For You I Will

by Hadley Raydeen

  “Of course, Ty. Callie and I will come by tomorrow.” He ended the call and looked at the woman crying in front of him. He wiped a tear from falling down his own face. “He’s gone. I can’t believe...” He wanted to say more, but emotion overtook him as he pulled Callie into his arms.

  Chapter 19

  The day of Paul’s funeral was damp and chilly outside even though it was late spring. It was if the warmth had been sucked from the world for the day. But really with Paul gone that is how Callie felt. The man that was like her father was gone. Just like her real parents. That empty pit of loss was back. Thank God she had Daniel. He was at her side the entire time offering her tissues as she sniffled through the funeral service. She thought she would be stronger for this, but it was no use. Why even fake it at this point?

  She looked over the funeral order of service program they handed out as they walked in and was shocked to see Daniel would be giving some words. He never told her that. She pointed at his name and then looked at him. He glanced at the program and then at her and nodded. She saw the strain in his face. She placed a hand on his leg in silent reassurance.

  When his name was called, she grabbed for his hand and he gave his normal squeeze before walking up the aisle of the Baptist church, up on the stage the woman who’d just read the condolences cards and words of encouragement had vacated.

  Daniel looked beyond handsome dressed in a dark blue suit and stark white shirt. She’d noticed some things had changed about the man she knew just a few weeks ago. He was still serious and stern, per usual, but she knew the softer side of him now; the side that cared and gave her soft praise and reassurance when she didn’t even know she needed it. The man that held her tenderly throughout the night and whispered how beautiful he thought she was in her ear. The man that made her coffee in the morning and circled an article he wanted her to check out in a magazine about law.

  The man she poured over the damn budget with in the office the other day. He’d calmed down at work. Others were noticing it, too.

  “You’ve centered him, Callie,” Maggie had said the night before at the wake. “He’s always been a strong man, but you’re that missing piece for him.” The older woman smiled though sadness showed in her warm eyes. “Paul was so proud of you two. It made him happy when he saw the two of you together.” Callie teared up thinking about it. She’d gotten to the spot he always told her she would be, from Legal Assistant to VP of Operations because of this man’s guidance. And, it was the same for Daniel. As he stood at the podium, she didn’t know what he would say or how he would find the strength to get it all out. She knew she couldn’t do it. But, maybe Daniel was a stronger person than her when it came to this type of thing. There were things they would have to help each other on. And, they’d been doing it.

  Daniel cleared his throat. “You know.... When I moved up to Pennsylvania from Georgia, I was a high school graduate. Had a whole chip on my shoulder… A real know-it-all punk. If Paul was still here he would say, ‘not much has changed’.” A ripple of laughter sounded across the packed church. Callie looked around and noted faces from the law firm as well as some of Paul’s past students and clients. She spotted Lauren Tillerson across the aisle as the woman listened intently to Daniel. Callie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her, but instead focused back on Daniel.

  “He took me in and told me he considered me one of his sons, though my skin is just a tad lighter.” The crowd chuckled again.

  She smiled at how much he was really nailing this so far. But, if she knew anything about this, more than anyone, sometimes you laughed to keep from crying. At least that is what she’d do, and that is what Paul would want.

