Authors: Kayla Perrin
All I Want Is You (16 page)
Chapter 3
Entering the home, every one of Gabriel's senses was assaulted by the noise and laughter that rang through each room. Malisa led him from the foyer to the formal dining room where adults were seated around an oversized wooden table. Children could be heard racing about in the background.
Malisa dropped her hands to her lean hips, her head shaking from side to side as her mother, Etta Ivey, sat in the center of the dining room laughing with the town's mayor. Malisa instinctively knew the two were sharing folktales that should have been left untold as far as she was concerned.
She shook her head again and whispered to Gabriel, “Don't take anything they say personally,” she said, her eyes brimming with mortification. Malisa knew that anything was liable to spill out of her mother's mouth. Before he could respond, an uproar of laughter vibrated off the walls, everyone gathered breaking out into cheer.
Baylor Ivey bumped into her older sister as she slipped into the room. “You're late and your mother is completely out of control,” the seventeen-year-old girl whined, rolling her large brown eyes toward the ceiling. “Just listen to them. They're all crazy. And she keeps calling my name and telling them stories about me!”
Malisa shook her head as her brother Demetrius stepped in behind the girl. “Leave your mother alone,” he said. “You know she likes to tell a good story.” He chuckled under his breath. “And where have you been?” he asked, cutting his eye at Gabriel and then Malisa.
“It's a long story,” she whispered back. “Where's Darryl?”
The man shrugged as he extended a hand in Gabriel's direction. “Hey, I'm Demetrius,” he said, introducing himself.
Malisa eyed the two of them. “This is Gabriel Whitman,” she said. “And the young lady over there pouting is my baby sister Baylor.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Gabriel said softly, not wanting to interrupt the conversation playing out around the table.
“Well, you know, insanity ran on her side of the family, so it wasn't a surprise when her girls dove right off the deep end of good sense and landed smack dab into the middle of never-never land,” Miss Etta was saying.
Mayor John Lovett was swiping at his eyes with a cloth napkin, stifling a loud laugh. “They were close in age, those girls were, weren't they, Miss Etta?”
“Stair-step siblings. Could barely tell one from the other, they were so close. It was only them perfumed names their mama gave them that let you know which one was which.”
The woman sitting with the mayor waved her hand as if seeking approval to speak. “I met Miss Rose a few years back. She wasn't that crazy.”
Miss Etta and the mayor both shook their heads.
“Oh yes, they were,” the man chimed heartily. “Crazy as loons and it started with their mama and her mama before that.”
“Sure did,” Etta interjected. “Hazeline's mama was a plum fool, and her daddy didn't have much good sense either, so poor Hazeline didn't have an ice cube's chance in hell from the get-go. Then Hazeline walked her own daughters right to the edge of sanity and pushed them off the side. Once they'd dropped into the pit of that psychosis, wasn't a thing that could pull either of them back.”
Malisa was cringing as she thought about the stories folks would one day tell about her mother and some of her more glaring antics. She cut her eye at Gabriel. The man stood with his arms crossed in front of him, clearly amused by the goings-on. Malisa was suddenly taken aback by the sheer beauty of him. His facial features were crisp, with a chiseled jaw, cleft chin, high cheekbones, deep dimples, and breathtaking eyes. She found herself staring, unable to take her gaze off the man.
Another roar of laughter pulled her back to the conversation. Her mother continued to tell the whole room about Hazeline and her daughters, Rose, Lily, and Iris.
“Hazeline James was born on the wrong side of the moon. Most of her kin was. It was February the eighteenth, 1922, a Tuesday morning, in the backwoods of Cumberland County. Hazeline had been an only child. Not long after she was born, her daddy got killed sitting down on the train tracks that ran over Route Eighty-six. Some people think he must have fallen asleep, but Otis James heard that train,” Etta said emphatically, taking a deep breath and then a sip of her drink before she continued. “Damn fool just didn't want to get up. Then when the thought finally possessed him to get out of the way, it was too late. A man the size of Otis couldn't move but so fast to begin with. When you have to lift more than four hundred pounds of overweight up off the ground, you sure 'nuff can't do it fast.”
