Page 64 of Evan

I know our life will not be perfect and I know the morbid fascination surrounding men of his ilk. I will be there for him no matter what and together and with the Lord’s blessing, we will face the future, knowing that we have a very strong foundation.”

The rest of the interview went smoothly after that, with Amanda focusing on her role at the church. When she spoke about her ‘kids’ the joy on her face was so contagious, it had the woman delving more into that aspect.

Turning off the television, Evan stared at the fascinating woman he had fallen in love with. They were in her office, waiting for the pastor. It was the last day of counseling and afterwards, they were going out to eat.

“I will never question your judgment again,” he told her hoarsely.

The interview had been put on air, just this morning and Kim had burst into his office, her excitement palpable. “We should have asked Cassie to do the press conference. She is a natural.”

“I am sure you will.” She smiled at him complacently. “But I will love you just the same.”

“I cannot wait for you to be my wife.”

“And I cannot wait for the day when I pledge my life completely to yours.”

It was a good thing, Pastor William arrived just then to diffuse the emotionally charged atmosphere in the small room.

*****

Her bridal shower was arranged by her matron of honor and was kept inside the large conference room at the church to accommodate the amount of people invited. Marsha had asked Evan for numbers of some of the ‘wives’ of the members of his club and to her surprise and delight, they had responded positively and said they would be there.

“Cassandra is going to be one of us, so yes, we absolutely would like to attend. Just let us know the time.” Leesa Wellington had told her breezily.

And they had arrived promptly, bearing gifts and laughter. Cassie had already met some of them when she attended a fewfunctions at Evan’s club and instead of feeling intimidated, she had been welcomed with open arms.

She had already met Leesa, Kelly, Amani, Jerri, Monique, whom she had personally consulted with about her dress – and several others. The women had formed a clique and made no apologies.

“We are Black women on a mission. We are married to rich white men and as far as the world knows, we shouldn’t have been elevated this far. We are thumbing our noses up at society and changing the rules.” Kelly had told her with her impish grin.

“And we do it sometimes with grace and dignity. We are a strange mix, most of us, just ordinary women who changed the lives of the men we are with. And we are damn – excuse the language, we are immensely proud of our achievements.”

The gifts were expensive and most of them naughty lingerie which had Cassie feeling hot and bothered as the reality of everything was brought home to her.

She was going to be with a man for the first time in her life and even though she was anticipating the wedding night, she was more than a little afraid as well. Evan was a man of the world, and she knew of his past. He had had several women. What if she disappointed him?

She was not experienced, and a man like him, surely would prefer a woman who already knew how to please a man. She hadn’t a clue and it was not like she could ask one of these women to give her some pointers.

She didn’t have a mother to tell her what to do or to give her heads up as to what to expect. The closest thing to a maternal being in her life was the pastor’s wife and even though she had come back home, she was still as distance as ever. She had grudgingly offered her congratulations, but it had not seemed sincere.

She was here at the bridal shower at Cassie’s insistence, but she had isolated herself, by sitting with a few of the older members of the church. Cassie mourned the loss of her friendship and love but was not going to let it bother her.

Diving into the games that had been organized by Marsha, she soon pushed away her doubts and fears and got into the mix of it.

“We are here for you.” Leesa and Kelly drew her over to one corner of the room, where the long trestle table was laden with food of all description. “This is a new adventure you are embarking on, and we know the twists and turns and what the pitfalls are.”

Leesa popped a strawberry tart into her mouth, her eyes widening in delight. “Darling, you have to taste this.” She shoved one at Kelly who did just that.

“Everything here is fantastic. Who is the caterer?” Kelly wanted to know.

“Several of the women.” Cassie told them with a laugh and pointed them out.

“We have so many functions and even though my husband’s restaurants and mine are catering heaven, we could always use some innovative ideas. Are they looking for a job?”

“Millicent is currently working for a local restaurant, but I am sure she would jump at the possibility of being hired by you.”

“Fantastic.” Kelly heaped her plate with more tasty items and plucked a glass of champagne from the table.

“How do you feel?” Leesa asked as she dipped into her own plate.

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