Dreams Do Come True (19 page)

Shontell watched Nico sleep. She touched his face and smiled. Nico smiled and grabbed her hand that was still on his cheek and kissed it. 

“How long have you been awake?”

“Not long. My internal clock never lets me sleep past 6 a.m., even on vacation.  He pulled her into his arms and they spooned in silence for the next hour. Shontell had never experienced such mental lovemaking and intimacy in her entire life. Her cell phone beeped, and she knew it was probably Sandy. 

“I guess it’s time for me to go back to my room. I know Sandy wants to shop before we board.”

“Okay, we have a breakfast meeting and I need to do something for my parents. They will be here around 5 p.m. (don’t see anything wrong with five this evening). Actually, all of our parents are coming.” Shontell looked at him a little terrified. Was he going to ask her to meet his parents?  She was sure she would eventually have to, because the cruise was five days long.

“Shontell, don’t worry. They will love you. If it makes you feel better, I can introduce you as a friend so you won’t feel pressured.”

“Okay. I guess when we decided on trying this friendship, meeting your parents never crossed my mind,” she told him, as she propped herself up on her elbows. 

“It’s going to be okay, I promise. Come give me a kiss, so I can let you out this room before your best friend comes after me,” he said as they both heard her phone beep for the third time. They shared a hug and a brief kiss before he walked her to the door. 

Nico wondered if he should have mentioned his parents. He saw how her demeanor changed. He knew it was more than likely too soon.  But, didn’t he already meet her father? He was tough. He smiled and reassured himself that it would be fine.  Then Nico’s cell phone rang. He smiled as he answered.

“Good Morning, Mom. No, you didn’t wake me.  How are you? Dad? Are you at the airport?”

“We are good. Yes, we got here. Your father and Nate just went and got some coffee.  So we should be getting into Miami on time. Nate said the driver’s coming.”

“Yes, Mom, he will be there. I will see you all when you get on the boat. Don’t forget about the early dinner on the ship,” he told her, as he pulled his clothes out of his suitcase. Nico talked to his mom for a few more minutes and then went to get dressed.  He was getting excited about the cruise. He reached the meeting area. The breakfast food smell hit him, and his stomach growled. He headed towards the food line with the others. David walked up to him and spoke. 

“So, how did Shontell like your surprise?”

“She loved it. Thanks for hooking me up with the gazebo idea.”

“No problem. If she makes you happy, then you know I got your back. You know I am still tripping out on last night. I felt like he did that crap all over again to me last night. But at the end of the day, he is my blood,” David told him, looking like he felt on the inside. He finished fixing his plate and then waited on David. 

Nico looked at his brother, and he knew that what he said was right. Although Dennis wasn’t his blood, he was still his brother. He didn’t want to think about this anymore.  David, on the other hand, had been such a strong influence and guidance for him lately. His love with Felecia encouraged him to pursue Shontell. They walked towards a table a couple of seats away from everyone else. Sitting down, they said grace and started to eat.  

“Listen, David, I just wanted to say thank you for helping me with all this. I feel like a clueless teenager around Shontell.”

“Sounds like someone is in love,” he said, as he patted him on his arm.

“Wow, love?” he hadn’t thought he would associate that word with himself again.

“Yeah, wow. That’s what I was thinking too.” They were laughing, talking, and joking around when Dennis walked over. David looked between the men and then nodded for him to have a seat. Neither man spoke.

“I owe you both an apology. I...I never thought any of this would happen,” he started, but Nico interrupted him.

“What the hell did you think would happen when you play with fire, Dennis??? You get burned.” Nico pushed his plate away. He had lost his appetite. He was about to get up and leave when David grabbed his wrist.

“Nico, sit down…please,” David said softly. Nico sat back down, folding his arms and not looking at Dennis or David.

“Dennis, this time an apology won’t solve this. You may have caused a marriage to end with your selfishness. You also could have caused Nico to lose Shontell, like you almost caused me to lose Felecia. Don’t you understand that, no matter what, we are a unit? All four of us are brothers. Our being in love won’t take that away!” David told him, as he looked him straight in the face.

“I understand that now. Nico, I am not expecting you or Shontell to forgive me. But I am genuinely sorry,” he told him, as he got up and walked away. Nico looked at David and knew they would not mention this again. It was done with.

