Can't Stop Loving You

  As usual, Kaycee was very proud of the strides that her cousin had made in her personal and professional life. She hoped that she could glean from her the tools that she needed to work through her own issues.

  About twenty minutes later, Alexa was parking her Volvo XC90 in the parking lot of a four-story office building. Kaycee jumped out first and ran around to help Alexa. Both laughed when Alexa had to put her seat back in order to get from behind the wheel.

  “I know, I’m big as a house!” Alexa said with a giggle. “But my man likes it.”

  “That’s all that matters,” Kaycee said, laughing along with her.

  They took the elevator up to the fourth floor to the headquarters of Proverbs 31 Woman. A young college-age-looking woman sitting behind the desk looked up to greet them.

  “Your husband just called, Mrs. Riverside,” she informed Alexa, handing her the half-written message.

  “Thanks, Dani,” she turned to Kaycee. “Dani works for me in the evenings. She’s a student over at the university. Dani, this is my cousin, Kaycee Jordan.”

  The young girl stood and extended her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “Likewise,” Kaycee replied.

  She glanced around the office at the purple-and-gold decor and smiled. “I really like the color scheme. It looks so regal.”

  Alexa nodded. “I knew you would get it.” She turned back to Dani. “Let me know when the ladies arrive.”

  Alexa gave Kaycee a quick tour of the small office space before leading her back to her own office. She eased down onto a comfortable sofa with a groan. She closed her eyes and fanned herself with her hand.

  “You okay?” Kaycee asked.

  Alexa nodded. “I’m just ready to have the baby. I want my figure back.”

  “Knowing you, you will be back on point in no time at all. That is one of many great things I can say about you. You are so committed.”

  Alexa waved her comment off. “Little do you know that my only commitment throughout this pregnancy was to consistently put food in my mouth, but enough about me, what’s going on with you? Did you get a chance to talk to Kendrick?”

  Before Kaycee could reply, the intercom on Alexa’s phone buzzed. It was Dani announcing the women’s arrival. She gave Kaycee an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Kayce.”

  “Girl, please. We have all night to talk.”

  With Kaycee’s assistance, Alexa eased off the sofa and the pair went into what Alexa called the Creative Room. It was where the company held their staff meetings, but rather than do it around a large oval table, the room was outfitted with comfortable chairs and sofas.

  The five women were already seated.

  “Hello, ladies!” Alexa called out.

  They each returned a greeting.

  “I know this is our last meeting before the shuttle launches,” she said, referring to her pregnancy. “As you know I’m due any day and my wonderful cousin Kaycee decided to come up from Atlanta to help out.”

  “How nice,” one of the ladies commented.

  “It is, isn’t it?” Alexa agreed. “But anyway, I forgot that her plane came in today and we literally just got in from the airport, so I hope you don’t mind if she joins us in session.”

  “Not at all,” a woman named Cathy replied.

  Alexa made a motion welcoming Kaycee to the group. When she was seated, she opened her notebook.

  “The last time we met we were talking about how other’s expectations can hinder us from our dreams and goals. Who wants to begin?”

  A tall woman with a low, natural hairstyle raised her hand.

  Alexa acknowledged her with a nod and said, “Since Kaycee doesn’t know everybody and she is a guest, can you all state your names when you have the floor.”

  “Hi, Kaycee, I’m Diana. I’m trying to launch my first book and I’m having a problem because my family are not supportive of me. They depend on me to meet their needs, while setting mine to the side.”

  “How does that make you feel?” Alexa asked.

  “Like I don’t matter,” Diana replied. “They know that since I was a small girl, I’ve been writing. God gave me the gift to write, but whenever I try to work on my book, they want me to set it aside to take care of their issues. They look at my writing as a hobby and not a career like I’m trying to make it into.”

  The women grunted and clicked their tongues in response.

  Kaycee looked around at each of the women. She could easily be one of them. Had she not felt the same yearning to be a part of Café Jireh? She sat up in her chair to hear more.

  A short woman sitting beside Kaycee raised her hand.

  “Yes, Valerie,” Alexa acknowledged her.

  “I believe that God gives us all a desire for his purpose in our lives, but we have to recognize the strategies of the enemy to discourage us.”

  “Good point,” Alexa replied. “So how can we—” she stopped when she saw Kaycee’s hand shoot up in the air.

  “Kaycee, you have a question?”

  Kaycee nodded. “I’m sorry for interrupting, but I’m curious about the statement that Valerie made.”

  “Okay.”

  Kaycee hesitated as she searched for the right words. The whole idea that God would give every person a desire for something that was his purpose for them intrigued her.

  “Well, does the desire that Valerie talked about pertain to jobs only? Can it apply to people, as well?”

  “What do you mean?” Alexa asked.

  “I mean, does God’s purpose for our lives relate to careers or can it be a part of his plan for two people to come together?”

  “I believe so,” Cathy piped up. “I first met my husband fifteen years ago when I was twenty-five. He was so determined to be with me, but I kept putting him off because I felt like he was stalking me. Despite this, he stayed near me and didn’t give up. When I finally came to the Lord, it was revealed to me also that he was supposed to be my husband. We were married five years ago.”

