Lessons From the Professor by Shyla Colt Page B

moved over to lean against
the counter and waited for her mother to initiate the long anticipated conversation.
    “What do you want me to say, Sutton?”
    “I don’t want you to say anything. I want you to
listen.   I know this is the first time
you’ve met Sid in person, but between my schedule and his it hasn’t been
possible until now. As soon as I walk out those doors it’s going to take
Carissa about five minutes to notice this.”   She held up her left hand to reveal the two carat solitaire diamond ring
Sidney
had
presented her with a week prior.
    “Oh my God,” her mother whispered. She covered her mouth
with a shaky hand as she glanced up at her.
    “Sid asked me to marry him, and I said yes. I love him, Mom.
He treats me well, and we balance each other out. I have nothing but the utmost
respect for you. You raised us all after Dad passed, and you did an excellent
job. But I can’t keep living my life worried about your opinions and how
they’ll affect you.   I know you’re the
one who sent
Jackson
to my job. Things like that have to stop. You need to accept that I’m old
enough to make my own choices. We all are.”
    “All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy, Sutton. Of
all my children, you’re the one who I worry about the most. I put too much
responsibility on you. You were a child, and I forced you to grow up much too
soon. That wasn’t right, Sutton.” Tears rolled down her Mother’s face as she
took Sutton’s hands in her own. “You took the role of den-mother to heart,
Sutton. It’s in every goal you set and achieve. I’ve been forced to watch that
drive almost isolate you from everyone else. I guess I’ve overcompensated to
assuage the guilt I felt. I wanted to see you happy and settled, so I pushed
when maybe I should have backed off.”
    Sutton was stunned by the things her mother had revealed.
    “Mom, I’ve spent the past few years feeling like a complete
disappointment to you. I know you wanted me to follow a different path—”
    “I’ve always been proud of you!” Sutton closed her eyes as
her mother embraced her and stroked her hair.   “I am so sorry I made you feel that way, baby girl. If this man is the
one you want I trust your judgment.”
      Tears filled Sutton’s
eyes as she basked in the feeling of joy. She had not envisioned their
conversation anything even remotely like this. For once, it was nice to be
wrong.   They pulled apart a few moments
later. A comfortable silence filled the room as they wiped away their tears and
gathered their emotions.
    “We should head out there before your brothers come in and
demand food.”
    She nodded and laughed. “So true, Mom. What do you want me to take out first?”
    “Grab the salad, and I’ll get the rolls.”
    Sutton nodded, grabbing the giant wooden bowl full of mixed
greens, eggs, and cherry tomatoes out of the fridge, and headed outside.
****
    Sidney
felt the
tension rise in his body as time ticked by and Sutton and her mother remained
in the house. While he was sure Ida meant well, her meddling and flippant
attitude towards Sutton’s goals angered him. Sutton was an amazing woman.
Passionate, genuine and intelligent, she’d given him the boost he needed to put
his heart back on the line. The day she’d agreed to marry him was probably the
happiest moment of his life. He looked forward to a lifetime of happiness and
pleasure. He fought down a smirk as he thought about the other changes that had
taken place in their relationship.
    They’d expanded their play and had fallen into a niche that
was comfortable and enjoyable for them both. His gaze locked with Sutton as she
emerged with a wooden bowl full of salad. She flashed him a smile, and he
relaxed. Whatever had been said inside had gone over well. He stood to pull out
her chair and wrapped an arm around her once they were seated.
    “Are you okay?” he asked. His voice lowered as he whispered
into her ear.
    “Better than okay.”
    “Good.”   He