For the Sake of Love Read online

  Spade didn’t even take a bite of food before saying, “I have some good news.” All eyes were on him. “The oncologist confirmed that I do not—repeat—do not have cancer.”

  “Glory be to God!” Mrs. Murray praised.

  Bria got out of her seat and hugged his neck. “That’s the best news.” She planted a kiss on his face before taking her seat again.

  “I’m happy for you, son,” Mr. Murray said.

  “So what does this mean for the two of you?” Mrs. Murray pointed her fork at Bria, then Spade.

  “I love him,” Bria said coolly, stumping everyone at the table, especially Spade.

  Spade looked Bria in the eyes and said in the most sincere voice he could manage, “I love you too.”

  “Well, there you have it,” Mrs. Murray announced. She pressed her hands together in a praying position and touched her lips. Her eyes filled with tears. “I know you love my child.” Her voice cracked.

  “Yes, ma’am, I do.”

  “You better not hurt her again.” A single tear escaped her left eye. “She’s our princess . . .”

  “And she’s my queen,” he proclaimed.

  The sound of an aircraft could be heard outside. Spade insisted they go out and take a look. They stepped onto the huge deck and saw a plane writing the words: MARRY ME, BRIA.

  Bria covered her mouth with her hands. Mr. Murray wrapped his arm around his wife as new tears formed in her eyes. Spade turned to face Bria and retrieved a small velvety box from his pocket. Getting down on bended knee, he said, “Bria Bianca Murray, you are my whole heart. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  The over-the-top proposal was just the type of exciting and thrilling thing Bria had come to expect from Spade. He never ceased to amaze her, and everything with him was an adventure. Bria had never met anyone like him before, and not even Kerryngton made her feel the way Spade did.

  Bria bobbed her head like a bobble-head doll before squealing, “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  Standing to his full height, Spade presented Bria with a much more impressive new engagement ring. It was the nicest ring she had ever laid eyes on. The magnificently beautiful cushion cut diamond engagement ring took Bria’s breath away with its beauty, brilliance, and spectacular size.

  “How many carats is this ring?”

  “Twelve point nine,” Spade told her.

  Mesmerized, she couldn’t stop staring at her hand. The center diamond was near colorless and practically flawless! She admired the spectacular cut and noticed how the ring sparkled tremendously. Flanked by two brilliant cut trapezoids the combination was outstandingly beautiful! The custom-made platinum setting featured round brilliant cut diamonds pave set on all three sides of the shank. The center basket was uniquely crafted with a beautiful design and also studded with round diamonds.

  “Let me see your ring,” Mrs. Murray requested. When Bria flashed her parents her ring, they gasped. “Magnificent!” Mrs. Murray exclaimed.

  “It’s breathtaking!” her dad said.

  Bria wrapped her arms around Spade’s waist and rested her head against his buff chest.

  “I would say welcome to the family, but you never left,” Mr. Murray said as he patted Spade on the back.

  Spade broke away from Bria and peck kissed her lips. He then hugged her mom and dad.

  Sensing the love all around them, Bria didn’t want to taint the occasion by having unforgiveness in her heart. She asked God to forgive her for any unforgiveness she harbored in her heart, and then she said, “I forgive you, Dad. I love you.”

  “All right, all right,” Mr. Murray said, wiping his eye. “We’ll give the two of you some time alone.” He escorted Mrs. Murray back inside and closed the door behind them.

  Spade and Bria held hands as they looked up at the spot where the sky writing had been. The aircraft was gone and although the words had faded into the light blue sky, the impression was forever imbedded in Bria’s mind.

  “How did you even plan that?” she asked completely baffled.

  “When we were in London I bought the ring. I knew I’d give it to you one day. The skywriting was spur-of-the-moment, especially after our conversation last night and my doctor’s good news this morning, and on top of that, I felt like you loved me. The timing just felt right.” He tilted his head to the side and stroked his face. “And your jealous outburst was kinda sexy.”

  She playfully punched him on the arm. “How did you know I’d say yes?”

