
“Biscuits and gravy with fried green tomatoes on the side,” Mrs. Raymond said casually.
“Aw, man,” Mia exclaimed, pressing her hand to her stomach. “My mouth is watering. Where’s Daddy?”
I followed the two women through the entryway and into the living room.
