Chapter 19
Jasmine stared out the passenger-side window, looking at house numbers along the street in her parents’ retirement community. She’d called her parents to let them know she was coming to North Carolina with a friend. However, she did not reveal that friend was her fiancé and the father of her unborn child.
Cameron had rented an SUV for the drive after she told him there wasn’t enough space in the Porsche to store the items she hoped to pick up during their travels. He had also loaded his golf clubs in the cargo area along with their luggage. His eyes had lit up like a child on Christmas morning when she revealed there was a golf course and driving range at the retirement community.
“Please slow down. Daddy said he would be on the porch.” She pointed. “There he is. Pull into the driveway behind his Infiniti.”
“I’ll help you down,” Cameron said, as Jasmine undid her seatbelt before he turned off the engine.
Richard Washington came down off the porch and opened the passenger-side door for Jasmine. She had to admit he looked well. He’d been shaving his head since he started losing his hair and his shaved head always reminded her of a smooth chocolate Milk Dud. His dark complexion radiated good health even though he had to monitor his blood pressure.
“Welcome to North Carolina, baby girl.”
Jasmine rested her hands on his shoulders as he tightened his hands at her waist. She knew by his expression that he knew her waistline had expanded. Her feet touched the ground, and she leaned closer to him. “Don’t say anything, Daddy.”
When she extended her hand to Cameron, the sun reflected off the diamond on her finger, drawing Richard’s gaze to linger there. “This is your call, Jasmine.”
She looped her arm through Cameron’s. “Daddy, I’d like you to meet my fiancé, Cameron Singleton. Cameron, this is my father, Richard Washington.”
Cameron shook the proffered hand, smiling. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. Jasmine told me there’s a golf course nearby.”
Richard vigorously pumped his daughter’s intended’s hand. “The pleasure is mine, son. This comes as a complete surprise to me, because my daughter hadn’t mentioned she was planning to get married.”
“It surprised me, too, when I proposed to her. But once the words were out I had to go through with it.”
Richard smiled. “I like a man who doesn’t go back on his word. Do you golf, Cameron?”
“My clubs are in the back of the truck.”
“Say no more. Y’all come in the house and relax. Your mama’s busy getting the guest room ready.”
Jasmine hesitated. “I forgot to tell you we won’t be staying here. Cameron and I checked into the Doubletree a couple of miles back.”
Richard gave her pointed look. “You’re going to have to take that up with your mother.”
* * *
Cameron rested a hand at the small of Jasmine’s back as they climbed the porch steps and into the newly built home that was an exact replica of the others along the street in the gated retirement community. Once the guard in the gatehouse raised the barrier to allow them to drive through, the first thing he’d noticed was the absence of noise, which reminded him the age requirement for someone living there was fifty-five and older. Vehicles were parked in driveways, and he noticed several bicycles on porches as he drove past.
A petite woman with a salt-and-pepper bob walked into the living room, her eyes filling with tears when she saw Jasmine. Cameron averted his gaze as mother and daughter had their tearful reunion.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Marta said accusingly. Jasmine kissed her mother’s cheek. “You didn’t wait for me to tell you.”
Marta held her at arms’ length. “You forget I’m a nurse. All I had to do was look at your face and I know you’re pregnant.”
“Aren’t you happy you’re going to be a grandmother?”
“Of course I’m happy. I’m just upset you didn’t tell me sooner.” She stared at Jasmine’s engagement ring. She narrowed her eyes at Cameron. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your young man?”
Taking long strides, Cameron leaned over and kissed Jasmine’s mother’s cheek. “I’m Cameron Singleton. I see where Jasmine gets her incredible beauty,” he said without a hint of guile. The woman’s natural beauty hadn’t faded with age.
Marta lowered her eyes, blushing. “Thank you. I’m Marta.”
He kissed her again on the other cheek. “I’m honored.”
“I fixed up the guestroom for you. I wasn’t certain what time you would get here, so dinner’s not quite ready. Meanwhile you can bring in your bags.”
“They’ve already checked into a hotel,” Richard told his wife. “Cameron brought his clubs, and we’re scheduled to golf tomorrow morning, so he’ll be joining us.”
“And I’m going to chill out here while you guys golf,” Jasmine announced.
“Are you feeling all right?” Marta asked Jasmine.
“Other than fatigue and an occasional bout of nausea, I’m real good.”
