He shifted his eyes back up to her, and they were filled with tears as he shook his head. “No,” he admitted.
The curtain opened suddenly and the doctor stepped in.
“I’m Dr. Rosen, Mrs. Ali. How are you feeling?” he asked, looking down at her over the rim of his glasses. “Any more pain?”
Zaria shook her head as she struggled to sit up. “Well, I examined you earlier and we did an ultrasound and looks like everything is fine with little Baby Ali,” he said.
Zaria sat up straighter in bed, her hand going to her flat belly while the other was nearly crushed in Kaleb’s tight grip.
“Baby Strong,” Kaleb said with pride, a huge grin spreading over his face.
The doctor looked confused. “Okay . . . well, looks like Baby Strong is doing fine. Some bleeding during the first trimester of a pregnancy happens. Of course, with your age, Mrs. Ali, I do recommend that you get in to see an ob-gyn as soon as possible to begin your prenatal care.”
Zaria dropped her head into her hands. “I feel stupid for overreacting, but I had my last babies over twenty years ago,” she said.
The doctor scribbled on her chart. “You did the right thing to come in and get checked. Just take it light for a few days and get your prenatal care going. Okay?”
“I can go home?”
The doctor nodded at Kaleb. “You got this big guy. I’m sure he can handle it.”
Kaleb nodded, still smiling like he won one of those mega-state lotteries. “No doubt, Doc. I got it.”
Dr. Rosen laughed and gave them a final wave before he walked out.
“We’re gonna have a baby,” he said, bending down to kiss Zaria on the mouth. “You’re gonna have my baby.”
Zaria flung the covers back. “I’m ready to get out of this cold place,” she said, swinging her feet over the side before rising to her feet.
Kaleb came around to stand before her. He cupped her face with his hands and then dipped his head in to plant tiny kisses on her mouth that caused her to sigh in pleasure. “I love you so much, Zaria,” he whispered into her open mouth before he deepened the kiss with a guttural moan.
Zaria brought her hands up to grab the sides of his shirt as Kaleb kissed her with a tenderness and passion that made her feel like she was floating on air. “I love you too,” she finally admitted to him as he stepped back to drop to one knee before her.
He kissed her flat belly before he cleared his throat. “This just seems like the right moment to complete what I think was destined to be, Zaria. I believe that although he made you first, God did make you just for me. And I was made for you.”
Zaria’s mouth fell open in surprise as Kaleb took her hand in his. “I don’t want to live this life without you. All this time I been looking for Mrs. Right and you been there the whole time. You’ve been here the whole time,” he said, pointing to his heart. “Marry me, Zaria. Say that you will marry me?” he asked.
“Awwww.”
They both turned their heads to find the twins standing there holding each other’s hands.
Zaria tapped her foot with nerves and tilted her head back as the emotions again threatened to take her breath. “We don’t have to get married because of the baby,” she said, looking down into his face and loving him with such intensity. “Because if that’s why you’re doing this, then I won’t say yes. I won’t do it.”
“The baby?” the twins asked in unison.
Zaria smiled. “I’m still pregnant,” she told them. “Awesome!” they said together before turning to look at each other.
Kaleb cleared his throat, drawing three pairs of almond-shaped eyes. “Um . . . in the middle of a proposal here?” he said dryly, trying to shift to get comfortable on his knee.
“Sorry,” the twins whispered, turning their eyes to their mother and looking on like their own personal soap opera played in front of them.
“Zaria,” Kaleb stressed. “Will you marry me?”
“When I’m fifty you’ll be—”
“Loving you just as much as I do now, Zaria,” he insisted.
The twins sighed dreamily again.
“But how do I know it’s not just the baby you want?” she asked, her resolve weakening fast.
“Ma, you are really ruining the moment,” Meena drawled.
“Seriously,” Neema said with her lisp.
Kaleb could hardly believe the terrible two was cheering him on.
“Seriously,” he said, smiling.
