Silken Embrace (The Drakes of California)
Page 19
Shortly after dinner was over, as most were relaxing in and around the pool in Warren’s backyard, their conversation was interrupted by the loud sound of a low-flying plane heading in their direction.
Teresa shielded her eyes from the sun and leaned toward her husband. “That plane is quite low, honey, don’t you think?”
Atka nodded. “Yes, unless it’s landing somewhere nearby.”
“Has a landing strip been built out here?” Ike, Jr. inquired.
“Not that I know of,” Warren replied.
“Looks like there’s a sign or something trailing behind it.” At Julian’s observation, everyone looked up.
“Oh, one of those message planes,” Jennifer said.
“I wonder who it’s for.”
Terrell, who was standing directly behind Aliyah, wrapped his arms around her and answered, “I have no idea.”
Everyone was quiet, waiting for the message to come into view. As it did, Aliyah read it out loud:
“Will...you...marry...me...” As the plane reached them, a banner dropped from the window, completing the question. “Aliyah?”
For a beat, nobody moved. Then everyone reacted at once.
“Oh, my God!”
“That’s cool!”
“It says Aliyah!”
“Mommy! That’s your name!”
Aliyah turned to Terrell, who wore a smug, satisfied grin. “Terrell, what is this?” Her eyes glittered with unshed tears.
“Part of your Christmas present. Since you’d never tell me what you wanted, I had to improvise.” He pulled out a blue box and got on one knee. “Will you do me the pleasure of becoming Mrs. Drake?”
“Yes!” Aliyah threw her arms around him as everyone cheered.
* * *
“Where are we going?”
After being surrounded by thirty people for a weekend, and with Kyle at his second home, the Hensleys, Aliyah was looking forward to spending a quiet New Year’s Eve at her humble abode.
“I need to go check on a property real quick.”
“Now? Tonight?”
“Yes, where your family stayed. It will only take a minute. I’ll be showing it next week and just want to make sure the cleaning company did their job.”
“Oh, okay.” They reached the home that Aliyah’s family had fallen in love with. “Make it quick.”
“For that to happen, you’d better come with me.”
“Terrell, just hurry up.”
“Come on! This client I’m working with is as finicky as they come. I need a woman’s eye to make sure everything is in the right place.”
Her compliance was preceded by a harrumph and a sigh, but Aliyah got out of the car and followed Terrell up the stairs. He opened the door, then stood back to let her enter.
“You had this done so quickly, Tee. The family just left today.” All except Kieran, who’d decided to hang out with Julian, who’d encouraged him to move here. “That was quick.”
She continued into the living room, noticed the fireplace mantel and stopped short. “What are my family’s pictures doing here?” Slowly, she moved forward, stopping in front of one of her favorite pictures of her parents. It had been taken when they were her age.
“And here’s me! Where’d you get...when did you do this?”
Terrell feigned ignorance. “Those weren’t there before?” She swatted his arm. “Maybe your mother put them to, you know, make the place more comfortable, to feel more like home.”
“You may be right. And in the rush to get to the airport, probably forgot them.” She went back to the pictures. “Well, too bad, because she won’t get them back now. I’m taking them home with...”
Her words slowly faded away as she reached for the card propped up behind the pictures:
Ms. Robinson: Thank you for helping me close the deal. The house is yours. Welcome home.
“This isn’t.”
He nodded. “It is.”
“All that time you told me about a finicky buyer?”
“You can be kind of finicky.”
That statement produced a jaw drop. “I am not finicky.”
“And a bit stubborn, too.”
“I can’t believe you tricked me. Or are you tricking me now?”
“No trickery,” he replied, closing the distance between them. “Later, you can ask your mom. She helped me with the pictures.”
“Mom knew, too?!”
“Not until a couple days ago. I swore her to secrecy.”
“Look at you. Barely in the family and plotting against me.”
“I’ve got it like that, babe. I thought that’s why you loved me.”
Later, Terrell walked from the kitchen with two drinks and joined Aliyah, who was lounging in in a faux mink, upscale, oversized beanbag by the burning fireplace. He’d teased her when she’d seen it in a vintage shop and fell in love. Now it was one of their favorite places to cuddle.
“This holiday was crazy fun!” He handed her the glass.
