Aaliyah Richards has made a living writing about the way love should be. But when she meets Nathaniel Lord-business tycoon and her polar opposite-she is forced to re-evaluate her beliefs.
Nathaniel seems like the perfect man-like he jumped out o...
Roselyn Richard's was the most important person in Liya's life. Her visits to New York, once a year, were like Christmas and her birthday rolled into one. This years' visit was especially important because she would be meeting the second most important person in Liya's life.
Roselyn had always been the biggest inspiration in Liya's life—how she managed to work fulltime and raise a child on her own was nothing short of a miracle.
Her mother's acceptance of Nate was critical. If he and her mother didn't get along, she didn't know what she would do.
"Baby, you don't have to carry that. I can manage." Roselyn Richard's protested as her daughter opened the door to her apartment and carried the suitcase inside.
"I've got it, mama, you just relax."
"Awe, this is nice." Roselyn smiled as she admired her daughter's studio apartment; her brow creasing as she saw all the boxes stacked against the wall. "You didn't tell me you were moving."
Judging by the expression on her daughter's face, there were a lot of things she hadn't told her.
"Mama, sit down."
'Oh, Lord." Roselyn breathed as she forced a smile and braced herself for the news. "Please, God don't let her be pregnant."
"I've been meaning to tell you something, mama but I didn't know how."
"Liya, you know what I always say..."
"No point beating the bush to death, just let it out. I know."
Sighing, Roselyn watched her daughter struggle with her thoughts—needlessly. She already knew her little secrete, that she was dating a dangerous man with a reputation with the ladies. Joanna was gracious enough to spill the beans but she would never tell Liya that.
She had to be honest when she first heard the news, she wanted to call her daughter up and talk some sense into her, but Liya was grown. It wasn't like she was living under her roof anymore, but God knows, it took every ounce of strength in her to let it alone—nothing pushes a grown child away quicker than a mama who doesn't know her boundaries.
"You know I'm dating now, right? His name is Nathaniel. Nathaniel Greyson, to be exact."
Liya stared at her mother for some sign of recognition as if she kept up with the gossip columns.
"I know who he is Liya. I've known for some time now." Roselyn smiled at the look of relief on her daughter's face.
"Let me guess, Joanna."
"She cares about you as I do."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"It wasn't my place. I figured you'd come around to it soon enough."
"I love you, mama." She smiled as her daughter wrapped her arms around her.
"Let me guess..." she motioned with her finger at the boxes. "you two shacking up?"
"If you mean moving in with each other, yes."
Liya bit her nails like she did when she was a little girl, waiting for her mother's reaction. "Look, Aaliyah. As I said, you are grown. If you feel like this is the next step for the two of you, then so be it. I just want to know if he makes you happy?"
"More than anything in the world," Liya confessed with her words and the brightest smile.
"Then that's all that matters to me baby, girl."
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"To Nate and Aaliyah; and this new journey they are about to embark upon." Kaitlyn rose from her seat at the small Chinese restaurant down the block from their apartment.
As she continued, their guest, which included Joanna and her husband, Ryan, Nate, Aaliyah, and her mother, lifted their glasses in a toast.
"May it lead to many years of happiness and a wedding ring!" Kaitlyn teased as everyone, but Liya laughed.
"Amen!" Roselyn winked at her daughter as Kaitlyn embarrassed them with her candid speech.
"Relax baby. She's just teasing." Nate whispered in her ear as he put his arm around her.
"I know." She forced a smile, but still, Kaitlyn was one to talk. She and Ryan had been living together for years with no sign of pending nuptials.
But who was she kidding? Kaitlyn wasn't the reason for her tension.
Truthfully, it was her own thoughts that haunted her. After her conversation with Caroline and Raegan, she couldn't help but think that her whole life was changing at a pace she wasn't so sure of.
While she was thankful her mother and Nate hit it off wonderfully, her fear was that without his family's approval, they were doomed. One day, sooner or later, his family would become an issue, one she feared they couldn't overcome.
