One Love (11 page)

“
But daddy, there are lots
of good reasons to upgrade. We will be able to do our honors
projects even better.” Nia stood close to him and rested her cheek
on his shoulder.

“
And with the additional
memory I added and DVD installed, you can do everything Tiesha can
do. Now why don’t I call your mother?” Alex reached for the
cordless phone on the desk.

“
No!” They cried in
unison.

“
That answers my next
question.” Alex wagged a forefinger at them.” I can guess what your
mother said.”

“
But daddy, please,” Nia
wheedled. “We need it.”

“
Yeah,” Tia said in a strong
tone. No whining for her. “We need to be on the cutting edge of the
new millennium.”

Clearly they had picked up the buzz
phrases the advertising mavens had spun out. Alex squinted at them.
“My answer is the same as your mother’s obviously. No.”

“
Well, we tried.” Nia
shrugged with good humor. That was her way of saying it had been
mostly Tia’s idea.

“
I’m so sick of listening to
Tiesha’s big mouth. ‘My daddy got me this, my daddy got me that’,”
Tia said in a high-pitched voice.

“
Ignore it. We both know
that things don’t make us better people. Right?” Alex beckoned her
over to him. When she came close, he put an arm around both of
them.

“
Right,” they said together
in reluctant assent.

Alex made a spot decision. “Which
brings me to something else. You know Shauntelle and I have always
been up front with you kids. About our divorce, even though you
were babies at the time.”

“
Four, but I’m older.” Nia
enjoyed knowing she’d emerged twenty minutes before Tia.

“
Yes. And you know it’s a
possibility we might get married again.”

Tia gasped. “You’re going to marry
Miss Karin?”

“
Oo, that’s nice. She’s got
the best clothes. She shops in New York.” Nia pronounced the fact
as though it was her seal of approval.

“
And she’s drives a BMW
convertible.” Tia nodded, her eyes bright. “She let me sit in the
driver’s seat.”

“
When are we getting
married, daddy?” Nia jumped up and down several times.

“
Betcha Teisha doesn’t have
a condo in Florida.” Tia nudged her sister. “Miss Karin says we can
go there anytime we want. Ya-hoo!”

“
Mama says Miss Karin’s
parents have more money than King Midas.” Nia wore a puzzled look.”
Who’s King Midas?”

Alex sat watching them in shock with
his mouth hanging open. This was not at all the reaction he’d
expected. So much for his lecture on being
materialistic.

“
Settle down. I didn’t say
anything about marrying Miss Karin.”

“
You’re going to live
together like Jamal’s mama and her new boyfriend?” Tia’s eyebrows
went up. “Grandmamma Yvonne won’t like that.”

“
Of course not!” Alex
wondered at what point he’d lost control of this conversation. He’d
better start at the beginning. “I’m not talking about Miss Karin.
I’m seeing someone new, well not actually new. But you’ve don’t
know her. We’ve known each other for a long time.”

“
Then why haven’t we ever
met her?” Tia looked at him hard.

“
Yes, daddy.
Why?”

He faced two sets of deep brown eyes
that seemed to accuse him of keeping secrets.” We haven’t seen each
other for a long time and you girls were so young, really just
babies, back when we broke up.”

“
So you dumped Miss Karin,”
Tia said bluntly.

He was going to have to caution
Shauntelle about gossiping in front of the children. “Stop using
those kinds of phrases, Tia. Miss Karin and I aren’t dating
anymore.”

“
Oh.” Tia wore an expression
that said her assessment was closer to the mark.

“
This is a very nice lady
named Lanessa Thomas.” Alex smiled at them. “You’re going to like
her a lot.”

Nia and Tia looked at each other then
at him. As they had when young, they seemed to have communicated
without speaking. Alex squirmed in his seat. Now what?

“
Maybe next week we’ll all
have dinner. Okay?” The instant it popped out, Alex regretted it.
Lanessa would not be happy he’d made such a commitment without
consulting her.

