Chapter 29
After Uncle Sterling demolished everyone at poker, the boys headed outside to take out their frustration on the football field, which doubled as the front yard. Manning had just caught Marcus’s deep spiral when he saw Taylor riding toward the house on her brother’s old bicycle.
He froze, so shocked to see her that he didn’t notice Magnum bearing down on him until it was too late.
“Oof!” he grunted as Magnum plowed into him, knocking him to the ground hard enough to make his teeth snap together and remind him why his brother’s football teammates had nicknamed him “Bruiser.” Manning had four years, thirty pounds and six inches on his younger brother, so at any given time he could beat the shit out of Magnum without breaking a sweat. But on the football field—which was Magnum’s turf—the kid was a force to be reckoned with. So was Mason, for that matter.
Manning groaned hoarsely, clutching the ball to his chest.
“You okay, Manny?” Magnum asked worriedly. “I didn’t mean to tackle you so hard. Well, okay, maybe I did. But I wasn’t trying to hurt you, I swear. How come you were just standing there?”
Slowly opening his eyes, Manning saw seven—or was it eight?—concerned faces peering down at him.
“You okay, Manny?” Michael asked, waving a hand in front of his eyes.
“Man, you got hammered,” Mason observed sympathetically.
“Shut up, Mason,” Marcus snapped.
“Well, he did!”
“Nice going, Bruiser,” Monty grumbled to Magnum. “If Manny has a concussion, we won’t be able to go on our trip. If that happens, Ma’s gonna kill you.”
“She’ll have to get in line behind me,” Quentin retorted.
“And me,” Maddox added.
Suddenly Taylor was shoving her way through the crowd to kneel down beside Manning. “Are you okay?” she asked, peering anxiously into his face.
He smiled dreamily. “Taylor?”
She nodded quickly. “I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I didn’t mean to distract you.”
“It’s okay.” His eyes slowly roamed over her face, cataloguing her windswept dark hair and small, rimless eyeglasses. “Hey. You have new glasses.”
She smiled shyly. “Yeah. I got them yesterday.”
“I like them. They’re nice.”
A pretty flush stole across her cheeks. “Thank you, Manning.”
“You’re welcome.”
She reached down and gently removed a clump of grass from his hair.
He smiled at her. “Thank you.”
She smiled back. “You’re welcome.”
“Aw, he’s okay,” the younger ones muttered, sounding both relieved and disgusted as they moved back.
Taylor helped Manning sit up. As Michael pulled him to his feet, Quentin slung an arm around his neck and murmured in his ear, “Yo, dawg, she’s kinda cute. She got a sister?”
Manning snorted, shoving him away. “No, she doesn’t.”
“Then you’d better watch your back.” Quentin winked.
Manning just shook his head and laughed, because everyone knew Quentin Reddick’s cardinal rules when it came to girls. No leftovers. No poaching.
Manning tossed the ball to Magnum and winked at him. “No hard feelings.”
His brother flashed a relieved grin, then scampered off to rejoin the others.
Manning turned to Taylor, so happy to see her that he could barely keep a goofy grin off his face. Swiping at his runny nose with his shirt sleeve, he asked her, “What’re you doing here, shorty?”
She smiled. “Well, for starters, I came to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Thanks. Same to you. Are you staying in town?”
“No, I’m going to Washington, D.C. to spend Thanksgiving with my mother. We’re leaving tonight.”
“Hey, that’s great, Taylor,” Manning said warmly. He knew how much she missed her mom, who’d given her the necklace with the violin charm that she wore every day. “I know she’ll be happy to see you and your little brother.”
Taylor beamed. “I think so, too.”
Now that he could see them better, Manning realized that her eyes were even prettier than he’d suspected. So was her face, for that matter. He also noticed that her shoulder-length hair had been cut into layers, and she’d replaced the camouflage army jacket with a fur-trimmed belted coat that she wore with dark jeans and flat brown suede boots.
“You look different,” Manning remarked.
Taylor chuckled wryly. “I know. My aunt took me shopping and to the hair salon yesterday. She said my mom would think Dad was neglecting me if I showed up looking like a ragamuffin. I guess I didn’t realize how bad my clothes might look to some people.”