Zaria’s face softened as she looked down into his eyes and saw his heart. “Yes,” she said softly.
“Yes. Yes. Yes.”
The girls clapped lightly.
Kaleb rose to his feet and looked at her with hot eyes and fierce love as he kissed her with all the passion and promise for more that he had inside of him.
Zaria grunted a little in her sleep as she turned over in bed. It took her a second to register that she wasn’t in her own bed and Kaleb’s spot was empty. Last night he had insisted that they all come home with him. The girls had been excited about seeing the ranch and the cattle, and even learning to ride a horse. And so they followed behind Kaleb’s truck and eventually went to sleep in one of his guest rooms.
She flung back the covers and pulled up the T-shirt Kaleb gave her to sleep in when they went to his house early that morning. She looked down at her flat stomach and pressed her hands against it with a smile.
“Good morning, Baby Strong,” she said softly. Soon her body would swell with the growth of the baby, and Zaria was sure she would look like she swallowed a basketball. Kaleb was just as excited as she’d thought he’d be.
They both had had a lot to deal with in the last twenty-four hours. An emotional reunion in the parking lot. Discovering they were pregnant. Grieving a miscarriage. Discovering there was no miscarriage. Their engagement.
A lot had gone on in a short amount of time. Zaria spotted her cell phone sitting on the nightstand. She reached for it. She had several voice mail messages.
She dialed her number and entered her code. “Zaria, this is Hope and Chanci. We haven’t heard from you in a minute. Just checking on you, friend. Call us. Love you. Bye.”
Are they gonna be surprised.
A baby and a marriage for Zaria Ali? She could hardly believe it herself.
“Zaria. This is Kaleb. I been trying to call you all night, and I came to your house but your daughter said you weren’t there. . . .”
Zaria put the phone on speaker as she listened to Kaleb’s words. “I’ve been going over this thing between us from start to finish, including the day I saw you at Home Depot and . . . something doesn’t add up for me. . . .”
Her eyes squinted and she sat up straighter as she held the phone in her hand.
“Because, see, I love you and I know this energy . . . this chemistry, between us is real. To hell with age differences and crap. We got the stuff a lot of people search for their whole lives. . . .”
She smiled as she listened to the rest of his message. It was just the final piece to any questions in her mind nagging at her. Zaria knew she loved Kaleb. She even knew he loved her. And she knew that his proposal was all about love and not just about the baby.
Jumping up from the bed, she raked her fingers through her hair and pulled the T-shirt down over her hips before she padded out of the bedroom. She paused and pulled her T-shirt down over her thighs as the crowd of people all gathered in the living room and kitchen went completely quiet and turned to eye her.
“Not again,” one of the brothers drawled. Zaria was sure she looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “Good morning, everyone,” she said, not recognizing half the people.
Kaleb stepped through the crowd and came up to press a kiss to her temple. “We’ll be right back,” he said with a big grin before turning to push Zaria back into the bedroom.
“Is that your whole family, Kaleb?” she asked, her voice incredulous.
Kaleb nodded. “Someone at the hospital saw me there and cal
led my moms and she called me all upset and wondering what happened . . . and I kinda gave them the good news about the baby and the engagement.”
Zaria walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “And they all just climbed into vehicles and came over?” she asked, placing kisses along his neck and inhaling his scent.
“And made breakfast,” Kaleb added with a chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her as well.
Zaria leaned back to look up at him. “And you think I can handle all them out there?” she asked.
“You are just the woman to do it,” he assured her. Zaria grunted in disbelief. “My doctor’s appointment is today,” she told him.
“Good, because I want to know when we get the all-clears for a real makeup session,” he said.
Zaria laughed, but then nodded. “You know what . . . I agree.”
Kaleb swatted her buttocks. “That’s my girl.” They moved apart as Zaria pulled on her jeans with the T-shirt.
“You’re coming to my brother’s wedding today, right?”
