The police were there. And after learning who Tiffany was to Darius, they wanted to question her.
Had she known her husband was into this illegal activity? No. In fact, she wouldn’t say that he was, even though he had obviously been there when something illegal was taking place. From her understanding, he was doing a friend a favor and just happened to be there at that particular time. After all, he’d had their three children with him. She couldn’t see him doing anything dangerous or illegal knowing that they were that close to something like that.
How long had her husband known Delilah Vine aka Divine? As far as she’d been able to ascertain, she’d say around the end of January. But since Miss Vine was the other woman in this triangle of her marriage, she really didn’t care. Besides, there were those filed divorce papers, his choice not hers, so technically speaking, they were no longer really married and the final papers of dissolve were arriving Monday.
She stopped the questioning by letting them know she hadn’t been there, she didn’t know anything, and anything she could tell them would only be considered hearsay and not admissible in a court of law.
As mad as she was with Darius for all that he’d done and for all he had put her through, she didn’t hate him. And she certainly didn’t want to do anything to deliberately hurt him, even though she got it from him that, when it came to her, he obviously didn’t feel the same way.
“Your husband’s going to need a lot of care after this,” Darius’s doctor had said to her. “He’s going to have a long and difficult road ahead of him.”
But Tiffany could only think about how he’d treated her over the years, and how he’d utterly mistreated her just over these past months. Come Monday, again totally Darius’s choice, she would have a piece of paper that legally declared he was no longer her husband. She could only pray for him and hope that he and Divine (who she had overheard one of the policemen say was in good condition, sustaining only minor burns to her arms and legs since Darius had essentially taken his body and shielded her from most of the fire) would have great support following this.
Tiffany got in her car and drove to the wedding reception at the hotel ballroom. Yes, she would do what she could to help the father of her children by taking them to see him. However, he’d kicked her for the last time. When it came to her being a wife to him, as Darius had so bluntly put it Friday night at the rehearsal dinner, she would no longer stand in the way of his happiness and him having fun. She was only a ball and chain that was holding him back and dragging him down, and come Monday, he would be thankfully and gloriously rid of her.
Yes, she would pray for him, praying also that he get himself together and get right with God. Satan had been rebuked, this time. Darius had been plucked out of the fire, this time. But what he did from here on out, as far as she was concerned, was entirely on and up to him.
Chapter 47
And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.
—Matthew 27:51
Andrew and Paris only stayed at Gabrielle and Zachary’s reception for about thirty minutes. Braylen was worn out and a bit fussy now, likely from having been at the church at two o’clock, an hour before the wedding had originally been scheduled to start. Well, the wedding hadn’t started on time. And after about a half hour, Pastor Landris had announced there would be a wedding but, for reasons he didn’t disclose, there would be a delay. Andrew had gathered from all the squirming Paris started doing an hour after that announcement that she really wanted to go home. But since he wasn’t talking much to her these days, she must have decided to keep that sentiment to herself.
Andrew wasn’t trying to hurt Paris. But he had never been one to hide his true feelings. He wasn’t good at faking it. During a court case, he could do it. But when it came to his personal life, he wasn’t good at wearing a mask, pretending something was okay when it wasn’t.
And things clearly weren’t okay at the Holyfield house. His wife had cheated on him. And he’d been foolish enough to defend her against his mother, who really did have his best interests at heart. His mother only wanted him to protect himself, even in the face of love. He merely wanted to throw caution to the wind and allow the wind to blow as it willed.
He knew what Paris had likely concluded from his quiet demeanor these past three weeks: that he’d opened the envelope and that he knew Braylen was not his.
Paris came into the bedroom after putting Braylen down for the night.
“That was a nice wedding—after it got started, that is,” Paris said, then stopped when she saw Andrew holding the infamous mangled envelope in his hand.
“Come and sit, won’t you?” Andrew said.
Paris walked over to the bed and gingerly sat down next to her husband. “You haven’t opened it yet?”
Andrew shook his head. “Nope.”
“So why do you have it with you now?”
“Because I was thinking how beautiful that unity sand ceremony was between not just the bride and groom, but Gabrielle’s daughter Jasmine,” Andrew said.
“That was touching,” Paris said. “Jasmine looked so happy. She’s a lovely girl.”
“It was. And she is.” He tapped the envelope on his knee, then looked at Paris. “Jasmine is not Zachary’s biological child, and yet, he loves her no less than if she were.”
“So what are you saying? That it doesn’t matter whether Braylen is your biological son or not?”
Andrew shrugged. “That’s why I haven’t opened this to see yet; I wasn’t sure what I thought. I had to be quiet and talk to God about this. I needed to search my heart and find out just where I was when it came to this, not merely flesh, but spirit.”
“So, have you heard from God on it yet?”
“Yes.”
“And, what is God saying?”
“He’s saying that we’ve all missed it at some point and fallen short of the glory of God. And that all includes me. I love that little boy.” He nodded toward Braylen’s room. “Whether what’s in this envelope says Braylen and I share the same DNA . . . the same blood, or not . . . we share the same heart. The only blood, in the end, that truly matters . . . is the blood of Jesus. And Jesus’ blood covers everything, period, the end of the story.”
