Southern Gossip: A Complicated Love Story Read Online Free Page B

they’d slacked up on visiting her.
     
    “I told him that you were gonna get on his butt, too. So don’t be all sweet on him when you do lay your eyes on him.” Mrs. Gray stated.
     
    Mama Gray smacked her lips. “I know how I talk to my boys. You don’t have to worry about that.”
     
    “Trust me, I’m not worried about that, because if it’s anything we do have in common it would be the love we have for our Gray men. I just want you to be stern with A’keem and let him know that he’s getting too old to still be getting in trouble for things that should’ve been behind him years ago.”
     
    Marlon had sat there listening to the two women going back and forth long enough and decided to ease back into the family room. Before he could make his exit, Mrs. Gray called him out.
     
    “Uh Marlon, come back in here.”
     
    Marlon shook his head with regret of not leaving when she first walked in. He knew exactly where this conversation was about to head. “Yes mom.” He dry responded.
     
    “Your dad was fussing about you taking the path this morning. You did take the path didn’t you?”
     
    “I did take the path, but I was hoping that he wouldn’t find out.” He said with a nonchalant attitude.
     
    “So,” Mrs. Gray said looking him directly in his eyes. She studied him over as she watched for any signs that would tell her if anything was off about him.
     
    “So what, mom?” he pondered. He was well aware of her degree and how manipulative she could be, but he maintained his composure while directly staring back at her.
     
    “Did you see her?” She asked without hesitation.
     
    Even though he didn’t want them in his business or trying to figure things out, he decided to tell the truth. “Yes I saw her, BUT we only spoke briefly.”
     
    “I knew it,” Mama Gray expressed with a low chuckle.
     
    Mrs. Gray looked over at her mother-n-law with an irritated shake of the head. “Let’s be serious here, Mama Gray. Don’t act like you don’t know how this could turn out.”
     
    Mama Gray eyeballed Mrs. Gray for a moment. “Seems it turned out just fine looking at you,” she commented.
     
    “You should know,” Mrs. Gray shot back.
     
    Marlon cut in. “Don’t y’all start this mess about a hex, a loveless legend, this bittersweet history and all that crazy stuff.” He looked over at Mama Gray. “It’s just a coincidence that granddad and his brother couldn’t come to terms with loving the same woman.”
     
    “A Kent woman,” Mrs. Gray mentioned with a frown on her face.
     
    “Yes, a Kent woman, but so what.” Marlon said an annoyed roll of his eyes. “Mom, you ended up with dad and Mama Gray you ended up with granddad. Neither one of them ended up with a Kent woman.”
     
    “That’s true, but there were many years that I had to compete with Eleanor Kent for your grandfather’s affection. Strangely, she couldn’t decide if her love was stronger for your granddad or your great-uncle, Gray. Too bad for her, she ended up choosing neither and got knocked up by some other white man. And even though your grandfather denied it, I’ve always believed that that’s the reason why he asked me to marry him, not because I’d gotten pregnant with your Uncle Evan.”
     
    “I know a familiar story,” Mrs. Gray chimed in thinking that Denise Kent, Eleanor’s youngest daughter, pulled the same stunt which resulted in Mr. Gray choosing her. From the looks of things Jada was playing the same old Kent women games. Hopefully, her sons would realize it and move on too.
     
    Mama Gray continued. She wanted to make things crystal clear for her grandson. “I didn’t like being your grandfather’s runner up, but he knew that just like Eleanor, I had mad love for him too. So, he kept me close, because Eleanor was unpredictable.” She said taking in a deep breath as she thought back. “Your great uncle Gray, that old bastard loved drama and wanted nothing more than to know that even