As they exited the restroom, Alexa spotted a woman standing at their table. She was dressed in a body-hugging dress and high-heeled sandals. Judging by her stance, it was obvious that her attention was directed at Darius.
Darius and Reggie immediately stood as the Alexa and Crystal approached. The woman whirled around to see who captured the men’s attention. When she saw that it was Crystal, she smiled broadly.
“Crystal! Hey, girl, how you doing?” she asked, leaning in for a hug.
“Hey, Tricia,” Crystal returned, pleasantly. Tricia Herndon was not one of her favorite people, but because she worked with Reggie and her work was so important to the school, she had learned to tolerate her.
Tricia turned back to Darius with her hands on her hips. “I was just trying to get Mr. Darius here to take a spin on the dance floor, but he’s acting like a spoiled sport. He knows how good we used to be together.”
Alexa’s brow raised curiously at the words used to be together. She didn’t know who this Tricia was, but she didn’t like the way she was acting before her man.
Instead of replying to Tricia’s comment, Crystal graciously interrupted to prevent a situation from ensuing. “Tricia, have you met Alexa?”
Tricia turned to face Alexa with a smile.
“Tricia, this is our friend Alexa Kirkwood, Alexa, this is Tricia Herndon.”
Tricia extended her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
“And you, as well,” Alexa coolly replied. She could see right through Tricia’s falseness and tried to keep her cool although Tricia had gripped her hand tightly. Tricia’s reference to Darius as well as her kung fu grip brought up warning signs. Alexa’s eyebrow rose as if to prepare for another assault when Darius came around to where she stood, and placed his palm intimately on the small of her back.
Tricia noticed the gesture, but tried to play it off. “So, what brings you to the event? Searching for a good man? Cuz, girlfriend, you know there’s plenty of money in the house. If you need me to make the introductions, let me know.”
Silence followed Tricia’s snide comment and Alexa steadied herself before responding. However, before she could reply, Darius stepped in. Up until that point, he felt like Alexa was handling herself very well, considering the situation. He didn’t find it necessary to intrude up until that point when Tricia crossed the line with her crass comment.
“Actually, Tricia, Alexa isn’t here to find a man.” He pulled her closer to him in confirmation. “I’m all the man she needs.”
Tricia’s eyes narrowed as they bore into Darius before traveling down to their entwined hands and coldly settling on Alexa. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I was just asking for a dance between old friends.”
Alexa almost felt sorry for the embarrassing position Tricia placed herself in but when she caught Tricia’s glare cutting in her direction, she knew the woman’s feelings implied something more than a simple friendship.
“It’s okay, Tricia,” Darius replied. “You didn’t know.”
Alexa, however, was less forgiving. She didn’t even acknowledge Tricia’s apology, but turned to Darius and hugged his arm possessively. “This has been an exhausting day, sweetie, and I am ready to go home.”
Darius couldn’t agree with her more. They excused themselves with a promise to Crystal and Reggie to get together before Alexa returned to Denver.
Despite the encounter with Tricia, the evening was a success. The school raised more than $200,000.
Darius was quiet as he opened the car door for Alexa.
She attributed his conduct to the incident with Tricia. She watched as he walked around the front of the truck to open his door. Once inside, he started the engine and let the car warm up. As they waited, Darius turned on the jazz station before settling back in his seat.
“Alexa, please accept my apology for Tricia’s behavior.”
“Why should you apologize for her?” Alexa asked. “Her lack of professionalism has nothing to do with you.”
“I feel responsible because I didn’t tell you that Tricia and I used to date a while back. It didn’t last more than a month or so because I didn’t want to pursue the relationship. Although I told her explicitly that I wasn’t ready for a relationship, she wouldn’t let it go. Believe me when I say we did nothing more than share a kiss.”
“I believe you,” Alexa replied, squeezing his hand tightly.
“Tricia Herndon is an asset to Douglas. She is a very intelligent woman who has the children’s best interest at heart, but I knew early on that she wasn’t the woman for me.”
“Why not?” Alexa asked. She didn’t know why she asked because she didn’t want to even think about the possibility of Darius being with another woman. However, his answer was worth more than gold.
Peering into Alexa’s eyes, he replied, “Because she wasn’t you.”
A sense of warmth overcame Alexa and tears formed in her eyes from his endearing words. She inched closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.
“I want to do it,” she whispered softly.
“Excuse me?” Darius replied, taken aback by her request, his mind clearly venturing on a different subject altogether. He peered around their surroundings before glancing into the backseat, thinking about how he could let down the seats.
Alexa reared up her head and rested her chin on his shoulder. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Riverside,” she chortled. “I was referring to us getting married, that is if your proposal still stands.”
Darius was so stunned he had to pull the truck to the side of the road. After turning off the ignition, he turned to her. “Are you serious?”
Alexa nodded. “I’ll admit that I am nervous as all get-out, but I know it’s something that I want to do. I can’t imagine going back to my world without you to share it with.”
“What about your job?” Darius asked. “One of us is going to have to move.”
