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."