“So, you’re not going to open that?” Paris asked, nodding at the envelope.
“Yes,” Andrew said, turning it over and sliding a letter opener along the edge to rip it open. He reached in and slowly pulled out the yellow paper. He then read the results, and nodded slowly as he tightly buttoned his lips. With his head still down, tears began to flow. He wiped his eyes and looked up toward the ceiling.
“What?” Paris said. “What does it say?”
He handed the paper to her and stood up as he wiped away the tears. He looked up again, twisted his mouth, and nodded some more. His body began to shake and he fell down on his knees.
Looking at the paper, Paris released a cry, then covered her mouth. “Oh, Lord! Oh, my Lord,” she said, walking toward Andrew, who was quaking on bended knees.
He looked up at her as he continued to completely break down. She kneeled down beside him and hugged him as tight as she could.
“He’s mine,” Andrew said. “He’s my son! That confirmed it. Braylen is my son!” He cried and hugged Paris back, as they lovingly rocked each other before the Lord.
Chapter 48
And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
—Joshua 24:3
Gabrielle and Zachary were enjoying the reception with family and friends. Her new mother-in-law came over and hugged her.
“Everything was so beautiful,” Leslie Morgan said. “I mean everything was absolutely beautiful: the ceremony, your dress, all of the attendants’ wear, including the men, the decorations for the wedding, and this reception hall.” Leslie began to scan the entire area
. “Beautiful! And where on earth, pray tell, did you find someone to create that bride’s cake table?”
She and Gabrielle were both looking at the bride’s cake table now.
“I mean that’s a full-size Cinderella coach made out of clusters of perfectly placed white, light pink, and purple balloons for the pumpkin-looking frame, small gold star balloons stuck to spokes fashioned into the carriage wheels, and on top, white feathers that look like a humongous woman’s Sunday church hat.”
Leslie then turned her attention to the groom’s table. “And instead of just the usual chocolate groom’s cake, you have four separate chocolate cakes connected by white bridges decorated with purple flowers, one cake flat on the table with a replica of a bride and groom on it, then two slightly elevated cakes on each side, with all of them leading up to the cake on top sporting a small golden pumpkin horse-drawn carriage parked outside of a gold and purple accented castle with a fountain of water and light underneath it. That’s the most beautiful thing, other than the bride’s table, I’ve ever seen, when it comes to wedding cakes. Brilliantly done!”
“I can’t take credit for any of this or anything that had to do with the wedding, for that matter, at the church or this reception, other than pretty much showing up,” Gabrielle said. “Miss Crowe and her little helper, Jasmine, who I’m so very proud to call my daughter, did and arranged absolutely everything. I’m talking everything.”
“Well, they did an awesome job,” Leslie said. “As well as the people they employed to carry things out.”
“Thank you,” Gabrielle said with a sincere touch of love laced in her voice.
“Oh, you’re welcome.”
“No, I mean thank you . . . for being here. You don’t know how much your being here means to Zachary.”
Leslie nodded. “Well, Zachary made it perfectly clear that he was going to marry you no matter what I said, did, or did not do. He then laid Genesis 2:24 on my plate for me to chew on. ‘Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.’ I suppose we can also thank my late daughter, Xenia,” Leslie said, in reference to her oldest daughter killed over ten years ago.
Gabrielle didn’t want to push for a further explanation, knowing that any talk of Xenia was still a painful topic for Leslie.
Leslie must have known what she was thinking and voluntarily offered the explanation: “I was trying to control my son and make him do what I thought was best and right for him. But this morning, I felt the spirit of my daughter letting me know that what I was doing was no different than what the man who murdered her was trying to do. Then God placed on my heart that we can’t go back and experience the times in life we miss, whether by choice or not. If we don’t seize those moments when and while they’re before us, we just may end up living a life full of regrets later. I didn’t want to look back and have to kick myself because I was so bent on having my own way at whatever cost. So I sat down and I counted the cost. And losing out on this time in my son’s life, and mine in truth, wasn’t worth me proving some idiotic point. The only thing is: I didn’t have a chance to get you two a wedding present. But I’ll take care of it after I return home.”
“Well, I know I was shocked to see you when he and I were leaving from the altar. I could tell he was on cloud nine. Having your presence here was the best gift you could have given him as a wedding present,” Gabrielle said. “And you’ve already given me the best gift you could ever give me: You gave me Zachary.”
“Ah,” Leslie said with a heartfelt hug. “Now I must thank you.”
“For what?”
“For loving my son so much that you’ll not allow anyone, including me if that’s what it takes, to come between him and his ultimate happiness,” Leslie said. “That’s what I figured out, albeit almost too late. But thank God for being able to get a flight out from Chicago to Birmingham at the last minute. It looked like I was still going to miss most of the wedding. But wouldn’t you know, something happened that caused the wedding to not start on time? And I not only made it in time, but I got to see the pleased look and the big old smile on his face when I came in and lit the candle that represented our half of what would be used to light the unity candle.”
