Page 14 of Love Me Carefully
“So you just forgot about him?” Hurt welled up inside of him, along with another foreign emotion.
“I will never forget your daddy. Paul was my first love and the father of my only child. He will always have a place in my heart, but it’s been a long time now that he’s been gone. And I have to move on.” Dropping the spoon into the pan, Rosie reached for the dish towel and wiped her hands. Then, she moved to stand behind her son and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. “I loved your daddy, too, Terrell. But he would want me to be happy, don’t you think?”
Terrell let his head rest against his mother. Her arms around him felt so good, so safe. For a moment, only a moment, things were the way they used to be, when it was just the two of them.
“I’ll wait until I meet him before I decide if he’s good enough for you,” he said finally.
“He’s good enough, I promise you.” Rosie kissed his forehead. “I will always love you most, Terrell.”
“I love you most, too, Mama.” And at that moment he identified the emotion that had simmered within him over the last five days. Fear. He was afraid that this marriage—his mother’s union with this man—would take her away from him. And then he’d have no one. His father was gone, and now his mother would be gone too.
Her touch and her words of love had dispelled that notion. His mother had always been there for him, and probably always would be. She looked really happy, so despite his selfishness, if this man was the reason for that, he’d gladly give the union his blessing.
* * *
Terrell had just finished moving the furniture in the living room around to afford as much open space as possible. Considering his mother still possessed the biggest, heaviest furniture around, that wasn’t an easy feat.
He heard the front door open, then voices in the hall. Wiping his hands on his jeans, he turned towards the entryway, knowing he was about to meet his mother’s fiancé.
The man that walked into the room beside his mother was stocky, a Gerald Levert look-alike in expensive clothes. His mother seemed to adore him.
Terrell moved closer; his arm extended. “Terrell Pierce.”
The older man clasped his hand and then pulled him in for a half hug. “Donald Douglas. It’s good to finally meet you.”
Douglas.As they broke apart, he thought the name rang a bell. “I’ve heard a lot about you, too, Mr. Douglas.”
“Call me Donald. After all, we’re about to be family.”
Donald kept a protective arm around Rosie and Terrell watched his mother inch closer to him. “Yeah, I guess we are,” he mumbled, not at all comfortable seeing his mother hugged up with another man.
Donald noted the way the younger man watched him, and figured they needed to talk alone so that he could reassure this young fellow that he meant his mother no harm. “Baby, why don’t you go ahead and finish cooking that good food while Terrell and I get to know each other,” Donald said.
Rosie looked from one man to the other. “Okay, that’s probably a good idea.”
When they were alone, Donald looked around. “You need some help in here?” He took off his leather jacket and tossed it on the chair.
Terrell took a step back. “I think I’ve made as much space as I can, but I don’t want to hear Mama’s mouth later.”
Donald laughed. “Yeah, if it’s not just right she’s liable to go off on both of us.”
Terrell joined him in laughing as they lifted the ottoman and moved it into the hallway. “I’ll take good care of her if that’s what you’re worried about,” Donald said when it appeared Terrell wasn’t going to broach the subject.
Terrell wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “And by take good care of her you mean…?” Rosie said he owned the shop, but was that enough for them to live comfortably? Could his mother finally retire on this man’s income alone?
Donald took deep, steady breaths, feeling every year of his age with each step he took carrying that heavy furniture. “We are both alone. We both need somebody. Rosie’s good for me, and I’ve got to believe that I’m good for her. I won’t hurt her.”
Terrell frowned. Was he the only one who thought financial stability was the key to a good life? “And while you’re being good for her, who’s paying the bills?”
Donald chuckled. “Son, the last thing you’ve got to worry about is my finances. I’m secure for the rest of my life, and once I marry your mother, she will be too.”
Terrell narrowed his eyes. “She’s been working for a good portion of her life. It’s time she took a break.”
“I hear you loud and clear on that one, and plan to sit her pretty little self-down as soon as we tie the knot. It’s all going to work out just fine. You’ll see.” Donald’s thick lips spread into a warm grin.
Reluctantly, Terrell smiled too, willing himself to relax. Donald seemed sincere enough but there was something else nagging him about the man. He’d ask him a few more questions, talk to him until this disconcerting feeling went away—after all, they were about to be family.
* * *
