Her laughter filled the air.
~~~
Quaysar’s grand apartment seemed awfully small with the number of guests who’d arrived for Quest and Michaela’s party. Of course, everyone came bearing gifts. The largest and most extravagant of all came from Ramsey’s construction and architectural divisions. It was to be the final gift presented that evening.
“We pride ourselves on having the best ideas, which result in the best creations,” said Jason Calloway, Ramsey’s construction chief. “But for our latest residential division, our best idea came from someone who isn’t even on our staff. Ms. Sellars- soon to be Mrs. Ramsey,” Jason rephrased when Quest cleared his throat. “I hope this is more of what you had in mind.”
Several gasps and applause rose when a veil was lifted to reveal a scale model of the next residential endeavor. Construction was set to begin that fall. Mick recognized it as the project site Quest had taken her to when he’d shown her around Seattle.
“The yards are fantastic,” she commended, rousing laughter from everyone in the room.
Shortly, the group dispersed but Mick was still captivated by the model.
“You approve?”
“I approve,” she nodded as Quest’s arms settled about her waist. “This is beautiful. I can’t believe they even took my advice into consideration.”
Quest pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Why?”
Mick flashed him a funny look. “Please, the boss’s girlfriend? Hell, I wasn’t even your girlfriend then.”
“We don’t care who the idea comes from, so long as it’s good.”
“And you,” Mick turned in his arms, “most men don’t even want their women involved in their personal business, let alone professional.”
Quest leaned close and cradled her face in his palms. “Most men don’t have a woman like you.”
Mick squeezed his hands and smiled. “Baggage and all?”
“I like ‘em thick,” he teased, joining in when she laughed. “Now can we get out of here?” he pleaded.
“Let’s go,” she shook her head when her fiance’ clenched his fist in triumph.
***
The following week, Michaela was surveying a familiar sight. Her look of surprise was mixed with suspicion. “What are we doing here?” she queried to her fiance in a sly tone.
Quest shrugged beneath a butter cream suede jacket. “We needed to get away and I had a good reason for wanting to get away to here.”
“Ah…our honeymoon,” Mick sighed, her tone laced with mock sweetness. “But uh, sweetie, I think you’re backward. The honeymoon comes after the wedding.”
“Funny,” Quest fixed her with a warning glance. “Do you remember the last time we were here,” he turned back to the truck’s flatbed.
Michaela’s eyes took on a dreamy look as she reminisced of the time spent at the secluded cabin in upstate Illinois.
Quest shook his head, knowing where her thoughts were centered the moment he saw her face. “You have a one-track mind. I wasn’t talking about the good times.”
The light dimmed in Mick’s eyes. “Quest,” she groaned, bowing her head. “That’s over now, why-”
“Because I want all our times here to be good ones and I’d like us to deal with the bad ones the moment they happen,” he said, hooking the strap of a garment bag across his shoulder. “After what happened here before, it took us a while to get back on track, remember?”
Mick nodded. “I remember,” she pulled the cuffs of her cobalt-blue hoody over her hands.
Quest sent her a wink and then finished collecting their things from the truck’s flatbed.
~~~
Dusk had settled and night was right on its heels by the time Mick and Quest got everything unpacked. That evening, Mick decided to show off her culinary talents. In addition to homemade sweet bread and juicy herb-roasted chicken, she prepared a recipe for a saucy vegetable rice dish. The aromas of the combined dishes filled the house with the most exquisite smells.
“I’m starved!” Quest bellowed for the fifth time since Mick announced dinner was ready.
Michaela was silent while preparing her plate. She placed it upon the intimate round table, and then sat with her arms folded across her chest. Patiently, she waited watching Quest devour his food as though he hadn’t eaten in weeks.
He glanced up once from his plate, doing a double take when he noticed her stale expression. “What?” he queried.
Mick parted her lips, her surprise evident.
Quest shrugged. “What?” he repeated.
“I have been patient. Too patient waiting for you to get to the point of this visit,” she kept her voice soft.
