“We weren’t raised like that,” Kieran’s voice was serious. “And most people in this neighborhood don’t care about that stuff.”
“I didn’t think you were. It’s just…it’s just…honestly, I don’t even know anymore.” Tiana said, exasperated. “Ever since I met you, it seems everything I ever known has been thrown out the window.”
Kieran captured Tiana’s lips with his in a searing kiss. “Good. I hope it stays that way.”
“Hey! Do you want to come in sometime for some food or should I get out the tent for you?”
Tony called from inside the house.
****
She took stock of Kieran’s brothers. They were all attractive and easy on the eyes. They were all around the same height—some shorter or taller—and had muscular builds. Tiana thought about Nicola’s grocery bill when the boys were younger. It must’ve been through the roof.
“It’s okay to be intimidated at first,” Faith quietly said to Tiana as she sat next to her. She was a short Black female with natural light brown curls and a curvy body. She had a warm demeanor and a soft voice. “The first dinner is always the worst but after the second one, you’ll wonder why you were ever nervous to begin with.”
“It’s so much…” Tiana looked around and then back at the heaping portion on her plate. “I’m never going to be able to finish this.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Faith passed the breadsticks. “They will finish it for you if you can’t.
Food doesn’t get wasted at this house.”
“Everyone, everyone!” Nicola finally sat down at the head chair. “Let’s grab hands and say grace. Time to give thanks.”
After everyone said grace, they all begin eating. “So, Tiana,” Tony took a bite of his lasagna, “do you have any other rich friends like yourself?”
Eli kicked his brother underneath the table and Tony howled. “Hey, what was that for?” Tony yelled.
“
Chiudi il becco
!” Eli snickered.
“Why in the hell you asking her about her private business like that?” Joey commented.
“What are you doing, man?” Nicolas asked Tony. “You act like you were raised by a pack of wolves.”
“No, I just grew up with them,” Tony rubbed his shin.
“It’s okay,” Tiana smiled at the men defending her honor. Kieran’s brothers reminded her of her guy friends. “All of my girlfriends are taken.”
“Except one,” Kieran mentioned.
Tiana knew Kieran was talking about Denise. “I’m not subjecting your brother to that,” she replied.
“It’s okay, Tiana,” Joey chimed in, “I’ll take her.”
“Fool, you’ll take a blow-up doll if it could walk,” Tony replied.
“No, that’s your last girlfriend,” Joey replied.
Faith looked over at Nicola. “How did you manage this for so long?”
“Easy,” Nicola tore off a piece of a breadstick and popped it in her mouth. “I was never here.”
****
She asked.
“Sure, Nicola,” Tiana smiled. “I was getting little man ready for bed. He’s had a long day.”
Nicola sat on the bed and smiled down at Tyson, who smiled back at her. “How old is he now?”
“Nine months,” Tiana was amazed at the thought. It seemed time was slipping away from her.
“And before you know it, he’ll be in kindergarten, then high school, and then you’ll be watching him at his first dance at his wedding…” Nicola reminisced. “Enjoy the quiet moments as much as you can.”
Tiana smiled warmly at her son. “Tell me about it!”
“So about you and Kieran,” Nicola began, “how serious are you two?”
Tiana shrugged. “We just started dating not too long ago so we’re taking it slow.”
“You’re taking it slow?” Nicola asked. “But he’s been living with you for the past three months?”
“He has his own house he stays in…”
“And he watches over your son…”
“Well, I pay him to do so…”
“He has his own money so he’s not after yours…”
“Well, I never thought he wanted me for my money…”
“And he’s been teaching you how to cook. Plus, I know that smile on your face,” Nicola mentioned, “only a woman in love has that smile.”
Tiana finished dressing Tyson and Nicola picked him up. “I’m in the middle of going through a divorce, Nicola. I can’t promise anything to Kieran, at least not yet.”
“I understand that and so does he,” Nicola softly bounced Tyson on her hip.
