Page 56 of When Love Takes Over
“This is actually mine, meaning my name is on the title?”
“You still have to sign a few documents to make it official, but yes, this is your car, free and clear.”
“Wow! This is . . . this is unbelievable. I’ve never been in a car this nice besides yours, let alone driven one.”
“Cars mostly work the same, regardless of how much they cost. I think you’ll be fine driving home, and I’ll give you the rundown of the bells and whistles later.”
I could do nothing but smile and look at the car in awe. A week ago, I was homeless and sleeping in my car. Although I wouldn’t mind sleeping in this luxury SUV, I didn’t have to.
“You can get in now, baby,” Kenzo urged.
“Oh, yeah. I guess I can.”
I finally slipped behind the wheel and rubbed my hands over the steering wheel, then pressed the start button. Kenzo closed the door, and I let down the window.
“I don’t know how to thank you.”
He smirked. “I can think of a few ways, but we’ll discuss that later. I’m parked over there. You can follow me home.”
He leaned in for a kiss, and of course, I obliged. When he walked away, I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
“Wait until I tell Anika.”
A few minutes later, we pulled out of the hotel parking lot, and I followed Kenzo to his house. The excitement about my new SUV didn’t calm my nerves about meeting his family, and the closer we got, the more nervous I became. He assured me everything would be fine, but how his family reacted to the news of our marriage was out of his control.
When he turned into the long driveway, I had a mind to keep going, but I didn’t. He stopped in front of one of the garage entrances, and I parked behind him but didn’t get out. I took deep breaths as I tried to get my head together, and he tapped on the driver’s side window, then opened the door.
“You ready?” he asked.
“No, but it’s too late to go back in time to Thursday, huh?”
“It’s never too late, Malyah. We can go inside, and I can introduce you as my friend if it would make you more comfortable. It’s not what I want, but I never want you to feel like I’m forcing you to be here.”
I looked up at him, and the seriousness of his expression made me feel like shit. Regardless of how we got to this point, Kenzo was all in, and as he stated, I wasn’t forced into this. I agreed and followed through with it, so I had to stop second-guessing myself . . . at least in front of Kenzo.
“That’s not what I want. I’m ready.”
He took my hand and helped me out of my car, which now fit the aesthetic of this mini mansion. Instead of entering through his apartment as we did for my first visit, we headed toward the front door. I looked down at the loose-fitting jeans and sweatshirt that I wore and hoped I looked presentable.
I had a few nice things, but I didn’t have immediate access to them because they were in storage. Kenzo wore a black sweatsuit, so at least I matched his vibe.
“It looks like we might have company,” he said, nodding toward a car parked in front of one of the other garage entrances.
“Does the car look familiar?”
He shook his head.
“Not that I can remember. It’s probably another potential wife.”
“Great. I can only imagine how well this will go.”
Before we made it to the front door, he stopped walking and stepped in front of me, taking my hands in his. I looked up at him expectantly, knowing he would say something to ease my nerves.
“Regardless of what happens in there, you’re my wife, and I got your back. Okay?”
I nodded as I said, “Okay.”
He kissed my forehead, released one of my hands, and we continued to the front door. When we arrived, he opened the heavy steel screen door, then entered a code to unlock the main door.