“
Next week.” Tia put her
head to one side. She looked at Nia who nodded. “Okay,” she said
apparently speaking for both of them.

Alex clenched his jaw. He would see
Lanessa again in another day. How would she react to this
news?

***

“
You told them what?”
Lanessa felt a cold shiver of dread at the idea. She put down her
glass of iced tea.

The evening had gone very well, until
this moment. She admired the way his house was decorated. Alex had
bought the house about the time their relationship ended. Dinner
had been relaxed and now they were in his living room listening to
jazz. He’d taken this moment to drop a small bombshell. Meet his
daughters? Lanessa had last seen them when they were three years
old, not long after his divorce had been final.

“
I think it’s time, don’t
you?” Alex looked at her seemingly in hopes of some
agreement.

“
No!” Lanessa blurted out.
“I mean, it’s a little soon. We don’t want to confuse them. They
were probably just getting used to Karin.”

“
Okay, confession time. The
girls were at my house Thursday night while their mother worked
late. We got to talking and I told them about you.” Alex cleared
his throat when Lanessa looked at him sharply.

“
What did they say?” she
studied him closely. His expression was not encouraging.

“
You know kids, they had
questions.” Alex lifted a shoulder.

“
I’ll bet.” Lanessa may have
been apart from him for several years, but she knew when he was
being circumspect with his answers.

“
Then I figured we could get
together for dinner next week--”

“
Next week!” Lanessa’s mouth
fell open. “Have you lost your mind? We’ve only been seeing each
other for three weeks. Not even a month.”

“
I know but--”“

“
This is not my definition
of taking it slow.” Lanessa rubbed her hands together.

“
It’s only a dinner with my
little girls, Nessa. Come on, it’s no big deal,” Alex said in a
reassuring tone. He pulled her hands apart and held them in
his.

“
Oh yes it is. We haven’t
discussed bringing our families into this for a reason.” Lanessa
stared at their hands entwined. “We don’t know if we’ll make it
last this time. No guarantees, I meant that.”

“
Look at me. You have doubts
about us? If so I want to know now.”

“
I’m not a new person. I’m
still the same Lanessa who loses her temper and likes things her
way.” Lanessa tried to put into words how she felt. They could fall
into the danger of repeating an old pattern. “I can’t blame alcohol
for everything.”

“
I know that. What I’m
asking is if you’re having doubts now.” Alex spoke in a quiet
voice. “I’m a package deal. Take me, you take my kids. Maybe you
don’t want that.”

“
I just think we’ve got
enough facing us as it is. Let’s see how it goes before we add more
people to the mix.” Lanessa gazed into his dark eyes. Her heart
pounded as seconds went by.

“
Okay.” Alex nodded once. “I
did kind of stumble into the dinner idea too fast.”

“
Sure, we’ve got time.”
Lanessa felt a wave of relief wash over her.

Alex drew her to his chest. “But
understand this; I want you in my life.”

“
Let’s not plan to far ahead
yet,” Lanessa murmured a weak protest.

His response was a long, deep kiss.
Lanessa pressed against him enjoying the feel of his mouth on hers.
Heat flared in the places his hands stroked her. When he caressed
her thigh, she gasped. One touch and she was hungry to feel him
inside her. Thoughts of going slow flew from her mind.

“
I want you, Lanessa,” Alex
whispered. “One look at you and I was in love again. I’ll do
whatever it takes. Are you willing?”

“
Yes,” Lanessa said. Her
answer was more a moan of desire. She could not have refused him
anything at this moment.

Without speaking, Alex pulled her from
the sofa and led her down the hall to his bedroom. One lamp was on
throwing a shadow across the shades of green and blue. Floor to
ceiling draperies had a swirling pattern of rich earth tones. A
matching comforter and big pillows were on the bed. Lanessa was
awed at the quiet serenity that exuded from this most private
space. He stood back from her with passion in his eyes. This was
Alex, the man she’d known for years. A sensuous combination of
strong and nurturing.

