Prologue #9
I chuckled. “Mom, I’m not a kid who can’t hold his own. No one puts fear in me, and regardless of what Phillip Fox has a reputation for, just know your son is capable enough to handle whatever comes with being married to his daughter.”
I could tell she still wasn’t happy. Mom was a college English professor.
She took the first five years of my life off to be a stay-at-home mom and probably would have never gone back if my dad didn’t encourage her.
After returning, she became the head of the department.
Being a mother was all she ever wanted and I was her miracle child.
She sacrificed a lot for me but there were times when she forgot I wasn’t a little kid anymore.
If she knew exactly how I used my computer skills at times, she’d probably have a heart attack.
“Whatever issues you were having are gone now?” Mom shifted her eyes over to my dad.
He nodded. “It’s all been handled.”
“And financially? Should I be worried?”
“No. We’re good, our joint assets are good, and business is still running as planned.”
Dropping her shoulders forward, Mom sighed and stood up straight.
“As your wife I should have been notified about everything before any decision was made, especially when our son is affected. I don’t care if you’re grown now, you’re still my baby boy and I’m going to always worry about you.
I know your dad would never do anything to harm you, but I still don’t like being kept in the dark, especially with something this big that’ll affect my family.
Next time I expect to be told right away. ”
Dad stood and approached my mom. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “There won’t be a next time. I fucked up and tried to fix it before it got out of hand so you wouldn’t have to worry.”
My parents were strong and both smart. The two of them were a force to be reckoned with. As long as they were on the same page, I knew they could overcome anything thrown at them.
“Well I guess there’s nothing left to say.” She looked between me and my dad one last time before pulling away from him. “While you’re here, you might as well come and get a plate. You look like you’re losing weight and need more meat on your bones.”
I chuckled as she turned and headed in the direction of the kitchen.
Dad faced me with the look of gratitude written all on his face. Nodding in understanding, I stood to follow my mom. What was done was done and we couldn’t turn back now.
Later that evening I sat in bed with my laptop working on coding. I was in the middle of reprogramming a certain code when my phone began to vibrate off the wall. Curious as to what was going on, I unlocked it and was caught off guard by the plethora of notifications flooding my lockscreen.
Clicking one of them, InstaFlik opened to Xylina’s latest post. I eyed the picture of her hand and noted the same ring she came to my house with on her ring finger. Dropping my eyes to the caption I scanned it and disbelief filled me as I read.
I said yes. This Saturday I’ll be marrying the love of my life and I can’t wait to share the rest of our lives together. To my hubby to be, I can’t wait to start this next chapter together as your wife @TechSiah.
The post itself didn’t bother me. I’d told her to handle it as she pleased, what I hadn’t expected was for her to tag me or how quickly people would respond to it.
I knew Xylina was popular. Even though she wasn’t a celebrity, she had been seen out with a few.
She had built a large following on social media.
She had gotten a few brand deals over the years and modeled, so that caused her following to grow rapidly over the years.
She was resilient when it came to rejection, I’d give her that.
A text popped up at the top of my screen. Seeing it was Xylina, I groaned inwardly as I pulled it down to read it.
Xylina
Hubby, I have officially made our engagement public so there’s no turning back now. Make sure you like it and engage. I also hope you ended things with that woman from earlier. I would hate to have to step in and end it for you. Only four more days until I’m Mrs. Xylina Bedford! Xoxo <3.
Pressure pounded in my temples.
Running a hand down my face, I locked my phone without responding. I refused to entertain any more nonsense when it came to this situation.
“So you’re really going through with this?” Roman questioned from the couch.
Lifting my eyes from my phone, I stared at my longtime friend.
He was finding amusement in all this. When he learned of me getting married from Reginae and asked about it, I ended up summarizing everything to him.
After he got his laughs out, he insisted on being my best man and standing by my side.
The last thing I wanted was to get anyone else involved.
While the venue was full of people I didn’t know for Xylina, only my parents, Roman, and his siblings were here for me.
The rehearsal was canceled last minute so we were winging this.
“I’m glad you’re amused by all this.”
Chuckling, he stood and adjusted his suit jacket. “My amusement is to lighten the mood.”
Shaking my head, I dropped my eyes back to my phone. I had twenty minutes before this facade would become reality.
“At least she’s nice to look at. You could be marrying some ugly ass chick.”
“Yeah, imagine that.”
Roman was always superficial when it came to the girls he dealt with.
His logic was if he had to look at her every day she had to be something worth looking at.
While I understood his point, I wasn’t so narrow minded that I based everything on how someone looked.
My soon-to-be wife was proof a pretty face meant nothing if the inside didn’t match.
The door was pushed open and Reginae came barging in the room with Ryo behind her.
“I can’t believe you’re really about to get married, and to that young ass girl,” Reginae fussed. “You know I should object when they ask. Only one person deserves to be your wife and it isn’t her.” She scoffed.
