Page 43 of Hood Legacy

“My son is spoiled,” Aceyn’s mama said to me, and I nodded as we watched him and his daddy talk on the other side of their bungalow. We’d spent the morning exploring caves, then returned to ours to shower, nap, and meet his parents for an early dinner. My fear of meeting his mama was thrown out the window the second I met her, and she pulled me into a hug I didn’t know I needed. “You can blame me for that.”

“He is, but it’s not overwhelming,” I agreed as I thought about what she’d said. “Trust me, I’ve seen worse.”

“If by worse you mean Fire, then you haven’t seen anything yet,” she laughed, and I turned to look at her.

“He can be worse than Fire?” I questioned her, and she nodded. “Oh, Ms. Arlene, what did you do?”

“Love my son and ensure he was a good man,” she laughed. “He saw his daddy love me, and even though we didn’t work out, Aceyn saw what love looked like. When he was little, he would tell me that whoever he ended up with would have to love him hard because he was going to love them harder.” She leaned back in her seat and wrapped her blanket around her shoulders. “And I believed him because if Hood wasn’t anything, he was persistent and focused. Even when running the streets, trying to be like Bowlin, he had this focus about him that made me pause.”

“He’s too stubborn to fail,” I replied. “I’ve experienced that stubbornness a few times.”

“He told me,” she laughed. “But he always said that you’re stubborn.”

“I can be,” I acknowledged, and she smirked. “But that’s only because your son doesn’t like being told no.”

“He doesn’t understand that word,” she replied. “He hasn’t since he was little.”

“You created a monster,” I teased her.

“That monster will protect you for life, though.” She patted my leg.

“You did good with him, Ms. Arlene,” I said, nodding as I got comfortable. “He’s a good man, loves hard, and has a good head on his shoulders. You and Pop did a damn good job.”

“Now, how am I, Ms. Arlene, and Bowlin’s big-headed ass is Pop?” she laughed and smiled.

“He told me I had no choice but to call him that, and I didn’t want to assume with you. I know how mothers are about their sons, and Aceyn is your only son.” I shook my head. “I didn’t know what to expect.”

“Baby, Hood might be my son, but I never treated him like my man,” she laughed. “I had a man, one that pissed me off and broke my heart, and his name is not Aceyn Bowlin.”

“I hear you.”

“Good.” She nodded, then went back to watching Aceyn and his daddy talk. “Here’s a piece of advice for you: hold his hand. There will come a moment when he will need you because he will drown in his thoughts. He won’t know how to move his feet to take the next step and will need you. Not to lead him but to hold his hand. All I’m asking of you, Legacy, is to do that.”

“Just hold his hand?” I asked, and she nodded.

“That’s all,” she replied. “Can you do that?”

“Yes, ma’am.” I didn’t understand what she was asking, but I could tell it was important.

“Good,” she nodded. “Now, tell me about this upcoming season you have. You excited?”

“If you would’ve asked me that the other day, I would’ve said no,” I said, shaking my head.

“What changed?”

“Aceyn,” I said, nodding at her son. “He stroked my ego.”

“He didn’t tell you anything he didn’t believe,” she said, shaking her head. “Aceyn might be a lot of things, but he isn’t going to say anything he doesn’t mean.”

“Oh, I know that,” I laughed. “But he is good for the ego, and there’s no doubt about that.” Aceyn looked up as if he knew we were discussing him and let his eyes roam over my body. He licked his lips slowly and then smirked before returning to his conversation with his daddy.

“Lord, he’s going to love you for the rest of his life,” his mama sighed.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because his daddy used to look at me the same way he looks at you, and even after all the shit we’ve been through, Bowlin is still trying to come back home. It doesn’t matter how long we’ve been divorced and lived our own lives. He’s always declared that he’d love me for the rest of his life.”

“And you believe him?”

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