Love Survives (BWWM)

Mama Bradley

Mama Bradley was what the girls called Aaron's mom. She was a petite woman with dark brown hair and she looked a lot like Aaron. Everything about her was very elegant and proper.

When she walked in, she got hugs from each of the girls and kissed Aaron's cheek.

Her eyes fell on me, and she had lost that warmth she'd previously had while she greeted her family. With me, her eyes were suspicious and cold, resembling the look my mother gave me whenever I came to visit. It was scary.

Suddenly, I was yanked back to that time and my breathing became heavy. I didn't know what was happening.

"Excuse me for a moment," I muttered and made a run for the bathroom.

I stared into the mirror above the sink wondering what the hell was wrong with me. I'd met my ex-boyfriend's mother before. I'd never had such a reaction before. I never got this nervous.

Aaron's mother probably hated me and on top of that, she thought I was crazy too.

I had a full face of makeup on, so I couldn't splash any water on my face. Instead, I gave myself a pep talk.

"You can do this," I told myself.

Then I heard knocking on the bathroom door.

"Kyra, can you open the door?"

I slowly opened the door, willing myself not to cry. I didn't want Aaron to see what a baby I was being.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out.

His voice was soft when he said, "Look at me."

I looked up at him through my lashes. "Aaron, I'm sorry."

He brought his hand to my cheek. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

I shook my head, reverting my eyes to the hardwood floor. "She hates me."

"I want to see your face."

Looking up, I saw that his eyes held no judgment. I saw nothing but care and understanding.

"Maybe I should just stay in the living room."

"Hell no. You go out there and be yourself. I'd ask her to leave but—"

My eyes went wide. That would just make everything so much worse.

"Or I won't," he rushed out taking my hand into his. "Come on."

I let him lead me into the kitchen where Mama Bradley and the girls were getting started on the dinner. She was too busy to notice that Aaron and I had walked in.

"Mom, Kyra just had to take a minute for herself."

She looked up and seemed shocked to see me standing there as if she'd assumed I'd left. She scanned my face briefly then her eyes dropped to Aaron's and my hand connected between us, and back up to my face.

Her expression was unreadable. It felt like an eternity before she finally spoke. "Well, don't just stand there. Help us out."

Brielle grinned at me. "Yeah! Mama Bradley always lets us help."

Iris and Bianca didn't seem as enthusiastic as Brielle was, but they painted smiles on their faces too.

Once Mama Bradley was done cooking. The girls set the table, and we all sat down. I sat next to Aaron with Brielle at my side and Mama Bradley right across from me.

As we began to eat, I felt her gaze on me. I squirmed in my seat fighting the urge to flee.

Aaron saw that I wasn't filling my plate and rested his hand on my thigh under the table. "Relax," he muttered.

I immediately relaxed under his touch and started filling my plate. Everything smelled and looked so delicious, so I had no trouble deciding what was going to be good.

"So, Kyra, what do you do for a living?"

"I own a boutique. I'm trying to figure out some things, so it's closed for now."

She nodded, seemingly pleased with my answer. "Very nice. Did Aaron tell you what Viviana does for a living?"

Aaron choked on his food and the table went silent. He took a sip of water and found his voice. "Girls, why don't you go eat in the living room? You can watch TV."

The girls grabbed their plates and went into the living room leaving me, Aaron, and Mama Bradley to talk.

"Why the hell would you ask that question?"

She scowled. "You watch your tone with me, Aaron."

He drew in a breath, let it go. "Kyra is my girlfriend, mother. I will never get back together with Viv. She holds no place in my heart. Kyra does."

I held a place in his heart. That was the best thing I'd heard all night. "Aaron, it's fine—"

"I just want to see you happy, Aaron, with a woman who is as successful as you are."

I was successful to a certain point. My store got good business, and I was proud of what I'd accomplished.

"She owns a store, mom. What does that say about her?"

She scoffed. "Hardly anything, really. She said her store was closed."

"I just need help," I said.

That was apparently the wrong thing to say. Her brows shot up in a way that told me she wasn't having it.

"Do you hear that? They always want something."

"I can't do this with you, mom. I need you to leave and come back when you're ready to apologize. Kyra is an amazing woman. You're missing out."

"Well, I never—"

"I'll walk you to the door," Aaron cut in.

***

When Mama Bradley left, I tried so hard not to fall apart.

Aaron's mom didn't think I was good enough for her son. She openly compared me to Aaron's ex-wife. And Aaron had come to my rescue, and he defended me without hesitation, but he shouldn't have had to.

I was torn between agreeing with his mom and disagreeing because while Aaron was a grown man, that was his mother. On the other hand, I felt like it was none of her damn business.

After dinner, Aaron sent the girls to bed, and we showered and got ready for bed too.

We hadn't said much to each since his mom left. It wasn't awkward, but I sensed Aaron's irritation with his mom's behavior. I didn't completely understand her hostility towards me though and I honestly didn't want to.

I sat on Aaron's bed feeling confused and hurt at the same time. I took off my shirt and pants before sliding into bed as Aaron came out of the bathroom after brushing his teeth.

"Are you ready to talk?" He slid under the covers next to me and wrapped his arms around me.

Shaking my head, I buried my face in the warmth of his bare chest. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Bullshit. Tell me what's going on in that pretty little head of yours."

"Where do we go from here?"

Aaron could make his own choices without his mom's permission, I knew that. However, in my past relationships, my ex's mom always swayed their opinion of me. While they swore up and down that it was fine, I knew it wasn't.

I couldn't tell with Aaron. Would he stay with me? I was scared to find out.

"What do you mean?"

My index finger traced the curved line of his pec all the way down to his hard stomach. Suddenly, that was the most interesting thing in the world. "Never mind. I want to sleep."

He placed his hand over mine, stopping my finger from going any further. "Okay, we'll talk tomorrow."

He let me go and turned on his side, his back facing me.