by J.M. Downey
Keith headed straight to Arther’s library. He knocked on the door and opened it when he heard Arther call out his name. Arther sat on a light-brown leather chair with his feet on an ottoman, reading the USA Today. A Cuban cigar burned in an ashtray – the smoke rose to the ceiling in a smooth stream.
“I can’t believe people read this garbage,” he said. “’President’s federal car tax will hurt the small man.’”
Keith sat across from Arther. “Do you like her?”
Arther closed the paper - his dark-blue eyes focusing on him as a slight smile slipped on his face. “We both like her.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Arther looked back at the paper, shaking his head. “That’s your father’s business not mine. I don’t care who you marry.”
Keith pointed to his chest. “I have given him everything. My whole life. Why is he doing this?”
“He has a lot invested in you.”
“She loves me.”
“She’s a smart girl, although her grades wouldn’t show it.”
“What?” Keith’s fingers dug into the side of the armrest. How much did they know about her and her family? But wouldn’t their so-called research show how submissive she was - how he could make her bend to his will with the simplest words?
“Ah, you didn’t know she failed all but one class.” Arther smirked.
“You two have been spying on her.”
“We know more about her and her family than you do,” Arther said.
Keith took a deep breath and leaned back in the couch. They probably did. Right down to the fact that she liked to paint her toenails pink and wear flowered cotton panties.
“She has no skeletons; neither does her family; I swear I’ve never seen such religious people,” Arther said.
“That’s your base.”
Arther nodded, set the paper aside and folded his hands in his lap. “Do you think she’ll fit into our plans for you?”
Keith looked to the side. How could she not? She was the opium that kept him calm – provided some relief from the pressure of his life. He would have no mistress as long as Katie was his wife? He looked back at Arther. “Better than Ashley. Ashley would end up in a tabloid.”
Arther chuckled. “She would. Your father was never going to let you marry her.”
“I can trust her, too,” Keith said.
“She barely even knows you. Maybe that’s the problem.”
“I’m sure my mother knew my father real well before they married. They, what, dated a month?”
Arther shook his head again as he picked up the paper, and opened it, burying his face behind it.
“She just needs to be trustworthy.” Arther lowered the paper. “Or made that way.”
Keith nodded. He would have to prove that they could trust her – the girl who wouldn’t even do one thing wrong unless he wanted her to. He stood from the couch and slowly rocked back on his heels. How could he make them see her as trustworthy? He stopped rocking, looked straight at Arther and said, “she’ll be trustworthy. I’ll find a way to prove it.”
He then walked out of the room, back to Katie. He opened their bedroom door. Katie had buried herself under the covers. He took the top of the sheet and pulled it down until he saw her eyes staring back at him. What a beautiful pair of eyes. They still contained a touch of innocence even though he taught her to do things, no Godly Christian girl would even think about.
He pulled down the cover further, revealing her succulent red lips. Her lipstick had smeared slightly to the side, like it usually did when he was very passionate with her.
“Do you want to talk now?” she asked.
He smiled and sat next to her on the bed. “Shoot, Katie.”
“You know I’m not going to judge you.”
He tilted his head to the side.
“You two were on something last night,” she said.
“We were drunk.”
She sat up from the bed. “I’m not stupid, Keith. I know you were on something. Now what were you on?” Her blue eyes flashed sparks.
Keith crumbled the sheets in his hand – the heat rising in him. “How do you know? Huh? Have you seen someone on Charlie, crank? No, I bet you haven’t. Your images come from movies.”
Her eyes widened and she shrank back into the bed, her face losing its color. “I’m sorry, Keith.”
He had been too harsh. He turned from her. “Do me a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Tell people Ellie is a wonderful person.”
She rolled over on her side and looked at the wall. “There you go, thinking I’m stupid again.” She paused and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Of course, I would never say something. I know it could hurt Arther’s image and I like him.”
Keith caressed her hip, trying to smooth out some of the tension in her. “I don’t think you’re stupid.”
“But you don’t trust me.”
“I trust you, but Katie, I was only drunk. You need to learn to trust me.” Keith lay down next to her and rolled her over so she faced him. “I love you.” He kissed her nose.
She gave him a faint smile and then buried her head into his chest. She probably didn’t believe him, but she had learned never to approach the subject again. That was a good sign. Maybe he should tell his father. Show a little anger and the girl’s strength crumbled.
FIFTEEN
Katie stood at the edge of the tarmac, playing with Keith’s shirt as he promised to send her a kiss on New Year’s Eve. She kissed his cheek before turning to get on the plane but he took her arm, stopping her, and then pulled a brown envelope from inside his coat pocket. “It’s for your dad,” he said.
She opened it. Inside was a picture of President Arther speaking and in the background stood Keith and Ellie next to each other. Written across the picture was, “Thanks for your dedicated support Mr. Morris. Can’t wait to meet you, Will.”
Katie jumped into Keith’s embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around him. “My father is going to be so happy. I love you so much.”
