by Skye, Lena
“Okay, let’s get you back out there so that you can start getting ready. You also need some champagne in your hand.”
“I can’t,” I said, “I’m expecting.”
Her eyes grew big and the tears that she’d been holding on to spilled down her face, “I’m about to be a grandma?”
I nodded shyly, “Yes you are.”
“When are you due? Not for another 6 months and so we have some time,” I said.
“I will be more than happy to be there if you’ll let me,” she said.
“If you keep on the path that you’re on, I won’t have any problem with that.”
Her face expressed gratitude, “I am, I promise.”
In that moment I believed her. Some people had a problem with their parents breaking promises. Their parents will give them an endless stream of promises that they never intend to keep. My mother never promised me anything ever. She always told me what she wasn’t going to do, and she made no apologies for it. The person that I was seeing before me was a stranger that I couldn’t wait to get to know. Her past had been filled with hurt and pain. She was trying to work through it, and maybe she would finally let me in.
We walked back out into the common area, and Sandy and Cynthia’s eyes bored into me. They didn’t have to ask the questions verbally because I knew them already.
“You both were right about Kyle,” I admitted, “He’s excited about the baby and he’s a little upset that it took me so long to tell him.”
“Told ya,” Cynthia said.
“When in the hell did you get to be so damned mouthy?” I asked her.
She took a few moments to think, “I think it happened when I became a manager. I had to learn how to speak up because they were trying to run all over me. I don’t play around with my paper and anyone standing in between me and my money has to get dealt with. Now it’s spilling over into other parts of my life. Sorry girl, I’ll simmer down.”
“No need for that, I actually like it. It’s great to know what’s happening in that big ass head of yours,” I grinned.
Sandy laughed obnoxiously loud, “Her head is big.”
“Shut up,” Cynthia responded and rolled her eyes.
“I think the opposite is happening to me. I’m learning how to motivate people by using different forms of communication,” Sandy said, “I had to tone my personality down a bit because I’ve made a few of those bar tenders cry.”
I laughed, “Yeah I heard about that but you were right about what you said so I didn’t say anything. But your team seems a lot happier now, and they’re happy to be on your good side.”
“I came in guns blazing so they’re all afraid of me now. I put that fear in them early and now I don’t have to worry about em’,” she responded.
“I may as well tell the both of you now. Kyle wants you two to take over the complete management of all three of the Chicago properties. We’ll be discussing salary within the next two weeks,” I said offhandedly.
“What!” They both shrieked simultaneously.
“You heard me. So congratulations on your promotions, they’re well deserved.”
I looked at both of the stylists, “I’m so sorry for the hold up and the drama this morning. I’m ready to get started.”
“It’s your world,” the hairstylist said brightly.
“Don’t worry. We have enough time to get the job done,” the other attendant stated.
“Wait, so everything is okay with you and her?” Cynthia said as she gestured towards my mom.
“Yes we’re good, and she’s giving me away today,” I smiled as I hugged my mom to my side.
“In that case, welcome back mom!” Sandy squealed as she clapped her hands together.
“Okay, now I’m ready to get married!”
“Well sit down then and let them work,” Cynthia scolded.
I began to rethink my thoughts about her new bossy attitude.
*
I could only smile as I watched Camille leave my suite.
There were some things about her that I just couldn’t get enough of. I was about to marry that over analyzing woman, and I’d never felt luckier. We were about to become a family and the baby was the icing on the cake. I thought that I wasn’t going to be ready for children for at least another 8 years but once she told me that she was pregnant I was filled with anticipation.
I was inundated with thoughts of our future. In a couple of short months Camille would begin to swell, and I couldn’t wait to place my hand on her stomach and feel our baby kick. I was going to be able to be a part of the process without wondering if the child was mine, or missing the few years of its life. Everything had come together perfectly, and I could only shake my head at the universe in awe. Soon I would see my child, it would take its first steps, and Camille would be its mother. I didn’t know what I’d done to have gotten so lucky, but I wasn’t going to question it.
All of my reservations went out of the window. I felt like I didn’t deserve children because of my past. I’d gotten my previous fiancé to abort what could have possibly been my child, and I never forgave myself for that. She wasn’t the person that I was meant to spend the rest of my life with but I wonder every now and then if that child was my own. My brash thinking and my hurt feelings made me lash out at her. That’s partially why I was a little excited about the possibility of Jacob being my own son. When I found out that he wasn’t I had a mix of relief and sadness.
I just hoped that I could be a better father to my child than my father had been to me. My father was the typical over achiever who spent more time working than he did with his family. I understand that businesses take a lot of work to maintain, but he was only interested in talking to me when we were talking about school and future plans. He never got the chance to get to know me outside of my accomplishments and work ethic. My dad was so set in his ways that I doubted he would ever change, and I’d come to accept that as being a part of him.
