The dinner wasn't as awkward as she expected it to be. Once the business aspect was over, Kyra got to know Javier and Marina a little bit better. Marina beamed about her family, with Hosea being the top of the list she told stories about her children and their childhood. Kyra laughed at the stories, instantly she felt relief.
She was feeling much better about the entire situation. She noticed that Hosea had built a strong bond with his family, although she barely knew anything about him she respected him deeply. She knew he never asked to be put in this situation, yet he agreed to help her family without knowing much or anything about her. She was still upset that she needed to be married at such a young age, to someone she barely knew nonetheless.
The next day came, Kyra got ready for her first date with Hosea. She was nervous. She wore her favorite pair of denim shorts and a white baby tee, paired with her favorite pair of Dr. Martens. She wasn't even sure what Hosea had planned, but she was only interested in getting a cup of coffee with him. She wanted to talk to him and get to know who she was going to get married to.
Their impending marriage was in two days. Two short days.
"Bebe, are you wearing that?" her mother questioned, staring at her up and down obviously questioning her choice of clothes for the date.
"What's wrong with this now mama?" Kyra sighed, she didn't bring many clothes and there wasn't possibly anything else she could change into. This was her usual style, she dressed comfortably and she didn't care if anyone judged her. She grew into her looks, accepting herself as she was, although sometimes it was a struggle.
"Put your hair down at least bebe. Did you bring any other dresses?" her mother fussed.
"Ayy Kamilla, leave our daughter be. She's beautiful as she is now" her father praised, making Kyra feel slightly better.
"She is just like you Tomas" her mother sighed.
Her parents got into a small banter about the business and the wedding. Kamilla was set to return to China to manage one of their restaurants after the wedding, and Tomas would be accompanying his wife. They would often travel, leaving Kyra with Freddie or Chef Jasmine. She wasn't used to it by now, being alone was something she has grown accustomed to and it became her nature.
The wedding was planned by her mother and her future mother-in-law- Marina. She wasn't planning on taking part, after all, it does not embody any values she had. She never truly dreamt of the wedding of her dreams but she did have some aspects of what she wanted to incorporate in it. Within 48 hours, she would be married, and within 48 hours she would officially be Mrs. Rossi.
Knock knock- Kyra opened the hotel door, to be greeted by her father's lawyer and a few men. She let them in, knowing exactly what they were here for.
"Miss Morello" the familiar lawyer greeted in his suit and tie, the entire team dressed the same and they all had the same look on their faces.
"Jack comes on in," her father yelled from behind her. The group of lawyers came in as per instructed and set their briefcase on the table. Kyra followed suit, she knew it was her time to sign the contracts and the prenup.
As soon as Jack laid all the necessary paperwork on the table, he went on explaining to the family the terms of the contract. It was an easy contract, with no hidden agendas and no hidden clauses that made the deal sly. It was obvious that the Rossi's were genuine people, and they had a great relationship with her family.
The prenuptial agreement held plenty of clauses. It was complicated, but ultimately she signed it. There wasn't much time left and she needed to sign it before she returned to Phoenix in the evening. It was a pretty standard prenup according to her lawyer, however, it had clauses like;
If she was fertile, they would need to try to produce an heir for the Rossi family.
There would be no request for divorcing from either party; and if Kyra Tatiana Morello would request for the divorce, the contract between Javier Rossi and Tomas Morello would be void and the above party, Kyra Tatiana Morello would bear the cost-plus sum of interest.
There were more clauses within it, but those were the two things that stuck out to her the most. She knew that no matter what she was trapped in this upcoming marriage. She never considered getting a divorce, her mind was too clouded by Isaiah. She contemplated telling him, she wanted to tell someone, she wanted someone that wouldn't judge her. Isaiah never judged her, not that she realized anyways.
She realized that she needed to give them grandchildren, that was something she hadn't thought about. It hasn't remotely crossed her mind, to be honest. She was nervous about it all.
She signed the prenup and the contract, on every page and every dotted line. Kyra felt like she was signing her life away. To an extent she was.
Kyra went down to the lobby, she waited for Hosea to pick her up. She didn't have his number so she wouldn't know if he was here or if they missed each other, her mind went back to Isaiah and the prenup. She was stuck, she knew there was no way out especially after she signed it. She hoped that this entire ordeal was just a bad dream or nightmare that she hadn't woke up from.
Buzz buzz- Kyra pulled out her phone from her pocket as she felt the vibrations. Looking at the caller ID she smiled, probably the first genuine smile of the day.
"Hey" she answered
"Hey baby" he called, her heart fluttered. She looked around to see if Hosea was there, people were crowding the lobby. Many checking in and checking out, she looked at the clock behind the reception desk and it read 11.11 am.
