No Ordinary Love (28 page)

“You crazy,” Briannah told her. “You ready, boo?” she asked Catrina.

“Sure, what’s my favorite line? Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Come one, ladies, this might take a minute. I can’t wait to get some jerk wings.”

With that said, the trio of women joined the rehearsal.

The Rehearsal Dinner

An hour and half later the couple and their wedding party had successfully completed their run through of the wedding ceremony. Casey was relieved that they had decided to barbecue outdoors immediately following the rehearsal. She was, however, a little skeptical about it being less than ten feet away from her site.

“Don’t be nervous,” Daemon said to her as if he could read her thoughts. He stood beside her, put an arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him. Smiling, he leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “No one but us will ever know that there was even a party here.”

Casey laughed and nudged him a little but didn’t break their bond. “They better not. We’re paying a crew to do the cleanup. If they don’t, you and your man friends will be on duty. God, it’s gon’ be beautiful out here.”

“The only thing I’ll see is you,” Daemon confessed.

Casey smiled and turned to face him. “I’m going to marry you and love you for the rest of our lives.”

“Yea, I’m certain those are the terms of the deal,” Daemon murmured as he closed the distance between their lips.

The kiss was no different from the million they’d shared over the years, but this kiss made her feel different. This held a promise of their love to come.

“Enough of that kissing,” David said as he walked up to them.

“Yea, enough of all that kissing,” Briannah added as she joined them.

Casey smiled as she tilted her head to view her friends. “Don’t come over here messing us up, we’re practicing our kiss.”

“Whatever,” Catrina let out as she stepped up next to David. “Y’all have been kissing for the last eight years. It doesn’t need that much practice.”

“I know that’s right,” Tyree told them, rounding out their group. He smiled as his wife slid her hand into his and brought it to his lips for a kiss.

“We like to kiss anyway,” Casey told them, kissing Daemon again. She laughed when her friends whooped and clapped at them making a few barbecue guests turn and stare.

“Last chance, D” David joked.

“That’s not funny, man,” Tyree told him.

David shook his head, “Casey baby, you know it’s a joke.”

“Still not funny,” Catrina responded with a shake of her head.

David put his arm around her shoulders and brought her close. “So, y’all know she officially about to be my wife now, right?” David announced.
All of them clapped loudly.

“Thank you, Jesus. Now everybody can lead normal lives,” Daemon stated dramatically.

“I don’t remember saying we all that,” Catrina interrupted, shrugging him off.

“Bey, don’t try and play me in front of our friends,” he said, looking down into her eyes. “We together,” he announced again.

This time it went undisputed. “I think this the first time I seen him shut your ass up,” Briannah smilingly told her friend.

The announcement didn’t need to be made. The discovery of their night together and the news that they’d been caught by Shawn had served as a notice to their friends that they were officially a couple.

“Especially since Shawn had to rough him up so he could get you,” Tyree jabbed at his friend.

“Nigga, please. Lawyer boah was ‘bout to get this work if he hadn’t left. I did say that he had an engagement ring in his pocket right,” David added. Even though he’d never want to relive that scene again he thought that if he hadn’t been there, Catrina could be wearing Shawn’s ring with no thought to ever wearing his.

“I don’t even want to talk about it again. I’m so embarrassed by our actions. The look on his face.” She could still see it. It had been haunting her for a week.

“I just want to point out that both of you are lucky as hell, because people are crazy. Anything could have happened to y’all,” Briannah brought them back to the harsh reality that they were both lucky to be alive.

Their evening had ended with them thanking the Lord that their lives had been spared. The world was a crazy place, and the people in it followed suit.

“You don’t have to tell me about it,” Catrina agreed.

“So what the fuck is up with y’all?” Tyree inquired. “You thirty-three and Trina thirty.”

Casey laughed and clapped her hands together.

“Oh, shit,” could be heard from Briannah.

“Thanks, Ty. I know how old I am. But we won’t be wearing any matching:
I’m the bride, he’s the groom
shirts anytime soon,” Catrina smartly replied even as her stomach did flips at the thought.

