Page 30 of Kisses Behind The Spotlight 2: Finale

“I guess you can; he has been paying his child support for Noah and Maurice faithfully.” I rolled my eyes, then turned to Xain. “Xain, can you please get dressed and go?”

“Why I gotta leave? I’m trying to get to know my future mother-in-law.”

“Yeah, I want to get to know the man you got laid up in your house while Noah is at school. I remember those days.”

“Ewwww, please. I don’t want to hear that.”

“I’m just saying.” She shrugged, then turned around for Xain to make his way to my bedroom.

“Ion blame you at all,” she whispered, then fanned herself. “Look at those muscles in his back and those nice glutes.”

“Ma! You were supposed to turn around,” I chastised her, rubbing my temple.

“Well, you said he ain’t your man. You shouldn’t have lied,” she snickered.

“You got a man and went to jail. Your February has been eventful. What else happened that I don’t know about?”

“Nothing,” I promised, walking over to help her with the Sprouts reusable bag from the top of her suitcase.

I peeked inside and smiled at the countless ingredients. “What are you planning to cook?”

“Oh, now you’re happy I’m here,” she sassed, walking into the kitchen.

“I bought ingredients for both of your faves. Lasagna or gumbo. It’s all about what you want to eat today and what you want tomorrow,” she beamed.

My mouth salivated at the sound of either. I hadn’t had my mom’s cooking in so long. “Go shower the sex off you and let me know when you’re done. I’m going to go look for a hotel because I’m clearly not sleeping in your bed as I planned.”

“We didn’t have sex in the bed,” I clarified.

“Ion even wanna be in the room,” she declared.

Embarrassed, I shuffled out of the living room and into my bedroom. I tossed my robe into the hamper and joined Xain in the shower. “You went through my stuff to find my towel and rags?”

“I did that when I was locked in your room. I know where to find what I need,” he laughed.

We showered, and Xain rejoined my mother before me. I rushed through my moisturizing routine to keep them from being alone for too long. Things were too new between Xain and me for them to be alone for long.

I rubbed the Fenty salted caramel body cream into my skin, got dressed at record speed, and rushed out of my bedroom. Xain was nowhere in sight when I returned to the common areas.

“Where did Xain go?”

“I forgot a bag in my rental car, and Xain went to grab it. I like him already. He offered to help as soon as he came out here. And he claims he knows how to cook. We’ll have to test that out, but I can attest that he knows how to chop an onion,” she nodded behind her. A half-cut onion and knife sat on the cutting board.

“What did Xain decide on?”

“Like the gentleman he is, Xain said he wanted whatever you wanted to eat.”

I smiled and moved to the sink to wash my hands.

The door beeped, then opened. Xain sauntered in holding a Sprouts bag.

“He’s not your man, but he has a code to the door? Wasn’t Noah just waiting on your doorstep a few weeks ago? Xain got a code before your brother, but he ain’t your man?” She whispered. “Ion blame you. Let me find a nice piece of a man and…” She paused. “Nah, I’m lying. A nigga could never have a key to my house. Don’t get me to exaggerating.”

I chuckled.

Xain unpacked the groceries, and we decided on the gumbo. Midway through, my mom and I had finished off a bottle of wine. The food simmered on the stove while my mom swiped through her phone, showing off pictures of me through various points in my life.

“She’s always been outgoing and extroverted. Cheering, basketball, class president one year,” she bragged like a proud mom.