Page 86 of Wishing for Love

“Nights are normally best for him. I’m sure they are for you too. Talk to him first, then talk to your cousins. You know how much West values family loyalty, but no one gets a handout.”

“I know,” he said.

“That was all I was calling for,” his father said. “Go enjoy your Sunday with Crystal and Elsie.”

“We aren’t doing much. Elsie wants to go to the movies and Crystal said she’d take her. They didn’t even ask me to go.”

His father laughed. “Don’t worry about it. Your sisters always wanted to do more with your mother than me. Maybe Elsie needs that connection to do something with a woman like she did with her mother.”

“That is how I’m looking at it. That and the fact I’ve got a lot of work to do anyway.”

“Sounds like it’s all falling into place then,” his father said.

“It does, doesn’t it?”

He just hoped it continued.

30

THE ONLY ONE

“Inever get to miss school if I’m not sick,” Elsie said two months later. “And I’ve never been on a plane before either.”

“It’s going to be fun,” Crystal said. “Your first wedding too.”

She was going to be meeting so many of Phoenix’s family this weekend. Several were in North Carolina where they were driving to this morning to catch West’s private jet to take them to New York for a secluded wedding.

She only knew the date and not the location of the wedding. They were keeping it a secret. Phoenix said he knew it was in New York too but not where. Those that couldn’t get on the private jet were flying into JFK and West’s private jet was going to take them to another location from there.

Lucky for her, a handful of people were going on the private jet today for the wedding tomorrow.

“Is this your first wedding?” Elsie asked.

“No,” she said. “Most of my siblings are married so I’ve been to a lot of weddings and in many too.”

“I’m excited,” Elsie said. “Even though I’m tired.”

It was five in the morning and they were hitting the road the minute that Phoenix had his SUV loaded up. The flight from North Carolina was leaving around two and landing before dinner. The rehearsal was going to be around six tonight so that was cutting it short for West’s siblings. She knew West’s mother was already at their destination.

They’d be flying home on Saturday afternoon too.

“You can sleep in the car,” she said. “I always did that as a kid when we had long trips.”

The five hours or so to North Carolina was the same time frame as if they tried to catch a flight and had to wait in airports. They’d have to rent a car to get from where they landed to where West’s jet was taking off from too. She knew several of Phoenix’s family members were doing the same thing. Their commute in the car wasn’t much longer, maybe an hour.

“I can’t wait to wear my dress,” Elsie said. “It’s so pretty.”

She had taken Elsie shopping for the wedding attire. She had to get a dress for herself too and Elsie helped her pick it out. She was told it was an outdoor wedding, but that hadn’t helped her find a dress.

Carolina said it didn’t need to be formal or fancy. That sort of helped too.

In the end she went with a navy blue dress that was fitted to her body and went to her calves. She felt that was a nice in-between style. She wouldn’t be able to dance much in it but didn’t think this was the type of wedding where you got out there and busted a move.

“You’re going to be adorable in your dress,” she said. “And I’m going to do your hair special for you too.”

“Will I be the only kid there?” Elsie asked.

Crystal shrugged, as she didn’t know the answer to that.