Page 126 of One Good Reason
Covering her mouth with her hand, tears sprouted from her eyes. “Oh my God. You were a child, Lawton.”
“Searching for his mother’s love.”
“I’m going to kill her. I had her in my house, around my family and this is the way she chose to repay me. She groomed you, Lawton. That’s predatory behavior. I will have her locked up.”
“I was eighteen when the affair started. Legal consenting age.”
“You were a child!” she roared.
“I’ve been capable of making decisions for myself for as long as I can remember. Adele didn’t force herself onto me. Granted,she presented the idea to me but it was my choice to go along with it. And I enjoyed it for years. Enjoyed it until she dropped me. I don’t regret anything I’ve done in my life.
If you can look in the mirror and live with the fact that your neglect pushed me into the arms of a woman twenty-one years my senior, I can forgive you for our tattered past and work toward a better future with you.”
Getting that shit off my chest felt better than I’d ever imagined. Who knew the conversation was going to reach the point where I would end up admitting I’d slept with her best friend. I believed Val when she said she was going to go after Adele. She’s always been a spit fire. The shit was off my shoulders and Adele would have to deal with whatever came her way. I told my truth.
My revelation must’ve hit her like a ton of bricks because my mama eventually cried herself to sleep. By the time Preme made it back, the doctor had stopped by and informed us that after checking out her x-rays he decided she would have to wear a boot to try and reset her bone. They would assess her again in a few months and from there if he decided she would need an operation, we could move forward.
After she got discharged, I stuck around long enough to make sure she was okay as I promised. Once she was settled into her house, I chopped it up with Preme before going home to my peace.
CHAPTER 30
Talitha
Stepping into the bathroom, I wrapped my arms around Law’s waist and laid my head on his bare back. “What time do we have to be at the stadium?”
“No particular time. The game starts at one. They’re going to start delivering the food as soon as the first person checks in. You did give Rossi and Marsha their tickets, right?”
“I sent it to them on the app.”
“Cool.”
“I’m gonna go ahead and get dressed so I can make sure Gema is good.”
Law nodded his head.
Since he came from visiting his mother, he’d been distant. I asked him if his visit went okay. He claimed it did, but he was different. I noticed it and so did Gema. She told me to give him the chance to tell me about it instead of pressuring him to talk. Taking her advice, I told him repeatedly that I was here for him whenever he was ready to talk.
Speaking of Gema, she was back home and happy as ever. When my mama came to drop her off, she showed up with the whole crew. They only came to make sure I kept my word and signed over their houses.
My mama dropped the case so of course I signed the paperwork, giving them their houses back. I never promised my mama I would sign hers over, but I didn’t want shit else to do with her, so I did the honorable thing and signed it over.
Betty Jo told me they were planning on having Thanksgiving down at her house this year and asked if I wanted to come down. They wanted Gema to come and since this would be the first one with us living away, I told her I would bring her down so she could spend it with them.
Christmas was a different story. Law wanted to take me and Gema to his house in Veal. I’d never been skiing so me, Gema, and Mrs. Jessie was looking forward to that.
Once I had my clothes on, I went downstairs to check on Gema since she and Mrs. Jessie was coming to the game with us.
“Gema, you dressed?” I asked from the other side of her door.
“Jessie putting on my shoes now!” she yelled.
“You look cute.”
I had gone out and purchased us some jerseys so we wouldn’t look like oddballs today. According to Law, the Demon fans were serious when it came to these games. He claimed everybody in attendance would be in some black and red. I didn’t know not one player on the damn team so I found some random jerseys and settled on them.
Mrs. Jessie had pressed Gema hair out last night so it was hanging down her back. I had this black headband I’d bought from Fashion Novaa while back that I gave her to use so she could push the hair out of Gema face. Plopping down on her bed, I propped my body up on the pillow and hung my feet off the side of the bed.
“Law driving or we riding in that fancy truck of his?” Gema asked.
