"Father, Mother, what a pleasant surprise." The tightness in Mo's voice told Kenna it wasn't as pleasant as he said.
"Son, I see you still have not learned the proper deportment that fits your station." Mo's father's eyes never left his son’s.
Kenna walked over to the couch and grabbed her suit coat and purse. "I'll let you welcome your family. I'm sure you'll want to show them all the amazing things you've done with the farm. Thanks for dinner and the game, Mo." Kenna kissed his cheek and gave his hand a supportive squeeze.
"Mo!" his father erupted. "I forbade you to use that name. You are royalty and royalty does not go by such a common name."
With her back to his father, she rolled her eyes and got some satisfaction when she saw Mo's lips twitch.
Ahmed pushed into the room. "I will escort Miss Mason home, sir," he said, bowing to Mo.
"There is no need for that, Ahmed. My son could better use your services showing Kalila to her new chamber. I will show Miss Mason to the door where our driver can escort her home," Mo's mother stated quietly.
Her quiet words invoked immediate action, though. Bachelorette Kalila immediately turned around and followed Ahmed out the door.
Kenna couldn't stop the smile when she heard Ahmed muttering, "Not another one." Kenna turned, waved bye to Mo, and sent him a smile as she followed his mother out the door.
They had only taken a couple of steps before she turned to Kenna. "As you can guess, I am Mohtadi's mother, Fatima Ali Rahman. We've arrived here to bring a bride for my son. I am sure you can imagine our surprise on encountering him with another woman. It is therefore necessary for me to ask you a very personal question, Miss Mason." She waited until Kenna nodded before continuing, "What exactly is your relationship with my son?"
"I'm his friend and he is my very good friend." Kenna stopped walking and waited for Mo's mother to face her. "He should be allowed to have friends. He needs them. He needs fun, and he needs to be able to find the person he wants to marry. Parading all these women in front of him is just making him more hostile to the idea of marriage. I'd hate to see him marry the wrong person just to get back at his father and to satisfy this stupid deal the two of them made." Kenna kept her eyes on Fatima’s and knew she had swan-dived over the bounds of propriety.
Mo's mother surprised her by smiling. "I believe we may get along very well, Miss Mason. Although my husband would not agree, I have made my case to him along those same lines. He believes he's right and there's nothing that can change his mind. It is comforting to know Mohtadi has a friend such as you."
"You can call me McKenna, or Kenna for short. I'm glad he has your support. He's such a wonderful and caring person. I hope he may find a person who appreciates those qualities more than his station."
"McKenna, you may call me Fatima. If I may ask, why are you not that woman?"
Kenna smiled. "I'm involved with someone else. He's actually Mohtadi's neighbor, Will Ashton." She opened the front door when they reached it.
"That is too bad. I, too, wish for him to find love. All of Mohtadi's other siblings have married spouses their father picked out for them. Most are unhappy, but not all. Some of the matches have evolved into love, but it's very hard for Mohtadi to be the last one unmarried. It focuses all of his father's pressure onto him alone.” The two women approached the front door. “It was a pleasure to meet you, McKenna. I do hope I will see you at the Derby festivities."
Fatima closed the door on her as she made her way down the steps. Kenna was relieved to see Ahmed pull the Mercedes behind the limo and open the door for her. It had been too long of a day and she was ready for the quiet of her bedroom. She turned to the formal sitting parlor. As she figured, Mo had moved his family to that room and gave Kenna a nod good-bye through the window before she got into the car. He was a good friend, and as such, she needed to find him a good woman.
Chapter Thirteen
Kenna took a deep breath before speaking into the phone again, "Ma'am, I don't think you understand the situation."
"Sure I do. You just want to screw me. My ex-boyfriend got you all to take my baby away from me so that he can hang it over my head. I just don't understand what legal grounds you have to take my baby away from me."
"Ma'am, you were arrested on possession of marijuana charges. You were smoking pot while driving your baby to a meth house that happens to be your house."
"That's not illegal! It was just pot. And you can't prove that house was mine. I know the law and you can't prove squat."
Kenna tried not to bang her head against the desk as she reminded herself she loved her job. "Smoking pot is illegal, and we can prove the meth house was yours. You led the police on a chase to the house. You left all kinds of prints there. Your clothes and your baby's clothes were there. Further, your little son tested positive for meth and is still in the hospital where his father is taking care of him. That's enough evidence to keep you in jail for a long time. I suggest you contact your public defender if you need anything else. It is unadvisable for you to speak to me since our office will handle your prosecution. Goodbye."