“Sorry for breaking my promise,” Barker was saying into the mic while the crowd parted for Ray. “My mom’s just asking for way too many hints about her birthday present that she hopes won’t be her Christmas present. I don’t think it’ll hurt much if we give her part one now, do you?”
Hearty laughter rumbled around the room when a delighted squeal came from the area where the birthday girl’s table sat on a high platform off from the stage.
“By now,” Barker continued, “everyone knows that Ray’s best friend and one of my best friends just got engaged. I wish you guys all the best.”
Applause and cheer rose for Eli and Clarissa. Barker resumed his speech as the volume dropped. “What you guys probably don’t know is if it weren’t for E and Clarissa, Rayelle and I might not have met, or had excuses to keep seeing each other so we could become friends...so we could become more.”
Ray was at the stage by then, assisted up by a member of the jazz ensemble. Barker took her hand and drew her with him to the mic.
“A few days ago, I asked this vision to be more than my friend. I asked her to be my wife—”
Cheers, applause and more squealing filled the room before Barker could finish.
“And she said yes!” he called out over the exuberant crowd.
Ray could feel her cheeks burning, aching behind the smile she felt taking hold of her face. Surprisingly, she didn’t want the moment to end. Instead, she wanted to relish it.
Applause continued to erupt in a wild outpour. Then Barker raised a hand to request silence. When it began to take hold of the room, he turned to Ray.
“The first night we shared the table in that overcrowded restaurant, I never thought I’d be standing here about to share my life with you.” He pulled her close, speaking near her ear so that only she could hear. “About to share this life with you.” He gave her waist a squeeze.
Ray understood the unspoken message and felt her eyes dampen. Barker followed the squeeze to her waist with a tender kiss to her mouth, and applause flooded the room once more.
* * *
Following the announcement, Ray spent much of her time being hugged and congratulated. She discovered that not all of Barker’s family were the overprivileged snobs she’d at first assumed. In fact, among the vast number of Grants in attendance at the party, she met none who seemed to scoff at the idea of her and Barker’s engagement.
From everyone, there were best wishes, as well as invites to dinner to get to know each other. Considering her fiancé’s preference to maintain a comfy distance from his family, Ray figured it might take some doing to convince her workaholic sweetheart to accept some of the offers. Some of the invites, she discovered, were only meant for her. She realized this when a trio of Barker’s uncles collected around her near one of several open bars at the party.
Leon Grant was the last to step back from the embrace his brothers had already enjoyed. “You just let us know a good time to stop by the club for those hot toddies, all right, Miss?”
Ray laughed. “I’ll check to see when Barker’s free.”
“Don’t trouble yourself with that, lovely.” Anton Grant was already shaking his head. “The kid still has too much work on the brain to take time for fun.”
“I don’t know...” Darius Grant gave his brother a smirk. “He definitely took time out to woo this beauty. I’d say there’s hope for the boy.”
“I still say, give Rayelle a few years to work on mellowing the kid.” Leon sent Ray a wink. “Then we work on including him in our outings.”
“No way.” Barker’s voice filtered in as he approached the cozy group. “My wife goes nowhere without me—especially not with the three of you.”
The uncles made a show of being offended with eye rolls and waves, but Ray could see it was all in fun. The threesome wished her luck in mellowing their nephew and then plied her with more kisses and welcomes to the family. They left their nephew with playful slaps to the back of his head, before taking their drinks and moving deeper into the party.
“They’re hilarious!” Ray cuddled into Barker. “Your family’s not so bad, actually.”
“No, they’re not.” Barker’s expression changed split seconds later. “But there are times when they do test my patience.”
Ray looked up to take in his glare. Her expression changed then as well when she saw what fueled it.
Dean Grant approached with hands outstretched in a gesture of what appeared to be surrender. “I only came to say congratulations—” he looked to Ray “—and that I’m sorry. What my father said was wrong. What I said was wrong.”
Ray smiled. “Thank you, Dean.”
“Where’s your dad?” Barker asked his cousin.
Dean’s mouth quirked on the verge of a smile. “I think Aunt Monika said she’d kick his ass if he showed up with any nonsense, so he decided to play it safe and told my mom to go on without him.”
Laughter made a quick surge among the group. Soon, however, Dean was extending his hand.
“Truce?” he said.
Barker accepted the shake and threw in a grin. Dean went one better and drew his cousin into a quick hug. Next, he leaned down to put a kiss to Ray’s cheek.
“Welcome to the family, Rayelle. Hope you know what you’re getting into,” he added with a chuckle.
Barker responded in kind. “Amen. Thanks, D.”
Dean nodded. “Merry Christmas,” he said before moving on through the party.
“Looks like your mom isn’t a woman to be crossed,” Ray said.
Barker laughed. “We’ve all learned it’s best not to,” he said while pulling Rayelle close.
The couple embraced, swaying in place to a jazz sax piece that floated on the air. The tune managed to carry the flavor of the holiday season and a sultry aura in the same chord. “I love yous” were exchanged. Shortly after, the distinct squeal was heard.
