When Hell Freezes Over (38 page)

Releasing him, Keaton said, “Same to you, William. You look beautiful, Leona.”

“Why thank you, Keaton. You look dashing yourself.”

Taking a deep breath, he answered, “Thank you.”

They made eye contact in silence for a moment, then William said, “Well, let me go thank your parents for inviting us. I'll talk to you a little later. Okay?”

“Okay. I hope you enjoy your evening.”

“I'm sure we will. See you later.”

Keaton finally found Arnelle and Winston. They were there along with the children. Winston walked over and put his arm around Keaton's neck. “How are you holding up, my man?”

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he said, “I'll live.”

“You know I'm not going to hold you to that bet,” Winston said as he sipped champagne.

“Nah, bro. I have no problem buying the house with you. Besides, it'll be a nice getaway for me.”

“Thanks, brother-in-law. Hang in there,” he said as he patted him on the shoulder. “Aight?”

“I'll try,” Keaton answered.

Winston turned Keaton in the opposite direction and asked, “Who's the runway model you walked in with?”

Frowning, he said, “Some woman Gerald set me up with.”

Grinning, Winston said, “Not bad.”

Rolling his eyes, Keaton said, “Yeah, whatever. Look, I'm going over to see Arnelle and the kids. I'll meet you over at the table.”

“Okay. Take care of yourself.”

Winston watched a broken Keaton weed his way through the crowd, shaking hands with business and personal friends of his father's.

The moment had come for everyone to take their seats. Judge Lapahie went to the microphone and began to welcome everyone to the event. Keaton took his seat at the table with his mother, his sister and her family, along with Mr. St. John and Ms. Leona. Keaton couldn't help but stare at the empty seat next to him and feel sad.

After Judge Lapahie's speech, the waiters and waitresses started bringing out the dinner.

MaLeah looked at Arnelle and loudly said, “Momma! I have to tee tee!”

Arnelle looked at MaLeah and said, “Shh, MaLeah, not so loud. Come with Momma.”

Keaton didn't really have an appetite. He looked at Arnelle and said, “I need some air. I'll walk you guys to the restroom.”

Walking alongside Arnelle, he swung MaLeah up into his arms and kissed her chubby cheek. There were people coming and going throughout the hotel. He kind of felt bad that he hadn't spent any time getting to know Amelia. The fact was, he wasn't in the mood to be sociable and he couldn't wait until the night was over.

Once they reached the restroom, he sat down in the hallway on a sofa and rested his elbows on his legs. Holding his head in his hands, he sat there in
silence and in deep thought. Out of nowhere, a soft hand rested on his shoulder.

In his ear, an angelic voice whispered, “Are you out here waiting for me?”

Keaton knew he had to be dreaming. He slowly looked up and found Meridan standing over him. He didn't want to get too excited; even though his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

He stood and said, “Hello, sweetheart.”

“Hello, Keaton.”

“I didn't expect you here,” he said with a smile.

“Neither did I.”

Turning to look over her shoulder, she said, “I had some help getting here.”

Keaton looked up and saw Nichole and Gwendolyn waving at him. Both were dressed beautifully in their gowns, but neither could shine a light to the dress Meridan wore.

She looked so beautiful and her burgundy, beaded gown hugged her curves and sparkled in the soft lighting from the hotel. She was wearing her hair layered, which fell lovingly to her shoulders. Keaton took in every detail of her body. Her eyes shimmered and he could tell she was a little nervous.

He stood slowly and pulled her into his arms. He softly said, “Well, I'm glad you decided to come.”

Looking into his eyes, she said, “So am I.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Just a little bit.”

“Your father's here with Ms. Leona.”

Taking his arm, she said, “He told me they were coming.”

Keaton couldn't stand it any longer. He cupped her face and lowered his mouth to hers. He didn't care who saw them, and if photographers were going to take any pictures of him, this was the one he wanted on the front page.

Burying his face against her neck, he whispered, “Damn! I've missed you.” She nuzzled his neck and said, “I've missed you, too.”

Keaton escorted Meridan to the table to join his family. He also found seats for Nichole and Gwendolyn. Winston and the rest of the family looked up in surprise as Keaton and Meridan joined them. Mr. St. John smiled as he stood to greet his daughters.

He hugged and kissed Meridan and said, “I'm glad you made it, baby girl.”

“Me too, Daddy.”

Keaton held out her seat for her as she sat down. She made eye contact with Ms. Leona, who winked at her.

Meridan smiled and said, “Good evening, everyone.”

They all acknowledged her, returning the greeting. Arnelle and MaLeah returned to the table. She looked over, noticing Meridan. She ran around the table and hugged her neck. “I'm so glad you made it, Meridan. You look stunning,” Arnelle said excitedly.

“Thank you, Arnelle. So do you.”

MaLeah stood behind her mother, waiting for her turn.

“Dr. MeMe!”

Meridan stretched out her arms to give MaLeah a hug and kiss. She stood to give Fredrick a kiss also. Judge Lapahie and Zenora exchanged hugs with Meridan before starting dinner. When she made it back to her seat, Keaton spontanoeously took her hand and stroked it lovingly. She looked into his eyes, leaned over, and kissed him tenderly. Meridan's cell phone rang, causing them to break their kiss.