He kissed her on the head. “You better get going.”
She turned from him and held his hand as she stepped through the tunnel, finally letting go at the last possible moment. Soon, she would be with him again, but now she couldn’t wait to see her father.
Katie stood in the doorway of her family’s den. Her father watched the news while reclining on the couch. The show would be over soon and then she would give him Keith’s present. What would he say? He would be excited and love Keith even more. Her mother sat opposite of her father, with a book on her lap, reading. The scene looked idyllic, the perfect image for a painting of a modern day family. She would cherish these moments and seek to reinvent them when she had her own family. Keith would be a great father just like President Arther.
She squeezed the top of the envelope. She missed Keith - the ache for him was painful. Only two weeks more and then she would be sleeping in his arms every night, waking up to his sweet kisses on her eyelids.
“How long have you been standing there?”
She blinked, and lifted her gaze to her father, who held the remote control. He must have just turned the television off. She walked to him and sat next to him.
“Daddy, I have something to tell you.”
Her father smiled. “Please tell me you’re going to marry that boy.”
“Daddy,” she said through a giggle. “It’s too soon.”
“Yeah, it is, but I like him.”
Katie stared at her father’s eyes. They were about to get wide. “Keith got you a present.” She handed him the envelope.
“He did? What a nice boy,” her father said.
Katie held her breath as her father opened the envelope and pulled out the picture.
His eyes widened before he jumped to his feet. “How did he get this?”
Her mother came over and glanced at the picture. “Oh my,” she said, placing a hand to her lips.
Katie stood and pointed to the figures standing in the background. Her father’s eyes followed her finger as he brought the picture closer to his face.
“Is that…?”
“He’s his godson. Daddy, they’re very close.”
He lowered the picture. “Are you saying I had a child in my home that close to the president?”
Katie’s smile widened.
“Wow,” he said.
“I’ll be back.” Katie walked to her room and came down a few seconds later with a picture Keith had emailed her. The picture featured her kissing Arther on the cheek while they stood on the roof of the offices of Wilkerson Attorney at Law. She handed the picture to her father. “You’ll like this one better.”
His mouth dropped open. “You met him?”
“I spent two nights at his house.”
A light pinkness seeped into her father’s pale cheeks. “What’s he like?”
“He is so charming daddy, and loving. He loves Keith like he was his own son.”
Her father placed the picture on top of the other one, and he reached to his daughter’s cheek, caressing it.
“I love him, daddy.”
“I’m glad. There aren’t many fish like Keith in the pond.”
Yeah. Keith was the best thing that could have happened to her. “I best go call him. He wanted to hear about your reaction.” She kissed her father on the cheek and ran upstairs to get her phone.
Keith reclined on his bed, tossing a baseball between his hands. His cell phone lay on his lap. When was the girl going to call? She was supposed to give her father the present five minutes ago. Every part of him felt tense. A heat filled him. He hated being at home. The large Regency mansion never held any of the warmth, comfort or joy he found at Katie’s home. The expectations of his future weighed on him here. He swore every time he walked to his room, the portraits of his ancestors glared at him, reminding him every Wilkerson heir had achieved success and he’d better not be the first failure.
He looked up when he heard a knock at the door. “Come in,” he said.
His father walked in with a sharp glare in his eyes. What was his problem now? Keith sat up, gripping the ball he held in his hands.
“You made inquiries at the church for the summer,” he said.
“Yes, sir.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Because I’m going to convince you. I just haven’t figured out how yet, but I promise you I’ll make sure she’s trustworthy.”
His father’s lips twitched in a snarl as his eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to be around this summer.”
Keith clenched the ball. “What do you mean?”
“It’s about time you started becoming the man you’re meant to be. I’m sending you and Brandon to Colorado.”
Keith took a deep breath. He wanted to throw the ball at one of those dark-brown eyes. “May I ask why?”
“You two are going to a rehab center there.”
Keith looked up at the ceiling. Control. He needed to remain in control. If he let his father see his anger, he would pay.
“I want you off of it all. I can’t have my heir dying of a drug overdose.”
Keith nodded.
“Don’t say a word to Katie.”
“Yes, sir.”
His father left the room. Keith threw the ball hard against the wall. It bounced off, hitting a lamp in the room and shattering it. He sank down on the bed. Now he had another problem to deal with. How could he explain his sudden disappearance to the girl he loved? But, then again, she wasn’t that hard to fool. He picked up his phone and pressed the button for her number.
Katie picked up her cell and was about to punch the button for Keith’s number when it rang. She pressed ‘accept’ and placed the phone to her ear. “Impatient, aren’t you?” she said.
“I just wanted to hear your voice.”
Katie stopped, and bent her head to the side. Something was wrong. Instead of confidence, she heard dread in his voice. “Keith, you’re.…”
“Do you love me?”
“I do. What’s wrong?” Katie gripped the phone. Had his father said something to him about the relationship? Was he calling to put things on hold? No, that couldn’t be it. Keith would fight for her.
