Ties That Bind by Brenda Jackson

protective of their sister. As Jenna made the introductions, Randolph discovered that the tallest of the brothers, the one who stood toe-to-toe with him, was sixteen-year-old Jarvis. The fourteen-year-old twins were Jason and Jared.
    â€œSo you’re Randolph Fuller? I’ve heard quite a lot about you, young man,” Jenna’s father said, giving him a firm handshake. He was tall with a muscular build.
    â€œYes, sir.” Although Randolph felt he was under the man’s microscopic gaze, he had a feeling that John Haywood was a fair person. He also got that same impression from Jenna’s mom who immediately made him feel welcome.
    â€œI hope you don’t mind sharing a room with my sons,” Mrs. Haywood said softly, smiling at him.
    â€œNo, ma’am, I don’t mind at all.”
    That evening at dinner he and Mr. Haywood got into several conversations and Randolph discovered that a lot of John Haywood’s views on the Vietnam War and the civil rights sit-ins and marches
were identical to his. They were both hoping President Johnson would soon pull the troops out of Vietnam and both believed the Black Panther Party would do more harm than good to the civil rights movement.
    â€œYou’re doing the right thing by staying in school to avoid the draft,” Mr. Haywood said to him as Randolph loaded another helping of mashed potatoes onto his plate. He thought Jenna’s mom was a great cook and thought the students at the school where she worked were fortunate to have her preparing their meals.
    â€œI’m hoping by the time I finish law school the war will be over. In fact I’m hoping it’s over before my brother finishes law school next year. I wouldn’t want him involved in it, either.”
    â€œWe’ve gotten ourselves into a big mess,” John Haywood said, after taking a generous sip of iced tea. “I hope Johnson knows what he’s doing.”
    Dinner had been delicious and Randolph had eaten every mouthful. He didn’t hesitate to tell Mrs. Haywood just how much he had enjoyed the meal, especially her apple pie.
    The older woman smiled. “Since you liked it so much, the next time I bake one I’m going to put an extra one in the oven for you and ship it to Jenna.”
    Randolph smiled. “Thank you, Mrs. Haywood.” A part of him knew she would keep her promise.
    After spending time with Jenna’s parents, he knew they believed in the three H’s—honor, honesty and hard work. Now he understood Jenna’s dedication to doing well in school and always wanting to do the right thing. She was raised in a family that expected no less.
    He wondered how things would have been for him and Ross had their parents lived. One thing was for certain, his father would have stood up to Grandmother Julia like Randolph was doing. His grandmother Julia had told him more than once that he was definitely his father’s son. Randolph knew Ross was their father’s son, too. He just hadn’t found anything he wanted badly enough to fight for yet. But if that time ever came, Randolph had no doubt Ross could and would hold his own with Julia Fuller.
    He shuddered as he remembered his last conversation with her.
She would not admit to having anything to do with Jenna’s student loan being turned down. But he knew he had rendered her speechless when he had told her that Jenna had come up with the money and would be returning to Howard.
    Bright and early the next morning, after eating a delicious breakfast Mrs. Haywood had prepared, Randolph walked Jenna out to his grandparents’ car. Opening the trunk he placed her suitcase and his overnight bag inside. He then walked around the car and opened her door for her. Jenna’s father had left for work already but her mother had given him strict orders to drive carefully and had told Jenna to call and let them know when they had arrived safely.
    Once inside the vehicle, before he