Chantell
Tanner and Chantell walked into his childhood home together, her smaller hand enveloped within his larger one. After this past week and the discussions they’d had over the past few days about what to expect, Chantell was prepared and ready for the battle she fully expected to happen.
Tanner’s father had called him relentlessly over the past few days. Each time, their conversations were full of angry words. Tanner hadn’t told his parents about their pregnancy. Hell, they didn’t even know about his relationship with Chantell. At least not the full relationship, which was still a bit shocking to her. How they’d managed to keep everything a secret for so long was beyond her. Yet here they were.
Today was not going to be a good day, but it was something they needed to get through.
Bertrand Scott was determined to try and control Tanner, and her man wasn’t having that shit. He wanted to live his life in a way that snubbed his nose at everything his father taught him growing up.
During the call Tanner had with his father, Chantell would listen as he basically told his father to shut the fuck up and stop interfering in his life.
She couldn’t even fathom having that type of relationship with her parents. Hell, Chantell was still trying to apologize for not being a perfect child. Even just thinking about it, she cringed, knowing how disappointed they were that she’d become a nurse instead of a doctor.
Her mother cried when Chantell announced she was going to college close to home instead of heading to Spellman, like all the other women in their family. Making her mother cry was not something she ever wanted to do, but damnit, Virginia Tech was a good school. There was nothing wrong with going there, except it wasn’t a Historically Black College or University, and her parents felt going there was beneath a Davis woman. But at the end of the day, there was no other choice for her. There was no way in hell Chantell was going to a school somewhere Tanner wasn’t. Her parents were smart people and as soon as she told them where she was headed, the looks of disappointment and headshaking had started.
It hurt her to know how they felt about her loving Tanner but at the time, her feelings for him were too strong to ignore. Even now, with everything they were facing, she still had faith in him and their future together. Any doubts she had about whether Tanner would be willing to leave it all behind and choose her over his racist father and his bigoted views had been alleviated. They were in this together.
Glancing at the scene in front of her, she stood a bit taller as they walked into the room. The heat from his father’s gaze reached her across the room and she had a feeling that things were going to get very ugly before they got better. Turning her gaze away from the angry man standing across the room, she turned her attention back to Tanner. He released her hand to greet his mother.
“Hi Mom,” he greeted the older blonde standing in front of him with a kiss on the cheek. Stepping back, he placed his hand on Chantell’s back, pressing her closer to his side.
“Hey, Tanner. It’s good to see you. Hi Chantell, dear. Your parents are inside. They arrived a few moments ago.” Looking at them closely, she glanced down at Tanner’s hand resting on Chantell’s lower back. Quirking an eyebrow, she smiled at them before taking a sip of her mint julip. “Come give me a hug, sweetheart. I haven’t seen you in months. How have you been?”
Chantell walked into the older woman’s arms, giving her a quick squeeze. “Hi, Mrs. Scott. You look beautiful, as always.” Tanner’s mother had asked her on several occasions to call her Sophia, her first name, but some childhood lessons weren’t easy to ignore.
“So do you, dear. Practically glowing,” she said as they released their hug. “I’m proud of you two,” the woman said with laughter in her tone.
Taking a step back, Chantell looked at Tanner’s mother and then over at the man himself, who just stood there with a stupid smile on his face. “Ma’am?”
Mrs. Scott smiled again before motioning at the two of them. “It’s about time you two stopped hiding and sneaking around.” She looked at Tanner before asking, “Are you here to come clean to your father and let him know the truth? If so, then good. I was wondering when you’d decide to give up this charade. But I don’t want this to get out of hand. I’m sure you’re anxious to get this over with but you’ve had a plan all this time, don’t mess it up now.”
A huge smile lit up Tanner’s face before he let out a loud guffaw.
Chantell could do nothing but stare at the woman in shock. Okay, somebody needed to let her in on the joke. “What am I missing?”
“How long have you known?” Tanner’s face was lit up in laughter once it all clicked into place. His mom already knew about the two of them.
Waving a hand away, she shrugged. A sheepish look on her face. “Probably since you were nine or ten, but I thought it was just innocent. I think I realized it was more than a childhood crush when you were sixteen and your father told you to stop spending so much time with Chantell. Remember that day, Tanner?”
“I do,” he said with a shake of his head. “That was the first time I got really mad at dad. I stormed out of the house and went straight to Chantell.”
“I know. Roberta called as soon as you arrived at their front porch. She wanted to let me know you were safe.” His mom broke off with a laugh. “You were spitting mad that he tried to tell you not to spend so much time with Chantell. Once I told Roberta what happened, she and I knew things had gotten to a point of no return.”
Chantell looked over at Tanner. She also remembered that day. That was the day she’d decided he was going to be her husband. She’d never told anyone about her dreams and wishes when it came to Tanner, but once he told her what happened, she was positive they were meant to be together.
His mother continued, “Or when you came to us at eighteen and boldly announced you were going to marry Chantell one day and there was nothing we could do about it. Yeah, that threw your father for a loop and a half.”
“You did what?” Chantell looked up at Tanner, laughter bubbling up inside her.
He turned to her. “Did I not tell you? Sweetheart, I’ve always known we belonged together. While you were too damn busy questioning my manhood and if I was afraid of my father…”
Chantell interrupted him, “I apologized for that.” She was embarrassed about the things she’d said to him, but he couldn’t really blame her for how she thought. Giving his mother a sideways glance, she admitted, “It was just a misunderstanding.”
“Yeah, okay. Sure, it was. You still owe me for all the heartache and trouble you put me through. You’re lucky I love you so damn much.” Shaking his head, he pulled her close, kissing her softly on his lips. “Didn’t I tell you everything would be okay?”
Nodding, she clasped her hands around his, “Yes, you did.”
“See, that right there,” his mom said with a sigh. “That’s what gave you away.”