The Billionaire Secret 2(11)

Without a second thought, he let his lips find hers and they parted  eagerly for him. Blake took the opportunity and tilted her chin up with  his hand as he kissed her deeply. The world seemed to melt away and  there was only Aiyana and her warm, heady lips. His hands found purchase  on her hips as he pulled her closer, unaware of the young woman  descending the stairs and hushing her father as she passed.

"Woo! I'd like to get me some of that!" The woman screeched as she put  her hands on her hips and shook her head. She sucked on her teeth a  moment before Aiyana quickly pulled away and cleared her throat. Blake  couldn't help the cocky grin that had spread across his face.

"Sasha," Theresa reprimanded as she held up one of the corn cobs she was husking.

"What? I'm just saying', that tall glass of milk could come make  chocolate milk shakes with me anytime." Sasha's eyes twinkled and Blake  felt his neck heat. He put his hand to it as if that would help cool it  down.

"And that's why no tall glass of milk is ever going to make you into a  chocolate shake," a tall man said as he walked through the back door and  closed the screen. He sat down beside his mother and grabbed one of the  ears of corn. They bumped shoulders and smiled at one another before  they went back to work.

"Blake, this is Sasha, my sister, and Jackson, my other brother." Aiyana  made introductions and Blake reached out his hand. Sasha took it with  enthusiasm.

"It's nice to meet the billionaire who finally rescued my sister from  her long, dry celibacy." Aiyana rolled her eyes and looked over her  sister's shoulder to see if her father was paying attention. He was too  busy staring down at the newspaper in front of him to listen to the  banter of his children.

"It's nice to meet you, too." Blake allowed his hand to rest on the  small of Aiyana's back. He sensed a rivalry between the two sisters and  decided he didn't want to see what it would amount to.

"Dinner's gonna be ready in another half an hour. You three better get  cleaned up and ready," Theresa called out as she held open the door for  Jackson to take the pot of corn into the kitchen. He followed his mother  inside and disappeared.

Row and Allen tossed the ball between the two of them for another two or  three minutes as Aiyana asked Sasha about her new job. Aiyana followed  her sister into the house, giving Blake a shy smile before she ducked  past her father and through the doorway. Row and Allen followed her  inside and shut the door behind them. Blake was left standing in the  back yard with the ball in his hands as he stared after them.

He wasn't sure if he should, but he sat down on the steps, not too far  from where her father sat at the table with the paper still in front of  him. They were both silent, one of them staring out at the pool and the  other idly scanning the paper in front of him.         

     



 

"Allen's a tough one to beat," Richard spoke quietly as he continued to  stare at his paper. Blake didn't turn around as he put his fingers on  his chin and rested his elbow on his knee.

"He's pretty good," Blake admitted as he looked at the ball hanging limply in his other hand.

"He played on a college team years ago. Was going to go pro, but one  thing led to another and he ended up dropping out before he could make  it." Blake didn't ask what the one thing was that led to the other. He  kept his mouth shut as he waited for Richard to say something more.  "Aiyana loves you," her father grumbled as he shifted in his chair.  Blake finally turned to look at the man who had set his paper down and  was intently staring at him.

"I know." Blake allowed the ball to rest at his feet and let his fingers  slide away from his chin as he sat up. "I love her," he admitted as he  stared out at the trees. A shiver crept up his spine as he looked up at  the humid sky.

"That scares the shit out of you, doesn't it?" Blake couldn't pinpoint the emotion that was in her father's tone.

"More than facing a den full of hungry lions," Blake admitted. It had been the first time anyone had noticed.

"You asked her to marry you yet?" He knew they were at a crossroads. If  he lied and Richard found out, then he'd ruin forever the chance at a  son-in-law to father-in-law relationship.

With a small smile on his lips and a bashful glance at her father, he  admitted he had. "New Year's". Wishing he hadn't put the ball down, he  felt himself shift under Richard's gaze.