  “You’re not the only one who prays.”

  Bria smiled at him.

  “I don’t want to wait to marry you,” Spade proclaimed.

  Bria felt overjoyed. She didn’t want to wait to marry him either. All she needed was a date and location. “Do you think we can pull it together in a month?”

  He flashed a grin. “We can get married first thing Monday morning as far as I’m concerned. Courthouse. Vegas. Whatever.”

  “No courthouse or Vegas. It’s our first wedding. It should be special.”

  “The fact that we love each other and want to spend our lives together should be enough. We should follow our hearts and do what’s best for us. It’s our first wedding, but it better be the last for both of us. Divorce is not an option as far as I’m concerned.” He pulled her closer to him. “As long as I’m marrying you it’s already special. None of that other stuff matters to me. People get too caught up in the ceremony.” He held up a finger. “Case in point. Remember Kim Kardashian’s 72-day marriage? They spent millions of dollars on a fairy-tale wedding.”

  “True.” She could think of many other short-lived celebrity nuptials as well.

  “And then you got people like Ice T and Coco eloping in Vegas and having a love stronger than most people. Even if they split up, they had a good ride.”

  She was not surprised that he’d use a legendary hip-hop gangster rapper as his role model for marital success.

  He cupped her face in his hands. “I won’t deny you the opportunity to have the wedding of your dreams and to have your daddy walk you down the aisle. Whatever you want to do I’m cool with that.”

  “Thank you.”

  They shared a sensual kiss. Bria melted into his arms, imagining the minister pronouncing them husband and wife and saying, “You may now kiss the bride.”

  Thirty-two

  Bria couldn’t contain her excitement. She needed to talk to her best friend right away. She checked her watch, and it was close to eleven. She called Nya to let her know she needed to speak with her, and Nya told her to come on over. Thank God for sisterhood, Bria thought.

  Bria parked her car in Nya’s driveway; the porch light was on. She knocked on the door. She didn’t want to ring the doorbell and wake Chance up. Chance tended to go to bed early and wake up extra early, whereas Bria and Nya preferred to stay up late and sleep late. Nya immediately let her in.

  “Girl, what’s up?” Nya asked. “I got the ice cream ready.” She studied Bria’s tearstained face. “You been crying?”

  Bria flopped down on the couch like a rag doll. “Sister, you aren’t going to believe what happened after I left the spa. I’m exhausted.”

  Nya sat next to her with a concerned look on her face. “Talk to me.”

  Bria started out by giving her a blow by blow of her evening with Spade. She told her about his misdiagnosis, the skywriting marriage proposal, and their subsequent engagement. She held up her finger to show Nya her gigantic rock.

  Nya reached out to hug her. Bria could feel wetness on her face. Then Nya sniffled. Bria looked at her and asked, “Why are you crying?”

  “Because I’m so happy for you. You deserve this. Spade is a terrific guy, but you know that already. Not only will he give you the world, but you are his world. I can tell by the way he looks at you that he’s in love with you and always has been.” She wiped her face. “I was praying you’d come around and see how right he is for you. Congratulations.”

  Bria could feel the sincerity in Nya
’s words. “I love you, sister.”

  “I love you too. Everything you’ve told me so far has been good news. I could understand how that could make you cry.”

  Bria’s cell phone rang, and she checked her caller ID. “Spade’s Mom” popped up. She showed Nya the phone. “I have to take this.”

  “Yes, girl. Talk to your mommy-in-law,” she giggled.

  Bria answered.

  Spade’s mom skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point. “Bria, I just got off the phone with my son, and he told me the great news. I’m so happy the two of you are back together. I just wanted to tell you that. Congratulations.”

  Bria loved Spade’s mom. “Thank you. I’m happy and excited.”

  “Me too. You know I always considered you to be my daughter.”

  That had always meant something to Bria. “Thanks. I’m at Nya’s house now, so I’ll talk to you some other time.” They said their good-byes and got off the phone.

