“Seriously?” Kyra asked. “You’d move to Miami?”
“I’d move to Timbuktu if that meant I’d have the chance to be with her forever.”
A smile slowly crept on Kyra’s face. “Congratulations, lover boy. You’ve passed the test.”
Kyra wrote the address on a piece of paper and handed it to him. “Don’t make me regret this.”
“I won’t,” he said as he rushed down the hall. It was time for him to go get his woman.
* * *
“How you doing, sweet pea?”
Nicole turned to face Gran. “I’m doing okay. I missed this view.” Gran’s house sat right near the ocean, and one of Nicole’s favorite things to do was to sit in one of the beach chairs and just stare out into the water.
Gran sat down on the chair next to her. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”
“What is it?” Nicole asked.
“It’s about your mother.”
“Gran,” Nicole said, “it’s been a rough few days. Do we have to talk about her today?”
“We do,” Gran said. “I probably should have told you this years ago, but after your father walked out on your mother, she was devastated and didn’t know how to handle the fact that her marriage was ending.”
“No, she wasn’t,” Nicole said. “She didn’t seem fazed at all when my dad left. In fact, to me, she acted as if a burden was lifted from her shoulders with him gone and me living with you and Grandpa.”
“It wasn’t. Your mom doesn’t process things like the average person. But trust me, she didn’t take it well. And I know it’s been years since you’ve seen your mom, which is why I feel like it’s my duty to explain to you that you need to let go of the part of your heart that secretly holds on to the idea that she will pop up one day and be the mother you’ve always wanted.”
“I don’t hold on to that fairy tale.”
“Yes, you do,” Gran said. “And even though it’s fine to hold on to a fairy tale every now and then, when it comes to your mother, she never had the nurturing qualities of the everyday mother, but she’s always loved you. She just doesn’t know how to show it.”
“She doesn’t show it at all,” Nicole said.
Gran gently tapped her hand. “I know, sweet pea. Your mom is good at being a lieutenant in the army. That’s what she’s good at. And I don’t want to frustrate you by bringing up your mother, but there will come a time when I won’t be here, and I need to know that you don’t have a heavy heart because of things that you can’t change, and won’t be afraid to take chances because you’re harboring what’s happened to you in the past.”
Nicole knew what Gran was trying to say, and even though she didn’t want to ever think about a time when Gran wasn’t here, she was right. She needed to forgive her mother so that she could release any ill will she was holding toward her and move on from that relationship. Certain women just weren’t meant to be mothers, and she knew Ruby Meech was one of them.
“I understand, Gran. And I promise that I won’t carry around a heavy heart. It’s going to take time, but I’m working on it.” Nicole glanced at the time on her iPhone. “I have to get to Bare Sophistication for a couple photoshoots this afternoon, but I appreciate this talk and for all the talks you’ve ever had with me about life and how to live it to its fullest.”
“Aww, you’re welcome, sweet pea.” Nicole leaned over and gave her a hug. “I’m going to miss these hugs when you’re in LA.”
“I’ll be coming back and forth,” Nicole said. “Kyra and I are really excited to find a permanent location for Bare Sophistication and to implement some of our ideas for that market. I already told you I landed those Miami commercials, so I’ll be home then too.”
“Good,” Gran said, hugging her even tighter. “Gives me something to look forward to.”
* * *
“You got this,” Kendrick said to himself. It wasn’t until he was on the plane headed to Miami that he realized Kyra had given him the address to the Bare Sophistication location in Miami instead of Nicole’s address like he’d asked for.
He supposed he deserved it based off how he’d handled the situation with the video leak. He’d gone over his speech in his head several times, but as he approached the shop, he suddenly couldn’t remember anything.
“Are going to walk up and down the street all day?”
Kendrick turned to face the voice. “Aaliyah, hey.”
“Hey, yourself,” she said with a laugh. “Kyra called me a few hours ago and said you’d probably show up. And apparently, I’m supposed to help you locate Nicole.”
Kendrick frowned. “You mean, she’s not in the boutique?”
Aaliyah squinted her eyes. “Maybe, maybe not. Why should I tell you?”
He smiled at the fact that she interrogated him just as Kyra had done. He liked that Nicole had such protective friends. “Because Nicole is my future and all I can think about doing right now is expressing that love and hoping like hell she feels the same way. If she wants to stay here in Miami, I’ll move here with her if that’s what it takes. I just can’t go another minute without telling her how I feel. She deserves to know that she’s completely stolen my heart.”
Aaliyah’s heart clenched. “That was beautiful. Okay then,” she said, clasping her hands together. “Follow me.”
The moment Kendrick stepped into the shop, he was greeted by two women.
“Hello, Kendrick,” said the pregnant one. “My name is Summer.”
“And I’m Danni,” the other woman said as she reached out her hand. Kendrick briefly noticed the sparkling diamond on her ring finger that he assumed was an engagement ring. “And I’ll have you know that if you break Nicole’s heart, you won’t just have Gran to answer to but a host of people ready to put you in your place.”
