More Than He Can Handle (25 page)

Cleveland's mouth fell open and a flustered Freddie quickly filled her mouth with food. She'd never told Cleveland that she loved him, never said those words to him in their private moments, but she blurted it out in front of his entire family.

“Love him? So, you two plan on getting married?” Margaret pressed.

“Ma, come on,” Darren said. Jill squeezed her husband's knee.

“You know how your mother is,” she whispered.

“Can we just eat?” Cleveland said with a smile on his face.

A tense silence fell over the table as everyone ate. Freddie gulped down her wine, still feeling the heat of Margaret's gaze.

“This is really good,” Jill said, breaking the silence.

“Uh-huh,” Darren said.

“Thanks,” Freddie replied, almost afraid to speak.

“I have to admit, it puts Houston's to shame,” Margaret said. “Winfred, dear, I'm not big on small talk. I speak my mind and I don't believe in pulling punches. My sons and my daughter-in-law know that.” She picked up her wine glass and took a sip.

“I understand,” Freddie said, seeing that Margaret Alexander wasn't being difficult, but just looking out for her son. She wondered what it would have been like to grow up with a mother who put her child's needs first. Loraine never did that and Jacques was never around at all because of his crime.

“And,” Margaret said, turning to Cleveland, “I can't remember the last time you were serious about a woman. So, do you love her?”

Darren and Jill shook their heads as they watched the scene unfold. Margaret lifted her glass and took another sip of wine.

“Well,” she asked her son again, “do you love her?”

“With everything in me,” Cleveland replied without hesitation.

Darren leaned over to Jill. “We have officially stepped into the twilight zone,” he whispered.

Freddie released a sigh of relief. “Coffee and pie, anyone?” she asked as she rose to her feet.

“Let me help you with that,” Cleveland said as he followed Freddie into the kitchen. Once they were out of earshot of the rest of the family, he asked, “Are you all right?”

“That was pretty intense,” she said as she fell into Cleveland's open arms. “Your mother doesn't hold back, does she?”

“That means she likes you. Otherwise, she wouldn't have asked you a thing.”

Freddie exhaled and pulled back from Cleveland. “You'd better start the coffee.” She opened the refrigerator and pulled out the pie. “You really think she liked me?”

Cleveland chuckled as he poured coffee grinds in the maker's basket. “Do you really think she would've had a problem telling you if she didn't?”

“No,” Freddie said with a laugh. “Not at all.”

“Excuse me,” Margaret called out from the dining room, “are you two getting the pie or doing something else?”

Cleveland winked as he took the pie off the counter and headed back into the dining room.

After dinner and dessert, the group headed into the den with coffee in tow, except for Jill, who said Kayla was all the caffeine she needed.

“That little girl wakes up the moment she hears me typing,” Jill said as she sat down on the sofa beside her husband.

“She's just telling her mother that she works too much,” Darren said.

“Whatever,” she said as she playfully slapped her husband's cheek.

“Leave that woman alone,” Margaret said. “Some men would be glad for their woman to work.”

“Thank you,” Jill said. “And I'm not necessarily working, remember, Malik is in charge these days.”

“Yeah, right,” Cleveland said as he took a seat on the arm of the chair where Freddie was sitting. “I can't believe you have given up control of your first baby.”

“I have,” Jill protested. “To a point.”

They all laughed. “Well, I think it's time for this old lady to go home,” Margaret said as she rose to her feet. “It was a lovely dinner.”

“I'll walk you to the door,” Cleveland said as he stood and wrapped his arm around his mother's shoulders. Once they were out of earshot of the others, Margaret turned to her son and kissed his cheek.

“I like that girl,” she said.

“I'm glad.”

“She can cook and she has a lot of spunk and brain cells unlike those other women that you've dated in the past.”

“Freddie's not like any woman I've ever known,” he said.

Margaret nodded. “And that's a good thing, too. I always figured that when you decided to settle down that you'd pick the right girl.” She poked her index finger in his chest. “Don't mess this up.”

“Ma!”

“I'm not playing boy, that woman is a keeper and you'd better not let her get away.” Margaret opened the door and said good-bye. “Remember what I said.”

“Yes, ma'am.” As Cleveland headed back to the den, he couldn't wipe his smile off his face. Freddie loved him. Though he would've preferred hearing it while they were alone and naked, she still said it.

He walked into the den and winked at Freddie. “It's official, she likes you.”

“What?” Freddie said with a nervous giggle.

“My mother said she likes you,” Cleveland said.

Jill turned to Darren. “Did your mother like me when we first met?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “It was later when she stopped liking you. But you delivered her first grandchild so I think she's over it.”

