The Gift Page 8

  “Yeahhh!” they cheered, with thunderous applause. “We love you, Silas!” a few yelled out.

  “Back at y’all! Live it up! Merry Christmas Eve!”

  After that, I handed the DJ back the mic and exited his booth. I got down the stairs and back on the first level where I could let my night begin. Or at least try to let my night begin, without having thoughts of driving over to Kayla’s to see if she’d open the door. Or calling her to see if she’d pick up.

  Just as I was rounding the corner to go mingle a little bit, I felt a soft tap on my shoulder. I turned around and got the shock of my life, when I came face to face with Kayla all dressed in white.

  -17-

  Silas

  “Hi . . .” she said, from between those beautiful, soft lips of hers.

  “Hi yourself,” I responded.

  All I could do was stare at her. It was like I’d seen a ghost. I had to question myself as to whether or not she was really there, or just a strong-ass figment of my imagination. What I did know was that she looked good enough to eat. And if given the chance, I was for damn sure going to do that!

  The white dress that she wore drooped slightly in the front, showing an attractive neckline. I’d kissed her there. I wanted to right now. She wore a pair of dangle earrings that seemed to kiss the top of her shoulders, right where her curls met. Before I knew it, I was scanning the path that was her body, and admiring how the dress fit her curves. I’d been there too. Inside and out. I found myself wondering if I’d ever have the pleasure of undressing her again.

  “You look beautiful, Kayla . . .” were the words I was finally able to say after a long pause.

  “Look at you,” she said, running a hand down my arm. “I’ve never seen white look so good on a man.”

  We stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. I didn’t know what she was thinking, but I was just busy wondering how she ended up here, if she’d be staying, and whether she hated me.

  “I’m so damn surprised that you’re here. Happy as hell, though.”

  “Is there somewhere that we can talk for a few minutes?” she asked.

  “Without a doubt,” I said to her. “Come on.”

  I held onto her lower back and ushered her into another section of the manor, where we took an elevator up to a small den away from everything.

  “This is beautiful, Silas. It’s a lot of home.”

  “I know. Way too much space, but it was what I wanted, so here I am.”

  “I can’t be mad at that.” She looked around the den and then across the room in the direction of the built-in fish tank. “This is luxury for real,” she said walking over to it. “My whole apartment could fit in here.”

  “You could fit in here too,” I replied, following behind her. “And I think it’d be a perfect fit. But you didn’t hear that from me.”

  “Silas . . .” she said a second or two after my statement.

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you. For everything that you’ve done. You don’t know how much I appreciate you.”

  And here it was. She had come in person to tell me that while she appreciated everything that I’d done, she didn’t think it was a good idea or us to see each other anymore.

  “I know what you’re going to say, Kayla. I expected as much. And I can only respect your wishes. I just want you to know that a lot of what happened that night, I pushed to the back of my mind.”

  “Silas—”

  “Including what your brother wanted me to give to you,” I interjected. In those few seconds, while I had her here, I had decided that I would do whatever it took for her to hear me out. Then, after that, if she still wanted to walk out of my life for good, I wouldn’t stop her. “I had never had anybody die in my arms, Kayla. I was destroyed. To know that your brother had a whole family that would get a call about him not coming home. Shit broke me, Kayla. I mean, in half. I was disgusted by the failure of humankind that night. Onlookers being nosy, but none willing to help. It all fucked me up. He was . . .” I paused, for not wanting to say the word. “. . . but even then, I wanted to make sure that I got the box from him, for Kayla. He said your name. It fucked me up, Kayla. By the time your last email was sent to me, I was already . . .” I paused for a few long seconds. She stood patiently waiting the whole time. “I had a mental break. When I left that night, it was only after the ambulance came and then the coroner . . . I stayed through it all. After they left, I saw all the blood on my clothes. That’s what brought it all home for me. It was hard.”

  She listened to me intently, at various times her eyes glossing over. But she stayed and she listened. Now, I just had to hear the rest of what she had to say and be prepared to lose her if that’s what she chose.

