“Okay Mom,” Tyson said. “Can I have some cookies?”
“Yes, of course you can,” she replied and watched as he took some cookies from the jar and put them on a tiny tray.
“Mom, are we still making pizza tonight?” the little boy asked.
“Yes, dear,” she told him. “Do you want to join me when I start to make it?”
“Yes, mom.”
“It’s okay,” I will call you when I start the dough. Run along and enjoy your cookies.”
Tyson walked out of the kitchen.
She removed the flight mode from her phone and it started ringing immediately.
“Blake…” she calls out softly. “I think the network was misbehaving.”
“I was wondering what happened,” he said. “I found out you are now in Berkeley. And an associate professor now. I am so proud of you, Can..” he quickly stopped himself from calling her the pet name he gave her years ago.
She swallowed hard. “Yes, Blake,” she smirked. “So you just suddenly remembered that I still exist on the surface of the earth, right?”
“I know…you have every right to be angry with me,” he said in a voice so remorseful that she believed him. “I thought it was okay to just keep away and focus on my young family.”
“Yeah, you did the right thing, anyway. Please, let’s leave it at that, Blake.” She scoffed. “I was in the middle of something and I would like to get back to it.”
“Am I forgiven now?”
“Let’s just forget whatever has happened in the past.” She said with a frustrated sigh. “I have put all that behind me. Bye, Blake.” She said and quickly cut off the line.
The whole of her body shook vigorously with relief as she dropped her phone on the kitchen table.
“That was a close shot,” Tasha muttered over and over to herself, her hands gripping the edge of the kitchen table. Her knuckles already turned white with fear. It was in that state that Grant walked into the kitchen through the backdoor.
He noticed her mood immediately as he walked in.
“Hey,” she turned around to greet him and turned her back to the door again quickly.
“Are you okay?” Grant asked as he walked up and stood beside her.
“What’s wrong?” He looked into her eyes, brushing her hair out of her face.
“It…,” she tried to swallow the lump at the back of her throat. “It’s Blake,
Tyson’s father. He called and…”
“Mom,” Tyson burst into the kitchen at that moment, making Tasha stop mid-sentence. “When are we going to make the pizza?”
“You are back!” He said to Grant and ran up to where he was.
“How was your day, big man?” He put a hand on Tyson’s shoulder.
“It was fine,” Tyson answered with a smile. “I went to the mall with Maggie and her brothers. We bought shoes and jeans.”
“Wow, that’s good.”
“Mom, let’s make pizza.” He said to his mother.
“Yeah pizza,” Tasha turned to the upper shelves where the flour canister was and put it down on the worktop. “I’ll start now, dear.”
“You know what?” Grant said to Tyson. “I think mummy is tired. Why don’t we order Chinese tonight and she’ll make pizza tomorrow?”
“Mom,” Tyson called out tenderly and looked up into his mother’s eyes. “You see, I told you not to shout on the phone.”
“It’s fine,” she gave him a wry smile. “I just need to take it easy, like you told me earlier.”
“Have we agreed on Chinese?” Grant asked.
“Yes, Chinese. I want pork fried rice.”
Grant ordered pork fried rice for the three of them. Tasha was rather quiet during dinner, while the guys were chatty all through.
Luckily, Tyson was already yawning, feeling sleepy by the time they finished dinner. Tasha sent him upstairs immediately to brush his teeth. She went to his room later and tucked him into bed. She hadn’t even read over four paragraphs of the story they chose that night before he slept off, snoring gently.
Tasha smiled and kissed his forehead. Tyson had started summer on a very high note, with him playing football with friends almost all day.
She dimmed the light and let herself out.
“Is he asleep already?” Grant asked and walked to the foot of the stairs as soon as Tasha started coming down. “Come and tell me what happened,” He held out his to her.
The moment their hands touched, she burst into the tears she had been trying to hold back because of Tyson.
“It’s okay,” he led her to the double couch where she told him all about Blake’s call.
She told him everything about herself and Blake, not holding anything back. She was feeling so vulnerable with him tonight and it was finally refreshing to tell him everything about her life. He already told her everything about himself a long time ago.
“I was so scared,” she said when she finished her narration. “I don’t want him to ever get to know about Tyson.”
“Put your mind at rest,” he assured her. “There’s no way he can get to know that you made a baby together if you don’t tell him.”
“Well,” she shrugged. “I hope so.”
“You have nothing to worry about,” he trailed a thumb down her cheek. “I am here for you.” He said and seized her mouth with a kiss.
Tasha glanced up into his eyes and settled into the kiss. She shuddered as pure pleasure rippled through her entire body at the expert way he made love to her with his tongue.
His hand caressed the side of her breast through her clothes.
“Tas-shaa,” he moaned into her mouth.
She gently pulled away from him when she realized they were going too far. She wasn’t ready to go all the way yet.
He looked into her eyes with a sheepish smile and cradled her to his chest.
Grant became a widower four years ago. His wife was six years pregnant when she died along with the baby in a ghastly car accident when she was returning home from work. Grant didn’t want to have anything to do with any other woman again from the moment his wife died. His heart became bleak. He just wanted to be alone.
That was until two years ago when he met Tasha during their community’s New Year party. Something shifted in his heart that evening and he didn’t waste a minute to approach her.