Page 60 of Fumble Into the End Zone
Wrapping my arms around his waist, I peered up and pushed away my usual need to complicate things.
“I’ll be here in your bed and eating your food as I promised,” I said.
Relief fell over him, and it confused me. He’s worried I’d leave when he agreed to me staying a few days.
Marcus kissed everybody in the house before he exited the front door. The ease with which my body fell in line should have worried me, but it didn’t. Standing in the living room, I knew what I had to do, talk to the matriarch of the house. Marcus assured me things were okay, but southern grandmothers didn’t believe in shacking up before marriage.
“Mrs. Allen, can we talk?” I asked as I joined her at the kitchen table.
A smile accompanied her gentle, worn, wisdom-filled eyes.
“Harley, let’s go to your room,” Ms. Renee said, and the two moved down the hall.
I rubbed my hands together and gave an uneasy smile. “Um, did Marcus talk to you about me staying over a few nights?”
Mrs. Eddy covered her legs with a quilted blanket. “No, he talked to me about you moving in and I told him I was okay with it. But, only under one circumstance. He better produce a ring. Don’t you let him drag his feet on it, either,” she said in a stern tone.
“Marcus and I are trying to...well, I don’t know what we’re doing,” I said.
Moving backward on the couch, I relaxed my shoulders.
“Ahh. I see love, but it may take you a while to realize it. Marcus is going to smother you because he’s used to people leaving him. I told him not to, but until he deals with his mother leaving him, he can’t help it. Take care of him, even if it means telling him no and setting boundaries. Don’t let his meekness fool you; he is possessive, but he loves hard. You and Bryce are important to him,” she said.
I dissected and stored away her words.
“Thank you. I promise to abide by the house rules until I can talk him into letting me go home,” I said.
Eddy waved her hand at me and laughed. “Marcus isn’t letting you go home. And you’re the woman of the house. With you here, I can finally go home; but first, I need to visit BeBe and Corner in Arkansas. It's early but can you stay for about two weeks and help Marcus. Oh, and how do you book a plane ticket to Memphis? Can you call them? I got money on my card. I already talked to BeBe and she agreed to pick me up. Don’t you tell Harley, she tells Marcus everything.”
The soft warmth of her eyes convinced me to say yes, even though I shouldn’t. “I’ll take care of them while you visit your family in Arkansas,” I agreed.
“Now, help me to convince him to let me go. Him and Harley watch me like I’m some kind of piece of art. She be on me about my cane. If I sneeze too hard, Marcus will have me in there with them white coats. All them doctors want is your money,” she complained.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said and listened to her rant as I opened the airline’s website.
Harley with these pink butterfly sunglasses sent giggles through me each time I peeked in the back seat. Somehow, three ponytails and pink hair bows elevated her self-confidence. One turn in the mirror, she transformed from a southern lady to a runway model. Stacie had called a few times, but with Harley in the car, I sent her to voicemail. I couldn’t chance anything happening to Marcus’s baby because of distracted driving.
We pulled into the employee parking lot of the baseball stadium, and I flashed my pass to the attendee. He scanned it and said, “Stacie said to call her now.”
I shook my head and found my phone to send a text.
Me
I’m parking and I brought a guest with me.
The attendant lifted the gate, then I migrated to the owner’s designated area and parked next to Stacie.
“All right, Harley, we are here,” I said.
Those sunglasses and her blank expression sent me to the clouds. I opened my door and migrated to her side of the car. She waited for me to unbuckle her seat belt and I helped her down.
“Let’s take a picture for your dad,” I said.
Harley smiled and the peace signs popped up as I kneeled next to her and snapped the picture. I scrolled over to my thread with Marcus and uploaded the photo. A text message from Stacie appeared on the screen.
Stacie
What is his name?
