CHAPTER546
Arrick glances at me and despite telling me I’m his human shield he steps in front of me to bridge the gap with his mother, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. Sylvana lays down her bowl, pats his cheek and then moves forward to kiss me on the forehead.
“Do I need to wait for you two to awkwardly beat around the bush and spit it out ,while I pretend I don’t know, or are you going to tell me how serious it is?” She says pointedly; my mouth snaps shut, and I recoil behind Arrick once more. Arrick only giggles and gives her another kiss on the cheek.
“Can’t get nothing by you, can I? Guess I know who I take after……. Serious Mom…. I asked her to move in with me and she said yes. I love her.” Arrick doesn’t hesitate. Always so at ease with his mother and he never really fears retribution. That is the perk of being the golden child, the good one in all the years, while Jake had been the devil. He dips his fingers in the bowl of batter and sticks them in his mouth, throwing me a wink as she bats him away for his dirty habit.
“Well, it was hardly a shock seeing you kiss her on the drive. Last time I saw you here you were dragging her off in the dark like a crazed jealous loon when her gay friend was making an awful job of acting like her boyfriend. Sophie, darling? ….. You left your shoes in my garden, and your underwear under my son’s bed.” She smiles gently my way and moves the bowl out of reach of her sons wandering hands and lays it behind her on the worktop.
I’m instantly speechless, face flaming as I recoil like she’s burned me. Praying the ground opens up and devours my mortified body as shame courses through me. Arrick on the other hand is smiling, chuckling, and pulls me forward into his arm casually. Like this is no big deal at all.
“Not as fly as we thought we were, huh?” He kisses me on the head and I wriggle free, shoving his hands off me in sheer awkwardness and slapping his hands away when he tries to catch me again, grinning at my reaction as Sylvana shakes her head.
“Stop tormenting her!” She smacks him on the lower arm with a warning look and then turns to me with a warm one.
“If he’s anything like Jake, then the more you make a fuss, the worse he will try and get a reaction. I would get used to being pawed by him. It’s pretty clear to anyone you are bumping uglies already. He is a Carrero after all.” She smiles widely, motions to the coffee machine in a ‘would you like some’ gesture and seems oblivious to anything wrong here at all.
“Mooom?” Arrick groans. “Wherever you heard that phrase, please never use it again. It’s not cool or hip and it’s really cringe. I never want you to say anything like that to me again.” He leans back against the worktop behind us appearing traumatized, his mom giggling girlishly sways a hand his way.
“Well genitals are hardly attractive, and you do sort of bump when, you know? … Copulate.” She raises an eyebrow and then softens her face with a smile, that cheeky Jake like glimmer in the depths and I realize she is doing it on purpose to get a reaction out of him. Sylvana is naughty and I giggle too, losing all shame and embarrassment and suddenly wondering why I was ever worried that she would hate this.
“I swear, I’m scarred for life.” Arrick groans again, clearly at a loss for words.
“You’re not mad?” I turn to her now, little inner Sophie reaching out to her maternal figure and needing reassurances. Insecurity peeking out and needing the balm that the Carreros have a way of applying.
“No. I’m not mad, darling child. I’m surprised it took him this long to see the beautiful woman you were becoming.” Sylvana reaches out and takes my hand, holding it tightly and squeezing it gently.
“Yeah, took him way too long.” I nudge him in the ribs when he comes back up behind me and slides an arm around my shoulders. Feeling a little awkward under Sylvana’s scrutiny but leaving him alone to touch me, urging myself to relax and accept that it’s not going to stop, and I want to be able to relax with him.
“I didn’t fail to see it…. I just didn’t think I should ever act on it.” He points out defensively, suddenly being ganged up on by two women he adores and deflecting the hard time that he knows he’s going to get.
“I can’t say it seems odd. You two have always been close, so seeing you being this way isn’t really new. Don’t play with her heart, Arrick. Sophie is a fragile soul and she needs stability, not some lothario romance that messes with her head. I know what you and your brother are like.” She tuts at him. Arrick frowning in complete disbelief.
“Mom? Jake has been married to Emma for the last five years, and they’re solid and happy. I’m more than capable of being in a committed relationship too. You’re basing your facts on maybe seven years ago.” He laughs at her and meets that scowling look.
“Make sure that’s what this is, because if you hurt my little Mimmo and break her heart, I’ll break your neck. There better be a ring on that finger before long.” Sylvana is deadly serious, scarily so and a hint of momma bear and fiery temper makes me squirm back in his arms a little.
“Steady on, I’m only turning twenty.” I squeak in sheer panic, knowing this was going to be a topic at some point, but not thinking she would swoop right in. I want that with him one day, but I have so much to do first.
“Mom, there will be a ring on her finger eventually, I swear. Right now, we’re living in the moment. She’s moving in and we’re taking it from there.” Arrick encircles my waist affectionately, his body molding to mine, despite my attempts at batting him off subtly and then giving up again. Somehow her non-reaction makes me relax and I admit, I like his touch a little too much to ever push it away for long.
“I’ve never understood you young folks and all this living in sin before marriage, just get married if you want to cohabit, and be done with it.” She sighs, contemplative and moves off to drag mugs out of the cupboard despite no one saying they wanted coffee.
“Mom, are you trying to give Sophs a heart attack. She has an aversion to marriage and babies. Give her another five years at least.” Arrick laughs, his breath tickles my neck, yet I’m still staring at her as though she has two heads. And as for five years. I think not. My five year plan has stores and fashion week, not B’s!
He better re-think his time scale.
“Why? If my son upsets you then come to me, I’ll kick him in the balls for you.” Sylvana wanders back to me, kisses my forehead and smiles gently. “Although knowing you my darling child, you’re more than capable of doing it yourself.” Sylvana smiles at me again, patting my cheek tenderly and then wanders back to the counter.
“Amen to that.” Arrick agrees.
“I’ve recently discovered I have a right hook.” I point out, subject change smoothly applied. Head very clearly diverting from the cringy B and M words and pulling me to safer shores.
“A pretty good one… I have her in the boxing ring with me, teaching her to kick ass, should she ever need it.” Arrick leans his head against mine and sighs."
