14
I Will Always Love You
Princess’s reaction was immediate. “Rafael,” she said, quickly stepping away from Kelvin. “I was waiting on you.”
Rafael’s eyes stayed on Kelvin as he answered. “I’m here. Let’s go.”
He reached out his hand to Princess. She took it and stepped forward. Kelvin placed his hand on Princess’s arm, stopping her in her tracks. “Princess, can I talk to you for a quick minute?”
Rafael immediately pulled Princess out of Kelvin’s grasp. “Man, didn’t you hear what I told you?”
“Rafael, please. Let’s just go.”
Rafael looked hard and long at Kelvin before turning with Princess in tow and heading for the door.
As he watched her walk away, something snapped in Kelvin. Suddenly, he wasn’t the strong, successful professional basketball player with a multimillion-dollar contract, fancy homes, cars, and more women than he could count. He was that ten-year-old boy living in Germany, trying to fit in with a bunch of blond-haired, blue-eyed classmates who didn’t look like him. He was that boy who liked Martina, the brunette neighbor who often looked as lost as he did, and whom he wouldn’t approach because he was afraid of rejection. But why am I afraid of it now? It’s too late for any of this. She’s already married. Yet, in spite of himself, he called her name. “Princess!”
“Don’t turn around,” Rafael encouraged, tightening his grip on Princess’s hand.
And even though her head told her that Rafael was her future, there was no way her heart would allow her to walk away from her past. Not now, not like this. “Wait, Rafael,” she said, even though they’d reached the door and Rafael was holding it open for her to pass through. “I need to talk to him.” Rafael opened his mouth to protest but before he could do so, Princess hurried on. “Just for a minute, baby, no longer, I promise.” Rafael’s body was as stiff as a board. He couldn’t even look at Princess. “He and I were close once, Rafael. It’s his father lying back there, and we don’t know whether he will live or die. I know you won’t believe this, but I saw Kelvin mere seconds before you came in. We were hugging because we’d just seen each other.”
Rafael cut a glance at Princess. “Does it matter what I think, Princess? Will you walk away from him right now, come with me without looking back if I ask?”
“Just one minute,” Princess pleaded, ignoring Rafael’s question because really … what could she say? “Wait right here. Don’t leave me. I’m just going to tell him what I know about Uncle Derrick. And then we can go.”
Watching Princess walk over to where Kelvin stood waiting, Rafael’s wide-legged stance showed determination; his crossed arms evidence of his displeasure. Keep your cool, dog, he told himself. She’s leaving with you.
Princess stopped about two feet away from Kelvin. “I’m sorry about your father, Kelvin, but I think he’s going to be okay.”
“What happened?”
Princess shrugged. “We still don’t know. We were in the middle of our ceremony and he just collapsed.”
Kelvin’s eyes were drawn to Princess’s hands, which were nervously clasped to her chest. One thing stood out immediately. Engagement ring—check. Wedding band—MIA. His heartbeat increased as Princess’s words sank in and an unthinkable scenario seeped into his head. “This happened before you and Rafael got married?”
Princess looked into Kelvin’s eyes and read into his soul. “Your father is still in intensive care. Aunt Viv is in there with him.” She pointed Kelvin in the right direction.
Rafael looked at his watch. “Princess.”
Princess looked over her shoulder. “Okay.” She turned back to Kelvin. “I’ve got to go.”
“Don’t do it, baby.”
She knew what he was talking about, but asked anyway. “Do what?”
“Marry him. Don’t throw away something that comes only once in a lifetime. I still love you, Princess. I never stopped. I always will.”
Princess dropped her head and turned away. She walked to Rafael, who quickly put his arm around her and ushered her out the door. He looked back at Kelvin, a don’t-eff-with-this message written all over his face. But Kelvin didn’t read the memo. His eyes were on Princess, his thoughts on the fact that she was walking out the door and taking a part of his heart with her—and that she did so without looking back.