  I watched her as she sat her purse down on the chair near us. She ran her hand down the length of my arm, and said to me, “Silas, I don’t blame you for anything. Honestly, I don’t. I saw my brother at the coroner’s office after everything was said and done, and it killed me. I had to be sedated and woke up hours later in the hospital under observation. So, I know being there it had to have some effect on you as well. Everything that you did for me without knowing me, but out of the kindness of your heart . . . I know that’s who you are. I know now, firsthand, that it’s what drove your actions that night. You’re an amazing man. I came to thank you. But I didn’t come to leave your life. I came to ask if I could be a part of it.” She grabbed my hands into hers and looked into my eyes with a sincerity I had never seen anywhere. “You’re not in my life by accident. You were very deliberate, and we have no right to dismiss that. Not you, and not me.”

  “And I don’t want to, Kayla. I want you in my life—always. I hope hearing ‘always’ doesn’t scare you off.”

  “Scare me off? Hell no. It makes me want to beg you to take me into one of these damn apartment-sized rooms and give me all you got.”

  “Oh, there would be no beggin’, baby. That would make me happy as hell to give it without so much as a request.”

  Kayla inhaled, then released a deep sigh holding her head to the sky. When she looked back into my eyes, there were tears, but she was smiling.

  “I just told Michael, ‘Thank you,’ for sending me an angel named Silas. Because I know he did. I know he did.” She released my hands and then leaned to grab the small purse she had with her. She reached inside to grab something and then held her hand out to me. “Can you put this on me, please?”

  I looked down at the bracelet in her hand. “Is this the—”

  “It is. Beautiful, right?” she said smiling big.

  “Very,” I agreed, unhooking the latch, then putting it on her wrist. I felt sadness knowing that I had kept it from her for so long, but glad that she finally had it. “Diamonds and peridot. A beautiful combo.”

  “Hold on!” she squealed. “What you know about peridot?”

  “I know it’s your birthstone.”

  “What?” she cheesed.

  “Yep, you mentioned your birthday and I looked it up. I also looked up Leo characteristics.”

  “What?! You did not!”

  “Yep. So, I know enough to know that I’m gonna have my hands full.”

  “Full of nothing but good, baby,” she said, leaning in to kiss me.

  “And that’s perfect. Because I want to fill your hands . . . with all kinds of stuff.” I grabbed her left hand. “Particularly, this one . . .” I watched her eyes widen in surprise. So before she could figure out what I was about to say, I dove in. “Marry me, Kayla.”

  She let out a cough and clutched her chest.

  “Huh?”

  I nodded to solidify what I had just spoken, then repeated, “Marry me.”

  “Wait, you’re serious?”

  “As a heart attack.”

  “Silas . . . really?!”

  “Kayla . . . really. I love you. In this little bit of time, I love you.”

  “I love you too, Silas.”

  “So, then it’s only right. Who says
that we can’t act on this emotion? These strong-ass emotions?”

  “Right . . .” she whispered, looking deep into my eyes. “I’m in shock,” she confessed.

  “Well, are you going to leave me hanging with a respon—”

  “No!” she yelled. “I mean no I’m not gonna leave you hanging!” Her head bobbed up and down in fast motion. “Yes! I will marry you!” She threw herself into my arms, and commenced to kissing me all over my face. “I can’t believe this! What about your daughter?! I mean! Oh my God! She’s going to think we’re crazy!”

  “I’ve already told her about you. She’ll be home after the holidays and you can officially meet her.”

  “Oh my God! Silas!” she cried into my chest. “I’m going to make you happy! I promise!”

  “And I’m going to do the same.” I pulled her back to look down into her eyes. “I promise.

  I couldn’t have been happier.

  I had never in my life been more certain of anything than being her husband. She was the one for me. The circumstance with which we met under only allowed for transparency. There was no other way to be. So who we went in as, were the same people we were in that room. Who would’ve thought that dropping off a piece of misrouted mail would lead us to this place? I held onto Kayla tightly for the longest time in that spot.

  The whole time that I held her, I thought about how sometimes we just have to be open to the possibilities. Sometimes we just have to accept that love may drop down on us in unexpected ways, during really unexpected times. When those situations occur, we have to be brave enough to explore, what the gift of timing can bring.

  ~The End~