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In the kitchen, a knock pounded on the back door.
Malcolm swallowed. “Reggie forgot his keys again.” He slid off the barstool, pointing at her plate. “Eat.” He strode away to let the cook in.
Jami felt a rush of heat as her eyes slid over the erection she’d caused before she turned back to her pancakes.
Chapter 27
Malcolm’smotheropenedthedoor to the condo she and her husband lived in. She studied her son before stepping back to let him in, but she didn’t smile. Her eyes nervously flitted away instead.
“Come in. Your father’s in the living room.”
Malcolm stepped inside. “Sorry for calling on a Sunday morning. I know you normally go to church.”
His mother shut the door behind him. “It’s fine. We can watch it on the TV later.” She moved past him, taking a seat on the couch beside his father. Her hands clasped around her husband’s, as if to hide the shakes he couldn’t prevent any longer.
Malcolm sank onto the edge of the armchair across from them. He’d known logically that his parents had become older over the years, but for the first time, he was truly seeing their age.
“It’s rare for you to come to see us, son,” his father said. “Of course we’d make the time. I understand you close that restaurant of yours on Sundays?”
Malcolm remembered how he’d called his day off “ours” with Jami. Knowing she was waiting for him after this helped to ease his tension. “I do.”
“That’s good,” his mother said, patting her husband’s hand. “The Lord’s sabbath is important to honor.”
Malcolm didn’t tell them that he didn’t go to church like they did. He had no need to justify himself with them. His parents had always been the churchgoing type, and he had fond memories of his own experiences in Sunday services as a child. Watching his aunt stab Celia repeatedly before he could drag her off, though, had complicated his own belief. Part of him felt like he’d been sent to save his cousin. The other part had lost all faith in a “loving”. His anger hadn’t been limited to people he could touch.
“How is Celia?” his mother asked. Her eyes wouldn’t meet his.
“On the mend. The hospital released her, and she’s resting at home again for now.” Malcolm had no delusions. Celia’s pregnancy would likely continue to be a struggle, with an extended hospital stay toward the end. Some of his tension eased as he remembered what she and Trenton told him the morning before. He was going to try his best not to cry when they officially got married. He was a sap sometimes.
“That’s what you’re here about, isn’t it?” his mother asked. She straightened on the couch. “We’ve already decided to maintain our distance. I only called to apologize the other day. When I realized she was feeling pain, I urged her to call you.”
Malcolm studied his mother’s face. “Of course you did.”
She frowned at his tone. “You’ve always been best at taking care of that girl.”
“Of taking care of everyone, really, son,” his father piped up. He pressed his shoulder against his wife’s. “It’s made it hard over the years.”
“My stepping in to fix things made them harder?” Malcolm asked. His hands clenched where they rested between his legs.
“You made it very clear you didn’t respect us, even as a teenager,” his father said. He frowned down at his wife’s hand clasping his. “And it’s true you didn’t need us. None of you kids did.”
“It’s not about need. It’s about the duty of a parent.” Malcolm closed his eyes. “Don’t you think Celia could have used more caring? You took her in, like I asked, but you never gave anything of yourselves.”
“Well, she had you,” his mother said. When Malcolm opened his eyes, he found she’d tilted her head in confusion. “They all did. Your sister, Celia, and those friends of yours. Malcolm, it’s always been you taking care of everyone.”
“I was just a boy,” he murmured. “I needed you to step up.”
“Don’t lie. You’ve never needed us.” His mother frowned. “You’ve always even taken care of us, though you don’t want to.”
His father nodded. “You urging us to sell the house and move here was what we needed. The condo has been so much easier.” He looked around the space, decorated in a similar fashion to the way the house had been when it was theirs. “We love it here, just as you said we would.”
Malcolm took a breath. His hands unclenched as he accepted he would never be able to change them. “I came here to ask you for a favor. In the hospital the other day, I was too upset to talk about it, but—”
“We’ll stay away from Celia,” his mother interrupted.
Malcolm studied her face.
She frowned. “I understand we can be slightly… triggering for her. She’s having blood pressure issues, right? With her past, well, your poor cousin will always have some issues. We understand and already agreed we should stay away, right, dear?” She looked at her husband.