“Like you said before, let’s not worry about that now.” Alexa quieted him with a kiss. “I just want to focus on us being together.”
“You’re right,” he replied, elation building. Then an idea struck him. “I know. Let’s fly to Vegas. We can catch the redeye.”
“Well,” Alexa paused. “I never imagined getting married in Las Vegas.” Instead, she dreamed of a large wedding with beautiful flowers, and violin music and a long white dress. She envisioned their families being there to be witnesses as they shared their sacred vows.
Their eyes locked as they realized the time had come. Nine years couldn’t extinguish the love they shared. Now they had an opportunity to seal it forever despite the distance, despite what their family and friends would think, despite everything, just like Crystal said, they needed each other.
“But with such short notice, I know we don’t have many options.” Alexa placed her palm on Darius’s cheek, stroking it lovingly. “Anything to be with you, my love.”
Chapter 15
Darius found it hard to sleep while Alexa, on the other hand, snored peacefully in his arms. It was official; they were now man and wife.
His eyes traveled down to the simple gold band that she had chosen at the wedding chapel gift shop. It wasn’t something he would have selected for her, but she convinced him that it wasn’t the style of ring but the commitment behind it that mattered.
Her words nearly brought tears to his eyes. She was a lady with a heart of gold who had captured his heart with her lasso of love. He couldn’t have asked for a better woman to be his wife.
Their ceremony took place at a tiny all-night, but tasteful, wedding chapel. Alexa looked beautiful in the knee-length, off-white slip dress. She adorned her hair with a decorative ivory comb with tiny white pearls. Darius, on the other hand, looked quite dapper in his black suit with a cream shirt underneath.
After the exchange of rings and vows, when the Reverend Albert Crawley pronounced them man and wife, they turned to each other and embraced with a deep kiss, sealing their love. Afterwards, the two gazed lo
vingly into each other’s eyes across the table, barely touched dinner before retiring to their hotel room. They didn’t get to see much of Vegas that evening. Before they knew it, they were on the plane headed back to Ohio.
He glanced down at his slumbering bride and kissed her on the forehead, causing her to stir awake.
“Hello, Mrs. Riverside,” he whispered.
Alexa stretched. “Hello, husband.”
“How do you feel?” he asked.
She smiled sweetly. “Great. And you?”
“Like I’m the king of the world!” he exclaimed.
They both laughed at his reply.
Alexa snuggled close to him and held his large hand up to her smaller one gazing at their matching bands. “So, what do we do now?”
His fingers slid down between each of hers, joining their hands. “What do you mean, dear wife?”
“By this time tomorrow, I will be on a plane back to Denver. We haven’t even discussed our living arrangements.”
“Well, you know that is something to consider given that Bryant and I are looking to go into business together.”
Panic began to seep in and she sat up in her seat. Now it was her turn to agonize over their decision and Darius had to calm her down. “Oh my goodness, how could we have made such a rash move? What are we going to do? We should have considered your business before we did this.”
Darius reached for her and pulled her back in his embrace. “We will worry about that when we get back home.”
“But,” Alexa exclaimed, her voice rising with the anxiety growing inside.
Darius cut her off with a kiss before her frantic emotions got too carried away. “Babe, there is nothing we can do about it on the plane. I promise when we get back to Ohio, we will talk about things.”
The worry slowly erased when Alexa looked at her husband. Her handsome, strong, confident man was in charge. She had to believe that everything was going to be okay as long as he was there.
Darius and Alexa awoke simultaneously to the ringing of the telephone at 9:15 on Monday morning. The newlyweds were curled securely in a spooned position, with his arm draped possessively around her waist.
Darius scowled at the alarm clock, which failed to go off at the appropriate time, when he realized that he was the one to blame. It was his honeymoon and he didn’t think to set the alarm. He planned to call in to work first thing to let them know that he would be taking the whole week off, but apparently someone had beat him to the punch.
“Should I answer it, Mrs. Riverside?” Darius asked, burying his face into the tangles of her hair.
“Whatever you decide, husband,” she sultrily replied.
After six rings, the phone was silent. Darius rose up on one elbow and gazed down with adoring eyes at his sleeping bride.
Alexa felt him staring at her and opened her eyes. “What are you doing?” she asked and reached up, cupping his bearded cheek with her palm.
“Checking out my wife.”
Alexa stretched with a satiated grin. “Can you believe it? I is married now!” she exclaimed, sounding like Sofia off The Color Purple.
“I believe last night.” Darius slid up the planes of her curvaceous hip.
“So, husband, what’s on the agenda for today?” She loved the way Darius’s new title rolled off her tongue. It made her feel delicious inside.
“I have something special planned.”
“Such as?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Okay, I like surprises.” Ordinarily, she would be filled with anxiety about the whole situation. She couldn’t believe how at ease she was. Upon their return, she made a vow to herself that she would not focus on anything except being a newlywed. It was hard, but her love for him made it easy.
Darius leaned over her, reaching for the telephone. “I better call the office, I can’t have them wondering where I am.”
