by Donna Hill
“Well, my son. You’ve said the right things. You seem to be a man of your word. We will certainly see how this all plays out. Fair enough?”
“Fair enough.” Tyson shook each of their hands again, sealing their unspoken pact. He cared for her and wanted to protect her as much as they did. They’d see for themselves that he was great for Kendall.
The men returned to the kitchen, where they met Kendall. She was taking the veggies she’d chopped the day before out of the refrigerator. The pies and cakes she’d baked sat in glass cake dishes along the counter.
“Move on over, girl. The chef is here,” Booker T. teased.
“Oh no, no, no! The chef has just arrived!” They all turned around to see Tyson’s mother, Eva, standing firm with one hand on her hip and the other filled with bags. Tyson’s father, Benjamin, and his siblings, Turner and Tory, stood beside her, carrying bags as well. Benjamin shook his head and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling.
Eva was decked out in a beautiful blend of autumn colors with burgundy stilettos to match. She stepped over to the island and put down the bags, then clapped the residue from her hands and parked them on her hips.
“Now, who is this gentleman claiming to be the chef?”
Benjamin shook his head again.
“Mom’s at it already,” Tory said, putting her bags on the table.
Booker T. stepped forward confidently and tugged on the lapels of his suit jacket. “That would be me, Booker T. Chandler,” he announced smugly, saying each part of his name as if it were a statement in and of itself. He ended with a huge smile and held his hand out for her to shake. Eva shook it, eyeing him as if she was accepting a challenge he was presenting.
Tyson and Kendall looked at each other and laughed. Everyone else joined in. Booker T. greeted Benjamin next, and the two embraced in a masculine hug. Tyson knew right then that their families would fit together like pieces of a perfect puzzle.
“Pleasure to meet you, Booker T.,” Benjamin said.
“Likewise,” Booker T. responded.
Tyson took over the rest of the introductions. The ladies hugged and the men shook hands. Eva winked over Kendall’s shoulder when she embraced her. Having his mom’s approval made him smile deep on the inside.
Somehow, each of them fell into place as if their families had been gathering for the holidays for years. Kendall, Eva, Booker T. and Tory headed to the kitchen. Benjamin, Turner, Shane and Lincoln found their way to the large TV in the family room. Once everyone was settled in, Tyson ping-ponged back and forth between both spaces, making sure everyone was okay.
“You sure you know what you’re doing over there with that bird? No experimenting on Thanksgiving Day now. You hear?” Tyson heard Booker T. say to his mother.
“You worry about that macaroni and cheese you’re tending to, or do you need me to come show you how it’s really done?”
“You’re a feisty one! Ben!” Booker T. yelled through the kitchen, reducing Benjamin’s name. “How do you deal with this one here?”
Laughter flowed between the spaces. Over the next few hours, the kitchen crew laughingly prepared a delicious feast, leaving the setting of the tables to the ones who sat watching television while the food cooked.
“Dinner is ready!” Eva announced, still in her stilettos. “Gather around and let’s say grace.”
“Speaking of grace.” Booker T. looked toward Kendall. “May I?” His eyes glistened.
“Please.” Kendall nodded. Her eyes watered as well.
Booker T. went to his bag and pulled out a frame. He cleared his throat. “If you all don’t mind, I’d like to have my lovely late wife join us.” He turned the frame around to reveal a picture of a beautiful woman with a salt-and-pepper bob. Tears rolled from Kendall’s eyes. Shane and Lincoln cleared their throats. Tyson was sure that all that rapid blinking was meant to hold back their tears. “She would have loved to be here and see her Kendall joined with such a beautiful family.”
Eva smiled and walked over to Booker T. “May I?” She held her hands out. Tyson wondered what she was about to do. Booker T. handed the picture to Eva and she looked at it for a moment, pursing her lips together. “She’s beautiful! I can tell she was strong.” She exhaled and looked into the eyes of Kendall, Shane and Lincoln before settling her gaze on Booker T. “We women usually sit near each other so we can chat.” Her nod was a request for permission.
Booker T’s nod was permission granted. Eva walked over to the table and placed Grace’s picture next to the chair she’d claimed for herself. Then she reached for her husband’s hand. His chest swelled. Tyson wasn’t sure if it was pride, or if Benjamin was trying to hold back his own emotions. Kendall’s tears now flowed stronger. Shane and Lincoln didn’t hold theirs back. A proud, loving smile spread across Booker T.’s face as the rest of the family gathered around the table.
“Mom. Would you do the honors?” Tyson asked.
“Gladly, son.” And she did. “Heavenly Father, we stand before You with grateful hearts, thanking You for bringing our families together—all of us. We have so much to be thankful for. Please bless the food we are about to eat for the nourishment of our bodies and bless the hands that prepared it. Bless the pathway of these two wonderful people, Tyson and Kendall, and may we share many more holidays together just like this. Amen!”
