Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
R aven stood in her Aunt Nancy’s brightly painted but small kitchen, leaning her hip against the counter with her arms folded. As she waited for the water for their tea to heat up, she glanced into the living room where her aunt was playing with Andrew while Zanaya slept.
It had been over a year since Raven had seen Aunt Nancy, and she was glad she’d made the trip over. In her early seventies, her aunt was doing well, except she had taken a fall a few months ago around Christmas. Although she claimed to be feeling fine, Raven had noticed her limping when she had opened the door for them earlier.
Petite with a mocha skin tone and short, curly salt and pepper hair, Aunt Nancy looked so much like Raven’s mother, Gladys. They even dressed similarly around the house in long, colorful kaftans. Being with her aunt, it was hard not to think of her mom who she missed dearly.
Raven’s attention drifted to where the babies were sitting in their carriers. Feeling sentimental, she wondered what her mother would think of her life choices. No doubt she’d be proud that Raven had started her own virtual assistant business. She would also adore her grandbabies. However, she wouldn’t be happy about Raven having kids before getting married.
No, she believed people should be married before having babies. Aunt Nancy was the same and had voiced her opinion on the subject more than once, especially when she found out Raven had gotten pregnant last year.
Raven grimaced at the memory and the lengthy speech that she’d had to endure. She was okay with hearing her aunt’s opinion, but she didn’t like that she had a holier than thou attitude and could be judgy. It was only a matter of time before she started in on Raven again, and they ended up in a heated disagreement. It was inevitable and happened almost every time they talked or got together. Aunt Nancy had already made one comment about how much she loved the twins—that it was too bad they were bastards.
Raven had ignored her, knowing if she didn’t engage on a subject, her aunt would move on to the next one. Still, it was better to be there than to be back at the B & B where all Raven could think about was Zion.
It had been two days, and she still couldn’t seem to get him and their disagreement out of her mind. She had accepted his apology, but he had hurt her feelings by still questioning her integrity. There was no way she’d lie about him being the twin’s father.
It wasn’t that she didn’t understand where he was coming from. He had every right to want to wait for proof before acknowledging the babies were his. It was just the way he sounded each time he alluded to not believing her that bugged the heck out of her.
Raven turned to the stove where the kettle was beginning to whistle. She poured the hot water into the mugs, loaded them on a serving tray, and then set the babies’ bottles next to the mugs. She had prepared them while in the kitchen knowing the little ones would be ready to eat soon. Zanaya might be asleep now, but she would be hungry the moment she woke up.
“He is such a happy baby,” Aunt Nancy said as Raven entered the living room.
“Yes, he is. Thankfully, they both are.” She set the tray on the coffee table. As soon as she checked the bottles to make sure the milk wasn’t too hot, Andrew started to fuss. His pacifier fell from his mouth as he scrunched his face and wiggled in his seat. Raven was fairly sure he was beginning to recognize his bottle.
“What’s with the bottles?” her aunt asked. “Don’t you usually breast feed them? Or is it just because you’re not at home?”
“No, I stopped breastfeeding a month ago.”
Raven braced herself for the judgment that was sure to come, but with this particular topic, Raven was prepared. It seemed like even women Raven didn’t know thought it was okay to give their opinion on the subject. When technically it was no one’s business whether she breast-fed or not. It was her decision to stop.
She couldn’t stand self-righteous folks who thought just because they preferred to do something a certain way, that everyone should fall in line.
“You should’ve kept breastfeeding them at least until they were two years old. I read…”
Raven picked up Andrew while she half listened to her aunt give her thoughts on the subject. It reminded Raven of an incident at the pediatrician’s office weeks ago. She was feeding NayNay with a bottle instead of whipping out her breast. A woman sitting nearby had said something about it not being a good idea to switch between breast milk and formula. When Raven mentioned the babies were only on formula, the woman’s gasp of disapproval could be heard around the waiting area. One would’ve thought Raven had announced she put a shot of tequila in the baby bottles.
The lady went on to spew statistics as if she was reading straight out of a book while Raven tried to ignore her. She let her talk, but the moment the nurse called for her to bring in the twins, she grabbed the carriers and left the woman to talk to herself.
At least the kids’ doctor hadn’t judged her when she inquired about going a hundred percent with formula. The doctor had eased Raven’s worries by telling her that breastfeeding was a choice. Yes, there were health benefits to the babies, but ultimately, Raven had to do what she thought best for herself and the kids.
From day one, she had struggled with breastfeeding. Early on, there were times it left her in tears because it had taken awhile to get the hang of. Eventually, she did but when the babies were almost two months, it seemed Andrew wasn’t getting enough to eat. After a discussion with their pediatrician, Raven decided to move to formula for both babies. She was happier, and they were just fine.
“Aunt Nancy?” Raven interrupted the woman’s monologue. When her aunt stopped talking and glanced at her, Raven said, “You can stop. My decision has already been made. So how have you been? I know you said you didn’t break any bones when you fell, but how’s your hip?”
She waved Raven off. “Oh, it’s fine. It only hurts when my arthritis acts up.”
For the next hour, they snacked on tea, homemade coffee cake, and fruit as they got caught up with each other. Raven filled her in on the latest with Maximus and how she had moved on, but he hadn’t.
