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I took his hands into mine under the table. “I’m sure, babe. Life is short. I want to make the most of every day we have together.”
“Now, I expect you to take care of my Belle beyond the money,” Papa said, gaining Chandler’s attention. “Treat her right, respect her, value her, love her. Prioritize her. Marry her, and give me great-grandbabies.”
Chandler smiled, nodding his head. “Yes, sir. I give you my word that I will do all that and more.”
“Good. Then let’s get a bottle of champagne to celebrate.”
As he subtly waved our waiter over, all I could do was shake my head… grateful that this was truly my life.
24
That Weekend
Chandler
My arm was wrapped around Cheyanne as we watched my parents and her grandfather talk. I didn’t have a doubt they would get along well, but seeing it in person made us both happy. Mama had taken Cheyanne on as her daughter the second I told them we were together, and Pops had already started putting money in a separate account for the wedding and our kids’ education. Regardless of how they or her grandfather felt, I was going to be with Cheyanne, but knowing we had their approval and seeing how well they got along made what we shared even better.
“Oh, shit,” Cheyanne muttered, dropping her arm from around me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, keeping my eyes trained on the man heading in her grandfather’s direction.
“That’s Dedrick Graham. He’s an ex.”
“Did y’all end things on good terms?”
Her head shook as she licked the corner of her mouth. “No.” Chuckling absently, Cheyanne wiped her hands down her already smooth dress. “He… was only with me to get close to Papa. When Papa hired him, he broke up with me, which in turn caused Papa to fire him. Dedrick ended up trying to sue Papa for wrongful termination. Thankfully, I had him admit to being with me just for the job on a recording, which constituted the termination. Papa has a very strict morality clause and using me for the position fell under lacking integrity.”
I could tell by Port’s stance he wasn’t trying to hear what Dedrick had to say. He’d also shifted slightly, blocking his view of us, which led me to believe he, like I, didn’t want this nigga to engage with Cheyanne. If he tried, I didn’t have a problem knocking his ass out. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d have bloody clothes and bruised knuckles defending her, and I didn’t care if it wouldn’t be the last.
“You wanna get outta here? I don’t want him to ruin our day,” I said.
“Please.”
But before we could leave, Dedrick spotted us. He made his way over to us, and the smug grin on his face let me know what type of time he was going to be on. Gently, I pushed her behind me as he stepped in our space.
“It’s good to see you again, Cheyanne,” he said, looking around me to her. His tongue rolled over his teeth as he looked at me. “She’s on you now? Why do I not find that hard to believe? Two stuck up ass rich families about to become one.”
“She’s on me, I’m in her, however you want to describe it… she’s mine.”
Chuckling, Dedrick ran his fingers down the corners of his mouth. “I find it funny that you wanted to hide me, yet you’re with him, and out in public no less. So much for you not wanting people to know who you are and where you come from. It took me a whole fuckin’ year with you to even get in the same room as your grandfather, but this nig—”
My fist in his mouth silenced him. He stumbled back as part of his tooth flew out of his mouth. Instantly, blood began to pour. Buttoning my suit jacket, I stood over him and said, “You will not talk to her, now or ever, and you for damn sure will not disrespect her. Do you understand me?”
“Chandler!” Mama yelled, rushing over as quickly as her heels would allow.
“The boy is fine,” Pops said.
Port remained silent as he grinned. He gripped my shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze, nodding his head in approval. I guess the embarrassment of the situation was why Dedrick shuffled to his feet and quickly left the room. I turned to face Cheyanne, whose eyes were trained on him as he fled.
“You good?” I checked, grabbing her chin and pulling her eyes to me.
“Chandler, you really didn’t have to…”
“Let the man protect you and stand up for your honor,” Port said, cutting her off.
With a sigh, Cheyanne ran her fingers through her hair.
“Are you good?” I repeated, to which she nodded.
