A Family Reunion (32 page)

Otha Mae then turned and walked out of the house with an indignant Cuzin Sophie following behind her.

Michael pulled Taye closer into his arms and looked down as he studied her face. “You OK?”

Leaning back, she met his gaze. “As well as any woman could be whose mother thinks the worst of her,” she said, trying to make light of things but failing miserably.

“You know your mom, Taye. She’s always had this self-righteous air about her. Maybe it stems from her father being a Baptist minister and her expecting everyone to act a certain way. Don’t let what she said bother you. She really does love you; you know that.”

Taye sighed. “Yes, but sometimes she has a funny way of showing it, Michael. She has no reason to question my morals. I haven’t been involved with anyone since Monica was born, but she doesn’t want to believe that. She knows Monica’s father was a married man, so of course that definitely lowers her opinion of me. She even questioned how I was able to get this house, and that really pissed me off. I didn’t even tell her that I borrowed money from Sharon to make the down payment. She’s convinced I have a sugar daddy.”

Michael grinned at her. “You do. I can be quite sweet when I’m enticed enough.”

Taye smiled, but her heart wasn’t in it. “I can truly believe that.” She walked out of his arms and went over to the sofa and began folding up the blanket and sheet. “You know we have to tell the girls soon, don’t you? I prefer that they hear it from us rather than from the gossip Cuzin Sophie will be spreading around.”

Michael nodded as he sat casually on the arm of a wingback chair and watched her. “I don’t have a problem with that. Do you?”

Taye turned to him and shrugged her shoulders. “No, but I was hoping we would have more time before we had to tell them. I wanted for us to just enjoy our moments together without anyone knowing but the two of us.”

Michael slowly nodded. He had wanted that, too, although he’d never intended to keep their newfound love a secret. In a way he was glad things had been forced out in the open. He wanted everyone to know he loved her. For a moment he watched what she was doing as she folded the items, then placed them aside. He could tell that Otha Mae’s opinion of her had hurt her deeply. He slowly crossed the room and sat down on the sofa and pulled her down onto his lap. “Let me hold you, Taye.”

She willingly went into his arms. “Kiss me, Michael. Please kiss the hurt away.”

He couldn’t have denied her request even if he had wanted to, which he didn’t. The coiling need to ease her hurt was great. He leaned down and touched his mouth to hers, kissing her fiercely. He wanted to take her hurt away and replace it with love. The kind of love a man had for a woman. His woman. Reaching his hand down, he slowly opened her robe and began stroking her quivering belly in the same tempo that his mouth was stroking hers. Then, moving his hand lower, he felt her legs automatically part for him and his touch.

The kiss deepened as he brought her to throbbing need with his hand. He continued to touch her, stroke her, probe her until he felt her shudder in his arms as hot, intense sensations raced through her. He felt each and every tremor as her body exploded into tantalizing pleasure. When she moaned into his mouth, his tongue soothed her. It comforted her. It consoled her. It was taking her hurt away completely.

Moments later, he slowly lifted his head and looked down at her with darkened eyes. Her mouth was a mouth that had been thoroughly kissed, and her glazed eyes revealed a woman who’d just been sexually satisfied.

Taye returned his gaze. She had no idea that she’d been capable of such passion and such desire. But once she was in his arms Michael was able to make her feel things she had never felt before. “You have quite a knack for being able to do two things at once,” she whispered softly, almost in a purr. “And you can do both of them extremely well, I might add. You’re remarkable.”

He was touched by her words. “No, Taye, you’re the one who is remarkable. You’ve taken a man who thought he would never love again and proven him wrong. Lynda will always have a special place in my heart, but I love you now. I really do love you, Taye.”

She acknowledged his words with a smile and reached up and placed her arms around his neck. “And I love you, too.”

He softly caressed the area of her neck. “I didn’t mean to put these here, Taye,” he said of the passion marks that were clearly visible there.

“I know, but I don’t mind wearing your brand. However, I’m going to change into something that will cover them before the girls get here.”

He nodded. “When do you want me to go and get them?”

Taye sighed. “You may as well go get them now. Gossip spreads fast in this family.”

