“Hi… Derrick, yes. I wondered if you could meet with me as soon as possible today,” Greg spoke in a low voice.
Derrick frowned. “Well, I’d like to, but I’m getting married today. I sent you an email about that. I thought you got it. You wanted to know when I was getting married, right?”
“Uh… yes. Yes, I did. Actually, I did get that email, and…” he cleared his throat. “That’s why I’m calling you. It’s vital that we meet right away. Before you get married. Could you possibly meet me at the café around the corner from your place?”
Derrick frowned slightly. “Sure, I guess that would be alright. Is anything wrong?” he asked, beginning to feel a slight sense of panic and worry.
“…well, not yet, but let’s meet and talk about things.” Greg sounded uncertain and stressed out.
“Alright. I can be there in twenty minutes,” Derrick answered.
Greg thanked him and ended the call. In the twenty minutes that followed, Derrick’s mind went to a million places, wondering just what it was that Greg was going to talk with him about and what could be so important that he needed to talk to him before the wedding on his wedding day. Not that his wedding day held any kind of importance for him.
Greg was already sitting at a table in the café when Derrick walked in. He went over and joined the thin, wiry man at the table, greeting him with a hearty handshake. Derrick took a seat and looked at Greg with trepidation.
“So, what is it? What’s going on?” he asked with concern.
Greg cleared his throat. “I’m caving. I know that I’m not supposed to influence you in any way on your decisions regarding what you’re doing in your life right now, especially with the marriage, but I feel that I owe your father a real debt of gratitude, and I feel that I owe you, and I’m going to tell you the truth. I’m going to tell you what I’m fairly certain you don’t know.”
Derrick felt everything in him begin to rush, and his heart began to pound. “What do you mean? What truth? What are you talking about?”
“Your father was never really fully sold on bringing the two families together. That was mostly Franklin’s idea, and with good reason, but I’ll get to that. See, your father didn’t want the merger to happen unless the marriage happened. He has left you a solid estate. You’re better off than anyone in your family has ever been. You don’t need the merger. Your business doesn’t need the merger. The merger is totally contingent on the marriage. You marry Felicia, and then after the wedding, the merger would go through, and the reason for that is because your father only wanted you to marry Felicia if you really loved her. That was the most important thing to him, that you marry for love, not for money, and he wanted the merger to wait until you were ready to marry her, if she was the woman you were going to marry for love. That’s why the merger never happened before the wedding. It’s why I couldn’t tell you the truth, because your father wanted it all to be your own decision—your decision to marry her for love, and then make the merger happen. There was to be no outside interference or influence, but I know that Franklin spoke to you, and he is very anxious for this merger to happen. It will mean a great deal of money for him, and he’s all about the money. He
wants his daughter to be happy, and he knows that she is in love with you and that she would be happy, but he isn’t so concerned with your happiness. Just hers, and the merger and the money that it will make for him.” Greg sounded as if he was gushing every sin he had ever committed to a priest at a confessional.
“So, one of the other things that was held back from you is that the Van Buren estate has taken some serious financial hits. They’ve lost a fortune. You merging companies would ensure their wealth and their daughter’s wealth and solid financial future. You’re saving them. Your father wanted real happiness for you, and I was the one who was designated to make sure that that happened. It was his last request of me, and I know that he didn’t want me to interfere with your decision, but I feel certain that if I don’t intercede and tell you the whole truth, you will make the wrong decision for yourself and marry a woman you don’t love and give up half of your whole worth for it.” Greg sighed with the release of what had obviously been a massive weight on his shoulders.
Derrick stared at him. “My god,” he said quietly. Everything that had plagued him was gone, like a cold mist vaporizing in the warm morning sun. “You’re sure you’ve told me everything… that’s all of it, and that’s the truth? My father wasn’t really insisting on me marrying Felicia?”
Greg nodded. “Yes. He wanted you to marry for love, to make the choices for your future based on what your heart really wanted, not what the financial aspect of the marriage and merger could do for the Van Buren family.”
“Thank you!” Derrick gushed, grinning like a boy on the first day of summer vacation. “Thank you so much! I have to go!” He jumped up and dashed out of the café as Greg looked after him with a growing smile.
***
Eva placed the box in her hands on the stack of boxes centered at the middle of what used to be her living room. “Well, that’s it. Everything is ready to go,” she whispered, looking around her then at the hollow, empty place that had only just become her home.
Ryan had told her to come out to him, to bring all of her things, and that they could be together and have a new life there. He was ready and waiting for her. She had spent nearly every moment from the minute she walked out of Jamie’s house up to then, packing up her life and getting ready to move across the country, looking forward to a new beginning.
There was an urgent knock at the door. “It must be the movers,” she said to herself, reaching for the door and pulling it open. Her jaw dropped as she saw Derrick standing there before here with an armful of roses and the biggest, brightest, happiest smile she had ever seen on his face.
Her heart nearly leapt from her chest, and her breath caught in her chest for a moment. “What… what are you doing here?” she gasped.
“I’m here to beg for your forgiveness, and if I can get it, then I’m going to beg you to hold to your word and make me the happiest man in the world by promising to love me for the rest of my life. Marry me. Be my wife. Please… forgive me and tell me that you will marry me.” He laughed nervously and dropped down to one knee, digging around in his pocket and pulling out a black velvet box.
Tears flooded Eva’s eyes as she stared at him and her heart nearly beat right out of her chest. She began laughing through her tears and brief sobs as she nodded her head and went to him, reaching for his hand to pull him to his feet.
“I… I do love you and I forgive you, but… I thought you were going to marry-” she began, but he stopped her.
“I couldn’t marry a woman I don’t love. I want to spend my life with you. Every day… always… please…” he looked more hopeful than she had ever seen him look.
With another laugh, she nodded and took the ring from the box, slipping it onto her finger. It was an old ring, a beautifully time-worn ring, and she knew that it must be very special to him indeed for him to give it to her. “I will marry you, and I will love you forever,” she answered blissfully.
Derrick pulled her into his arms and kissed her, and it felt to them both as if the entire world had just opened up to them, with every wonderful possibility shining before them.
THE END