“What’s wrong with our shirts?” Casey questioned as both she and Daemon were wearing the very same shirts Catrina joked about.

Catrina shook her head. “Nothing, I’m just saying that just ‘cause we’re finally back together doesn’t mean we’re getting married.”

Both Daemon and Tyree looked at their friend. Maybe Catrina was still confused about his plans for their relationship.

“Bey, there’s only one place to go when we’ve been to all the others,” David said to her.

Tyree pulled Briannah closer to him, kissed behind her ear, and whispered to her.

Daemon leaned down and said something to Casey that had her hands going to her mouth.

She has no idea,
Casey thought.

All of this went unnoticed by Catrina as she stared at David.

“I guess. You let me know when we get there,” she told him.

David pulled her to him. His arms banded themselves around her to keep her from moving. He quietly placed a kiss to her lips, was encouraged to take the kiss depths deeper when she didn’t protest.

“Yea, Dave!” Briannah cheered as she watched her friend slide her hands up to settle on the back of David’s neck.

“Stop being stubborn and tell our friends that you love me,” David coaxed. His handsome face radiating reflecting his happiness.

Catrina obeyed, “I love him.” Semi-embarrassed, Catrina buried her face in his shirt to conceal her smile.

David reached for her hand and brought it to his lips.

“Y’all think she got the heart to say no in front of y’all?”

The flips in her stomach began feeling more like cartwheels. “What are you talking about?” She stumbled the words.

David licked his lips and stared at her. “You know what I’m talking about,” he told her.
Catrina shook her head. He couldn’t possibly be speaking of marriage. “That’s crazy, Dave. This is about Casey,” she began as she saw him go down on his knee in front of her. “Oh my, God! Get up!” Catrina exclaimed. She pulled away from him, only to be pulled back to him. “This is their time. People are looking over here,” she added quietly.

David looked back and smiled as he saw her parents nod their heads at him. He shrugged and laughed. “Let them look.”

“It’s okay,” Casey told her. “This will help make my day so much better,” she admitted as she leaned back against Daemon waiting for her best friend to finally have the opportunity to feel what she felt.

“Neither one of us is perfect, but we can create something together that’ll be perfect. I love you, and I don’t want to spend another minute without knowing that I’ll have you for the rest of my life.”

Although her heart skipped a beat at the proposal, Catrina’s voice was steady when she gave him the truth of what her heart felt. “I love you and I don’t want to spend another minute without knowing that you’re mine to keep forever,” she returned. She touched her hand to his cheek.

“So, for the record, is that a yes?” he asked

“That was a statement. You didn’t ask me yet. And where’s my ring?” she joked. Her response tonight would be nothing like the one eight years before.

“Catrina Nicole Price, will you marry me; make and share a home with me, make children with me and share the rest of my days?”

The lump that was lodged in her throat went down as she nodded. “Yes!” she told him excitedly.

David grinned as he pulled her close. Within a moment’s time he was sliding the enhanced version of the ring that had waited eight years for her yes onto her finger.

In some deep recess of her mind, clapping could be heard, but Catrina could only hear the pounding of her heart.

David put his hand over hers and put it over her heart. As if it were a command, her heart stilled at his soothing gesture.

Catrina smiled at her friends. “Y’all knew?” she asked them.

“So that’s how it’s going to be?” the question came from behind them.

Catrina turned to see Mi-Chelle stepping toward them and back to David in time enough to see the smile fade from his face.

David’s hand tightened around Catrina’s before he let it go. The shock of Mi-Chelle’s presence was enough to have him stopping short. It was heart breaking to see the simple pleasure slip from Catrina’s eyes as she stood silently sizing Mi-Chelle up.

“I’m sorry, bey,” David apologized to Catrina who still stared at Mi-Chelle.

Catrina’s response was to step away from him. “I’m not about to spend the rest of my life with this bullshit. I swear to you. So you need to fix this now,” she told him.

During their week together David had been honest about his relationship with Mi-Chelle, and the fact they’d ended two months before. At the time, she’d believed him, still had no reason to doubt him, but couldn’t help but want to scream. This is what the theme of their love life had been. The weight of the newly placed engagement ring stated their future would be different.

