Second Chances

9- Heaven Must Be Like This

Seven months later...

There were no words to describe how I was feeling at this moment. I was happily married to my soulmate, our beautiful baby girl will be arriving in less than two weeks, and I owned a successful restaurant that was growing more and more every day. I was sitting at my desk in my office going over the weekly sales receipts and placing truck orders for next week when I began to reflect on the major changes I've endured this year.

The grand opening to Mirage was everything that I imagined it to be. It was packed wall to wall with hungry patrons waiting to taste my new menu. I integrated my catering business with my restaurant and built myself one helluva brand. Within a week of our honeymoon, Caleb had flooded Baltimore and all surrounding cities with my flyers and business cards. Once we finalized our move back to the States, I had more than enough catering appointments booked to keep me busy. By opening night, everyone in the Mid-Atlantic area knew my name and knew of my food. Opening night, alone, I sold so much food, we ran out. The Grand Opening was so successful, I decided to have a second one for the people that didn't get a chance to make it past the velvet rope.

While I was upstairs checking on my guests during the second night, out the corner of my eye, I saw Mike walk in, alone. He was dressed in a suit that I bought him for our anniversary a few years back and sported a clean taper fade and smooth face. Something about him was different, and even though I was the one that left, I would be lying if I said we didn't have any good times. I would also be lying if I said that he didn't look good. He looked just as fine as the day I met him.

I was dressed in a tailor-made eggplant suit with a gold blouse, gold stilettos, and gold accessories. I was beginning to show, so everyone that I came in contact with was trying to get info on the baby and where we were registered, but I was trying to get to Mike before he left. I finally broke free from the mom vultures and cascaded down the stairs, and as I got halfway down, I saw Caleb and Mike talking. Caleb had his arms crossed with a stern look on his face, and Mike had his hands in his pockets with a confident look on his face. When he saw me, his eyes twinkled, something I hadn't seen in a long time. Caleb turned to see what he was looking at, and when he saw me, he ran to help me down the remainder of the stairs.

"Careful, bunny! You know you're carrying precious cargo."

"You got that right! Very precious." Caleb placed his hand on the small of my back as I walked up to greet Mike, who was looking at me with a face of disappointment.

"Hi, Mike! Thank you for coming!" I gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the jaw, and he tensed up as he hugged me back.

"Well, I'll let you two catch up. Bunny, I'm going to check on the kitchen then mingle with some guests. It was nice to meet you, Mike. I hope we can do some business together in the future." Caleb kissed me on the forehead, then placed a kiss on my swollen belly. I felt my little one respond to her daddy's love. Caleb then gave Mike a firm handshake and walked away towards the kitchen. It was only when he was fully in the kitchen did I say anything to Mike. Not because I was hiding anything, I was just speechless. He seemed so much mature now than when we were married.

"Wow, Selena. You look fantastic. Caleb is a lucky man." That look of defeat returned.

"Thank you, Mike. That means a lot coming from you. Where's Jasmine? I invited you both." I wasn't being petty, I honestly wanted to see her. I had matured also, and because of the life I was carrying, there was no need to hold on to petty memories. I was looking towards the future.

"Well, um... Jasmine is doing her own thing and I'm doing mine. Now, I'm taking care of my kids, but she just isn't the one for me. I tried to see what the hell I was thinking with messing with her in the first place, but now I'm reminded of why I didn't fool with her that much after high school. She can get on your damn nerves." He laughed and showed his beautiful smile, and for the first time since I stepped up, he relaxed.