Broken (Endurance) (27 page)

On returning to Fa and Coretta's home, Tamarius received the agenda from his brother on his PDA phone. The meeting would be tomorrow morning. He could sense it was going to be a hectic day. As he helped Makayla and Tia out of the limo he instructed the driver to be there first thing in the morning. Makayla waited to speak with him privately on the gallery.

Tamarius smiled as he watched her standing there, her arms folded across her chest as she stared at him. He slipped his phone back into his pocket and reached out for her, pulling her close. He kissed her forehead and hugged her, enjoying his secret joy of knowing soon he would become a father.

"You’re not telling me something, and no matter how much I try, I can't figure it out," Makayla complained.

"Just trust in God and we’ll be fine." He held her tight.

"If you’re afraid I'm gonna run, I'm not." Makayla looked into his face.

"I told you why. Okay, so maybe I’m being hasty. Does it really matter when you know in your heart you’re with the right person?" Tamarius asked.

"I guess not," she whispered.

"So for argument’s sake, sleep on it tonight and let me know tomorrow how you feel," he suggested.

"Okay, I need to take a nap. I'm tired." Makayla stepped back and walked inside.

Tamarius just smiled. "I will be out here for a little." He wanted to be alone to speak to God privately, to give thanks for the blessing he was about to receive.

It was four in the morning when Makayla finally made her decision, or more like she accepted the answer to her question. Should she marry Tamarius now or have a big wedding? After hours of praying and listening to her guide’s advice, she was finally ready to tell Tamarius her answer and, she couldn't wait.

She tiptoed down the hallway his room. The door was unlocked and she slipped inside, silently closing the door behind her. Tamarius lay asleep on his back, shirtless. A dim street lamp barely lit the room as she gingerly walked across to his bed. She whispered his name, but he did not wake. Makayla slowly sat on the edge of his bed, easing her weight down.  She didn't want to scare him.

She sat there quietly, just admiring him as he slept, not wanting to wake him. He looked so peaceful. "I just want to be with you," she muttered under her breath. She leaned over him and softly kissed his lips. "Goodnight," she whispered. Sitting up she felt Tamarius’ hand on her thigh.

"Goodnight? You just got here," he mumbled.

"You were sleeping. You looked peaceful," Makayla whispered.

Tamarius stared at her, not paying attention to what she was saying. His hands found their way to her stomach and then to her waist, nudging her to lie beside him.

Makayla settled in beside him as he turned on his side and wrapped his arm around her. "I just wanted to tell you, yes."

"Yes?" He sprang
to life.

"Yes," Makayla said, laughing.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Tamarius kissed her all over.

"I still don't know what the rush is about, but it doesn't matter. I just want to be yours."

Tamarius looked down at her. "I just want to be yours, too."

"How are we going to do this?" Makayla asked.

"I kind of already called Cressida to get the paper work done."

"What?" Makayla laughed. "What if I said no and ran off."

"I would be crushed and after I hunted you down and got medieval on you, I would lock you up and keep you hostage until you saw things my way."

"You wouldn't." Makayla smiled.

"No, but it would kill me." Tamarius felt the pain of not only losing the love of his life, but his son. The thought alone brought a lump in his throat.

"Baby, I wouldn't do that to you. I'd be running away from everything I ever wanted."

Tamarius smiled. "I have a business meeting in the morning and we need to meet with the

owners. I would like to just put Tia in charge of everything and we’ll just be her financial backers. This way we can focus on other things."

"Yeah, that sounds great. When will you be getting back from all of your meetings?"

"You’re coming with me. After the meetings we're going to surprise Max and Mei. We’ll take them home for Thanksgiving break."

"I should go pack then." Makayla sat up.

"No, stay here." He pulled her back. "I also spoke to my uncle and he will be expecting us tomorrow."

"You knew I was going to say yes."

***

It was six in the evening on Saturday, October sixteenth,
two
thousand and eleven. Tamarius stood at the front of his uncle’s humble church which sat overlooking the ocean. The sea was beautiful and calm. The old church windows had been propped open with pieces of wood. No matter how many times Maxwell and Tamarius had offered to rebuild it, his Uncle Peter Martinez had always refused.

Now standing in the church, waiting for his bride to appear, he understood why. The church had a simple, genuine love that filled the air. It felt as if being married here was the best choice for any one serious about their union.

Peter Martinez had also married Mei and Max and was happy when he learned that his nephew had finally found the one his heart loved. He knew his nephew would not just marry any woman and that Makayla had to be someone special. Peter felt honored to marry them.

"Nervous nephew?" Peter smiled at Tamarius.

"Yes and no," Tamarius answered as he glanced out at the crowd of family and friends that had come at the last minute to see them get married.