15
It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over
Kelvin was beside himself. He hadn’t felt this helpless since he was thirteen years old. At the time he entered his teen years he’d been a shy, unsure, and out-of-place student at one of Germany’s elite private schools—one of the few people of color who walked the large, picturesque campus. Then, in a matter of months, he grew several inches and his thin, lanky frame filled out to one of muscle-chiseled perfection. And something else happened. His uncle sent him a basketball, signed by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Having always been a baller fan, he found out that he was also gifted at hoops. Instantly, he had a focus, a dream, and fans. His new physique and impressive b-ball skills took him from being a student on the fringe to the big man on campus. Girls wanted to be with him and boys wanted to be him. A heady time for a boy who’d spent a lot of his early years alone.
He vividly remembered the moment that he looked in a mirror and wondered just who it was staring back at him. It certainly wasn’t his stepfather, a serious yet compassionate German with salt and pepper hair and ruddy fair skin. And the more time passed, it really wasn’t his mother either, an attractive woman with toffee-brown skin, a round face, and average height. When he first asked about his biological father, Janeé Petersen was evasive. When he was sixteen years old, however, he traveled to California to spend the summer with his Uncle Geoff, the one who’d recognized his athletic potential early on. That summer not only did Kelvin find his scholastic niche, but he also met his father.
Kelvin’s phone rang and he snatched if off the marble table in the elegantly appointed Ritz-Carlton room where he sat. “Yo, dog. Took you long enough.”
“Slow your anger roll, KP. I was at the gym. Just got your message.” Kelvin could hear his best friend, Brandon, gulping water from a bottle. “How’s your dad?”
Kelvin relayed what he knew and then added, “I saw Princess.”
“For real?”
“Yeah, she was at the hospital.”
“On her wedding day? I mean, I know your dad is like her uncle and everything, but that’s crazy!”
“You haven’t even heard crazy yet.”
“Talk to me.”
“She’s not married yet.”
“Stop bullshittin’.”
“Real talk.”
“What do you mean she’s not married?”
“Dad passed out in the middle of their ceremony. You can about imagine the chaos, especially from Princess’s father, King, who views Dad like a brother. Folk followed the ambulance from the church to the hospital. Miss Tai said that King never left Dad’s side. He’s probably still at the hospital right now.”
A low whistle came over the line. “Did y’all get a chance to talk?”
“Not much. When I saw her, man, it was like … I can’t even explain it, but this feeling came over me like I’ve never felt before. I was sad and happy at the same time. We were like magnets, in each other’s arms as soon as we saw each other. Then Rafael had to walk in and break up the moment.”
“Oh, shit! That couldn’t have gone well.”
“If it had gone the way it should have, I wouldn’t be on the phone with you right now. I’d be with her.” Silence, and then, “I need to see her, man.”
“Kelvin …”
“It’s still there. I could feel it. I could see it in her eyes. If I could just talk to her for a few minutes, get her to see reason, she wouldn’t marry that clown!”
“Man, I think it’s a little late for that. For all you know, she could be married by now.”
“Didn’t you hear me? King is still with my dad.”
&
nbsp; “He’s not the only preacher in Kansas. They may have found someone else and tied the knot.” Brandon sighed. “I know you don’t want to hear this, dog, but maybe it’s time to concede that it’s over… and Rafael won.”
“What? Are you crazy? I will never concede that shit, man, never!”
“You know I’m feeling you, KP. I was there when you and Princess jumped off. I was there last year, when you took your son to LA and had Princess pray for him, and you told me all about when she spent that weekend with you and then left because of all the females blowing up your phone. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of women throwing themselves at you, dude,” Brandon concluded. “There’s probably somebody out there who will make you forget all about homegirl.”
“Hey, man, I need you to call Joni,” Kelvin said, as if he hadn’t heard a word Brandon had spoken. “Get her on three-way. I need her to tell me where Princess is at.”
