Chapter 68

"How is she?" Kaelo asked.

Jadon released a long breath and shrugged. It left like he was trying to lift the weight of the world off his shoulders. "As well as can be, I guess." That, of course, was a lie. Jadon knew Tapiwa wasn't anywhere near 'well'. Not that he could blame her.

It had been a week since her father's very vocal stance on the idea of Tapiwa and Jadon being together. Jadon had to agree. At the time, he had been more than a little worried that Tapiwa would fold under the pressure. It wasn't as though there had been anything firm in their foundation to make her choose him over her family. They barely knew each other.

But then Tapiwa had shocked them all by categorically refusing to go with her father. That hadn't gone well with Allen Mvula and it had taken three officers to hold him down so Jadon could quickly get Tapiwa out of there with his father's help.

The detective had advised Tapiwa to get a restraining order against her family, but that was just a step too far for Tapiwa, so she didn't. That didn't mean Jadon hadn't taken every precaution in the book to ensure her safety.

With his mother arrested and facing numerous charges, everything had blown up. The stalker was thankfully found and locked up. That took care of the threat that had been following them around like an evil shadow. However, the fallout of having Lewis Paterson's wife and son arrested for various atrocities had hit the company shares hard and nearly sent Jadon's father to the hospital with stress and heartache.

Jadon felt bad for his father, which was why he was back in the office, trying to save the company from going belly up. However, he wasn't giving up on the new direction he had decided to take with his friends. He just had to find a way to make it all balance.

"Have you bought her a ring yet?" Ezra asked, cutting through Jadon's thoughts and bringing him back to the present.

A smile tried to tug at the corners of his lips. He reached into his jacket's inner pocket, wincing as muscles that still ached protested with the move, but he reached for the small box and brought it out of its hiding place.

Jadon stared at the carved wooden box in his palm for a second, like he had been doing every time he looked at it for the last few days. It was an exquisite work of art. The box was made of rich, dark mahogany wood adorned with intricate carvings of intertwining vines and flowers. Despite its age, and it was an antique, the box was smooth and shiny. The only thing that gave away its age was the tiny, soft creaking sound it made when it was opened.

Inside, on a velvety, blue small cushion, sat a single ring. A simple, yet elegant fourteen-karat gold band supported a solitary, pink diamond. Just like the box that sheltered it from the world, the ring was old but had been well-preserved for years.

Jadon smiled as he showed his friends the ring. "It was my grandmother's. Dad gave it to me." His smile dimmed a little as he looked down at the ring again. "Apparently, he was supposed to give it to Mom, but she never liked simple and old. I think it's perfect and Tapiwa would like it."

"So, you are waiting for the perfect moment?" Ezra enquired, returning to his relaxed state after sitting forward to properly examine the ring. Kaelo did the same.

Closing the box and returning it to his pocket, Jadon shook his head. "She just got disowned by her family because she chose me. I don't think this is the best time to give her the ring and ask her to talk about marriage."

"I couldn't think of a better time," Kaelo argued with a frown. "It would certainly comfort her that she didn't just reject everything for nothing."

Jadon could see his friend's point and if it had been the morning before Asher came shooting at his front door like a lunatic, he might have agreed. Everything had been going perfectly that morning until it wasn't. So instead, he said, "We still don't really know each other. A handful of kisses and orgasms doesn't make a relationship." They hadn't even had those in the past week since the police station.

"Dude." Ezra threw his arms in the air. "You guys have done everything in reverse. Got intimately acquainted before you knew each other's names. Put a ring on her finger and then you can spend the rest of your lives getting to know each other."

The words still played in the back of Jadon's mind as he made it home at the end of the exhausting day. As he walked in through the front door, he tapped the front of his jacket just to be certain the treasure was still there, even if he wasn't sure he could give it to Tapiwa tonight.

But then he took in how quiet and dark the house was and Jadon's heart nearly escaped his chest. No part of him had imagined even for a second that Tapiwa might leave and go back to her family. That thought now propelled him from the front door to the kitchen, where he usually found Tapiwa at this time of the day. He turned the lights on and was greeted by emptiness, not even the scent of something delicious waiting to fill his empty stomach.

With his heart practically beating at the back of his throat, Jadon turned and made his way to the living room. If she wasn't there or in the spare bedroom, then he would know for sure she was gone.

The living room was empty and so was the spare room. Jadon couldn't bring himself to check the closet to see whether all her belongings were gone. He wasn't strong enough. Not tonight. All he could think of was running out of the house and driving to the Mvula house and begging Tapiwa not to do this. But then what?

Jadon shook his head and headed for his own room. Maybe he needed a stiff drink and sleep before he made any rash decisions. He couldn't just think of himself. Jadon had to think of Tapiwa and what was best for her. He wanted to believe that he was what was best for her, but maybe family meant more to her.

At the door of his bedroom, Jadon's hand trembled, and he had to clench it and draw a deep breath before he could open the door and walk into his empty dark space, knowing that it would probably remain like that for the foreseeable future.

He didn't bother with the lights, preferring the darkness, as it hid everything he didn't want to see. Jadon shed his jacket and threw it on the floor, not caring how expensive it was or what was in his pocket. He then turned and headed for his bathroom.