"And she said no." It was obvious she had, considering she wasn't  wearing a ring, but Blake nodded his head once, almost imperceptibly.  "But you'll ask her again." It wasn't a question, but Blake didn't want  to allow it to hang in the air between them.

"With your permission," Blake said as he stood up and sat down in a  chair across from Richard. The man took stock of him silently.

"Good," he said before he stood up, folding his paper, and then walked into the house.

Blake figured that was as much of an approval he was going to get from  the stoic man, and felt the tension drain from his shoulders. He hurried  in to wash up before it was time to eat, and sat down to a late  afternoon meal with Aiyana's folks. They openly asked him questions  about his business, and he felt refreshed by their candid remarks about  his money. They weren't threatened by him, and for that he was thankful.





Chapter Ten




Five months. It had been five months since they'd gone to see his mother  and she'd dropped the bomb that she didn't approve of Aiyana for her  son. Blake kept in regular contact with her parents and siblings as much  as she did, sitting on the couch as she put the phone on the coffee  table before them on speaker. Richard had become warmer toward him as  the weeks passed, but there was a lingering apprehension in the back of  his mind as he thought about his mother.

It was Mother's Day, and he usually took his mother out to a restaurant  for dinner before going to the movies together. Aiyana kissed him on the  cheek and told him to have fun before he embarked the jet and watched  from the airport as it took off for Alabama. It was nice, having an air  taxi whenever he needed one, but he regretted he wasn't on that plane  with her.

Blake buttoned the top button of his suit jacket, checked his phone to  be sure it was charged, and turned toward the doors that led out onto  the streets. His driver waited for him with a smile and a nod, but Blake  wasn't feeling chatty. He hadn't talked to his mother since the  incident, and he wasn't sure if she would be receptive when he showed up  on her doorstep.

"Sir, we're here," the tone in the driver's voice hinted that he'd said the phrase more than once.

"Thank you," Blake told him before climbing out of the sedan and  standing in front of the porch. She sat on an armchair with white  cushions, her hand over her eyes and her gaze squinting against the  evening sun.

"Blake?" she called out, unsure as he walked up the steps. He hadn't  changed anything about him, but he supposed she hadn't expected to see  him since she hadn't seen him for Sunday dinner in months.

"The one and only," he told her with a smile. The small gift weighed  heavily in his pocket and he pulled it out. "I got you something."

"Oh, I didn't think I'd be seeing you today," she told him with a small smile. The tension between them was palatable.

"It's Mother's Day," he said matter of fact, as if that explained  everything. She took the gift from him but didn't open it. Instead, she  set it down on the table in front of her and patted the chair beside  her. Blake raised his hand to let the driver know he'd be staying, and  the man slowly glided out of the driveway.         

     



 

"It is that, isn't it? Your cousin stopped by already. Said he saw you  in New York," she chatted aimlessly. "I heard the two of you are  embarking on a business deal together. You should be careful about  Jonathan. He's a smart man with great ambitions, and that keeps him from  worrying about damaging any other company he gets in business with."  Her concern appeared genuine to him, and when he looked over at her  small, frail body and her graying hair, he felt terrible he'd stayed  away so long. Aiyana had been right; he should have called or visited  just to make sure she was okay.

She was still his mother, no matter what.

"Jonathan knows what he's doing, and so do I. You don't have to worry  about us." He reached out a hand and patted her gently on the forearm  once in a loving gesture. When she didn't look up right away, he was  afraid she was angry with him.

"I know you know what you're doing. And I'm sorry." Her voice broke and  with horror he realized that his mother was crying. No, not quite yet.  They shimmered on her eyelashes when she looked up at him. "I was a  horror over Christmas, and I shouldn't have reacted the way I did to  that girl. Jonathan says you're still with her, and I'm glad. No," she  held up a hand when he went to speak. "I've had a lot of time to think  about what I said and how I behaved toward the woman who captured my  son's heart, and I just wanted to let you know that while I don't really  know her yet and can't say that I approve of her, I'd like to get the  opportunity."