Gabrielle nodded. “Well, I can assure you, we had fully intended to start on time before a flood of things seemed to unleash.”
Zachary walked up to his mother and pecked her on the cheek with a kiss. “Mama, what are you and my beautiful wife over here talking about?” He smiled at his mother, then Gabrielle.
“Oh, just how good God is, no matter how much we may get in the flesh and try to mess things up. God is faithful.” Leslie nodded. “He is faithful. He’ll definitely bring us over to the other side.”
“I love you,” Zachary said, hugging her. “Aunt Esther said she was praying for you and she believed there was nothing too hard for God. I’ll be honest: I didn’t think you were coming, especially after Daddy came yesterday and you weren’t with him. I knew then that any hope I still may have held was gone.”
“Well, I’m so glad I made it. Seeing that surprised look on your face when you saw me walk in was priceless. And then to be here in the flesh to witness such a beautiful ceremony with that sand and the glass slippers—”
“All of that was Aunt Esther and Jasmine’s doing,” Zachary said with a grin. “Jasmine wanted her mother to have a Cinderella wedding. And it didn’t take but one word to convince Aunt Esther.”
“Well, looking around, that has most definitely been accomplished,” Leslie said. “And where is Esther, by the way? I haven’t seen her flitting around in a while.”
“I don’t know,” Gabrielle said, looking around as well. “There are so many people here.”
“I know you two are busy,” Leslie said. “I’ll find her. I’m sure she’s around here somewhere. I have to congratulate her on a job well done as well as my new little granddaughter—Jasmine, is it?” Gabrielle nodded in the affirmative to Jasmine’s name. “Yes, indeed. I must congratulate them both.”
The DJ was announcing that it was time for the first dance with the bride and groom as husband and wife, “Dr. and Mrs. Zachary Morgan.” A song began, “Happily Ever After” by Case. Zachary held out his hand to Gabrielle and bowed from his waist. Gabrielle smiled and took his hand, and they danced. She felt like someone had actually placed clouds beneath them and they were no longer dancing on hardwood but floating on air.
After they finished, the DJ called for a father-and-daughter dance.
Gabrielle’s father came over and took her hand. “I’m gonna warn you. I’m a little out of practice now,” Bennie said. “But Esther has been working with me on the side for a few weeks now. So I suppose we’ll see just how good of a dance teacher she really is.” He started their dance.
“You’re doing great, Daddy. I guess this proves Miss Crowe is a great teacher.”
“Yep, I guess it does. And today you were the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid eyes on. I only wish . . .” He bowed his head and shook it before looking back up. “I’m sorry, Gabrielle. I’m so sorry. I can’t tell you enough just how sorry I truly am.”
“Daddy, let’s not go there. Not today. Okay? I’ve forgiven you, and it’s just no longer me merely spouting the words. That’s where we are today—forgiven. Now let’s just dance.” Gabrielle smiled as her father leaned down and kissed her cheek.
Zachary was dancing with Jasmine until, halfway through the song, Lawrence bowed from his waist and politely cut in. Jasmine was eating it up. She had the biggest grin on her face as she had her father dancing a waltz.
After they finished that dance, the DJ announced it was time for the cutting of the cake, and then there was the toasting period. They did the traditional throwing of the bouquet and after that, the garter. Gabrielle was wearing two garters, one lower down her leg for her new husband to remove and throw and the one Miss Crowe and Jasmine had given her that morning. She wanted to keep that one for a
keepsake.
The DJ opened the dance floor for everyone. The next slow song that played, Zachary went and asked his mother to dance with him. Leslie cried through the entire dance.
Zachary also wanted to dance with Miss Crowe. Leslie said she’d found her, but that she was a little tired and sitting more in the back and off to the side out of the way of traffic. Gabrielle went to locate her while Zachary danced with his mother.
“Miss Crowe. There you are.” Gabrielle kneeled down in front of her.
“You’re going to mess up your dress,” Miss Crowe said. “I bought you one to change into so you could shed that long thing for a shorter one when you got here. I need to go get it or maybe get someone to get it for me. It almost slipped my mind.”
“I’m fine. Don’t you worry about a change of dresses,” Gabrielle said, grabbing her hands and squeezing them tight. “You’ve done way too much as it is already. And everything has been so wonderful and so perfect. I couldn’t have asked for anything more or better if I had my very own fairy godmother who could have whipped up something like this with a magic wand.”
“Well, it came from my heart. And I’ve learned when it comes to magic, there’s nothing more powerful than love. And we all know there’s no greater love than the love of God. God’s love makes you want to do and not just talk about it. I love you,” Miss Crowe said. “I do.”
“I know you do. And I love you . . . so much. I wish there were words big enough, grand enough, and powerful enough to express just how much.” Gabrielle stood up. “Zachary wants to dance with you. And since you’re occupying the place of my mother right now, you must oblige the both of us.”
“Well, you know me when it comes to dancing now,” Miss Crowe said, struggling to stand to her feet. “Show me a dance floor, and I’ll show you someone who will cut the rug, as we used to say back in my day.”
The Other Side of Divine Page 27
