Free After the storm by Osar Adeyemi Page A

from the way she acted towards
me."
    He took
her hand in his. "That was the first time you were meeting my mum.
She is not a very expressive woman, not even to us, her
children."
    "Your
mum does not like me," Yemi insisted. "And I'm not comfortable with
that. Her actions showed her feelings towards our relationship
quite clearly."
    He
stroked her hand. "Our engagement is still a bit of a surprise to
her."
    She
arched her brows. "Why is that?"
    "Let's
just say she has her own ideas about certain things, including
marriage. Plus the fact that my siblings went with what she
expected of them and she was expecting me to do the
same."
    "I don't
get you."
    "My mum
had hoped that I would marry someone from a family she knows, just
like Adil did, and Nadia will eventually do." He shrugged. "So like
I said, my mum is just getting used to the fact that my
marriage isn't going to follow that pattern."
    "Well,
it's not too late for you to do her bidding," Yemi said, trying to
disengage her hand from his, but he held on to it firmly and
entwined their fingers.
    He had a
hurt expression in his eyes. "Is that what you want me to do? I
thought you said you loved me?"
    She
shrugged. "You understand your family dynamics more than I
do."
    "Yemi,
do you really love me?"
    She did
not answer him and still refused to meet his eyes. He turned her
chin until their eyes met.
    "I asked
you a question, Yemi. Do you really love me?"
    "You
know I do."
    "Then
that's all that's important. I love you, and I'm not letting you
go. You're the one I want, and everyone has to accept
it."
    "Akeem…"
    He
placed his finger against her lips. "Shhh…baby, trust me,
everything is going to be okay."

Chapter
5
     
    Akeem
felt somewhat relieved as he drove away from Yemi's house later
that evening. He knew she still had some niggling doubts about his
mother, but he felt he had been able to stem most of her
fears.
    He knew
her too well not to have noticed that she was tensed up and
uncomfortable all through the visit with his mother the day before.
That was why he had deliberately delayed introducing her to his
family, and he had been proven right. Just one meeting with his
mum, and the only girl he had ever fallen in love with had gone
into "flight" mode.
    He
stopped at a red light and drummed his fingers lightly on the
steering wheel as he waited for the lights to change.
    All
through their time together, he'd had thoughts of his mother at the
back of his mind. There were times he was almost tempted to tell
Yemi about his family and his mum's expectations about him. But he
didn't want to scare her off, and he wanted her to be so confident
of his love for her that she would not be bothered about how his
family might react to her.
    He had
not been surprised that his mother already knew about Yemi even
before the story of his dating her leaked to the press. He knew she
kept close tabs on all his relationships. He had no idea how she
got the information, but somehow she always knew who he was dating,
no matter how discreet he was.
    The
light turned green, and Akeem drove on. He did not feel like going
home just yet, so he decided to stop over at his friend, Hasan's
place.
    His mind
went back to his mother. He remembered the row he'd had with her
several weeks earlier when he had formally informed her of his
intention to marry Yemi.
    "You
can't be serious, Akeem!" she had snapped at him. "Date her? Yes,
but marry her? Certainly not!"
    "I've
never been more serious, Mum. I love Yemi, and I want to marry
her."
    "Who is
she, and what exactly is she bringing into this family?" his mother
had asked, her lips curling contemptuously.
    "That's
not really important to me, Mum. We love each other, and I know
Yemi will create a loving, stable home for us and for our
kids."
    "Any
woman can do that," his mother had said sarcastically. "Akeem, you
can't just pick any girl from goodness knows where and say you want
to marry her, not when you have a name and a legacy to protect!
That girl