Love Undefeated (Unexpected #5) (29 page)

He looked away for a second, staring at the transparent window behind me. It was the middle of spring yet Lansing, Ohio didn’t seem to abide by the memo that clouds and rain should not be happening right now.

“Geniah is a girly girl.” I’d never met Nalee’s sister. She was abroad and her schedule was always packed. She tried to make it for Nalee’s graduation, but she couldn’t get out of the residency schedule. I’d seen her pictures. She had light blonde hair and blue eyes; her smile reminded me of Mr. Sands’.

“While Gen loved to do her hair, Nalee liked to get in the dirt. My youngest loved the outdoors. She’s the one who helped me set up the tent when we went camping, played ball, and there wasn’t a sport she didn’t want to try. I’m saying “try” because she didn’t remember the rules and she really sucked at sports, but she just wanted to tag along with me.” His smile grew wider and his eyes became misty at the memories.

“I love them both. But Nalee is my special girl.” He took a deep breath. “She was my shadow while Geniah was her mama’s.”

He waved for the server to take our orders. I was starving so I asked for a cheeseburger with no onions and pickles. Mr. Sands ordered the special pastrami sandwich.

After the server left, he held his phone up and scrolled through his pictures. I knew because he was doing it in front of me.

Then finding what he was looking for, he stopped on one picture and showed it to me.

It was of Nales in a Strawberry Shortcake jumpsuit and a fishing rod in her right hand.

“Her mom and Geniah hated fishing. Nalee’s the one who woke up with me at four in the morning to drive two hours away so I could unwind.” His voice started to crumble. Nalee often talked about how great of a father he was. I respected the man. One day when I had kids of my own, I could only wish to be at least half the man that my father was to me and how Nalee’s father was to his girls and I’d think that I’d have done a pretty decent job.

“Her feelings will get hurt. You will argue with her. You’ll fight with her,” he said, his eyes still on Nalee’s picture. She must not have met Hello Kitty yet because I was quite sure if she had, she’d be wearing that cat’s outfit. “The most important thing is you help her get through it.”

A spear just drove itself into my chest and punched a hole into my heart. When Nales needed me the most, I had left her.

“I made quite a few mistakes, sir,” I confessed. I didn’t have to but for some reason, I wanted to come clean. “There was a time when Nalee needed me and I…ah…” It hurt to admit that I was wrong, not because I was ashamed to say it, but because I knew I dumped a colossal amount of pain on Nalee’s shoulders. “I wasn’t there for her.”

“Will you do it again?” he asked, his eyes on me now. The hard lines on his face showed that he didn’t live an easy life. He had built his construction business with his own hands, starting as a painter and working sixteen to twenty hours a day so he could support his growing family. Nalee always got teary-eyed when she relayed the story of how hard her parents worked so she and Geniah could have good lives.

I answered him with certainty, “No, sir. Never again.”

The server came back with our orders. Mr. Sands looked at his watch and stated, “Can I get a box? I need to get going. Sorry to rush you, David.”

I hadn’t even noticed the guy’s name. I looked at his shirt and he didn’t wear a name tag.

“No problem. Another day at the office, huh? It’s gonna get muddy at the site.” It was obvious that David knew Mr. Sands because of the camarederie between them.

My companion said, “Yep. It’ll be muddy as hell, but we gotta keep on truckin’.”

David gave a tiny salute and left.

Mr. Sands stood up and I followed suit. He dropped two twenties on the table to which I objected to, so I pulled out my wallet from my front right pocket.

“No, sir. I got this,” I said, my right hand reaching to pull out the cash from my wallet. Thank God I had some. I always paid with my card; it was a miracle I even had twenty dollar bills.

He shook his head and sliced his hand through the air, motioning for me to stop reaching for money in my wallet.

“You take care of my daughter. Be there for her even when you don’t think she needs you. Stay with her when she’s hurting. You don’t need to give me expensive gifts for me to like you.” I’d given Nalee’s parents an all-expense, non-refundable weekend trip to Mexico for Christmas. Last time I asked Nalee, they had yet to use it. “All I ask is that you be honest with her, and even if you break her heart, treat her with kindness.”

“I’m not going to break her heart, sir,” I provided a rebuttal. “I’ll do everything that I can to make her happy.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he said in a firm tone while David handed him his to-go bag.

“I’m not making a promise, sir. I’m telling you the truth.” My hands were slightly shaking because I still hadn’t gotten a yes or no from him that I could marry Nalee. He could say no and I’d still ask Nalee. But it would be really nice if I’d gotten her old man’s blessing.

He looked down to his phone and when he was done checking a message that pinged, he said, “It’s hard for me to trust another man with my daughter. I can’t choose for her. But from what I’ve gathered, she loves you.”

“I hope so.” She hadn’t said it, but from her actions I felt her love.

