A Family Reunion (13 page)

With the bellman’s assistance in carrying their packages from the car, Alexia, Fayrene, Taye, and Rae’jean returned to the hotel from a Saturday morning of shopping. As they stepped onto the elevator, Rae’jean glanced down at her watch. It was almost three o’clock, and she couldn’t help wondering if Grady had arrived, and said as much to the other three women.

Alexia, who was standing in front, closest to the elevator door, glanced back over her shoulder and said, grinning, “And if he has arrived does that mean we won’t be seeing your face again until the banquet starts at seven tonight? I can just imagine all the things the two of you will want to catch up on.”

An answering smile touched Rae’jean’s lips. “Maybe.” She had no intention of telling her cousins that she had made Grady promise to hold off from making love with her again until their wedding night. They didn’t need to know that although Grady had a connecting room, the two of them would not be sharing a bed. There were some things a sistah kept to herself and didn’t share with her kinfolks, no matter how close they were, especially if they would think she had a few screws loose if she told them.

“I’m going to my room to rest my poor aching feet,” Taye said when the elevator came to a stop on her floor. Stepping out, she called over her shoulder, “See you guys later!”

“I think Taye has the right idea,” Fayrene said, smiling, once the elevator closed again. “I’m going to my room and chill, since Aunt Otha Mae took the girls to a movie.”

Alexia giggled. “I bet it was a Disney movie.”

Fayrene couldn’t help but chuckle herself. “Probably, but I told the girls to roll with the flow and not sweat the small stuff. I’ll make up for it when we get back to Atlanta. They really wanted to see that new movie that just came out with Morris Chestnut.”

“They got the hots for Morris, uhh?” Rae’jean asked, smiling.

“Probably no more than you had the hots for Prince when you were their age,” Alexia reminded her.

Rae’jean’s smile widened as she remembered those days. She’d bought every record Prince made, seen
Purple Rain
more times than she could count, and had pictures of him plastered on every wall in her bedroom. “Yeah, I did have a thing for Prince, didn’t I?”

“Big-time,” Alexia said, raising her eyes to the ceiling. “Your thing for Prince was just as big as Taye’s thing for Michael back then.”

Alexia shook her head, grinning. “I’d almost forgotten about Taye’s crush on Michael. Boy, was it intense, and Michael never knew it, did he?”

Rae’jean smiled. “I doubt he noticed it.”

The elevator door opened and Alexia got out after telling Rae’jean and Fayrene that she had planned to spend the rest of her afternoon in her hotel room reading, relaxing, and napping.

“You OK, Rae’jean? I heard about your conversation with Victor Junior yesterday,” Fayrene said when they were alone in the elevator.

“Yeah, I’m OK. It’s just that Victor Junior can aggravate the hell out of me at times. Nothing has changed there.”

“I know. He can aggravate the hell out of me at times, too,” Fayrene said, smiling. “Can you believe he’s called me a couple of times wanting us to get back together?”

Pausing for a moment, Rae’jean considered Fayrene’s words. “I hope you’re not carrying a torch for Victor Junior. You know as well as I do that he’s not worth it. Although it’s what she rightly deserves, I hear Evelyn’s catching all kind of hell being married to him.”

“No, I’m not carrying a torch for Victor Junior,” Fayrene said automatically. “He’s permanently destroyed whatever love I had for him. Our only connection is Victoria.” A smile touched the ends of Fayrene’s lips. “I haven’t said anything to anyone, but I started seeing someone a few months ago. He’s someone I met through a friend. He’s nice and I really like him. Victoria likes him, too.”

“Oh, Fayrene, that’s wonderful! I’m glad you’re finally getting on with your life. You have too much to offer a man. You’re a good person who deserves a good man.”

Rae’jean was still thinking about how happy she was for Fayrene when she entered her hotel room carrying her packages. She smiled when she noticed the connecting room door was open, which meant Grady had arrived. Dropping the bags she was carrying on the bed, she slipped out of her shoes and walked to the connecting door and stood in the opening. Grady was lying across the bed, facedown and shirtless. By his even breathing Rae’jean could tell he was asleep. Deciding that he needed his rest, she pulled the door closed and went back to her room and began quietly sorting through the packages she had purchased.

