Chapter 28
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
PHOENIX
“Now I wanted you two to be together more than anyone else, but Kendrix doesn’t share you. Why is he hogging all of your time, where is he put him on the phone!” Makayla called me three times since we’ve been here, and I just got to return her call.
We just got in from another cooking lesson from two of my culinary icons, Eloise and Dean Autry. The duo married straight after Eloise graduated from culinary school, and there was speculation about their relationship because of their age difference.
When they met, Dean was 35 and Eloise 28. The blogs tried to tear their relationship to shreds. This time, Kendrix joined in on the lesson, and we made brunch .
“Hello, are you even listening to me?” Makayla whined through the phone; she was so dramatic.
“He left out to handle some secretive business he refused to disclose, so I have been pondering my life lately. Things surely have changed in ways that I never imagined. It used to be a fragment of my imagination to have that man love me the way he does, both physically and emotionally. Now I get to wake up with him each day; it is real this time.”
Makayla was silent for a minute, “God knew what was in store for the two of you once you got together; he was preparing the two of you individually for years so that you could be strong as a union to handle it all. You deserve everything good in this world, so keep soaking it up, babe. Travis wants to talk to you both, but Kendrix can call him another time; you guys are coming home tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, we will leave tomorrow. Put him on the phone; I love you, Kay Kay.”
Travis and I talked for almost an hour. He was jealous when I told him all the fun we were having. He had become part of the family, and I didn’t want to see him go.
Someone knocked on the bedroom door; there was only a box there. I opened it to see an outfit and a note from Kendrix.
We should spend our last night having dinner at the fancy restaurant you sent me earlier today. I will pick you up in two hours. The dress code is sexy chic (whatever that means). See you soon, Jewel.
- Love the man you can’t stop thinking about.
Exactly two hours later, I got a text from Kendrix telling me to meet him outside the car he had ordered for us. He rented a private driver for our time in Spain. My heart was whole from the week we spent traveling the world. We saw little of Croatia and Greece, but Kendrix promised to bring me back.
“Senior Thompson will meet you at the restaurant Senorita Phoenix. Sit back and relax; we will be there soon.” Edwardo was a nice older man who told me great tales of his life in Spain.
We pulled up to the beach instead of the restaurant; I shot Edwardo a puzzled look. “It’s faster if you cut through the beach Senorita Phoenix; trust me, I know my way around here.” I looked down at my white satin dress, it was long, but the sand should come right off the material.
“If you say so, thank you so much, Senior Edwardo.” He let me out of the car and instructed me to follow the boardwalk until I found what I was looking for.
I called Kendrix, and he told me to follow instructions or another punishment would await me tonight. Does he not know how tempting it is to break the rules…
The beach was pretty empty except for this crowd of people standing around. They were too far away for me to make out faces. The boardwalk turned into a beautiful red carpet, and I felt bad for walking on it, but it was a fantastic addition to the white sandy beach.
A white rose petal stood out on the red carpet, and awareness tickled my skin, but I kept walking. Once I approached the crowd, I saw some familiar faces staring back at me. How was Makayla here? We just got off the phone less than three hours ago.
It all clicked when red roses were pierced through the sand to create an aisle. This was for me. At the end of the walkway sat a huge heart arch with flowers woven through it, a white sign with four words that I always wanted to hear from a particular person’s lips.
Will you marry me?
I didn’t want to cry because I worked hard on my makeup tonight, but it was useless. They fell fast, and Granny Lucy handed me a tissue before standing back in her spot next to Asha. Everyone had on a different shade of white, and the dress Kendrix left for me fit the occasion perfectly.
When I stood underneath the arch, I didn’t see him in the crowd, but after a few seconds, I felt his presence behind me. Kendrix appeared next to me, down on one knee; our loved ones went silent as his words began to touch my heart.
“Phoenix Diamond McClain, my jewel. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, the purest soul in the shitstorm that was my life. I thought nothing good would come to me after the things I’ve done, but God gave me a second chance to get it right with you. He showed me the kind of man I had to become to be good enough to sit in the same room as you. You held your ground and didn’t take any of my bullshit. You taught me how to keep searching, keep fighting, and keep living until I found it. It took me a long time, but I found my way to you. I want to be here for eternity if you allow me to; we eliminated every trap the enemy set up for us. Trust that I will do it all over again. Nothing will stop me from loving you with my whole heart. When that isn’t enough, I’ll love you with my soul, too. Jewel, will you do me the greatest honor and be my wife?”
The emotion he displayed for all of us to see was heartwarming. Kendrix didn’t try to wipe away the tears; he left himself vulnerable for me to accept.
“Of course I will; I love you so much!” I bent down in front of him and kissed the tears away. He slid a band on to fit perfectly with my grandmother’s ring; the diamond-encrusted duo complimented me well.
We spent the rest of the day celebrating our love with the people who did everything they could to keep us together.