Thurston looked at his brother, encouraging him to speak the lines he had taught him a little while ago. However, Lawrence wasn’t having it. “I’m keeping her. I don’t want to give her away!”
A few people gasped. A well-dressed woman, whom TaeTay assumed was Thurston’s mom, attempted to rise, but TaeTay held up her hand. Quietly, she whispered in Lawrence’s ear, and he began to clap and grin. He looked at the judge. “I give this woman to my brother to take care of forever and ever,” he said at the top of his voice.
Douglas was frowning, “Dang, he loud! Momma tell him to use his inside voice!”
TaeTay placed her finger to her lips to silence Douglas as Lawrence lifted her veil and she gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek. The crowd all exhaled and in unison said, “Awwww!” TaeTay pointed to his seat while Lawrence faced the audience and raised his hands in a touchdown stance.
Thurston began to feel something amazing when TaeTay placed her hand into his. My wife. My mail order wife. Five minutes later, it was official. She placed the simple gold band that Douglas dug from his pants pocket on Thurston’s finger. Thurston in turn placed a simple gold band on her finger as he spoke the words that spoke volumes over the simple ring.
“You may kiss your bride,” the judge said as Thurston moved close and took her into his arms. He lowered his head and planted one on her that nearly made her swoon. The small audience clapped as Douglas frowned, making a yuck face.
They faced the audience as the judge proclaimed, “I present to you Mr. & Mrs. Thurston Cromwell the Fourth.”
Chapter 14. Receiving so much…
TaeTay was uncertain if it was a good reception or not; she never had a chance to eat a bite. She posed for pictures, shook hands, and smiled at people whose names she was working hard to remember. The faces were all becoming a blur. It was a diverse group of people and it looked like a proverbial melting pot. The chairs were moved against the walls and the middle of the living room was converted to a dance floor. The man with a violin who had played the wedding march was now playing a guitar. He started with a smooth jazz rendition of an Anita Baker song while she and Thurston had their first dance as husband and wife.
Next she danced with Lawrence, who had lots of energy, but very little rhythm. She danced with Veronica’s husband and then one of Thurston’s cousins. She also danced with the cousin who had served as his best man. She thought he said his name was Jordan. Minutes later, Thurston pulled her away into his study where the judge and his parents were waiting.
“There are some documents you need to sign, Mrs. Cromwell,” the judge said.
TaeTay thought that with his parents present, this must be a prenuptial agreement or something. Instead, it was the marriage certificate and the adoption papers for Douglas.
This is all real. Dear Jesus, don’t let my husband beat me or be some kind of weird perve. Her hands were shaking as she signed both documents.
Thurston the Third eyed her closely, but TaeTay did not balk under his scrutiny. “So tell me my dear, I know you are a fan of Obama; how will it feel to hear your husband challenge what that man says?”
Rule of Thumb. Rule of Thumb. Her mind was fuzzy. Rule of Thumb. TaeTay opened her mouth, “Sir, my husband’s job is to do what is best for the people he represents in the 11th district. I have no doubt that he is going to stand his ground on what he knows is best for the good people of New York.” She closed it and watched of everyone’s faces.
Her father-in-law did not let her off the hook that easily. “Good response, but you didn’t answer my question,” he told her.
TaeTay pulled the pretty blue handkerchief from her cleavage and swatted him with it, “And I am not going to, Sir. I was attempting to be polite and let you know I do not wish to discuss politics on my wedding day. Now… maybe over dinner and a really good bottle of wine, I might be inclined to be a bit chattier.” She grinned at him with a smile so radiant that Thurston’s heart jumped in his chest.
“Let’s not be rude, honey. We still have guests in our home,” she said and placed her hand on Thurston’s arm; he led her back out to the living area where the crowd was thinning. The kids were in the basement where Veronica had put on a movie and given them small plates of food. TaeTay needed to eat something herself to stave off the light-headedness. She now understood what Douglas was trying to do over breakfast--eat and not get anything on her dress.
