From One Night to Forever (30 page)

Reggie took her to the doctor to have her cast removed. She tried not to look at the pale, wrinkled flesh as another reason to be self-conscious before her presentation. She’d survived the accident with a broken arm and a concussion; withered skin was worth the side effect.

Right before the presentation, she finally wrangled all thoughts of Aaron and put them away. The end of two years of hard work deserved her undivided attention. The idea of being able to go home at night and not study or cram for an exam was exhilarating. Now there would be nothing to prevent her from opening the second restaurant, or taking more time to enjoy herself. Time with Aaron.

Her presentation went better than she could have imagined. Even Angry Professor said she’d done a great job. Kacey hated to admit the push the professor had given her during the semester had streamlined her franchise plans. So she accepted the compliment and hugged the woman for good measure.

Aaron waited for her afterward, dressed casually in an orange button-up shirt and tan slacks. His curly hair, unruly and wild on his head, and the small amount of stubble on his chin made her want to kiss him.

“How did it go?”

“I knocked it out of the park.”

He wrapped her into a big hug, then lifted her feet off the ground and swung her around. “That’s fantastic.”

Slowly he lowered her to the ground. “I knew you could do it.”

His eyes were bright and happy, his body was pressed against hers, and she’d just finished school. She went with what she wanted to do and lifted up on her toes to kiss him. His second of hesitation meant she’d surprised him, but that didn’t stop his arms from increasing the pressure around her waist. They locked into the first kiss they’d had since before the accident. She was through pretending she wasn’t in love with Aaron.

Desire heated his eyes when they finally broke apart. “Are you ready to go to my place?”

“Yes.”

He took her hand and led her to his SUV. They talked about her presentation and how things had gone on the short drive. Aaron parked before a brick ranch-style home in a cute single-family subdivision near downtown. Several cars were parked in the drive and along the street.

Kacey looked from the cars to Aaron. “What’s going on?”

He shrugged and did a poor job looking innocent. “I have no idea.”

They walked through the door and a chorus of “Congratulations!” greeted them. Everyone was there, not only her family, but also Marcus and his grandmother, the families of the kids of Aaron’s baseball team—which he was coaching regularly now. Luigi with his awesome cannolis. Even her dad and Brenda. Being around them would always be awkward, but after being hit by a two-ton vehicle going fifty miles an hour, she no longer cared. Her parents’ arrangement was their business, not hers.

Her momma and sisters came over to hug her. “Were you surprised?” Ashlei asked.

Kacey nodded. “Definitely.”

Sabrina took her hand and squeezed. “Good.” She reached for Monique’s hand, and then Monique grabbed Ashlei’s. “This is the last time all three of my girls will be in the same room together for a while.”

Monique rolled her eyes. “I’m going to Maryland, Momma, not Morocco. Don’t get all weepy.”

They laughed, and Sabrina blinked away the glossiness in her eyes. “I’m proud of all of you.” Reggie walked over and took Ashlei’s other hand. “So proud of all of you.”

Aaron ducked his head over Kacey’s shoulder. “This is supposed to be a party, but if you keep up the speeches, I have a feeling there will be crying.”

Kacey chuckled and then hugged her momma again. “He’s right. Let’s have some fun. The speeches can wait.”

The next hour was spent talking about her franchise plans, Monique’s plans to move to Maryland for school, and how great things were going to be for Momma’s Kitchen. There was laughter and music, and Kacey and Monique even sang some of their songs from the restaurant. Then Luigi brought in a karaoke machine so everyone could sing. Kacey sat cheering for Marcus and Lenny singing a cute rendition of “Uptown Funk” when Aaron tapped her on the shoulder and pulled her away from the crush of people, down the hall into an empty room.

Kacey looked around. “What room is this?”

“It’s going to be the master bedroom. I’m waiting on my bed to arrive from Columbia. My brothers are bringing my stuff up this weekend.”

So he really was moving. Inside she squealed for joy. Outwardly, she walked calmly over to the window and leaned against the sill. “Thank you for my party. You didn’t have to do that.”

He stood next to her. “Yes, I did. I can’t think of anyone who deserves to be celebrated more than you.”