“Thank you, babe.” She took a sip. “It’s hands down the best Christmas season I’ve ever had. I’ve never seen my family so happy. Mama is ready to move out here and even Daddy had to admit that the idea of never having to shovel snow again was appealing. I still can’t believe JoJo at your parents’ house, teaching Kyle how to slide down the banister.”
“You forget that at one time that place housed six knuckleheads, a tomboy sister and an irksome diva. There isn’t a thing your brothers could have done that we haven’t done or at least tried.”
“Thank you for that.”
“For what?”
“Treating my family so kindly—making them feel welcome. All of your family was wonderful.”
“You’re welcome, but it was my parents who issued the invitation. Specifically, my mom.”
“I know and I thanked her, too. But I saw how you went out of your way to include them, especially my dad. He’s a simple guy, used to the ordinary and at times felt uncomfortable, almost overwhelmed. You saw that and made sure he wasn’t left out of whatever was happening. I saw Warren doing that, too.”
“Anyone who’s important to you is important to me. And anyone who’s important to me, is important to my family. That’s Drake, baby. That’s how we roll.”
She nestled deeper into his arms. They shared a quick kiss. “This holiday season was so wonderful it felt unreal. A part of me is like, wow, did that really happen?”
“It certainly did. In fact, I think somebody got engaged.”
“Someone most certainly did.” She held out her hand, watched the fire and the subdued lighting make the three-carat diamond sparkle and flash. “I keep thinking someone will pinch me and I’ll find out I’m dreaming. Ouch!”
He chuckled. “I couldn’t resist it, baby. You’ve got so much goodness back there to pinch.”
“There are no words to describe how beautiful this ring is, babe. I won’t be able to wear it often, but when I do, it will be with such pride.”
“What do you mean? You can’t take off your wedding ring.”
“Of course I can.”
“Why?”
“During cleaning, for one, or washing dishes. Would you like it to accidently slip down the drain while I’m rinsing a glass or flatware? And then there’s work. I think it’s too flashy for a hospital setting.”
“Married male doctors don’t wear wedding bands?”
“Not with large diamonds that can double as an assault weapon.”
Terrell laughed. “I guess I see your point.”
“I’ll wear the band,” she said, running her hand beneath his sweater to run her nails down his chest. “Even if wearing nothing at all, I’ll be your wife regardless.”
“Good to k
now, since that will be your state of dress most of the time.”
“That might prove a bit traumatic for Kyle.”
“Ha! Correction, in the master suite.”
“That could possibly be arranged. And speaking of arrangements, we need to talk about your desire for me and Kyle to move in with you ASAP.”
“What, are you going to tell me we have to be married first?”
“No, though that would be nice. But there’s more to consider.”
“Like what?”
“Like Kyle transferring schools in the middle of the year, and my no longer having Lauren and her family right around the corner to help me take care of him, and they help me a lot. Not to mention my residency at UC Davis and interning at Living Medical, that continues for at least another year and a half. I know it’s not a long commute but moving here there are a variety of logistics that would have to be worked out.”
“None of that is a big deal,” Terrell replied, dismissing her concerns with a wave of his hand. “That’s what help and assistants and nannies are for. So first of all, if you think it will be too disruptive, then Kyle can stay where he is until summer. You’d still do the residency at UC, of course, but construction is almost complete on the PC’s urgent care center. Not sure what kind of staff it takes to run it. But maybe you could do your interning there.”
“Possibly, but that still doesn’t solve the problem of Kyle being cared for or my commute.”
“A live-in nanny, someone he knows, like Miss Marva, who sometimes watched me when I was young. We can also hire a driver so that you can study or read or do whatever you need to make your commute time beneficial, or sleep at the end of those long, hard shifts. Next excuse, I mean, problem, Ms. Robinson?”
“You know what? Your brother’s nicknamed you correctly, Silky.”
“No! Not you, too!” Terrell said, while jokingly pushing her away. “They used to drive me crazy with that nonsense, all because of my skills when it came to the ladies.”
“Oh, really? What skills are those?”
He slid his eyes over her with a look of supreme confidence. “All of the ones that have you about to become Mrs. Drake. Uh-huh, now. Those skills, baby.”
She swatted him. “Shut up, you’re so cocky. Mr. Silky, smooth-as-silk,” she added, mimicking his brothers. “And before you can say it, yes, Terrell Drake, that’s what I love about you.”
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460387474
Silken Embrace
Copyright © 2015 by Zuri Day
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