Michael nodded. He knew Sophie’s reputation for being a compulsive gossip. “All right. I’ll leave now.” He looked at her. “You’re not alone in this, Taye. Promise me you’ll try not to worry about anything.”

She looked at him steadily. The force of the gaze made her shiver a little. “I promise.”

He smiled and slowly slid her off his lap into the seat next to him. He then moved and got off the couch and went down on his knees in front of her. He looked up at her.

Taye caught her breath at the intense look in his eyes. “I want to make you a promise as well, Taye,” he said, taking her hand. “Right here, in front of you and before God, I promise to love you, protect you, and keep you and the girls safe. Regardless of who their fathers are, I want them to become my girls, too. I want me, you, Monica, Sebrina, and Kennedy to be a family, and the only way that can happen is if you marry me. Will you marry me, Taye?”

Tears suddenly sprang into Taye’s eyes. A number of people, including her mother, had convinced her that no man in his right mind, unless he was old as dirt and wasn’t worth having anyway, would want to commit himself to a woman with a ready-made family, especially one with two children. But Michael was proving them wrong. Here he was before her, on his knees, offering to love and protect not only her but her girls as well.

“Will you marry me, Taye?” he repeated when she did not respond.

“Yes, Michael, I’ll marry you.”

Taye found herself pulled off the couch as he got to his feet. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, sealing their commitment to each other.

Taye stood at the living room window and watched Michael’s car pull into her driveway. Seconds later she watched as the girls got out. It was obvious all three were disappointed that their fun time at Fayrene’s had been cut short, although Taye’s two daughters were trying hard not to show it. Kennedy, however, didn’t mind letting her father know she was not a happy camper. The pout on her face spoke volumes.

Not waiting for them to knock, Taye immediately padded barefoot across the carpeted floor and opened the door. She had taken a shower and had changed into a pair of shorts and a short-sleeve turtleneck blouse. Although she felt refreshed, she also felt nervous as heck. “Hi, girls.”

“Hi, Aunt Taye,” Kennedy greeted her casually and automatically gave her a hug. “Why did Dad bring us home? We were having so much fun and were about to go to the mall.”

Taye then hugged her own two daughters. “Would you believe it if we said that we missed you?”

“You just saw us yesterday, Mom,” Monica said, grinning.

Taye smiled. “Yeah, that may be true, but we missed the three of you anyway.”

Kennedy looked back over her shoulder as her dad came through the door and closed it behind him. “Am I in trouble or something?”

Michael lifted a brow. “Should you be in trouble about anything, Kennedy?”

Kennedy gazed at her father with uncertain eyes. “Not unless the school contacted you,” she said softly.

Michael leaned back against the door. “No one at the school has contacted me.”

Kennedy shrugged. “Well then,” she said calmly, as if dismissing the discussion.

“Why would the school be calling me, Kennedy?” Michael asked. He had no intention of dismissing it.

Sebrina suddenly appeared at Kennedy’s side. “It wasn’t her fault, Uncle Michael. Cherry Burgess started it all.”

Michael looked at Taye, who hunched her shoulders to let him know she had no idea what the two girls were talking about. “And just what did Cherry Burgess start?”

“She said a lot of bad things about Kennedy,” Monica said.

Taye lifted her brow as she looked at her younger daughter. “Monica, how do you know about any of this? You don’t attend their school.”

“But they told me all about it and said it was supposed to be a secret and not to tell.”

Taye tried not to smile, wondering if Monica realized that she
was
indeed telling. “Thanks for your contribution, Monica, but we prefer hearing the entire story from Sebrina and Kennedy.” Taye then turned her attention to the two older girls. “OK, ladies, let’s hear it.”

Kennedy met Taye’s gaze. “Cherry Burgess said something mean about me in class, so I sort of pinched her.”

Michael lifted a brow. “You sort of pinched her?”

Kennedy nodded. “Yeah, sort of.”

Michael ran his hand over his face. “Kennedy,” he said slowly, trying to maintain his cool. “How can you
sort of
pinch someone?”

“Do you want me to show you, Daddy?”

Michael glared at her, wondering if she was serious or was just being a smart-mouth. “No. What happened after you
sort of
pinched Cherry Burgess?”

Kennedy shrugged. “She sort of hollered.”

Michael shook his head and inhaled a deep breath. “What happened next?”