“Why didn’t you wake me when you got back?”

Rae’jean glanced over her shoulder. Grady stood in the open doorway between her room and his. He was still shirtless, and with the sunlight coming through the window blinds, the ray of light somehow made his brown hair appear lighter in coloring. She couldn’t help but return his smile. That was something that had always been automatic between them. His smile always made her smile.

For a moment his smile took her back to that afternoon, almost a year ago, and the first time they had made love. They had gone to Texas for a medical convention, and like this time, they’d had connecting rooms, with the intent of using separate beds. Things didn’t quite work out that way when she’d finished unpacking and looked up to see him standing in the doorway that separated the two rooms. He’d been staring at her with a kind of smile on his features that clearly said he wanted her. He had been the first man to catch her interest since college and the preceding years of medical school. She had been too busy studying to become involved in an in-depth relationship with anyone.

When she and Grady had made love there hadn’t been an earth-shattering explosion or anything that had rocked her world. But she had preferred it that way. He had made love to her with such tenderness and such loving compassion it had brought tears to her eyes. She’d become enraptured in his special form of lovemaking, and he had fulfilled her every sexual desire. She hadn’t wanted or needed anything wild and intense, and somehow Grady had known that. He had been so attuned to her mild and moderate sexual appetite. Her hectic lifestyle was filled with too much intensity as it was. She didn’t want or need the same thing in the bedroom. Earth-shattering passion was something she could do without. He had made love to her the same way he did everything else, meticulously, flawlessly, and completely. At that time and every time since then, he had given her the kind of lovemaking she wanted and the type she needed. And she had found herself caring more and more for him each time.

Then why don’t you love him to distraction like you’re supposed to?
her mind screamed at her.
Why do you often have images of that other guy and why are you craving such intense emotions now? Why every time you see that guy does your sexual hunger immediately go from mild and moderate to turbulent and extreme?
Rae’jean forced those thoughts away from her mind, knowing she had no answers to those questions.

“Aren’t you glad to see me, Rae’jean?” Grady asked, resting his body against the door frame.

“Of course I am.”

He quirked an eyebrow at her as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Then why are you over there and I’m over here?”

“Which is something that can easily be corrected, Mr. Fitzgerald,” Rae’jean said, walking across the room to him. She placed a steadying hand on his bare chest when she reached him. “Is this better?”

“No, this is,” he whispered before leaning down and kissing her.

For some reason Rae’jean couldn’t get into their kiss like she wanted to. Her mind was too busy concentrating on things she felt should be happening to her but were not. For instance, although she was enjoying their kiss, she wasn’t feeling weak in the knees. And then, although his breathing was getting deeper, hers was not.

Maybe if you put your heart and soul into it and not think about things that aren’t important, then maybe those things will begin happening!
her mind yelled at her. She decided to take her mind’s advice, but it was too late. Grady lifted his mouth from hers.

“That was nice, but why do I feel I didn’t have your full concentration?” he said, frowning down at her. “Something wrong?”

She swallowed thickly. At times Grady could read her so well. “Nothing’s wrong. You’re imagining things.”

“Am I?”

“Yes.”

His dark blue eyes studied her. “OK. Do you want to keep me company while I take a shower? Or better yet, do you want to take a shower with me?” he asked, bringing her closer into his arms.

Rae’jean wrapped her arms around him. “You don’t know how to give up, do you?”

Grady chuckled. “No.”

Rae’jean shook her head. “Go on and take your shower. I’ll still be here when you finish.” He slowly released her and she leaned against the door and watched as he walked back in his room and pulled his robe off a hanger in the closet. He was such a good man, with a big heart, she thought. He deserved any woman’s complete love and devotion, especially the woman he had chosen to become his wife.

He turned back to her as he began walking toward the bathroom. “Oh yeah, by the way, Lynn is staying at my place while I’m gone.”

Rae’jean’s smile vanished. “Excuse me? What did you just say about Lynn?”

He turned back in her direction. “I said she’s staying at my place while I’m away. The water pipe burst in her apartment and she had to move out for a few days.”

