Praise Him Anyhow - Volume 1

by Vanessa Miller

  It had taken a few years, but Dontae had used the money he’d received as a signing bonus to open a sports agency. Even though he couldn’t play the game anymore, he still loved sports, so he sat down and had a talk with Stan Smith, his agent. Stan offered to take Dontae under his wing and he taught him the sports agency business and just like that, Dontae found a new purpose in life. He was passionate about protecting young athletes from some of the nonsense that went on behind the scenes. Dontae believed that his job was to help navigate his clients around a system designed to favor the owners—and sometimes even coaches—rather than the players.

  After learning as much as he could from his mentor, Dontae relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina and set up shop. It didn’t take long for his agency to gain a good name among the athletic community and his business grew right before his eyes. Dontae’s mom had told him that his success was due to the fact that God had been watching out for him. Whether it was God’s doing or something much simpler, Dontae didn’t care, all he knew was that life was good.

  Dontae hadn’t imagined that things could get any better, but when he met Jewel Dawson, he realized that God had been holding out on him. Jewel was everything he wanted in a woman. She was soft spoken, yet in command at all times. Jewel was a writer who had taken her career into her own hands and was making a pretty good living. She was daring, loving, beautiful and most of all, she made him smile... no, not just smile, with Jewel, Dontae had learned to laugh and enjoy life again. He picked up the manila envelope, grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

  ***

  Dontae took Jewel to Villa Antonio, her favorite Italian restaurant. The ambiance was perfect for a romantic dinner. Jewel was wearing a sleeveless silk dress that crisscrossed in the back. The dropped waistline on the dress gave way to a skirt designed for twirling movements. Dontae definitely approved. As a matter of fact, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

  “I love this place. I’m so glad you got us reservations here tonight,” Jewel said as they were seated in a dimly lit corner of the restaurant.

  “I know you love it, that’s why we’re here.”

  Jewel leaned over and kissed Dontae on his full, luscious lips. “Thanks baby, you’re always thinking about me.”

  The couple ordered their food and then spent the evening gazing into each other’s eyes. Dontae knew with everything in him that Jewel was the one for him. He was ready to make a life with her and didn’t want to wait a moment longer. However, getting down on bended knee wasn’t an option for him. Oh, he had recovered quite well from his knee injury several years back, but the knee would act up on him at times. And since this was an important moment—one that he wanted Jewel to remember for a lifetime—he didn’t want to spoil it by needing the maître d’s help when and if he failed to get up on his own.

  Jewel’s hands were resting on the table. Dontae laid his hands on top of hers, still gazing into his beloved’s eyes he said, “Jewel, I want you to know that I am happy when I’m with you. You have brought so much joy into my life and, and—”

  “Aw, that’s so sweet,” Jewel interrupted.

  That’s when Dontae remembered the ring that was in his jacket pocket. His hand shook with nervousness as he pulled it out and gripped it like he used to hold the football when charging his way to a touchdown. “I just believe that you and I are a perfect match. We fit together, ya’ feel me?”

  Jewel nodded. “I feel the same way, Dontae. I think I started falling in love with you the moment we met.”

  That revelation brought a smile to his face, gave him the strength to do what he had gone there to do. He was seated across from Jewel, but suddenly felt miles away. Dontae got up and squeezed in next to his woman. He set the ring box on the table and opened it.

  Jewel gasped.

  “What I’m trying to say is...”

  Jewel wrapped her arms around Dontae and screamed, “Oh my God. Yes, yes, Dontae, I will marry you.”

  In a joking mood after receiving such a wonderful response to his almost proposal, he waited until she held out her hand for him to put the ring on her finger and then said, “You didn’t let me finish my question. How do you know I was going to ask you to marry me? Maybe I just wanted to give you a ring to celebrate our one-year anniversary.”

  A hint of sadness dimmed Jewel’s normally bright eyes. She quickly covered her face and said, “I’m so embarrassed. I should have let you finish. I’m sorry, Dontae.”