Kennedy swallowed as she looked up at her father, trying to decipher his mood. “I sort of got sent to the office.”

Michael took another inhaling breath. “And?”

Kennedy clasped her hands tightly together as she studied her father through apprehensive eyes. “And you have to take me to school on Monday to talk to Mrs. Jones, the dean of girls.”

Michael stared at his daughter for a second. He then glanced down at her nails, freshly polished, nicely manicured, and long. Her could just imagine the abuse Kennedy had given this Cherry Burgess. “Kennedy, why on earth would you pinch that girl?”

“Monica already told you why, Daddy. Cherry said some bad things about me. She’s been mean to me ever since I started that school. She doesn’t like me because I wear nice clothes and my hair looks good every day. And she said that I was a—”

“Kennedy, it doesn’t matter what she said,” Michael said, interrupting his daughter. “Is whatever she said true?”

“No, sir.”

“Then why should it matter to you?”

“It didn’t.”

“It must have for you to have pinched her. Sort of.”

“But—”

“But nothing, young lady. I’ve told you time and time again not to care about what people say. You know what you are and who you are and that’s all that matters. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I would put you under punishment if I wasn’t feeling so happy right now.”

Kennedy looked at her father under lowered lashes. “What are you happy about? Did you win the lotto?”

Michael stepped farther into the room. “I wish. No, that’s not it. Will the three of you have a seat on the sofa?”

The three girls studied him and Taye thoughtfully for a moment before walking over to the sofa and taking a seat. They continued to look at the adults expectantly.

Michael began talking. “Kennedy, do you remember when I told you about being adopted into the Bennett family?”

Kennedy nodded. “Yes. You said you didn’t find out until you were eighteen.”

Michael nodded. “Yes, that’s true. And I also told you that adoption or no adoption, the Bennett family is the only family I know and as far as I’m concerned I am a Bennett.”

Kennedy nodded, understanding that. “Yes, sir.”

“But my not being a blood Bennett also means something else.”

Kennedy frowned. “What?”

“It means that in all actuality, Taye and I aren’t really related.”

“Yes, you are,” Monica piped in. “Momma is your cousin.”

“Yes, she’s my cousin, but she’s not my
blood
cousin. Do the three of you see what I’m getting at?”

Three heads shook no at the same time.

Taye walked over and stood next to Michael. “Michael and I have discovered something that’s simply wonderful,” she said, smiling as she tried to put on a brave front.

“What?” Sebrina asked cautiously but curiously.

Taye looked at Michael. Michael looked at Taye. They then looked at the girls. “We love each other,” Taye finally said softly.

Monica chuckled. “Momma, you’re supposed to love each other. You’re cousins.”

Taye smiled back at her younger daughter, but her gaze was steadfast on Kennedy and Sebrina. As they were three years older and somewhat wiser, they caught on to what she was getting at.

“You mean that mushy man-love-woman sort of stuff?” Kennedy asked in utter amazement, looking from her father to Taye. “The kind that sort of leads to marriage and babies?”

“Yes, that’s the kind we mean,” Michael answered.

Sebrina smiled. “Hey, that’s off the chain!” she exclaimed loudly. “That means you might get to live here or that we might get to live with you. And that Kennedy, Monica, and I won’t have to hang out together just on the weekends?”

Michael laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, I guess it would mean all of that.” He looked at his daughter. “What do you think of it, Kennedy?”

He saw the huge smile on his daughter’s face. He hadn’t really been concerned about her reaction. She had mentioned to him a number of times how much she liked Taye and wished that Taye were her mother instead of her aunt. “I think it’s great. But I didn’t know people in the same family could get married.”

“Normally they can’t, Kennedy,” Michael explained. “But Taye and I have a rather unique situation since we aren’t actually blood-related.”

“Oh.” Kennedy looked at Taye. “I would love having you for a mother. You’re so cool. And you’re so pretty. And you’re so smart. I can see why Daddy wants you for that mushy man-love-woman sort of stuff.”

Taye shook her head, grinning. “Thank you.” She then opened her arms and Sebrina and Kennedy automatically went into them, giving her joyous hugs. It was only a second later that Taye noticed Monica had not moved from her spot on the sofa and had tears in her eyes.