  A woman who had been sitting quietly in the back listening stood up. “Kaycee, my name is Gayla and I’m fairly new to the group. One thing I’ve observed since I’ve been here is that no one speaks in code. We are all upfront about our issues because we want real resolution.”

  A host of “amens” filled the air.

  Kaycee swallowed and looked at Alexa for support. Alexa gave her the nod. With a deep breath, Kaycee proceeded to tell the story of how she and Kendrick’s lives had become entwined.

  She talked about the immediate connection, the interests, companionship. She mentioned how he overcame his grieving-widower role and the objections of his grown daughter to be with her. With tears in her eyes and twirling the ring on her left finger, she told them how he’d asked her to be his wife.

  Then she fast-forwarded the story to the scene at Kendrick’s reunion, her parents’ disappointed faces, her father’s raging temper, and the true story about tragically losing her aunt. The conclusion involved her spying Martinique leaving the house. When she was finished there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

  Cathy found the box of tissues and passed it around.

  Kaycee took a tissue and wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I didn’t mean to take over your meeting like this.”

  “It’s okay,” Carla assured her, rubbing her back. “That’s why we are here.”

  “That’s right, Kaycee,” Alexa added. “There’s no set pattern to our meetings. I just introduce a topic and we free-talk, but in the end we all have to come up with viable solutions to our problems so that we can move forward.”

  “I wanted to talk to him, but I didn’t know what to say. What do you say to a man after you find out something like this? My dad is crushed. It’s like his sister died all over again. Then seeing that—that thang over at his house made me so angry.”

  “Kaycee, I know this may be hard, but you have got to pray and ask God if he is the one,” Valerie said.

  “If you ask me, I think he is,
” Diana retorted.

  “But what about Ms. Thang!” Carla replied. “Is she supposed to pretend like that didn’t happen?”

  Gayla moved in closer to Kaycee. “Kaycee, Alexa is always telling us that when we handle adversity the first rule is to realize it’s not about you and then jump to conclusions. That woman’s visit could be totally innocent, you don’t know until you ask.”

  “That’s right, girl,” Diana added.

  Cathy got out of her seat and sat down on the sofa beside Kaycee. “Kaycee, remember how I said it was with my husband and me in the beginning? The signs were there, I just wasn’t ready to accept them. You need to ask yourself if you’re ready. Because if you are, nothing will stand in your way of believing the truth.”

  Kaycee slowly nodded her head as she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. She was grateful to all of the ladies for helping her walk through her issue. She knew that it had been ordained for her to be there at that given moment.

  “So, what are you going to do, girl?” Gayla asked.

  “She’s going to take me to the hospital,” Alexa cut in.

  All eyes turned on her. “My water broke.”

  Kendrick pushed the doorbell and waited. He looked around the Lincoln Street neighborhood in Savannah. The well-built Victorian homes were located in an older part of the city with stately oak trees lining the curbs. The neighborhood was on the mend with lots of the homes being rebuilt to their former glory because of their architectural, historical and cultural significance, thanks to concerned citizens.

  The inner door opened and there stood Katherine.

  “Can I help you?” she asked in a cold, distant voice.

  “Hello, Katherine,” he greeted.

  “Can I help you?” she repeated.

  “Katherine, is Russell home? I would like to talk to you both.”

  “Kendrick, what are you trying to prove coming to our home like this?” she hissed.

  “Can we sit down and talk like adults?” he asked. “I wouldn’t want your neighbors to have to be subjected to our conversation.”

  “What is there to say?” Katherine asked.

  “Kat, who’s at the door?” Russell called from the hallway.

  Katherine opened the door wide enough so that Russell could see Kendrick standing there.

  “Man, you have got a lot of nerve coming to my house!” Russell shouted, adjusting his pants. “You want me to finish what was started?”

  “Russell, hear me out. I just need to talk to Kaycee.”

  “She’s not here,” Katherine replied.

  “She’s got to be here,” he retorted. “I checked with her best friend Sidra and she said she hasn’t heard from her in weeks.”

  “If she was here, do you think I’d let you see her?” Russell challenged.

  “Russ, you may be her father, but I’m her fiancé and I know she would talk to me.”

  Russell grimaced. “Get the hell off my porch before I call the police!”

  Kendrick stood there with a nonchalant look on his face. His hands were buried in his pockets and he rocked back and forth as though he had nothing better to do.

  “She’s not here, Kendrick,” Katherine announced again.

  “Yes, she is.” He leaned closer to the screen and called out. “Kaycee!”

  “Kendrick, she’s not here,” she firmly repeated.

  He ignored her comment. “Kaycee, come talk to me, please!”

  Russell reached for the cordless phone and began to dial.

  Kendrick pressed his hands against the locked screen door and shouted. “Kaycee, baby!”

  Katherine shook her head. “Kendrick, she’s not here, you may as well leave before it gets worse.”

  “I’m on the phone with the police!” Russell informed him. “If you don’t leave my property now, Thompson, I’ll tell them to send the boys.”

  Kendrick realized that he wasn’t getting anywhere, and, not desiring to have anything mar his record, turned and walked away. He would have to get to Kaycee in another way.

