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“That next time you plan a party, you make sure the furniture gets delivered first,” I said.
He slipped the ring on my finger, then stood up and pulled me into his arms and he kissed me. “This was the one and only party, I promise. And you know me, I keep my promises.”
That he did. With my arms around his neck, I looked at the ring. I couldn’t believe it. I was engaged. If we weren’t in a crowded room, he and I could be celebrating a lot more intimately. That would need to wait.
I heard MaKayla said Mary, “I guess this means you’re going to be my grandmother.”
Looking at Mary, her eyes watered. “I’d love that very much.”
MaKayla hugged her and added, “And soon to be a great-grandmother, too.”
It touched my heart to see our families blending so easily. It’s as though it was always meant to be, and we were all getting what we needed.
The old grandfather’s clock chimed. “Declan, don’t you have to meet Alex in a couple of hours?”
“Yeah. About that. I...lied. I am meeting with him, but he asked to see both of us, tomorrow. Looks like they didn’t want just me, but they want you too,” he replied.
Ha. Tabiq wants me? “Why me?” I asked.
“I have the knowledge on the boats you have the Tabiqian heart. Together, we can bring something special to the youth there. Something lasting. What do you say? Want to do this with me? Because without you, I’m going to tell Alex no.”
That didn’t leave me much of a choice. “The company is O’Leary, I’m a Prada, I reminded him.”
He smiled. “I believe you just agreed to change that.”
“Mom, do this. Not for you, not for me, but for all the people in Tabiq fighting for something better. That’s why Damien and Draven are helping there. Tabiq can’t do it on its own. And you have something very special to offer them.”
“What is that?” I asked.
Declan answered. “I met you when you were nineteen. You were young and scared. But you conquered your fears and became a successful businesswoman. Do you know how many young Tabiqian women and men need to hear your story? They need good role models. I can't think of anyone better to help coach them.”
The words wouldn’t have been the same if said by anyone else.I love you, Declan.It didn’t matter what the people in Tabiq called me, Lenia or Venus, because I was about to have one last name changed. Soon, I was going to be Mrs. Declan O’Leary, a name that I was going to proudly carry for the rest of my life.
“I...guess I’m going back to Tabiq,” I said.
Declan hugged me and said, “Not you… we. We are doing this together.”
MaKayla said, “We are doing this as a family.”
Mary chimed in and said, “And since we are family now too, you can count us in as well.”
She wasn’t up to traveling to Tabiq, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. If she was anything like her son, nothing would stop her from getting what she wanted.
But this really was becoming a family all working together for the better of Tabiq. There was a time in my life when a foreigner was the last thing Tabiq needed. They didn’t come with good intentions. They were there to use and abuse us. To now be surrounded by family that was striving for a better Tabiq really touched my heart. Not only is my son-in-law, Damien, working with the Tabiqian government, and his brother, Draven, staying there to help bring families back together again. Now, Declan and his family are all on board bringing a new trade to Tabiq.
I realized that the loved Declan and I share was not just the two of us. It has blossomed into so much more and I couldn’t be happier.I can’t be more loved.
“I hope you know that I’m not going to forget how you all kept this from me. The proposal, the job in Tabiq. Since when am I out of the loop?” I asked.
“Since I swore them all to secrecy,” Declan said. “And for the record, it wasn't easy to pull off while living on the boat.”
“You mean all those business calls weren’t business?” I asked.
“Yes, they were. Well, at least one of them was,” he replied. “I hope you can forgive me for lying.”
Kissing him briefly, I said, “This time, you’re forgiven. Next time you go to surprise me, remember, I hate surprises.”
“But you love me, right?” he asked.