Jill tweaked the end of Darren's nose. “Whatever.”

Darren glanced at Cleveland and Freddie, who were talking in hushed tones and holding hands. “I think we ought to follow Ma's lead,” he said.

Jill glanced at the couple. “You're right. They're so cute.”

“We can hear you,” Cleveland said. “Good night.”

Darren walked over to his brother and punched him on the arm. “We're leaving already. See you at the station tomorrow?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said.

Darren extended his hand to Freddie. “Good seeing you again.”

“Thanks,” she said as she shook his hand.

Jill gave Freddie a hug. “Welcome to the family,” she said. “Next time we're going to have to do this at my place.”

“As long as you don't cook,” Darren and Cleveland said.

Jill rolled her eyes. “You know what? My cooking has gotten better,” she protested.

“Not much,” Darren said. “But I didn't marry you for your cooking.”

“Do tell, Mr. Alexander,” Jill said as he scooped her up into his arms.

“Let me get you home so that I can show you,” he said.

Cleveland and Freddie waved to them as they left. Leaning against Cleveland, she said, “That went well.”

“You say that as if you were expecting trouble,” Cleveland said as he nestled closer to her.

“I've watched enough family dramas to know that most dinners with families don't end without a fight or someone revealing some big secret,” Freddie said.

“Can I tell you that you watch too much TV?” Cleveland said with a laugh. “And you're wrong about our dinner party tonight.”

“How so?” she asked.

“There was one secret revealed,” he said.

“And just what might that be?” she asked, smiling as if she already knew.

Cleveland held her tighter. “I mean, it's not like I didn't already know, but to hear you say it was great. No, phenomenal.”

She offered him a slick smile. “What if I was just trying to impress your mother?”

“Nah, that's why you cooked. Say it again.”

“Um, Cleveland Alexander, I love you.”

He began unbuttoning her shirt. “What are you doing?” she asked.

Cleveland leaned in and kissed her collarbone. “See, I had a different idea about how I would hear those words,” he said as he continued to kiss her exposed flesh. Freddie melted against his taut body. “You were supposed to be totally naked and lying in my arms.” He unzipped her pants and slid them down her ample hips, then he made short work of removing her black-lace thong. “This is more like it.”

“You have me at an unfair disadvantage,” Freddie moaned as Cleveland took one of her breasts into his mouth. His tongue flicked across her hardened nipple, sending a shiver down her spine.

“What would that be?” he asked as he pulled back from her succulent breast.

Freddie reached for Cleveland's shirt. “You're still fully dressed.”

She pulled his shirt over his head and worked her way down to the waistband of his pants. Cleveland stepped out of his pants and his desire spilled from the confines of his boxers as he lifted Freddie from the easy chair and carried her to the sofa. He planted her on the sofa, then spread her legs apart.

Cleveland dove in between her thighs, kissing the wet folds of flesh that hid her throbbing bud. Freddie's leg shivered in anticipation of feeling him deep inside her. Gently, he nibbled and sucked her tender bud until Freddie cried out and dug her nails into his shoulder. “Cleveland, Cleveland,” she repeated like a mantra as he deepened his kiss, intensifying the pleasure she felt.

He slid her hips closer to his lips, still sipping the sweetness of her essence. His manhood grew as Freddie moaned and licked her lips. Though he wanted to take her right there, he pulled back from her and exhaled. He held his finger up and dashed up the stairs to the bedroom and grabbed a condom. When he returned downstairs, Freddie was lying on the floor on an afghan with the package of strawberries and the whipped cream at her side.

“It would've been a shame to let this go to waste,” Freddie said as she slathered some cream across her breasts. Smiling, as if he had been offered the finest chocolate in the world, Cleveland pounced on top of Freddie and proceeded to lick the sweet cream from her breasts. She grabbed the back of his head as his tongue flicked across her nipple. Every muscle in her stomach clenched as she felt him against her thighs. She parted her legs and wrapped them around Cleveland's waist. She had to have him inside her because she was burning with a desire that only he could quell. Ripping the condom package open, Cleveland slid the sheath in place and slipped between Freddie's thighs.

Her heat and wetness enveloped him and Cleveland shuddered with delight. She ground against him, with her head thrown back in ecstasy. He buried his head in her breasts, kissing and licking them, sending Freddie's body into overdrive. She tightened herself around him, sending the same intense feelings of pleasure through his nervous system.

“Umm,” he moaned as Freddie arched her back and placed her hands on his chest and gyrated her hips like a belly dancer. He cupped her bottom and rolled over so that she was on top of him. She leaned into him and kissed him slowly, matching the rhythm of her hip movements. Cleveland felt as if he was about to explode from the inside out as her tongue danced in his mouth. She was sweeter than sugar, more addictive than any illegal drug.

