A Wife for Stephen (18 page)

Stephen helps Celeste from the car and ushers her over
to the park swing. After inviting her to sit, he begins to
push
her
gently in a
smooth
rhythm until finding the
courage to ask the question that has been his desire to ask
for a long time, the reason why he brought her out here
where they could be alone. Just the two of them.

Pulling her swing gracefully to a stop he, goes down on
one knee in front of her. All nervousness is pushed aside as
she lays her glove clad hand gently on his cheek and looks
warmly and lovingly in to his eyes.

“Celeste, I love you
very much. The past few months
that I have come to get to know you have made me only
want to get to know and be around you more. I want to
spend and share my life with you.” He reaches into his
jacket pocket and pulls out a black velvet box before
continuing, “What I’m trying to say, Celeste is...” He
pauses to take a breath, “Will you do me the honor of being
my wife?” Stephen opens the box and turns it for Celeste to
see a beautiful diamond solitaire nestled within velvet folds.

For what seems like minutes, Stephen waits holding his
breath. Will he be gifted with Celeste’s love for a lifetime
or will he be forced to put his heart back together from the
shattering that is she sure to occur if she says,
‘No
?’

“Yes,” is all Celeste says before throwin
g her arms
around him and rushing him so quickly that they fall back
into the snow. Never in a million years would Celeste have
imagined that Stephen was going to propose to her. Quite
the opposite, in fact, was her fear. Her surprise finds its
voice when she says, “I didn’t know what you were
bringing me out here for. I even thought for a brief second
that you were going to dump me. Although, for the life of
me, I couldn’t figure out how you could be cruel enough to
do that to me on Thanksgiving Day after inviting me to
spend it with you and your family.”

“Celeste, I am never getting rid of you just as you ar
e
never getting rid of me. Now that you’ve said ‘Yes’,” he
says rising from the snow and pulling an ecstatic Celeste to
her feet. Stephen takes Celeste’s left hand in his own and
after removing her glove, places on her ring finger the ring
that he wishes her to wear for the rest of their lives.

Once the ring is in place, he raises her hand to his lips
and kisses her hand just below where the ring rests, “This is
forever, Baby. I promise,” he says before taking her into his
arms and kissing her breathless.

The two of them get back into the car to head to the
market to pick up the ice cream that Carla had requested.
The sales clerk at the checkout counter notices the ring on
Celeste’s finger and practically gushes over how fabulous
they look together
and wishes
them well in their
life
together.

The drive back to Stephen’s parent’s house is made in
joyful silence. Stephen overjoyed that he will get to spend
the rest of his life with the woman he loves, and Celeste in
complete bliss that for the first time, she knows that she has
met a mortal person who loves her and wants to look out
for her and her best interest.

Celeste quickly learns that nothing goes on in the Haule
family that can be kept a secret. For just as quickly as she
has hung up her coat and scarf and is removing her gloves,
Carla greets them at the door, “Did you remember to pick
up the ice...” she pauses. Her eyes had been searching for
evidence of their trip to the market but falls immediately
upon the ring that wasn’t on Celeste’s hand earlier.
“You’re getting married!” she squeals with delight and then
quickly covers her mouth with both of her hands, realizing
that she has just let the cat out of the bag.

