Chapter 11

Today was the day I visit my mom's house and to say I was excited was an understatement.

It was about time I went to meet the new man in her life whom she seemed to be head over heels for. My whole life I got to see her choice of men and they never stuck around long enough for me to even know their names. I understand she was searching for love in all the wrong places, so, please let this man be the one.

I started working with Ryan at Night Jewel and it's been fun. Not awkward at all like how I thought it would be. I planned on staying with my mom for two days, so I informed Ryan of it and he promised to cover for me until I got back. This was a bad look for someone who just got hired, but I couldn't just reschedule with my mom, it doesn't work like that with her. I finished packing the last of my necessities into an overnight bag and headed out to my car, I had a long drive ahead of me.

A couple of bathroom breaks and snack stops later and I was here. My mom waited for me out front with a huge grin on her face and her arms out ready for a hug. I ran and jumped into her arms nearly knocking her to the ground.

"What the hell is wrong with you, girl? Have some decorum, the neighbors are watching." She grabbed my wrist and yanked me inside.

I looked around at how much had changed since I moved out. A lot of new furniture was positioned in the living room, the walls were painted baby blue and covered in pictures that she never had placed out before. There was a picture on the fireplace of her and a man so I walked over to it and examined it. "This him?"

"Yes, that's him. That was our first picture together when he took me to his farm to meet his animals. Who knew I would get along so well with a horse?" She beamed.

"Good job. You bagged an attractive man." I held up my hand for a high five and she shook her head and sat on the couch.

"Don't be saying stuff like that, you know it's not about looks with me. Now tell me what trouble you've been up to in New York." She slapped the seat beside her and I sat down.

"You already know I've been spending a lot of time with Leah and Zane. Oh, and I recently got a job at a bar."

She stifled a laugh, "You know nothing about drinks what made you get a job there of all places?"

Ryan's face popped into my head. "You remember Ryan?"

"That young man that broke your heart all them years ago? Don't tell me you went chasing him down once you settled in."

"Ok, first of all, no, I'm not a weirdo and I don't do the chasing."

She smiled smugly and looked me over, "You know you got that from your mama, right? Us Parker woman chases no man," She wagged her finger my way.

"Yeah, well he got me the job and I'm very appreciative even if it's not my ideal work location."

"My pockets will also be appreciative, so tell Ryan I said thanks," She chuckled and climbed to her feet, and walked toward the kitchen while I followed behind her. "Kevin will be here later so in the meantime, you can help me straighten up this place and maybe cook?"

"I can do that."

A few episodes of Criminal Minds later and the house was filled with the smell of steak and potatoes causing my stomach to do backflips. I knew my mom was a great cook so I couldn't wait to get my hands on some food since she's been starving me since I set foot in this house. I wasn't even allowed a simple snack. I skipped down the steps and joined her in the kitchen.

"You think ol' Kev would mind if I had a bite of food now?"

She glared my way and placed the dish on top of the oven. "Don't you dare touch anything until he gets here." I waited until she went to see the table and I inched towards the food with a wide grin on my face.

"Don't make me pop your hand, little girl."

"Calm down I was just kidding." But not really; I felt myself slowly going mad from the hunger and then I heard the front door slam shut.

What the hell, this man has a key?

I stepped into the dining room and he held my mom in a tight hug before kissing her forehead and pulling away. He smiled and stepped over to me, "You must be Violet."

"And you're Kevin." I mirrored his toothy grin and leaned in for a quick hug.

Attractive, check. Smells amazing, check check.

We all took our seats at the table and I folded my hands in front of me. "So if you don't mind me asking, what are your true intentions with my mom?"

He snuck a look at her and then turned back to me. "Well, I planned on just coming around here once in a while for the free meals." My mom snickered at his attempt at a joke, but my face was blank.

"Ok, that was bad, I'm sorry." He cleared his throat and placed his hand over my mom's hand on the table, "Your mother and I were friends before this relationship grew into more, so over the years I've grown to care about her and understand her so much. You don't see it now because you're just trying to protect her, but I want you to know I love her very very much and any day I get to see her smile is worth more than anything in the world."

I caught myself smiling and instantly covered it with a fake cough and then I was back to my hard demeanor. He must've rehearsed his answers at home because his response was too good.

"I'm gonna get the food, but please keep talking." My mom stepped away, leaving us alone at the table.

"So what do you do for work, Kev?"

"I'm a doctor," he laughed. "I know like the world doesn't have enough of those, but I love my job, and helping people has always been my passion."

I couldn't help but smile this time. My mom sure knew how to pick em' this time around. "This isn't fair I was so ready to hate you."

"I'm a likable person."

"You're okay."

He cocked his head. "Just Okay? Not perfect? Amazing?"

I playfully rolled my eyes and chuckled. "Calm down I still got all night to interrogate you before I make my final decision."

My mom placed the food on the table and took a seat.

"This smells delicious, Tania." Kevin gave her a quick peck on the lips.

We all said our prayers and dove in. Between bites of food, I continued asking Kevin loads of questions and ended up learning a lot about him. After dinner, I knew he was perfect for her and that's something I couldn't deny. Her smile was far brighter when she was in his presence and I couldn't wait to see how much they would grow together.

After dinner was over I helped clean up and got ready for bed. I'll say tonight was a success and I was glad someone was here to take care of her while I was away.