Rae’jean instantly became livid. “Why didn’t she check into a hotel?”

Grady lifted a brow at the anger he heard in Rae’jean’s voice. “She was going to, but I offered to let her stay at my place.”

Rae’jean walked into the room with hands on hips. “You are an engaged man, yet another woman is sleeping in your bed?”

Bewildered, Grady expelled a frustrated sigh, clearly not understanding why Rae’jean was upset. “Rae’jean, she’s not sleeping in my bed. She’s using the spare bedroom and will be gone when I get back.”

“And what if she’s not gone?”

Grady walked over to her. “Then I guess I’ll have no choice but to come stay with you until she leaves,” he said in a teasing fashion. “Maybe even share your bed, since you don’t have a spare bedroom and your sofa won’t fit me.”

“This isn’t funny, Grady. I know you only consider Lynn a friend, but I’m not that gullible to think that’s what she wants. I know precisely what she’s all about.”

Grady placed his arms over his chest and frowned. “And just what do you think she’s all about, Rae’jean?”

“She wants you back.”

“That’s crazy.”

“It’s not crazy. I’m a woman; I know.”

“Well, you’re wrong. Lynn is not that kind of person. She knows I’m engaged to be married.” He frowned. “Don’t you trust me?”

“This has nothing to do with trust, Grady. No black woman in her right mind would put up with another woman staying at her man’s apartment, especially if that woman happens to be his ex-fiancée.”

Grady’s frown deepened. “I’ve never heard you refer to yourself that way before.”

“What way?”

“A black woman.”

Rae’jean automatically stiffened her spine. “I
am
a black woman, Grady.”

“I’m well aware of that, Rae’jean, but you’ve never felt the need to remind me of that. Why are you doing so now? The issue of race has never come up with us before. Why are you making the distinction now?”

“Because this situation warrants it.”

“In what way? Are you trying to tell me that you believe black women have certain standards in dealing with men that white women don’t have?”

“In a way, yes. We’re less tolerant of certain things and more assertive. We don’t know how it feels to be privileged or protected, since we weren’t ever granted that right. So we tend to take things a bit more serious. And one thing we won’t tolerate is another woman, white or black, making a move on our man.”

“First of all, Rae’jean, if you’re aching for a fight, I’m much too tired to oblige you. Furthermore, I’m sure there’re probably a number of women, including some white ones, who’d think the way you do if they felt threatened in some way by another woman, so I feel the statement you made was uncalled for and biased. Besides that, you of all people shouldn’t feel threatened by any woman when it comes to me.”

“But you used to love her.”

“Yeah, and I’m not going to deny that I did. But that was a long time ago. If I didn’t love you now I would not have asked you to marry me. Letting Lynn stay at my place while I’m gone was a favor to a friend, nothing more. I would have expected you to do the same for any of your friends, male or female. Lynn knows how I feel about you, and she knows what used to be between us is over.”

Rae’jean wished she could have as much confidence in Grady’s words as he seemed to have. As far as she was concerned, he was too trusting when it came to people.

“If you’re concerned about competition, maybe you ought to be nicer to me,” Grady said jokingly as a small taunting smile touched his lips. He reached out to pull her into his arms.

Rae’jean immediately placed her hand on his arm to stop him. “I’m not worried about competition, Grady Fitzgerald. I’m a woman who can hold her own, but I refuse to get caught up in some sort of love triangle.”

“You won’t.”

“I’d better not.”

Grady smiled. “You’re kind of sassy, with a little attitude, aren’t you?”

“Damn right. If you don’t think you can handle it, then—”

He didn’t let her finish but pulled her into his arms and captured her lips. Rae’jean tried to return his kiss with her full concentration, but deep in the recesses of her mind for some reason she felt things weren’t going for her and Grady like they should be, and she knew it involved more than just her anger about Lynn.

Alexia was awakened from her nap by a knock on her door. “Yes?”

“Room service. We have a delivery for you.”

Pulling her robe together, she crossed the room and opened the door. A lady stood before her with a beautiful arrangement of flowers, calla lilies.

“They’re gorgeous,” Alexia whispered, accepting the arrangement from the woman.