Refusing to believe it still, she chuckled again, uneasily this time. “Kane, I get it, you’re trying to pull my legs, but don’t you think this is taking things a little bit too far?”
Because despite the fact that her brain was still maintaining reasoning, her heart had started to believe it, and soon, her brain would begin to hope that it was true. Nope, she couldn’t do this to herself. It was hard enough, trying to deal with these feelings for him that were growing stronger by the day. Imagine making a fool of herself, by believing this ruse? The joke would be on her, period.
“But I’m not kidding, Keisha. I am actually being serious here. I mean, we’ve had a very excellent working relationship for the past three years, and I can say we’ve been more than just boss and employee. Not to mention that in the past few months, we’ve grown into more. I would like to think of us as good friends. Great friends, even. I’m not making a huge deal out of things, am I?”
Too confused to say anything, she simply shook her head.
“Thank goodness.” His relief was clear, and it confused her all the more.
Oblivious to the war going on in her head, he resumed his speech. “We are great friends, that we have just established. We work well together. You’re like the yin to my yang when it comes to this company and you know that I truly appreciate that and would never take it for granted.”
She nodded, aware of how dumb this whole thing was making her look.
“And well, you understand, more than anyone else I could possibly think of embarking on this new adventure with, what’s at stake here and what we have to lose. I know you love this company almost as much as I do. You’ve given it more than you are required to, not because of the pay or anything else, but because you actually love what you do.”
This time, she managed to speak. “Yeah, that’s right.” the lump in her throat felt heavy, so she swallowed again, pushing it down. Then, to her utter dismay, he went down on one knee. On one freaking knee!
Keisha’s heart went into overdrive and as it began to palpitate, she felt she would go into a cardiac arrest.
“Kane, what are you doing?”
He shrugged, a boyish, charming smile on his face. “What does it look like? Asking you to marry me of course. Although, I have no ring. I haven’t gotten around to getting one. I hope I don’t lose points for that.”
A chuckle broke free from her lips, even as her eyes welled up with tears. How could he manage to joke at such a time? And how could she say no to such a beautiful smile? How could she say no to him?
He got sober then, his voice serious and deep as he went on to finish his speech…
“Keisha, I know that this is probably not the way you envisioned it. I know that you believe in love and happily ever afters, and what I am asking of you is a damn huge favor. I know that this may seem selfish on my part, as right now, I do not have love or mushy promises to offer. However, what I can promise you is that if you agree to marry me, for however long the marriage may last, I will support you, respect you, be your friend, make you laugh when you’re sad, and hold you if you ever need to cry. I also swear… I swear that I would never be the reason for your tears, except of course, if they are happy ones – as I hope these tears, right now, are.”
She broke into another chuckle as the first drop of tears fell, followed by the rest. Oh great, now she was making a fool of herself. A man was proposing a business marriage and she was crying? Who cried over such a thing? Her. Keisha Young. Awesome.
“Of course, there would be some technicalities, we would have to draw up a contract, if you like, a prenup if you would prefer. We’ll have a wedding as big or as small as you want it. Basically, you get to call the shots. All that I ask is that you consider me worthy enough of the next two years of your life, to say yes.”
She had managed to stop the tears then. As she stared into those blue eyes and saw nothing but genuineness, she wondered about the wisdom of her answer. Nevertheless, she went ahead to say it.
*****
“You said whaaaattt?” Jordyn exclaimed, causing everyone at the dinner table to look at her.
Keisha rolled her eyes, not at all surprised by her friend’s reaction, and went back to stabbing the ham on her plate.
It was their traditional family Sunday dinner and everyone was present. Her father, her mother, herself, Jordyn and Justin. She had just broken the news about Kane’s proposal and she had known that Jordyn would be the first to say something, in exactly that manner.
“What? Don’t look at me like that. Y’all heard what she said. A multi-billionaire, like a fine ass, sexy, rich man, the last one in the whole of Colorado, asked your daughter to marry him and she said she would think about it? What’s there to think about? Did you hit your head? Is that why you couldn’t think straight?”
“Jordyn…” Amanda Young scolded, but they all could see the smile she was trying to hide.
Her father, however, chuckled aloud. He had no business hiding his amusement when he was already so accustomed to Jordyn’s manners.
“Don’t give me that look, Ms Young. Y’all know damn well your daughter's tripping. She’s had a crush on that man for yeeaars. He finally asks her to be his wife and all her smart, pretty head could come up with was ‘I’ll think about it.’ Really?”
“Oh shut up, J.D. I so do not sound that way.” She had a solid voice, but that didn’t mean she sounded like a mooing cow.
Jordyn threw her a shocked look. “When you do stupid things like that, how do you think you sound, girlfriend?”
“J.D! You are my best friend and I love you, but sometimes, I want to smack you so hard. Like right now.”
“Good. That makes two of us!”
Unable to feign any anger towards her friend, Keisha found herself smiling. She shook her head at J.D, but more at herself. She shouldn’t have answered her all those years ago, in art class.
