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“I’d like that too, Mitchell Layton Sterling Jr.,” I said, then reached over to kiss his lips. He held up my hand and put it to his lips.
I never thought I would swoon for a man at twenty-two years old, but here I was, and it felt pretty magical–my words.
Epilogue
“Daddy, will you check the knot on this tie, please?” I called out to Sterling while looking in the full-length mirror in his bedroom. Soon to be ours. A part of me wanted to do a happy dance every time I thought about it. He asked me a couple of times, or as of late, each time I complained about living at my mother’s. My knee-jerk reaction was to say no. I didn’t want to be in the same position I had been in with Preston. What if Sterling changed his mind and I ended up exactly where I was now, licking my wounds in my childhood bedroom? Annie reminded me, and so did Sterling, that he and Preston were not the same. He wanted me there, and he told me often. Sterling made it okay to need him. More importantly, he made it okay for me to want to need him. It’s just who I was, and he was okay with who I was, so I had to keep that in my mind and not all the negative stuff.
“I think you just get a kick out of watching me stand behind you, fixing you up. You’ve practiced this a hundred times and can easily do it.”
“But you like helping me do things.”
“I love helping you do things, my sweet boy.” He kissed the side of my neck after straightening what clearly did not need to be fixed.
“You know that Annie and Billy are both more excited about tonight then we are, and neither of them are even that into the Gullah Society.”
“Our friends are nosey old biddies–both of them! Seriously, I do not want you baiting Ms. Annabelle tonight. Two minutes of satisfaction is not worth ruining all our work or her special night. I wouldn’t have entertained us showing up together except for the fact that she knows we’ve been working so closely for the last six weeks.”
“I remember our agreement, Daddy. No poking at my mother for the sport of it. She doesn’t need to know that I’ve fallen in love with the man of my dreams in the last six weeks, or that I plan on moving in with him.”
“She does need to know. She doesn’t need to know tonight.”
The ride to the Club was as surreal as the last six weeks. Holding his hand across the console, I couldn’t help but think about our first meeting. Everything from my surly attitude, sullen mood, and forced participation had given way to late-night conversations planning this event and our futures. My resentment changed into joy and my insecurities to passion and love. A psychic couldn’t have convinced me any of this was possible or in my future. When we arrived at the Country Club, the place was vibrating with energy. Everyone looked fabulous, and Mother and my aunties were stationed at the front as true grand ladies of the evening. The photos and displays for the silent auction turned out wonderful, and I was so happy hearing people gush over the offerings. The best part was Billy telling me how impressed he was that this was my first professional project. We were raising money to grow the Society’s projects, scholarships, and legacy. Sterling gave a magnificent presentation on the history of the Gullah, the significance of the people, their contributions, and how important it was to preserve the culture.
“Hey, handsome. I haven’t seen or heard any fireworks. Does that mean your secret is still under wraps from Ms. Annabelle?” My best friend called out to me from about a foot away in a voice that seemed to echo through the space.
I had to drag Annie off to a corner before the entire lobby knew about my relationship.
“If you don’t learn to whisper, Annie…” I scolded.
“Chill, she’s inside listening to sweet nothings from old man Morgan. He has been sweet on your mama for years. Why don’t she give him no love? He’s sweet.”
“Ew, no, we are not discussing my mother and old man Morgan. I don’t need that image in my head.”
“Old people need loving. You got yourself an older man.”
I tried to hold my face neutrally as I watched Sterling step up behind her, lean down and whisper close to her ear, in that natural baritone I loved, “Who are you calling, old little girl? You need a Daddy, or a keeper of your own, missy.”
She went up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “You have someone in mind, handsome? I’m open.”
“And on that note, why don’t you go and find someone to dance with?” I turned her toward the ballroom entrance and gave her a little shove.
Looking around and not seeing anyone, I pulled Sterling behind the grand staircase. “You look too good not to sneak a taste,” I told him before stealing a kiss that we both deepened in a reckless manner, which was why we didn’t hear the approaching footsteps.
“So, this is why I couldn’t find you to get at least one decent picture with my handsome son.”
“Mother!” I nearly gave myself a concussion jumping away from Sterling. What the fuck was my mother doing under the damn staircase?
“Ms. Annabelle, I–”
“You, my handsome co-chair, are going to escort me and my son and join us for photos. Come along, boys.”
Nope. I wouldn’t have believed the psychic about her reaction to us either. She stepped out ahead of us and waited for us to take her arm on either side. It was possible we had broken my mother’s brain. Sterling and I looked at one another over her head mouthed ‘I love you’ to each other. There was no way to tell how she was really taking the news, but here we were. For tonight everyone was getting what they wanted, and after six weeks with Sterling, I knew to take this win and leave tomorrow to worry about when it got here.
The End
Gullah Gala Recipes
Gullah Red Rice
