Days after Jada had broken the news of her pregnancy, Reiner sat at the kitchen counter and stared at his phone. Jada was at the salon, and today was a day he had planned to work in his office for his merchandising business. He had a few conference calls he needed to be on, but this call had to happen first.
He hit the number and placed his phone on the counter, putting it on speakerphone.
“Reiner. How are you?” his mother greeted him.
“I’m good, Mom.” The relationship between him and his mother had been tense. The few times he’d gone home to the ranch since he had taken Jada with him, he had gone alone. He didn’t want to make Jada feel uncomfortable, but now that she was pregnant, it was time for his mother to settle whatever she had against Jada.
“When are you coming home again?” she asked. “The Russell’s’ are having an anniversary dinner, and everyone will be there. It’s their fortieth anniversary, and you should come. I’m sure Chance will be there—”
“Mom. I have something to tell you,” he interrupted her. Chance Russell was a buddy of his from childhood. He would definitely go home for the party to honor his friend’s parents. That wasn’t the problem.
The elephant in the room was being ignored.
Every time he went home or called home, his mother avoided any conversation about Jada. When his brother or father asked about her, his mother excused herself from the room.
This all stops now.
“Well, what is it, dear?” she breathed.
He stared at the phone and tapped his fingers on the counter. There was no other way to make the announcement than to just say it.
“Jada’s pregnant.”
The line grew silent at his announcement.
“And you think it’s yours?”
He paused and bit back a response that wouldn’t have been deemed respectful to say to one’s mother.
“I know it’s mine, Mother. Jada isn’t that type of woman. I’ve met her family, and if you would just give her a chance, you would have found that out, too.”
“Reiner, I only want what is best for you,” she sighed.
“I know. You’ve said that over and over. I’m in love with her, and she’s pregnant with your grandchild. We are happy. I would love to have my mother be supportive of me and the mother of my child.”
“You love her?” she whispered.
“I do. I can’t see myself without her.” His voice cracked as he thought about life without Jada. “Don’t make me choose between you and Jada.”
He hung up the phone and sat staring at the countertop in front of him. He never would have thought that he would have to choose between his future and his own mother.
He pushed back from the counter and headed toward his home office. His first meeting was in ten minutes, and he needed to get his thoughts together.
“What does my schedule look like for today?” Jada asked Remy as she came out to the reception desk. She was hoping she could leave a little early. Reiner would have to report to training camp in a couple of weeks, and he’d been ultra-busy with his own training and getting into shape.
He’d tried to teach her the basics of football, and from what she gathered, this upcoming season would be important. This season, the Knights had a chance of appearing in the Super Bowl for the fifth straight year. She wanted to be able to head home early and make him a special dinner. He had been a little more stressed than usual.
She didn’t know if it was the stress of his intense training or if it was the situation with his mother. She’d stayed out of it and let him handle her. It was sad because she really liked his brother and father and hoped to one day have a relationship with Erna.
Now that she was pregnant, she hoped that time would be soon. She would love for their child to get to know both sides of the family.
“Well, the only appointment you have left is a new consult,” she said, typing a few keys on her keyboard.
“Really?” Jada leaned over Remy’s shoulder to take a peek at the computer screen to see the name. It was a name that she didn’t recognize and a new client. New clients were good for business. “Sweet. Did she say how she found us?”
“She said she was referred by a friend,” Remy replied.
“Perfect. Let me know when she arrives,” Jada requested as she glanced down at her watch. The client was due to arrive in fifteen minutes. She ran back to her office and found Trissa following her.
“Jada Dalton.” Trissa walked in her office and shut the door.
Jada took off her house shoes that she’d had on and put her black ballerina flats on. She didn’t want to meet a new client in pink fuzzy house shoes. They were appropriate for the office but not for working with a new client.
“What’s up?” she said, looking up at Trissa.
“It seems like we haven’t spoken to each other in forever. I’ve been watching you, and you are practically glowing.”
Jada had been dying to tell her best friend the news. She had been a little superstitious and wanted to wait until she’d had her first doctor appointment, but it wouldn’t be for another week.
“I need you to sit down,” she announced.
Trissa’s eyes grew wide as she immediately sat in the chair across from Jada.
“I knew something was going on,” Trisha muttered. “Spill it, woman.”
“I’m pregnant.”
Trissa jumped from her chair with a squeal.
“Oh, my God!” Trissa threw herself off the desk and pulled Jada into a fierce hug. “I’m so happy for you and Reiner. You two are perfect for each other.”
“Thank you. I’ve been dying to tell you,” she murmured as she stepped back from her friend.
“We must celebrate,” Trissa gushed. “Let’s have a dinner party or something. I’ll plan it.”