Manning just smiled, wisely deciding not to touch that with a twenty-foot pole.
Taylor gestured across the large front yard, where the others had resumed playing football without him. “I see you’ve got some relatives in town, although the light-skinned one doesn’t look like any of you.”
“Quentin? Yeah, he’s not related. But he definitely belongs in the Wolf Pack.” Manning smiled. “I’ll introduce you to him and my cousins when they take a break. Come on. Let’s go sit on the porch before we get hit with the ball or something.”
Taylor giggled. “Good idea.”
As they started across the lawn together, Manning said conversationally, “We’re going on a ski trip for Thanksgiving. We’re leaving tonight, too.”
“Oh, that sounds wonderful, Manning,” Taylor enthused. “How fun and exciting! Do you know how to ski?”
He laughed. “No. I’m from Atlanta, remember?”
She gave him an amused glance. “Meaning what? People from Atlanta can’t learn how to ski?”
“I guess some do. Not anyone I know, though.” He grinned. “Needless to say, we’ll all be sticking to the beginner slopes.”
Taylor chuckled as they climbed onto the porch and perched on the railing, their backs facing the front yard.
“I’m playing the violin again,” Taylor announced.
Manning shot her a surprised look. “Really?”
“Yeah. For the past two weeks now.” She smiled quietly. “I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed playing.”
“That’s awesome, Taylor,” Manning said warmly. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you, Manning. Will you come to my Christmas recital?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Struck by a sudden thought, he frowned. “I guess Henry will be there, too, since he’s probably the one who talked you into playing again, him being in the band and all.”
“Actually,” Taylor countered softly, “it was you.”
“Me?”
She nodded. “Do you remember the night I came over and we did our math homework in your kitchen?”
“Of course I remember.” That was the night they’d shared their first kiss, which he’d been reliving in his mind ever since.
“When I told you that I’d stopped playing the violin, you encouraged me to pick it back up again. You told me, and I quote, ‘If you’re good at it, and it’s something you enjoy doing, you shouldn’t give it up.’ After that night, I couldn’t stop thinking about what you’d said. So I went to my dad and told him I wanted to start playing the violin again, and he couldn’t have been happier.” Smiling softly, Taylor reached over and laid her small hand over Manning’s. “Thank you.”
Manning swallowed tightly, his insides melting. “You’re welcome,” he whispered.
As they gazed at each other, he turned his hand over and linked his fingers through hers.
A minute passed while he worked up the nerve to ask one burning question: “Are you still going out with Henry?”
Taylor hesitated, then shook her head. “No.”
“No?”
“No.”
A huge wave of relief swept through Manning. Trying to play it cool, he said casually, “So what happened?”
Taylor grimaced. “I broke up with him.”
This just keeps getting better and better. “Why’d you do that?”
She shrugged, glancing away. “He was too…too…”
“Clingy?” Manning offered. “Possessive?”
She laughed ruefully. “Yes, to both. But he was really nice and thoughtful,” she hastened to add. “And he played the clarinet well.”
Manning nodded. “He just wasn’t right for you.”
Her eyes met his. “Exactly.”
Manning couldn’t keep from smiling.
“Come on,” he said, taking her hand and standing up.
“Where are we going?”
“I want you to meet Mama Wolf.”
He took her inside the house and led her toward the noisy kitchen.
His parents’ good friends, Kelvin and Roxanne Wimbush, had stopped by to visit the family before they left for the cabin. Also present were the Campbells, an older couple who’d become like doting godparents to Manning and his brothers.
While all the men were downstairs watching basketball, the women had congregated in the kitchen and were laughing and chattering animatedly as they put the finishing touches on dinner.
When Manning and Taylor appeared in the doorway, a hushed silence swept over the kitchen. Mom beamed with pleasure as Manning went around the room and introduced Taylor to Grandma Kirkland, Aunt Winnie, Aunt Georgina, Mrs. Campbell, Mrs. Wimbush, and his twin cousins Maya and Zora—named after Maya Angelou and Zora Neale Hurston.
