A Silken Thread - Brenda Jackson [47]
“Oh. Well, enjoy.”
She then walked out of his office, knowing she had her work cut out for her. But she loved a challenge.
Chapter Twelve
Brian kissed his mother on the cheek and then leaned back to look at her. He might be wrong but it seemed as if she’d lost weight and there were still those bags under her eyes. He frowned, concerned.
“Mom, did you call your doctor?”
Rita glanced up him and smiled. “Yes, and he said I should be fine in a few days. I just need to continue to rest.”
Wrapping his arm around her shoulders he walked her over to the sofa. “It’s going on a week. You haven’t even been back at work and that’s not like you. Are you sure you’re telling me everything?”
She shot him a surprised look. “Everything like what?” Then she waved him off. “I’m fine and I’ll be back to work on Thursday.”
“But only if you’re feeling well.”
She smiled. “Yes, only if I’m feeling well.”
“And since I know you’re probably not in the mood to cook, I’m here to do it for you.”
“You really don’t have to bother. Lori dropped off a pot of soup this morning.” She paused and then said, “I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to see Erica while she was here. I really feel bad about that.”
“Hey, she understood and like me just wants you to get better. There’s a wedding in three months, remember. We definitely want you there.”
“Yes, I remember and I will be there.” She smiled at him. “You look so happy. But then you’ve been looking happy since you met Erica. I can remember the day you came back from your trip to South Carolina to tell me about meeting her. I knew then she would be the one.”
Brian leaned back against the sofa cushions. “I think I knew she was the one, too. The moment we began talking there was something about her that did it for me. And the more I got to know her, the more in love I fell. And that’s saying a lot from a guy who used to think of himself as a bona fide player.”
“You just weren’t ready to settle down. Your dad was that way, too. He had a reputation around campus. I had heard about it so, of course, I kept my distance.”
Brian smiled. “But he kept pursuing you.”
“Yes.”
“And when did you realize that he was serious?”
“When he began writing poetry just for me.” She chuckled. “At first I thought he was merely running a game to break down my defenses, but then he shared other poems he’d written, and then I knew he’d stepped out of his comfort zone of being the macho man around campus for me. We began dating and were together thereafter. By the time he finished law school I was graduating with my bachelor’s degree and we married a year later.”
Brian nodded. He’d heard the story several times but never tired of hearing it, especially now that he knew how true love really felt. “So, my godmother made some of her heart-winning soup, did she?”
Rita smiled. “Yes. We can eat while you tell me what Erica said when you told her about the trust fund and what a wealthy man you are now,” she said, easing off the sofa.
“I didn’t tell her.”
Rita glanced at him with a lifted brow. “You didn’t?
“No, and I won’t tell her before the wedding.”
Her brow lifted a bit higher. “Why?”
A huge smile spread across Brian’s lips. “I’m telling her on our wedding night. I want to surprise her. What’s so special about Erica is that she’s willing to marry me, move here, give up a lavish lifestyle and be content to make do on my salary and the paycheck she’ll make at the accounting firm that wants to hire her.”
“Hey, you’re a long way from being a pauper, Brian. You were earning a six-figure salary before making partner, and you’ve made good investment decisions.”
“I know, but she didn’t know that.” He paused a moment and then said, “She got a call from the accounting firm and they’d like her to start work a month early, and will still give her time off for the wedding.”
“She’s thinking about doing that?”
“She would love to. Only problem is that she’ll be needed in Ohio as we get closer to the wedding date. She has a number of bridal showers planned and luncheons scheduled in her honor. Mrs. Sanders is going