Victoria carried the flowers into her office and placed them on her desk. Then she picked up the card.
Miss you. Want you. Love you,
Cortez
She smiled before walking back over to the window. She would miss Cortez this weekend, but she’d see him soon enough. They’d already decided that once they were married, she would relocate the main office of the Bennett Nursery and Landscaping Company to Los Angeles. The St. Paul office would be run by Shelia McQuade, the woman who was now her assistant.
A few hours later, when Victoria was about to leave the office, she got a call from her cousin Sebrina. “Yes, Bree?”
“I need a favor.”
Victoria nodded. “What kind of favor?”
“I’m at a hotel…with someone.”
Victoria lifted a brow. Because the four cousins had a house rule that no guys could sleep over, Victoria figured Bree was hooking up with someone. But who? She hadn’t said anything about being involved with someone. But then again, Bree could definitely take care of herself. “And?”
“And I have a feeling we’re going to run out of condoms.”
Victoria blinked. That’s not what she expected to hear. “You’re going to run out of condoms?”
“Yes.”
Victoria’s lips quirked in a smile. “He must be some guy.”
“He is. That’s why I need you to bring another pack. I want to be on the safe side. We’ll need at least a dozen more.”
Victoria sat back down at her desk. “A dozen more?”
“Yes, at least. He offered to get dressed and go out to buy some more, but I’d rather he didn’t. Since the hotel is not far from your office, I’m hoping you wouldn’t mind dropping some off at our hotel room.” Bree paused and then said, “I tried calling Kennedy, but I can’t reach her, and I prefer not to ask Monica.”
“Hey, no problem. Where’s the hotel?” When Bree gave her the name of one of the most luxurious hotels in St. Paul, Victoria breathed out an impressed breath. “Wow! And what’s the room number?”
“Twelfth floor, room 1210. Don’t take too long.”
Victoria chuckled, not able to recall the last time she’d heard such anxiousness in Bree’s voice. “Okay, I’m on my way.”
Less than half an hour later, Victoria had arrived at the Saxon Hotel. Stepping off the elevator on the twelfth floor, she made her way to Bree’s room. Her cousin had a lot to tell her later. If Bree thought she was going to keep this quiet, then Victoria had news for her.
This was some hotel. From the moment she’d walked through the door, the hotel had screamed elegance. Whenever Cortez came to town, they would spend the night at the LaMora Hotel, which was also very elegant. But there was something about a Saxon Hotel that spelled CLASSY in capital letters. It had a certain style all its own. She’d even heard a number of well-known individuals like Oprah, the Obamas, and even the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had leased their own floors at the one located in Los Angeles.
When Victoria reached Bree’s hotel room door, she knocked. The door eased open a little, and then it swung wide, but Victoria couldn’t see who’d opened it. Thinking it probably wasn’t the best idea to barge in, she cleared her throat. “Bree, here’s the package you asked for.”
Suddenly, a masculine hand snaked out from behind the door and pulled her into the room, then shut the door behind her. Before she could catch her breath at the surprised move, a deep voice said, “I’m glad you came.”
Victoria immediately recognized the voice, but before she could say anything, a mouth took possession of hers. She knew the mouth as well and returned the kiss with fiery passion.
When the kiss finally broke, she stared into the face of the man she loved. “Cortez? What are you doing here? I thought you had to prepare for a court case on Monday.”
He smiled down at her. “We were able to settle out of court late last night, so I packed and flew here to be with you.”
She was glad of that. “But why did you have Bree call me and pretend she needed condoms?”
“Because I wanted to surprise you. This is going to be a special weekend for us, Victoria.”
“It is?”
“Yes, starting with dinner.”
“Dinner?” She glanced around the room and saw the beautiful table set for two with lit candles and a bottle of champagne on ice. The huge suite looked so romantic.
“Yes.” He then pulled her closer. “Three weeks ago, I asked you to marry me. You said yes, but I didn’t give you a ring. I wanted to design a special one, just for you.”
Cortez then stepped back and lowered himself on one knee. He pulled a small black box out of his jacket, opened it up, and asked, “Victoria Bennett, will you marry me?”
She had cried that night, and now he was going to make her cry all over again. The ring was gorgeous, a yellow-gold, oval cut, three-carat diamond ring. “Yes!”
“I love you, sweetheart,” he said, while sliding the engagement ring on her finger.
“I love you, too.”
Cortez stood and pulled her back into his arms, capturing her mouth again.
June 10th - Kennedy
KENNEDY LOOKED UP INTO her father’s face. If a man could glow with overwhelming pride, then today would be Michael Bennett’s day. She knew he was truly happy for her and she appreciated that. Most of all, she appreciated him.
A lot had happened since that day so many years ago when he’d sat her down to break the news to her that the mother she’d adored was gone and would never come back. She’d been seven at the time. He’d been the best dad in the world, even during those times when she hadn’t made things easy on him. Because of her, he’d left their home in St. Paul to move to Atlanta to be closer to family. However, she would say that had been a good move for him, too, because it had brought Taye into their lives. Her father marrying Taye and becoming a blended family with Monica and Bree had literally saved them all.
“You’re as beautiful as your mother was on our wedding day, Kennedy. Lynda would be so proud of you.”
Kennedy fought back tears, refusing to mess up the makeup Taye, Alexia, Rae’jean, and Brandy had all taken turns fixing. She’d been thinking of her mother a lot lately and was thankful for all the photographs they’d put around of her, making it seem as if she were here.
“Thanks, Dad…for everything. Especially for not giving up on me when you could have.”
A smile crinkled his handsome face. “I could never give up on you, Kennedy. You’re mine and Lynda’s. You were our blessing and I know Haddison will continue to handle business when it comes to you. I’ve gotten to know him and believe he’s a good man.”
She nodded. “He is, Dad. He’s the best.” She paused, then added, “And I want to thank you for marrying Taye. She was there for both of us when we needed her most.”
Michael Bennett gave his daughter another smile. “Taye and I will always be here for you.”
A short while later, after her father had gone, Kennedy looked out the window toward the sky. She was happy today, and she knew somewhere up there her mother was smiling.