Chapter 6
“I’m going to come back home and show you why you’re so lucky to have me!”
—Lawson Kerry Banks
Lawson’s husband, Garrett, crept up behind his diminutive bride and snaked his arms around her waist. “Do you know what you were doing six months ago today, li’l mama?”
“Hmm, let me see . . .” teased Lawson. She dropped a few dishes in the kitchen sink. “Was it the laundry?”
He smirked. “Oh, it’s like that, huh?”
“Wait a minute.” She pulled Garrett into an embrace. “I think I vaguely remember saying ‘I do’ to the sexiest, sweetest, kindest, most romantic man on the planet. Does that sound about right?”
He leaned down to kiss her. “So how do you like being Mrs. Garrett Banks so far?”
“It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”
“Yeah, well, you made me work hard enough for it, that’s for sure!”
“I had to make sure you were worthy, honey,” she replied, playfully taunting him. “You know not just anybody can get this.”
“Is that right?” Garrett’s mood morphed from frisky to amorous. “What you know about me gettin’ some of that right now?” he kissed her again.
She giggled. “I may know a little something about that. . . .”
He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “What do you know about going into our bedroom to re-create our wedding night?” Before she could answer, the phone rang. “Don’t answer it. If it’s important, they’ll call back.”
Lawson glanced down at her cell phone on the counter. “Baby, it’s Mark. I have to answer it.” She pulled away from her husband and picked up the phone. “Hi, Mark, what’s up?”
Mark’s husky voice came piercing through the phone. “Don’t panic but—”
Lawson gasped and held her chest. “Oh my God, what happened to Namon?”
“I just told you not to panic,” Mark reiterated.
“Mark, what happened to my son?” broke in Lawson. Garrett edged closer, seeing her concern.
“Calm down, he’s fine, Lawson,” Mark assured her. “Namon had sort of a little accident on my motorcycle.”
“Motorcycle? Mark, are you crazy? I told you I didn’t want him anywhere near that thing! He’s a child!”
“Namon is fifteen. He’s not a child anymore, he’s a young man.”
“Ugh!” roared Lawson. “I can’t believe that you could be so irresponsible with him. Just tell me what happened.”
“All he did was mount the bike. It was a little heavier than he anticipated, and the bike fell over on him. He skinned up his leg pretty bad.”
Lawson sighed. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“For what? I just told you he’s okay.”
“I want to see it for myself.”
“How about I put him on the phone?” proposed Mark.
“How about I just come over there and bring my son home where he’s safe?” she shot back.
“Namon is perfectly safe here with me, and he doesn’t want to leave. He didn’t even want me to tell you about it because he knew you’d react this way.”
“So the two of you have been conspiring against me, is that it?” questioned Lawson, becoming more irate by the second. “I’m coming over, Mark, and you can’t stop me.”
Mark was firm with her. “He’s not leaving with you, Lawson. It’s my weekend with Namon.”
“Whatever! I’ll be there in five minutes.” Lawson hung up the phone and began searching for her car keys.
“What’s going on?” asked Garrett, alarmed.
“Mark let Namon play around with that darn motorcycle of his, and now Namon’s hurt. I’m going over there to check on him.”
“How bad is it?”
Lawson reached for her purse hanging on the back of one of the high-bar chairs. “Mark says that he only scraped his leg, but I want to see for myself.”
“Baby, if Mark says Namon is okay, I believe him. There’s no need for you go charging over there, especially not on our anniversary.”
Lawson was irked. “Namon is my son, Garrett. If he’s hurt, I’m going to be there for him.”
Garrett pulled his wife closer to him. “He’s not in grave danger. He’s a boy, and boys fall down and get hurt. He doesn’t need his mother running over there and making a big fuss over him. Let him be a man.”
“Is that how we’re defining manhood now?” she snapped.
“I’m just saying there’s no need for you to go over there making a big deal out of it.”
“Garrett, you already know that I’m still not all that comfortable with the idea of Namon spending so much time over there, especially when it’s obvious that Mark is letting him run amok and do whatever he wants to.”
“Baby, it’s supposed to be our night,” Garrett reminded her. “Let Mark handle Namon, and let me handle you.”
Lawson shook her head. “Do you honestly think I’m going to be able to focus on anything if I’m worried about my child? I’ll be back before you know it. I just want to see how serious it is and if Namon needs to be taken to the hospital.”
Garrett groaned. “All right, Mrs. Banks, we’ll go. Just let me grab my jacket.”
“No, you stay here,” advised Lawson. “And I want you waiting for me in bed when I get back, preferably with some soft music and a bowl of whipped cream,” she added with a twinkle in her eye.
“Baby, Namon is my son too. Plus I don’t like you driving alone at night, even less so when you’re this upset.”
Lawson slung her purse over her shoulder. “Mark only lives a few miles from here. I’ll be fine, and I promise to call you as soon as I assess the situation with Namon. I’m praying that we won’t end up having to spend the night in ER.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to tag along?” Garrett offered again.
“Yeah, I think if we both show up, guns blazing, Mark will be on the defensive and think we’re ganging up on him again. Things have been peaceful between us lately, and I don’t want to rock the boat unless I have to.”
Garrett yielded to his wife. “Okay, just don’t keep me waiting or make me start without you.”
Lawson laughed and perched herself up on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you for being so understanding. I’m just going to run over there for a minute to check on Namon, then I’m going to come back home and show you why you’re so lucky to have me!”
Garrett watched his wife duck out of the house. He knew Lawson’s primary concern was seeing about her son, but it still irked him that she was also leaving him to see her ex-lover Mark. At that moment, he wondered just how lucky he really was.