  He couldn’t carry the joke any further. The look on Jewel’s face told him that he’d gone too far. “No, I’m the one who is sorry. Of course I want to marry you. I was just joking, but I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  Jewel shoved him. “Boy, you play too much.”

  “I’m sorry about that. But you already agreed to marry me, so you’re stuck with me.” He took the ring out of the box. “Can I put this on your finger and make it official?”

  Grinning from ear to ear, Jewel held out her hand.

  Dontae put the ring on her finger; they then celebrated with several kisses and Tiramisu. When they finished off their dessert, Dontae kissed his soon-to-be bride and then grabbed the manila envelope he’d left on the other side of the table and handed it to Jewel. “I almost forgot to give you this.”

  “What’s this?” Jewel asked, while opening the envelope, still grinning at her man.

  “Just a little document that I need you to sign and return to my attorney.” He leaned back in his seat and added, “At your leisure, of course.”

  Jewel pulled the document out and read, then stared at it as if the words were written in Greek. After a long silent pause, she turned to him and asked, “Is this a joke?”

  Dontae swiveled his head in order to take a glance at the paperwork in Jewel’s hand. “No joke, babe, I just need you to sign those papers and return them to my attorney.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “What’s wrong?” Dontae asked, not understanding Jewel’s reaction.

  While shaking her head, Jewel told him, “This is turning out to be the worst proposal in the history of marriage proposals.”

  Confused by her reaction, Dontae said, “I thought I did good. I brought you to your favorite restaurant. I picked out a diamond that I knew you would love and then I... I—”

  “And then you had the audacity to hand me a prenuptial agreement.” Jewel threw the document down on the table and yanked the ring off her finger. “If you’re so worried that the marriage won’t last, I don’t think we should even bother getting married in the first place.”

  Dontae had been leaning back, relaxing and enjoying the moment. But as he watched Jewel take the ring he’d just given her off her finger, a feeling of panic overtook him and he bolted into action. Holding up his hands trying to halt her tirade, Dontae said, “Hold up... you don’t need to take that ring off. We’re engaged now. I want to marry you.”

  Jewel put the ring in Dontae’s hand and stood up. “Take me home.”

  “But baby.”

  “Take me home this instant, Dontae. I don’t even want to talk to you right now.”

  “Baby, be reasonable. Don’t you want to discuss the wedding?”

  Jewel picked up the prenup, threw it in Dontae’s face and then shoved his shoulders until he got up so that she could make her way out of the restaurant.

  Dontae could see that he had lost the battle, so he did as Jewel asked so that he would have a shot at winning the war.

  1

  Carmella Marshall-Thomas was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the desserts she had made for Ramsey Jr’s coming home party. Her husband’s oldest son wasn’t moving back to Raleigh as she and Ramsey had hoped, but he would be in Charlotte with Dontae and that was good enough for her. Carmella enjoyed throwing dinner parties for her family, so the Marshalls and Thomases were all gathering together again today.

  Raven and Joy were in the kitchen helping her with the meal, while Renee hung
out in the family room with Ramsey and Ronny. Dontae was driving in from Charlotte and had promised to pick up Ramsey Jr. from the airport on his way to the house. So as usual everyone would be there except for Ramsey’s youngest son, the one with the heart of gold. Rashan was a missionary and had travelled all over the world during his short twenty-eight years of life, helping out and doing the Lord’s work wherever needed.

  “Okay ladies,” Carmella addressed Joy, her natural born daughter and Raven her daughter from her marriage to Ramsey. Carmella and Ramsey had been married for eight years now, and Ramsey’s children, the kids with the R names, didn’t seem like step-children to her anymore. They were family and that’s all Carmella had to say about that. “Looks like we have taken care of everything in here. Now all we have to do is set the table.”

  “Why don’t we make Renee do that, since she didn’t bother to help us fix one thing today,” Raven demanded.