“
Only if you’re sure,” he
said.

As though to tempt her past the point
of refusal, he opened his shirt. His broad chest was evident even
through the cotton undershirt. Dark hair covered the well-defined
pectoral muscles. He pulled the shirt down from his shoulders.
Lanessa was mesmerized by each movement. The jazz coming from his
compact disc was replaced by the rhythmic beat of blues. A deep
female voice crooned a love song. Alex crossed to her and started
unbuttoning the short-sleeved silk blouse she wore. Lanessa closed
her eyes. A leisurely process of undressing each other followed.
Alex kissed her exposed skin after an item of clothing was removed.
Soon they stood naked wrapped in a tight embrace. Alex stepped back
to gaze at her for several moments.

“
You’re more beautiful than
I remembered,” he said in a soft voice.

He got down on his knees and kissed
her stomach. His lips brushed down the soft curve of her hip.
Lanessa closed her eyes and was instantly lost in a haze of
pleasure. Alex used his tongue to trace a line of fire over each
tender spot. The slow pace gave way to their urgent need. Alex
guided back toward the bed until she sank onto the comforter. He
used his mouth and hands on her body. Lanessa was shaken by a
series of small stabs of ecstasy with his every skillful caress.
From a distance it seemed she heard her own moans. He was shivering
as he whispered her name between licking and kissing her. For a
tormenting few seconds he drew away.

“
Don’t stop,” Lanessa called
to him. She clutched his arms.

“
Shh,” Alex murmured close
to her ear. He guided her hands to help him put on the
condom.

With a soft moan, Alex entered her.
Lanessa gazed into his eyes. She matched the movement of his hips
with her own rocking motion. Their lovemaking was so sweet she
cried silently, holding onto him. Their moans and sighs mixed, two
voices of passion harmonizing. With the blinding intensity of
lightening striking her innermost being, Lanessa felt a shock of
rapture so strong she seemed to lose consciousness. Nothing
existed; nothing mattered but the need to make the feeling last.
Alex responded his moans louder now. They both gasped for breath,
moving frantically together faster and faster. Then like a tide
going out, the urgent need subsided. The hunger was satisfied for
now. Alex lay in her arms shuddering as drops of his perspiration
mixed with hers.

He sighed and buried his face between
her breasts. “Lanessa, Lanessa.”

“
I love you,” Lanessa said.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.

What was the use pretending? This time
the pain would be unbearable if they parted. Yet there was no
turning back. From the day they’d had lunch, a part of her knew
they would come to this moment.

“
I won’t let go, baby. Hold
on to me,” Alex mumbled against her skin as though reading her
mind.

Chapter 6

“
That’s fabulous!” Jade
wrapped an arm around Lanessa’s neck. “But don’t mention it to
mama. You know how she is.”

They were having Sunday dinner at
their parent’s house. Alton and Damon were helping Clarice clear
the table. Lanessa and Jade went into the large den for a sisterly
chat. Six months pregnant, Jade was the pampered member of the
family.

“
She pulled a fast one and
got us together at that luncheon. But I have to give her credit. I
never would have had the courage to call him.” Lanessa had to admit
her mother had been right.

“
Will wonders never cease,”
Jade said with a grin. “Mama’s interference isn’t a disaster for
once.”

“
Don’t break out the party
hats just yet. We’ve got a few mountains to climb before we settle
in love-land for good.” Lanessa took a sip of coffee in one of
Clarice’s fine porcelain cups.

“
Be serious. If you can find
each other after everything that’s happened between you, then you
can make it.” Jade patted her arm.

“
Oh yeah? He wants me to
meet his twins.” Lanessa felt a flutter of anxiety. “Girls, age
eight.”

“
Humm, better you than me,”
Jade quipped then recovered at the grimace her words brought. “I’m
teasing. They’ll love you.”