Marta took Jasmine’s hand. “Come and sit down. You two must be exhausted from all that driving.”
“I’ll bring you something cool to drink,” Richard offered. “I don’t keep hard liquor in the house because I have to monitor my blood pressure and Marta is a borderline diabetic. We’re trying to live and eat clean.” He beckoned to Cameron. “Come and help me carry the glasses so I don’t have to make two trips.”
Cameron knew the older man wanted to say things to him he didn’t want the women to hear. “Sure. What do you want to talk about?” he asked in a quiet voice after they’d entered the kitchen.
Richard gave him an incredulous look before he recovered. “What is it you do?”
“I’m in wealth management.”
Opening the refrigerator, Richard took out four lemons and three limes. “How’s your net worth?”
Cameron struggled not to smile. “It’s good. If you’re asking whether I have enough money to take care of your daughter and our child, our grandchildren, and great-grandchildren then the answer is yes. I’ve made provisions to take care of Jasmine in the event something happens to me before we’re married.”
“I’m only asking because her first husband—”
“I know about the slug,” he interrupted, angrily.
“If that’s the case I’ll never bring him up again.”
“Agreed, Richard,” Cameron said, addressing Jasmine’s father by his name.
* * *
“We’ll come back before the baby comes,” Cameron promised Jasmine as he headed south.
They’d spent six days with her parents, and he had enjoyed every moment. She’d said her parents were amateur golfers, but he’d discovered they were good enough to join the semi-pro circuit. One day they’d rented bikes and rode into the countryside, stopping for several hours to enjoy a picnic lunch, and when they returned everyone retired to their bedrooms to rest before going out later that evening. Richard had insisted they check out of the hotel and stay at the house. When Marta recognized Cameron’s hesitation she said they had to be sharing a bed in order for Jasmine to get pregnant. That said he drove back to the hotel, packed up their belongings, checked out, and moved into the guestroom.
Jasmine stretched out her legs. “I know. Mama told me she can’t wait until the baby comes. She said as soon as the inn is open for business she and Daddy are coming to New Orleans to stay.”
Cameron squeezed her knee. “My mother has seven grandbabies, and for her it’s still not enough.”
“Well she’ll soon have eight. I doubt if she’ll get another one out of us, which means it’s up to Evie to try again after having twins.”
“Evie’s done. She had a hard time carrying two babies at the same time. She was on bed rest for the last two months.” He took his eyes off the road for a second. “Are you sure you’re not carrying more than one baby?”
“Bite your tongue, Cameron. There’s only one baby inside of me.”
“It’s only wishful thinking.”
“Wishful nothing,” she drawled. “We lucked out with this one and I’m not willing to toss the dice again and come up craps. This will be my first and last baby.”
Cameron knew she was referring to sterilization and again he refused to discuss what she wanted to do with her body. He saw the signs for Route 17 and headed in that direction. Jasmine wanted to spend three days in Charleston and another three in Savannah before heading back to New Orleans.
It was nightfall when they checked in the hotel in downtown Charleston. They showered, ordered room service and fell asleep, not waking until the next morning when the sun was high in the sky. Cameron suggested eating in one of the more popular restaurants before embarking on the Gullah Tour.
Cameron noticed Jasmine was much more animated and she didn’t sleep as much as before. Her eating schedule had also changed when she had three full meals with two light snacks rather than five small meals. She stopped in a shop along King Street and purchased a number of tops, leggings, and slacks with stretchable waistbands. It was as if she’d grown comfortable with her body.
She was like a kid in a candy store when she couldn’t decide among the many vendors selling sweetgrass baskets and planters. In the end she purchased several from each, and arranged to have them shipped to New Orleans. Her eyes shimmered in excitement when viewing an elderly woman with a collection of handmade quilts. She bought six and when the woman tallied the total Cameron stepped in and handed her one of his credit cards, whispering in Jasmine’s ear that he didn’t want her to max out her card when his had no spending limit.
She pouted when they left Charleston for Savannah because she’d fallen in love with the city, and Cameron promised they would return next year, but she reminded him she wouldn’t have much spare time with taking care of the baby and working at the inn.
When she told him she would take maternity leave and then make arrangements for someone to look after the baby while she helped Hannah manage the inn, he was filled with rage. He’d expected her to take at least a year off before going back into the workforce.
