23
“ L awrence, sweetheart!” his mother greeted excitedly, pulling him into a tight hug. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” she stated when they pulled apart.
It had been a while since they saw one another. While he would have normally visited her on Mother’s Day, he was scheduled to meet an out-of-town client the Friday before, and she’d had to work on the holiday. The last time he had seen her was at Alijah's wedding.
“I know, but we get to hang out for the next few days.”
He did have to work, but he’d strategically scheduled his appointments so he could leave work a little early each day.
Lawrence grabbed the handle of her suitcase and pulled it behind him as he led the way to his car. Once he pulled out of the parking lot, he headed to a mom-and-pop restaurant to pick up the order he’d placed while waiting on his mom before going to his apartment.
While his mother put the food on the table, he took her suitcase to his guest bedroom and placed it by the closet. When he returned to the kitchen, she was grabbing drinks from the refrigerator.
“I brought back some souvenirs for you,” Lawrence stated when they were seated.
His mother smiled. “Thank you. I’m glad you all had fun and got to relax.” She paused briefly. “Do I get to meet this boyfriend of yours while I’m in town?”
“Yes. He wants to take us to dinner on Saturday.”
“Show me a picture since you said it was weird to text me one. ”
It would have been, and he stood by that. He pulled out his phone and went to his gallery, clicking on one of the pictures they’d taken on vacation. He then gave the phone to his mom.
“I see why you’re always telling me you’ve just finished spending time with him or you’re on your way to when I talk to you. He’s handsome, and the two of you look good together.”
She put the phone on the table, and they continued to eat, catching up on what had gone on over the last week in their lives and making plans for the four days his mother would be there. He wasn’t surprised when she told him she planned to go to the spa with Alijah, Chayse, and Erin on Sunday afternoon.
When they finished eating, Lawrence threw their trash away while his mom went into the living room to find something for them to watch. It was almost eight in the evening, and they had no other plans. He knew his mother would be ready for bed by ten-thirty. She was a creature of habit, and Lawrence would turn in for the night after she did. It was Wednesday evening, and he still had to work in the morning.
“Tell me more about Remy.”
Lawrence sat beside her on the couch. “What do you want to know?”
“You said he’s Haitian. How long has he lived in the States?”
“Eighteen years. He went to college here and decided to stay.”
“So, he’s thirty…”
“Six,” Lawrence supplied.
His mother smirked at him. “I see I passed down my love for older men.”
He shook his head with a laugh. His father was only three years older than his mother, but every man she’d dated after they separated was at least eight years older than she was. As he thought back over his dating history, she wasn’t wrong. He’d never dated someone younger than him. Most of his partners were a few years older than him. The seven-year age difference between him and Remy was the biggest gap.
“Trust me, I’m well aware of the appeal of older men. There’s something about them that is just better.”
“I agree with you. Maybe it’s maturity. ”
“Mm. I’ve known some old immature men,” his mother stated. “But when you find one that’s mature, he can be silent, his presence still commands attention, and he treats you right. You’ve hit the jackpot.”
“Triple check,” Lawrence stated.
“I think Remy may have a little extra. I still chuckle when I think about the fear you said was on that scumbag’s face when he threatened to take over his company.”
Lawrence laughed. “It was priceless.” And a turn-on, but he didn’t think his mom needed to know that. His phone rang, and he looked at the screen to find Remy calling. He excused himself and went down the hall to his bedroom.
“Hey, babe.”
“Hey, baby,” Remy responded. “Did you get your mom all settled?”
“I did. We finished dinner a little while ago, and we’re just catching up and watching television.”
“Did you ask her about dinner on Saturday?”
“Yes, she’s excited to meet you.”
“I can’t wait to meet her,” Remy responded. “I won’t keep you. I wanted to make sure she made it safely. I’ll call you in the morning.”
“Okay, babe.”
They ended the call, and Lawrence grabbed the souvenirs he’d gotten for his mother and returned to the living room.
R emy sat in the restaurant Saturday evening, waiting for Lawrence and his mother. He’d volunteered to pick them up, but his boyfriend stated they would meet him there since picking them up meant him bypassing the restaurant and then backtracking. Remy hadn’t minded, but Lawrence insisted.
He’d only been waiting a few minutes, having arrived early, when he saw the host leading Lawrence and his mother to the table. She was a tiny something. Remy would guess she was no more than five foot two if that. There was no mistaking that she was Lawrence’s mother. It looked as if she’d spit him out. Remy stood when they made it to the table.
“Hey, baby,” Lawrence greeted, kissing him. “Remy, this is my mom, Silvia. Mom, this is my boyfriend, Remy.”
“Nice to meet you, Remy,” Silvia greeted, pulling him into a hug.