“So where are Shontell and Sandy?” David asked as Felecia came over and joined them. She kissed her husband and took a bite of his sausage. David smiled at her while he started wiping her mouth with his napkin. Nico watched them in amusement.  

“Shontell said something about Sandy wanting to go shopping before boarding. So, I assume they are getting ready for that.”

Felecia pulled out her cell phone. “Nico, can you give me her number? I didn’t save it in my phone yet. I’m going to see if I can join them.” David groaned and slumped his shoulders. Nico gave her Shontell’s number. She held her hand out for his credit card and kissed him again, telling them both goodbye. Nico could hear her talking to Shontell about meeting them in the lobby in fifteen minutes. 

She looked back over her shoulder and she spoke to her husband. “Kiss your mother for me.” She waved, and then she was gone. Both men looked at each other and then burst out laughing. Felecia loved to shop, but she spent his money and hers equally. Her design business was taking off, and her label was now becoming a household name on the east coast.

Shontell and the ladies spent the last three hours shopping. Now they were headed towards the cruise ship, laughing and talking. They had a ball shopping.  Their instincts about Felecia were right, because she fit right in with Shontell and Sandy’s quirkiness. Her excitement seemed to be boiling over. It was short lived, as she looked over the passengers and thought she saw a familiar face in the crowd. She had to be seeing things. Ebony couldn’t be on this ship. She looked in the same direction again and didn’t see her. Maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her. They say everyone has a twin. The ladies must have noticed her silence and asked her was she okay. 

“Yeah, I am okay. I thought I saw someone I knew.”

“Girl, on this cruise you probably will know someone. It seems to be packed.”

“True, but the one person I wouldn’t expect to see is Ebony,” she told her as she continued to look at the passengers.

“Ebony!” Sandy shouted.  Felecia looked at her friends in confusion and asked, “Who is Ebony?”

“Ebony is my business partner. She should be back in Detroit. Maybe I didn’t see what I thought I did. When I looked again, I didn’t see her in the same area.”

“Well let’s not worry about something we can’t prove at the moment,” Sandy told her.  She saw her best friend visibly relax. She looked around again and hoped that she was right. It was probably someone who looked like Ebony. That woman was up to something, and she would end up in jail before she let another person hurt her friend. The steward gave them their room assignments, and the women headed in that direction. They were talking a mile a minute about the celebrities they had already spotted. Felecia hugged the ladies and agreed to meet them in a few hours for dinner. They were escorted to their room. The bellman opened the suite door, and the two women followed him in. They stood in awe at how it looked. After tipping the bellman, they walked around the huge room.

“Yeah…a girl can definitely get used to this,” Sandy said, as she went to the table and admired the fruit, wine, and cheese. She picked up the note and read it out loud. 

“Ladies, a complimentary gift. Enjoy your trip.” It was signed by all the members of the group. The suite had two bedrooms, and it seemed they were already marked with luggage. 

“Sandy, I didn’t want to bring this up in front of Felecia, but how are you, about what happened last night with Dennis?” she asked, as Sandy began to hang up some of her dresses. She couldn’t see her face, so she waited.

“At first, I was hurt. But then, I realized I didn’t have a reason to be. Dennis had me fooled. I thought maybe…maybe we could start a friendship,” she said, shaking her head.

“And now?” Shontell asked her. Sandy came and sat next to her on the couch.

“Now I will just have some fun with Eric. I knew there was a reason I didn’t mess with entertainers. I will leave that up to you. You and Nico are good together,” she told her, placing her hands over her friend’s hands. Standing, she kicked her shoes off and went and got her sandals. Watching her friend, she said nothing. She needed to relax.

“If you are sure you are okay, I am about to soak in this jacuzzi before we go down. I need to get some of this tension off me,” Shontell told Sandy. 

“Okay, I’m going down to see the ship off and find Eric. I will catch you in a little bit,” she told her, as they quickly hugged and Sandy walked out the room.

Shontell walked into her bedroom and immediately was assaulted by the smell of flowers. On her bed were two dozen purple roses, lilies, and orchids. She picked them up and inhaled. She found a vase in the bathroom and arranged the flowers. There was also a note on her bed. She opened it and smiled. 
Shontell, if I forgot to say it, I will say it now: Thank you. Thank you for giving me the chance to be a part of your life. Nico.
Shontell pressed the note to her heart and held back the tears. How was this possible? How did she find this man that erased all the bad love she had, with just his sentiments? She exhaled and went to run her bath. She turned on the jets. She got in the hot water and closed her eyes. She was thinking over the last few weeks and shaking her head. She didn’t even realize that she had fallen asleep until she heard a male’s voice. She opened her eyes and she saw Nico kneeling over her. “Nico! What…what are you doing in here?” she asked. She sat up and then became aware that her breasts were in his view. She realized that she was naked, and she grabbed her towel. 