  “Anyway,” Nya said, “have you thought about a wedding date? Are you going to re-create the wedding you were supposed to have the first time around?”

  “That’s a good question. I already have everything. Might as well. One less thing to worry about. We haven’t had a chance to set a date just yet, but we both agree we don’t want a long engagement. We’ve waited long enough.”

  “Whew! Thank goodness.” She touched her forehead. “I know that’s right.”

  And Bria thought she was the dramatic one.

  Nya made a face.

  “What’s that about?” Bria asked.

  “Girl, I’m ready for you to get married so we can talk about sex.”

  Was Nya losing her mind? “We already talk about sex.”

  “No.” She rested her hand on her chest. “I talk about sex. You just listen. You have no personal knowledge of it, so you have no idea all the feelings that come along with it.”

  That got a laugh out of Bria. “I wouldn’t mind having an intimate destination wedding. Somewhere on a beach.”

  “A beach is good. When Chance and I were planning to get married we researched some beach locations. St. Kitts in the Caribbean stood out to me. Their beaches had turquoise water and weren’t crowded.” She placed her index finger on her cheek and tapped it. “Better yet, have the wedding on Tybee Island. You want to be considerate of people who don’t like to fly. And it’ll be easier to plan since you want to get married right away.”

  “The more I think about it, the more I want to be married in three to four weeks.”

  “Okay, Khloé.”

  Bria gave her a curious look. “Why did you call me Khloé?”

  “If Khloé Kardashian can pull off a wedding in three weeks, why can’t you?”

  Bria pushed her, and Nya rocked to the side. They both laughed. “I forgot to call Spade.” She grabbed her phone and called him. “Hey, handsome.”

  “You made it home, love?” That was the first time he had ever called her “love” and she liked it.

  “No, I’m at Nya’s.”

  “Okay. Tell her I said hello.”

  She conveyed the message to Nya, and Nya said, “Hi, Spade.”

  She could hear him laugh into the phone. “Are you spending the night there, or you going home?”

  She yawned. “I’m getting tired. I’ll probably just crash here for the night.” She kept a few outfits and an overnight bag in Nya’s guest bedroom. “We were just talking about our wedding.”

  “I like that.”

  “She’s excited for us. Check your schedule and let me know your first available open weekend.”

  “I’ll let you know something tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good. By the way, I spoke to your mom.”

  “I knew she was going to call you. She couldn’t help it.”

  “You know she’s my girl. Love her.” She chuckled. “Do you want to invite the same people we invited before?”

  “That’s fine. If we don’t, people might get offended.”

  “Would you mind if we got married on the beach?”

  “Not at all. This is your day. Do it up however you want. Everyone knows weddings are all about the bride.”

  What a sweetheart! she thought, remembering why she chose him again and would choose him every time.

  Thirty-three

  Bria and Nya didn’t get to bed until almost two o’clock in the morning, staying up talking about men. They had to wake up at seven-thirty to get ready for nine-thirty church service, and Bria felt exhausted. She thought about foregoing church in favor of more sleep, but forced herself to get up and get ready.

  She met up with Chance at the breakfast nook since Nya was still getting dressed. He had already put on a pot of freshly brewed coffee, cooked scrambled eggs with cheese, chopped red and green bell peppers, and onions along with turkey sausage links.

  When he saw Bria he said, “Look what the cat dragged in. Good morning, li’l sis.” He saw her bloodshot eyes. “Doesn’t look like you got any sleep last night.”

  “Not really.” She poured a cup of coffee and added a couple of teaspoons of sugar before taking a sip. She needed something strong to help her wake up and give her some energy.

  “I didn’t even hear you come in last night,” he told her.

  “Of course you didn’t. You can’t wake up a log.” She drank some more.

  “Everything okay?” His concern evident.

  “Uh-huh. It is now. Spade doesn’t have cancer.”

  “Thank God!” he shouted. “I’m glad to hear that.”

  She put down her cup and fixed herself a plate of food. She held up her hand and showed him her new engagement ring. “Oh yeah, Spade and I got engaged—reengaged—last night.”

