Chapter 53 Octavia
Fifty-Three
Octavia
Four Months Later
I never thought a day would come when a six-foot-five giant would be walking around my childhood home.
It was Christmas Eve, and Javier was currently reaching into one of the cabinets in my mother’s kitchen to retrieve a glass bowl for her.
“Look at that. He makes it look so easy.” She marveled over how effortlessly he could reach into a cabinet and grab things. Perks of being tall.
He handed the bowl to her with a smile.
“You have a good one, Tavia.”
“Mama, really?” I laughed as Javier snorted.
“Do you think this needs more seasoning?” Davina asked, in front of the stove.
Mama walked her way and grabbed a spoon, dipped it inside, and gave the soup a taste. “Nope. That’s perfect.”
“Just like you, baby!” Deke called out from the living room.
I looked over my shoulder to see him still sitting on the floor with Aleesa.
She had been allowed to open one gift for Christmas, and it had been a nail polish set .
. . from me. Javier wasn’t pleased about it, but Aleesa loved it.
And I had a feeling the only reason he didn’t like my gift to her was because he knew she’d beg to paint his nails.
As a matter of fact, she was in the process of painting Deke’s nails a lovely shade of blue.
“Okay, Deke. All done.” Aleesa grinned, shoving the nail brush back into the bottle. I was still trying to accept that she was speaking more clearly by the day. My sweet girl was getting so big.
Deke raised a hand into the air to study his new manicure. “Dang, Aleesa. You’re gonna have all my friends jealous of this bomb-ass set.”
“Deke!” Javier and I called at the same time. We looked at each other, and I grinned. He wrapped an arm around me, giving his head a deliberate shake.
“You know we do not like using bad words around her,” Javier said, and you’d think he was scolding a child.
“What are you going to do when ours comes?” Davina asked, meeting Deke in the living room. He stood as she approached, a warm smile sweeping across his face as he placed a hand on her belly.
I still couldn’t believe my sister was pregnant.
I mean, damn. They must’ve had one hell of a honeymoon.
She was only four months along, so she wasn’t showing much yet, but she was glowing.
That couldn’t be said in the very beginning, though.
She had been vomiting left and right and had to reschedule so many meetings for work.
How did I know this? Because she’d call me to gripe about how she hated rescheduling things. Said it made her appear unprofessional. Like, hello. You have a whole baby growing inside you. Anyone who didn’t understand that didn’t deserve her time, in my opinion.
Twenty or so minutes later, I was helping Mama pour soup into bowls while Christmas jingles played from Abe’s speaker. He left his bedroom just in time to snag a seat right beside his favorite player, Bishop.
“King Abe.” Deke smiled at him. “Where you been hiding?”
“My room,” Abe answered. “I was watching some of your highlights earlier. The game yesterday was a close one.”
“Oh, yeah. It was. But we won, that’s all that matters.”
“It’s good you have Christmas off and get to be with Davina. I can’t believe she’s pregnant now.”
Deke huffed a laugh as Davina did. “Yep, she sure is. Ready to become an uncle?”
“Not really.” Abe reached for a hunk of sourdough bread.
“Well, all right.” Deke chortled just as Davina suppressed a laugh.
I took my seat beside Aleesa after getting her situated. It was really nice to have Javier and Deke home for Christmas. Both had joined us in Maple Cove for a quiet, cozy, mountainous holiday. Honestly, it was perfect.
The lights were dim and the kitchen illuminated with candlelight in each corner.
String lights hung from the window above the sink and twinkled from the tree in the living room.
I could still smell a hint of pine beneath the scent of turkey-meatball soup, because one thing my mother never skimped out on was a Christmas tree.
She always had to have a real one, and that thing would live long enough to see Valentine’s Day.
After dinner, Mama broke out a bottle of wine and poured some for me. Davina made a face when I took a sip, and I said, “You wish that was you, huh?”
She playfully shoved me. “Shut up!”
Javier had been roped in by Aleesa to have his nails painted blue. But he’d only agreed to having one hand painted, and only after quietly asking me if my mother had nail polish remover so he could take it off right after.
I sipped my wine, watching as he sighed and waited for her to finish. Once she was done, he stood and said, “Great. I need to run and get something from the car. I will be right back.”
