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“Good. I was glad to hear she’d been doing better and was out of the hospital when you left during the school year to go and see her.”

She now looked at him with a dawning expression on her face and he froze. “It was you that sent those flowers every day to the hospital for my grandmother.”

She continued, her face now etched with surprise.

“My grandmother was a beloved teacher in Barbados; we just thought it was someone from her parish or past student. But it was you and you remembered that she loved Caesalpinia pulcherrima and then had it planted in her garden when she returned home.”

“That was you?” Her father said, also sounding surprised as he re-entered the boardroom.

“Yes.”

“Why?” Linnel looked at him suspiciously.

He could only shrug. “Seemed the right thing to do, knowing how important Coco’s grandmother meant to her.”

“Oh really, especially after breaking Coco’s heart the way you did.” Linnel scoffed in disbelief.

Colin clenched his jaw because he would have to go into why he broke up with her. It had been a serious decision for himself at the time, but he didn’t want to go into it now nor in front of her parents. He already was a deficit in their eyes right now.

“Well, okay, I can see you don’t want to talk about it right now and we can revisit the breakup later.” Vye glanced down at her watch. “We have to get checked in and also grab lunch with friends in town before attending the welcome party for Keith with Coco.”

“Who is Keith?” Colin questioned stiffly.

“The new High Commissioner from Barbados. We are attending his welcome party tonight.” Vye explained.

“Is this a black-tie affair?”

“Yes, why?” Linnel frowned.

“Then I better go shopping after to get my tux for tonight.”

“I don’t think that’s a good—” Coco tried to interject, and he turned facing her, his mood darkening suddenly.

“My fiancée is not attending a party without me.” A feeling of possessiveness surged through him.

“Now listen here—” Linnel spluttered out.

He saw Vye elbow her husband and another look passed between them.

“Fine, you can attend but no announcement of you being her fiancé at this party. We want this engagement… marriage business between you to be low-key, the less people that know the easier it will be for her to get it annulled once she leaves and less questions.”

The possessiveness shifted to sudden elation instead.

“Dad, what are you saying?”

Linnel looked at his daughter with sadness, anger, and love. “I will agree to you being his fiancée and marrying him on a couple of conditions.”

“Name it, sir,” Colin enthused. A sense of victory was within his grasp now.

“You do not announce you are getting married to anyone except our and your families. It’s done in front of the justice of the peace and annulled as soon as possible.” Linnel moved into Colin’s face for this one. “And you leave my daughter’s virginity alone.”

Colin’s body stiffened in surprise, and he glanced at Coco, whose face gave away nothing.

She met his look with one that said it was none of his business.

He knew in high school that she’d wanted to wait, but he didn’t think that once she left high school that she would still be serious about it and would one day meet someone to give it to.

Was it possible she was a virgin or as usual a father’s wishful thinking of his daughter?

But to Linnel, Colin said nothing, his jaw clenched tight.

“Well, do you agree?” Linnel stayed in Colin’s space, pushing for a response. Both Coco and her mother tensed. He knew Coco knew that he didn’t like ultimatums.

Her mother cleared her throat and Linnel’s spine stiffened. “Oh, look at the time, we must hurry, Linnel. Remember we, uhh ,have something to do before getting ready.”

Her father and mother shared another look, then her father suddenly looked excited.

“We will continue this discussion later.” He gave Colin another hard glance before turning to Jackie.

“You’ve done so much for us already, but do you mind calling us an Uber, Jackie, to take us back to the hotel?

We have taken up enough of your time and thank you for picking us up at the airport and bringing us here to see Coco. ”

“I can take you back to the hotel, Mr. Hunt, it’s no problem.

I need to head home to change and get ready for later this evening.

Thank you for including me in the invitation to meet the High Commissioner from Barbados.

” She paused to address her friend and boss now.

“Unless Coco still needs me to stay and help her in the office until she’s ready to go? ”

“No, I think I’m all set to go home and relax before getting dressed for tonight too. I will lock up and head out soon.”

“In that case, then we can all head out together; we can wait until you’re ready to go too.” Jackie offered.

Colin caught the look of dismay on her parents’ faces. Wait did they want to…

He turned to Coco, her eyebrows rose, and her lips twitched and he suppressed a grin. Jackie was about to put a spoke in their plans to have some alone time together before going to the event tonight.

