You're All I Need (19 page)

With expert driving skills, Chris zipped into a space behind Junior's truck and cut the bike's engine. Panic and dread made Tia's heart pound as she glanced at her parents' home. She never considered her parents' home a place to fear. It had always been a haven. Although it was her birthday celebration, she felt certain things were not going to be jovial for very long. Today's party would be filled with drama and would end very differently from other family gatherings.

Chris removed his helmet, grabbed the strap, and slipped it over the metal handlebars. He then tossed his leg over the handlebars and stood, holding out a hand for Tia.

They stood on the street in front of her parents' home. Tia handed her helmet to Chris, and he placed it next to his. She finger-combed her wavy locks as he waited next to the bike. Offering Tia a reassuring smile, Chris placed a possessive hand at the small of her back and guided her up the walk. At the stairs, he turned to her and asked, “This is your last chance. Are you fine with the way we've planned things? Do you want to change anything?”

“No.” Her insides twisted into one big knot. Grimacing, Tia admitted, “To tell you the truth, I really wish I could run away and not deal with this.”

Chuckling softly, Chris stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “Sorry,
chérie.
We've got to talk to your family today. We're out of time. Reynolds is pushing for a date when we'll be flying home. He wants it to be sooner rather than later.”

“I know,” she whined. “But I can wish, can't I?”

He leaned down and tasted her lips. “Always. There will be days that I plan to make your wishes come true. Unfortunately, today isn't one of them. We have to talk to your folks, and whether you like it or not, they need to know about our future together.”

Nodding, Tia twisted her new engagement ring around her finger. With a regretful sigh, she removed it and slipped the silver band into her capri pants' pocket. “I'm going to act like we're still dating.”

“Correct.”

“You're going to take my parents aside and ask for my hand in marriage.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“And then all hell is going to break loose, and I'm going to sneak out the back door,” she added with an edge of sarcasm.

Laughing, he hugged her. “No, it's not. Your parents are reasonable people. They'll understand.”

Dream on. You don't know my mother,
Tia thought, patting her pocket to make sure her ring was safe.

The front door to the house opened, and Junior stepped onto the porch. “Hey, you two. Come on in. How are we going to have a party when one of the birthday girls is hanging outside?”

“Good question.” Chris took Tia's hand and climbed the steps. “How are you doing, Greg?”

“Perfect.” He slapped his hand into Chris's palm and pumped it up and down before letting go and turning to his sister. Junior wrapped Tia in a huge bear hug. “Happy birthday, little girl.”

Tia returned the hug. “Thanks, but I'm not a little girl.”

“You'll always be to me,” Junior replied.

“What's Momma cooking?” she asked.

Her oldest brother rolled his eyes. “Everything.”

The trio laughed.

“Come on.” Junior steered Tia toward the front door. Chris followed. “Let's get inside.” Junior grabbed Tia's arm and led her inside the house with Chris bringing up the rear. “We're all in the family room.”

As they closed in on the family room, Junior stopped. His face was scrunched into a mask of embarrassment. “Uh…Uh…,” Junior began.

“What?” she asked.

“There's something you need to know before you go in there.”

Lips pursed, she waited.

Junior scrubbed a hand over his face. “Look, I don't know how he figured this out.” As he spoke, a man stepped into the hallway from the restroom.

Shocked, Tia gasped. Darnell! Who invited him? Whipping around to face Junior, she poked a finger at his gut. “You should have warned us.”

“I'm sorry. I didn't know what to say,” Greg Junior admitted.

Grinning, Tia's ex-boyfriend strolled up to the trio and stepped between Tia and Chris, taking her into his arms for a hug. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

Stunned by Darnell's reappearance in her life, she stood like a statue as he pulled her into his embrace. For half a second, she allowed the embrace to continue and then she tore herself from his arms. “What in the heck are you doing?”

Darnell tried to hold her again, but this time Chris stepped between them. He wrapped an arm around Tia and gave Darnell a look that dared the other man to try anything. Wisely, Darnell put a few feet of space between them.

Shaking her head, Tia asked a second time, “What are you doing here?”