Quest’s sleek brows tugged close above his deep-set eyes. He appeared thoroughly confused. “I thought I had gotten to the point.”
“Quest!” Mick cried.
He laughed then, raising his hands defensively. “Alright,” he set his knife and fork alongside the plate. “There are things we never discussed when we talked about my uncle’s visit here.”
“Oh, we discussed it,” Mick’s expression soured. “I hated every minute of it, but we discussed it.”
“But there was still something left unsaid.”
“Such as?”
“The people who attended that opening mixer are the best of my family. They always arrive several weeks early for the reunion.”
Mick’s eyes narrowed. “So? What’s wrong with that?”
“What I’m trying to tell you is that you haven’t met the worst people. My uncle Marc was just the tip of the iceberg,” his expression grew darker with agitation. “No one can accuse the Ramseys of biting their tongues. We all speak our minds regardless of who it hurts. I can almost guarantee you’ll have a nasty scene with another member of my family be it over your job or some other aspect of your background.” He shook his head and settled back wearily against his chair. “I’ll do my best to protect you from it, but even my best won’t stop it from happening,” he warned.
Michaela watched Quest closely as he spoke. She’d never heard the man ramble before, and it was fascinating. He looked so much like a little boy trying to get out all of an explanation in one breath. Slowly, she left her chair and deposited herself in his lap. Quest was still talking and, aside from bringing his hands up to cup her waist, he barely seemed to register her being there. In one smooth move, Mick cupped his jaw and kissed him.
He silenced instantly, becoming an eager participant in the kiss that ranged from sweet, to bold, to sultry. Mick emitted tiny, soft moans as she thrust her tongue feverishly over and under his. In no time, Quest had situated her so that she was straddling his lap. He arched his neck and tilted his head to capture every nuance and angle of the kiss. The soft, helpless moans he uttered filled Mick with a sense of possessive power. When she broke the kiss, he grunted his disapproval.
“Are you afraid we won’t make it?” she asked against his mouth. “That someone might come between us?”
“It happened before,” Absently, he brushed his thumb against her lush lower lip.
She settled back a bit to study him closely before speaking. “Nothing and no one could ever do that again. I’m never letting you go. I’m just as much your family as they are and if I have to, I’ll fight for you. No matter what.”
Quest closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers. The muscle in his jaw performed a wicked dance as he seemed to meditate on what she’d just said. His hands roamed her thighs, left bare by the hem of the sunflower nightshirt she wore. After a while, he started to move his forehead against hers.
“I don’t know what I’ll do if you walk away from me again, Michaela. I don’t think I could handle it.”
“Hey,” she called, leaning down a little to peer into his eyes when he bowed his head. “Sweetie, I’m not goin’ anywhere, there’s nowhere else I want to be. Please, please believe that. Don’t upset yourself with this, not now.”
“Do you know how much I love you?” he mas
saged the nape of her neck before threading his fingers through her thick curls. “I’ve always wanted what my parents have and I was afraid I’d never find it. Having many women has its benefits. Hollow, worthless benefits that never last.”
Michaela planted herself more snuggly against Quest and cupped his face in her hands. “Baby, we’re not hollow and we will last. As long as we don’t lose sight of what’s in front of us, by focusing too much on the big picture. One day at a time,” she advised, kissing the end of his nose. “One day of love at a time.”
Suddenly, a grin broke on Quest’s dark face. “I thought you were as cynical as I was,” he noted, kissing the corner of her eye.
“I was,” Mick’s lashes fluttered at the breathtaking length of him outlined beneath the loose jeans brushing her bare legs beneath the nightshirt, “but then I met this incredible man…”
“Me?” he guessed.
“Uh-huh,” she giggled, gasping when his tongue thrust past her lips. Her fingers curled beneath the neckline of his white T-shirt when he stood from the table.
“Dinner later. Bed now,” he decided.
***
The Ramseys, known for being reserved and aloof, pulled out all the stops for the gathering easily crowned the event of the year. All of Seattle society turned out for the wedding of Quest Fenton Ramsey and Michaela Dionee Sellars. The bride walked down the aisle preceded by twenty bridesmaids- the dancers of Wiley State University and one very proud maid of honor, Contessa Warren.