“No.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I love you like a brother, but I’m not putting my wife in the middle of this again. It took Princess a long time to get over Joni’s indirect involvement in helping you contact her the last time. If she helps interrupt what could be her wedding night … that would probably be the end of their friendship.” The silence spoke loudly before Brandon continued, his voice soft and full of compassion. “Let it go, Kelvin. Let her go. I know you’re used to getting what you want in life, but when it comes to this situation, you need to face facts. It’s over.”
“It’s not over until it’s over,” Kelvin replied, his voice calm, resolute. “And it’s not over until I say it is.”
A different kind of pleading was happening on the other side of town. Rafael stood behind Princess, massaging her tight shoulders. “I’ve waited a year, Princess. I think I’ve been more than patient. All I’m asking is for us to take a shower together, and then let us go to sleep with you wrapped in my arms.”
Princess dropped her head as Rafael’s strong fingers moved from her shoulders to the nape of her neck. “That’s what you say now, but I think once we’re butt naked in the shower you’ll be asking for a little bit more.”
Something in Rafael snapped. He ended the massage abruptly and came from behind the chair to confront Princess face to face. “Would that be asking too much? We had about five minutes of the ceremony left, Princess. Five minutes! And then we would have been husband and wife. What’s left is a mere formality and I’ve already told you that by noon tomorrow, even that will be taken care of.”
Princess was in turmoil. How could she counter what Rafael said? It made perfect sense. True, at this time in her life she was the poster child for virtuousness and had vowed to be married the next time she made love. But she felt that even Jesus would admit that these were some pretty extraneous circumstances. How could she deny this man who’d been so patient with her? And then, an even more disturbing thought. How could she deny the feelings for the man who’d caused fireworks in her body with one simple glance?
“I know this isn’t how we imagined tonight,” she finally said, reaching out to grab the hand of the patient, understanding, worthy man whose pleading eyes now bore into hers. “I’ve been anticipating it as much as you. I can’t imagine many men who would have honored me the way that you have. But if we give in to our passion tonight, before our marriage becomes official, then the last twelve months would have been in vain.” Princess stood, placed her arms around Rafael’s neck. “Just a few more hours,” she murmured, kissing him on the cheek. “And then … I’m all yours.”
16
Forget You
Everyone survived the night. Derrick had still not awakened, but his vitals remained stable and his heartbeat was strong. After trying without success to talk Vivian into coming with them, King and Tai had left the hospital shortly after one in the morning. Vivian had refused to leave her husband’s side, but had accepted the hospital’s offer to have a small cot wheeled into Derrick’s room. After talking with Brandon and making a few more calls, Kelvin had gone down to the bar in his hotel. He’d drunk Johnnie Walker Blue over ice, entertained the small crowd gathered at that late hour, signed a few autographs, and finally, around three in the morning, was sufficiently inebriated to get some sleep. Rafael had wished for alcohol, but when it came to his partaking in peaceful slumber, he’d chosen prayer instead. Princess had suggested that they could spend the night cuddling, but knowing the permanent hard-on that would cause, Rafael had opted for the pull-out sofa in the suite’s living room. The last time he looked at the clock it was 4:45.
Princess’s night had been harrowing at best. Sleep was elusive. Dreams were not. In one of them, she and Kelvin were back on the campus of UCLA, walking from one of the buildings to his car. They were holding hands and kissing, in between waving at people they knew. Suddenly, this woman named Fawn, a real-life nemesis who for three years convinced Kelvin that he was the father of her son until a DNA test proved otherwise, roared up in a candy red convertible.
“Get in!” she’d said, as Kelvin and Princess neared her vehicle.
“Forget you, girl,” Kelvin huffed, reaching for Princess’s hand and turning them to walk behind the car.
“You can never forget me!” Fawn screamed, holding up a newborn baby girl. “You won’t be able to deny this one! I gave him the daughter you aborted, bitch!”
