Page 65 of Quiet as Kept
“Yes. We’re definitely there,” Vivienne agreed.
“When are you guys thinking about moving?” Xarielle asked.
“We close right before Thanksgiving, and we’ll move right after that. We wanna be settled by Christmas so Dakota and Destin can come over and make cookies, decorate the tree . . . all the things you look forward to enjoying with your grands,” Gannon replied.
“Will you be close by?” I wanted to know. My dad smirked at me. “What?”
“We’ll be in the Dakota Sky subdivision. We chose the Strawberry Cottage model.”
“The ranch floorplan,” I said.
“You should’ve seen how proud your dad was to tell the sales rep that you’re his son. He was strutting around like a peacock.”
We all laughed again.
I turned to my dad and gave him a genuine smile. “This is good news, Dad.”
Gannon smiled back at me. “I’m glad you think so, June. I was worried for a minute.”
“Nah. I’m excited about having my pops so close by. I’m excited that Dakota and Destin will get to grow up with their grandparents close by. Having Granny Bernie be such a prominent figure in my life was a blessing I didn’t understand until I got to be an adult.”
“Same,” Vivienne said. “She raised you and me, Kept. I miss that lady something awful. And like you said, I didn’t appreciate exactly what she was in my life until I was mature enough to see the bigger picture.”
“So, Vivienne . . . when’s the wedding?” Xarielle asked, lightening the mood, which had gotten a little heavy. “Will you be a Boudreaux before I become one?”
Vivienne laughed before playfully pushing Gannon’s shoulder. “He’s ready to do exactly what his niece did and just fly to Las Vegas.”
“What do we need a big show for? As far as I’m concerned, if I want to burn money, I can just light it on fire. I’d rather take my woman on a nice trip and do it there.”
“Oh, a destination wedding,” Xarielle said.
Vivienne pointed at her. “Yes, that’s what he wants.”
Xarielle and I looked at each other. That sounded good to me.
“Some place we can take the girls,” she said, seeming to read my mind. A smile broke out on her face. “The happiest place on earth?”
I thought about it. The girls would love it. I nodded.
“The happiest place on earth. I’ll have Dawn start planning it.”
Epilogue
Three Years Later
Xarielle
I watched my husband walk over to the deejay set up and take the microphone from the man’s outstretched hand with a smile on my face. Sometimes, just watching Kept be the man that he was brought peace to my spirit. I let my right hand fall down to my small, swollen belly and held it lovingly.
“Ahem.” He cleared his throat. “Most if not all of you all know that I’ve never been the most talkative guy in the room. I tend to be more of an observer than a talker. But in a situation like this and on a day like today, I have a few things to say. It’s no secret that my wife and I met as young teenagers through my cousin Yahirah.”
“That’s right!” Yahirah called from somewhere in the crowd, and I laughed.
“It was also that same cousin who suggested all those years later that I hire Xarielle to be the nanny for my girls.”
“I did that!” Yahirah called again.
I laughed again, and the crowd joined me.