When he came to Mama Wolf, Taylor smiled shyly and stepped forward with her hand outstretched. “Hello, Mrs. Wolf.”
“Hey, baby.” Mama Wolf clasped both of Taylor’s hands between hers and gave her one of those warm, welcoming smiles that always made people feel like she’d known them from birth. “You can call me Mama Wolf.”
Taylor couldn’t have looked more honored than if she’d just been granted permission to call the Queen of England by her first name. Manning half expected her to bow and curtsy to his great-grandmother.
Taylor said earnestly, “I had the pleasure of eating some of your pound cake, and it was the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted. I told Manning I’d tell you that if I ever got the chance to meet you.”
Mama Wolf beamed with delight. “Why, thank you so much, baby. I’m glad you enjoyed the cake.” She winked at Manning. “I like her already.”
Everyone laughed.
“Would you like to stay for dinner, Taylor?” Mama Wolf invited. “There’s more than enough for everyone, and the Campbells and Wimbushes have agreed to join us as well.”
Taylor smiled. “Thank you for the kind invitation, Mama Wolf, but I’m afraid I can’t stay. I’m going out of town for Thanksgiving—”
“Are you going to visit your mother, baby?” Mom inquired hopefully.
“Yes, ma’am, and we’re leaving tonight. So I just stopped by to see Manning—”
The women exchanged soft, knowing smiles that made Taylor blush.
“—and, of course, I wanted to wish the rest of the family a Happy Thanksgiving as well,” she hastened to add.
“That was very sweet of you, Taylor,” Mama Wolf said, giving her a warm hug. “I’m glad I had the pleasure of making your acquaintance.”
“Me, too,” Taylor said sincerely.
Drawing back, Mama Wolf smiled at Taylor. “The next time I send one of my care packages, I’ll be sure to include a pound cake for you and your family.”
Taylor beamed. “We’d like that very much.”
“Good.” Mama Wolf winked.
Taylor smiled, then waved around the room. “It was nice meeting all of you.”
“Same to you, Taylor,” they chorused cheerfully. “Have a safe trip and a wonderful Thanksgiving.”
“And don’t be a stranger!” Mom urged.
Taylor glanced sideways at Manning. “I won’t,” she promised.
Moments after they left the kitchen, they overheard Mom boasting proudly, “That, ladies, was my future daughter-in-law. Mark my words.”
Manning blushed hard as he and Taylor grinned shyly at each other.
As they reached the foyer, he steered her gently into the mud room, away from prying eyes and ears.
When they stood facing each other, he confessed, “I like you, Taylor.”
She smiled winsomely. “I like you too, Manning.”
“No, I mean. I like you, like you.”
Her smile deepened. “I meant the same thing.”
His heart leaped into his throat. Nervously licking his lips, he said, “Would you—”
“I owe you an apology,” she blurted.
He blinked. “For what?”
“For the way I’ve treated you the past two and a half weeks. I haven’t been a very good friend to you, and that was wrong of me, especially after the way you stood up for me and wound up getting in so much trouble. There’s no excuse for my childish behavior, but I’d like to explain where I was coming from. That day after school when you left me and went to Caitlyn’s car, I was really hurt. And I was insanely jealous of her because I knew I could never be as beautiful or popular as she is.” Taylor bit her lip, her eyes lowering to the floor as she whispered, “I didn’t think someone like you could ever be interested in someone like me.”
“Are you kidding?” Putting his finger beneath her chin, Manning coaxed her gaze up to meet his. “That day in precalculus, when Mr. Langenkamp made me get up and solve the problem on the chalkboard, you gave me this smile…I’ll never forget it. It made me wonder how the heck it took me two months into the school year to see you. I mean really see you. You’re beautiful, Tay, and that three-second kiss we had meant more to me than…than anything I did with Caitlyn.”
A soft, tremulous smile curved Taylor’s lips. “You mean that?”
“I do,” he said fervently.
Her face glowed with pleasure.
Damn, Manning marveled, she’s gorgeous.
“What were you going to ask me before I interrupted you?” Taylor asked softly.
“Oh.” Manning gulped a nervous breath, then took the plunge. “Would you go out with me?”
