she couldn’t bring herself to give a damn.
“I know baby, just let me take you home--”
“Steve.” Vivian approached them, her hand held out to Elle. For some reason, Elle was compelled to take the other woman’s offer of unity. “What exactly happened between the two of you?”
Elle looked straight at Steve, her eyebrow raised. Would he tell his mother what they’d done? That the sex had been mind-blowing? She had to hear this.
“Mom, this is between me and Elle.” He still sounded reasonable, but Elle noticed his immediate unease. “Let us take care of it.”
“It seems to me you’ve done a really poor job of taking care of things,” Vivian said curtly. “Now, did you invite Jezelle to the cookout or not?”
Steve didn’t even come close to stifling a wince. “No. I didn’t.”
Vivian gasped, taking a step back, almost as if Steve had struck her. “Steve Carver! You…lied to me?”
“I’m sorry, Mama. I had things I needed to get straight in my head and every single one of them had to do with Jezelle. I panicked.”
“So you ran off?” Vivian tugged Elle closer to her, putting her arm around Elle’s slim shoulders. “You ran off without saying goodbye?”
“Yeah.” Steve sighed. “I suppose I did.”
“No wonder the poor girl had trouble…” Vivian trailed off. Her body stiffened beside Elle. Then Vivian turned to face Elle. The older woman’s clear blue eyes seemed to bore inside Elle’s skull, seeking out all her secrets, her desires and fears. In her fragile condition, Elle couldn’t hold her gaze and looked down at her shoes. Vivian framed Elle’s face with her hands, forcing her to look up. With a slow visual sweep of Elle’s form, Vivian’s expression went from curiosity to shock to utter fury.
She whipped around and marched the two steps to Steve. The loud smack as Vivian’s hand connected with Steve’s face shocked everyone into silence. Leland, Vivian’s husband, was immediately at Elle’s side, his strong hand on her shoulder. Elle had no idea what to do next, so she simply stared in horrified fascination as Vivian laid into her son.
“If I thought it would do you any good at all, Steve Carver, I’d turn you over my knee and beat some sense into you,” she said through clenched teeth. “I raised you better than this! How could you?” Then she burst into tears. “You know how much this family means to me! Yet you’d throw it all away, throw your own future family away? And what about sweet Jezelle? You’d leave her to face this alone? Well, let me tell you one thing, young man, I’ll forbid you to ever come near my house while Jezelle is there if that’s what it takes. You may be a cold-hearted person, but I assure you, your father and I are not. We will grow to love that girl just as much as we love Melanie and Laura.”
“Mom?” Steve looked nearly as stricken as Vivian. Like a lost little boy who’d earned his mother’s displeasure without knowing why. “What’d I do?”
“You know precisely what you’ve done! Don’t play games! You’re a big boy. You understand how the birds and the bees work. Don’t pretend you don’t! You left her! You were irresponsible then you just left, not caring how she fared. I bet you never even once considered this might happen.” She shook her finger his face. “Fix this, Steven Jay Carver! I don’t care how you do it. But fix it!”
“Oh, God,” Elle heard herself say as the full situation finally clicked into place.
Right before everything went black.
Chapter Six
Nothing was going the way Steve had envisioned. He was more shocked that Jezelle was possibly pregnant than anything else, but he really hadn’t expected his mother to actually strike him. Or for her to burst into tears. He was torn between trying to comfort his mother or Jezelle. The decision was made for him when Jezelle crumpled into his father’s arms.
Steve lunged for her, reaching her just as his father lifted her into
“I know baby, just let me take you home--”
“Steve.” Vivian approached them, her hand held out to Elle. For some reason, Elle was compelled to take the other woman’s offer of unity. “What exactly happened between the two of you?”
Elle looked straight at Steve, her eyebrow raised. Would he tell his mother what they’d done? That the sex had been mind-blowing? She had to hear this.
“Mom, this is between me and Elle.” He still sounded reasonable, but Elle noticed his immediate unease. “Let us take care of it.”
“It seems to me you’ve done a really poor job of taking care of things,” Vivian said curtly. “Now, did you invite Jezelle to the cookout or not?”
Steve didn’t even come close to stifling a wince. “No. I didn’t.”
Vivian gasped, taking a step back, almost as if Steve had struck her. “Steve Carver! You…lied to me?”
“I’m sorry, Mama. I had things I needed to get straight in my head and every single one of them had to do with Jezelle. I panicked.”
“So you ran off?” Vivian tugged Elle closer to her, putting her arm around Elle’s slim shoulders. “You ran off without saying goodbye?”
“Yeah.” Steve sighed. “I suppose I did.”
“No wonder the poor girl had trouble…” Vivian trailed off. Her body stiffened beside Elle. Then Vivian turned to face Elle. The older woman’s clear blue eyes seemed to bore inside Elle’s skull, seeking out all her secrets, her desires and fears. In her fragile condition, Elle couldn’t hold her gaze and looked down at her shoes. Vivian framed Elle’s face with her hands, forcing her to look up. With a slow visual sweep of Elle’s form, Vivian’s expression went from curiosity to shock to utter fury.
She whipped around and marched the two steps to Steve. The loud smack as Vivian’s hand connected with Steve’s face shocked everyone into silence. Leland, Vivian’s husband, was immediately at Elle’s side, his strong hand on her shoulder. Elle had no idea what to do next, so she simply stared in horrified fascination as Vivian laid into her son.
“If I thought it would do you any good at all, Steve Carver, I’d turn you over my knee and beat some sense into you,” she said through clenched teeth. “I raised you better than this! How could you?” Then she burst into tears. “You know how much this family means to me! Yet you’d throw it all away, throw your own future family away? And what about sweet Jezelle? You’d leave her to face this alone? Well, let me tell you one thing, young man, I’ll forbid you to ever come near my house while Jezelle is there if that’s what it takes. You may be a cold-hearted person, but I assure you, your father and I are not. We will grow to love that girl just as much as we love Melanie and Laura.”
“Mom?” Steve looked nearly as stricken as Vivian. Like a lost little boy who’d earned his mother’s displeasure without knowing why. “What’d I do?”
“You know precisely what you’ve done! Don’t play games! You’re a big boy. You understand how the birds and the bees work. Don’t pretend you don’t! You left her! You were irresponsible then you just left, not caring how she fared. I bet you never even once considered this might happen.” She shook her finger his face. “Fix this, Steven Jay Carver! I don’t care how you do it. But fix it!”
“Oh, God,” Elle heard herself say as the full situation finally clicked into place.
Right before everything went black.
Chapter Six
Nothing was going the way Steve had envisioned. He was more shocked that Jezelle was possibly pregnant than anything else, but he really hadn’t expected his mother to actually strike him. Or for her to burst into tears. He was torn between trying to comfort his mother or Jezelle. The decision was made for him when Jezelle crumpled into his father’s arms.
Steve lunged for her, reaching her just as his father lifted her into
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