Smiling persuasively, Darnell answered, “I couldn't let my Tia's birthday go by without a shout-out.”

“Actually, you could. I find that very interesting. If I remember things correctly, last year you couldn't be at my party because you had a game to play.”

He did have the good sense to look embarrassed. It was probably all an act, but Tia didn't care. She didn't have much to say to him. Tia wanted Darnell to know that she hadn't forgotten and that there was no place in her life or her family for him.

“Ah, girl. Why you keep bringing up that stuff? This is a new day.”

Tia smiled at Chris. “It certainly is. How did you know my family was getting together today?”

Darnell tossed a hand in the air. “Please. Y'all always do something for birthdays. I knew something was up when I drove by and saw all the cars.”

“Hmm,” Tia grunted, reaching for Chris's hand. “Come on. Let's go see the rest of the family.”

Darnell glared hard at Chris's and Tia's linked hands. “So that's how it is?”

“Yes, it is.”

All of the ruckus had alerted Mrs. Edwards. She poked her head out of the kitchen and frowned. “Is that Darnell?”

Always the salesman, he opened his arms and strolled down the hallway to Tia's mother. “Hey, Mom. How you doing?”

Folding her arms in front of her, Mrs. Edwards sidestepped Tia's former boyfriend. “First of all, I'm not your mother. Second, what are you doing here? You weren't invited.”

“Don't be like that.” His thousand-watt smile dimmed as his arms dropped to his sides. With a nervousness that Tia had never seen, his hands fluttered aimlessly and then settled inside his trouser pockets.

“That's exactly how I'm going to be. You're not welcome here. You and Tia are not a couple, so go away. Leave my house.”

“But…but…”

“Let me explain it to you. You can't treat my child any old way and think you're welcomed here. You're not.” Mrs. Edwards placed a hand on Darnell's arm and steered him back down the hall to the front door. “No buts. Good-bye.” She helped him onto the porch and shut the door in his face. Leaning against the door, she first studied Junior and Tia, and then her eyes narrowed when they settled on Chris. There was a definite chill in her gaze and a shift in her body language.

Before her mother could start in on Chris, Tia grabbed his arm and steered him toward the back of the house. “Come on.” Tia and Chris entered the family room. Andre and Andrew were already perched in front of the fifty-inch high-definition television. The twins were watching a movie. Andrew glanced around and waved. “Hey, little sister. Happy birthday. How you doin', Chris?”

Chris gave the pair a two-finger salute. “Good. What about you?”

“Ditto,” came Andre's response.

“Thank you,” Tia responded.

Tia inched her way across the room to the patio door. Her father was outside turning ribs and chicken on the grill. She stepped onto the wooden porch. Chris followed. “Hi, Daddy.”

With a smile on his face, he turned and waved the barbecue tongs in Tia and Chris's direction. “Hey, Tia-Mia. Hi, Chris. Come give your daddy a hug.”

She crossed the patio and rose on tiptoes and kissed her father's cheek.

Patting her shoulder with his free hand, he said, “That's more like it.”

“How you doing, Chris?”

“Hello, Mr. Edwards. Do you need some help?” Chris asked.

“No. I'm fine. Give me a minute. I'll be in.”

“When you're done, I'd like to talk to you and Mrs. Edwards for a moment.”

In the middle of turning a piece of chicken, Mr. Edwards halted and then gazed at Chris, trying to read his thoughts. “Okay. I'll be done in a few minutes.”

Smiling gently, Chris nodded at the older man. “Thanks.”

“I'm going to find my mother. I'll be back.”

“Okay.”

There were only a couple of places her mother would be: in her bedroom or in the kitchen. Tia chose the kitchen and found the elder Edwards checking a variety of dishes. “Hello, Momma.”

Mrs. Edwards glanced up and focused on Tia, studying her youngest child. She moved from one pot to the other, stirring and checking the dishes. “You all right?”

Nodding, Tia answered, “Yeah. Thanks for getting rid of that jerk. I don't know where his brain is.”

“No problem. Like I said, he can't treat my baby any old way and think I'll let him dance in here like one of the family. Darnell is not part of my family.”