  “Coming up here, to a new state, was a lot of things to me. It was a new experience. It was gaining a new family in Paul and Maggie and Tyonn, Izayah and Xavier, my brothers from another mother, as they like to call me. It was also about learning to be a man. How to work hard. Make my own way. Buy my own place. How to love a woman.” He found Callie in the crowd and locked eyes with her. She could feel her face heat as he spoke. “But, through all those life lessons, and a boy becoming a man, it was Paul who guided me through each of those steps. I am where I am because of this man. This is a sad day for me, as I know it is for all of you, too. But, we can hold onto the fact, and be glad about, who he was and the life lessons he left for us as a fond memory of him. I know he is smiling down on us right now. And, he is probably in heaven, right now, looking down saying, ‘Shut up, Daniel. You’re talking too much.’” There was a mix of laughter and sniffles from the folks in the seats, including her own, as she reached for the packet of tissues next to her on the pew of the church. “I’m almost done, Paul. I promise.” Daniel wiped at what she assumed was a stray tear. “I, uh... I told him once, ‘thank you’ in the office for all he’d done and meant and just everything he was... and he told me, ‘no thanks needed’. He was glad to do it. That is what he was here for. But, now that he is gone, I want to say thank you to Maggie, Ty, Zay and X for allowing us all to share him with you and be a part of your lives. It means more than you’ll ever know. Rest with God, Paul. Gone but never forgotten.” Daniel patted the podium and walked away before what she could see were tears break through. He walked off the stage and over to Maggie giving her a long tight hug. He then shook the hands of the three Harmon brothers and grasped the hand of an older lady sitting next to Maggie. She patted his hand as he leaned in to land a peck on her cheek. He then walked back the two rows to Callie and sat at her side. She immediately grabbed his hand and squeezed it, looking up at him. He looked at her and she saw his eyes were glassy but no tears broke free. She handed him a few tissues anyway, just in case.

  “It was a beautiful service, Maggie. You did Paul so proud.” Daniel heard his mother say to her best friend, Maggie, as they stood at the burial site. He grasped Callie’s hand as they approached the two older women.

  “Oh my God, that is your mom, isn’t it?” She stopped short as he was trying to help her in heels across the grass.

  “Yes, that is my mother. She came up to support Maggie. I told you they were best friends.” He stopped to look at her, seeing the look of concern in her eyes.

  “Daniel, I can’t meet your mother right now. This is awkward. At the burial site..” She looked around her, and he could see her shoulders visibly shake from the chill of the afternoon.

  He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “It’s fine, Callie…”

  “It is crass, and I’d prefer to meet her on another day. I’m not important right now. This is about Paul....”

  “Will you two stop arguing, and just go meet his mom?” Tyonn said, coming up beside them.

  “Ty, I mean no disrespect to your father or your mother…” Callie shook her head.

  “It’s not disrespectful for the man that is falling for you to introduce you to his mother.” Ty chuckled. “My father would have insisted on it. You know as well as I, he would have done the introductions himself if he could.” The three of them chuckled at that. It was so very Paul.

  He was always so stubborn… she thought but then it dawned on her what Ty had said. The man that was falling for you.

  She turned and looked up at Daniel, humor shown in his eyes as he saw she just caught Ty’s words. She searched his face for any sign of confirmation and she saw everything she needed in those handsome features.

  “If you want to introduce me to your mother, I’m fine with that,” her voice was low for only his ears.

  He nodded and locked arms with her. Before they could turn, Jayla, the new office manager that took Callie’s place with her new promotion, came across the clearing. Her strides were purposeful, and she stopped short when she caught sight of Ty. A grin crossed his handsome face but Jayla scowled at him.

  “Hey Jayla,” he said to the woman.

  “Tyonn.” She nodded, “I’m very sorry for your loss. Paul was an amazing person. He will be very much be missed.” Her sentiment was very warming, but her tone
was not.

  Ty nodded once. “Thank you. I appreciate it. I hear congratulations are in order with your promotion and all.”

  “Thank you.” Jayla’s tone was flat. She turned back to Callie. “Lauren Tillerson asked me to check with you to make sure the papers for the investment package with the app dev company are ready to go for review by the board meeting on Friday. I know it’s bad timing, but I’ll be scheduled out for…” She glanced at Tyonn and lowered her voice. “Well, you know,” she said to Callie. “I just want to make sure you got the message before I’m not there and she is breathing down your neck.”

  “Thank you, Jayla. I appreciate that,” Callie said eyeing the two across from her and Daniel. Jayla turned to leave, but Tyonn called out to her. “Jayla, can I walk you out?” he asked. She looked up at the man that hovered over her.

  “I’m sure you will do whatever you want, whether I say yes or no, Tyonn.” She could barely look at him.

