A Boyfriend Like Him

Sweet Boy

Someone said the last chapter was flat. And they were right. But it's only because it's building up to the weekend with the Cadley 'rents. Apologies for boringness. Hopefully you like this chapter a little better.

Thank you for the final Aviana Monae cover. Loved them all.

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Chapter Twenty-One
-Sweet Boy-

After leaving the small water side café, I began to grow nervous about the fact I was about to do this. I had only had to meet a boyfriend's parents once and unknowingly I had met them while I was still in diapers and their expectations of me were severely low. I don't think Taylors parents would appreciate me blowing spit bubbles at them, the way Trent's parents did. Inevitably Trent's parents had known we'd been interested in each other before Trent and I even realised it. Taylor's parents were sure to be a hundred percent different experience.
We drove through a neighbourhood full of impressive houses. I knew being from the city that Taylor's parents would be well off, but they weren't city-well off. They were well off- well off. I guess they had bought Taylor a new car for graduation. Not all city parents are able to do that now that I thought about it. Taylor held my hand over the centre console of the car and gently moved his thumb against my skin. It was enough to make me slightly self-assured and gave me hope that he wasn't setting me up to fail by bringing me here. As he pulled off the main road and slowed down to start manoeuvring into a drive way, I chewed my lip taking the house in. It was big and spacious and the garden was thriving and colourful, framing the bottom of the house, making it seem more homely.
"Now or never," Taylor murmured and pulled his hand from mine to open the door. I opened my own door and stepped out of the car. There was a beaming woman sitting on the porch I hadn't seen from the car and I immediately knew it was his mother from the way she projected that smile directly to Taylor like he was god's personal gift to her. I glanced back at Taylor and he was giving me a small encouraging smile that made me step towards the front of the car and let him slip his hand back into mine.
He pulled me up the wide concrete path that split the lawn into two and up a small set of stairs that took us to the enclosed porch.
"Taylor," His mother grinned. "How was the drive, sweet boy?" she asked, having not given me the once over I expected from her, the moment I got close enough.
"Good," Taylor told her, disengaging from me again to kiss his mother's forehead. "We stopped for breakfast, I hope you weren't waiting on us," He told her and she shook her head, with a small smile.
"I wasn't, I thought you might go to Marcy's on your way in," She assured him and finally let her pleasant smile turn towards me.
"Mum, this is Lucy," Taylor introduced us, as he took a seat next to her. His mother brought her hand up from her lap and offered it to me.
"Lovely to meet you Lucy," she smiled, genuinely as I took her small hand and shook it briefly. She was small all over I noticed. "You can call me Judith," She told me. "I hope Taylor is a gentleman for you?"
"Always," I assured her, with a grin quickly shot at Taylor who grinned back at me. I took a seat next to Taylor as he had gestured and they began a conversation that allowed me time to take in his mother and her home. She was a tiny woman that looked like she should be somehow larger. The shawl around her shoulders seemed to overwhelm her frame and I would guess that she would be a little underweight. Her skin was pale, but her eyes were bright and aware. They were Taylor's honey eyes and she had also given her son her light hair. She was sick with something, but I don't think it was the common cold. I was beginning to guess that it may have always been this way, as Taylor had called his mother an angel.
"Is Simon around?" Taylor asked, not sounding interested at all.
"Oh no," She sighed with a sad smile. "He's usually around on Sunday for breakfast. He's very busy with his job and not to be fussing over his mother anymore." Taylor snorted sarcastically.
"Oh of course, heaven forbid someone else come first."
"Taylor," His mother chided softly. "We both know what he's like. Exactly like your father, they have a mission to accomplish and will move mountains to obtain it. He and Ronnie want to start having children soon, so he's eager to get as far as he can in his work before she falls pregnant.
"Why? So he can just ignore them like Dad did to us?" Taylor was being an asshole, but his mother seemed to understand.
"Your father was a good provider, you never went without," She reminded him.
"Never went without, but always went without him at the dinner table," Taylor countered and I started feeling uncomfortable sitting there watching the family dynamic work between them.