  He placed her smaller hand in his larger one and studied the ring. “Homeboy wasn’t playing. He came with it. Now that’s a ring for ya. I don’t know how you’re able to keep your hand up carrying all that weight around.”

  Bria laughed at his silliness and took her hand away so that she could eat.

  “Spade, huh?”

  “That’s right.”

  “You know Spade’s my boy, and I was rooting for him.”

  Bria ate her eggs and cut a piece of sausage.

  “Glad to hear you finally came to your senses.”

  “I love Spade with my whole heart. I can’t wait to become his wife,” she smiled. “Wife . . . has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Mrs. Bria Spencer.”

  He nodded. “I’m just curious. What made you give up Mr. Moneybags? A lot of women would’ve married money no matter what it looked like, smelled like, or acted like.”

  “Did you just meet me?” She raised a brow. “Money doesn’t impress me.”

  “Very good.” He pinched her cheek.

  Nya joined them. “Good morning, peeps.”

  Chance checked his watch. “You only have ten minutes to get something on your stomach before we have to leave.”

  She fixed a plate and scarfed it down.

  “We need to take separate vehicles,” Nya told her husband, “because Bria and I are going to the spa right after church.” On Sundays, the spa was open for appointments only.

  “That’s fine.”

  Bria and Nya arrived at the spa at a quarter to one. When Meagan saw Bria’s ring, she let out a scream loud enough for Dani to hurry to the receptionist area.

  “Is everything all right?” Dani asked, trying to catch her breath.

  Bria laughed and held up her hand.

  “Oh my goodness! You’re getting married!” Dani yelled. She scurried across the floor and hugged Bria’s neck. “Congratulations! Who are you marrying?”

  Nya smirked. “Aren’t you bold? That’s like her saying she’s pregnant and you asking, ‘By who?’” She shook her head.

  A wave of chuckles and girlish giggles filled the room.

  “I’m marrying Spade. We worked it out.” She came across like a blushing bride.

  “How exciting!” Dani exhaled. She
complimented Bria on her ring. “Good-looking artist with a recording deal and wants to get married. Lucky you! My faith in black men has been restored. Does he have a brother?”

  Some of the ladies laughed.

  “He’s an only child. Sorry.” Bria pretended to pout.

  “Have you set a date yet?” Dani asked.

  Meagan and Nya quieted the laughter.

  “We’re working on it,” Bria said. “We’re trying to get it done in less than a month.”

  “Wow! I think that’s great!” Dani said in her usual upbeat tone. “Let me know if you need help with anything. I’m at your disposal.” And with the blink of an eye Dani went back to work.

  “Let me see that ring again,” Meagan said as she grabbed Bria’s hand and put it near her face. “I have to give Spade props. He has good taste.”

  “I think so.” Bria took her hand back and studied her ring for the umpteenth time. She never got tired of looking at it and marveling at the beauty.

  Just then Spade walked through the door and became the center of attention.

  Meagan said, “Welcome to The Spa Factory. I hear congratulations are in order, sir.”

  He grinned, unable to contain his enthusiasm. “Yes, indeed. My girl has made me the happiest man in the world by agreeing to become my wife.” He gave his fiancée a squeeze and kissed her on the cheek.

  The ladies at the spa extended their congratulatory wishes before dispersing. Then Bria and Spade went into her office so that they could be away from everyone else.

  “I still can’t believe we’re getting married,” she said. “It feels like a dream.”

  “For me too. If I had it my way, we’d go to the courthouse tomorrow and get it over with. We could have the big celebration for everybody else later. I want you as my wife now. I want to come home to you every day and have you in my bed every night.”

  His suggestion sounded good and enticing to her. She liked the thought of coming home to him, and she couldn’t wait to make love to Spade for the very first time. His touches were so hard to resist. He sent stimulating impulses through her body every time they got near each other. But she knew her parents would have a fit if they eloped. She didn’t want to deny them of a wedding for their only child. So, she’d have to wait a little while longer she resigned.