"What's up?" she asked, biting her lower lip. She couldn't help it but get butterflies whenever she was around him.
"I'm coming back tonight. Missed seeing you for the past week, maybe we could meet up tomorrow?" he asked
"Yeah," Kyra said sadly. She was excited to see Isaiah, she wouldn't deny it however it was also the last day she was single.
"Is everything okay?" he asked, sensing the sadness in her voice. She hesitated to answer, in that instant she saw a familiar figure walking through the lobby doors. She sighed, she knew that it was time for her first date.
Her first date ever nevertheless.
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," she said and hung up, tucking her phone away. This was the first time she ever hung up on anyone, let alone the person she had feelings for. Kyra made her way to Hosea who instantly spotted her. She felt nervous, she didn't know why but she felt nervous.
Hosea was dressed casually, she silently thanked God that he wasn't in a suit. It was awkward enough that they were to be wed in 48 hours.
"Hey" he greeted, leaning down to kiss her cheeks. She reciprocated the act, reminding herself that she would be kissing him as a husband soon enough.
"Where are we going?" she asked
"I was thinking that maybe we could just sit at a cafe and get to know each other," he said. She sighed a sigh of relief, she wasn't ready for anything else. Kyra was extremely glad about his suggestion, she nodded her head.
Hosea let Kyra out of the hotel, a car was waiting for them. He opened the car door for her, allowing her to enter before getting into the other side of the car. He was chivalrous, she made a mental note. The driver took them to a cafe not too far from the hotel, Kyra looked out as the car drove by just taking in the scenery before heading back to Phoenix.
Sitting in the cafe, it was a normal cafe just like any other she would visit in California or Phoenix. The cafe wasn't as packed as she would've expected but she was thankful, it meant they had more privacy. He stared at her as he placed down her order of iced chocolate, she tucked her curls behind remembering exactly why she hated her hair down.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, thankful that he was making the first move. Taking a sip out of her ice-cold beverage, she studied his facial expressions. He was good-looking, but she couldn't read him. His face didn't hold many expressions, her mind began to wonder why was he still single? She cleared her throat and answered;
"I'm nervous and scared, to be honest with you"
"Why?" he asked as if it was an unknown situation. She sighed as he watched her movements, he observed her.
"Tell me about yourself," she asked, she needed a distraction and she needed to get to know him. Killing two birds with one stone.
"What do you want to know?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. She observed his facial expression, he has a great poker face that was hard to read.
"Full name? Age? What do you do?" she rushed
"Hosea Alexi Rossi, 31, and I run multiple businesses; from my winery to my father investments to my own properties". He was 9 years older than her, she wouldn't have thought he was in his thirties rather in his late twenties. Maybe twenty-eight, she thought. "Your turn" he concluded
"Kyra Tatiana Morello, 22, and I graduated a few days ago"
They asked a few more questions, back and forth. Hosea was interested in winemaking thus owning a winery, and his main source of income was from his winery and profiting from the properties he bought. He doesn't deal much with his father's business, more focussed on his own. He seemed confident, not cocky as she was expecting. To be honest, she didn't know what to expect. It was an unusual situation.
She opened up to him a little, she told her about her dreams of becoming an architect. She expressed what she loved and she found out his love. He enjoyed cars, although it was his passion he doesn't own the ones he wants. He would rather invest in his business than himself. The more she got to know him, her nerves started to fade away.
"After all this, where would I be staying?" she asked. She knew she couldn't stay in her home, with the prenup she signed she knew she had to make an effort to be his wife. She owed him that much to try.
"Where would you like to stay?" he asked amused by her question
"I don't have much of an option, Hosea", she said his name. It sounded foreign on her tongue. He leaned forward, folding his arms on the table staring at her, obviously trying to read her. She suspected he had trouble reading her as well. It was a unique situation and they were both victims of their parent's actions. They were simply following orders.
"The house I live in is in Napa, Cali. I'm there most of the time, and once we're...." his voice trailed, unable to say the words. She knew then it was hard on him too, she felt horrible for her family's misfortune causing this to happen upon him. "You can shift in with me, my housekeeper is cleaning out some closet space, and you can shift into the master room with me. I won't pressure you into something you don't want to" she knew exactly what he was referring to. "Thank you" she expressed, eyes tearing up feeling upset again
"What we do on our own time, does not involve our parents" he assured her. She nodded her head. "Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked, changing the topic
"No, I've never had a boyfriend" she answered, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks, she blushed. He nodded away as if lost in his own train of thoughts.
"Why did you agree to this?" she asked, his face changed. It was hard, she could see the shift of emotion in his face, just for a few moments before returning back to his usual poker face, he answered;
"I was once in love, and the love of my life died. I swore to her I would never betray her, so I will never marry someone for love. And I never planned on ever getting married"