Page 68 of Double

Everybody nodded, and Tinsley beamed.

“My favorite thing was the made-to-order stations for the kids,” my father said. “When ours were little, they never liked the food at these types of events. They always played over it, and when we would get home, Passion would either have to cook something, or we would have to stop for food on the way home. That was a brilliant idea.”

“Well, I’ve never met a child who doesn’t like French fries,” Tinsley said. “I knew if they wouldn’t eat anything else, they would eat fries.”

“All I can say is that, with this event, you’ve garnered our full confidence that you’re capable of being our in-house event designer. On Monday, I need you to start thinking about how many people you’ll need on staff to be successful. Because as much as she loves helping out, I need for my wife to sit down. She helped with this event, but this was her first and last time as your assistant.”

“I did enjoy it, though.” Lynne gave Tinsley another hug.

“Thank you for everything you did to help make this event a success.” Tinsley hugged her back.

“It’s been a long day. Let’s head out,” Big Hill suggested.

We said our goodbyes outside the venue, giving hugs, and wishing safe trips home. Then I walked Tinsley to her SUV and held the door as she climbed in.

“I’m so proud of you, Sweetheart,” I told her once I had my seat belt secured and started to pull out of the parking lot. “My mind was blown by the way you transformed the space into an . . . experience. The thought and the detail. No wonder you were the baddest event designer on Iredia. No wonder that Big Worm nigga wanted you and your partner to do his wedding. You’re amazing.”

She laughed. “Big Worm? Stop,” she said, bending at the waist as she giggled. “With the right budget, and the right vendors⁠—”

I cut her off. “Don’t do that. Don’t downplay your skills and abilities. You’re the shit.” I shook my head. “When I said that I just wanted somebody ambitious, pretty, loyal, and motivated with a good heart, I never envisioned that somebody like you existed. You’re the answer to a prayer that I didn’t even know there was really an answer to. I just had hope.”

I could feel the heat of her gaze on the side of my face, so at the stoplight, I glanced over at her, and our eyes met. I winked at her, and she blushed.

“When I asked God to rescue me from Gretchen and Sterling Gillespie, I never expected Him to send you. I prayed to fall asleep and never wake up. I didn’t think anybody could help me.” She took a beat. “Do you know what my first thought was when I saw you for the first time?”

“Nah.”

“That you were too damn fine.”

I laughed. “And I thought that you were shaped like a Coke bottle, just curvy as hell for no damn reason.”

“But when I got to know you, Double Waters, I realized that your outer beauty and your inner beauty were one and the same.”

“And when I got to know you, Tinsley Waters, I knew that Sterling Gillespie damn sure didn’t deserve you, but neither did I.”

“You deserve me,” she said quietly.

“Not yet, but I’m workin’ on it.”

She picked up my hand from where it rested on her thigh and kissed the back of it. “I’m thankful that if I had to marry a stranger, to avoid marrying a different stranger, that the stranger was you.”

“Me too, Sweetheart. Me, too.”

EPILOGUE

Let It All Work Out

Tinsley

One Year Later

Double came around to my side of the truck, opened the door, and helped me out. “You good?” he questioned, looking at me critically.

“I’m good.” I rubbed my swollen belly gently. “He’s good. It’s getting late. Let’s do this.”

He took my hand, and the two of us walked up the front stairs of the new construction home we’d closed on three days earlier. The house was custom built from the exterior façade to the backyard. When we were deciding how it should look, I was drawn to the beauty and grandeur of the Greek Revival style, but Double nixed that idea right away. He said those homes were too reminiscent of the plantation homes in the South. I let him have that, and we settled on a gorgeous Craftsman-style home.

The two-story, twenty-seven-hundred square foot home was still unfurnished, but we would take care of that in a few days. I’d been working with both Lyric and a professional designer to pick out furniture and accessories for the house. Lyric’s specialty might have been clothing, but she understood my sense of style. She was a big help in making decisions. Still, for what Double and I were at the house to do, it was best that the home was empty.