"I'm proud of you, and my little Max. How is he?"

"In college with his whole family."

"Good, God bless them."

"Amen"

"Ah, here she comes, son." His uncle motioned to the pianist to start the music.

Tamarius turned toward the opening doors of the church to see a breathtakingly beautiful

Makayla. She wore an off-the-shoulder white gown with a deep red border that went across her chest, flowing down and accenting the edge of her train. Under the red border was a gold trim. The edges of her dress were trimmed in red and gold and throughout her dress were scattered red and gold crystals. She wore a white veil with the same scattering of red and gold crystals and she held a bouquet of red roses tied with a wide gold ribbon.

Everyone was taken aback by how beautiful she looked. Her father walked her down the isle with evident pride. He stopped just before reaching Tamarius who looked about ready to faint. Fa lifted Makayla’s veil as his daughter gently bowed her head to her father, thanking him silently. Fa kissed his daughter's forehead, lifted her chin and whispered, "I love you."

He slowly put her veil back into place and handed her to Tamarius. He gently patted Tamarius on the shoulder, nodding his approval. Makayla stood next to Tamarius who was speechless. It took him a moment to gather his words. "You look beautiful," he whispered.

"Sorry, I was late," she whispered as she blushed.

"You’re worth every second."

Peter cleared his throat and began the ceremony by asking God to bless their union and to protect it from the evil in the world. After a heartfelt prayer they reached the part that every couple waits to hear.

"Tamarius, do you take this woman to be your loving wife, in sickness and in health, through good times and bad? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and respect?"  Peter asked, looking at his nephew who was glowing with intense emotions as he faced his bride.

"I do," Tamarius replied.

"Makayla, do you take this man to be your loving husband, in sickness and in health through good times and bad? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and respect?" Peter repeated to Makayla who held Tamarius' hands as she faced him.

"I do."

"By the power vested in me. I now pronounce you husband and wife. Tamarius, you may now kiss the bride."

Releasing Makayla's hands, Tamarius stepped closer and raised her veil. Makayla was blushi
ng as she looked into Tamarius'
eyes then looked down. He softly lifted her chin and kissed her soft lips.

Everyone cheered wildly. They turned to face the crowd of their family and friends.

"I now introduce husband and wife!" Peter announced.

The steel pan played as they made their way out of the church and into an awaiting limo.

Tia, who had been Makayla's maid of honor, announced that a small reception would be held at the home of Fa and Coretta.

The small reception was just perfect for Makayla and Tamarius. They enjoyed spending time with their close family and friends in Trinidad.

Tamarius was locked in a conversation with one of Makayla's uncles and didn't want to be rude. He couldn't help but gaze on his wife who shined beautifully across the room. She still wore her wedding dress. They planned to leave soon for their honeymoon.

Tamarius had insisted she stay in her dress. He wanted to be the one to take it off. He couldn't take it anymore. He wanted to be alone with his wife and people were starting to irritate him. However, being the gentlemen that he was, Tamarius made it through the evening.

Fa gave a toast and the entire family prayed before Makayla and Tamarius left. It would be after Thanksgiving the next time they would see their family overseas again.

Tamarius followed Makayla to her room. She was exhausted and was stretched out on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She still wore her wedding dress. Leaning over her, he kissed her cheek. "Finally, I have you all to myself," he whispered.

"Can you let me out of this thing?" Makayla complained. "It's so tight around my stomach..."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize...," Tamarius said, thinking about her pregnancy.

"It's okay, baby.  It's my fault. I know I gained weight," Makayla replied.

"You look perfect." He pulled off her shoes.

"Whatever." Makayla smiled.

Tamarius grabbed her hands and pulled her up to stand on her feet. He kissed her as he gently moved her hair aside, sliding her zipper down. Makayla sighed as the pressure around her stomach was released. "Does that feel better?" he whispered.

Makayla smiled as she leaned her head on his chest. Thinking back to the hectic morning she’d had. "You know why I was late?"

"Why?"

"I couldn't fit my fat butt into this dress, which, by the way, my parents argued over for the past two days."

"Why?"

"Mom wanted it all white with simple crystals all over. Dad wanted all red with gold trim for good luck. Well after arguing for hours they both agreed that I'm no virgin and I'm gonna need all the luck I can get. So here you have a red, gold and white wedding dress."

Tamarius laughed. "You look beautiful and you’re not fat."

"You’re just saying that." Makayla smiled back.

He pushed the dress down as he gently rubbed her back and waist. He kissed her neck as he whispered apologies to her for making her stay in the dress.

Makayla smiled. She enjoyed his tender touch.

Tamarius helped her step out of her dress, admiring her white lingerie.