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Jeb sat down, and Channing handed the baby off to him.
I smiled big as Jeb cooed at the baby.
“He’s wonderful. I knew you two would be great together,” Kemara whispered for my ears only.
“And I never would have come around if he wasn’t in Aruba, so thank you for making that possible,” I said to her as I watched Jeb holding the baby with the kids hovering over him. I wanted in. “And now…I want to squeeze some cheeks,” I said, smiling at Bryce. I reached for Bryce, but Jeb stopped me.
He stood up and handed my nephew back to Channing. “First, I have something I want to say,” he began.
“No, I’m not having any more children, right now,” I teased.
He chuckled. “That’s not what I was about to say,” he said, taking my hand in his. “Over the past year, you and the kids have been the most important thing in my life. I want you to know that I love you.” He glanced at Kevin and Eva. “I love you guys more than you’ll ever know.”
“And we all love you,” I said, confused as to where this speech was leading.
“Love you, Jeb,” Eva said.
“Love ya,” Kevin added.
“There’s so much I want to say, but I don’t know where to start, so I’m just going to have to show you what I mean,” he said.
“Show me what, Jeb? You’re making me nervous.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box and held it out to me. I gasped when he got down on one knee and opened the box.
“No woman will ever compare to you. I don’t want anyone else in my life, but you. I know this with every fiber of who I am as a man. I only want you, Kevin and Eva, in my life…oh and all the babies we’re going to have. So, if you all will have me,” he included Kevin and Eva in his question. “I would like to know…will you marry me?”
Jeb held a beautiful, sparkling diamond ring out to me along with his hand to accept in marriage. From the look of things, Kemara and Channing were in on this surprise proposal.
“Answer him already,” my sister chimed in.
“We do,” Eva said with a huge smile.
“Mom, I gave Jeb my blessings yesterday,” Kevin said in the tone of a little man.
Now, everyone was staring at me for my response. Tears formed at the corners of my eyes. I couldn’t find the words to say so I nodded in fast motions as I blinked back tears. Finally, I was able to string together the words, “I will marry you! Yes! I will marry you, Jeb!”
He slid the ring onto my finger, and I obsessed over its gorgeousness as I stood there in awe. He picked me up into his arms and spun around as everyone cheered us on. When he planted me back on my feet, he pulled Kevin and Eva into our group hug.
“We’re one unit,” he said.
Jeb and I looked at each other, knowing we had obstacles to overcome. Getting his family’s acceptance and Rodney’s erratic behavior were the main ones. But our little family—the ones that counted—was happy, and our love would soon be solidified through marriage.
THE END
Part 2
The Melody
Prologue
Jeb
As I buttoned my shirt up, I stood in front of the mirror looking at my reflection while my mind wondered about all the ways this could go wrong. My feet wanted to stay planted right there in our room as I thought about my father and the hateful words that would spew out of his mouth once I revealed to him Tameka would soon be my wife.
He wasn’t a fan of our union, to say the least. And he let me know by avoiding me at all costs. I wanted to talk this through with my dad, mostly because I couldn’t bear to see us turn into his brother and Channing. But he was too stuck in his own outdated ways to try to salvage our relationship. I’d give him a call, and he would send me straight to voicemail. I’d stop by the house, and he’d completely ignore me, only grunting and moaning in response to me trying to get something out of him. He wouldn’t even string together more than four words to say to me. He was beyond disapproving, and it showed.
I thought about asking Tameka to elope. I would love to see her on a breathtaking white beach after giving her my ring and vowing to spend the rest of my life with her. We didn’t need people there on our special day who didn’t support us. Our day should belong to us, and to our love.