“I’m sorry. I was worried about you. I tried calling and texting you, but I didn’t get a reply. I saw Sandy downstairs, and she told me you were still in the room,” he told her. He tried not to stare, but the sight of her wet body was compelling. Shontell looked down and then back at Nico.

“I didn’t bring my phone in here, but I also didn’t plan on falling asleep. I didn’t mean to worry you.” 

“Can you meet me in the room? I will be out in a minute.”

“Of course,” he told her, as he left her in the bathroom.

Nico chided himself for just walking into her room. When she didn’t respond, he naturally reacted since that wasn’t her character. He shook his head, trying to get the vision of her wet, chocolate skin out of his mind. He willed his body not to react. He walked over to the balcony and watched as they began to set sail. Nico’s parents were already down in the private dining area, eating the early dinner as were the rest of the group’s family and friends. Everyone was there but Shontell, so he told his parents that he would be back, and he went to look for her.

“Nico, can you help me with this zipper?” Shontell asked, coming out the bathroom. She was fully dressed in a purple, strapless sundress that hugged her body.  He zipped her up and then kissed her bare shoulder. 

“Mm,” she moaned slightly.  “I see we aren’t behaving,” she said while giving him a wink.

“Actually, I am. Trust me, I am. Everyone’s down in the private dining room eating dinner. Shall we join them?”

“Yes, but can you give me about five minutes to finish getting ready?”

“Indeed,” he said as she turned on her Pandora and music filled the room. Nico began to hum,
Chill Tonight by Boyz II Men
. By the end of the song, Shontell came out of the room and joined him. She looked stunning. She came over to him and kissed him.

“Thank you for the flowers and the beautiful note. You sure know how to make a woman smile.”

“As long as that woman is you, then I will completely oblige,” he told her, grabbing her baby finger with his. He moved her to the door. 

“Come on, I don’t want a search party sent out for us,” Nico said, as led them to the dining area. The room was abuzz, but it seemed everyone got quiet when they walked in. Shontell looked at Nico, and he knew she wanted to disappear.

“Hey, everyone…sorry for the delay,” he told them all casually.

Nico and Shontell walked over and sat down. He saw her looking around nervously.  He squeezed her hand, as the room once again began to come alive with laughing and conversation. Felecia was the first to say something.

“Shontell, you are working that dress. Where did you get it?”  They both noticed how she relaxed as she answered Felecia’s question. 

“Sandy and I went to that new outlet mall when we were in Indiana last week.”

“Oh, I am going to have to check that place out.” They talked about a few other things as they were served their dinner plates like the rest. As they were finishing up, Nico noticed his mother and father getting up and coming over to their table. He whispered in Shontell’s ear, “Here come my parents; just be you and it will be okay.” Shontell nodded and smiled, as his mother approached her first. Shontell stood smiling at them both. 

“You must be Shontell. I am Bethany, and this here is Nico Sr.,” she said, gesturing towards her husband. 

“Yes, I am, and it’s a pleasure to meet you both.”  Shontell extended her hands to them both.

“Likewise, my dear. You’re such a beautiful young lady.” Shontell blushed and looked at Nico, who was smiling at all of them. 

“Son, come walk us out. Your Mom wants to lie down for a bit. Shontell, it was nice meeting you. I am sure we will get to talk soon,” Nico Sr. said to her. Nico excused himself, and Shontell sat back down as Nico walked his parents out the room. 

“Nico, she seems lovely. Don’t break her heart,” his mother told him. He kissed her cheek. 

“Mom, I won’t break her heart,” he told her as he let her go.

“We know you won’t, son. We are proud of you. We’re looking forward to relaxing and seeing you perform, and so we will see you later.” Nico Sr. spoke for both of them, and he then guided his wife to their room. He watched them walk along the deck holding hands. He loved seeing his parents still so much in love. Turning back around, he walked back into the dining area. Nico watched Shontell talking to Felecia, Sandy, and the wife of one of the band members. Then he felt it…no, he knew it. David was right. He was in love.