Princess had sat straight up out of that nightmare, her heart beating faster than it had at the church. She’d shaken her head to try and clear the cobwebs of that horrible subconscious state. She realized that the content of this dream was the result of the subconscious guilt she continued to carry, remorse about the pregnancy she’d terminated even though she felt forgiven. “It was a boy,” she’d whispered into the darkness, although the dream caused her to speculate that she and Kelvin’s child could have indeed been a girl. That’s when the tears had come, and she’d tiptoed into the bathroom and turned on the water so that Rafael couldn’t hear her cry.
“Baby, are you awake?” Rafael sauntered to the doorway of the bedroom and now leaned against the doorjamb, looking fondly at the lump in the bed that was his soon-to-be wife.
Princess nestled deeper into the covers. “Barely. What time is it?”
“Time for us to get up and get moving. Cleavon is expecting us at the courthouse at eleven and our flight leaves at three, so we can’t be late.” He walked into the room and sat on the bed. “Did you sleep okay?”
“It took me a while to fall asleep, but once I did, it was okay. I probably got around five hours of sleep.”
Rafael smiled. He felt good knowing that Princess’s night had been similar to his, physically wanting something that was so close, yet so far away. “Well, you get around ten minutes more sleep while I take a shower. Or better yet, why don’t you order us some room service so we can have a quick bite before we leave?”
“Okay.” Princess threw back the covers and sat up on the side of the bed. Because he was behind her, she didn’t see the raw desire that blazed in Rafael’s eyes as he looked at the satin-clad woman who made his blood boil and his bone hard. “But let me use the bathroom real quick.”
The ride to the courthouse was a quiet one, as had been the breakfast that they’d shared in the room. Rafael had been amorous, barely able to keep his hands off Princess, wanting to continually bury his tongue deep inside her mouth. Princess had complied a time or two, but the more he pressed for physical affection, the tighter the knot in her stomach had become. She’d already resigned herself to the fact that there was nothing she could do. Rafael had been more than patient; she had to see this through. The proverbial horse was well out of the barn and there was no bringing it back. If you have any reservations, Princess, any doubts at all about your being able to stay in this marriage for the long term … then you’d be doing Rafael a disservice by saying “I do.” For the past twenty-four hours, the words of the conversations with her mother had been on a continuous loop inside her head. In her alone time,
she could see the sensibility of what her mother had spoken. But now, in this moment, she felt that to not go through with these plans to become Mrs. Stevens would be the worse disservice to Rafael. That’s it. I’ve got to do it. Princess reached over and grabbed Rafael’s hand. He glanced over, gave her hand a gentle squeeze. In just a few short moments, she’d take his last name.
Because today was Sunday, parking downtown was easy. Rafael found a spot near the entrance to City Hall, then walked around to the passenger side to open the door for Princess. As beautiful as she’d looked yesterday, he almost preferred the understated elegance of what she wore today: a floral dress made of material silky soft to the touch, and sandals that added three inches to her height. Today, she wore her hair down, the way he liked it. Her jewelry was understated, makeup minimal. He felt his attire equally casual: tan slacks, a striped button-down shirt, and loafers. He planned to change into jeans for their flight to Montego Bay.
“You ready?” he asked Princess, as he pointed his key chain toward the car and locked it.
“Yes,” she answered, not daring to look Rafael in the eye, lest he see her true feelings. “Oh, wait. I forgot my phone. Unlock the door, baby.”
“Leave it in there. We won’t be long.”
“You know I’ve been waiting on word about Uncle Derrick. Just let me get it, okay?”
Rafael acquiesced and unlocked the door. Princess had just retrieved the phone when it rang in her hand. She gave Rafael a look. “Told you.” Linking her arm through his, she answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Princess, it’s your mom. I’ve got good news.”
Princess stopped. “What is it?”
“Derrick woke up.”
“Praise God!” She told Rafael what her mom said.
“Yes, we are thankful and the doctors are cautiously optimistic.”
“Why cautiously?”
“Because, baby, he’s awake and seems to be lucid enough but the doctors have still not been able to pinpoint what happened. They’re running additional tests, but Viv wants him transferred to Cedars-Sinai. They’ll likely be moving him in the next few hours.”
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