Cameron stood with his back to the window in their Savannah hotel suite, hands clenched behind his back as he watched Jasmine slather lotion over her belly. She claimed she wanted to prevent stretch marks.
“When you told me you’d be working with Hannah I thought you were only going to be responsible for hiring.”
She glanced up, her unbound hair falling over her shoulders. Her hair was longer now than it had been when she lived in New York. “I’m going to be doing more than hiring, Cameron. I’ll have to conduct training and development sessions, and oversee employee benefits.”
“Why can’t Hannah do that? After all, it’s her inn.”
Jasmine looked at him as if he was speaking a language he didn’t understand. “Hannah is the owner and I’m H.R.”
“But—”
“I’m not going to argue with you, Cameron. I have enough on my plate trying to carry this baby to term, decorate our home, and staff the inn once it’s up and running, and not in that order. So please don’t try and pressure me about something I’ve invested my hard-earned money into and have no intention of backing out of.”
“I’ll give you the money—”
“Enough!” She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She opened her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Jasmine had enunciated each word.
Cameron glared at her as he struggled to control his temper. “Okay.” He’d only conceded because he saw the vein throbbing in her neck.
She set the tube on the table, stood up, closed the distance between them, and held his hands. “I don’t want to fight with you, Cameron. But I want you to understand I’m committed to working with Hannah at least until the inn is fully operational. My agreeing to become an innkeeper isn’t something that just came up. We talked about this more than a year ago and even though I wanted to go in with her, there were other circumstances that would not permit me to do it. Now that my parents are settled and my cousin has agreed to move into my condo everything has worked out for the good.
“I sent building management a certified letter a couple of weeks ago to inform them I’m traveling and my cousin will be staying in my unit until I either return or sell it. I made a copy of the keys to the apartment and my vehicle and sent them to her by an overnight carrier. She sent me a text yesterday to let me know she’s moved in and loving it.” She rested her forehead on his chest. “I left one life behind to start over as an innkeeper, not knowing you’d become a part of that new life. I know you don’t hear me say it enough but I love you, Cameron. And if I didn’t I wouldn’t be carrying this baby, although I’ve always wanted to be a mother. I knew I had feelings for you from the time I picked you up to introduce you to my aunt and uncle. You’re the first man I’d ever slept with after a third date. I think about what would’ve happened if I’d sent you back to your hotel that morning.”
Cameron cupped her belly. “You never would’ve looked like this.”
“No, I wouldn’t have. Neither of us even knew I’d been moving down here.”
He stared at Jasmine, unable to believe he’d been blessed to have found someone like her. He loved her and she loved him. They were engaged, expecting a baby, and planning to move in together, yet hadn’t talked about marriage.
“How much do you love me, Jasmine?”
Her eyelids fluttered. “More than words can express.”
“Do you love me enough to become my wife?”
An emotion he interpreted as fear flittered over her features. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
“Isn’t it the same as asking you to become my wife? Yes. I want you to marry me.”
“Why?”
“What the f—!” Cameron swallowed the expletive before it came out. “Because I love you, Jasmine,” he said as if speaking to a child. “I love you, I want to go to bed with you and wake up with you beside me for the rest of my life. I want to protect you and our child for the rest of my life. I want . . .”
Jasmine placed her fingers over his mouth, stopping his entreaty. “Yes, Cameron. I will marry you and spend the rest of my life with you.”
Cameron picked her up and carried her over to the bed. He took off her bra and panties, tossing them on the floor. Rising, his eyes held her captive as he undressed, watching her eyes move lower when blood pooled in his penis.
Moving over her and mindful of her belly, he supported his weight on his forearms. “I love you,” he murmured as his mouth barely touched hers. He said it over and over until it became a litany. His hand searched her inner thigh, moving up. His thumb grazed her clitoris and her hips moved sensuously as he continued to massage the swollen nub of flesh.
Jasmine’s breathing deepened, coming faster and when he knew she was close to climaxing, he lay behind her, raised her leg to rest on his, angled his body, and entered her slowly until their bodies became one.
His groan of satisfaction echoed in the room as he savored the feel of her hot warmth sending chills throughout his body. Her soft moans were his undoing as he quickened his thrusting until the dam burst and he pressed his mouth to her shoulder and surrendered to the passion taking him beyond himself. He’d just returned from his free-fall when he felt Jasmine’s vaginal walls grip, and then release, his still semi-hard penis over and over until both were mewling in the lingering ecstasy that shattered them into tiny pieces.