After an unforgettable rendition of Anita Baker’s “Angel”, the bride met the groom at the altar where they became husband and wife.
~~~
In spite of his earlier attempts to interfere, Marcus made a point of attending the wedding with his wife, Josephine. Michaela had to beg her husband and brother-in-law not to make a scene in asking the man to leave. She knew the twins would do more than ask. Thankfully, Marc did nothing to cast a foul element over the lovely day.
The same held true for Houston who arrived with Daphne in their usually elegant style of dress. Accompanying them were their daughter, Dena and son, Taurus who quickly had an impressive share of the women all vying for his attention.
All seemed well, but Mick couldn’t help but think of Johnelle Black who declined to attend for obvious reasons. Johnelle would never have the chance to attend her daughter’s wedding. Though it would change nothing, knowing that it was Wake Robinson who had robbed her of such an experience filled Mick with a sense of accomplishment. The only thing that would please her more would be to learn that he was behind bars. If he was guilty, she intended to see to it that he paid.
Later, Quaysar fulfilled one of his duties as best man. He took his new sister-in-law for a twirl around the gleaming hardwood dance floor in the ballroom of Damon and Catrina Ramsey’s splendid country estate.
“You’ve made my brother a very happy man,” Quay glanced across the room at his twin who was being teased by two of their great-uncles. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so alive,” he smiled down at her, his pitch gaze soft and lingering. “Q’s a lucky man and I can’t think of anyone who’s more deserving.”
Mick frowned a bit and patted his cheek. “You deserve the same, you know?” she smiled when doubt clouded his gorgeous molasses-toned face.
“Too many fish in the sea,” his teasing persona came to life.
“I don’t know,” Mick sighed, shaking her head. “I have a feeling one day soon you’ll be hit by some sort of thunderbolt.”
“Hmph,” Quay replied with an indignant huff.
“So have you talked to your friend, yet?” Mick asked, toying with the salt and pepper bow tie of his tuxedo.
“What friend?” Quay asked.
“That’s right,” Mick breathed, closing her eyes as she recalled they never got around to the particulars of what she’d discovered. “Harriet Forman was the one who remembered seeing the man headed into the suite with Sera that night. She identified him as Wake Robinson.”
Quay’s brows connected into a fierce frown. “Wake? That’s not possible.”
Mick shrugged. “She recognized him from some old news photos I asked her to take a look at. She seems certain that it was him.”
“Jesus,” Quay whispered, thinking there had to be some mistake. He was horrified that it might not be. “What do you think?”
Mick wanted very much to soothe the worries clouding Quay’s face. She couldn’t.
“You think he did it?”
Mick squeezed his hands. “A part of me isn’t ready to believe he’s completely responsible. But I can’t help but remember the way he looked when I said that there was someone who could identify the man going into the hotel room with Sera. He looked like he could’ve dropped through the floor, Quay. He acted as though he was that man. I guess my next question would be, has he left town yet?”
Quay shook his head. “I’ve known him half my life.”
“And that counts for a whole lot, but I’m coming into this with fresh eyes, sweetie. Maybe I see what you won’t allow yourself to,” Mick noted, knowing her words were difficult for him to hear.
Quay cleared his throat, squaring his broad shoulders as he did so. “That still doesn’t mean he did it, Mick.”
“I know, honey.”
“His involvement here could be totally innocent.”
“You’re right, you’re right,” Mick smoothed her palm across his cheek.
“Just promise me you won’t stop until you know for sure that he’s guilty. Until you have no doubts.”
“Come here,” Mick pulled him into a hug.
Quay couldn’t stop the sick feeling that wretched through him then. Various details he’d allowed himself to forget regarding his old friend were slowly forging to the surface of his memory.
“Hey, hey, break it up!” Quest ordered, having just approached his wife and brother. “You’re holdin’ her too close,” he teased.