She closed her eyes for a moment, a dreamy smile hovering on her lips.
He waited anxiously.
“Yes,” she said simply.
“Yes?”
She nodded slowly, opening her eyes. “Yes, I’d love to go out with you.”
Manning’s heart soared. He caught both of her hands and held them, grinning so hard his cheeks hurt.
Taylor grinned back at him. “Are you happy?”
“Very.”
“Me, too.”
They stood there holding hands and cheesing at each other until Taylor’s expression suddenly turned serious.
“What is it?” Manning asked her.
She hesitated. “If we’re going to be together, you need to know something up front. I’m not putting out like Caitlyn. I’m saving myself for marriage, or at least until I know for sure that I’m ready to give myself to someone. My body is a temple, and any guy who wants to worship has to pay his dues first. So if you’re looking for a girl like Caitlyn, then…we can just be friends.”
A slow, satisfied smile spread across Manning’s face.
“What?” Taylor asked nervously.
“I like you even more now.”
She blushed, looking relieved. “I’m glad you’re not disappointed.”
Manning shook his head. “Nah.”
His father had always told him to look for girls who respected themselves and had high standards. As much as Manning had enjoyed having sex with Caitlyn, the experience had left him feeling empty afterward, which was weird. He’d always assumed that whenever he lost his virginity, he’d be bursting at the seams to brag to Michael and Quentin that he’d joined their ranks. But ever since the fellas had gotten here, he hadn’t uttered a word about Caitlyn.
So maybe Dad was right, Manning conceded. Maybe he hadn’t been ready to start having sex after all. Or maybe Caitlyn hadn’t been the right girl to lose his virginity to.
Both were probably true.
“Well,” Taylor said apologetically, breaking into his thoughts, “I should get going so we won’t miss our flight.”
“Okay,” Manning said. “I’ll walk you outside.”
As they started from the mud room, Taylor suddenly turned, threw her arms around his neck and crushed her mouth to his, shocking him with one of the sweetest, hottest, most thrilling kisses he’d ever had.
His head was still spinning when she pulled back and grinned at him. “I’ve been wanting to do that ever since we were interrupted that night.”
Manning could only manage a grin that was as wobbly as his knees.
When they stepped out the front door, they saw that a light sprinkling of white flakes had begun falling from the sky.
“It’s snowing,” Taylor breathed.
Manning smiled, enjoying the delighted wonder on her face. Wanting to prolong their time together, he blurted, “Wait right here.”
Taylor gave him a puzzled look. “Where are you going?”
“I’m gonna ask my dad for his car keys so my cousin can give you a ride home.”
When he reached the basement, he found his father, Uncle Sterling, Uncle Theo, Mr. Campbell and Mr. Wimbush bantering and laughing raucously as they watched basketball on television.
“Hey, Dad,” Manning said, raising his voice to be heard above the cacophony, “can Mike use your truck so we can take Taylor home?”
Sending a lazy glance in his direction, Dad dug his keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Manning.
“Thanks, Dad!”
As Manning raced back up the stairs, he heard Uncle Sterling inquire curiously, “Who’s Taylor?”
Dad chuckled. “My future daughter-in-law, if Prissy has anything to say about it.”
Manning was still grinning as he passed Maya and Zora on his way to the front door. The thirteen-year-old sisters always seemed to be huddled together—giggling, whispering and sharing secrets. They annoyed the hell out of him, but they looked so much like his mother that he sometimes gave them a pass for being such brats.
Sometimes.
As he deliberately shoved his way between them, they stumbled apart and sputtered protestingly, “Manny! Why’d you do that?”
He grinned unrepentantly. “You’re identical twins, not Siamese.”
After trading aggrieved looks with each other, they smirked at him and began chanting tauntingly, “Manny has a girlfriend…Manny has a girlfriend…”
“Damn straight,” he smugly confirmed before heading out the door, where Taylor stood at the porch railing catching snowflakes on her tongue. She turned at Manning’s appearance and smiled when he held up the car keys. He looked forward to the day when he’d be able to take her out on dates alone.
