Page 66 of When Love Takes Over
By the time I got to my car, my brain was in overdrive. Kenzo and I had only been married for a few days, and things were already becoming murky. We’d agreed not to involve ourfeelings, but his actions indicated he might already be catching them.
I liked him, but we were from two different worlds, and I wasn’t sure I could fit into his world long-term. Although his mother seemed to warm up to me, I was still on the fence about whether she was genuine.
My thoughts kept me occupied for the entire ride, and when I turned into the driveway of my new home, I became nervous. It was only the third time I’d been here, and the first time without Kenzo.
He’d sent me all the codes to enter the property, and I entered his apartment unnoticed, went straight to his bedroom, and stripped down to my birthday suit to shower.
After dressing in leggings and a hoodie, I sat on the couch and looked through the recipes I had saved on my phone. I’d been wanting to make something different from my norm and came across a recipe for chocolate-covered peanut butter and pretzel truffles.
I wrote down all the ingredients I needed and found the nearest grocery store that delivered. Once I downloaded the app, I found the items I needed, added them to my cart, and placed my order.
While I waited for the groceries, I went to the guest room and found the bag where I’d put all my important paperwork. For the next thirty minutes, I sorted through it all, pulling out all the bills from the collection agencies.
I should be embarrassed by the amount of debt I’d collected over the past twelve years, but racking up thousands of dollars of debt wasn’t my intention. I was young, with no financial literacy, and trying to survive on my own. Now that I had the money to pay these people, I wanted to be debt-free.
After the groceries arrived, I placed the butter on the counter to soften, then returned to the guest room. I sat in the middleof the floor and contacted twelve creditors. When the final call ended, I’d paid out $45,000, and the heaviness that was removed from my shoulders was unexplainable.
I’d never felt more light and free in my life, and I had Kenzo to thank. His offer to pay me for my hand in marriage sounded crazy initially, but even if this ended in disaster, I’d come out winning.
As I headed to the kitchen, a voice filled the apartment and scared the shit out of me. I damn near jumped out of my skin before falling over the back of the couch.
“Malyah, are you home?” the voice repeated.
I walked over to the intercom and pressed the button.
“Yes, I’m here.”
“This is Gramps. Do you mind if I come down to talk to you for a bit?”
“Sure, Gramps. Come on down.”
I didn’t know what to think about his request. Gramps and I bonded yesterday, and he seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me. I didn’t see any harm in his coming down for a visit, and it wasn’t as if I’d say no.
A few minutes later, I heard a knock on the door. It hadn’t dawned on me that Kenzo kept it locked. I took the stairs, two at a time, and opened the door for Gramps.
“Malyah, it’s good to see you. Am I interrupting anything?”
“No. I was just about to make some chocolate-covered peanut butter and pretzel truffles. Would you like to join me?”
“I would, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. Besides, I’m a guest here. This is your home.”
We made it down the stairs and went to the kitchen. Gramps, who was in great shape and didn’t look like a man nearing ninety, leaned against the counter and folded his arms.
“You’re married to my grandson, so that makes you my granddaughter. This is your home too,” he told me.
“Aww. Thank you for making me feel welcome. You may feel that way, but I have a feeling Mrs. Goode doesn’t.”
“I wouldn’t worry about her too much. Her bark is stronger than her bite.”
“If you say so. Should we wash our hands and get started?”
The restof the afternoon and early evening dragged, and on top of that, I didn’t leave until six thirty. The good thing about leaving later was that I missed the traffic. My ride home was quicker than it would’ve been had I left at five.
I enjoyed my home and my family, but I’d never been more excited to get home than I was today, because Malyah would be there. I was annoyed by her dismissiveness about our relationship, but we’d made an agreement, and she was clearly serious about sticking to it . . .no feelings involved.
I let myself into my apartment and immediately heard laughter. I followed the voices to the kitchen and was surprised to see my grandfather and Malyah sitting at the kitchen table.They were so engrossed in their conversation, neither of them noticed my presence.