“Nice to meet you too, Ms.—”
“Now, don’t you make me feel old,” she cut him off. “Silvia is just fine.”
Remy chuckled. “Nice to meet you, Silvia.”
He pulled out both of their chairs before taking a seat beside Lawrence. Now that their entire party was present, their server approached and took their drink orders. It was quiet for a few minutes as they looked over their menus before Silvia broke it.
“Remy, Lawrence tells me you’re the VP of operations at Cayman Industries. Do you enjoy it?”
“I do. Like any job, it has ups and downs, but I wouldn't trade it. He said you work with individuals with special needs.”
Silvia smiled. “Yes. It’s demanding and difficult sometimes, but I love it.”
The server returned with their drinks and took their orders, and when they were alone again, the conversation continued.
“The two of you met at Alijah’s wedding. That’s romantic. Most people don’t believe it, but weddings are the perfect places to make love connections.”
“I guess so. Even though he was trying to take me home to get into my pants,” Lawrence teased, and Remy raised a brow at him.
“Well, you clearly let him. I bet you didn’t even put up a fight,” Silvia countered, and Remy laughed while Lawrence stopped his glass halfway to look at his mom.
“I…have no defense,” Lawrence responded with a shrug.
The conversation continued, with him and Silvia doing most of the talking; Lawrence would chime in now and then but was giving him and his mother a chance to get to know one another until their food came. When it did, Lawrence changed the topic of discussion.
“Remy’s parents want to get together for one of the upcoming holidays. I think it would be a good idea for the three of you to meet. You and Rita would get along well. ”
“I have to work Thanksgiving, but I have the day before and after Christmas put in for PTO if that works for them.”
“Both of my parents are retired. They’re fine with whatever works for you,” Remy stated.
“Christmas it is,” Silvia responded. “Wait, you said the three of us should meet. Are you not inviting Dennis? I thought the two of you were on better terms.”
“If better terms are him pretending I’m not gay, then sure. Honestly, Mom, I don’t want him there if he’s going to throw his little sly comments about praying and repenting. I don’t want him to offend Remy or his parents. It’s bad enough he tried during his visit when I introduced them.”
Remy shook his head. “Baby, being offended by anything your dad says means I care about his opinion on the decisions I make for my life and what he thinks of our relationship, and I don’t. My parents won’t be either because they’re proud of me and the person I am, and they adore you. Nothing else matters to them as long as we’re happy together.”
“I second that,” Silvia stated. “But I understand not wanting to deal with it, and you have every right not to invite him.” She paused briefly. “Your father is running from his truth instead of living in it. I think he looks at you and sees how happy you are with yourself and how you accept yourself, and he sees something he could never do.”
Her words sank in for Remy immediately, and he wasn’t surprised. He’d learned that there were often deep-seated reasons for someone’s dislike of a particular group of people, whether it be something that made them take a look at themselves or caused them to feel things they didn’t like.
“Wait, Mama. Are you saying Dad used to do the bending?”
Silvia took a bite of her potatoes and shook her head. “No,” she answered when she swallowed. “I’m saying he used to be the one getting bent.”
Remy watched Lawrence’s eyes widen as he sat his fork down. “Why am I just now finding out about this?”
“I was hoping your father would tell you, but it seems he’s more inclined to pretend like that part of his life, of who he is, never happened, and no, I’m not telling his business willy-nilly. Most of the family knows. It isn't that well-kept of a secret.”
“It is because I didn’t know. Was this before or after the two of you were married?”
“Both. I didn’t know about it until I caught him during our marriage. Then he broke down and told me everything. I wanted to be mad, but all I felt was pity and sadness. He didn’t feel like he could be who he wanted.”
“He’s such a hypocrite. Giving me a hard time when this entire time he wanted a hard time given to him,” Lawrence responded.
Remy snorted. “Really, baby?”
“Oh my gosh! That whole time he was staring at you, I thought he was being judgy, but what if he was picturing you bending him over and—”
Remy reached over and grabbed Lawrence’s chin, silencing him with a kiss before he could finish that thought. He never wanted to think about what his boyfriend was about to say. He didn’t need the mental image.
“Stop talking,” Remy stated against his lips.
“I’m only saying,” Lawrence started pulling away, and Remy raised a brow. “Fine,” Lawrence acquiesced.
Silvia shook her head with a laugh. “This conversation took a turn.”
Remy couldn’t have agreed more, and if he’d allowed Lawrence’s imagination to continue to run wild, there was no telling where it would have ended up.
The topic shifted to Silvia telling Remy stories of Lawrence growing up for the rest of dinner to his enjoyment and his boyfriend’s dismay.