“And it isn’t yo’ ass either. Chill out.” Ryo mugged her.
She waved him off. “Whatever, she’s lucky she paid the rush fee and I wasn’t aware the rings being made were for her or I would have turned her away.”
One corner of my mouth lifted. Reginae hadn’t stopped voicing her disdain since leaving my house.
“I saw the design for the ring. She’s gonna have a college tuition on her finger, hell all four years,” Roman commented.
There was a knock on the door and the wedding coordinator popped her head inside. “We’re asking all guests to take their seats and the groom and best man to get ready.” She didn’t stick around for comments.
“You sure you don’t want to sneak out the back door? I’ll create a diversion,” Ryo asked, staring at me. I knew he was serious by the look on his face.
Tittering, I shook my head. “Nah, I’m a man of my word if nothing else.”
Pity covered his face. “I don’t envy you.” With that he turned to leave the room.
“I still can’t believe you’re breaking my heart like this,” Reginae pouted before following her brother.
“That girl is too damn much,” Roman mumbled. “Anyway. Fo’real, you good with all this?” He looked at me and questioned.
I locked my phone and slid it into my pocket. “As good as I can be.”
He nodded and patted my shoulder. “Then let’s get you married.”
From there, everything was a blur. When I walked into the main room, I was caught off guard by how full it was. In the short period of time she had to plan this, it seemed like Xylina had brought out the entire West Pier.
I stood at the end of the altar and waited for Roman and Xylina’s friend to make their way down the aisle.
My eyes found my parents in the front row in front of me. My mom didn’t look pleased and my dad looked uncomfortable. Next to them were Ryo and Reginae.
Xylina’s parents were on the other side, her dad stone faced and her mom texting away on her phone. I was surprised to find out he wasn’t going to walk her down the aisle.
An announcement was made, drawing my attention to the entrance of the room. “And the bride.”
Everyone stood and a few seconds later the doors opened.
Xylina stood at the head of the aisle with her white, lavender, and pink flowers and a smile on her face.
She started down the aisle as the music started.
I had to blink a couple times, taking her in.
While this might not be my ideal wedding, I couldn’t deny how beautiful she looked walking toward me.
Her dress was a heart-shaped halter top that hugged her breasts.
The dress went to the ground, around the waist was tight, slightly loose at the hips.
There was a high slit on the right side and her train trailed her.
She wore a diamond tiara instead of a veil, her hair in a mass of curls.
I was shocked to see her easily walking in the high heels on her feet.
“I can’t believe that’s the dress she went with,” I heard her mom comment once Xylina was steps away from me. I noted how she kept a smile on her face, but it slightly faltered for a second, which meant she’d heard her mom.
When she was in front of me, I noted her boldly done but fitting to her deep brown skin makeup.
The ceremony started and I found myself zoning out. The more the officiant talked, the more I felt the chains lock into place and tighten around me.
Xylina
“You may now kiss the bride.” My cheeks hurt by how big my smile was.
It was official. I was now Xylina Bedford. Everything turned out perfectly, just as I anticipated. Yosiah was the perfect groom, doing his part when needed, and now it was time to feel his lips against mine for the first time.
My heart pounded loudly as if it was echoing off the walls. I was far from shy, but the way Yosiah stared down at me made my stomach flip and my skin flood with heat.
Batting my lashes, I stepped forward and leaned up.
I could see the hesitancy on his face at first, but then Yosiah reached for me, wrapping his hand around the small of my back and leaning down.
My breath faltered as his lips found mine.
Closing my eyes, just as I was about to get into it, the kiss was over.
Slowly blinking my eyes open, I stared at him, confused. His eyes were emotionless as he grabbed my hand and lifted it. “My wife, everyone!” he announced, lifting our hands in the air.
The room cheered and clapped. Sweeping my eyes around the room, I narrowed them upon seeing the same girl I’d seen at Yosiah’s house just days ago. She noticed me staring at her and smirked. My hand tightened around Yosiah’s.
When he lowered our hands, I yanked subtly to get his attention.
He stared down at me in question. Swiftly I moved my hands to his face, stretched my neck, forced his head down, and smashed my lips into his.
I didn’t care about messing up my lipstick at the moment, that woman, who I later realized was Reginae Barnett of the Barnett Jewelry company, was going to see that Yosiah was now mine.
I learned that she was his best friend’s younger sister, but I didn’t know if their connection ran further than that.
Pulling away, I breathed heavily while shooting a look at Reginae who was frowning. I grinned widely and turned my eyes back to my new husband. Yosiah looked surprised by my gesture and I loved it. Keeping him on his toes was something I planned to do often.
Grabbing his hand, I proceeded to walk and he quickly fell in line. We headed up the aisle and fulfillment filled me.
I was now a wife, and he might not feel it now, but from this day forward my goal was to show Yosiah that I was more than just some spoiled, rich girl. By the end of our contract, he would be in love with me.