“Mmm hmm, and I’m about to do more than that,” Quay regained a bit more of his light mood. “As the best man, I get to be the first one to kiss the bride.”
Quest eased both hands into the pockets of his white tuxedo trousers. “Keep it clean. No tongues,” he peered close to see that he was obeyed.
“Hell, he took all the fun out of it,” Quay complained to Mick and then decided to simply bestow a gentlemanly kiss to her hand. “I wish you all the good things. Both of you,” he told his brother and leaned in to kiss Quest’s cheek.
“He alright?” Quest asked, watching as Quay left the ballroom.
Mick smiled. “He’s gonna be,” she promised.
~~~
“So you’re saying your cousin is a magician?”
Taurus Ramsey’s insanely gorgeous face softened with an indulgent grin. “I may’ve used the label once or twice to describe him.”
Michaela laughed over the dig at her husband.
“Seriously though, only my cousin could meet an angel one day and have her eager as a puppy to become his forever the next.” Taurus declared in a tone that brooked no argument.
“Really?” Mick made a show of pretending to gush. “Don’t lie. You really think I’m an angel?” She queried, apparently taking no offence to the ‘eager as a puppy dog’ comparison.
“You’re definitely an angel,” he grinned but a solemn tinge ghosted across his face soon after. “My cousin didn’t need magic to get you-not when he’s such a good guy.” Taurus squeezed Mick’s hand where it curved about his jacket lapel. “He deserved the best and he got it.”
Her eyes glistened with just a hint of moisture. “Thank you,” she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.
Taurus appreciated the gesture. Evidence of that reflected in his smile momentarily. “Speak of the devil,” he said, his smile playing tug of war with a grimace.
Curious, Mick glanced back to find Quest waiting patiently in the stoic silent manner he’d perfected.
“Thanks for the dance, Mick,” Taurus dutifully released
his cousin’s wife, stepped over to clap a hand to Quest’s shoulder. “Congratulations,” he said.
“Thanks, T,” Quest returned and then fixed his wife with a playfully reproachful look once Taurus had moved on. “What’d I say about not dancing with any of the men in my family?”
Michaela countered with an elegant shrug. “Well he’s my family now too, so that order carries no weight.”
“Is that right?” Quest gathered his wife close, bumping her chin with the curve of his fist. “Hasn’t anybody told you that a wife shouldn’t sass her husband?”
She pretended to be dismayed. “Sorry I missed the lesson in Brides One-O-One. Just to make sure I um...stay in my place, I should ask if your decree pertains to Damon,” she referred to Quest’s father. “I mean, he’s technically my dad now, too.”
Quest couldn’t hold out against the smirk that fought for purchase. “I revise the rule to no dancing with the unmarried men in my family.”
“Mmm…” Mick twisted her lips into a pained smile. “That’s tough- I was really looking forward to a dance with your great uncle Gregor.”
Quest dissolved into laughter then. He would always love her. Her persona had been wrought by years of hardship and disappointment yet she’d triumphed. To fill her thoughts with the best in life and memories to treasure was his wish for her. And he was determined to take his wish-fulfilling seriously.
Michaela felt her heart lurch clear to her throat as she studied the striking left dimple imprinted alongside his mouth. This man was truly hers and he would always be. “So is your laughter a sign of approval for Uncle Gregor to take me for a twirl? He claims that I haven’t really danced until I’ve danced with him.”
Quest recovered somewhat from his laugh attack at her reference to his mother’s single 93-year old uncle. “The rule goes double for Uncle Greg.”
~~~
Two hours later, the reception only showed signs of gaining momentum. Mick found herself growing as restless as her husband. She was a bundle of nerves in anticipation of her honeymoon. After a quick stop in Chicago, she and Quest would be spending part of their trip in Hawaii before traveling off to Tahiti for the duration. The couple had decided to stop in Malibu as well. Mick was especially excited about the visit to the teen center. The place was consistently making local and national news. Its headlines accumulated praise for the teens it housed and also presented a challenge to the city and state officials to do more to reach out to its youth.
The Ramseys Boxed Set Page 22