“How much do you love me?”
She looked at her father, who stared at her with his eyebrows arched. She walked out of the den to the living room and sat down on the couch. “I love you more than anyone on this earth.”
“Will you never leave me?”
“No, I’ve already told you that.”
“Would you do anything to help me accomplish my goals?”
Hadn’t she already proven it? She went against all her beliefs for him. “Isn’t that what married couples do?”
“I wish I could see your eyes right now.”
“Why?”
“I just do.” He took a deep breath and released it in a smooth stream. “My father wants me to go to London this summer to take some international business classes, and intern with a friend there.”
“That will be a great opportunity for you.” A calmness flooded through her. Was that all that was wrong with him? Maybe he was afraid about them being apart?
“It means we can’t get married this summer.”
Katie smiled. “Well, we’ll get married later.”
“Yeah.”
“Keith, my father wants to talk to you, and thank you for the picture.”
“Was he shocked?”
“Yeah, but he’s glad he got to know you first. I’m going to give him the phone.”
“Okay.”
Katie walked back to the family room. Her father sat on his leather chair, his worn copy of A Portrait of an Artist in his hands. He turned a page slowly, but focused on her. His eyes wavered. If Keith had ever needed someone, he needed the man before her.
“Is he okay? You look so worried?” her father asked.
“He’s fine.”
Her father took the phone and said hello – his face brightening with each sentence he spoke. She sat on a recliner, laying her head on a soft knitted pillow.
“Yeah, it’s kind of a surprise, but you know what son....”
Katie glanced at the clock. Those two would probably talk all night. She pushed herself from the chair and made her way to her bedroom, laying on her bed and snuggling a koala bear Keith had bought her. The scent of Keith’s creed royal cologne floated all around her. Her father always wanted a son, and Keith needed a godly father figure. She closed her eyes. Please Lord, let him lead Keith to You. Let him show Keith a true man, dependent on You. Once again the words seemed to bounce back at her. Maybe she was just misinterpreting things. The Lord always promised to be there for his children.
Katie flipped her hair into a slight twist and pinned it to the back of her head. She would work on her hair later. She walked from the bathroom over to the living room where Keith sat, holding a present from her father. Tomorrow was Keith’s graduation from law school. Her family had been invited but they couldn’t attend, due to her father’s teaching obligations, so he had sent a gift instead. She knew what the present was, but would Keith like it? A Bible.
“You’ve been staring at that present for five minutes, aren’t you going to open it?”
“I know.” He chuckled. “I’m just nervous. It’s not every day a guy gets a gift from his future father-in-law.”
Katie ran her hands through his hair. “Just remember it comes from my father.”
Keith slipped his fingers under the tape and pulled the paper apart, revealing a black leather Bible with Keith’s name inscribed on the front. He knit his brows as he opened the cover.
Katie looked over his shoulder and read: For nineteen years I’ve prayed Katie would find the right man. Since February, I’ve been thanking God for answering my prayers.
Keith’s eyes lit up, clenching the Bible in his hands. “This is the most meaningful gift someone has ever given m
e.”
He stood and went to their room, calling her father. Katie followed him a couple steps and stopped in the doorway.
He seemed so happy. Her father was wise. She watched as they talked, wishing the moment wouldn’t end. After his graduation, she would be leaving Connecticut for home and in the fall she would attend UNC Chapel Hill with her sister; promising she’d do better with her grades this next school year. Maybe she would since he wouldn’t be so close; and that closeness made her want to spend every moment with him. But no matter what she couldn’t stand to be in Connecticut without him. If she could only go with him to New York?
Keith stayed in town until the weekend, when her family came. Keith took them to the airport, and he held her tightly as her family waited to board the plane. She cried in his arms, and he wouldn’t let her go even when the stewardess said last call.
Mrs. Morris walked up to her. “We better get going,” she said.
Her mother took her hand, tugging on her arm. Katie looked into his soft-blue eyes, and full lips. They had shared a kiss earlier away from her family, but she needed to feel them one more time. Who cared what her mother thought? She stood on her tiptoes, planting a firm kiss on Keith’s lips. He stood there, not moving – arms limp around her waist. Must be scared of what her father would say.
Her mother spoke. “Katie, we must….”
Keith took her by the head and stared into her eyes. “I’m going to call you every night. I promise.”
An unsteadiness grew in his usual confident eyes. “Are you okay?” she mouthed.
“Remember, I love you, more than anyone.” He kissed her hard with a fierce passion and then let go of her. She stumbled back, the break was sudden, harsh.
Katie focused on Keith as her mother led her away. What was wrong with him? He leaned against the wall with slumped shoulders, like he was never going to see her again. Please God, let the summer end soon.
The next day, Brandon and Keith walked into the rehab center. He blinked his eyes at the brightness of the peach wall. Just peachy. Couldn’t his father have found something a little less bright? Light gray seemed more fitting, but one must keep the crack heads’ spirits up. He turned to his father and Arther holding out his arms. “Here I am.”