“Call her mama before you ask Nalee,” he instructed, showing me seven digits on his phone, his wife’s number, which I gladly punched into my phone’s new contacts list. “Ask her if Nalee wants to get married in a church or somewhere else. I’m too old for this destination wedding crap. They’re too damned expensive. My buddy Fred’s daughter got married in a remote island in Costa Rica and it cost him over three grand to book the hotel and airline.”

I’d pay for Nalee’s family and a hundred of her cousins to fly over to the North Pole if her dad said yes.

“But if Nalee wants to get married in an island with a bunch of locals dancing to Macarena, I can’t say no,” he continued, realizing that where and when we got married would actually be Nalee’s and my decision. “Just call her mama and tell her that I said okay.”

A screech, a croak, a frog might have jumped out of my throat because a squeaky “Yes” escaped from it.

He shook my hand and I accepted it with a huge relief that lifted off my shoulders.

“Thank you,” I said, trying not to hyperventilate with all the adrenaline rushing into my blood stream. “You won’t regret it.”

He looked at me before lowering his Ohio State black and red cap and said, “You’re not marrying me. You’re marrying my daughter. Make sure
she
doesn’t regret it
.”

With those words, he turned on his heel and left.

I took a seat and absorbed the weight of the situation.

Nalee’s dad just gave me his blessing.

I had to call her mom to tell her the news without alerting Nalee of my proposal.

I hadn’t even told my parents yet. They’d know when Nalee said yes.

I couldn’t take a bite of my cheeseburger because my throat felt heavy with eagerness and anticipation.

I wouldn’t make her regret saying yes to me.

It’s not a promise.

It’s my vow. A vow that I would hold until the end of time.

I really wished I drank coffee.

The strong, black, restart-your-heart kind.

As it was, I could only tolerate the frappe ones. Sugary sweet and loaded with whipped cream.

My watch indicated that I had run two and a half miles.

Mornings like these were on my top faves. The ocean breeze clean and fresh, joggers running past me, the slow hum of the city barely waking up.

Xavier was supposed to be back today. He had a shuttle pick him up from the airport because he was arriving early. When I woke up at seven fifteen, he still wasn’t at the house. I’d checked my phone and he’d texted that his plane was delayed by two hours, due to a maintenance issue. I had two missed calls and when I tried to call him back, it went straight to voicemail. His last text was, “Boarding now. See you in five hours.” That was over four and a half hours ago.

He had a last minute business trip to Cleveland. I wish I could’ve gone with him. I could’ve driven to my parents’ house and spent the day with them. It would have been a two and a half hour drive, but I would’ve gone with him if it wasn’t for the new projects that Stephanie dropped in my inbox a week ago. I was happy to be busy. But when Xavier said he had to fly to Ohio, I seriously considered going with him.

I stopped by a row of trees and touched one of the low-hanging leaves. The Victorian box bloomed small white flowers and emitted orange blossom-like perfume. In college, the university had rows and rows of these trees. Great memories flooded my mind whenever I smelled these scents. They reminded me of carefree, stress-free days.

I checked my watch again. Xavier’s plane should have landed by now. I didn’t feel any vibrations in my pocket so he must still be deplaning.

I stretched my legs and took off for another run.

I passed small boutiques, parents walking with their kids, and a few walking their dogs. It made me smile. This was life. I’m certain that not everyone had a fairy-tale life, the mother walking with her son, who knew what challenges they faced? The older white haired gentleman sitting on the BART stop, I wondered where he was off to. Was he meeting a special lady? His kids? Maybe a friend?

My breath picked up the pace as I ran harder, and I started feeling the familiar burn in my thighs.

I eyed the rooftop of the series of tall, white buildings a few blocks away.

I waited for the onslaught of memories, of never-forgotten feelings, and the slow anguish that often followed them.

A strong breeze catapulted me towards the sidewalk, almost knocking me off-balance. It made the hair on my skin rise and the back of my neck tingle. What a strange feeling.

The first thing that came to mind was me holding
her
delicate weight in my arms. I stopped moving before a jogger passed me, looked back, and mouthed, “Sorry.” I gave his fleeing form a smile and added a wave too.

My feet were itching to run my route. The route which led me to the place where I lost my heart.

But my heart…was telling me to take a right instead of left.

I eyed the hospital’s structure and slowly, slowly my feet started picking up the pace again.

This time, I let my hands fall to my sides and let my heart take the lead.

Maybe this was acceptance.

I’d never let her go.

She would always be a part of me until my ashes touched the ground.

A feeling of melancholy coated my insides then slowly I felt lighter, peaceful, calmer as my legs kicked up and I turned right.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pushed the buttons and saw Xavier’s text,
I’m here. Where are you?

I texted him back,
Out for a run.

Xavier: Do you want me to meet you there?

There, meaning
there
– my only destination for a while now.

Me: I’ll be at Koala’s Coffee and Tea.

The wavy, bubbly dots flashed on my screen. He was sending a long text. I kept staring at the screen as I slowly pulled myself to stop in front of the coffee house.