Chapter 8.9: Dear Diary, Happiness Is…

Jade had one requirement before she would marry me. I had to ask her father, George, for her hand. It was an old-fashioned idea, but I wanted more than ever to make her happy. She assured me this would do it.

I was confident going in. I mean, her dad knew me already. Sitting there, across from him, though, I realized that might not be the best thing. What if he brought up the time I served? Or the fact she had a baby without me supporting her, even though that wasn’t completely my fault.

What if he said no? Jade would still marry me.

Right?

Taking a deep breath, I rubbed the back of my neck. Then, I crossed my legs, folding my hands in my lap. After less than three seconds, I uncrossed my legs, only to cross them again.

Do you see how this was going?

George stared at me, sitting still in his chair like a statue, his brows raised.

I cleared my throat. “Uh, Mr. Greenhill, thanks for meeting with me.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you,” he said, his voice so dry I had the urge to find him a cough drop.

“Yeah, um, it’s been a minute. It’s good to see you, though.” Then, a little too quickly, I added, “You look good.”

His gaze hardened, and it was impossible to pull my eyes away.

“Mmhm. Now you’re just blowing smoke up my ass. What’re you here for?”

Oh, boy. Any minute now he would start chewing me out, I just knew it.

“Uh, well, I suppose you know Jade and I have been dating.”

His expression and tone remained the same. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before continuing.

“I’m here… I came here to ask if I could marry her.”

It was probably an entire three or four minutes while he sat there, scrutinizing me with hard, unblinking eyes. I gulped, my throat and mouth bone-dry, finally deciding I should make my awkward exit, when he busted out laughing.

“I’m just messing with you, Kai.”

“What?” It was my turn to stare, dumb-founded, at my tormentor.

He was belly-laughing now. “Go ahead and marry her. You already know her in a Biblical sense and have a child together. I think it’s about time you married the girl. Oh, and Kai, welcome to the family.”

I was walking on air. The girl of my dreams, and totally out of my league, agreed to marry me, and Gigi was turning five. To make things even better, it was my day off, so I watched Gigi while Jade worked.

For her birthday, we got the kid a swing set, and a sandbox. I got myself a Polaroid camera. It was fun taking pictures for the photo album I picked up at the store. Then, I realized, Gigi wasn’t in the first group of pictures I took. Sometimes, the things I do don’t make a whole lot of sense.

You may have noticed that once or twice.

We were in the backyard, enjoying the new playground, when Jade arrived with another woman and two kids. Gigi waved excitedly, jumping up and down.

“Mama! Mama! Look at my swings! And my slide! And my sandbox!”

“Yes, I see them,” Jade said with a wide smile. “I’m glad your birthday was a hit.” She kissed the top of Gigi’s head, then turned her attention to me. “Kai, you will be so happy to meet our guests. This is Izabella Roberts, Vincent’s wife.”

That took longer than it should to register. When it finally clicked, I felt like slapping myself in the face. “Oh, wow! It’s so nice to meet you!”

“Thank you,” she said, her gaze steady, her voice strong. “These are our kids, Shona and Wes.”

“Hi there,” I said to the kids.

“Wes is the same age as Gigi,” Jade said.

“That’s awesome.”

Shona looked around a little while Gigi and Wes chatted.

“I have swings, too,” he said. “My dad set them up before he went away.”

“I bet they’re fun,” Gigi said. “This is my first swing set.”

Shona smiled at the younger two. “Let’s play!”

“How’s Vincent’s case going?” I asked.

“It’s looking hopeful. I sat in on his hearing today to see what was happening. That’s how I met Izabella.”

“That’s cool. I really hope the judge realizes Vincent is innocent.”

“Yes, me, too. I just want him home,” Izabella said.

“Of course.”

“It will probably be another week or so before all the evidence is examined, and the judge makes a decision,” Jade explained. “The simple fact is, Vincent was mistaken for the perpetrator but his attorney thinks he can prove it wasn’t him.”

Izabella said, “Yes, that’s right. The robbery happened a couple blocks from where we lived, but Vince wasn’t there that night. He was home with us. Their only witness said she saw my husband rob that gas station. It’s just not true, and they didn’t believe me when I verified his alibi.”

I took Izabella’s hand and squeezed it. “My father told me this attorney is really good, and I trust that.”

She wiped a stray tear from her cheek. “I’m trying to. It’s so hard.”

I nodded. “I can understand that.”

“Thank you so much for helping us, Kai.”

“I can’t take any credit. My dad is an exceptional guy, though. Let’s just get Vincent home where he belongs, okay?”

She nodded, her hand trembling in mine.

The kids’ laughing interrupted any further serious conversation, so we joined them. My heart was full as my baby girl played so happily with her friends. But, it was heavy, too, because my friend who’d done so much for me while I was incarcerated, was still in prison unjustly. Even if it took the rest of my life, I would fight to free him no matter what it took.

I can’t decide whether or not my family is crazy. At get-togethers, we’ve become a loud bunch, everyone animated with their own points in discussion. It’s not unusual for my dad to be cooking some huge dinner while everyone has ten conversations at once. Did I mention it gets loud?

There’s Jade, sitting next to her father. They’re talking about what a handful she was as a kid and how to handle Gigi.

Jade, as you can see, isn’t even close to agreeing with George on this.

Mom and Rob, with occasional input from Dad, are debating on whether pineapple is appropriate as a pizza topping.

We’re not even having pizza for dinner, but it’s a hot topic tonight.

My own thoughts on the topic? All I can think about is how Rob has no right to look that good. We’ll probably examine that point tonight some time over a beer.

Gigi has been non-stop begging for another play date with her new friends Shona and Wes Roberts. The fact she gets along with them makes me so happy.

My biggest hope right now is that they will release Vincent, and our families will become close. I think that would be good for all of us.

My family is a little crazy… silly… and loud.

And they’re mine.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed today’s chapter. Coming up soon, we’ll find out whether Vincent is vindicated or not, and what that means for Kai. Also, Bram and Kara have an announcement. Oh, and don’t forget, we have a wedding coming up soon.

i’m sorry for the late response on your comments. Please know, I appreciate each and every one. I’ve been quite ill this past week. Today, I have to travel a little bit, and I’m dreading it. But I can’t wait to see what you think of the new developments in today’s chapter.

Thank you again for reading, liking, commenting, and lurking,

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