As the others ended their football game and began walking toward the house, Manning tossed the keys to Michael. “We’re taking Taylor home, alright?”
Michael raised a brow, then grinned and wagged his head. “I’m beginning to think y’all only invited me here to be your chauffeur,” he grumbled good-naturedly.
Everyone laughed.
As the younger ones ambled into the house to wash up for dinner, Manning, Michael and Quentin loaded Taylor’s bike into the back of the truck. They had just finished and slammed the rear door when a sugary voice cooed, “Hey, Manning.”
Turning around, he groaned inwardly at the sight of Caitlyn standing there, looking like a snow bunny in a white coat, white leggings and furry white boots. When Michael and Quentin turned to face her, her eyes widened with the unabashed delight of a kid who’d suddenly found herself in a candy store.
“Well, well, well,” she purred as Michael and Quentin looked her up and down appreciatively. “What do we have here? More fine gifts from Atlanta?”
As Manning quickly made the introductions, he kept one eye on Taylor inside the truck, hoping and praying that she wouldn’t turn around and see Caitlyn. He remembered all too well what had happened the last time Caitlyn intruded upon them.
After shaking hands with Michael and Quentin, Caitlyn looked at Manning and licked her lips, as if she were envisioning a foursome. It wouldn’t have surprised him to know that she got down like that.
“You live around here, beautiful?” Quentin asked her.
“Just down the street, Hazel Eyes,” she purred, her own hazel eyes twinkling invitingly. “You could be there in two minutes.”
“That’s probably about how long it’d take him,” Michael quipped, which made Manning laugh as Quentin scowled at the double meaning.
Dividing an appreciative glance between them, Caitlyn murmured, “If you fellas don’t have any plans—”
“Actually,” Manning interrupted, “we were just heading out.”
“Oh? Where?”
“We’re taking Taylor home.”
“Taylor?” Caitlyn looked inside the truck, saw Taylor waiting in the backseat and frowned with displeasure. “What’s she doing here? I thought she was dating that band dork.”
“She was.” Manning smiled. “And now she’s dating me.”
“What!” Caitlyn exclaimed with shocked outrage. “You can’t be serious, Manning. Her? She’s—”
“My girlfriend, and I’m not gonna let you disrespect her like you did before.” Not wanting to embarrass her in front of Michael and Quentin, Manning softened his tone. “Look, Caitlyn, you’re cool and all. But I’m not interested in you like that. Never really was, to be honest with you. I’ve been crushing on Taylor for some time now, and thankfully she feels the same.”
“But—”
“HEY!”
Everyone turned to stare as Taylor stepped from the truck and rounded the rear fender, her eyes narrowed menacingly on Caitlyn. “He said he’s not interested,” she snarled. “So back the hell off.”
Manning’s jaw dropped as Caitlyn’s face flushed beet red.
As Michael and Quentin exchanged incredulous glances, Taylor tucked her small hand into Manning’s and smiled ever so sweetly. “Can we go now?”
Smothering an amused grin, Manning nodded. “Absolutely.”
He held the back door open for her, then ducked into the truck behind her.
Lips twitching with suppressed laughter, Michael nodded to Caitlyn and murmured, “Nice meeting you,” before climbing behind the wheel and starting the engine.
Caitlyn turned hopefully to Quentin.
“So you and Manny, huh?” At her stiff nod, he shook his head lamentingly. “Too bad. We could have had something special.”
“Could have?”
“Yeah. See, Manny’s like a brother to me, so messing with you would force me to break one of my rules, which I simply can’t do.” Quentin gave her one last admiring once-over, then wagged his head with a look of genuine regret. “Damn shame.”
Caitlyn stood there looking dumbfounded as he hopped into the passenger seat, then winked and waved farewell as Michael backed out of the driveway. When the two best friends grinned at each other, Manning knew that they’d get a good laugh over this episode for many years to come.
But none of that mattered right now.
All that mattered to him was Taylor.
On the way to her house, they held hands and smiled at each other like they were the only two people in the truck.
And when Michael and Quentin began crooning the sappy lyrics to “Puppy Love,” Manning and Taylor could only laugh and secretly agree in their hearts.