Deborah Mello - Forever a Stallion

“Thank you again for everything,” Joanne said as she looped her arm through her new husband’s, leaning her head against his shoulder. “You and Hooper did a great job!”

Phaedra nodded. “Hooper’s a thrill to work with. I’m glad I was available to assist him.”

“Well, he certainly speaks very highly of you,” Luke added. “Your reputation preceded you.”

“Thank you,” Phaedra said.

“And last but definitely not least,” Marah concluded, gesturing toward the end of the table, “this is Vanessa Long, a dear family friend, and her baby boy, Vaughan.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Vanessa said, her baby boy clutched awkwardly beneath her arm as she maneuvered a plate in one hand and a bottle in the other.

“I declare,” Juanita intoned, moving swiftly to take the baby from Vanessa’s hold. “Girl, you gon’ drop that baby holding him like that!”

The family laughed, heads shaking.

“Y’all gon’ make my boy soft the way you keep coddling him,” Vanessa said. “I need to keep him on his toes. If he bounces once or twice, it’ll toughen him up.”

Juanita gave the woman a swift slap to the back of her head.

“Ouch, Aunt Juanita!” Vanessa yelled. “That hurt.”

“Love tap!” the brothers chorused, everyone breaking out into laughter.

Wide-eyed, Phaedra was suddenly aware of the large hand pressing gently against her lower back, Mason standing comfortably beside her.

“You look overwhelmed!” he said teasingly. “You don’t have any siblings, do you?”

She hesitated, her gaze moving along the row of eyes that were staring back at her. Stammering slightly, she shrugged. “I was raised as an only child,” she said, “so this is very different for me.”

Michelle nodded. “You get used to it,” she said. “I was an only child, too.”

“So was I,” Joanne echoed.

“Please, have a seat,” John said, gesturing toward the two empty place settings across from him and Matthew.

“Thank you,” Phaedra said as Mason guided her to a chair, pulling it out as she took a seat. He dropped into the chair beside her.

“Ignore this bunch,” John said, meeting Phaedra’s gaze. “They always get out of hand at family breakfast.” His smile was warm and welcoming.

“You all do this often?” Phaedra questioned, her curiosity piqued.

“Every Sunday,” John answered. “Once our business went public, Aunt Juanita insisted on it. She felt like we were losing touch with each other.”

“It was the only way to get them to relax over a meal,” Juanita said, still rocking Vanessa’s baby in the cradle of her arms.

“We have two rules for family breakfast,” Marah said. “Everyone must show up unless they’re out of town. And there is no business discussed. Ever.”

“Wow,” Phaedra said, impressed. “And everyone always complies?”

John nodded. “It’s kept us grounded. Spending a few hours together just being brothers with our families has kept us from taking ourselves too seriously.”

“So, where are you from, Phaedra?” Luke asked, resting his chin in his hands as he leaned on the table.

“N’Orleans,” Phaedra answered. She twisted a napkin nervously in her lap.

“So are we!” Katrina said excitedly. “Or at least that’s where our parents are from. Our father was active army, so we were military brats and traveled around, but the older kids, Mason, Donovan, Kendrick and Kamaya, were all born in New Orleans. I was born in Germany but I can’t tell you where the rest of them were born.”

Phaedra glanced toward Mason. “How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

Mason laughed. “There are nine of us.” He cut an eye at his sister. “Our family meals are quite a bit bigger,” he said, his sister nodding her agreement.

Phaedra shook her head and laughed, totally in awe of it all.

Food suddenly appeared out of nowhere, platters of every breakfast item imaginable being passed around the table. Between the food and the fellowship, it was an overabundance of everything. So much so that Phaedra felt as if she were on sensory overload.

She pushed at the eggs on her plate, her stomach still doing flips as she realized she was actually having breakfast with her brothers. Her brothers. John, Matthew, Mark and Luke. The only family she had left. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and then a second before opening them to find John staring at her curiously. She gave him a slight smile, unnerved by the look he was giving her.

A lanky teenager suddenly entered the room, waving his hand sheepishly at everyone around the table. “Good morning,” he said as he reached for an empty plate. Greetings rang back in his direction.

“Collin Broomes, you’re late,” Katrina chastised, her eyebrows raised as she massaged a hand over her swollen stomach.

“Sorry, Mom,” the man-child named Collin answered. “I was helping them muck the stables. It took longer than I expected.”

“I hope you took a shower,” his mother said, her tone questioning.

Collin rolled his eyes. “Yes, ma’am. That’s why I’m late.” He moved to an empty chair at the kitchen counter, his plate now filled with bacon and toast.

Matthew chuckled. “I wasn’t expecting you to do that before breakfast, son,” he said, pride gleaming from his eyes.

The teen nodded. “I know, sir, but I wanted to get it out of the way so that I could ride after breakfast. If that’s okay?”

“That’s definitely okay,” Matthew said. He nodded in Phaedra’s direction. “Phaedra, this is our son, Collin. Collin, this is Miss Parrish, your uncle Mason’s friend.”

Collin tossed his hand hello, his mouth stuffed with food.

“Please, call me Phaedra,” she said, waving back.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Phaedra,” Collin answered after swallowing. He pointed a finger in Mason’s direction, winked at his uncle and grinned.

Mason shook his head as he cut a quick glance at Phaedra.

“Y’all are funny,” Phaedra said, lifting her eyes to meet his gaze. She laughed, dropping her manicured hand against his thigh as she leaned her shoulder into his. A jolt of electricity shot through his body and he felt himself quiver from the sensation.

Mason was enjoying every ounce of the moment, conversation flowing with ease. Phaedra didn’t seem at all bothered by the family gathering. He understood that this was not at all what she’d been expecting and he was impressed by her sportsmanship, his charming companion seeming very much at ease with their additional breakfast companions.

“So, Phaedra, do you have family in New Orleans?” John suddenly asked.

Phaedra shook her head. “No,” she said, her voice catching deep in her throat.

Mason noticed her discomfort at the question. He intervened on her behalf. “Phaedra’s mother just passed away a few weeks ago,” he said softly.

“Oh, we’re so sorry,” Marah interjected, everyone turning to stare at the young woman.

“We’re very sorry for your loss,” Matthew added.

Phaedra nodded, biting down against her bottom lip. She suddenly missed her mother more than she had imagined possible.

“We lost our parents many years ago,” John said as he reached a large hand across the table to brush his fingers against the back of her hand. “I know it’s not easy.”

Phaedra met his stare, holding it ever so briefly, before she pulled her hand from his, clutching her palms together in her lap. She turned to meet Mason’s intense gaze, then dropped her stare into her lap with her hands. Tears suddenly pressed hot behind her eyelids. She felt her body begin to shake and she was grateful for the chair beneath her bottom, which kept her from falling to the floor. She swiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands, heat rising to her cheeks as she fought to contain the rise of emotion that was threatening to spill out of her.