“Now, girls. Girls. While we are all entertained by your banter, including little Justin here,”
Keisha turned to look at the boy in question, and squeezed his cute adorable cheeks. He grinned happily, stealing more of her heart with that beautiful smile. How could any man walk out on the chance to be a father to this boy?
“We have to actually discuss this issue. I assume that is the reason why you brought it here to us?”
Trust her father to always come with the voice of reasoning.
“Yes, Pa. I thought it would be best to seek your opinions.”
“And we respect that, but we all know that the ball is in your court and you have the final say. We cannot stop you from doing whatever you want to do, and we cannot persuade you to do whatever you do not. So, tell us, do you want to marry this boy?” It was her mother.
Keisha sighed as she dropped her fork. It was the same question she had been asking herself. Did she want to marry Kane? Sure, she cared about him, and she really believed that they would have a good marriage. However, the whole circumstances surrounding this were making things a little gray.
She didn’t want to be a divorcee. She wanted to marry one man and stay married to him if she could help it. Now, imagine going into a marriage, knowing that it was all some business that would end someday? And love? Where was the chance for that? Was friendship enough for her? Could it be?
A sigh broke free. “I don’t know, Ma. I really do not know. It seems like the logical thing to do. I mean Kane is a great guy and I know I would never regret this. But I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the whole business feeling.”
“Sure puts a coldness to it, doesn’t it?” Amanda asked.
“And I sure do not like the idea of my daughter setting up to be a divorcee. I’ve seen what divorce does to people. It’s a nasty business.”
And they didn’t even know the half of it… Kane wanted her to get pregnant too – by IVF, of course. The public needs a reason for the sudden marriage and the baby was going to give them a reason. They would conclude that they had been having a secret affair a
s office relationship was prohibited, but now that she was pregnant, they had to come out and do the right thing.
If a pin dropped in that moment, it would be heard in the deaf silence that fell over the dinner table as she told them that part of the plan. Her father was the first person who spoke.
“I don’t like it. Adding a child to the mix is nothing but plain stupidity. You think taking care of a child is easy? And what do you intend to do after the separation? Joint custody? What happens when the both of you find other people? I already have one grandchild in such a confusing position, I don’t want another one growing up wondering what the hell is happening, why his family isn’t together like others.”
Everyone knew the grandchild Elijah Young was talking about, was Justin. Keisha’s parents loved the boy like they loved his mother – as their own. And they were mad about the fact that his good-for-nothing-father had left him with the father figure position vacant. Nevertheless, Elijah was trying to do a great job of filling that role. Thankfully for child-like innocence, Jay was too happy licking off his chicken ribs, to realize the implication of Elijah’s words.
Amanda reached across the table and laid a comforting hand over her husband’s. “Honey, he’ll be fine. Jordyn is doing a better job than that man could ever imagine doing. And he’s got us too. He’ll be fine.”
Elijah nodded in agreement and sent an apologetic look Jordyn’s way. Before he could speak, she stopped him.
“Don’t you dare, Mr. Young. There’s nothing to be sorry about. If anything, I should be grateful my boy has people who love him so fiercely.”
Her eyes watered then, and Keisha found herself reaching across the table to comfort her friend. It was a special moment for all of them.
The tenseness was relieved when Amanda joked. “All these years and you still call us Mr. and Ms. Young.”
It worked, they all laughed. “That’s my nickname for y’all. It’s past time you got used to it.”
The light mood quickly passed, but it made the atmosphere better.
“Your father is right, Keys. It’s not easy, not even if it’s going to be joint parenting. Are you sure you want to do this?” Jordyn asked.
She wasn’t. She wasn’t sure of anything. At least… not until her mother spoke.
“You love the company, and you may not know it yet, but it’s obvious you love the man. And from what I know, he cares about you deeply. Maybe, maybe for now, that’s enough.”
Keisha stewed on her mother’s words. Indeed, she loved the company. But the man? Did she love Kane Wells? Was she in love with her boss?
Chapter 9
Keisha got her response three months later.
As she stood in an unbelievably beautiful white dress, next to her handsome groom, in front of a small congregation of family, friends and colleagues, she knew that she could no longer deny it.
She was beyond every slightest doubt, heads over heels, to the moon and back, completely and utterly in love with this man. How could she not be? When the past three months had been the best months of her life. And today! Gosh. It still felt like a dream. She had never floated on clouds before, but she knew that any feeling it could give, wouldn’t beat what she was experiencing at the moment.
She had a baby growing in her womb, flowers in her hands, tears in her eyes, and a smile that was beginning to hurt on her lips. She was darn happy! Joyous! And she could not stop herself from smiling, or crying.
Prior to this moment, every single day before today, every hour that has led up to this, she had wondered if she could do this, if she could pull it through, if it would be worth it. Yet, here she was. Afraid? Certainly, but her father had said it was necessary and it was good. But beyond that, she was doubtless. This was it for her. This was it. And although Kane Wells didn’t know it yet, he was going to catch on soon.
They were going to make this marriage work. All she had to do, was get him to see that he was as in love with her, as she was with him.