Alexa listened as he informed the appropriate person that he would be taking a few vacation days to take care of some “very important business.” He smiled down at her as he said those three words.
This time, when he leaned over her to hang up the receiver, on the way down, he pulled her against his chest and eased back onto his side of the bed. “Your man’s hungry. How about a little breakfast?” He began kissing her over her neck and face.
With a mischievous giggle Alexa readied herself to oblige him.
“Baby, where are we going?” Alexa nervously asked. It was quite difficult not to mention embarrassing being out in public wearing a blindfold.
“Don’t worry, my lady,” he assured her. “We’re almost there.”
If not for his hold on her arm guiding her along the way, Alexa was sure that she would not have gone along with the surprise. A blast of cold wind greeted them like a slap in the face and Alexa shrank against his chest.
“It’s freezing!” she shrieked.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized with a kiss to her forehead. As if to make up for the discomfort, he attempted to shield her from the cold, covering her in the folds of his goose-down coat.
Alexa wanted to end the game by pulling off the dark scarf, but decided to be a good sport. She didn’t want to ruin things by complaining. As they continued further, she noticed the walk beneath their feet change from a flat concrete walk to a sloping wooden plank.
At that moment, Darius came to a stop. He grasped her hands and Alexa could feel him step around her so that he was standing in front of her.
“Okay, carefully now, lift your leg high and step down,” he said, his breath warming her face.
“Darry, this is scary,” she moaned uneasily.
“I promise, there is nothing to be scared about,” he said with a gentle tone. “Besides, you’re safe with me.”
Alexa knew Darius wouldn’t lead her into danger and did as she was told. The minute her feet touched the surface below, she felt the foundation sway slightly. A moment later, she heard a door open and Darius guided her through the narrow passageway where the cool winds were replaced by enveloping warmth. A delicious aroma of vanilla and cinnamon filled her nostrils, causing her curiosity to peak.
“Can I take it off now?” she asked, reaching for the blindfold. She was growing increasingly inpatient.
“Give me a sec,” he said moving away from her.
Alexa could hear him fiddling with something as he whistled merrily to himself. Within minutes, soft music filled the air.
“Okay, now you can take it off,” Darius yelled from across the room.
Alexa didn’t waste time to untie the scarf, and pulled it from her face. She immediately gasped at what she saw. From what she could tell, they were on a small houseboat. Across the small room stood Darius by a bistro-size table set for two. Near the table was a window with the curtains drawn and the most magnificent view of Lake Michigan and the Canadian coast in the distance. The scene immediately brought back memories of one of their favorite pastimes.
“Darry, it’s beautiful!” she cried, rushing over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him tenderly.
A grin spread across Darius’s face. “Mmm, girl, I should surprise you like this more often.”
“You do and you just might get anything you want.”
He inhaled the feminine scent of perfume in the crook of her neck as he lifted her in his arms and proceeded, without words but loving caresses, to ask her to make good on his first request.
Chapter 16
The bridal department at Macy’s did nothing but remind Alexa how much she missed Darius. Two weeks had passed since their wedding and she missed her husband desperately. Darius’s absence left her feeling on edge. When they were together, she felt like their love could conquer all. Apart, she felt alone and insecure.
On her way to work that morning, she reluctantly slipped the platinum band from her finger and placed it on the gold chain around her neck. Both of them had agreed to keep their nuptials private from friends and family alike. It was a hard de
cision to make, but their history was still fresh in everyone’s minds. They also knew that the knowledge of their elopement would not settle well, especially with the mothers. They would get around to telling them in their own time and in their own way, and did not need nor welcome any nagging regardless of the intent, from well-meaning loved ones. After everyone was told, the couple would have a reception.
Keeping their wedding a secret proved to be difficult. With Darius being her only co-conspirator, she looked forward to the opportunity to be able to love him openly in the presence of friends and family without worrying about being judged.
The previous night, they spent two and a half hours on the telephone with Darius making plans for him to fly back to Denver for a weekend. He tried toiling over his schedule with her on the telephone, but realized that he had to check his current commitments as well as his own personal workload. The conversation then shifted from them onto the Ball. Thanks to committed community leaders and business men and women, the school was able to hit their goal in contributions from the fund-raiser alone. Thoughts of the affair brought Tricia Herndon to mind and Alexa couldn’t help but gloat to herself at the thought of picturing Tricia’s face once she learned that she and Darius were married.
Although the encounter with Tricia Herndon had left a bad taste in her mouth, she knew she didn’t have to worry. She trusted Darius and knew that if Tricia tried to proposition him in any way, he would definitely put her in her proper place.
A smile curved Alexa’s lips as she replayed the word husband in her head. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice Teressa holding up the ice-blue slip dress before her.
“You don’t like it,” Teressa groaned with disappointment clouding her face.
“What?” Alexa asked, looking from the dress to Teressa.
“The dress,” Teressa replied, waving it before Alexa’s face. “I said you don’t like it, do you?”
Alex gazed back at the dress. It was cute, but not her style. “Is that the bridesmaid dress that you picked out?”