Mr. Edwards led Chris into the kitchen and headed to the sink while Chris moved to Tia's side. The older man washed his hands, dried them on a paper towel, and dropped it into the garbage bin. Always the supportive partner, Tia's father moved across the room and placed himself at his wife's side.

They stood like adversaries across the kitchen. Her parents leaned against the kitchen island, their gazes sharp and assessing as they waited. Mrs. Edwards examined her daughter's belly and then skipped to her bare ring finger. With a sense of satisfaction, a petite smile touched the older woman's lips. Her smile screamed volumes. It said, “Good! There's still time. Things between my child and this man haven't gone that far yet.” Tia grunted far too softly for anyone to hear.
That's what you think,
she thought.

Tia glanced from her mother to her father. Although Mr. Edwards appeared calm and unconcerned, a layer of tension filled the room. Her father's shoulders were bunched, and his stance remained guarded. Chris's pleasant demeanor didn't do much for the atmosphere. Her parents knew something was up, but they weren't sure what it was.

With an expectant look on his face, Mr. Edwards opened the conversation. “What is this about?”

Chris placed an arm around Tia and tugged her close. “I want you to know that I love Tia and that I'd like your permission to marry her.”

“NO!” shouted Mrs. Edwards.

Startled, Greg Edwards nearly jumped. “Honey?” He reached for her. Jackie Edwards jerked away from his touch. Shaking her head, she shouted, “NO! NO! I knew something like this was in the works. I hoped we could end things before you got too involved with him.”

Stunned, Tia gazed back at her mother. “Momma, this isn't a bad thing.”

Mrs. Edwards took a step closer to her daughter and grabbed her hands. “You can't marry him.”

“Momma, stop.”

“Where do you plan on living?” Mrs. Edwards pressed.

“We're not sure,” Tia hedged.

“France?” She surmised.

Tia stared at her mother. How would Momma know that? “Maybe. For part of each year.”

Mrs. Edwards faced Chris and shook her head. “You can say anything you want. I don't care. I've thought about this since you brought him home. You are not taking my child across the world to France.” Tia's mother turned to her daughter. “Have you thought about what you're doing and how far France is from here? What if something goes wrong? Where will you go? We wouldn't be able to get to you right away. It's at least a ten-hour flight from here to France. I won't have it.”

Mrs. Edwards dropped Tia's hand and moved to the stove to lift the lid from a simmering pot. “You need to think about what you're doing.”

Chris marched across the kitchen floor and took Mrs. Edwards's hand. “Please give us a chance. I promise that I'll be the best husband that I can be for your daughter. I love her.”

“Jackie,” her father began in a soft but firm voice. Normally that tone worked to calm everyone down. Not today.

“I'm not listening to anyone else,” she stated. “These are my final words. I won't have it. You are not marrying this man.”

“Nothing's going to happen to me, Momma. I'm grown. I can take care of myself.”

Snorting, Mrs. Edwards folded her arms across her chest. “Famous last words. You couldn't get your situation with Darnell under control.” She glanced Chris's way. “How do you expect to handle this man? He's nothing like Darnell or any boy you've brought home. This man could be anything from physically abusive to a mass murderer. I won't allow you to leave the country with him. The answer is still no.”

Mr. Edwards must have decided it was time to intervene. He placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. “Jackie. Listen to me.”

Mrs. Edwards shook it off. “No, Greg. I mean what I'm saying. Tia is far too trusting. Think about it. France! Not Ohio. We couldn't help her if something happened. By the time we reached her, she could be dead.”

“Tia is a grown woman, Jackie.” Mr. Edwards kept a calm, reasonable tone. “You can't make her decisions for her. If she loves Chris and he loves her, then she's going to do what she wants. It's our job to support and help her in any way possible.”

“No.” She turned her back on her husband. “Tia-Mia, I want you to think some more. We haven't even touched on the race thing. Have you considered how his family will react to you? Will they accept you? Welcome you into their family? I don't think so.”

“My family already knows about Tia,” Chris chimed in. “I talk about her all the time. They can't wait to meet her. They've already seen pictures of us, and they know who she is to me. We're not like the people here.”