A short silence stood between the pair before Tiana spoke again. “So why do I have the feeling that you don’t believe me?”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you, Tiana. I know you’re a good woman. I always follow your financial advice and read your articles,” Nicola replied to which Tiana gave a half-grin. “I’m a fan of yours. But I’m also a bigger fan of my son. He’ll wait as long as he needs to but he won’t wait around forever. If you’re not sure about how you want to proceed with your relationship, you need to let him know as soon as possible so he can find someone who is more suitable for him. It’s only fair to all three of you.”
Tiana lightly sighed. Maybe she was dragging her feet admitting her feelings. Kieran declared his love for her and she was still acting like a child who’s unsure about which toy she wanted to play with first. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem,” Nicola smiled, “I’ll take little Tyson with me tonight so you two can have some privacy and be alone. I have a bassinet in my room so he’ll be safe. “
Buona notte e sogni
d'oro
, Tiana.” She walked out of the room.
“
Buona notte
, Nicola,” Tiana replied. She grabbed some clothing and headed to the bathroom for a nice, hot shower. She closed her eyes as she felt the hot water beat on her skin. Nicola was right. Rocio and Erin were right. Tiana needed to just admit to Kieran her feelings towards him.
It was clear he felt the same way. She couldn’t see anyone else other than Kieran in her life and the way he cared about Tyson…he showed more love for the little boy in just a few months than Christopher ever did and still hasn’t.
What am I doing?
Tiana got out of the shower and dried off. She quickly changed into her pajamas and went to bed.
She was going to tell Kieran how much she was in love with him and then show him. There was no way that man was going to slip through her fingers.
ELEVEN
Kieran sat around at the card table with his brothers, sipping on his beer and looking at his poker cards. Growing up they never had much money so they would always wager clothing, shoes, or video games. When things were really lean, they would wager who would do chores.
As they grew older, whenever Kieran and his brothers got together for cards, they would still wager chores and insignificant items like a bouquet of flowers from the shop, a couple of tutoring sessions from Nicolas, a week of child care from Kieran’s business, or a haircut for a couple of months from Tony’s barber shop. The men knew how it was to be without money and never dared to wager a dime of it, despite all of them having their own.
“So how much longer do you plan on working for Tiana now that you’re a couple?” Eli asked as he looked at his cards.
“I don’t know,” Kieran folded his cards and sipped his beer. “I guess whenever she feels comfortable enough.”
“That’s the life, man,” Tony stroked his goatee, “being with a rich woman, living in her mansion, and all you have to do is watch her kid and give her the salami every so often.”
Nicolas studied his cards. “Can someone please…?”
Eli reached over and slapped the back of Tony’s head. “Thank you,” Joey shook his head.
“Hey!” Tony rubbed his head. “What did I say?”
“She’s a great woman, Kieran,” Nicolas picked up his cards again. “You picked a winner this time.”
“Better than the last one,” Joey sipped his beer.
“Oh much better than the last one,” Eli agreed, “I’m in.”
“What’s your wager?” Tony asked.
“A dozen roses,” Eli replied.
“Long-stemmed?” Joey asked.
Eli looked back at his cards. “Yeah, let’s go for long-stemmed. I’m confident.”
“Speaking of the last one,” Tony spoke to Kieran, “wanna know what your lovely ex has been up to lately?”
“Not really,” Kieran replied. His ex-wife, Jalara, still left a sour taste in his mouth.
“She’s working at the Lovely Kitten,” Tony replied, causing amused stares from his brothers, “or so I’ve heard.”
Kieran knew he shouldn’t entertain his brother but he was curious. “How long has she been working the pole?”
“I don’t know. I’m in with two free haircuts,” Tony placed his bet. “I heard it from one of my boys that’s what she does. Apparently she’s been asking about you.”
“I bet she has,” Kieran took another sip of beer, “Ten thousand dollars doesn’t go very far.”
“So what are your plans with Tiana?” Joey folded his cards. “Pretty serious for you to bring her and her kid along?”
“I don’t know,” Kieran let out a soft sigh, “she’s in the process of going through a divorce and she admitted she’s not trying to get involved with anyone.”
“But she came with you?” Nicolas folded his cards. “I’m thinking what she said isn’t matching up with what she’s doing.”