“Jackie, Mr. and Mrs. Hunt must be tired and need of rest. I’ll stay with Coco and help her to finish up here, and then I will drive her to her place before heading to mine to go and change for the welcome party.”

All eyes turned to him.

Coco’s father bristled and opened his mouth to argue, but snapped it shut when he heard.

“Linnel, remember what we discussed.” Her mother gave her father a frown and a hard stare.

His glare back at his wife said, I don't like this, but I will go along with it for now . He let out a sigh when her mother continued to give him that look. “Fine I’ll make some calls and let them know we have a plus one with us tonight.” Soon after, the Hunts left the boardroom, following Jackie’s lead.

****

When Vye had pulled Linnel from the room and down the hall, he and his wife got into a heated discussion over their daughter.

“Vye, what do you think you are doing? Let me escort that rasshole idiot out the door and out of Coco’s life.

Hurting her the first time was enough for me.

Telling her she wasn’t good enough for a Norris and now he’s here thinking that he can wave money, and we will just agree.

In fact, I am tired of hearing him.” Linnel slapped his hands together and took a step.

“Linnel, remember the first time we met.” Vye picked at an imaginary piece of fluff on his light blue sweater and light beige lining pants and gave him a smile that always caused an indrawn breath at the beauty of it. Vye’s smiles always came from her soul.

He paused and his gaze softened, and his mouth kicked up at the corners. “Of course, my love. I met you at the CPL cricket clubhouse after my team’s winning cricket match against Trinidad and Tobago.”

Vye scowled, not looking pleased. “And what happened when we met?”

Linnel felt his face flush with heat, feeling guilty and chagrined. “Now Vye, why do you always bring that up when you need to make a specific point?”

Vye just gave him a knowing look and waited patiently for him to respond. He grumbled, not liking the memory of the time they met and he’d caused her pain.

He recollected the day he met Vye; she’d drawn his eyes to the bar.

He’d noticed her lush ass first and cinched waste.

When she turned for a second, looking for someone, he’d taken in a breath.

Her hair was pressed straight with loose curls that fell to her shoulders.

She was darker than him, but her peach lipstick emphasized her lips that were so plump he wanted to suck on them.

She was wearing matching eyeshadow, but it was put on light and not heavy like some of women liked to wear.

She had a reddish-brown color on her cheeks and gold studs in her ears that peeked out from her curls when she turned her head, tracking people in the room.

When their gaze met, it seemed like everyone else faded into the background and then she smiled; he walked over to her.

And he never wanted someone so much and to strangle them at the same time.

He grinned because she’d had the audacity to humble him, saying he was slow on the field at catching the ball and making his runs, but he made up for it in his batting skills.

This further irritated him when she told him she preferred Ramy on the team.

Ramy was the worst player out of all of them.

He’d kissed his teeth and was going to take his Banks beer with him, but then he caught the twinkle in her eyes and her lips trying not to twitch.

They broke out laughing together. She had the most infectious laugh, and he grinned when at the end, she let out a snort.

“The day spoke at the bar, and even though we struck up a conversation and there were sparks between us, we argued about my cricketing skills.” He frowned, still miffed.

He then swallowed because now came the sensitive part. “We were having such a good time, but when your friend Denise appeared at your side, I ignored you after that and turned all my attention and interest to Denise instead and asked her out later that night. I know I hurt you and I apologized—”

Vye gave him an annoyed look. “That’s not all, Linnel.

You freaked out because I told you that we would one day get married and have kids.

You just delayed the inevitable and wasted poor Denise’s time until you came to your senses and began to pursue me.

” She scowled, then her features softened at his contrite expression.

She nodded and raised up to give him a soft kiss on the mouth and he pulled her against him, sinking into the familiar taste of his wife’s mouth and his body began to stir.

She pulled gently away, and he made a sound of protest.

Vye giggled, her features softened in happiness and her dark brown eyes sparkling mischievously back at him.

“We go back to the hotel to shower and change; we can shower together.” She bit her lip, knowing he loved when she did that because it focused his eyes on her lips and he growled low and dipped his head down again, but she stopped him when she said.

“So, trust me when I say that Colin is going to be our future son-in-law.”