Beatrice walked into the kitchen, startling her. “That was quite a speech in there my dear. Do you believe any of those words you said?”
TaeTay covered her mouth, trying to chew the oversized meatball. She swallowed hard as she stood face to face with her mother in law. “The question is, Mrs. Cromwell, did you believe me?”
Beatrice gave TaeTay a wry smile, but her eyes were skeptical. “I did my dear. Are you telling me you are a practiced liar?”
“No, I am proving to you both that I can be taught,” she looked at her mother-in-law. “I have so much to learn about living in your world. The learning curve for thriving in the political realm is short and I am already in the deep end.” She was also hungry. She grabbed another meatball.
“What are you saying, dear?” Beatrice wanted to know.
TaeTay’s eyes were wide. What part of that didn’t she understand? “I am saying I am scared out of my mind that I am going to do or say the wrong thing. I am asking you to train me. I know which forks to use, but what if I start drinking the lemon water on the table for me to wash my fingers in… little things that will tell someone that I am an outsider…”
Beatrice took two steps towards TaeTay and placed her hands on the young woman’s bare arms. “The simple fact that you know the bowl exists for you to wash your fingers says more about you than you know. I will teach and mentor you.”
It was a long drive back out of the city and Beatrice bid her a warm farewell. “Out of curiosity, is TaeTay short for something?”
Here we go again, “Yes. It is short for TataLavisha.”
A perfectly manicure eyebrow went up the forehead of his mother’s well-trained face and it seemed as if it stuck there. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun.”
TaeTay heard Beatrice’s aristocratic laughter all the way out of the door and as she told her husband on the sidewalk before they got in the car. Thurston the Third looked back at the house and said ‘Tata-Who-What-Wherefor?”
Lawrence was pouting because they didn’t get a wife for him, too. He kept asking their father if he could have a TaeTay as well. “I want a TaeTay!”
Thurston the Third yelled at his son, “Boy, get your ass in the car. You don’t need a TaeTay!”
“But I want one. Thurston has one! I want one too! I want a TaeTay!”
Beatrice was still laughing when the driver pulled away from the curb.
By 8 pm, with all of the friends, relatives and co-workers gone, the house looked as if nothing had occurred inside of it. The furniture was back in place, the remaining food was sorted and stored, and had it not been for the mound of gifts and presents, TaeTay would not have believed any of it happened. It must be nice to have money.
Douglas was passed out in his bed wearing Spiderman pajamas, and a chicken wing still in his hand. Truth be told, they had never truly been hungry, but having options of what to eat was a luxury. Standing in front of a full refrigerator was something new for both of them. It would not be difficult to get used to this life; she was just afraid that if she ever had to leave it, what would she have to go back to?
Thurston cleared his throat. “Do you need some help getting out of that dress?”
She laughed softly as she removed the chicken from the boy’s hand and wiped his fingers with a wet nap. “Is that your way of reminding me it is our wedding night, Mr. Cromwell?”
Thurston was blushing, “No. No. That is not what I meant. The dress has little tiny buttons on the back above the zipper. I know Veronica helped you dress this morning. I didn’t know if I needed to… Oh turn around.” He carefully undid the buttons and the
zipper.
TaeTay’s hands were shaking. “If you give me a few minutes to freshen up, I will change and come to your room…” Her eyes were down when she said it. Everything has a cost, TaeTay; it is time to pay up.
He pulled her into the hall and closed the door to Douglas’ room, “Is that what you want? A wedding night with me?”
“I know I have to do my duties as your wife…” she said, still looking at her toes.
His hands were on her shoulders, “Yes, that is true, but I want you in my bed when you are ready to be with me as my woman, not just fulfilling the duties as my wife.”
There he was again with those fancy words. Her eyes searched his, “So you are not expecting to be with me tonight?”
Thurston was shaking his head. “I don’t even know if you feel that way about me yet, TaeTay.” He was looking at her with a curious stare. “Are you even attracted to me?”