“Okay, okay.” Jada laughed.
Her intercom on her desk phone rang. She reached over and grabbed the telephone.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Hi, Jada. You’re new client is here for her consult,” Remy announced.
Jada glanced down at her watch and saw the woman was only five minutes early.
“I’ll be right out.” She disconnected the call and smiled at Trissa. “The only problem is his mother.”
“Still?” Trissa stomped her foot. “Well, whatever her hang-up with you will have to go to the wayside now. You two are having a baby, and she just needs to squash whatever beef she has with you.”
“Here, we’ll talk later. I have a new client and I don’t want to keep her waiting.”
They exited Jada’s office, and Trissa headed back to her station. Jada walked toward the waiting area and put a wide smile on her face.
She scanned the waiting area and froze in place. A gasp escaped her lips. She watched the lone figure stand from her chair.
Erna Strickland made her way to Jada. Her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth as she stared at Reiner’s mother.
“Mrs. Strickland.” She collapsed her hands together in front of her. Her mind flew with the many different reasons that she would be standing in her salon. “You’re not Catherine Morrison.”
Confused, Jada glanced at Remy, who shrugged before Jada turned back to Mrs. Strickland.
“Hello, Jada. Catherine is my middle name, and Morrison is my maiden name. I figured if I used my real name you probably wouldn’t see me.”
Blown away, Jada just stared at the woman. Why would she come all the way to see her? She wasn’t the friendliest person when Jada had visited her home.
“Well, how can I help you?” she asked. No matter what, her mother had trained her to respect her elders and she would. Unless Mrs. Strickland attacked first. Then, by all means, the gloves would come off.
“Well, I would like a new style,” she said, patting her gray-streaked hair. “I was hoping to get rid of this gray, and maybe a trim?”
“Please. This way.” Jada waved her hand toward the salon. She led the way to her station with butterflies filling her stomach. As she did with every other client, she offered to secure her purse, ensured that she was comfortable, and covered Erna with a smock that held her salon’s logo on it.
Jada’s eyes met Trissa’s, who had a curious look to her face. She signaled as best she could that the woman in the chair was Reiner’s mother. Trissa immediately got the message.
“Before we get started, I just want to get a feel of what products you use, what are you open to, and anything that you aren’t open to.” Jada decided to treat her like she would any other new client. This was her place of business, and she would not tolerate any games or craziness.
She was a professional and would act like it. They talked about what Erna was looking for while Jada assessed her hair. She could feel eyes on her from around the salon as she was sure that Trissa had informed the rest of the group of who exactly sat in her chair.
Was she nervous? Hell yeah. But she wasn’t afraid of not doing Erna’s hair well. She was the best. She was nervous for the conversation that she was sure would come later.
Would Erna be so bold as to try to scare Jada away from Reiner? Would she try to come between them? If his mother thought that she would be able to separate them, she had another think coming. Jada loved Reiner, and he loved her. Together, they had created a life. In five months, they would be welcoming their child into the world, and Erna would have to accept this.
After ensuring that she knew exactly what her new client wanted, Jada began to work her magic. The entire salon watched while Jada transformed Reiner’s mother. A couple of hours later, the transformation was complete. After the initial questions, barely a word was exchanged. Tension ran thick as Jada put the final touches to Erna’s hair.
Jada was confident working the comb. Erna was again a vibrant brunette. Her dark hair was no longer streaked with gray. It was silky thick and looked full of life by the time Jada was done with it. She’d trimmed off the dead ends and styled it perfectly and gave her just the sass she needed to be a mother of two NFL stars and the wife of a rancher.
She laid the comb down and handed Erna a large hand mirror and turned the chair around. Erna took the mirror and was silent while she looked at herself. She stood from the chair and moved in front of the larger mirror near Jada’s station. She turned and used the hand mirror to see the back of her hair.
Jada waited patiently for Erna to assess her handiwork. She bit her lip and waited for her reaction.
“This is absolutely gorgeous,” Erna breathed, meeting Jada’s eyes.
Jada let loose the breath she didn’t even realize she was holding. She nodded.
“I’m glad you like it,” she murmured, staring at her work. She had to admit that she’d done an excellent job on the woman’s hair.
“Like it? I love it!” Erna set the mirror down on Jada’s station and turned to her.
Jada watched the older woman who seemed to try to think of what to say next.
“Jada. May we have a word in private?”
Jada looked around the salon, and everyone turned and fidgeted at their stations with their clients, acting as if they weren’t paying attention to Jada and Erna.
“Why sure.” Jada smiled and motioned for the older woman to follow her to her office.
This was it.
Time for the showdown.