“Excuse me, everyone. I meant to turn this off,” she said as she switched off her telephone. “Hello? Hello? Is anyone there?”

Keaton looked at her and asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Everything's fine.”

Keaton frowned and asked, “Are you sure?”

“I'm sure; now stop worrying.”

He leaned closer and said, “Just so you know, we have security guards here. I left specific instructions for them not to take their eyes off you, but not to stare too hard.”

She smiled, gave his hand a loving squeeze, and said, “Thanks for telling me.”

 

T
he Lapahie family ate dinner and enjoyed each other's company. Judge Lapahie made a brief speech to his supporters, which was answered by a thunderous applause.

It wasn't until later that Keaton remembered he had another date at the dinner. He explained Amelia to Meridan, then asked her to excuse him so he could bid the young woman goodnight. He made his way over to the table where Gerald and the ladies were sitting.

He sat down and said, “Amelia, I'm sorry about my distance this evening. You see…Gerald was trying to help by getting me a date for tonight. Unfortunately, my date was able to make it after all. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you and I'm sure you are a remarkable woman.”

“Thank you, Keaton. I guess I'm a little too late, huh?”

Smiling, he said, “I'm sorry. Please feel free to stay and enjoy the rest of the evening.”

Shaking his hand she said, “Thank you, I will. Your lady friend is a lucky woman.”

“Thank you, but I feel like I'm the lucky one,” he said as he stood up. Keaton looked over at Gerald, winked, and said, “I'll holler at you later.”

“No problem. Thanks for the invite. Go handle your business.”

Once dinner was over, Judge Lapahie had interviews with members of the media. Keaton and Meridan strolled through the ballroom together thanking the guests for coming.

After the interviews, Judge Lapahie came over and announced, “Everyone, come over here. I want to get a family picture.”

Keaton grabbed Meridan's hand and followed his dad. Chairs were being positioned for the ladies to sit in near a beautiful floral arrangement.

Meridan said, “I'll wait for you here. Go take your picture.”

“What? You're going to be in it with me.”

Shaking her head, she said, “No, Keaton, your father said ‘family.' ”

He looked at her seriously and said, “I know what he said. Now, come on.”

Judge Lapahie was helping to get his grandchildren in position with Arnelle and Winston. He looked over, seeing Meridan's reluctance. Smiling, he went over and said, “Meridan, I want you, your sister, your best friend, William and Leona all in the picture.”

“Are you sure?”

Kissing her cheek, he said, “Most definitely. Keaton, you and Meridan go stand next to your mother. William! You and Leona and the young ladies stand next to Winston.”

Posing, Meridan said, “I don't believe this.”

Keaton kissed her neck. “What? That this picture will probably be on the front page of the paper tomorrow? Or that you're in it?”

Looking up at him, she said, “All of the above.”

The photographer aimed his camera and said, “Okay, everyone. On three, so get ready. Here we go…One, two, three.”

The camera clicked, taking the picture.

Zenora pulled Meridan over to meet a major client of hers after several pictures were made. While Meridan was talking to the gentleman, she tried to find Nichole and Gwendolyn in the crowd. Her conversation with Zenora's client ended when he was summoned by another guest. As she worked her way through the crowd, Keaton met her halfway.

He took her hand and asked, “Meridan, are you ready to get out of here?”

Sighing, she said, “More than you can imagine. It's been a long day.”

“Before we leave, I need to get some things from the suite upstairs. Hold my jacket and I'll be right down,” he said as he kissed her quickly on the lips.

She blushed. “I'll be right here.”

Meridan watched as Keaton and an undercover security guard made their way toward the elevator. He waved back at her as the doors closed.

She walked over to the table and sat down. When she laid Keaton's jacket across her lap, the hotel key fell out of his pocket and onto the floor.

She reached down and picked up the key. She looked around and spotted Arnelle. She walked over to her and said, “Arnelle, Keaton went up to the suite to get his things, but he forgot the key. What room is it?”

Arnelle shook her head and said, “That sounds just like him. It's room 614 and when you see him, tell him—”

At that moment there was a loud commotion at one of the ballroom doors, interrupting their conversation. It was a large group of protesters chanting their opposition to Judge Lapahie.

“What the hell?” Arnelle searched the crowd for her family. “I'll be back, Meridan. I've got to find Winston and the kids.”

Meridan grabbed Arnelle's hand. “If I miss Keaton on the way up, let him know I'm looking for him.”

Arnelle nervously looked around and said, “Meridan, why don't you wait until he comes back down. You don't need to go up there by yourself and I don't know who the guards are.”

At that moment, they heard a scream. Meridan had to get out of there. Arnelle ran toward the stage so she could spot her family members easier.

Meridan noticed people gathering to see what was going on while organizers were trying to get the protesters out of the room. Meridan saw this as an opportunity to get to the elevators to find Keaton.

Upstairs Keaton and his security guard arrived at the door. Keaton reached inside his pants pocket and yelled, “Damn!”

“What is it, sir?”

“I left the key downstairs in my jacket.”

The guard looked down the hallway and noticed a maid pushing a linen cart. He motioned for her to come assist them. Keaton was somewhat embarrassed that he had left his key downstairs.

The maid approached and asked, “How may I help you?”