“I stopped trying to figure out women a long time ago,” Kieran added, “every time I think I figured one out, I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
“Are you ready to walk away if she rejects you?” Eli asked.
“That’s the million-dollar question,” Kieran leaned back in his chair. “I’m going to have to if she does.”
“What about her kid?” Tony asked. “What about him?”
“That’s the problem of getting involved with women who have children,” Kieran took another sip of beer, “even if things don’t work out with the mom, you still want to see the child. But if things really don’t work out with Tiana, I will have to walk away from Tyson as well, and that really sucks.”
****
He was in the middle of getting undressed when Tiana opened her eyes. “I’m sorry,
bella
. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s okay, baby,” Tiana yawned, “you didn’t disrupt me at all. Did you all have fun playing poker?”
“Yeah, Nick cleaned house,” Kieran removed his socks and climbed into bed. “Two months of haircuts and four dozen roses. Lucky bastard.”
Tiana smiled. “Well, maybe next time?”
“Nah, I was just playing for fun,” Kieran snuggled up to his girlfriend. “I won the best prize already.” He kissed her cheek.
Tiana felt that was her cue. “Kieran, baby, we need to talk.”
Kieran immediately withdrew from her. He knew whenever a woman uttered those words; it was the kiss of death. He wondered which brother was the final nail in the coffin. It reminded him to have a talk with Tony. “I’m listening.”
Tiana sat up in bed and turned the light on. She wanted to read his eyes. “You know I’m in the process of getting divorced and what’s it done to my psyche. Cris was an awful husband and has been a terrible father to Tyson. And because of everything, I’m guarded. And I’m raw. I wasn’t planning to date again for a very long time and I wasn’t thinking about bringing anyone around Tyson until I knew there was a definite future.” She paused and closed her eyes, trying to find the courage to continue. “Then I met you.
“You accept my faults, and love me anyway. You see my boring lifestyle, and love me anyway.
My son can be so fussy and after dealing with him all day, every day, you love him anyway.”
Tiana held Kieran’s hand. “I’m going to be guarded a little longer and I still have some trust issues to sort through. But if you can bear with me, I promise you won’t regret it.”
“Tiana, I’ll wait for you,” Kieran replied, “but only if you let me.”
“I don’t want you to wait,” Tiana got out of bed. She removed her pajamas and hair wrap, letting her locks fall down. “Kieran, I love you. This is me—naked and raw—with no expensive gown, no fancy makeup, no reservations, telling you I love you.”
Kieran got out of bed and removed his boxer briefs. “This is me, naked and raw, without the daycare, without the crazy brothers, without my rich family, telling you I love you.” He climbed on the bed and Tiana met him halfway.
Tiana briefly closed her eyes when Kieran caressed her hard nipples. She lightly wet her lips in anticipation. “So, what do we do now?”
Kieran wrapped an arm around Tiana’s waist and pulled her tight against his body. He was hard and his cock glistened with pre-cum. He kissed her lips before trailing his tongue down to her neck. “I guess we have to make it official, don’t we?” He grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her.
His kisses were hot and wet and Tiana felt that yearning inside her. She wanted this man. She wanted
her
man. She didn’t want to play the childish games anymore. She didn’t want to have any more reservations. She loved him and wanted to be with him.
Her body became flushed as she felt Kieran’s cock stir against her thigh. He forced his tongue inside and Tiana relished in the velvet roughness of it. Kieran’s impatient hands wandered all over her body, cupping her ass and squeezing her breasts, wanting to feel, taste, and touch more.
They fell onto the bed and Kieran rolled on top of Tiana. He saw the hunger in her eyes, the need to love and be loved. With a quick movement, he entered her, filling her as she tightly accommodated him.
They rocked in unison as they surrendered their love to each other. Their mouths hungry for each other as Kieran relentlessly drove into Tiana, solidifying their union and their bond.
Tiana clutched at Kieran’s back as she climaxed, her body quietly shuddering, and a small moan escaping her lips. He soon followed her and became still. He closed his eyes as he emptied in her, relieving himself of the frustration of not knowing where he stood and welcoming the opportunity to explore a new relationship with the woman he loved so much.