Monika Grant squeezed her son and his fiancée in a crushing hold. “I couldn’t have asked for a better gift!”
Ray and Barker traded happy, meaningful looks, but made no mention of part two of their surprise.
“I already have the rooms picked where you’ll stay tonight—”
“Ma—”
“Hush, Bari, you’ll have plenty of time alone with her.” Monika steamrolled her only child’s arguments with scarcely a wave. “It’s my birthday so that means—at least for tonight—I get what I want.”
“You just got what you wanted—a daughter-in-law,” Barker reminded her.
“Correct. And now I want to have her with me for breakfast. Now—” She turned to Ray with a flourish. The flowing chiffon and silks of her mauve gown swayed with graceful flourish. “Bari can sleep in his room, and you, Miss Ray, will have the suite next to mine. It’s all ready—”
“Ma—”
“Let me know if there’s anything you need—”
“Ma!”
“Oh! Hello there! Glad you could make it.” Monika whisked off to greet additional guests and left her son shaking his head while Ray laughed.
“You told me it was best not to cross her,” Ray said through her laughter.
“So—” she tugged him into a rocking embrace “—when do you plan to give her the second surprise?”
“We’ll keep it quiet ’til things calm down after this thing.” He kissed the tip of her nose.
“Sounds good.” Ray tucked into his chest and smiled.
Barker sighed. “Yeah, we’ll definitely need something to get her to forgive us for ruining her party.”
Ray’s smile showed traces of strain when she noted Barker’s changed tone. But she didn’t have the chance to question it.
“Grant!”
Ray turned, as did several nearby guests. She saw three men she didn’t recognize elbowing their way through the dense crowd. She could see one ma
n looking well-past weary, while the others appeared livid.
“What the hell have you done?” Willard Harold demanded when he and his companions had closed in on Barker. “You’ve gone too far this time!”
Barker fixed WPXI’s programming execs with a bland look. He then moved that look to the man bringing up the rear of the group. “Is that why you put all this in motion? My supposed threats to get me to back off the story? Came from you two, didn’t they? Made the board extend that outrageous offer so they wouldn’t lose me.”
“That’s insane.” Harold’s partner, Garrett Cole, seemed incapable of further speech.
“Is it?” Barker grimaced. “Is that why you brought your attorney to my mother’s birthday party?” He observed Wesley Frakes.
Garrett Cole spoke again. “If it hadn’t been for Wes walking in on your little thief, we never would’ve—”
“What the hell did you snakes do to her?” Ray moved in, her eyes blazing.
Cole ignored the query. “I expected more from you, Grant,” he said instead, smirking after a lurid appraisal of Ray’s face and form. “Having your flavor of the month getting one of her little tarts to spy for you is in such poor taste—”
Barker lunged, but found himself gripped by Rook. “No need for that, man. They’ll be hurting well enough, and soon.”
“You tell me what you did, you pig, or that hurt will come sooner than you think.” Ray all but snarled the threat.
The seething intensity of her promise seemed to have the necessary effect. Cole seemed to cower as he retreated half a step. “We didn’t do anything! The little—” He appeared to caution himself, as though realizing his intended words would result in true pain. “The young lady got away before Wes could retrieve our property. But we know she took something—”
“Right...you know exactly what she took,” Barker accused then, inclining his head. “Thanks, Rook,” he said and waited for Rook to ease his hold.
“That property is why I’m suddenly looking at a promotion, isn’t it?”
Cole appeared to swell with fury. “I’m sure I don’t know—”
“Your property is why you’re asking me to let my team close out this story—close it out before we discovered you two own the very property we’re investigating.”
“Lies,” Harold breathed.
“That’s the lie,” Barker countered. “I can produce what’s been a suspiciously hard-to-find deed to that property with the names of you two bozos typed and signed all nice and neat across the bottom. Not to mention surveillance footage of the exterior and interior, and all the terrific and illegal things going on in there.”
“You’ll pay for this, Grant!”
Barker smiled in Garrett Cole’s direction. “You and your partner should be more concerned with how you’ll be paying.” He nodded toward the security on hand for the party.
The men bristled at being escorted out, but it silenced their arguments.
With a sigh, Barker turned, an immediate grin brightening his fierce features at the sight of finding his friends at his back.
“Think we have a chance of doing anything that really matters here?” he asked once he locked gazes with Paula.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes away from the commotion as the men were led out of the room. “May take some doing.” She huffed out a breath. “Considering the way you came by your evidence.”
Ray shook her head. “I’m sorry, Paula.”
“Small potatoes. We’ll get ’em.” Paula sighed.
Ray gave a quirky smile. “Some girls are just headstrong.” She referred to her mentee, Suzanne Jessup, who had insisted on doing more regardless of hers and Barker’s words cautioning her against it.
Paula grinned. “That’s because we know that’s what it takes to survive.” She looked to Barker. “We’ll pin it to them—not sure of the final outcome, but you can count on things being sticky.”
