HADYN
When Vanya’s upset, she needs time to herself. It’s one of the most irritating parts of loving her. I can’t push myself on her and promise to fix everything. I can’t barge into her life and swear I’ll make the bad things go away. She’ll feel crowded, overwhelmed, and unheard.
So I park myself in my office and I get work done until three days pass and I can’t take it anymore.
I lift my phone and call Dejonae.
She answers with a sigh. “I’m not your personal Vanya-spy, Hadyn. She hasn’t reached out to me since the last time you checked. And you know I’m a student, right? I don’t twiddle my thumbs all day waiting to pass love notes for you. I have work to do.”
“You don’t need to learn to play the piano any better,” I tell her. “You’re already good.”
“Wow. Your opinion matters so much to me.”
The sarcasm is strong in this one. No wonder she and Vanya get along. “Are you sure she hasn’t reached out?”
“No.”
“Not even for chai?”
“No.”
“Would you check on her for me?”
“Oh my gosh, Hadyn. Do you love her that much?”
“Are you going to do it or not?” I drag a hand through my hair.
Vanya’s probably rearranging her furniture again. Damn. If she’s pulling heavy sofas and dragging cabinets around, she could get hurt.
Just thinking about her dropping a table on her big toe or spraining her back trying to lift a dresser makes me want to crawl out of my freaking skin.
Enough with the distance. If I have to tie her up to keep her safe, that’s what I’ll do.
“You want to see her, why don’t you go and knock on her door yourself?” Dejonae taunts me.
“Wow! I didn’t think of that. Thanks for an amazing suggestion that never once crossed my mind, Deej.”
“Always a pleasure.” She hangs up.
I scoff at the phone and then make another swipe through my hair.
According to Dawn, Vanya hasn’t been in contact with her, Sunny or Kenya either. I’m starting to get worried.
“Ah, screw it.” I pull my jacket off the coat rack and stride toward the door of my office.
At that moment, Will knocks.
“Whatever it is, Will, it’ll have to wait,” I say, side-stepping him.
“Mr. Mulliez, the hospital contacted me.”
I freeze in my tracks, one arm halfway into my jacket. “Is it about Vanya?”
“Nothing to be alarmed about, sir. They called to remind you of an appointment.”
“An appointment?” I lean back. “I don’t remember having a doctor’s appointment this week.” I keep all of the dates in my phone, on my calendar and I have reminders so I don’t forget. But maybe Vanya made other arrangements when we weren’t speaking.
With a nod, I stalk off. “Thanks, Will. I’ll head there now.”
Vanya can’t get mad if I meet her at the hospital. It’s my duty as the father to show up to every doctor’s appointment.
When I found out we were expecting, I made it my mission not to miss a single ob/gyn session. I failed that mission. Now that I get to start again, I’m not going to mess up.
“Mr. Mulliez,” one of the nurses recognizes me and waves me down. “Dr. Puma is busy right now.”
“Have you seen my wife?” I glance around the crowded lobby. “Vanya should be here.”
“Vanya?” Her eyebrows hike. “No, I haven’t seen her.” She taps her nurse friend on the elbow and asks, “Have you seen Ms. Beckford?”
“Who?” The other nurse makes a confused face.
“She’s about this tall,” I lay a hand flat against my chest, “dark skin, short hair. She’s probably wearing something that no one else could pull off but her. Really sexy walk and dark brown eyes that can light up the entire room.”
The first nurse looks at me like I’m off in the head.
The second strokes her chin. “I have seen someone like that actually,” she says. “I thought they were bringing back America’s Next Top Model when I saw her walk by.”
“That’s Vanya. Do you know where she went?” I ask, urgently leaning over the counter.
“I saw them in the chapel.”
“The chapel?” My eyebrows hike.
The nurse nods.
“Thanks.” I pat the counter once and rush to the elevator. Once I get to the right floor, I follow the signs that lead to the chapel.
What would Vanya be doing in here?
The answer shoots me in the face with a literal cannon ball of confetti. I spit out golden paper flecks and hear an annoyed voice hiss, “Not yet, Max.”
“Sorry,” my best friend murmurs, stepping into my line of sight. “I always wanted to do that.”
“What’s going on?” I glance away from Max and Dawn and notice the candles lighting up the small chapel. Ribbons hang from the benches, forming an aisle. Flowers are scattered all over the ground.
My heart slows down until I can hear every beat. Slowly, I start walking forward and nearly lose my mind when Vanya steps out of a door and moves toward me.
She’s wearing a long white dress… made of toilet paper.
This one is a more impressive version of the one she made in Vegas. The top is fitted and cups her perfect chest like a glove. The bottom sprawls out like a ball gown, complete with fancy flower patterns that leap out like butterflies.
I wonder if I’ve died and gone to heaven.
“Vanya,” I whisper.