“Let me just talk to her for a minute,” David said.

Casey touched Catrina’s arm. “Let them talk. Come on. It’s not his fault,” Casey said to Catrina. Casey half believed what she said, and was mentally praying that Mi-Chelle would remain as calm and composed as she seemed.

It was Briannah who said, “She bet not start no shit.” That was because in some womanly part of her, she knew the need to be reckless when it came to the man you loved. She hoped that Mi-Chelle would keep her need to be reckless contained, for she would hate to have to come out of character.

Casey found herself explaining to Catima, Terrance and Serena, what was going on— all of them foreseeing an ugly end to the barbecue. “You mean she came all the way from Atlanta?” Serena questioned.

Casey shrugged. “I guess. I know he better not let her get crazy,” she said.

“Oh, thank the Lord that the camera crew left,” Catima said. When she glanced at her child, Catima’s heart melted. Without a word, she embraced Catrina, attempting to provide her with some support. “It’ll be okay,” Catima soothed.

Catrina shook her mother off. For the first time in years, she believed that. “I’m not worried,” she confidently stated. The statement carried none of the concern that her expression did. At that point, she was inclined to believe he would be able to handle Mi-Chelle.

Catrina glanced at Casey, then at Daemon who stood behind her messaging her shoulders. “I’m really sorry, y’all,” she quietly apologized, accepting the responsibility as fully as David.

Daemon didn’t respond, wouldn’t comment unless the situation escalated. He refused to make a scene, if there was no need for one.

All eyes of the guests were transfixed on David and Mi-Chelle. Somehow the drama free night Casey and Daemon envisioned was now drama filled, thanks to their confused, but in love friends.

This celebration was however not about his friends and was everything about him and the woman he loved. Daemon took the opportunity to refocus his guest’s attention back to the reason for the gathering. It would also give David a small sense of privacy.

With a watchful eye, Daemon stared cautiously as David led Mi-Chelle away from the crowd toward the street, hoping they’d cross it.

When they did, Daemon continued. “Casey, and I would like to thank everybody for coming out to help us celebrate our pre-wedding barbecue.” He smiled at Casey and held her arm up in the air.

There were claps and shouts of encouragement as Casey kissed Daemon.

“We want all of you to continue to enjoy yourself, but not too much that y’all miss the wedding tomorrow,” Casey added with a quick look over at David. She silently prayed that she didn’t end up in jail by the end of the night.

Chapter Twenty-Six

First Instincts

Mi-Chelle

This was not the welcoming she’d expected, Mi-Chelle concluded. Not at all what she’d expected. Deciding to come to Philadelphia to attend the wedding had been a hurdle she jumped over when she realized that she wanted her man back. Granted, David had broken up with her two months ago, but she expected him to miss her and be full of regret. Be ready to all but gather her in his arms and express all those feelings. Instead, she’d been confronted with this. She cursed herself, but came to the conclusion that she would not spare herself the embarrassment of expressing her feelings, or having it out with him. It did not matter to her that she’d shown up uninvited and without a word. Considering the events that had just taken place, the woman’s intuition that led her was officially unreliable. Apparently, they’d been wrong.

If she was completely honest, Mi-Chelle would have admitted that their relationship had been strained since she’d found the ring she thought was meant for her. The ring that Catrina now wore. Mi-Chelle was confident that David would be in a better mood regarding the status of their relationship, once he saw one of his best friend’s preparing to be wed. Shit, she was hoping that when he saw her that he’d take her back.

As always, Mi-Chille’s five foot nine inch frame was meticulously dressed and accessorized. She appeared to resemble a J Crew add model dressed in brown platform espadrilles, khaki colored linen pants that outlined her curved bottom perfectly topped with a brown form fitting tank top. She had also accessorized with wooden bangles for her slim wrist and ears, and carried an oversized brown leather Gucci sukey purse on her forearm.

“So you dumped me after four years so you can could up here and do this? So you could be with her?”