Page 56 of Harboring Shantae

Okay, now that was actually pretty smart.

"And here I thought everyone said Wes didn't know how to run a smart business," she laughed.

"I guess I should clarify and say it was Nancy's idea when she first started. Wes just agreed."

Now that sounded more accurate based on what she knew about her boss.

"So now that we've cleared that up, are you prepared to hear the best way to go about getting your degree and certification?"

They spent the next two hours going over her best options. It shouldn't have taken so long, but they were forced to stop multiple times to keep Matthew and Andrew out of trouble. Then Hollywood brought Luey in and things got a lot more complicated. By the time they were finished, Ray was running out of the room wishing her luck, but also thanking his own lucky stars that he didn't have her job.

Yes, that was exactly what he told her on his way out.

"You ready for date night in the situation room?"

Camron came into where she was reorganizing the toys for the fifth time since the boys left for the day. He had asked her if she wanted to go home, but since she would be doing the exact same thing there, she decided at least at the barn, she could get immediate updates.

"Is that what we're calling tonight? A date?"

"Well, I'm overdue on taking you out on a real one, so I need to fix that. I guess the second best is dinner here while we wait for updates from Falcon."

The ball was set to start in an hour. Trista had already spoken to her once and explained the plan again. Her friend then went on to go into great detail about the dress she was wearing and how she planned to have her husband peel it off her later. It had been slightly disturbing, but had done the job Trista wanted. For those twenty-ish minutes, she was distracted from what was about to happen.

"Do you think Zion will show, and if he does, what he's going to do when he realizes I won't be there?"

"Not much he can do because he's there and you're here. You have the best protection money can buy. Your father isn't going to let anything happen to Trista or Falcon. Not in front of a mass of people."

Right. They went over that already and deep down she knew it was true. There was nothing her father could do to her anymore. She was legally married to Camron. Eventually, he would back off just to save face. It would make him look bad for a bit, but his campaign manager would find a way to spin it so he looked good. It was Zion she was most worried about. Everything people said about him led her to believe he wasn't going to just forget. He was a man who got what he wanted, and she was denying him that. She couldn't outrun those consequences.

"Come on, let's go get you something to eat. Maybe spending time with a few more people will help keep your mind occupied while we wait."

The situation room looked like an ethnic buffet. Every nationality was represented. She had never seen so much food in her life and it made her mouth water.

"You did all this?"

"I had some help. I wasn't sure what you'd be hungry for, and both Wes and Ray aren't picky, so I went with options. Had pretty much everything within thirty minutes delivered."

As far as non-first dates went, this one was pretty great. If he went this all out for something that wasn't even a date, then she could only imagine what he would do for arealdate. She fully looked forward to it.

"It looks delicious, but I can't see how four of us are going to eat all this."

"Who says there will only be four of us? You forget how close my team is. They know why Falcon and Trista are in Washington, D.C., and they want to be here to support you."

She was going to cry. The love and support of these people was too much. It overwhelmed her.

"This was not where I imagined this, but I can't hide it anymore. I love you so damn much. I never in a million years thought I could be this happy. Every day you show me just how great our life can be. So there it is. I love you and it's okay if you don't feel the same way right now."

Shantae really hoped he did, but she understood it might take him a bit longer. He'd already changed so much in just a short time that she didn't want to push him.

"I wish you wouldn't do that." He cupped her cheek and forced her to look him in the eyes.

"Do what?"

"Make a confession like that and then hide from me. Give me a way out when that's the last thing I want."

Did that mean ...?

"I love you too. I've loved you for a long time. Long before I had the pleasure of looking into your beautiful eyes. I admit, I was stubborn at first. I let my head rule my decisions instead of listening to my heart, but that's long past. I'm all in now and so damn happy to hear you feel the same way."