She takes dainty steps toward me, holding an elaborate bouquet of flowers.
I lunge forward and meet her in the middle, stopping an inch away from her.
Vanya bats thick eyelashes. Her hands are trembling and her eyes betray her nerves, but she lifts her chin proudly. “I’ve never done anything this cheesy in my life and I’m half-regretting it now, but…” Her pink tongue darts out to swipe her lips and it’s all I can do to keep from kissing her.
I keep my hands at my sides. There’s no way I’m going to miss out on this speech.
“When my mom got sick, I hated coming to the hospital. I never knew if that day would be the day she left us. This place became a symbol of uncertainty for me. I felt so helpless and out of control.”
I notice her shaking harder and can’t help it. I grab hold of her hand and squeeze so she knows I’m there. I got you.
She looks up with a smile that makes my heart twist like a pretzel.
“I wanted to make a new memory in the place that took my confidence from me. That’s why we’re here,” Vanya says.
“It’s better than the chapel in Vegas,” I tell her, nodding my approval.
She laughs.
So do the other people behind me. It sounds like a lot more than just Dawn and Max are crowding behind us, but I’m not turning around to check. I can’t take my eyes off Vanya.
She chews on her bottom lip. “Hadyn, most of the time, you annoy the living daylights out of me. You’re calm when I’m frantic. You’re optimistic while I plan for the worst. We’re opposites in every way and yet no other man makes me feel as safe, loved, and respected as you.”
I can feel myself smiling like an idiot, but I don’t really give a damn.
Vanya leans toward me. “I always thought that I only needed myself. But I was wrong. I need you. I love you, Hadyn.” She blinks rapidly to keep her tears at bay and croaks, “I’ve asked you to divorce me twice, but today, I’d like to ask something new. Will you marry me… again?”
“Baby, I’d marry you tomorrow and the next year and ten years from now.” I wrap my arms around her waist. “I love the s—” I glance down at her stomach, “crap out of you. Always have and always will.”
She sniffs and I wipe her tears with the pad of my thumb.
“This was nice,” I say.
“Really? I feel like an idiot,” she says.
“Yeah, but you’re my idiot,” I coo.
She grits her teeth and glares at me. “Hadyn.”
Before she can scold me, I kiss the breath right out of her lungs and pull her as close to me as I can.
I’m going to spoil her rotten.
I’m going to take care of her until she admits I can do it better than she can.
And I’m going to tear her out of this impeccable and massively expensive toilet paper dress at her earliest convenience.
“Ehem.” Someone makes the mistake of trying to prod us apart.
I turn around and fillet them with a dirty look before my eyebrows hike. “Deej?”
“Surprised, stalker?” Dejonae hands me a ring box. “I hope they fit.”
Alistair grumbles, “Of course they will. My computer algorithms are never wrong.”
Darrel smirks and hugs Sunny closer to him.
We’re surrounded by all our friends, but I’m more stunned by the jewelry case that’s being passed into Vanya’s hands.
“You got us rings?” I stare at the ring box.
“Don’t get too excited. They’re simple gold bands. I didn’t want anything fancy.” Vanya slips the ring onto my finger.
I frown when I see the ring she chose for herself. “There’s not even one diamond on it.”
“I don’t need a diamond.”
“Sweetheart,” I cup her face in my palms, “you are kind, sweet and more stubborn than an ox. You make everyone who crosses your path feel important. And that includes me. You make me a better man and if that doesn’t deserve a diamond, I don’t know what would.”
Vanya winks. “If there’s no diamond on my finger that must mean I’m the diamond.”
I frown at her.
She laughs and gives me a peck on the lips. Those big brown eyes offer all the trust and love I’ve ever wanted. “We’ll compromise on the rings if you agree to let me name our baby.”
“Whoa.”
“Think about that trade-off,” Max mumbles.
Sunny rolls her eyes. “She’s being generous. The woman already has to take his last name. So will their kid. Why can’t she have a say in the first name?”
“Sunny’s got a point,” Kenya says.
“When did this become a group discussion?” Vanya asks.
“When you brought it up in front of us,” Darrel says dryly. “Should we come to some sort of consensus as a group and then give you our united opinion?”
I groan and glance at Vanya. “Can we kick them out now?”
“Don’t be rude, Hadyn,” Dawn says, planting a hand on her over-all-covered hips. “We went to a lot of trouble to put this thing together.”
“I know a way to end this quickly,” Vanya says.
Everyone stops and looks at her.
She wraps her arms around my neck. “Hadyn… I dare you.”
I laugh and dip her. “That’s exactly how we got into trouble the last time.”
“What? You don’t want to get into trouble with me again?” She grins up at me.
“Honey, I will get into anything you want as long as you want it.”
“Ew.”
“Gross.”
“Get a room!”
Moans of disgust erupt from our friends.
I ignore all of them and kiss my wife until the whole world fades away.