“It’s doubtful the WPXI board would keep them in their positions,” Elias mused.
“Now that sounds like success to me.” Santigo rubbed his hands together.
“Thanks for putting a gold star at the top of my case file,” Paula cheered. “Stamping out trouble before it’s had the chance to flourish.” She gave a self-satisfied nod. “Not bad for a DA’s last hurrah.”
“Consider it a wedding gift,” Barker said.
“But don’t think that lets you off the hook for our wedding gift,” Ray advised.
Hugs and laughter followed before the gang parted ways.
* * *
“I’m gonna have to beat the guests off with a stick for next year’s party!” Monika raved later while she, Barker and Rayelle enjoyed eggnog by one of the three massive fireplaces on the lower level.
“Don’t you have enough folks to beat down?” Barker, with his legs propped on a footstool, approved of the quiet. “I heard about your threat to Uncle Dale.”
“Aw.” Monika waved it off. “He called long before the party to apologize. I told him it didn’t count until he said it face-to-face to you both.”
“Oh, Mrs. Grant, that—it’s water under the bridge now,” Ray assured the woman. “I’d rather go into the new year with everyone having a clean slate.”
Monika shook her head in wonder. “You couldn’t have picked a better girl to marry.”
“Ma, um.” Barker shared a look with Ray. “Does that mean you think she’d make a great mom, too?”
“Well, of course! And I expect that to be next year’s birthday gift—sooner if you like.”
“Glad to hear you say that, considering...”
Silence settled after Barker’s comment for only a short while. Soon, Monika was gasping, followed by what was fast becoming her trademark squeal. She scooted from her end of the love seat she shared with Ray and joined Barker on the edge of his. She gripped his and Ray’s hands firmly.
“Say it outright so I know I’m not imagining things,” she ordered.
Ray did the honors. “I’m going to be a mom. Your son will be a dad. You’ll be a grandmother or...whatever you want your grandchild to call you.”
Monika was squealing anew and drawing both Ray and Barker into smothering embraces. When she set them away, her eyes were shining.
“Thank you.” Her voice held a quiet reverence.
Barker moved closer. “It’s all right, Ma.”
“I know. I—I just wish your dad could be here.”
Barker pulled his mother into a smothering embrace of his own. “He is, Mama. He is.”
Monika shook her head again. “I need to go fix my makeup,” she said in a pretend huff before rushing off.
“Looks like she’s happy,” Ray said.
Barker sighed. “She is, but I wonder how we can top ourselves for her gift next year.”
The couple dissolved into a fit of laughter. Soon after, they were cuddling on the sofa.
Epilogue
Christmas, One Year Later
There was a knock, and Ray heard her husband’s voice floating into their bedroom.
“Are boys allowed?” Barker asked.
Ray finished brushing her hair. “Only if they’re cute and think I’m the most beautiful woman ever.”
Barker walked into the room lit by the colorful lights of the small tree adorning the space.
“We’ve got the cute part squared away,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re the most beautiful woman ever.” He looked down at the bundle he carried. “That opinion may one day change for this guy.”
“Well.” Ray turned and relieved Barker of their son. “It’s not today,” she cooed.
Bakhai Grant gazed up at his mother. Ray felt her heart melt for the millionth time since she’d met the new man in her life. Barker pulled his wife near, and together they smiled down at their son.
&nbs
p; “Is everyone here yet?” Ray asked.
“Debra’s on the way with her folks.”
Ray laughed. “I can’t believe your uncle’s coming to the dedication.”
The couple was heading to a special dedication service for newborns at Monika Grant’s church. Everyone had been invited, it seemed, including Ray’s Endeavor House family. Her mentees were each completing their last years in high school. Two held coveted jobs at the new DA’s office, courtesy of Paula. The others were on staff at the offices of Joss Construction. It had been a special year for Barker’s and Rayelle’s closest circle of friends, as well as co-workers. WPXI had hired new personnel to assume the newly vacated positions of Willard Harold and Garrett Cole, who were currently preparing for trial on charges ranging from illegal gambling to contributing to the delinquency of minors. As for the Jazzy B’s franchise, Ray and Clarissa had decided the clubs would stand as nightclubs for the foreseeable future. Rayelle and Clarissa would take baby steps toward the dance studio. A Philadelphia location was currently being scouted, with construction to begin within two years if all worked out. The success of the school would determine whether others would follow. Nothing, however, overshadowed what Barker and Rayelle Grant considered to be the greatest success of their lives.
“Think we’ll do right by him?” Ray’s voice was quiet as she smoothed her fingers over the wisps of onyx curls covering her son’s head.
Barker nodded, pride radiating as he studied his little boy, who was lightly dozing. “We’ve been doing okay so far. I’ve got faith we’ll keep that up.”
Ray smiled at the new life surrounding her. She could feel happiness and love continuing its progressive swell inside her chest. She looked up at Barker, brushed a kiss to his jaw and said, “So do I. So do I.”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from His Los Angeles Surprise by Sheryl Lister.
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