When my child was born it would know just how much I love him or her. I planned on not just being present financially. I had a chance to get it right, and I was going to make the most of it. It was a little surprising that Camille had kept the news from me for so long. But I didn’t have the best track record when she delivered me bad news. She probably immediately thought about the time when I asked her to leave, and my sister telling that story certainly didn’t help. I should have told her about that part of my past, but I didn’t want her to look at me differently. I’d grown a lot since that time in my life, and I was over that kind of behavior. Everyone makes mistakes.
I thought that when Camille came to the door, she was coming to chew me out about her mother. But she hadn’t mentioned it and so I knew that she hadn’t seen her mother yet. I hoped that she would receive her mother well. I’d learned to appreciate my family a lot more by looking at Camille and her small family. The things that I hated and complained about seemed trivial when I put them all into perspective. At the end of the day I knew that my family loved me. Camille didn’t have that luxury. Even though they weren’t as present as I would have liked them to be I was always taken care of. I had no clue what it was like to come from absolutely nothing, and I don’t think that I would have made it if I had to be my parent’s caretaker.
Camille had taken the initiative and created her own family. That was a true testament to her resilience and her will to thrive. I’d learned so much from her since I met her, she made me a better person and I would love her forever. I never thought that I would have so much to learn from a person like her, but she proved me wrong time and time again.
That’s why I knew that going to find her mother and giving her an ultimatum was the right thing to do. Although Camille would never speak about it anymore, it hurt her to her core to not have her mother present in her life. If her mother could get on the straight and narrow path she would be able to forgive her. I didn’t know what to expect when I approached her mom, but I knew that it was something that I had to do. I w
as pleasantly surprised when her mother came with me. I sent my personal assistant with her to California, and he set her up in a rehab facility the exact same day.
I didn’t tell Camille because I didn’t want to get her hopes up. There was a very real possibility of her mother dropping out of rehab, and that would have crushed Camille. I decided to give her mother a chance to get it right without the pressure. I maintained contact by calling her every week and checking on her progress. She had a few rough patches, and that was to be expected but she’d done very well considering the circumstances. Detoxing is a very difficult thing to get through from what I hear and so she was on the right track. She was determined to get her life together not just for herself but for her daughter as well. She knew that she wasn’t a very good mother, and that contributed to her drug and alcohol use. Not to mention that she had a pretty fucked up childhood herself.
Family is important, and she doesn’t have much of it, so it delighted me to help bring hers back together. Her mom would possibly walk her down the aisle, we had a baby on the way, and my judgmental family was present. It was going to be a great day indeed. Some things may never change, but I had all that I needed to be happy. I counted my blessings every day, and I couldn’t wait to see her walking down the aisle towards me.
I wanted our wedding day to be perfect, not just for me but for my bride to be. She had a rough morning, but she’d gotten through it with flying colors. Now we could enter into our marriage without old baggage hanging over our heads. We deserved each other, and we deserved to be happy. Our happy ending was long overdue, and I was going to do my best to make sure that Camille lived her happily ever after. I’m far from a prince, but I would be willing to give it a try for her and our new family to be.
The best part of my life was about to begin.
#TheFinalChapter
I couldn’t have imagined a more emotional ceremony. I can be a crybaby, but my hormones really had their way. The beauty of getting married on the island, seeing my friends go out before me, having my mom walk me down the aisle, and Kyle at the end waiting for me was just too much to take. It all went by in a huge beautiful blur, and before I knew it, I was kissing Kyle. Being his wife felt different. I thought that it would feel the same. People always ask you if you feel a year older on your birthday, and the answer is no. But I felt completely different after I kissed Kyle. We were official, and we belonged to each other.
We’d been through hell and back. Something good finally happened to me, and there were times when I didn’t think that I would make it. I definitely didn’t think that I would be on speaking terms with my mother again. I was willing to put the past firmly behind us if she was willing to change. I knew that it was going to be a process, and there were times where she may be difficult, but I’d gotten a wonderful glimmer of hope that I was holding on to.
“There’s no turning back now. You belong to me forever,” he said in my ear.
I inwardly laughed because to anyone else he would have sounded completely insane, but it was endearing. I was perfectly happy belonging to him because he belonged to me too.
“Why would I ever want to turn back?” I asked.
“I’ll make sure to never give you a reason too,” he replied before he kissed me again.
The small crowed before us cheered, we looked out on our friends and family and smiled.