I watched him go, mildly confused. Aleesa made her way to me and grabbed my hand. “You want red, Tava?”
“Oh, no, baby. I already got my nails done. See?” I wiggled my fingers, and she observed each one carefully. Then she released my hand and made a pfft noise, as if to say fine, but you’re missing out.
“So do you want a boy or girl?” I asked Deke. I knew Davina’s answer. She didn’t mind the idea of either.
“Honestly . . . whatever God gives me, I’ll take it.
” Deke sat on the sofa, his back against the arm of the couch and one leg up.
Davina sat between his legs, with her back resting on his chest, and held on to the arm he had wrapped around hers.
“Whether it’s a boy or girl, they’re gonna have to know how to ball, though. ”
Davina laughed. “What if they don’t want to be athletic?”
“Well, they better get into it.” Deke placed a hand on her stomach. “You hear that, little Bishop? Get into it.”
Everyone in the room broke out in laughter.
The front door opened, and Javier entered again. His cheeks, as well as the tip of his nose, were slightly pink from the cold. He walked into the living room and took a look at everyone.
“Is now okay?” he asked, focusing on Davina and Deke.
Confused, I looked from him to my sister and brother-in-law, who both nodded with warm smiles.
Javier drew in a breath, eyes turning to me. The fireplace was going, so his eyes seemed to sparkle as he approached me.
And then he did something I did not expect.
He dropped down on one knee and took one of my hands in his.
My heart started beating faster. “Javier, what are you doing?”
“I am asking you a very important question,” he said with a boyish smile.
He squeezed my hand with one of his while his other dug into his front pocket. When he took out the ring box, my breath hitched. Aleesa started for her dad, but Mama swooped in and picked her up.
“Octavia, the time I have spent with you has been incredible. I wish I could put into words just how you make me feel, but . . . I am not a man who is very good with words.” His mouth quirked. “As you know, English is not my first language.”
My eyes began to water. “I know. It’s okay.”
“But what I am good at is providing facts. And I know for a fact that I love you—no, I am in love with you. I love that I get to come home to you, and I love that you are there for me and Aleesa. I also know that if I do not act on how I feel right now, there is a possibility that you will slip through my fingers, and I refuse to let that happen. So . . .”
He flipped open the ring box to reveal a princess-cut diamond ring that caught the light of the fire and glistened magnificently.
“If my plan is to hold on to you and our love, and to work on us every single day—if my plan is to make sure you are happy, safe, and loved, I do not want you to have any doubts.” He pursed his lips as he shook his head. “Ay, I am no good at this.”
A laugh bubbled out of me. “No, baby. You’re doing great.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. I promise.”
“You’ve got this, Valdez,” Deke called.
A boyish smile took over him. “Octavia Klein, you are an amazing woman with a very beautiful heart. Not only do I want you in my life forever, but I want you to be in Aleesa’s as well. So . . . will you marry me?”
“Hell, yes!” I breathed, throwing my arms around his neck.
A deep chuckle filled his throat as he hugged me below the ribs.
Deke whooped. “That’s my boy!”
“Aww, my sweet baby girl!” Mama sang. “Let me get the champagne!”
“Yay, sis!” Davina cheered, clapping her hands.
I pulled away, and Javier did, too, but only so he could remove the engagement ring from the box and slide it onto my finger.
“My mother and Cat helped me pick it out,” he said. “They are upset that they could not be here, but they want to FaceTime with us later.”
I couldn’t stop the big, goofy smile from spreading wider across my face. “We’ll definitely FaceTime them.” I studied the ring, almost going breathless. “Are you sure about this?” I asked, swooping my gaze up to his again.
Javier gave my chin a squeeze, his eyes softening and locking onto mine with intention. He then kissed me so deeply and passionately that I was left with no choice but to sigh.
“I have never been more certain about anything in my life,” he murmured on my lips. “I want to marry you. I want you to be my wife. No one else. Okay?”
“Okay.” I sniffled. “I love you. I love you so much.” I pressed my lips to his, another tear skidding down my cheek.
“Te amo mucho, mi amor,” he whispered in my ear.