Chapter 13
Mother’s Day had arrived, and I woke up in a great mood. I’d dreaded this day every year since I’d lost my mother. I wasn’t sure what made today any different, but I had a feeling it was the man who had me wrapped in his arms.
It had only been a week since we’d made things official. Since our living arrangement didn’t allow for much privacy, he’d booked the same suite three more times this past week with one of those times being last night.
“Happy Mother’s Day, beautiful,” he said, kissing my neck from behind.
“Thank you. How did you know I was awake?”
“I could tell from your breathing pattern.”
“Oh, there you go being creepy again. How are you feeling about today?”
“Honestly, Mother’s Day and the anniversary of my mother’s death are two days I dread. Celebrating my grandmother has always provided a good distraction, but deep down, I just want the day to be over. I’m sure you can relate.”
“Our feelings mirror each other’s. Being a mother brings me great joy, but it feels so bittersweet without having my mother here with me. My sisters do an amazing job celebrating me, and I appreciate their efforts, especially because I know they’re hurting too.”
“Something feels different about today, though. A good different.”
I turned to face him, hoping my morning breath wasn’t too bad.
“It does for me too. I think you might have something to do with why I woke up feeling lighter today than I have in years on Mother’s Day.”
“I know you’re the reason I’m not dreading today. What do you have planned?”
“After we visit the gravesite, my sisters will cook a big dinner. We’ll also look through old pictures and watch some old videos. What about you?”
“A little of the same. Plus, we’re celebrating my brother’s birthday today too. When we leave the cemetery, we’re taking my grandmother to brunch. She doesn’t trust our cooking, and we obviously don’t want her cooking today. We made the reservations two months ago.”
“That’s smart. As long as she enjoys herself, that’s all that matters.”
“True. What time do you need to be home?”
“In a few hours.”
“Let’s use our time wisely,” he said, dipping his head under the cover, pushing my legs open, and devouring my honeypot.
“I appreciate everything y’all do for me on Mother’s Day. You know you don’t have to,” I told my sisters at the end of an emotional day.
We looked through our photo albums for a couple of hours, and I took a break to help Briar get ready for bed. I returned to the family room so we could watch old videos of us and our parents.
“You say the same thing every year, sis. We know we don’t have to do anything special, but you’re an amazing mother to our nephew,” Rosemary said.
“You didn’t have to put your life on hold to take care of us,” Sage chimed in. “That was a huge sacrifice.”
“Finishing college, running the shop, raising Briar, dealing with that dumb ass Deacon on top of taking care of us was a lot on the shoulders of a twenty-one-year-old, but you did it with little to no complaining,” Blossom added.
“I would never let the state tear us apart. Mama and Daddy would’ve turned over in their graves,” I said.
“We don’t get many opportunities to show you how much we love and appreciate you, sis,” Daisy said. “Let us do what we do when we do it and sit back and enjoy.”
“What they said,” Violet added.
“Fine. I’ll let y’all do what you do, but if it ever becomes too much, I understand. You lost your mother just like I did. Don’t ever think doing something for me is more important than mourning the loss of Mama and Daddy.”
“I miss them so much,” Violet said solemnly before she smiled softly. “Remember how Daddy used to always get our names mixed up? He would be looking for Daisy but calling Blossom, and when Blossom showed up, he’d look at her like he didn’t just call her name ten times.”
“Oh my God! He did that all the time, especially with Violet and Sage. I don’t think he ever knew who was who,” Daisy said.
We reminisced with stories about our parents until Rosemary’s mannish ass changed the subject.
“So, are you and Rocky an item? I mean, we know y’all fucking.”
“And he’s eating!” Blossom added.
“Rose and Blossom, you know I’m not about to talk about this in front of Sage and Violet.”
“I guess that’s our cue to leave,” Violet said.
“Sis, you’re doing too much. You don’t think we know about sex?” Sage reasoned.
“Excuse me? Are y’all having sex?” My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. “I told y’all to come to me before you?—”
“Slow down, Rue. We aren’t having sex, and we promise to come to you before we do. Can we stay?” Sage pressed.
“Y’all can stay because I’m not about to talk about sex. What I will say is me and Rocky are dating?—”
“And fucking!” Rosemary cut in.
“Rose!” I exclaimed.
My other sisters thought Rosemary was hilarious, and I did too…most of the time. She let everything that came to her mind come out of her mouth, and sometimes, I wanted to pop her in it.
“Am I lying?”
I rolled my eyes. “Anyway. Now that I’ve allowed myself to acknowledge my feelings, I really like him…like a lot.”
“Okay, sis. Rocky is the real deal. I think he’s good for you,” Blossom said.
“And now that you’ve gotten your back blown out, you’ve been so much more relaxed,” Rosemary added.
“Girl, I’m sick of you. Stop talking to me.”
We had a good laugh, and they continued drilling me about Rocky. I didn’t think it was a secret, so I shared with them what he told me about his upbringing, being raised by his grandparents, the loss of his brother a few years ago, and Safe Haven.
“Damn, no wonder he has such strong feelings about Deacon putting his hands on you. That shit hits too close to home,” Daisy commented.
“And losing a sibling?” Blossom shook her head. “I’d crash out if something happened to one of y’all. I couldn’t imagine how him and his brother feel.”
“They’ve suffered some huge losses in life. It sucks, but they’ve really turned out to be great human beings. I can’t imagine a sixteen-year-old boy volunteering at a shelter for abused women. That’s so commendable,” Rosemary said.
“He’s a good man, Savannah. You’d better hold on to him,” Violet said, causing us to look in her direction.
“Girl, what are you doing quoting Waiting to Exhale ?” Daisy asked.
“What? That’s a good movie, and I’ve seen it multiple times.”
I shook my head at my youngest sister but had nothing to say. My phone rang, pulling my attention away from my sisters. When I saw an unknown number, my gut told me it was Deacon.
“Hello?”
“Unblock my fuckin’ number, bitch.”
“Who is this?” I asked unnecessarily.
“I see you’re still playing dumb. The next time I call you from my phone, my number better be unblocked.”
“And if it’s not?”
“You don’t wanna find out.”
The call ended, and I sat in disbelief for a moment. It had been almost two weeks since I last heard from Deacon when he called to make demands from the hospital. I ignored him then but wasn’t sure if I should continue to do so.
“Aww, shit. I know that look. That was Deacon, wasn’t it?” Rosemary asked, and I nodded. “What did he say?”
“Basically to unblock his number or else.”
“Or else what?” they all questioned in unison.
“He said I don’t wanna find out.”
“Call Rocky,” Blossom suggested.
“What? No! I’m not calling him. Today is hard for him, and I don’t want to add to it with this bull.”
“Fine, I’ll call Russell and tell him to tell Rocky,” Rosemary threatened.
“Rose, chill. I’ll tell him.”
“Deacon is making threats. Call Rocky now,” she demanded.
“Fine!” I picked up my phone, found Rocky’s contact, and selected it.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hey. Are you busy?”
“Not really. Me and Russ just left an emergency club meeting. What’s up?”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. We had some pertinent things to discuss. You good?”
“I’m fine. I hate to bother you with this, but…”
“But what, Rue?”
“Deacon just called me from an unknown number and was pissed because I have his number blocked. He said the next time he calls me, he better be unblocked or else.”
“He’s a bitch. Don’t worry about him, baby. I got you.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“That’s for me to worry about. Can I come see you?”
“Sure.”
“Alright, let me drop Russ off?—”
“Nah, you can bring him with you!” Rosemary shouted.
“Sorry. My nosy sister forced me to call you, and you’re on speaker.”
“It’s cool. We’ll be there in ten.”