Second Chance at Love(56)
Karen waved her hands. “I’m not really thinking about them.”
Though she and Dom had joked about sending the kids overseas, they had gone to see an attorney to see what their next step should be in handling the Johnstons.
Since Dom had planned on adopting the children, the attorney suggested that they get the ball rolling with submitting the paperwork prior to the wedding. The attorney recommended that they hire someone to look into the Johnstons’ financial and personal affairs. There was something very wrong with the older couple’s dogged pursuit of the kids.
Karen took a sip of her wine spritzer, wanting to change the subject because she didn’t want to think or talk about her in-laws any longer. The cool beverage sliding down her throat was a reminder that she and Dom hadn’t made a baby. Though she was disappointed, it was for the best with everything that’s going on. Shaking off her momentary blues, she told them all about Kyle and Ashley’s scheming to get her and Dom to fall in love.
Shaking her head, Starr laughed. “Girl, they called me on January second wanting to know when they could come back over to spend the weekend with us.”
Ava and Summer both sat up like Jack in the boxes. “They called me too!” they both said at the same time.
“Kyle said he wanted to come over and play with NJ. And Ashley wanted to bake cookies with Autumn.”
Ava jumped in, saying, “They asked if they could come spend a weekend with Zoe so they could go to the Smithsonian.”
Karen wagged her finger at Ava. “Oh don’t think Miss Zoe is innocent. She had a little hand in the scheming, too. Dom told me she called your parents asking them if they could bring the kids with them to pick her up.”
“I’m not surprised.” Ava said, laughing. “She sort of let it slip that she was going to be real cousins with your kids. When I asked her what she was talking about she gave me that deer caught in the headlights look.”
“And we were ready and willing to help them, too.” Donna chimed in from the doorway of the bedroom.
She walked into the room, followed by Janet and Joan. The grandmothers and their husbands had taken all the children to an afternoon movie to see Cars 2 and then to Chuck E. Cheese’s.
The younger women stood to greet them with hugs and kisses. After their greetings Janet confessed how she had overheard the children’s plan.
“And as soon as Janet filled me in on what those babies were up to, we decided to join them.”
Joan chuckled. “Y’all didn’t have to help those babies.” Sitting down next to Karen, she went on to say, “Truth be told those babies didn’t have to do all that matchmaking.” She flashed Karen a smile. “The way that young man was looking at you the night of Ava and Langston’s wedding, I thought he was gonna catch a fire from all that lust burning in his eyes.”
The room erupted in laughter. Karen’s face was burning up with embarrassment. Joan Stiles didn’t know the meaning of being subtle. She didn’t stop there either. “Chile, you still a young woman. ‘Tant no need for you to dry up like an old woman. You better let that young man have his way with you. That boy looks like he got a strong back. Whew Lawd!”
“Joan!” Janet and Donna shouted, feigning utter shock, which of course they weren’t. The women had soon come to learn that their friend was blunt and wickedly amusing.
Joan put her hands on her full, round hips. “What? These gals ain’t no babies. They grown women with babies of their own.” Joan smacked her lips. “And we all know how they got those babies.”
The younger women sat there trying hard not to snicker. Amused, they stayed quiet as church mice watching the wiser, older women.
Janet smoothed her hands down her maroon dress slacks. “Well, you do have a point.”
“Of course they’re grown,” Donna confirmed, her voice dropping as if she was telling a secret, “but you don’t have to be so, so—”
“So what?” Joan asked, raising a brow. She loved Donna, honest she did, but the woman needed to loosen up a bit.
“Blunt.” Janet finished for Donna, shaking her head while laughing. She was close with her daughter and they talked about everything…well almost everything. Her sex life with her father wasn’t one of them. Joan, however, had no problem letting it all hang out.
“I know the two of you ain’t standing here like we don’t talk about our men and what they—”
“Hey! Hey! Hey! Now! We don’t want to hear about you old folks’ sexual exploits.” Summer shouted, the whole while laughing.