  Ty turned and looked at them both. “I’m gonna go. Good luck meeting moms, Callie.” He smiled though his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. He winked. “Dan, I already said goodbye to my mother. I’ll see her back at the house and Zay and X know I’m headed out, too. I’ll catch you before I leave town.”

  “You better,” Daniel warned.

  Tyonn joined Jayla to walk back across the grass toward the line of cars.

  “What do you think that was all about?” Callie asked.

  “I have no Idea but it sounds like Ty may have pissed Jayla off somehow.”

  “Did you know they even knew each other?” she asked.

  “No, not at all,” he answered.

  “Enough for Ty to leave his father’s funeral—” She shook her head.

  “The funeral is over, Callie. No one is here but us and Maggie, my mom and Zay and X.” She looked around. He was right. She couldn’t seem to walk away.

  He turned to her and pulled her close. “Are you okay?”

  “As okay as I can be, you know. I’m gonna miss him.” She looked in as Maggie lay a single rose on the shiny casket.

  Daniel pulled her to him, trying to stop the shiver in her body. “We all will, kitten.”

  She looked up at him. “Did you mean what you said today, about him teaching you all those things… About how to love a woman…”

  “Yes, I meant every word. I didn’t get to see my parents’ marriage past a certain age. But when I was ready to see that example… I watched Paul and Maggie and how he was with her. How he cared for her, how he treated her like his better half. How he put her above everything. That is why I needed to change things between us…”

  “Oh?” she asked, her eyes hopeful.

  “Yes.” He ran a thumb down her cheek. “I’ve had feelings for you for a while, Callie. I didn’t know if they were legit, solid or whatever, but I knew I was attracted to you. It was Paul that put us together, made us step back and look at what we had between the two of us and that example taught me to be better. You make me better, Callie. These last few weeks getting to know you have been everything for me. I want to continue. I want to continue being a better person for you.”

  Callie looked up into his eyes and a tear slipped down her cheek as she saw the truth.

  “Hey, don’t cry, kitten. I—”

  “No, Daniel, this is happy tears. Trust me. I didn’t know I wanted to hear you say those words until now. It’s what I’ve wanted to hear. What I needed. I’m sad it took losing Paul to get us here… But, he was always in our corner and knew we would be perfect for each other. I agree with him. I want to be a better person with you, too.”

  He leaned in and kissed her cheek close to her ear. “We will work on that more tonight, kitten.”

  She giggled as he nipped her ear lobe. “We have a group of people coming our way. We’ll finish this later.”

  “Hey, you two, break it up,” Zay said, approaching them first.

  “Yea yea,” Daniel said, backing away from Callie, but taking her hand. He stepped toward the two older ladies. The one with his same features, the dark blue eyes and warm smile, came to them.

  “Mother, I want you to meet Callie Johnson. She’s the VP of Operations at the firm. She works very closely with me. She’s also the woman that is capturing my heart more and more every day.” He squeezed Callie’s hand.

  Zay and X let out a ‘woop’ and a whistle as Hannah Morrow leaned in. Callie went to shake her hand but Hannah swatted it away gently. “No, no, for the woman that has my boy’s heart, that deserves a hug.” She pulled Callie into an embrace that was foreign to her.

  “Oh, a hug... I can do that,” she said. Daniel could see her body, once tense, ease a bit as his mother made her feel at ease.

  Hannah pulled away from Callie and looked into her eyes. “She’s beautiful, Daniel.” Hannah beamed.

  “She certainly is, Mom, inside and out.” Daniel smiled.

  Hannah linked arms with her. “Okay, tell me all about you,” she said, leading her away from the group back to the cars.

  Daniel looked at Maggie and the men he considered brothers as she spoke “Paul would be very proud of all of you.” She patted Daniel on the cheek. “Now, when are you gonna give me some grandbabies? I mean it, all of you. We aren’t getting any younger here.”

  “Ugh, Mom… We’re not even seeing anyone.” X rolled his eyes.