The “Amens” were a chorus. Everyone released hands and hugged. Tyson’s heart felt like it could overflow, filling his chest cavity with warmth.
“Dad, would you carve the turkey?”
“Absolutely, son.”
“Yeah. And put a piece on my plate so I can taste it and see if she did a good job!” Booker T. teased.
While everyone laughed, Eva squinted her eyes at Booker T., pressed her lips together and then leaned toward Grace’s picture. “Girl, how did you deal with this one?”
Everyone laughed even harder. “I guess the same way I deal with you,” Benjamin whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, and stepped out of Eva’s reach just in time to avoid getting hit.
The instant camaraderie confirmed that Tyson had made the right choice. He turned to Kendall, took her face in his hands and kissed her like they were the only ones in the room. He floated away, only to be brought back to the present by the teasing whistles, hisses and claps of their family members. Kendall shook her head, chuckled and rested her cheek against his chest. Tyson wished that moment—and what he felt—could be frozen in time.
Chapter 32
Life had changed significantly for Kendall. After Thanksgiving, she made it a rule to see her family more and spent more time traveling back and forth to the Midwest. She spent Christmas with her father and brothers just as she’d promised and rang in the New Year with Tyson by her side. Much of their free time was now spent together with their families.
Their relationship was public now. Kendall no longer minded the flash of the cameras or what the media had to say, whether good or bad. She’d chosen this life. There was no way to have a life in the spotlight without dealing with them, but Kendall no longer let it get the best of her. She hardly noticed paparazzi anymore, and she spent less time in her condo where they usually camped out. Instead, she was spending more time in LA at Tyson’s home, which was protected by a security gate far down at the end of a private road.
It was red carpet season and the anniversary of her first award show performance. In the year that had passed she’d finished touring and the Jocelyn James biopic aired. Kendall had begun racking up the accolades. Her new album was on schedule to be released in the summer, and she’d just wrapped up her second film project. This one was going to be in theaters. She was performing at the BTV awards again and had also been asked to announce other nominees and winners as well.
“You’re not done yet?” Tyson burst into the bathroom, snapping Kendall out of her daydream. “You’ve been in the tub for almost an hour
. What’s going on in there?”
“Thinking about you.”
Tyson widened his eyes, looked at his watch and huffed. “Ugh! We don’t have enough time!”
“Ha!” Kendall’s laugh bounced off the marble walls. “Okay. I’m coming out now.”
“Ayanna just arrived.”
“Shoot! Okay, tell her I’ll be right down.” Kendall finished up efficiently. She didn’t want to keep her hairstylist waiting. The makeup artist would be arriving soon after.
Two hours later, Kendall was slipping into her gown, a formfitting, pale yellow, strapless number with an epic bow on the side, cinched by a sparkling broach. Tyson complemented her with a matching yellow shirt under his black tux.
“Come on, Kendall! We have to go,” he chided. She was used to him rushing her and kind of liked it.
They reminded her of Booker T. and Grace before she’d passed. Kendall sighed. She wasn’t going to get sad. Instead, she kissed her hand and pressed it to her heart. “I love you, Mommy. Hope I’m making you super proud.”
“Ken! Babe! Come on!” Tyson yelled from downstairs.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Kendall grabbed her evening purse and shoes, gathered the bottom of her dress and trekked down the stairs.
“The driver has been waiting for twenty minutes!” Tyson yelled as if she were still upstairs and wouldn’t hear him.
“I’m right here.”
He swung around, mouth open, no doubt ready to complain about how long it had taken her. Instead, he froze, blinked, and his features softened. Tyson’s shoulders relaxed, and he shook his head slightly. Slowly he walked toward her, took her by the hand and kissed it gently.
“You look...absolutely...stunning.” It seemed he had to search for the words.
Kendall felt the love in his statement. Her cheeks burned, and she blushed. “Thank you.” She twisted from one side to the other. Tyson walked a circle around her and then slid his arms around her waist. He pulled her in for a kiss. “I love you.”
“I love you too, my knight in handsome formal attire.”
Tyson kissed her through her giggles. “We need to go.” He took her by the hand and led her out to the car.
He didn’t wait for their driver. After tucking her in safely, he rounded the car and jumped in on the other side. The driver got back in and pulled off smoothly. In the back, Kendall held his hand.
“Like my dress?”
“I love your dress. Can’t wait to get you out of it.”
“Ha! Behave, Tyson.”
They kissed, touched and giggled through half the ride. Neither of them had ever been successful at keeping their hands off each other. New love felt amazing, and Kendall hoped that she and Tyson would be like this forever.
“I can’t wait to hear you sing,” Tyson said. His expression changed suddenly, going from adoring to something that looked alarming.
“Carl. We have to go back!”
“What? Why, Tyson?” Kendall became nervous.