“I don’t see why you two can’t still be friends.”
No matter what Raven said, her aunt wasn’t trying to hear anything negative about Maximus. She was crazy about him. Aunt Nancy had bought into the charming facade he’d shown her the two times she had visited Houston while he and Raven dated.
Not wanting to argue, Raven let the topic drop, and told her about the B & B. It was impossible to talk about the beautiful establishment without bringing up the Priestly family. They’d been so kind to her. They went beyond the call of duty to make sure she had everything she needed. And watching all of them with the babies made Raven’s heart sing. She had met two of Zion’s sisters, including Dorian, who she saw often. Today, Raven had met his sister, Nyla, who owned a jazz club.
Though they all were great, Raven had noticed all of them stayed clear of topics regarding Zion fathering the twins. She assumed he must’ve had a talk with them, especially Mrs. Priestly. After that first night, Raven thought for sure the older woman would ask her again whether Andrew and Zanaya were her grandbabies. She hadn’t. Still, she spent time with them every day and treated the twins like her own. Even Mr. Priestly had been spending more time at the B & B than he’d been the first couple of days since Raven arrived.
“Maybe you shouldn’t let those folks get so attached to the kids, especially since you’re going back to Houston.”
“Aunt Nancy, I told you we’re moving here. Just because Nika’s boyfriend doesn’t want us staying with them,” she said of her cousin who was Aunt Nancy’s daughter, “doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind about moving here. On the contrary. I was already planning to relocate here so we could live closer to you. I’ve already started looking for places. Now that I know Zion and his family are here too, I’m planning to make the move sooner than later.”
“I love having you here, but I’m not convinced Zion will step up and be a father to these kids. He doesn’t even believe they’re his. Besides, you need to focus on getting back with Maximus. I know it was a while ago that he asked you to marry him, but if he’s still coming around, it means he’s still in love with you.”
Raven shook her head, wishing she had kept her mouth shut about Maximus and Zion. But Aunt Nancy had been like a mother to her after losing her parents. They might not agree on everything, but they could usually talk and share things with one another.
“You don’t want to marry a police officer,” her aunt continued. “His job is too dangerous, and he probably can’t support you and the twins long term. Maximus and his family are wealthy, and if you would say yes to his marriage proposal, I’m sure he would adopt the babies.”
Raven’s mouth fell open. “Have you heard anything I’ve said over the last hour? There is no me and Maximus. He’s burned that bridge, and I have moved on. Even if I was interested in marrying him, he wouldn’t be able to adopt the twins. There’s no way their father would give up his rights.”
That was something Raven knew for sure. Zion might be waiting for confirmation from the paternity tests, but she knew he was the father. She also knew he would love and protect his children. He and his family would.
“But you said he didn’t believe he was the father. It doesn’t sound like he’s interested in the job. Why push fatherhood on him if there’s someone more capable, like Maximus? Another thing, I don’t think Zion is right for you.”
Raven gawked at her aunt. “What are you talking about? You don’t even know him.”
“I know his type,” she countered with attitude, and Raven rolled her eyes. “He’s probably one of those gigolos who gets with so many women, then impregnates them. Then after he plants his seed all over the place, he probably doesn’t even know how many kids he has.”
“Okay, I’ve heard enough,” Raven said, glad the babies were fed and changed because she needed to get out of there in a hurry. Otherwise, she might say something inappropriate to the woman who helped raise her. “I need to get going.”
“Why? Just because we disagree. You’ve never run away from a lively discussion before. Maybe it’s because you know I’m right.”
Raven released a humorless laugh. Fuming as she hurried and repacked the twins’ diaper bag, there was so much she wanted to say. Part of her wished she could just drop the conversation, but the other part of her needed to set a few things straight.
“First of all, Maximus is a misogynistic, narcissistic jerk. I wouldn’t marry him if he was the last guy on the planet ! I’m disappointed you think I should lower my standards mainly because he has money. I don’t care how wealthy he is. He’ll never be able to buy my love or my respect.
“Secondly, Zion is my kids’ father. While he might be struggling with the fact that he might be a daddy, I’m not concerned. He’s going to step up and do right by our kids. He is one of the nicest, upstanding men I’ve met in a long time. I suggest you stop talking about stuff you don’t have a clue about and not judge folks without getting to know them first.”
“Sweetheart, don’t leave like this. I love you and the babies, and I wasn’t trying to upset you,” her aunt said as she stood. “If you want me to meet Zion, I will, and I’ll be nice. I’m sorry for whatever I said that made you mad. Going forward, I’ll respect your decisions even if I might not agree with them. You know I love you, right? I’m just an old lady set in my ways.”
Raven huffed out a breath. “I know, and I love you too, Aunt Nancy.” Raven kissed her aunt on the cheek. “But we really need to be going.”
She slipped the kids’ huge backpack diaper bag onto her back and then grabbed a baby carrier in each hand. The twins were getting heavier. Soon she wouldn’t be able to carry them at the same time. However, right now, her anger seemed to give her extra strength.
“I’ll be in touch,” she said as she headed out the door.
The paternity test results couldn’t come fast enough, and when they did, she and Zion needed to have a long talk about the future.