"It's just your father's way, Taylor," she sighed. "He's calmed down a lot since when you were young."
"Only because there's no one left to look after you now I've gone to university."
"I wish you would try to understand your father's way of dealing with things. He's a hard worker and wanted to make sure that when you kids were gone, he was able to take the time to do the things that needed to be done."
"Whatever," he grunted at her. "Where's Juliet?" He asked.
"Dance practise, I believe," His mother replied. "She should be home for lunch. She's excited you're here and have brought a girl with you. I think she plans on an interrogation," Judith's eyes met mine with a mischievous twinkle in them and I grinned at her in reply.
"I didn't bring Lucy here because she's a light weight," Taylor replied, dryly. "Jules will have a hard time getting one up on her." He squeezed our connected hands and gave me a quick wink.
"I don't expect anything less from a girl that finally managed to ground my son long enough to get commitment out of him," Judith laughed, and Taylor shrugged and nodded in agreement. "Would you mind my rudeness and I know you just got here, but I would love some help getting lunch ready," She barely got the words out before Taylor rolled his eyes.
"Don't be silly, mum. Of course, I'll help," He admonished her.
"I'll help too," I offered and Taylor gave me a warm look of approval that made me smile back at him.
"Let's get inside. Do you need help?" He offered, standing up.
"Don't be silly. Your old mother gets around just fine with or without you," She playfully glared at him. I was a little confused but then significantly less so, when she tucked her shawl into the chair and I realised there was wheels on the chair. She was chair bound. Trying hard not to stare, I looked any place but the seat Judith was in. That was when I noticed the ramp next to the stairs and why the garden path was so wide. The front door was extra wide too. I was a complete a-hole. Blushing, I ducked my head and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. "You okay?" Taylor asked sounding highly amused, bringing my face up with a hooked finger under my chin.
"You're an asshole," I whispered through gritted teeth.
"What?" He demanded, and I pointedly looked at his mother in her electric wheel chair going into the house. "Oh," he murmured. "Yeah, she's in a wheel chair," He stated casually.
"And where the flipping flip was my flipping warning?" I demanded quietly as I could.
"I'm sorry," He grinned at me, trying to wrap his arms around my shoulders and forcing me to hug him. I squirmed out of his grip. "I guess I just don't think about it," He shrugged. "I forget it's not normal." He looked genuinely stumped by his forgetfulness. I wanted to thump him.
"How long has she been in it?" I asked, finally letting Taylor pull me to him.
"Talk to her about it, she loves a chance to talk about herself," He teased, as his hands ran up my back comfortingly.
"I heard that, young man!" His mother's voice drifted out of the house and shock went through me at being busted talking about her.
"I meant for you to hear, you old bag," He yelled back at her.
"Taylor!" I whacked his arm, but relaxed when I heard a happy laugh come from inside.
"You'll pay for that," She assured her son.
"You're terrible," I frowned at him, unable to not wrap my arms around his neck.
"It's not my mother you need to worry about sassing. She's the only good thing about coming back," He told me, resting his forehead against mine and I frowned at him.
"You don't get along with your brother and dad?" I asked and he shrugged.
"We just have different views on what family means," He told me with a frown before he gently pressing his lips to mine. "Don't you worry about it, they should behave with you here," He assured me, speaking against my lips before kissing me again.
"We should go help your mum," I told him, pulling back and he smirked at me.
"She asks for help but there won't be much we can do," he laughed. "She may be in the chair most days but that doesn't dampen her can-do spirit." He unwrapped himself from me anyway and took my hand to pull me into the house.
The moment we were in the door way a fast paced, almost panicked ticking sound came as a dog bounded towards us, his nails tapping against the hard wood floors. Taylor dropped onto his hunches as the dog excitedly wagged its tail and Taylor cooed at it. "Hey there, Mousey. Who's been a good boy, huh?" I tried not to giggle at his tone of voice as I watched him scratch the dog's neck. It was a chocolate Labrador and by the looks of it, a well-loved and fed Lab. Taylor stood back up and the Lab turned to me. A happy bark which sounded like a demand to be petted was directed at me. "Are you a dog person?" Taylor asked and I shrugged as I bent to scratch his dark head and that continued on the tail wagging happiness the dog radiated.
"Mostly, as long as it doesn't pee when it gets excited," I laughed.