“Aaron, there’s something I need to say. About us.”

“Let me hear it.”

“I didn’t believe you when you came to town after the accident. I thought you were hyped up because of the accident or feeling guilty because of what happened at your parents’ house. I still can’t believe you leased this place…”

“Everything that’s important to me is here.” He slipped a cell phone out of his back pocket. “I did something else.” He tossed the silver-cased phone to her. Kacey caught it with both hands.

“What?”

“It’s a new phone.”

She looked up from the phone to him. “When did you do that?”

“Last week, though you didn’t notice. No old numbers are transferred over. The only people in there are my family, your family, and you. No more texts or phone calls from ex-girlfriends. Having contact with them means nothing if I can’t talk to the one woman I want to talk with every night before I go to bed.”

“You did this for me?”

“For you, but for me, too. It’s time to grow up. I’ve run from responsibility, only built my business to prove to people that I could. I’ve treated work and relationships like a hobby. No more. I love you, Kacey. You were right; it wasn’t one magic flip that made me realize that. It was a slow buildup over time. The more I got to know you, the more time we spent together, the more I wanted to be with you.”

He shifted on his feet and rubbed his hands along the sides of his pants. “The only thing left is for you to make your choice. Do you want to see where this takes us?”

For once he didn’t wear his carefree smile. He watched her with serious, nervous eyes. Her heart swelled with her love for him. “I love you, too. Yes, I want to see where this takes us.”

His shoulders relaxed, his happy smile came back, and he swept her up into his arms for a kiss. Kacey laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“You thought you were getting me only for one night,” Aaron said. “But I’m afraid, Kacey Randal, that now that I know you love me, you’re stuck with me forever.”

Kacey grinned and pressed closer to him. “I think I can live with that.”

Christmas music played in the background as Roger and Loretta Henderson watched their four kids, their kids’ significant others, and their two grandchildren open presents around the large Christmas tree in their family room.

Loretta leaned closer to Roger on the couch. “I think Neecie will be making an announcement soon.”

Roger stopped watching his two grandkids wrestle with a discarded bow in a pile of wrapping paper to look at Kareem and Neecie standing beneath the mistletoe. He’d noticed the extra attention Kareem paid to her and the thickening of her waist. “Our third grandchild.”

Loretta nodded. “And I overheard Sandra telling Janiyah that she and David were ready to try for their second.”

Roger grunted but smiled. “Before long we’ll be bankrupt from spoiling all these grandkids.”

She chuckled and placed her hand in his. “It’s good to see them all happy.”

“Mmm-hmm.” He pointed to Aaron and Kacey. “You’re about to be happy.”

“Why?”

“Just watch.”

Kacey opened her present, and frowned. “Slippers?”

Aaron grinned and nodded. “Yeah, remember you’ve complained about your feet getting cold.”

Kacey raised a brow and glanced from him to the slippers. “Umm…thank you.”

Then Aaron reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. “Well, if you don’t like them, you can have this.”

He opened the box and revealed a bright diamond ring.

Loretta gasped and sat up. She clasped her hands in front of her. “He’s asking.”

Kacey cried and laughed, then wrapped Aaron in a huge hug. Immediately Janiyah, Freddy, David, Sandra, Kareem, and Neecie were over there congratulating them.

“And I guess that’s a yes,” Roger said with false surprise.

Loretta turned to him. “You knew.”

“I may have,” he said with a sly smile.

“All of them married,” Loretta said. A small smile came over her face. “Now what do I do?”

Roger slid forward and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “They’re all settled. David’s running the business, and I’m perfectly healthy. I think we deserve a vacation. I haven’t seen my baby brother in a while, and none of his kids are married. We can visit him and see if some of our blessings will rub off on them.”

Loretta looked from her husband, back to her children. They were blessed beyond measure. She took his hand in hers. “I think that’s a great idea.”

