Beautiful in My Eyes (2 page)

“It
is
a good thing,” I whisper just as he touches his lips to mine. Our kiss quickly deepens as his warm mouth make
thorough work of heating me to the core. Whenever he kisses me, I lose all sense of time and place, and the only thing that surpasses it is when we make love. His affections never fail to affect me this way.

Hearing a throat clearing, we draw apart a little and turn, meeting Dad's wide grin, his grandson sitting on his shoulders. “Careful or you two might set the place on fire.”

I snort. “
Ooooh
, that
would definitely give the neighbors something to talk about.”

Julian kisses my cheek and fingers one of the curls in my ponytail. “An' I'm
alwa's
willin
' ta do ma part in
educatin
' the neighbors
aboot
the hazards of
marryin
' a gorgeous, caramel-skinned goddess.”

Dad laughs. “I'm in complete agreement.”

Hearing the deeper meaning in his words, I smile, squeezing his hand. Dad had endured some painful things when he married Mama. In his wealthy family, marrying a black woman just wasn't done. But he had been willing to sacrifice everything for my mother's hand, and sacrifice he did. I also know he has no regrets and wouldn't have changed a thing.

“Dada,” Aidan says, holding his arms out to Julian, practically jumping into his.

“There's ma boy! Did ye
hav
' a good time with
Grampa
?”

“Of course,” Dad says, tickling Aidan’s stomach, drawing a delightful giggle from him.

“I think it’s nap time for you,” I say, brushing the hair from his brow.

“I’ll take him up,” Julian offers.

“Thanks.” I blow a kiss goodbye to the tired little boy, marveling at how much he favors his father. I'm sure he will be the major crush of a lot of teenage girls when he is older. Smiling at the thought, I grab a pitcher of lemonade from the fridge. “Would you like a glass, Dad?”

“Sure.”

“So, what do you have planned today?” I ask, taking a seat at the table. Noticing his slightly stressed look, I place my hand over his. “What is it?”

“Well, you won’t believe this, but my mother called me today.”

I almost
drop my glass of lemonade. “What? Are you serious?”

“Completely,” he says tonelessly. “She called me this morning and said she and Father would like to see me.”

“Wow!”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

Dad hasn’t spoken with his parents in over twenty years. They never accepted Mama, or me when I was born, according to Dad. He had received a sizable trust from his parents when he turned twenty-one, so he has never been in need of money, which never really mattered to him, anyway because he has always liked to work. But he had been pretty hurt when they chose not to be a part of his life. He'd almost felt like it was a payoff.

Dad told me that for a short while he tried to stay in contact with them, but they wouldn’t even acknowledge him. So he finally stopped trying, convinced it was hopeless. He and his parents lived in the same city and they wouldn’t even see him. And all of this
was
because they had issues with interracial marriage. Still, through it all, Dad never stopped loving Mama, and she never stopped loving him. In the end, their love won.

“Did she say what they wanted?” I ask, bewildered.

“Not a word. And you know, she almost sounded desperate.”

Dad sips his lemonade. “I know we don’t have the greatest relationship in the world, but they are still my parents. I think I owe them this much. As for plans for the rest of the day, I guess it all depends on how things go there.”

I squeeze his hand. “Are you going to be okay?”

He turns his hand over, clasping
mine and smiles
. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t think I can help it. I love you, Dad. I don’t want you to be hurt.”

He sighs. “And I won’t be.” He takes a final sip of lemonade before standing. “I’d better go.”

I quickly stand and hug him, holding onto him a moment. “Please call me or come by afterward. You know I’ll be worried until you do.”

He presses a kiss to my brow. “I promise I will.”

Chapter 2

Beauty is the mark God sets on virtue. Every natural action is graceful; every heroic act is also decent, and causes the place and the bystanders to shine.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I
put my book away, realizing that trying to read is futile, and pace the floor nervously, anxiously waiting to hear from Dad. I started reading the story earlier this week and have been trying to get it finished, but right now I can't concentrate, and after reading the same paragraph over and over again, I give up. I'm so worried about Dad. Yes, he is a grown man, but he is my dad and I can't help my feelings.

What in the world would they
want to talk to him about?
The same question keeps rolling through my mind.
For over twenty years they've had nothing to say to him and now suddenly, out of the blue, they want to
see
him?

Dad has been through so much and I can’t bear the thought of him being hurt again. I have a Mama Bear streak when it comes to him, and I silently pray he is okay.

We have definitely got to get him married, Mama.

I head up to the playroom to check on Aidan. Finding him contently playing with his blocks, I decide to try and kill some time by working on a quilt I have been tying to give a friend at her baby shower. I have only been at it for a few minutes when the doorbell rings. Springing to my feet, I almost knock over a chair as I dash down the stairs to answer the door, praying it is Dad.

“Dad,” I sigh, pulling him into the house. “I’ve been so worried. Is everything all right? What’s going on? What did they want? Why–”

“Everything is fine,” he interrupts. “Everything is just fine.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders, guiding me to the sofa. “I have a lot to tell you.”

Mentally muzzling myself, I quietly listen as Dad fills me in, giving me all the details of his visit with his parents.

“The first few minutes were strained. I don't think either of us knew what to say. But they soon opened up and apologized to me for shutting me out. They told me how
sorry they were for turning their back on me. And Giselle, I honestly didn't know what to say. To say I was in complete shock is putting it mildly.”

He pauses, wiping his eyes and I can read his every emotion in his expression. His watery smile draws my own tears to the surface.

“They want to try and make up for lost time–time they know they will never get back. And they want to meet their granddaughter and her family.”

I am floored. “I can’t believe it! They really want to see us?”

“They really do,” he assures me.

After all these years, I will get to meet my grandparents for the first time. I can't help feeling a little sad that Mama can't be here to experience this. She had longed to meet Dad's parents, to be a part of a family, something she hadn't had for years since her parents and older brother died the year I was born.

“Giselle,” Dad says, drawing me from my thoughts, “Are you going to be okay with this?”

“Of course I am,” I say, wanting to put his mind at ease. “I’m actually looking forward to it.” Inside I am still a little wary, but I know how important this is to him. I know things will work out.

Julian enters the living room a while later, having finished some paperwork from the office, and Dad fills him in on the details of his visit with his parents. Smiling, Julian says, “Our family is
extendin
'. We're
bein
'
verra
blessed.” And I agree completely.

A moment later I hear Aidan chattering behind the safety. “He must be bored with the blocks,” I say, getting up. When I reach the top of the stairs, he gives me that irresistible grin of his.

“You know you can get a woman to do just about anything with that grin, don't you?” I lift him from behind the gate and take him downstairs. “You are taking after your da, charming women the way you do.”

“An' there's
nothin
' wrong with
tha
',
darlin
'?” Julian boldly states. “Is there?” He takes his son and soon both men are on the floor, tickling and wrestling with him.

Enjoying the sight, my gaze shifts to my father. The joy radiating from him is contagious. He smiles at me, confirming his happiness.

It has been a good day.