  “I second that,” Joy said. “Renee acts like she’s allergic to pots and pans.”

  “You two need to leave your sister alone. She contributes to this family in other ways. But one day she will come to understand and appreciate the value of spending time with us in the kitchen,” Carmella told her girls even as she prayed for that wish to come true. She so longed to be as close to Renee as she was with the rest of the children. But Carmella had learned the art of patience, so she was willing to wait until Renee felt comfortable enough to have a mother-daughter relationship with her.

  “You’re just too nice, Mom, that’s all that is,” Joy told Carmella as she reached into the cabinet and pulled out the fancy china that Carmella only used for family events.

  “Why do you always use your best china for us, but use the regular plates for other guests?” Raven asked.

  Carmella smiled. She hadn’t known that her family noticed her preferences until Joy pulled the right plates out of the cabinet and then Raven commented about it. “You all are the most important people in my life; I wouldn’t dare offer anything but the best to my family.” She grabbed hold of Raven’s arm, looked her in the eyes and said, “And don’t you dare accept anything but the best from the man you choose to marry. You let him know that you’re treated like royalty at home and the only way he can get your heart is if he can do better than what your father and I already do.”

  “You didn’t tell me to say any of that to the men I dated,” Joy complained.

  “Girl, you didn’t date all that much and you know it. But by the time you met Lance, I knew he was the one and I knew he would treat you like a queen. So, I didn’t need to give you anything to say. I just kept praying that you would wake up and see what was right in front of you.” And besides, Carmella had other reasons for saying what she had to Raven. The girl was beautiful, talented and smart, but she had an insecurity about her that caused Carmella to worry that she might let any old riffraff in her life. She didn’t want Raven mentally or physically abused by any man, so she kept praying for her daughter.

  Smiling as she gazed at the band on her finger, Joy said, “You were right about Lance. That man is so good for me and to me. I’m just glad that I finally gave him a chance.”

  “Me too,” Raven said joyfully, “Your wedding was one of the best I’ve ever attended, and certainly the best that I ever served as maid of honor for... wait. Did I mention that?”

  “Yes, you did,” Joy said as she tried to hold in a giggle.

  “Forget I said that. I’m throwing all my bridesmaid dressing away. I hereby declare that I will never be another bridesmaid.” Raven held her hand up as if she was testifying before congress.

  “Here, here,” Joy seconded.

  Carmella said, “I’ve already spoken to the good Lord on your behalf; so, believe me when I tell you, Raven, your time is coming.” Carmella then picked up the platter holding the roast she had made; roast was Ramsey Jr.’s favorite. “Now, will you ladies help me set the table?”

  ***

  “Man, am I glad to see you. That flight had me calling on the name of Jesus and confessing all my sins,” Ramsey Jr. said as he got into Dontae’s Range Rover.

  “Boy, quit lying. That was only an hour flight, hardly enough time for you to confess all the stuff you’ve done... Don’t forget, I know you.”

  “Shut up and get me away from this airport.”

  Dontae pulled away from the curb and began driving out of the airport lot. “Flight was that bad, huh?”

  “I’m telling you, Dontae, if your Mama wasn’t the praying woman that she is, I’d probably be gone on to glory right now.”

  “Her prayers don’t always work; you do know that, don’t you.” Dontae spoke like a man who’d had first-hand experience in the prayers-not-getting-answered department.

  “Real talk... your moms has helped me get through some things these last few years. All of her prayers seem to be working for me.” Ramsey Jr. spread out his arms and looked around at the tree lined scenery as Dontae continued driving. “I’m back in North Carolina, aren’t I?”

  “Where the pollen is high and the women want more than a brother can give.”

  “I feel a sneeze coming on now. But that’s all right. It’s only unbearable for about the first couple weeks of spring.”

  “At least flowers are blooming all over the place in Charlotte,” Dontae commented.

  “I can hardly wait to get there.”