We walked down the beach with our group in tow and our dinner and drinks were served to us there. I swear that food tastes better with ward wind blowing on your face as you look out on the water. I was happy to be able to share the moment with those that I loved, but I couldn’t help but focus on Kyle. We were in our own world as we slowly danced along the shore to the live music. However, I was really entertained by seeing Cynthia and Sandy’s shenanigans. They’d each found themselves a date from the resort and it looked as if they were going to be more than okay in my absence. On my way to the restroom I told two of our security detail to stay behind and keep an eye on them.
When I returned Kyle was standing outside of the bathroom, “Are you ready?”
“Ready for what?” I asked.
“To go on our honeymoon,” he said.
“You mean we aren’t staying here? I mean this is Fiji, and we just got here yesterday.”
“Oh, so you’re saying that you don’t want to go with me?” He asked with a pout, “And here I was thinking that my wife loved me.”
“Of course I’ll go with you. I’m just surprised,” I laughed, “I can’t believe there’s more to this dream.”
“There is a load more.” He grabbed my hand and walked me to the elevator of the hotel. I was confused.
“We’re not going back out with our guests?”
“Our guests are where we’re going. They made their way up as soon as you headed to the bathroom. Don’t worry, just trust me.”
“Okay, I trust you,” I said before I rose on my toes to plant a kiss on his soft lips. I was sure that I was never going to get tired of that feeling. “Now I can have as many kisses as I want because I married you.”
“It’s a shame that I had to threaten to take them away just to get you to show up,” he teased as he got onto the elevator.
I stared at our clasped together hands, and we both had on our wedding rings, “Is this even real? I think that I’m going to wake up at any moment.”
“I know how you feel, but yes this is real. I’ve pinched myself a few times just to make sure.”
We went to the very top of the building, and he walked me out to the roof. Everyone was out there and so was a helicopter. My hands flew to my face in surprise. We walked through the crowd and hugged everyone goodbye. I embraced my mom and fought back tears. I hugged Cynthia last, and she said, “Don’t worry about us. I’ve handled all of the travel details. Have a great time.”
“I love you,” I said.
“I know,” she grinned.
Kyle helped hoist me into the helicopter. We got strapped in and soon we were taking off as we waved goodbye to everyone. Once we were too far away to see them anymore I leaned against Kyle, and he kissed the top of my head. I lifted my chin to get the kiss that I loved so much; my husband’s kiss.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
He winked, “Some place where we can start a new book.”
I rested against him once again and took in the beautiful scenery. I was content with no worries and it was a luxury that I hadn’t experienced in a long time. That was absolutely priceless.
It had been a long journey but I had finally got the happy ending I had longed for.
Everything had finally fallen into place.
One Year Later....
Mr & Mrs. Kane went from being semi-famous to being considered as Chicago royalty. The fallout from the trial, the success of Kyle’s business, the coverage of their wedding, and the announcement of the pregnancy put them in a brand new light. The press loved how Camille showed the world that you can stand up to bullies like Marcus. Her resilience was admired, and she’d did a ton of interviews to share her story.
Camille used her influence positively and started a “Love is Love” campaign that encouraged couples from all walks of life to love one another and not be afraid of the interracial taboo. She gained the support of many Black woman across America who were inspired by her. Suddenly, a black woman dating a white man never got a second glance in most parts of the country and Camille was proud she had used her profile to help this happen.
Camille’s relationship with her mother vastly improved and her mother was still sober ever since the wedding. The longest she has ever been in he adult life. She is now studying culinary arts with Kyle promising to fund her bakery once she completes the course.
The Kane franchises of restaurants did incredibly well. With Camille’s help, Kyle doubled his inheritance within a year, and they branched out all over Europe and Asia. Kyle’s father’s business took a slight hit due to him no longer being the CEO. His father offered him a chance
to come back, and Kyle said, “no way.”
Kyle and Camille own multiple properties all over the world, but Chicago is still considered their home and after a year of jet setting they finally returned back on a full time basis. It’s important to them that their child “Kyle Kane Jr.” gets a huge taste of the windy city.
It was a long journey and it was not without it's challenges but in the end true love found a way. Some people are just meant to be.
The End
Note From Publisher:
Lena would like to thank everyone who has supported the “White Billionaire” Series which includes YOU. She has plans for a one-off full length novel entitled “Mr & Mrs. Kane” set a few years later and which will be a touch more on the erotic side ;-)
If you would like to see this happen then please give a positive rating to the white billionaire complete series box set on the Amazon store (not this book but the complete box set). If we see enough interest we will get her to write it.
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Also, those who give 5 star ratings will get a special thank you in the paperback version to be released soon. So if you would like to see your name mentioned then you know what to do! :-)
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Heyy,
Really hope you enjoyed my story and you have not heard the last of Kyle and Camille that is for sure!