I’ve had so much fun writing the Henderson Family Series! Thank you to all of the readers who contacted me about Janiyah, David, Kareem, and Aaron Henderson. I appreciate you taking the ride to bring happily-ever-after to this family. Many thanks to the fantastic team at Crimson Romance: Tara, Jess, and Julie! You ladies made writing every one of these stories so easy and so much fun. Extra special thanks to Jess for all of your great editing comments. I also have to thank my two sons for reigniting my enthusiasm for professional wrestling (which you’ll see in this novel). I’ve been a fan all my life, but now I have an excuse to watch again and slip my guilty pleasure into my novels. Finally, as always, thank you to my fantastic husband, who supports me every time I slip away to my writing cave.

Synithia Williams has loved romance novels since reading her first one at age thirteen. It was only natural that she would one day start writing her own stories of happily-ever-after. When she isn’t writing, this local government gal balances the needs of her husband and two sons. You can keep up with Synithia, her writing, and occasional rants about various television programs at
www.synithiawilliams.com
, on Twitter at @SynithiaW, or via her Facebook page:
www.Facebook.com/synithiarwilliams
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Kareem Henderson shifted in the hard as concrete chair in a useless attempt to find a more comfortable position. Clenching his teeth, he fought the scowl struggling to take over his face. His steady gaze remained trained on the red, sweaty face of the bank manager—Mr. Tim Small, based on the gold nameplate on the shiny desk—sitting across from him in the fancy office of First Legions bank. Mr. Small’s watery eyes shifted to Kareem every five seconds. If Kareem didn’t need his loan approved, he would have yelled “Boo” just to see the man jump. He had no intention of robbing the place, but the manger’s overactive sweat glands said Mr. Small wasn’t so sure.

“Can you help me?” Kareem asked, his voice sharp with annoyance. The name fitted the guy. The longer Kareem stared, the more Mr. Small seemed to shrivel up into his seat.

Kareem got the man’s hesitation. As a tall guy dressed in all black with dreads, Kareem didn’t give off the warm and fuzzy vibe, but he’d tried extra hard to be pleasant, and his business plan was on point.

Mr. Small wiped a shaky hand across his brow, plastering a few thin brown hairs to his forehead. “You have a very … interesting plan. I can tell you worked hard on drafting your proposal and researching similar businesses.”

“I worked with Business Connections to put everything together.”

The first real smile popped up on Mr. Small’s face. “Ah, yes, Sandra Brevard is the director over there. She’s a great person. First Legions partners with her organization on many of our philanthropic activities.”

Kareem considered dropping the fact that Sandra, his future sister-in-law, had sent him. Revealing his family connection would clear up the suspicion on Mr. Small’s face better than Proactiv on an acne-prone teen. But Kareem had lost the privilege of using his family name to open doors for him over a decade ago.

“She is a great lady,” he said.

Mr. Small nodded. “Though I would love to approve a loan for your … salon…”

“I’m calling it a gentlemen’s lounge.”

Mr. Small’s eyebrows rose, and he gave Kareem a weak smile. “Right. Still, Mr. Henderson, your idea is risky. I couldn’t, with a clear conscience, approve the loan.”

“I have most of what I need already saved.” Kareem’s voice became as hard as the damn chair he sat in.

Sweat sprouted across Mr. Small’s brow. “Right. You do, and that is good for you, but still. I think it would be best if you … saved a little more.”

Kareem gripped the arms of the chair. His nostrils flared, and he tried not to breathe like an angry bull. He could save the rest of the money in a year or two, but a loan would get him to his dream sooner.

“Is there anyone else I can talk to?” he bit out.

“I’m afraid not. I am the branch manager, you see.” Mr. Small’s voice wavered.

Kareem pried his fingers from around the arms of the chair. “Thank you for your time.” He jumped out of his chair.

Mr. Small pushed back from the desk so fast his chair nearly rolled into the wall. If Kareem’s body weren’t so tight, he might find the entire situation funny. The entire meeting had been doomed from the moment he shook Mr. Small’s limp hand.

Mr. Small jumped from his chair and held his hand toward the door. “You do understand my position?”

He understood the man was eager for him to leave. “I understand the argument you’re trying to make. I can’t say that I agree with you.”

Kareem leaned over to pick up the folder with his business plan, the folder Mr. Small had cracked open for all of two minutes. The manager jumped, and the corner of Kareem’s mouth quirked.