Page 20 of The Secret to a Southern Wedding

“Thanks, Mom.” Shania looked at Patricia. “Any new romances?”

Patricia pointed toward the back of the store. “We’ve got a few that came in yesterday.”

“Cool.” Shania hurried off in that direction.

Cyril looked over at Imani. She looked good, again. The dark leggings she wore hugged her hips and ass perfectly, and the fitted, black athletic shirt she’d paired them with did the same thing to her breasts. His body reacted as his instincts went on alert. Imani was the type of woman he typically wouldn’t hesitate to try and connect with. But everything about Imani from her distrust of his dad, the fight against the marriage and the fact that if the marriage went through they would, indeed, be family, said to ignore his instincts.

He was searching his mind for something to talk to her about since Halle insisted they get to know each other when she blurted out, “Do you have a second to talk?”

“Yeah, what’s up.”

She glanced over his shoulder. He turned to find Halle and Patricia watching them with thinly veiled interest. She looked back at him and hesitated.

Cyril pointed toward the door. “Wanna talk outside? Unless you were going to order something?”

She shook her head. “No, I was just hanging out with Halle to avoid being at home.” When he frowned, she shook her head. “Outside is good.”

Cyril followed her. Books and Vibes wasn’t directly on Main Street, but it was close enough that the Sunday afternoon crowd spilled over to the shops lining the side streets. They hung close enough to the front door to avoid being in the way of the few people leisurely walking and browsing the shops.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

Imani crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “Does your dad spend the night at my mom’s house all the time?” she asked in an accusatory tone, as if he were responsible for his dad’s sleeping habits.

He frowned. “He stayed at your mom’s place? I didn’t hear him leave last night.”

“You two live together?”

The surprise in her voice made him wonder if she had a problem with him living with his dad. Then he pushed that away. They’d only had each other when they’d moved to Peachtree Cove. The choice to get one place versus two made sense as they started over. One reason the setup worked so well was because they stayed out of each other’s business for the most part.

“We moved down from Baltimore together. It was easier to share a place than find something separate. Besides, my dad is all I’ve got. I don’t mind spending time with him.”

“Your mom...?” she asked with a raised brow.

“She died. Six years ago.” The pain squeezing his heart came through in his voice. No matter how many years passed and how many times he said it the words never became easier. His mom was supposed to still be with them.

“I’m sorry.”

He took a deep breath. “Yeah, so am I.”

“And you’re still okay with him remarrying?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? I saw how much my mom’s death hurt him. Losing her changed...everything. If he’s happy again, then I’m going to do everything I can to keep it that way.”

She crossed her arms and looked away. She pulled the corner of her lip between her teeth and frowned. The movement drew his eyes to her mouth. Her lips looked soft. Kissable.

He cleared his throat. “Your dad?”

She blinked and looked back at him. “What about him?”

“Where is he?”

“Puerto Rico apparently,” she said without batting an eye. His shock brought out her own surprised expression. “We don’t talk to him. You didn’t know? I thought half the people in town would be willing to tell you the story.”

“I don’t listen to gossip. I listen to what people tell me directly and pay attention to what they show me. I’m sorry about your dad.”

She looked away and kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk. “Yeah...me too.”

Something in her voice made him want to reach out and comfort her. He didn’t know why she didn’t talk with her dad, but it couldn’t be good. No one pushed a parent out of their life without a good reason. The mystery of Imani, who she was, where she came from and what made her tick only deepened. He could ask under the pretense of getting to know her as his potential new family member, but he wasn’t interested because her mom was marrying his dad. He was interested because he wanted to know what brought the sadness into her eyes and make that sadness go away.

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