Maybe, Maybe Not

28. Cougar v. Cougar

The news his mother dropped was shocking.

"Thanks for warning me." Nikko sat back down. Never did he think he would hear such news about his mother.

His mother was single most of his life. His father left early on. She never had boyfriends while he grew up, she said her focus was on him. In adulthood, their relationship became strained after she threw him out. He did not ask about her dating life.

It was not a big deal to him that she found someone.

"So you're okay with Jakinda and me together?"

He did not need his mother's approval, but somehow he wanted it. With how rocky their relationship was, he did not want another boulder standing in their way. He missed how close they were when he was younger.

His mother looked at Jakinda, smiled at her then turned her smile to him. "It's not my business, it's called dating, you're young, that's what I expect you to do."

"We're more than dating mom." He wanted to make it clear to his mother that this was no fling. He was not that type of guy because of the way she raised him. "I love Jakinda. It's serious."

He took Jakinda's hand, pulled it to his mouth, and kissed it. He hoped it was okay with her telling his mother the status of their relationship. But why wouldn't it be? And now that Jakinda met his mother, he could not wait to meet her family. Her children specifically. He only hoped they would be okay with him dating their mother.

Then his mother said the dreaded words. "Good. Then maybe I get some grandbabies out of it."

There it was! Why would his mother say something like that? He knew Jakinda's stance on it. She was done having more children. He was okay with the decision of not having any of his own children. All that mattered to him was being with Jakinda.

He squeezed Jakinda's hand in his.

"Mom, don't do that."

"What did I say?"

He looked at Jakinda to see if she was upset. Her face was calm and expressionless. She was upset. He did not know what to say to her. It was something he did not need to discuss with his mother right now.

Nikko ignored his mother and grabbed Jakinda and his wine glasses to refill them.

His mother did not cook anything on Saturday before the holiday because she was doing all the cooking tomorrow for Easter. Instead, she suggested they Door Dash some food in.

"We need to go check into our hotel, and then maybe we can come back for dinner," Jakinda stated.

"Hotel? Why honey?" his mother said to Jakinda. "Nikko has a room here, why would you stay at a hotel when you guys can stay here."

"Because..." Jakinda trailed off her statement, meaning she did not want to explain what she already explained to him while they planned the trip. It was disrespectful to sleep together in his mother's home.

He felt no way about it. If his mother was okay with it, so was he.

"I know it's not because you think I'm some fuddy-duddy about you two doing adult things."

He could see Jakinda cringe at that, her face darkened a bit in embarrassment. He chuckled at how cute she looked. For sure she was thinking of all the adult things they had done the night before and the night before that.

"Whatever you want to do, Kindy," he told her.

Jakinda leaned over and whispered in his ear. "No freaky deeky stuff then."

"Mom, we're staying here."

Jakinda immediately took her phone out to cancel the hotel before they charged them. They were going half each on the room so at least now they were saving money.