Zaria nodded. “If you want me to.”
“I want you to. You and the girls.”
Zaria felt like she really could have her happily-ever-after.
“You ready to do this?” he asked.
Zaria nodded and slipped her hand into his. “Let’s do this.”
Kaleb took a sip from his glass of champagne as he watched Zaria from across the room. The female members of the Strong family were gathered at one of the linen covered tables talking and laughing. With Zaria. That was important to him because family was everything to him and he wanted Zaria, his future bride and mother of his unborn child, to feel comfortable around them. They were a huge lot and it could be overwhelming at first.
“And then there was one bachelor left.” Kaleb turned as his father stepped up to stand beside him. “Yesterday I was feeling like I lost her forever and today I have her and a new baby on the way,” he said, unable to stop the grin from spreading across his handsome face.
“The way I see you watching her reminds me of how your mother had my nose wide open when we first—”
Kaleb cleared his throat loudly. “I feel a TMI coming,” he drawled, shaking his head in refusal.
Kael chuckled. “I was going to say when we first got married.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Kael reached up and affectionately patted and then rubbed the back of his son’s head. “I’m proud of my boys,” he said, his voice warm.
“Thanks, Pop,” he said, remembering that the head pat and rub was his dad’s version of a hug when they were coming up.
“Now if I can just do something about that daughter of mine,” he said, his grip on Kaleb’s head tightening.
Kaleb frowned. Deeply. “A’ight, Pops,” he complained shaking off his father’s strong grasp as he followed his father’s line of vision locked and loaded on Kaitlyn as she danced without a care in the world.
“She’s going to Paris, ain’t she?” Kaleb asked, thinking his sister was having way too much fun to have not gotten her way.
“You know it,” he admitted.
Kaleb just shook his head and laughed, as he watched Garcelle hand the baby to Zaria to coo and coddle. Soon that will be our child in her arms, he thought, loving the idea of that.
His father disappeared from his side and reappeared just moments later. Kael nudged him, his eyes locked across the tent on his wife. “Watch this, young buck. Watch and learn,” he said.
Suddenly the first strains of the soulful bassline of the upbeat Lovely Day by Bill Withers began to play and Kaleb watched as his mother suddenly sat up straight in her chair and began frantically looking around the entire tent and its close to a hundred inhabitants until she finally laid eyes on her father.
Kaleb looked back and forth between his parents as they shared a long look and a wiggle of their eyebrows. His father began to move his shoulders, work his feet and snap his fingers as he bit his bottom lip.
His mother jumped to her feet and flung her head back as she began to dance across the crowded dance floor toward her husband as she snapped her fingers and grooved as well.
“That’s our song right there. Watch and learn young’un,” Kael said loudly over his shoulder, as he dipped his shoulders and began dancing away with a two-step that was soulful. “Watch. And. Learn. Hey!”
Kaleb smiled and laughed as he watched his parents eye each other until Kael grabbed his wife around her waist and twirled her in the middle of the dance floor. Everyone on the dance floor began to back away and surround them, leaving Kael and Lisha dancing together with smiles on their faces, like no one else existed or mattered as they sang the song to each other.
“Then I look at you and the world’s alright with me . . .”
Kaleb sought Zaria’s eyes and his heart swelled to see her dancing toward him on her four-inch heels. Laughing and clapping, he licked his bottom lip and moved toward his future bride with a soulful two-step. As soon as he neared her he pulled her body close and they rocked together like they were trying to win a Soul Train dance contest.
“Alright now,” Zaria said with a smile when Kaleb circled her and held her close from behind. With their bodies pressed close together, they rocked together to the floor and brought it up.
Looking beautiful in her cocktail length lace and satin dress, Jade pulled Kaeden onto the floor with two hands. Bianca led Kahron onto the dance floor, followed by Garcelle and a reluctant Kade.
All of the reception goers watched the entire Strong clan partying and having a good time in the middle of the dance floor. There was no doubting the love they had for one another and their significant others.