She bit her bottom lip as she nodded her head yes.
“Good, we have somewhere to start,” he told her after exhaling a sigh of relief.
“Thurston, are you attracted to me?” She wanted to know.
“Yes, very much so.” He told her with a wide smile. “We have time to get to know each other. I will tell you that I am a generous and giving lover.”
She was frowning with her nose scrunched up. “What does that mean?” she asked. She stopped frowning and began squinting at him with an accusatory stare, “You have a chicken wing flap, don’t you?”
He didn’t know what she meant as she shook the chicken bone that she had removed from Douglas’s hand at him. “A what?” he wanted to know.
“You are one of those brothers who uses fancy words and pillow talk to cover up having a chicken wing flap!” She was still shaking the piece of chicken at him when it clicked.
“TaeTay are you referring to the size of my…” he asked in shock.
“Yes, I am! It’s okay; I mean, it’s not the size of the boat but the motion of the ocean… stop, bad analogy. I do not have an ocean.”
“I think what needs to stop is this conversation. Go to bed. I will see you in the morning,” he leaned in and kissed her cheek before heading to his room and closing the door.
Even once he settled his head into the pillow, he was tired. It had been a full day from cleaning poop off a five-year-old to getting married to a woman that was going to either give him a heart attack or cause one in his parents. She handled his father and the whole marriage thing well. The woman even had his brother trying to trade some flowers with him so he could take her home.
Yes, his hands were full. He loved it.
Chapter 15. Having her own…
Monday morning brought a new set of challenges. Getting her husband ready for work and out the door when Douglas was upset that Thurston was leaving was a trial that she was losing. It took Thurston three times to get Douglas to understand that he and TaeTay had to run some errands and that they would be back soon. Douglas would not hear of it. He didn’t know the sitter. He didn’t like the sitter. And he had no intention of staying with her, either. No one was going to depart that house without taking him.
A simple trip to the bank was going to make Thurston extremely late to work that morning. He phoned his office and had all of his meetings postponed by an hour. TaeTay apologized profusely, but her husband’s mind was somewhere else as they made their way through traffic. She wore black slacks and a smart red two- piece sweater set made out of some of the softest material she had ever felt. He didn’t comment. She donned the pearls again because they were pretty and made her look classy.
In the bank office, TaeTay sat quietly as Douglas pelted them both with questions. Thurston looked at him and told him, “Douglas, Daddy has to do some very special paperwork with Mr. Grimes here, then I have to go to work. If you are extra good, I will bring you home something special. But that is for today only. Can you do this?”
Douglas’ little head bobbed. “Please sit in the chair against the wall and mind your manners,” Thurston told him. Douglas was quiet throughout all of the transactions that followed. TaeTay almost was not.
The first account that was set up for her was a household account. This one he explained was for her to buy food, clothes, and pay any needed household expenses. “Since you have to buy furniture, I put in three months’ worth of your monthly allowance. It will be replenished at the beginning of each month with $5,000. It is important for you to say on budget.”
The second account was to be used for campaign costs only. Thurston told her, “If you buy a ribbon, a box of donuts or even coffee for the campaign headquarters, please use this account. And whatever you do, don’t co-mingle the funds.”
The next account was for Douglas. “You can add to this account as well. It is for his college fund, his car, or whatever major expenses as he grows up.”
TaeTay was in shock especially with the final account. “This is your rainy day fund. It is in your name only. Once you sign on the line, I have no authority over this account or the funds within.”
Be a lady. Be a lady. You are now Mrs. Cromwell. Act like it. “That’s a lot of zeroes,” she told him as she signed her name on the line. TataLavisha Renee Cromwell. It was done.
Mr. Grimes spoke to her, “In a few weeks, your credit cards will arrive. Here are your temporary checks and some pocket money until everything is set up.”
The money order Thurston had sent to her, she unfolded from her purse. “Mr. Grimes, can you please add this to Douglas’ account?”