  “Hmm, I’m sure there is someone out there for each of you. Look at Daniel here. Who knew his stubborn ass would land someone as lovely as Callie?” Maggie teased.

  “Speaking of which,” Daniel spoke up as they headed back to the cars away from Paul’s final resting place. “Any Idea what’s going on with Tyonn and Jayla Williams?” He pointed at the two standing by a dark sedan, engaged in a heated conversation.

  “Jayla was Ty’s high school sweetheart. It didn’t end very well when Ty decided to move from Philly. Ty’s trying to reconnect I suppose,” Zay responded.

  “No shit? How long ago was that?” Daniel asked. “Doesn’t look like it’s going very well.”

  “It’s been awhile,” X chimed in. “At least ten years or so.”

  Daniel turned back to them. “What? Ten years? Callie said—”

  “What did I say?” she asked, coming back to him with his mother.

  “Ty and Jayla. She looks upset,” he responded, taking her hand.

  “Do you think we should go over?” Callie asked.

  “I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Daniel said, leaning in to kiss her forehead again. “Looks like us a few weeks ago.” He winked at her.

  “I’m glad we came to an understanding on all that.” Callie grinned at him.

  “I mean, if you want to stop by my place on the way back, we can solidify that,” he said against her ear.

  Callie giggled like a schoolgirl. “That sounds like a good idea, Mr. Morrow.”

  “Don’t forget we are having dinner back at the house this evening, you two,” Hannah called after them.

  “We’ll be there, Mom.” Daniel called back over his shoulder as they walked hand in hand away from the Harmons, away from his mother, away from Paul, may he rest in peace, and into what would be a promising future.

  The End

  Find out what happens to Callie and Daniel in the next chapter of their lives and what is going on with Jayla and Tyonn in the first book of the Harmon Brothers Series. Coming soon from Author Hadley Raydeen.

  If you are interested in a sneak peek into the world of Lana and Austin (the Event Planner and VC ) turn the pages for a few pages of Simply Irresistible Book 2 in the Simply Series.

  Author Hadley Raydeen Appreciates You!

  Hello! Thank you for reading my work. I hope you enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you would be so kind as to drop a few words of review on the Amazon site. This helps me see your thoughts and helps improve my future work. Also you are helping your fellow readers find these titles by leaving a review.

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&nbs
p; Rise and Slay, Friends!

  HadRay ;)

  Prologue

  Ten years earlier

  “Lana, don’t go. Come on… Damn it… Will you wait a minute? You don’t have to leave like this,” Austin Davis pleaded, snagging a hold on her wrist before she retreated from his office in a huff.

  “Get off me!” She snatched her arm from his grasp, turning on her bare feet; she glared daggers in his direction. “There is nothing left to say, Austin. He thinks I’m not good enough to be here.”

  The woman, who’d made his final semester of college... everything, crossed her arms in front of her. She tapped her foot and let out an exasperated breath. Her body vibrated with frustration and he could see tears welling in her light brown eyes. But the Lana he knew, and had claimed his heart, was far too stubborn to break down and cry in front of him in his place of business. She looked around the room, avoiding eye contact. Her deep inhales of breaths released in ragged exhales, causing her breasts to rise and fall and he couldn’t help but sneak a peek at her deep cleavage behind her black business suit.

  He willed himself to behave and look away from her voluptuous shape. She was perfect to him in every way. But, Lana had been self-conscious about her plus-sized body, and was always uncomfortable when his gaze lingered too long. Now, with her pissed off at him, it was not the time to exacerbate the situation by sneaking lusty peeks. He had to make it right before he lost her. He lowered his voice. “There is plenty to say, Lan. I don’t want you to leave. Let’s talk about it.”

  She threw her hands in the air in exasperation and rolled her gorgeous eyes. “Talk about what? Oh, you mean the fact you promised the opportunity of a lifetime and pulled the carpet right out from under me? The fact you dangled that little gem in front of me and you meant none of it. Did you say all those things to get me in bed, Austin? Is that all it was for you? Did I ever mean anything to you?”