They lay joined with his arm over her waist, and as if they’d rehearsed it in advance, they burst into laughter. They were still laughing when his flaccid penis slipped out and Jasmine turned to face him. “When?” she asked once they recovered.
He knew she was asking when he wanted to marry. “August eighteenth.”
“What day of the week is it? And why that day?”
“It’s a Saturday. We’re throwing a fiftieth anniversary celebration for my parents on the seventeenth. That’s a Friday night. I figure if folks are coming in for my parents, they will just have to delay their departure for one day while they get two events for the price of one.”
“But that’s less than three weeks away. How am I going to put together a wedding in that time?”
“You don’t, darling. The planner who’s handling my parents’ party will take care of everything.”
“Where will we hold it?”
“It can be at the hotel in one of the ballrooms.”
Jasmine sat up, supporting her shoulders on a mound of pillows. “Are you certain you’ll be able to get a room? Party rooms are usually booked up in the summer months.”
“I’ll let you know in a minute.” Reaching over, he picked up his cellphone and tapped the number for the banquet manager. “Hi, Rachel. This is Cameron.”
“Hi, Cameron. What’s up, boss?”
“I need to reserve a ballroom for August eighteenth. Do you have anything available?”
“The Lafayette is open. How many people?”
“Book it for one twenty-five.”
“Got it. Will you be using the hotel kitchen for the banquet?”
Cameron did not want to use the same caterer for his wedding and his parents’ celebration. If the guests were going to attend back-to-back soirées then he wanted variety. “I’ll call you right back.”
He placed a call to the event planner and shocked her when he said he wanted her to coordinate his wedding the day after the anniversary party. He apologized for the short notice and promised to make it up to her. “I’ll get you the names of the guests as soon as I can.” He hung up and dialed the number to Chez Toussaints.
“Chez Toussaints. This is Tonya. How may I help you?”
“Good morning, Mrs. Toussaint. This Cameron Singleton.”
“Hey, Cameron. Are you calling to place an order for a pick up?”
“No. I’m calling to ask you Toussaints whether you can cater my wedding on August eighteenth at the Louis LaSalle hotel. Tonya, are you there?” he asked when he encountered silence on the other end of the line.
“I’m here. Are you trying to say you’re marrying Jasmine?”
He smiled, winking at Jasmine. “I’m not trying to say. We’re getting married next month and I’d like to know if you and your family can provide the food.”
“Hold on, Cameron. Let me check with Eustace.”
Cameron covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “She’s checking.”
“She checking and screaming,” Jasmine said. “I have to find a gown to fit this body. After you confirm everything, I’ll call my parents, Nydia, and Hannah.” She paused. “Now that I think of it, we need to go back to New Orleans today.”
He nodded. “You’re right. Start packing, sweets.”
“Eustace said he’ll do it. How many people?”
“At least one twenty-five.”
“I’ll let him know. Cameron?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for marrying my friend before you made her a baby mama.”
“I would’ve married her a long time ago,” he whispered, “but she was the one with cold feet.”
“I heard that,” Jasmine called out from the bathroom.
“Damn! She must have ears like a bat.”
Tonya laughed. “Do you always get what you want, Cameron?”
He went completely still. “Why would you say that?”
“Everyone saw you drooling over Jasmine at Hannah’s wedding, and that’s when we warned her about you.”
“She didn’t make it easy for me.”
“I’m glad. Because you’re just a little too cocky for your own good.”
He smiled. “Being cocky got me the woman I wanted as a wife, and with the added bonus of a baby.”
“I’m going to hang up now before I say something that ain’t too ladylike. Congratulations and tell Jasmine I’m going to call her.”
“We’re in Savannah right now and we should be back home around midnight. Jasmine will call you once we’re on the road.”
“Drive carefully. You’re carrying precious cargo.”
“I will. Bye, Tonya.” He set the phone on the table and headed for the bathroom to shower. Cameron pulled back the curtain and stepped into the tub with Jasmine. He kissed her passionately, and then reached for a bottle of shampoo to wash his hair.
Events in his life were moving at warp speed and he didn’t want it to slow down until he exchanged vows with Jasmine, and then held their baby in his arms. Only then did he want to sit back and enjoy his new family.