Page 8 of Holiday Plus-One
I bypass Valentina and leave her there to figure out just what kind of trouble a boy with three names could get her into. I can’t wait to make her my plus-one.
I’m set on her being around me for a long time.
Valentina
“Tee-Tee,you had better leave that boy alone.” Mama says to me before I’ve even shut the damn back door.
“What did I do? I’m innocent.”
“Innocent? You were looking at him as if he shits out diamonds. Baby, you’re not here for a long time, leave Riley alone.”
“What if we just want to be cordial for the wedding?”
“Cordial?” She repeats like a parrot. “I’m being cordial, you’re ready to throw something at that boy. He’s not trying to love you and leave you, if you know what I mean. He’s trying to lock you down and make you, his wife. You don’t see that look in his eyes?”
“Mama, please. You just want to see that because I’m your daughter.”
“I don’t want to see any look in his eyes.”
“Mmhmm.” I reply and she swats me on the arm making me laugh.
“Don’t play with me, little miss I know everything. Listen to me, I know what I’m talking about.”
“Oh, do you know? You see that look in his eyes because you’re looking to see it, I’m not.”
Okay… I’m definitely lying because I see the way Riley is looking at me and if there was a mirror in front of me as I gazed right back then yeah… it would mirror his.
I’ve never just met someone and then BOOM; there I am ready to rip his clothes off and have him all to myself before. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours for this and here I am shamelessly thinking about what he would look like if he didn’t have any clothes on while my mama was talking to me about something else.
“You know it’s not a bad thing to look at Riley or any man like that right, baby?” Mama asks me like she expects me to know the answer to that. I feel like she’s setting me up right now.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
She puts the tray she had in her hands down on the kitchen counter and walks over to me. She cups my face in her hands, and I brace myself for the Derek subject.
“You know he would be so happy for you, right?”
I nod, I do know that he would. He wasn’t some bad person. Derek was genuine and really sweet but his time in this world was really short.
“I know, mama but this isn’t about Derek, is it? It’s about daddy being ready to knock out some bo–, wait, no that’s a man in there, over nothing. It’s just looks.”
Mom laughs like she doesn’t believe me, hell, I don’t even believe myself but that doesn’t matter right now, does it?
“Exchanging looks…” she smiles like she knows something I don’t. “All I know is that if I catch you two somewhere I’m not supposed to, I’m going to steal my grandson for the summer.”
That was so unexpected that I laughed. Mom was always doing things to try and get Paxton out to see her more. Which I didn’t mind but it was already so hard with my work schedule.
“Okay, okay, just say you want him for the summer, and I’ll make it happen, Mama. no need for the blackmail.”
“I do, thank you, baby.” she kissed my cheek and grabbed the tray, yelling out for Paxton as if the rest of us needed to lose our hearing even more.
Shaking my head, I walked back to the sitting area with a huge smile on my face. I should’ve done this sooner, this is what I needed, to just see my family a bit more. My eyes avoid Riley’s as I sit down next to dad.
“By the way, Tee,” Mama gets my attention.
“Yeah?”
She has this mischievous smile on her face as she says this. “You didn’t say no.”