“Noted,” he said to both of the women. “But you don’t have to worry about that. I’ll never hurt her, and all I can do is apologize for the hurt I’ve already caused.”
All three women seemed to be sizing him up. It was Summer who spoke next. “I guess it’s only fair that we also tell you that we contacted your cousins back in Chicago because we happen to be close with the founders of Elite Events Incorporated, and they agreed with us. If another video or photo of you is ever released, the first person you need to contact is Nicole.”
“That’s right,” Danni said. “A happy home starts with good communication. Take it from someone who learned the hard way, being honest and open is always better than keeping secrets.”
Kendrick nodded in agreement. “I agree, and I promise that you, my cousins and Gran have nothing to worry about.” He glanced around the shop. “I don’t want to be rude, but there is a woman I’m dying to see and apologize to. Do you know where she is?”
Danni smiled. “She’s upstairs.”
“Follow me,” Aaliyah said again. Kendrick trailed Aaliyah up a set of stairs to an area that looked similar to the Bare Sophistication boudoir studio he’d seen in the California pop-up.
When they turned the corner, Nicole’s back was to them, as she was doing someone’s makeup. Finally, there she is. He’d known he’d been anxious to see her. He just hadn’t known how much until he finally laid eyes on her.
“Nicole,” Aaliyah said. “There’s someone here to see you.”
“Okay, I’m finishing up my current client now. Is my five o’clock early?”
Kendrick cleared his throat. “Um, no. It’s not your five o’clock. And I wouldn’t say I’m too early. It’s more like I’m hoping I’m not too late.”
Nicole froze as she slowly turned around to face him. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
“When I went back to your apartment early this morning, Kyra told me that you’d decided to come back to Miami, and I realized that once again I’d handled our conversation poorly sinc
e I’d left pretty abruptly last night and didn’t explain why.”
Nicole squinted her eyes. “You didn’t want to just wait until I returned to LA to talk?”
Kendrick’s eyes flew to Aaliyah as he laughed to himself. “Uh, no, I couldn’t wait until you got back to LA.”
Nicole placed her arms over her chest. “Kyra told you that I’d moved back permanently, didn’t see?” She glanced at Aaliyah. “And I’m assuming Aaliyah didn’t correct you when you saw her before she brought you up here?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Kendrick said, stepping closer to her. “Because what I need to say, it doesn’t matter whether you’re living here or in LA. If you want to stay here, I’d work something out. I just want to be with you.”
Nicole’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
Kendrick held his hands out in front of him. “Wait, let me start over.”
“How about I bring your client back in a half hour?” Aaliyah said, helping the customer out the chair. “Miss, how about you pick out any lingerie set you want in our boutique. Compliments of the shop.”
“Oh, I’d like that,” the woman said. “And good luck.” She flashed Kendrick two thumbs-up.
Once they were alone, Kendrick grabbed both of Nicole’s hands. “I wanted to start off by apologizing again. Last night, I handled that conversation completely wrong, and it wasn’t until I was halfway to my meeting that I realized that I’d forgotten to tell you some of the most important things that I’d wanted to tell you.”
She studied his eyes. “Which are?”
“Well, before everything happened, I was falling madly in love with you. After that video leaked, instead of turning your back on me, you tried your best to be there for me in any way you could. Although I didn’t handle your support the right way, it made my love for you grow stronger than it already was. Nicole, you’re it for me. You’re the reason I want to wake up in the morning and the reason I go to bed with a smile. You challenge me. You inspire me. I could literally spend all day listening to you talk because I’m that intrigued by this mouth of yours.
“If someone would have told me that the way I’d find my one true love was when she spilled drinks all over me at a bar, I wouldn’t have believed them. Especially if they’d also said I’d fall for someone I work with. But that’s exactly what happened with you. I love you and I fell so hard so fast that I wasn’t even sure if you were ready to learn my true feelings.”
“I was,” she said, squeezing his hands tighter. “I started falling for you early too, although I tried to deny it at first. We’ve both been burned badly before, so you know how hard it is to open up your heart to love when everything from your past has tried to prove that true love wasn’t in the cards for you. But now I see that it wasn’t the case. True love doesn’t care about what’s happened in the past. True love doesn’t care about how many times your heart was broken, but rather, how many times you’re willing to lay your heart on the line.”
Nicole took a deep breath. “Kendrick, I love you too, and I have for a while. Every time I decided to tell you, I’d lose my nerve. But loving you is one of the easiest things I’ve ever done in my life. You understand me. You make me feel beautiful. You listen when I talk, and any time spent with you is time well spent.”
Kendrick pulled her to him, his lips crashing on hers in a frenzied kiss that released all the emotions and tension they’d tried their best to hide.
“So, what do we do now?” Nicole asked when they took a moment to breathe.
“Well, I also wanted to tell you that whether you live in LA or Miami, my heart and home are with you, so I’m willing to move if that’s what you want.”