“Of course, Mrs. Cromwell,” he told her as he closed up all of the documents and handed her the copies she needed.
“Darling, I have to run. I am late for several meetings. Also, you two need to get home; it’s going to rain this afternoon” he said as he walked them to the car.
“How are you going to get to work?”
“I’ll take the subway; you take the car. I’ll see you at home.” He stooped down to hug Douglas. “You take care of your Mom until I get home tonight.”
“Okay, Daddy,” Douglas told him as he gave a mock salute.
“Thurston,” she called after him. “That was a lot of money moving around in there.”
His fingers rubbed her face, “I have to know and believe that when you come to my bed, you are coming because you want to be there, not because you are broke and have nothing of your own. You are a rich woman now. Anything you do from this point forward is because you want to, not out of necessity.”
He walked away without even a kiss. He had given her a great deal to think about as she and Douglas climbed into the car and headed back to Brooklyn. I am rich. I am a rich woman. Thurston has given me the means to leave him if I want to, anytime I feel like it. The funny thing was, she didn’t want to walk away.
She never had any intention of leaving her husband. Ever.
Douglas was enthralled by all the noise, hustling and bustling of the big bad city. TaeTay found it unsettling. She had seen too many movies of bad things happening in New York and there was nowhere to run because 3 million people were running that way as well. Yet, this was her new home. She had to make the best of it. Her feelings about the brownstone in Brooklyn were similar. With some decorating and added touches, she could make it homey. “Carl,” she asked the driver, “Can we stop at a big box, office supply store? I need to pick up a few things.”
Arms filled with a new tablet slash laptop, a cheap color printer, crayons, and workbooks for Douglas, she headed home. She considered herself lucky to find the thank you cards with the embossed raised letter C on them on sale. It was time to open gift boxes.
First things first, she gave Douglas a light snack and put him down for a quick nap. He, of course, had to change into the Superman PJ’s before he lay down. This was after he selected what he was going to wear when he woke up. At this rate, TaeTay was sure by the end of the week, he would have worn everything in the closet and drawers. She grabbed the basket load of dirty clothes and took them to the basem
ent. After she thought about it, she went up to Thurston’s room to collect his laundry, and while she was there, made quick work of making the bed, putting fresh towels in his bathroom, and tidying up a bit. Tomorrow she would dust and run a dry mop over the hardwoods.
Her stomach was grumbling so loudly she was sure the mailman heard it when he walked up to the front door. There was a stack of cards addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Cromwell. Food, then tackle this. For some reason, a BLT sounded fantastic, along with a hot cup of coffee. While she ate, she set up her tablet and found several free Wi-Fi hot spots, which she used to check Pinterest for recipes for leftover crudités. Hmmm, large garden salad, with some mushroom roasted chicken with a side of rice.
Dinner planned, she headed to the dining room and began to open presents. She was careful to double-check each gift against the sign-in register so she would know who had come to the wedding and who had sent a gift. Two hours later, everything was open and Douglas was awake and wearing black jeans and a black and white striped shirt, professing he was about to die from hunger.
Looking at the gifts, TaeTay thought about Thurston. He had not even tried to kiss her before he left. That was not going to do. She found her purse and located her luscious pink lip tint, applied it thickly, and snapped a selfie of herself puckering up. She sent it to him with a note, “You forgot your kiss this morning. Here ya go.”
For some odd reason, she began a mental debate with herself about whether to put the gifts away or wait to let her husband see them when he got home.
My husband.
She was feeling good. A lovely salad bowl with some matching pretty plates was a part of the bounty they received as gifts, and she planned to put them to good use over dinner. A dinner that she needed to start so it would be ready when her husband came home in less than an hour.
My husband.
Thurston had been watching the clock all day, just waiting for six o’clock. He was anxious to get home to his family. Maybe I should have taken some time off to get them settled in, maybe shopped with her for the pieces she needed for the house. His phone chirped. TaeTay had sent him a message.
My Mail Order Wife (The Value of a Man Book 1) Page 6