EPILOGUE
Six months later
“Am I crazy to be getting married? Look at me, I’m as big as a double wide trailer,” Zaria asked, studying her reflection in the full-length mirror. “It’s hot as—”
“Ma, we’re in church,” Meena said from behind her with urgency.
Zaria clamped her gloss covered lips together and used a wedding program to fan herself. “Just roll me down the aisle and tell Kaleb to put his foot out like a kickstand to stop me at the altar,” she said dryly.
Neema and Meena stepped up on either side of her, looking really pretty in their rose petal strapless chiffon dresses with knee-length skirts and thin rhinestone headbands in their updos. “Ma, you look beautiful,” they said in unison.
Zaria shrugged as she took in the beautiful chiffon one shoulder wedding dress she wore with an elaborate design of oversized rosettes on the shoulder. The empire waist emphasized and framed her full breasts before flowing into a long and elegant skirt that showed nothing but the tips of her painted toes. Her make-up was flawless. Her hair was in an elegant updo with a floral rhinestone headband.
“I do look pretty good,” she admitted begrudgingly, her hands coming up to cup her swollen abdomen.
“And everything is fine,” Neema added, pressing her bouquet into her hands. “It’s going to be the perfect wedding.”
Zaria nodded, giving both her girls an air kiss before she twisted her bouquet in her hands. It was the final piece to her happily-ever-after. She had moved into Kaleb’s home and turned it into the showcase it deserved to be. She’d even taken over the running of the dairy store and found the nesting traits of her pregnancy worked well for organizing the store and maintaining the records—with Kaeden’s help. Her girls had graduated with their associates degrees and both transferred to the College of Charleston to get their four year degrees. They even had part-time jobs and moved into the house with plans to take over the mortgage once they graduated.
She had a relatively easy pregnancy for her age and things with Kaleb were better than she hoped. Life is good. Enjoy it.
Determined to do just that, Zaria smiled and turned away from the pity party she was having with herself in the mirror. There was a brief knock at the door before it opened. Zaria turned to see Lisha, Garcelle, Jade, Bianca and Kaitlyn al
l walk in looking beautiful in an array of summer sundresses.
“We just wanted to check on you before the ceremony,” Lisha said, coming over to hug Zaria close. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she said, loving that the women had all made her and her daughters feel welcomed into the family. She worried that because she was closer to Lisha’s age than her soon to be sisters-in-law that they would judge her—but they hadn’t. From the moment Zaria first met them the morning they all crowded into Kaleb’s house, Zaria’s wit and fun nature had caused them all to gel. Thankfully.
“I’m so glad you two realized that you had been on the same page the whole time,” Lisha whispered to her with a quick peck to her cheek.
Zaria leaned back and laughed.
“Alrighty, we got a wedding so let’s get to our seats, ladies,” Lisha said, nudging her daughters out the door even as they all wished Zaria well and gave her tips for remaining calm.
Soon the wedding planner led Zaria and the twins out of the back room and into the foyer. As she listened to the music playing softly, each of her daughters rubbed her belly and squeezed her hand before they stepped through the archway and walked down the white covered aisle of Holtsville Baptist Church.
She had just stepped in the doorway herself, as the wedding planner arranged her dress behind her, when she felt the first twinge of discomfort. Everyone in the church rose and turned to look at her as she began her march down the aisle. She rested her eyes on Kaleb, looking tall and handsome in his hand tailored lightweight suit that was the color of dark sand and perfect for their small summer wedding.
Another twinge radiated and Zaria frowned a little at the increased intensity. Pressing a smile to her face, she took a few more measured steps down the aisle before a spasm hit her that made her nearly snap the stem of her bouquet in half. Oh no . . .
Seeing the look of concern on the faces of their family and close friends, she gave them a tight smile before looking down the remainder of the aisle at Kaleb.
“I love you,” Kaleb mouthed.
The Hot Spot Page 19