“No need,” Nicole said with a laugh. “We had a conference call several days ago about the Bare Sophistication pop-up in LA because it’s doing so well. For at least another year, Kyra and I—and the employees we hired—are going to spend the time building up the location and revenue. Paperwork was signed a couple days ago. And although it was going to be hard to be in the same city as the man I loved and not have him reciprocate that love, this is soooo much better.”
Kendrick smiled. “I agree. I have some news too. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but I’ve met with several financial and business providers, and I have the funds to start my own production company.”
“That’s so amazing,” Nicole said as she gave him a hug. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, baby.” He dipped his head in the curve of her neck. “Do you have time to step away for a quick glass of champagne to celebrate? I noticed it’s happy hour at a place down the street.”
“I should have at least another twenty minutes before Aaliyah brings back my client. Let me grab my purse and we can sneak out the back door.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He waited until she’d escaped to a room that he assumed her purse was in before he made his next move.
“Oh, my...” Her words trailed off when she stepped out of the room and noticed that Kendrick was down on one knee displaying a gorgeous diamond ring.
“Nicole, there is so much about you that I love that I’m not even sure where to start. I’ve never met anyone who challenged me the way you do, forcing me to not only define the person I wanted to be, but to acknowledge the person I was in the past. I know you’ve had to endure more than most, but I think all of the obstacles you’ve faced in life are what made you the wonderful woman you are today. I could spend the rest of my life telling you that I love you every day, and even that wouldn’t be enough to truly express all the love I have in my heart.
“So right here, right now, I’m asking you to not only be my wife, but to be my partner... My best friend... My confidante... My support. And in exchange, I swear to be all of those to you and to always make sure you feel cherished and loved. When we first met, we knew we’d been placed in each other’s life for a reason, but neither of us had any idea that cupid had shot his last arrow at us. And as unexpected as our love was, I will forever be grateful for it. Nicole, will you marry me?”
She nodded as she wiped the tears that had fallen on her cheeks. “Yes,” she said through her sobs. “I’ll marry you, Kendrick.”
Placing the ring on her finger, he picked her up and spun her around the room. The cheers from the doorway proved that her friends and client had heard the proposal, as well.
“You know tomorrow is Valentine’s Day,” she said when her tears had subsided.
“You know what that means,” he said.
She studied his eyes. “What does it mean?”
“It means for the first time in my life, I’m actually excited to celebrate that holiday.”
She laughed as a few more tears escaped. He was sure he should put her down since he was holding her so close, but he couldn’t let her go just yet. After all this time, he’d found his perfect match. He’d found the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. Sometimes, when life threw wrenches into your plans, it was hard to see the rainbow on the other side of a dark and stormy night. In some ways, he’d been through hell and back, but had managed to capture the love of a woman who not only forced him to view life differently, but to appreciate those differences in any and everything.
As Kendrick gazed into the eyes of the woman he loved, he was certain that life as he knew it would never be the same. With Nicole by his side, it would only be better.
Epilogue
Three months later...
“Are you happy?”
Nicole smiled at her fiancé. They were already an hour late to meet Kendrick’s mom to discuss wedding plans, but Felicia Burrstone was getting used to it. Nicole and Kendrick may be a lot of things, but on time they were not. “Yes, baby, I’m happy. Are you going to ask me that every day?”
“Not every day,” he said. “But probably every day until we get married. Maybe even a little after.”
She laughed. It had been only three months, but it had been the best three months of her life. Sales at Bare Sophistication in LA had taken off once they moved into a permanent location. Aaliyah still flew in at least once a month to work at the boutique and boudoir studio as well as visit her aunt.
The founders of Bare Sophistication each had husbands with offices in LA, so she often saw all her friends. Of course, since two of her brothers were married to founders, that meant Kyra saw them a lot more than she’d wanted and always felt like they were checking up on her, but all in all, she could tell that Kyra loved how often her family visited.
The best news of all had been when the lawyers called to say that the video and all discriminating photos of Kendrick had been removed from the blog site, even though they knew the internet never forgot. Kendrick had used the situation as a platform to speak to the younger generation, in particular young men who were in the same predicament he’d been in. Kendrick’s story about how he turned his life around had gotten the attention of many. Not long after news about him starting his own production company began to circulate, he’d been hired by twelve companies who wanted him and his staff to produce their commercials. Of course, Bare Sophistication, Burrstone Winery and Distillery and Elite Events Incorporated were at the top of the list!
True to their character, Monty and Angelica hadn’t liked the way that The Gilbert Monroe Agency had treated Kendrick and Nicole, so once Kendrick got his company off the ground, they were more than eager to quit despite the fact that Kendrick had told them that it wasn’t necessary. Nicole had to remind him that when God handed you blessings, the last thing you did was push them away. So he’d accepted them on the staff and so far the four amigos were back in business.
Overall, life was looking pretty good, and Nicole couldn’t ask for anything more. Kendrick had finished her tattoo, and it had turned out beautifully. Already, Kendrick was working on another design for her.
Her Unexpected Valentine Page 16