“I love you,” Freddie whispered as if she were in a trance. “I love you, I love you.”

Cleveland was unable to speak, unable to breathe as his body throbbed and he felt himself release inside her. Clutching her back, he released a guttural moan. “I love you too,” he said breathlessly as she collapsed on his chest. He kissed her on the top of her head. “But you already knew that.”

Freddie sighed with satisfaction. “I guess I didn't believe it,” she said. “But now I do.”

Cleveland stared into her eyes and smiled. “What's changed?”

“I guess me. It's time that I start believing that every man isn't my father. My screwed up father.” Freddie pulled away from Cleveland. “Before we can go any further, I have to go back to New Orleans.”

“Why?” he asked, propping up on his elbows.

“Because we can't start over if I don't tie up some loose ends in the Big Easy,” she said.

“I'll go with you,” he said.

Freddie shook her head. “I don't think so,” she said. “You have a promotion to get, remember.”

“But if you need me . . .”

“When I return, I know that I'm going to need you,” she said. “But I have to do this on my own.”

“All right,” he said. “But you know part of being in love is letting the person you love have your back.”

She stroked his cheek. “I know. Still, this I have to do on my own. My family is a huge mess, and I don't want to drag you into it right now.”

“I'm already all up in it,” he joked as he thrust his hip forward.

“You're bad.”

“And you love it.” Cleveland picked up a berry from the bowl next to them and traced her lips with it. “Freddie, I can see myself spending my life with you.”

“Don't say it if you don't mean it because I'm going to hold you to it.”

He put the berry between his lips and bit into it. “That's what I want you to do.” Cleveland brushed his lips against Freddie's. “Before you go, let me give you something to think about on that long trip to Louisiana.”

 

 

The next morning, Freddie reluctantly peeled herself out of Cleveland's arms and began preparing herself to head back to New Orleans. As she walked in the bathroom, Freddie thought about what was waiting for her.
Drama.
Turning the faucet on, she splashed water on her face and sighed. “I wish I didn't have to leave,” she mumbled.

“Then don't,” Cleveland said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Where did you come from?”

“That bed over there.” Cleveland leaned in and kissed her on the back of her neck. “Want to get back in it?”

Freddie turned around and pushed him away. “No, because if I do, I won't leave—ever.”

“And the problem with that would be?”

Freddie placed her hand on her hip and stomped her foot. “Because there's an old saying that goes, you can't move forward if you're always looking back. One or both of my parents are probably in jail. I have to know how this all pans out. This thing with my family has been going on for a long time and I have to see how it ends.”

“How it ends?”

She nodded. “Last night when I met your family, I realized that as much as I'd like to forget mine ever existed, I need closure with them. I need to know how this is going to turn out.”

Cleveland agreed, though the last thing he wanted was to see Freddie walk out the door.

“I'm coming back,” she said as if she was reading his mind. “Because trust me, I believe my life is here with you.”

Cleveland crossed over to her and pulled her into his arms. “You don't know what that does to me to hear that.” He brushed his lips against hers. “Don't go right now.”

Freddie moaned as she stepped back from him. “I have to take a shower, call Amtrak and . . .”

“How about we save water and take a shower together and instead of you taking a train, why not take my car?”

She placed her hands flat on his bare chest. “Because, I'm bringing my Mustang back. I changed my mind about leaving it down there.”

“All right,” he said. “I'll call the train station and get you on the next thing smoking to New Orleans and you take your shower.”

Freddie blew him a kiss as he headed out of the bathroom. Moments later, she emerged from the bathroom, showered and dressed in a black-and-gold sweat suit and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. When she headed downstairs to the kitchen, Cleveland, now dressed in a pair of cotton boxers and an Atlanta Falcons T-shirt, handed her a cup of coffee.

“Your train leaves at eight,” he said. “So, that means drink this and grab a banana so we can get downtown.”

Freddie took the mug from his hand and smiled. “Let's just leave, because there's no telling how bad traffic is going to be.”

Cleveland nodded then headed upstairs to get dressed. Freddie leaned against the counter and exhaled. As she peeled her banana, Freddie's mind wandered to New Orleans and what was waiting for her down there. The fallout from her father's return and his allegations against her mother was going to be substantial. She knew the hotel, which was barely making a profit following Katrina, probably would recover from the Babineaux storm.
It's not my problem any more,
she thought as she chewed her fruit.

Looking around the kitchen as she sipped her coffee, Freddie smiled thinking of the previous night and the dinner that she and Cleveland cooked for his family. She wished that her family was like his. Instead, she had two criminals to call Mom and Dad.