“Man, Sis, you sure got a big mouth,” Stephen teases
his sister.
Stephen and Celeste walk through to the den hand in
hand to make an official announcement before anyone else
deprives him of such. The men are seated at the table and
are anxiously watching the lavish spread being placed on
the table for the holiday feast.
He clears his throat rather loudly to gain everyone’s
attention. “Celeste and I have an announcement to make.”
He looks down first into Celeste’s eyes then to where their
hands are joined together. He brings her hand up to his lips
for a kiss before continuing, “Celeste has made me the
happiest man by agreeing to become my wife.”
Hoots
and
hollers
go
up,
and
people
rush
to
congratulate the happy couple. Celeste is enveloped in a
warm
sense
of
security as
the
women
take
her
from
Stephen’s side and set her at the table while ideas spring
forth from them about wedding plans and arrangements.
When the initial celebration has passed, and everyone
has
had an
opportunity
to
offer
their
warm
wishes,
everyone chooses a seat and stands behind it, gathered
around the large table. Stephen comes to stand next to her.
He places an arm around her shoulder and whispers in her
ear, “Don’t let them bully you into making all the plans that
are by right, yours to make. I know my sisters, give them
and inch, and they’ll have you dressed in a mile of silk,
satin, or whatever the latest wedding garb.”
“I would love their input. Since two of them have had
their own weddings and one is in the process of planning, I
could do with the advice of their experience.”
“Whatever you want, Celeste. I just want you to be
happy.”
She places a warm loving hand against the side of his
face and says, “How can I not be happy anytime I am with
you?”
Their shared kiss is interrupted by the announcement
that they are about to ask God’s blessing on their meal and
thank Him for all the many blessings He has given them.
When Stephen’s dad concludes the prayer, everyone
takes their seat again and begins passing around dishes until
everyone had heaped their favorite dish onto their plates.
Forty-five minutes later everyone sits back in his or her
chairs and are too full to even move.
It isn’t until the women begin batting around ideas for
wedding colors that the men decided that this would be the
perfect time to go turn on the television set to catch the
Cowboys’ football game.
“Have you set a date yet? We can’t really talk colors
until we know whether you want a spring or a summer
wedding,” says Carla.
“Well, surely it would have to be a summer wedding.
There isn’t enough time to plan a spring wedding,”
counters Joleen, who Celeste is coming to think is the most
serious sibling of the bunch.
“Are you kidding,” says the ever perky and playful
Carla, “Stephen has the means to plan whatever wedding
he wishes in as little time as he wants. People practically
beg to do him favors in hopes of getting into his good
graces.” Turning to Celeste she adds, “My brother is
known as being a tough nut to crack when it comes to his
perfectionism and how it applies to business.”
Joleen looked at Celeste and asks, “What season do you
have in mind?”
“Well,” Celeste began, “spring sounds good.” Noting
the slight pulsing frown on Joleen’s features she adds, “But
summer would give us more time to plan.” Celeste thinks
to herself, this is quite a catch twenty-two as she notes the
hint of sadness on Carla’s face. “To be honest, we’ve only
just gotten beyond
‘Will you marry me?’ ‘Yes’.”
Carla’s expression quickly changes to a grin as she asks
with a girlish giggle, “So, how did he propose? Did he go
down on one knee? Where did he take you? It had to have
been somewhere close, you weren’t gone that long.”
Not wanting to answer such a personal question, yet not
wanting to offend, she stumbles over her words, “Well…
Umm..." She is saved from answering as Stephen enters
and comes to stand behind his flustered fiancé.
“Now don’t you two be in here bullying Celeste or I’ll
get your men to take a whipping to you both,” he says in an
attempt at a cowboy drawl.
“Yeah right,” they both say as they rise from their seats
on either side of Celeste. Joyce had been quietly taking dish
by dish into the kitchen and putting away the leftovers.
Stephen places a kiss on Celeste’s cheek and says,
“Remember, whatever you want.”
Turning to peer over her shoulder she says to Stephen,
“But it’s your wedding too. You should have some say.
What about the date? I don’t even know what your
schedule is like after the tour is over.”
“I don’t have any plans other than getting my label off
the ground and recruiting talent. Those can be worked
around any schedule. As far as my say in the wedding goes,
Honey, I would marry you on horseback in cowboy duds,
on a cruise, in Las Vegas, anywhere your heart desires, as
long as by the end of the ceremony I get to hear you say
two words, ‘I do’. Well, I also want to kiss the bride,” he
says placing a kiss on her other cheek.
“Well, if you really feel that way. How about April? Or
May?”
“Either is fine by me. Where?”
“Well we have to pick at least a month first. April
should be pretty with flowers in bloom, warm but not to
warm. May might be too hot.”
“Well that depends on the where? If we marry in Philly
we should make it May. All the snow should be melted by
then. If we marry in California, we should make it April or
May.”
“I would like to get married out here at your families’
church even though we won’t be attending there on a
regular basis. That will also make it easier on your family
since you have more family than I. May it is.”
“Fine. Then that means we must go through counseling
with Pastor Hinkley, he won’t marry us otherwise.”
“Fine by me,” Celeste says, rising from her seat and
wrapping her arms around her fiancé, liking the realization
of the word. “See, we’ve already figured out the when, the
where, and the how.”
“You’ve left out the most important,” Stephen’s seeks
to remind Celeste, “The who, as in, you and I.”
“How could I ever forget the who?” she says going up
on tiptoe to place a kiss on his chin.
“Well if you’re done with the when, the where, the how,
and the
who
, I would very much like to start planning with
my soon to be sister-inlaw if it’s all the same to you,
Stephen,” says Joleen from over Celeste’s shoulder.
“I love you,” Stephen whispers against Celeste’s lips.
“I love you, too.” Stephen gives her one more chaste
peck before returning to the den where the sounds of men
arguing over a play in the game is emanating.
With Joleen and Carla having been through the process
of wedding planning before,
they together
offer
many
suggestions for a May wedding that Celeste couldn’t
possibly have come up with on her own. And Stephen’s
forbearance
turned
out
to
have
been
completely
unnecessary for not once did Celeste feel as if they were
trying to usurp her position as the intended bride.
They offered gentle guidance and honest opinions. They
were so helpful that by the time Celeste was being driven to
the airport
by Stephen Sunday afternoon to catch her
return flight home, many of the plans had already been
tentatively made.
Stephen and Celeste had also gone to meet with Pastor
Hinkley Saturday afternoon for lunch, and he had agreed to
preside over their marriage ceremony providing, just as
Stephen
had said,
that
they
went
through
marriage
counseling with him.
Before
Celeste
boards
her
plane
bound for
home,
Stephen graces Celeste with the sweetest kiss imaginable.
A kiss that leaves her toes tingling in her Nikes. During the
plane ride home, Celeste finds herself smiling in awe of
how when God’s hand is on something, everything just
seems to come together on its own without having to be
forced.