Malisa shook her head. “Heaven help us!” she exclaimed under her breath. “Where's Daddy when you need him?”
Demetrius gave her shoulder a quick squeeze before moving back out of the room. “Just let your mother be. Folks love Mom's stories, and no one remembers this old town and its people like she does,” he said as he made a quick exit.
The mayor's companion, a woman with a porcelainwhite complexion and flaming red hair, was fanning herself, gasping for breath from having laughed so hard. “Did Hazeline ever have any sons?” the woman asked.
“Oh, heavens no!” Etta exclaimed. “Hazeline used to say that if her husband had been a slow-stroking man instead of a wham-bammer, them little swimmers of his might of had some time to make her some sons,” she said with a robust laugh.
Everyone around the table burst into another round of glee, and the mayor's friend laughed until her cheeks were flaming a brilliant shade of red like her hair. Etta lifted her body from the seat she was sitting in, leaning to give the mayor a quick hug.
“I will be at the next town meeting, John. And I want to see some control this time. You let folks get out of hand last month arguing over foolishness.”
“Yes, Miss Etta,” he said, his tone contrite. “I plan to speak to the town manager about that very thing.”
The older woman smiled. “Bring Darius over to the restaurant for lunch sometime. You know how much he loves my daughter's catfish and corn bread. I'll set him straight.”
The man grinned. “Yes, ma'am. I'll make sure to do that.”
Moving toward the doorway, Miss Etta was still chuckling to herself, her gray head fanning from side to side. She cut her eyes toward Malisa, who was beet red with embarrassment, and then turned her full attention to Gabriel, noting the amusement that danced across the good-looking man's face.
“Malisa, you're late, baby, and you didn't tell me you were bringing a young man with you.” She smiled broadly, extending her hand. “Hello there. I'm Etta Ivey, Malisa's mother. Merry Christmas to you!”
“It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am. My name's Gabriel Whitman.”
“Well, Gabriel Whitman, welcome to our home.” Etta clasped her arm through his. “Are you hungry, dear? We have plenty of good food,” she said, guiding him back to the kitchen. Without pausing to take a breath, she asked, “How long have you and Malisa known each other?”
Behind them, Malisa was looking like she wanted to find a hole to fall into. Her younger sister was giggling with glee, delighted that their mother's focus has shifted from her to one of her other siblings.
Inside the home's massive gourmet kitchen, the rest of the Ivey family was gathered with friends. Gattis Ivey, who was seated at the kitchen counter, came to his feet when he recognized Gabriel. “Mr. Whitman, hello! Happy holidays to you!” he said as he reached to shake Gabriel's hand.
“Judge Ivey, sir, it's a pleasure to see you again. And, please, call me Gabriel.”
“Gabriel came with Malisa, dear,” his wife said, an eyebrow arched in her husband's direction.
Gattis looked from his daughter to her friend and back again. “I didn't know you two knew each other,” he said, clearly pleased.
Malisa rolled her eyes. “We just met. And it's a long story.” She gestured toward the last of her siblings. “You've met Demetrius and Baylor. My father's spitting image on the end there is my brother Zachary. Next to him is Baylor's twin and my baby brother Bryson. And the woman shoving food into her face is my oldest sister, Anitra. Everyone, this is Gabriel,” she said, casually making the introductions.
Her siblings threw up their hands in greeting, everyone welcoming Gabriel to the family's home.
“It's nice to meet you all,” Gabriel said politely.
“Where's Darryl?” Malisa questioned a second time.
“He had to take your uncle Bunny to the train station to pick up his mother.” The matriarch gestured to the expanse of food that covered the stove, counters, and table. “Fix Gabriel a plate, Malisa. Get your new friend some food.”