  Dontae came to a red light. He stopped the car and turned to his step-brother. “I was thinking...” He hesitated, and then charged on in, “that since you’ll be staying with me for a while, I want to introduce you to one of Jewel’s sisters. We can double date or something.”

  Ramsey adamantly shook his head. “Not interested, bro. I just shook off a woman who I didn’t know was bipolar until she came at me with a knife. I’m still trying to get my head together from that.”

  “Come on, Ramsey, I need your help.”

  With furrowed brows, Ramsey asked, “What are you talking about? Since when do you need help with Jewel? The two of you have been into each other from the moment you met.”

  Dontae wished he didn’t have to talk about what happened between him and Jewel, but he was desperate to get her back and needed help from his brother to make it happen. “We broke up.”

  “What do you mean, you broke up? You just bought her an engagement ring two weeks ago.”

  “She gave it back. Got upset when I handed her the prenup.”

  “I told you it was a bad idea.”

  “Look, I love Jewel and all, but I’m not about to give her half my money if she decides to leave me for some other man twenty years from now.”

  “You are such a cynic,” Ramsey said, laughing at Dontae’s comment.

  “No. I’m a realist. And Jewel needs to understand just how real things could get if she or I ever decide to divorce.”

  “Wow. You and Jewel haven’t even gotten married yet, and you’re already thinking about divorce.”

  “Hey, I’m just being a realistic.”

  “No,” Ramsey said, “You’re just being cynical and trying to make Jewel pay for something that happened before she met you.”

  Dontae knew that Ramsey spoke the truth. His father had caused him to be a bit jaded. But dealing with a woman like Tory had also caused Dontae to doubt the reality of happily-ever-after. Once things weren’t going the way she wanted them to go, he wasn’t hearing sweet nothings from her anymore... seemed like the love Tory had for him just got up and left. If Jewel ever flipped a switch and started acting like Tory, he’d be heartbroken, but he’d still have his money to keep him company, which was why Jewel signing that prenuptial agreement was so important to him.

  “Not to bring it up like this, but you are going to be staying at my house rent free. So, I think that one good turn deserves another.”

  “I’ll pay rent if it’s that big of a deal. I’m only going to be crashing with you long enough to find my own place anyway,” Ramsey reminde
d Dontae.

  Feeling guilty for the unnecessary comment, Dontae back tracked. “I’m not trying to charge you rent. I shouldn’t have said it like that. I’m just desperate, man. Jewel is the one for me, so I really need your help.”

  “Just drop the whole prenup idea and your problem is solved.”

  Dontae shook his head. The look on his face was set, as if he was thinking about Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and all the other brothers who gambled and lost without a prenup. Oh sure, Kobe’s wife stayed, but if she had pulled the trigger on that multi-million dollar divorce, Kobe would have been out hocking shirts, shoes and soda to keep up with his standard of living. “I can’t do that. Call me a fool. Call me jaded or whatever. But I just don’t believe that people should go into marriage with their heart hanging out of their chest, without stopping to think about what could and probably would end up going wrong down the line.”

  “If I don’t know nothing else, I know about things going horribly wrong,” Ramsey said as he leaned back in his seat.

  Dontae and Ramsey were both sinfully handsome and successful young men. But they had both experienced trauma that had changed their view of love, faith and God’s ability to handle the things that concerned them. As smart as they were, neither man knew how to get out of his own way.

  Ramsey popped up. “Ronny’s traveling back to Charlotte with us. He’s going to help me get my stuff set up in your house and in a storage unit.”

  “I can help you with that,” Dontae said.

  “Not with that knee of yours, you can’t. I’m not going to be the one responsible for getting Carmella’s boy all banged up again.”

  “What I mean is, we can pay a service to handle that for you.”

  “Naw, that’s okay. Ronny just lost another job and I’d like to be able to put some money in his hands. And I’d like to spend some time with him before I start my new job. I told dad that I’d figure out what Ronny’s next move should be.”