Chapter 6

"When we get married…"

"We"re getting married?" Billye asked.

"Yes, we are."

"Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem. So, like I was saying, when we get married, where do you want to live?"

It had been a month since we buried Owen. We sent him away in grand fashion. Some old NBA teammates came to the funeral and told hilarious stories about Owen. My entire family made the trek for the funeral.

I kept my eyes on them while I delivered my speech about my best friend. It was a tough experience, but I know Owen would be proud of how it all turned out.

Billye didn"t leave my side and was my rock through the entire process. She was sweet and meek at some points and mean and threatening at others. It was the perfect balance, and I appreciated her.

Kennedy, Lisa and Ms. Tuni seemed to be getting better with each week that passed. I missed my friend tremendously, but I knew life had to continue without him.

My family"s life continued on as well. Jabez"s basketball team won the State Championship. He put up an impressive number of points, which added to the frenzy of colleges trying to sign him.

At his press conference on national signing day, I stood behind him while his parents and brother sat at the table with him. He proudly donned the Joren Hensley hat. I was proud he would continue the family"s legacy at the University. I was equally proud that he was following his dreams. It was a good day for the family.

My relationship with Billye had grown and developed into an essential part of my life. I didn"t know how I functioned without her. My family adored her, especially Izzy. Anytime she was around, he didn"t want anyone else to hold him. He was an intelligent kid.

Billye"s mother and grandmother welcomed me with open arms. My prior friendship with Ms. Antonia helped. She knew me and knew my character.

"I hadn"t put a ton of thought into where we will live because you haven"t asked me," Billye said.

"I"m going to ask you."

I knew Billye was my wife, and I planned on proposing to her. I just didn"t know when.

"Well, in that case, I don"t really care. I"m not married to this condo. It was more of an investment than anything. I don"t want to move into yours, though. Mine is still better," Billye said.

She and I were sitting on the balcony of her bedroom, watching the sunset over the waterfall. I could watch the event every day and never get tired of it.

"We can build a house or have Lee find us something to renovate. I just want the kids to have some grass to run through. I don"t want to raise them in a condo."

"We"re having kids too?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"As many as you"ll give me. You said you wanted at least one little Couture, correct?"

"That"s true," Billye said.

"They can"t play on the balcony or the rooftop, so we will have to find something with enough space."

"I agree. I don"t want to have to walk them like an animal. It would be nice for them to have a yard and some grass. Plus, they"ll need at least one dog," Billye said.

"Yeah. I think you should keep this condo and rent it to a corporation for them to use for their clients or whatever. I will sell mine and use the proceeds from the sale to purchase a house."

Billye turned to me and asked, "Are you just talking right now, or are you serious?"

"I"m dead serious."

"What if we don"t do well with marriage. I"ve never had to share my space with someone one hundred percent of the time. I may not be good at it."

"How often have we slept apart since we left Pearl Square?"

Billye thought about her answer. "We haven"t."

"Exactly. I already know you don"t like putting your clothes in the hamper."

"I put my clothes near the hamper, and I"ve gotten better since you complained about it," Billye said.

"You have. I give you that. You already know that I drink out of the orange juice carton."

"Yes, which is a problem."

"I don"t see why. You kiss me every day. It"s the same germs."

"No, it"s not. I don"t want to share my cup, straw, spoon or anything else I put in my mouth with someone else. That includes the orange juice carton."

"I"m working on it," I said.

"Those things are trivial, though. What about finances?" Billye responded.

"What about them? You have more money than I do. I still have great earning potential, but I don"t have generational wealth. I"m creating it, though."

"Does it bother you that I have more?" Billye asked.

"No. It"s still my job to take care of you, your needs and wants."

"What if I want to sign a prenuptial agreement?"

"I would say you"re smart. It"s okay to protect yourself. I don"t think either of our financial consultants would advise us to go into a marriage without protecting our finances."

"That"s not romantic at all," Billye said.

"It"s our lives. It is what it is. I"m not oblivious to how the world works. I know people get divorced every day. I"m not divorcing you. You will be my only wife. So, whatever it takes to make you comfortable with being with me forever, then that"s what I"ll do."

"You still have to ask me, though. This can"t be like our cease-fire. I need a poem or something."

"It will be memorable. I promise."

"I"m hyphenating my name. I don"t want the Couture name to die," Billye said.

"We can hyphenate all the kids" names. That way, it will live on forever. Would you like that?"

"We should probably have a deeper discussion about this "all the kids" statement."

We both laughed.

* * *

Rylan:

Billye has a meeting with Matthew and Kevin in a couple days.

Zechariah:

Yes. I know.

Rylan:

You should attend. It"s at my office.

Zechariah:

It"s that bad?

Rylan:

It's a lot.

Zechariah:

Thanks for the heads-up. I"ll be there.