  The ambience in the labor and delivery room was peaceful with dim lighting and soft music playing. Kaycee glanced around the room and was grateful to see family who were there to offer support.

  “You’re doing good, baby!” Darius, Alexa’s husband, encouraged as he wiped her brow with a cool damp cloth.

  “One more push will do it, Alexa!” Dr. Robinson announced.

  “You’re doing good, Alex,” Maya, her best friend, added from behind the video camera.

  “Question is, do I look good?” Alexa joked, garnering laughter from everyone in the room.

  “You look like a pro!” Maya replied with a thumbs-up.

  “Baby girl, you are doing so good!” Alexa’s mother Beverly said, rubbing her daughter’s legs. “My grandbaby got a head full of hair!”

  Kaycee stood by Alexa’s feet where she had a good view of the baby’s head sticking out. Never in a million years would she believe that a woman’s vagina would stretch so wide. But that was another wonder of God.

  She looked back at her cousin who was determined to get it over with, and quickly reassumed her job of holding Alexa’s legs.

  “Okay, everybody ready? Like I said, Alexa, one good long push will do it. Okay, one…two…three puuush!”

  Alexa screamed as she bore down and pushed like she never had before. As she did, the baby slipped out into Dr. Robinson’s waiting hands.

  “Congratulations! It’s a boy!”

  Everyone screamed with joy. The doctor placed the wailing little boy on Alexa’s chest. At the first glance of their baby, Alexa and Darius began to weep for joy.

  “We did it, baby!” Darius cried.

  “I know, thank you, Lord!” Alexa shouted. “Thank you, Father!”

  Kaycee stood by while the doctor allowed Darius to cut the cord. The nurses quickly cleaned him up and swaddled him so that he could be placed back into his mother’s waiting arms.

  There were prayers and tears as baby Joshua Isaiah Riverside was passed around for all to admire. Everyone commented on how much he looked like his father with the exception of his mother’s light brown eyes.

  When it came Kaycee’s turn to hold him, she was trembling like a leaf.

  “Don’t drop our baby, now,” Darius teased.

  “Don’t worry,” Kaycee replied, bringing him securely to her bosom. “I wouldn’t dream of dropping this young prince.”

  She walked across the room, rocking him along the way while gazing at his handsome face and marveling at the size of his little nose and tiny hands.

  “He’s so beautiful,” Kaycee whispered. At the sound of her voice, his little eyes blinked open. Right then and there, Kaycee felt the tug of motherhood pulling at her heartstrings. It was as if an angel had delivered a message. And she whispered a silent thank-you for answering her prayer.

  Chapter 28

  Café Jireh was eerily quiet. The usual patrons were there, the regular staff was in place, but it was missing something. Kendrick knew that the missing piece was Kaycee.

  He sat in the dining room and peered out the window at the people passing by without really seeing them. Since the incident at the Jordan’s home a week ago, he felt that he had exhausted all of his options. Kaycee wasn’t answering her cell phone and her voice mail at home was full. Full of messages from him, no doubt.

  With a sigh, he rested his bristly chin in his hand and realized that he didn’t remember the last time he’d shaved. He shook his head pathetically. Three weeks had passed and Kaycee was nowhere to be found. The realization that it might finally be over made him crazy.

  “Kendrick,” a voice called his name.

  He looked up to find Martinique standing above him.

  “How’s it going, Martinique?”

  “I should be asking you that!” she retorted in disdain. “Kenny, what is going on?”

  He shrugged.

  “We’re planning your wedding. Why are you down in the dumps? Are you g
etting cold feet?”

  He shook his head, dismissing that possibility. He didn’t want her to get any ideas.

  “Then what is it?” she asked, opening up her planner. “I’ve done everything that you asked me to do. I’ve paid the caterer and the band. I even got the white carriage on lock. What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know if there’s going to be a wedding.”

  “What!” Martinique exclaimed. “Tell me you’re joking.”

  “I wish I was,” he replied. Planning a wedding in Kaycee’s absense and without her knowledge seemed like a good idea at first. He had hoped that everything would have smoothed over by then and wanted to get married right away. Now he wasn’t sure it was a good idea after all.

  “Why? What happened? Did she change her mind?”

  “Did she change her mind,” he repeated with a half laugh. “The question is, did she even know about it?”

  Martinique couldn’t believe her ears. She’d heard of people not having enough money for a wedding, or being real creative to have a one-of-a-kind event, but never had she planned a wedding without a bride in place.

  “Kendrick, what are you doing?” she asked in exasperation. “Are you trying to waste my time or better yet your money? Does the child know that you want to marry her?”

  He nodded. “I proposed, but a huge situation happened between me and her family.”

  The confused look on Martinique’s face caused him to explain exactly what had transpired.

  When he finished, she sank back against her seat in disbelief. “Oh, my goodness.”

  “Now, I don’t know what to do. She’s not answering her cell phone and I haven’t seen life over at her house for weeks.”

  “Do you know where she is?”

  He shook his head. “I have no idea.”

  “Then you need to go find her.”

  Kendrick gave Martinique a look that said “duh.” He breathed deeply to control his annoyance.