The look Malisa gave her mother made Gabriel laugh out loud. He didn't need her to say what she was thinking; the words were written all over her face. Although it was on the tip of her tongue to tell her mother that he had two good hands and was capable of fixing his own plate, she didn't. Miss Etta would not have appreciated her saying that he could help himself if he were hungry. Malisa met Gabriel's gaze and shook her head.
He smiled brightly. “I appreciate the offer, Miss Etta, but I really can't stay. My son is waiting for me and I need to be going.”
“You have a son?” Malisa asked curiously.
He nodded. “Gabriel Whitman the third. We call him Trey. He's fifteen going on thirty.”
“Well, you shouldn't keep your son, or your
wife,
waiting,” Malisa said, emphasizing the word
wife.
The snarky dig was meant to seek out information.
wife,
waiting,” Malisa said, emphasizing the word
wife.
The snarky dig was meant to seek out information.
Gabriel chuckled at her inflection. “My son's mother and I are divorced.” He locked his gaze with hers. “I don't have a wife,” he said, answering her curiosity.
Miss Etta didn't miss the exchange, her gaze swinging back and forth between them as though she were watching a Ping-Pong game.
Her husband laughed. “At least try the sweet-potato pie. My wife makes a mean sweet-potato pie. And there might be a slice or two left of Malisa's famous cheesecake. Now, that's some good stuff too.”
“Not as good as my pie,” Miss Etta said as she moved to the pie plate and cut him a slice. She passed the dessert and a fork to him and waved Bryson out of his seat so that Gabriel could sit down.
Knowing he was in good hands, Malisa politely excused herself from the room to make her rounds through the home, speaking to her father's associates, her mother's friends, and the many cousins who were celebrating the holiday. When she returned to the kitchen, she stopped short in the doorway to stare.
Gabriel was sitting comfortably in conversation with her father and brothers, his one dish of pie having expanded to a full plate of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, green-bean casserole, and her mother's famous corn pudding.
Malisa stood peeking through the entrance into the family room and kitchen area when her sister Anitra came through the back entrance. She was only slightly startled by the woman's deep, alto voice whispering against her ear.
“What are you staring at?” Anitra asked, peering past Malisa's shoulder. “Oooh, never mind,” the woman continued, a wide grin filling her face. “I see where you're staring. Your new friend is
foine
! So where did you find him?”
foine
! So where did you find him?”
Malisa blushed, pushing Anitra out of the way before the two were caught peeking. “Keep your voice down before he hears you,” she hissed.
Anitra laughed and whispered back, “He can't hear me.”
“Who can't hear you?” Baylor asked her two sisters as she moved into the hallway to stand with them.
“Malisa's new boyfriend,” Anitra answered.
Baylor nodded. “He's cute, and Mommy and Daddy seem to like him.”
“So, I ask you again, where'd you find him?” Anitra repeated.
Shaking her head, Malisa recounted her experience, filling them in on the details of her meeting Gabriel. Neither woman could contain her laughter, the two of them chuckling heartily.
“That is priceless,” Anitra exclaimed.
“I wish he'd had a camera,” Baylor interjected. “That would be some funny mess to put on YouTube.”
Ignoring them both, Malisa went back to her position at the doorway, peeking back into the room.
Gabriel was more than just cute. The dark stranger was absolutely captivating, she mused, studying him closely. He had nice height, measuring somewhere in the vicinity of six foot three. He had a slim but athletic build, his body nicely proportioned with wide shoulders, a broad chest, and long, muscular legs. He was a man who commanded attention the moment he stepped into a room, and she liked how nicely his jeans hugged the shelf of his high behind when he'd taken off his jacket to sit down.
He shifted his position in his seat, twisting his body ever so slightly as he focused on something Demetrius was saying to him. His eyes were pale, a shade of warm caramel, and they peered past dark lashes that were forest thick. With his warm, mocha complexion, Malisa couldn't help but ponder just how delectable he might be.
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