“Kane Samuel Wells, before God and man, do you take this woman, Keisha Grace Young, to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
This was it, the moment they had all been waiting for. The vows. They turned to face each other and through her veil, she peeked at him. He looked as ecstatic as she was. And when he started to speak, she held her heart in her hands.
“Dear Keisha, I have rehearsed this speech a million times in my head. A hundred times in the last five minutes, and probably a thousand times since dawn broke today. I remember squeezing an entire book into small paper balls before I found what I considered the perfect speech, and I remember writing it down on a piece of paper and cramming it all, when I finally did. Yet, as the minister asked that question, I knew that those words would not do you justice, the way I feel about you, or the awesome woman that you are. So, here goes nothing.
Keisha, I still remember the day you came into my office, over three years ago. Shoulder high, spine straight and confidence reaching the roof. I didn’t know who you were, but before you showed me your qualification or said a word about why I should hire you, I knew that I would. Not one single moment, have I regretted that decision. You took on the job of my right-hand woman and made me fall in love with my company even more than I already was. Your wit, your charm, your sarcasm and your doggedness, they all birthed wonderful ideas that have only helped the company move forward, but it was more than all of those that made me fall in love with you.”
Keisha could hear the crowd fawning. Series of “Awws, and OOohhss” were being echoed, and the sound of her wildly beating heart threatened to drown them out. Her tears poured. She knew all of this was part of the image they were selling to the media – madly in love couple, but still, she could not help hearing the strong emotions in his voice, the fierce sincerity in those words.
She broke into a sob, and Jordyn was quick to step in and dry her tears. She sent a thankful look to her dutiful maid of honor, and Jordyn nodded knowingly, in return.
“I know I swore never to make you cry unless they were happy tears, so, I hope those are happy tears?”
His genuine concern wrapped a fist around her heart, and she could only nod as more tears dropped.
“Good. Keisha, I never thought I would be doing this with anyone. And in all sincerity, three years ago, hell, a year ago, I never thought I would be doing this with you. However, these past few months being your friend, your lover and your fiance, have been the most glorious months of my life. I have found joy, I have found peace but above all, I have found love in your arms. Your soul is pure and your heart is true. And it is all of these, every little thing you do, down to the way your eyes twinkle when you find out champagne is on the menu, that make me love you. So yes, to answer the minister’s question, I do. I do take you, Keisha Grace Young, to be my wife, my business partner, the mother of my children, my buddy and my home, from today onward, to have and to hold, to cherish and to support, in sickness and in health, until gray hairs, wrinkles, weak bones, death and yonder.”
If she hadn’t already, she would have fallen in love with the man at that moment. Damn! Damn it! Damn him! How was she supposed to let him go when he said things like that. until death and yonder? Her stomach squirmed, and her heart burst from so many emotions.
She stared at the ring he slipped onto her finger. A simple silver band, next to the diamond ring he had given her at the engagement party.
“Wow. That is quite a vow, Mr. Wells. Miss Keisha Grace Young, I shall have to ask you, do you take this man, Kane Samuel Wells, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
Like Kane, she had written a whole ass verse, but she could not remember a single word. Damning it all, she spoke from her heart.
“Apart from my father, in all of my years, I have never known a man so kind and true. Your dedication to the legacy your father left behind inspires me every time. You work so hard, morning and night, yet, you remember the littlest things. You take note of the littlest things. You remember your dates with the children on
Spring street, every last Saturday of the month. You remember your date with the elderly, every third Thursday of the month. You have never for once, forgotten your mother’s birthday, your father’s memorial or their wedding anniversary. I remember so vividly, that day you walked into the office with a bouquet of yellow daisies – they are my favorite and I had only mentioned them in passing, once. It was exactly a year after the first day I started working with you, and you told me ‘Happy anniversary, Young. I hope you like it here. I know I like having you around. Call this a bribe, but I hope you stay on.’ To say that I was awed is an understatement. You know my favorite coffee, my favorite pizza topping, my favorite desert, my favorite meal and my favorite color. All of these, even whilst we were only friends. You never treated me like I was beneath you, and you were always professional and courteous, even after love got in the way. How can a girl not fall in love with a man like you? I have always prayed to God for a man as wonderful as my father, he gave me just that.
So yes, I do. I, Keisha Grace Young, take you, Kane Samuel Wells, as my lawfully wedded husband, to cherish and to love, utterly and completely in good times and terrible times, to stand by your side and weather each storm, until death do us part, and yonder, if there be.”
It took the minister a while and from the side of her eyes, she could see people brandishing their handkerchiefs in the crowd.
She accepted the ring from Jordyn and slipped it onto his finger. Finally, the minister spoke.
“Is there anyone here present, who has a reason why this man and woman should not be joined together in holy matrimony? Speak now, or forever remain silent.”
As they waited, Keisha’s gaze held his, the world falling away. She could only see him, only feel him. Just him.
“In the absence of objections and by the opportunity given to me as a minister of the church, I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
It wasn’t until he lifted up her veil that she saw that he too had been crying. When his lips touched hers, she tasted the salt in his tears. The kiss was simple and short, yet, it carried emotions that weakened her knees.
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