Heaven Forbid by Lutishia Lovely Page A

knew of. Dorothea had chosen a married Obadiah over a single Jenkins then. Mama Max was determined to make sure history didn’t repeat itself.

14
Most Precious Love
    “How about you come over for brunch tomorrow?” Princess said, reaching for her laptop. “You know Mama’s famous breakfast casserole is going to be front and center. And the fried turkey turned out delicious!”
    “I’m only about ten minutes from your house,” Rafael countered. “I could swing through, grab a fried turkey sandwich now, and we could go hang out. C’mon, Princess, I’ve only seen you once since we’ve been home. And I’m leaving on Saturday to spend a few days in Saint Louis before going back to school.”
    “Uh-oh. Are you getting ready to meet the folks? You and Lauren must be getting serious.” Lauren is the woman Rafael told Princess he’d been dating the past year. From what she’d heard, their both being from the Midwest and attending KU was about all Princess thought they had in common.
    “No, nothing like that. She just couldn’t believe I’ve never hung out in Saint Louis. She wants to show me the sights, take me up in the arch and whatnot. Besides, I’ve already met her parents.”
    “How do they feel about their daughter dating a brothah?”
    “C’mon now, what’s not to like? I’m handsome, articulate—”
    “Conceited…”
    “With a bright future in politics ahead of me. Any mother would consider it a blessing that I grace their daughter with my presence. Just ask Tai.”
    “Whatever, okay?” Her voice held agitation but Princess smiled because Rafael was telling the truth. Her parents had both given their seal of approval when she and Rafael started dating her junior year in high school. His parents were long-time members of Mount Zion. King had baptized Rafael and occasionally golfed with Rafael’s father. Tai and Rafael’s mother worked together on Sanctity of Sisterhood regional conferences. The families had been friends for years and had been pleased when Rafael asked Princess to the prom. Both sets of parents hoped it was the beginning of something long-term.
    And while Princess liked Rafael’s sense of humor and thought he was cute, she always looked at him more like a brother than a boyfriend. Yes, they’d grown closer after attending the dance together, but aside from tongue dueling and a little touchy-feely, their relationship had not been physical, not that Rafael hadn’t wanted it to be. Princess still felt a little guilty about how she’d used Rafael as a smoke-screen when she started dating Kelvin during her freshman year at UCLA. Her parents had thought the two were carrying on a long-distance relationship, but Princess had been carrying on with Kelvin instead. If I’d known then what I know now…
    “So, what’s up? Am I coming through or what? I’m only five minutes away now.”
    “I have to write this chapter, tonight, while things are fresh. We’ll hang out all day tomorrow if you want, promise.”
    They hung up a moment later, and Princess slid off the bed and walked over to the desk she’d had since turning thirteen. She plugged in her computer, sat back, and took a deep breath. The glare of the numbers on the digital clock suggested it might be too late to begin writing, but at nine-thirty, Princess was too jazzed to be tired. She and Tai had talked tonight, after King had left to golf off the massive Thanksgiving meal, Michael and Timothy had hooked up with their respective friends, and Tabitha had gone to a movie/sleepover with a group of hers. Princess had been helping Tai put away food and tidy up. Her heart had beat rapidly in her chest as she gathered the nerve to have “the conversation.” But Mama Max’s words had given her strength: She’s your mother, baby. Ain’t nothing that a mother’s ear can’t hear, and a mother’s love won’t cover.
     
    “Mama, I need to talk to you.”
    “What about, baby?”
    “About the book I’m writing.”
    Tai