“I forgot something I need for tonight.”
“Carl.” Tyson looked at his watch and cursed. “We need to hurry.”
Carl turned the car around and drove several minutes back to the house. Tyson barely waited for the car to stop before he jumped out. Kendall wondered what was so important that they had to go back for. Was it his speech? She had a version of it on her phone. She’d helped him with it and had a copy in her emails.
Tyson leaped through the car door he’d left open. He was breathless. “Okay. Whew. We’re good now.”
Kendall didn’t see anything in his hand. “What did you have to go back for?”
“Something I needed to bring with me on stage.”
“Okay.” Kendall shrugged. Tyson was being vague.
“Now, where were we?” Tyson leaned over and kissed her again.
His sweet kisses pushed any more questions right out of her mind. A while later they arrived at the red carpet. Cameras began snapping the second they emerged from the car. Kendall took Tyson’s hand, and together they confidently strode toward the red carpet. Kendall felt herself glowing with Tyson by her side. Photographers clamored to take their picture. Tyson gave them a show, squeezing her in his arms, kissing her for the cameras and waving at their fans. Kendall enjoyed every second. They looked at each other, nodded and then suddenly morphed into a series of silly poses. Kendall puckered her lips, turning from side to side, and they both folded their arms in hip-hop stances. They held those poses and stood back-to-back, winking for the cameras. Tyson dipped her as if they’d ended a perfect waltz, and then they dabbed. The cameras snapped away, catching their genuine laughs and loving kiss at the end before they moved on toward the entrance. They knew their antics would be the talk for a while. It was so much fun.
Inside, they greeted friends and took their seats just before the lights went down, the music came up and the show began. Kendall announced her nominees in the first part of the ceremony and went backstage to prepare for her performance. She came out in a sequined bodysuit, a matching sparkling blazer and thigh-high gold boots with sequins coming up the sides. Soon she had the entire theater on their feet, singing and swaying with her.
At the end, the entire audience stood clapping. Kendall’s chest heaved, both from the performance she’d just given and from being filled by the audience’s response. She stood there absorbing the applause and the spotlight, feeling proud as she scanned the crowd. Kendall waved, bowed and waved again. She turned to exit the stage and halted. Walking toward her was Tyson, his parents and his siblings. Behind them were her dad and brothers. She’d had no idea her family would be there. Her hands flew to her mouth. She even hit herself in the face with the microphone.
Kendall bounced up and down. “What are you doing here?” She was so excited to see her family she’d forgotten that she was onstage. She hugged her dad and brothers and squeezed Eva, who had become like the mother she’d been missing, in her arms. Kendall noticed they were all still onstage and looked at Tyson suspiciously. What is happening right now? She kept smiling for the cameras and wondered why no one else moved.
The lights went down, and the large screen behind them flashed. Music flowed through the theater. Kendall recognized the song. It was the one she’d sung to Tyson the night she’d told him that she loved him. He had asked her to do him a favor and sing him a love song. A collective “ah” came from the audience. Pictures of them flashed on the screen—selfies of them in Paris, Temecula, Montana, their parents’ homes. Suddenly those changed to the silly ones they’d taken on the red carpet when they had arrived. Kendall covered her face in her hands and laughed. She wagged a finger at Tyson.
The lights came up. Applause erupted in the audience once again. Kendall grinned hard. She kissed her hand and sent it out over the entire theater. She reached for Tyson’s hand but didn’t feel him next to her as she had the moment before. She turned and noticed that Tyson had dropped to one knee.
She gasped. Tory took the microphone from her and handed it to Tyson. One of Kendall’s hands flew to her mouth. Tears sprang to her eyes. The other hand covered her heart. Kendall pulled her lips in, gnawing on the bottom one to keep from crying audibly.
“Mama always said people are going to talk. You might as well give them something to talk about,” Tyson said and took Kendall’s left hand. “Kendall Marie Chandler...will you make me the happiest man in the world and—”
“Yes!” Kendall yelled. Then she pulled him to his feet and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yes!” She plastered his face with kisses. “Yes, I’ll be your wife!”
Kendall kissed her husband-to-be passionately, as if it were just the two of them. Turner patted Tyson’s back and cleared his throat. Kendall and Tyson laughed into each other’s lips before breaking away. He took Kendall’s hand and slid the huge ring on her finger. She held it up for the audience to
see and giggled. There was more applause. The love song played louder. Tyson swept her off her stilettos and carried her offstage.
“I guess we gave them something to talk about.” Kendall kissed him again. Her heart felt like it could explode.
“And write about.”
“And post about!” Kendall threw her head back. Her belly shook as they laughed.
“I knew this felt like forever. I’m not going anywhere,” Tyson said.
“Our kind of forever. And neither am I,” she said.
Then they sealed their promise with a kiss.
* * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from Southern Seduction by Carolyn Hector.
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