A Silken Thread - Brenda Jackson [91]
“And what do you think Karen is doing?”
“Trying to keep Erica and Brian apart and Brian can’t let that happen.”
“If she thinks she can do that then she really doesn’t know my son.”
“Yes, but still, I need to talk to him.”
“Please, not now, Wilson. Give him some time, which is what I’m doing. I have to believe that he’ll come around. I have to believe that.”
“And he will, just like I believe the same thing of Erica. Karen thinks she has everything well planned but there’s some thing she has overlooked and sadly knows nothing about.”
“What?”
“Love and the power behind it. I think in the end she’s going to be in for a rude awakening.”
Rita drew in a deep breath when she glanced out her living room window and saw Brian’s car pull into the driveway. As glad as she was that he had finally come to see her, she wasn’t sure how the meeting between them would pan out. Both Wilson and Lori thought she was making a mistake to put his happiness above her own, but that’s exactly what she would do. There was no way she would let her behavior with Wilson cause him more misery.
She moved toward the door when the doorbell sounded, willing to do whatever it took to repair her relationship with her son. “Brian,” she said, opening the door and then stepping back to let him in.
“Mom.”
“I was just about to eat dinner. You’re welcome to join me if you like.”
“No, thanks. I just came to talk. I promise not to take up much of your time.”
He could never take up her time, she thought, and her heart ached that he assumed that he could. “All right, let’s sit in the living room.”
She kept her eyes on him as they walked to the sofa. He looked like he hadn’t gotten much sleep, and he’d lost weight, as well. Not much, but enough where a mother would notice. They’d always had a close relationship, even when Patrick was alive, and then when they’d lost the man they’d considered their rock, the bond between them had thickened even more. The thought that that bond had broken caused a pain to swell within her chest.
She decided to cut to the chase. “How’s Erica?” she asked.
He drew in a deep breath. “I assume she’s fine. She and her mother left on a trip today.” He paused a moment. “I’m sure you know by now that the wedding has been postponed.”
“Yes, Wilson told me.”
Brian’s brow lifted. “So you and Mr. Sanders are still communicating with each other?”
She heard the accusing tone whether he intended for her to or not. And she would not lie to him about her relationship with Wilson. “Yes.”
Brian stared at her for a long moment and she wished she could read his thoughts. He then leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his thighs while pinning her with his deep gaze. “Will you tell me something, Mom?”
“Yes, anything you want to know.” And she meant it. Although the conversation may end up being painful and embarrassing, she would be forthcoming. He deserved that.
“Why Mr. Sanders? You hadn’t dated anyone since Dad died. So why him? Especially when you knew he’s a married man and it was no secret how Mrs. Sanders felt about Erica marrying me.”
She clasped her hands in her lap and stared down at them for a moment wondering how she would answer his question. She didn’t expect him to accept her behavior but she needed him to understand it.
She raised her head and met his gaze. There was only one answer she could give him. “Because I fell in love with him.”
He looked shocked, as if her answer was out of left field, beyond the scope of his comprehension at the moment. He simply sat there and stared at her.
She cleared her throat. “I know it’s probably hard for you to understand how such a thing could happen, and it’s not that I wanted it to happen. Like you said he is a married man and I wanted to respect that.”
“But you didn’t.”
She flinched at his mocking tone. He was right, she didn’t. “No, but