Before 7 AM, he was at Heathrow Airport with all his team members. At 8 am, they were airborne to Cairo.
At the Bailey Native Home.
Nichole was about to leave for work as usual. Olivia walked her to the verandah and said, “Have a nice day, Mom.”
“And you too. Take care of yourself. Remember, no stressing activities.”
“I got it, Mom.”
When Nichole got into her car, she stole a brief look at her before she turned on her ignition and waved at her.
‘Is this girl truly pregnant? What was Freya talking about?’ She thought and drove off.
She could not do otherwise since her son had not mentioned that his would-be wife was pregnant, and she respected his privacy.
As Olivia and Denise had agreed, he decided to meet her before lunch, which he did intentionally. He wanted to maintain his principle of intimacy only after the wedding. Olivia, who had been expecting him, jumped to her feet when she heard the doorbell sound.
(Ding.)
She opened the door, ran into his arm,, and said, “Welcome, honey.”
“I have been expecting you,” she said after releasing him.
“Thank you, my Angel. I’m here.”
They walked back to the parlor and sat on the couch, and Olivia sat beside him.
“Welcome. I prepared lunch for you by myself.”
Denise turned, gave her an affectionate look, and appreciated her, “That is wonderful. Thank you so much.”
Likewise, he drew her closer and whispered, “I will appreciate you properly after our wedding.”
She laughed loudly and said shyly, “I can’t wait. It is like the day is standing still?”
“Don’t worry. Just fourteen days from now, the world will hear our wedding bell.”
“It is all right dear.”
“Can we call your parents now?”
“Yes. They are waiting. I spoke with them a few minutes before your arrival.”
“That is good. Kindly call them,” Denise requested.
Right then, he was looking agitated. Olivia noticed it and remarked, “You look flustered.”
Denise admitted, “Yes. I think my Mom and Father should do that.”
Olivia showed concern and urged him, “I understand. But it is nothing serious. You will only introduce yourself and wait for their reactions. Mom and Father will talk to them later.”
With her words, Denise was encouraged, and requested, “Go ahead and call them. I will do just as you said.”
Olivia called her parents while Denise looked on. The call connected at once, and Olivia spoke, “Hello, Mom.”
“Olivia, how are you? Is your husband to be with you?”
Denise smiled when he knew that he was recognized by her family.
“Yes, Mom. Speak with him,” Olivia said and handed the phone over to Denise.
He collected it and looked into her eyes before he greeted her, “Hello, Mrs. McGregor. It is nice to meet you.”
“Hello, Son. How are you?”
“I am fine, Mom. And you?”
“I’m fine. Olivia had told me about you. Thank you for being by her side when she had a crisis.
“Don’t mention Mom. I’m glad to be of assistance.”
“Kindly thank your mother for harboring her.”
“I will do that, Mom. The wedding is in two weeks. We will be glad to have you.”
“Certainty. Kindly speak with my husband.”
Denise gladly spoke with Mr. McGregor for a few minutes and the call ended. Olivia, who was exhilarated, hugged him afterward.
“You are my hero, Denise. My parents accepted you without meeting you. You have a good heart.”
“You are my Angel. You cleared and lit up the path for me. That was why I did not stumble. Thank you, my Angel.”
Olivia smiled and acknowledged his praise. “Thank you for the compliment. It is time for lunch. Kindly wait for me.”
“It is all right.”
Olivia walked to the kitchen and returned to the dinner table after some time. After setting the meal, she announced, “You can come over. Lunch is ready.”
Denise walked over to the dinner table. He looked at the beautiful food before him and smiled before he remarked, “I’m honored to have you. Thank you so much.”
“You are welcome, my dear,” she said and they began to eat. As expected, they chatted over many things.
“What about your wedding accessories, have they arrived?”
“Not yet. Auntie Freya said they would arrive tomorrow.”
“That is good.”
“What about you? Are your wears ready?”
“Almost.”
“That is okay. By the way, what color of suit will you put on?”
“I have not decided. Do you have any color in mind.?” He asked and locked eyes with her.
When she did not answer his question, he continued, “Left for me, I will love white. It had always been my idea of a wedding suit.”
“That is my favorite color, too. We will appear on white that day.”
“Yeah. It will be astonishing.”
Before she could respond, he got Louis’s message.
At Cairo, Egypt.
Louis and his team arrived at Cairo after five hours for the International Property Exhibition, which would commence the next day. He ensured that all his team members were comfortable before he began to send messages to his family members, informing them that he had arrived safely. Denise got his message while he was with Olivia.
(Hello big brother. Our trip was fine. I will call you later.)
(Good to hear that. I’m with Angel, would you like to speak with her?)
(No. I need to settle some issues right away. I will speak with her later.)
(It is OK. Take care of yourself.)
The next day, the exhibition began. He was at the opening ceremony, where they met with investors and buyers of properties. During the break, he excused himself to look for Olivia’s parents at the Missionary Camps, but his search for them was futile.
“I will continue tomorrow. Nothing is too much for my Olivia,” he said to himself.
The Following Week. The Airport.
Arthur went to the airport to pick Julie up. Meanwhile, she had returned from her base with wedding accessories of different sizes as Freya instructed her.
“Father,” she screamed when she saw her father.
He opened his arms to her for an embrace and she ran into them.
“Welcome back, Julie. I hope your trip was not stressful?” he greeted her
“Not at all, Father. My trip was fine.”
“That is good. Let’s go.”
“It is all right, Father. How is mom?”
“Your Mom is fine.”
They got back to the Bailey Native Home after an hour’s drive.
At Nichole’s Apartment.
When the news of Julie’s arrival got to Freya, she came around to see her with her son whom she just picked up from school. She visited her mother’s apartment to say hello to her, but she had some issues to discuss with her.
“Freya,” she called her to her bedroom before she began to interrogate her.
“Yes, Mom.”
“How did you get the notion that Angel is pregnant?”
Freya explained all that she knew about the story and reminisced the words of her doctor;
(“Mrs. Anderson, there is no cause for alarm. Everything is under control. She needs a lot of rest and ensure that she takes her drugs. Let her eat more fruits and vegetables. When you get home now, give her a warm beverage and let her take a warm bath.)
After her explanation, her mother made clear, “The fact that the doctor said that there was no cause for alarm does not mean that she is pregnant. She had been with me for three weeks now. I have not seen her show signs of pregnancy.”
“You may be right, Mom. I have observed her myself and had been wondering.”
“If Denise had slept with her, why would he allow her to be here?”
“It is all right, Mom. Whether she is pregnant or not, she will be married to Denise in the coming week.”
“Nothing changes that. Let us go and see Julie,” Nichole said.
They got out of the bedroom, got Olivia, and left for Arthur’s Apartment. Olivia, who was putting on tight jeggings and a turtleneck top that complimented her figure eight shapes, was walking leisurely and happily teasing Daniel.
“Daniel, you will try the clothes that you will put on the day you will write on my wedding page.”
Freya and Mrs. Bailey laughed at her joke. They exchanged glances and Freya nodded her head in rejection.
‘She is not pregnant.’
Mrs. Bailey concurred. Soon, they got to Arthur’s Apartment and an epiphany took place.