Stephen’s desire for his recording label is taking shape
nicely in the form of a family owned and operated business.
Before heading home, Celeste had agreed to not return to
Vines and Robert’s after the ceremony but would begin
working full time alongside Stephen.

He was uncertain on how to bring up the idea of her
coming to work full-time to help him get his label up and
running. However, knowing that he would be content no
matter her answer, gave him the ability to present it as
something he was mulling over which he wanted Celeste to
consider as well.

Stephen will admit that he was surprised that Celeste
hadn’t even needed to think about it before saying that she
thought it was a perfect idea. He revels in the idea of being
able to travel with his wife on business, instead of away
from her. But even besides that, Stephen knew Celeste to
be exceptional at her job. Having her as his business partner
as well as his lifelong partner is a twofor that he just can’t
pass up.

Arriving at the office Monday morning, Celeste is met in
the elevator by David. The doors to the elevator are barely
shut when he notices the engagement ring on Celeste’s
finger.

“And just who is that from?” he asks, not even
bothering with formalities.
“I would think that a man with a college degree would
be able to decipher that since it is an engagement ring then
it can be from no one other than my fiancé,” Celeste
remarks, toying with him.
“You’re right. But
who
is he?” David asks, his voice
sounding a little strained.
“It’s no one that you would know,” she answers trying
to stall until the elevator reaches her floor.
“That will be easy enough to tell once I know his name.”
“His name is Stephen Haule,” she answers as the doors
open on her floor.
“Hmm… sounds familiar, but you’re right. I don’t know
anyone by that name.”
“See, that’s what I told you. Good day, David.”
Celeste enters her office beaming at having deflected
David’s many questions about her intended. Jayla,
however, is a different story entirely. As Celeste enters into
the office, the ring that is on the fourth finger of her left
hand acts as a magnet and draws Jayla’s eyes to focus on it.
“Oh my word. You’re getting
married
! Congratulations!”
Jayla squeals before encasing Celeste in a mighty squeeze.
“Was it a romantic proposal? Did he get down on one
knee?”
The questions are flying at Celeste so rapidly that she
only has time to answer in monosyllabic words to the first
few in order to keep pace.
“What date have you set?”
“The middle of May. It’s going to be in Philly.” Prior to
meeting Stephen, Celeste never would have shortened the
name of the city where Stephen had grown up. This strikes
her as slightly funny, his influence over her choice of
speech.
With Jayla’s questions having been answered, apparently
to her satisfaction, the two of them are finally able to get
down to business. Around the close of the day, Celeste
begins thinking of writing her resignation letter. She has
been here so long that she deems it only fair and a sign of
respect to give them more than the required two-week
notice of her departure.
It’s funny how things can quickly change, Celeste finds
herself pondering. It was just a few short months ago that
her
goal
was
to
be
the
first
female
partner
for
this
company, and now all she can think of is how much more
she
would rather be Stephen’s
wife
and his
business
partner.