WELCOME TO SAN FRANCISCO

        "Good morning, Mr Kings," the cop greeted. 

        "Good morning, detective." 

        "I am calling with regards to the ongoing investigation, this man that stab you was found stalking another couple yesterday on camera." 

       "What?!" 

      "Yes, it was the wife who noticed him and before she could get to the police, he disappeared." 

     "This is serious," Danny said glancing over at the faces that were staring eagerly at him. 

       "From our investigations, we realized that this is not a personal case, this guy seems to be a psycho and just stalks people for no reason at all. Stabbing you was because he didn't want you to see his face. But my team are working tirelessly to find him out and bring him in for questioning."

      "So, what am I supposed to do?" 

      "I called because you were going to have a wedding before this." 

       "Yes." 

      "You can go ahead with your wedding, sorry for the inconvenience." 

        "Really?!" 

        "Although, you might want to put up a little security there." 

        "Alright, alright, I'll do that," Danny said excitedly. He hung up and looked at his friends, smiling. 

       "Well?" Nora inquired. 

     Danny looked from one person to the other and they stared curiously at him.  "Well, there is going to be a wedding!" 

       "Get out!" Nora exclaimed and gasped. 

       "Yes, and I'm wasting no time this time." 

      "Oh, my God, this is real?!" Nora asked in disbelief. 

      "So real, babe." 

       "Congrats," Faith and Ethan said. 

       "But what about this guy that stabbed you?" 

       "He was caught on camera, stalking another couple." 

       "What?!" they all chorused.

       "It's habitual for him and has nothing to do with our wedding. So voila, Nora. We are having our wedding next week or when do you think?" 

        "Next weekend is perfect." 

       "Next weekend then. We need to go home and prepare for our wedding," Danny said. 

       "I think this calls for a celebration, doesn't it?" Ethan asked. 

       "Of course, it does." 

      "The next time we would do this kind of thing, I want us to be complete, I want Axel, I want Camelia, I want Charlie," Faith said. 

       "Aye, ma!" Ethan chirped in. 

       "Oh, Charlie!" Nora said.  "I'm going to go break to him!" 

       That morning, they had a lot of fun, they shared drinks at that breakfast table, they sang and danced, then they played tag again on the shore, they swam and played charades games and there was so much laughter. 

       Noah finished the wine in his glass. His house was in a mess, cigarettes littered around, empty bottles and empty takeaways scattered here and there. He smiled at himself and felt so smug about what he had done. He had just found out that Danny and Nora cancelled their wedding because of what happened between Danny and him. Why would they even do that? It was at their wedding he wanted to carry out what was in his mind. 

       He had to give the police another lead so that Danny and Nora would have their wedding, where Faith and Ethan would also be present. He laughed out loud and hard. He was waiting for them and their wedding. He was going to find out when they fixed their wedding too. He would make sure Faith's and Ethan's wedding wouldn't hold. He laughed some more. They were all nothing but his pawn now. 

    Ethan came down from the jet, holding Faith's hand the next day. They had all left the beach house early the next morning and in a few hours, they had arrived in San Francisco. Tyler and other bodyguards were there as well waiting. Ethan and Faith came down from the plane. 

       "Welcome back, sir, welcome to San Francisco, ma'am," Tyler said as they approached him. 

      "It's Faith please." 

       "This way, please," Tyler said and led them to a black Rolls Royce Cullinan. 

      The other bodyguards followed them, some bringing their baggage.

     "What of my mother?" Ethan asked once they have entered the car. 

       "She had gone back home." 

        "Right. I will just go see mom and go over to the office. I want to hold a meeting with all the board members and make sure everyone is there. Do they know that I am coming back?" 

       "No, I didn't inform anyone about your arrival." 

        "Perfect." He slipped his hand into Faith's and smiled at her. 

         "Is it going to be alright?" she whispered. 

         "Yes. I'm sorry that you have to undergo this scrutiny because of me." 

       Faith inhaled. "That day Dr Adriana said something about you carrying a lot of families on your shoulders, having so much responsibility, that was the day I made a vow to myself that I am going to support you in any way that I can. I have thought about it, my clients might be confused, but I have decided to move to San Francisco with you until the LA project is complete."

     A smile broke out on Ethan's face. "Really?" 

     "Wherever you go, I shall go, your people shall be my people, your God shall be my God." 

       "They laughed. 

     "Really? I see someone knows her Bible verses well You really mean them?" 

     Faith chuckled.  "Yes, except for the God part." 

      "You still don't believe in God?" 

       "I don't even know, I'm confused, I don't know what to believe, but right now, I believe we are here together and that's all that matters." 

      He lean closer and kissed her. She placed her head on his shoulders. Her heart kept pounding, she was nervous about meeting those people, the uncles cum board members, standing in front of them, she felt she was getting too exposed. She thought of Ethan's family. She had met his mom, but it was different meeting them in their home, she wondered what his sisters would be like, kind, scornful, bratty rich kids, not-my-league girls or playful. 

      How was she going to act? What was she going to say to them? Nora had told her to act like herself. She shouldn't try to be what she wasn't or try to overreact. She kept gasping in huge amounts of air, making sure Ethan doesn't notice. 

     In a few minutes, they pulled up in his family house. Ethan's mother and sisters were standing there in the compound, waiting for them. 

      "Tyler, tell the men to take our luggage to my house and tell Sandra to please make the house ready for us," Ethan said. 

     "Yes, sir." 

      "Please do that over the phone, we would go to the office tomorrow." 

       "Alright." 

      Ethan turned to Faith and kissed her forehead. "Seat here let me open the door for you." 

     Faith smiled and nodded. Ethan got down from the car and Faith watched him as he went and hugged his mother and sister. She huffed and placed her hand on her chest, trying to calm her nerves, then she caught Tyler's eyes from the rare view mirror. He removed his eyes immediately. 

      "You don't need to be nervous, they are the nicest people you would ever meet and they have been waiting for you," Tyler said, without looking at her. 

      Faith smiled. "Thank you, Tyler." 

      "You are welcome." 

    If Faith was asked why she felt that way, she wouldn't be able to say. She was supposed to be confident, she had her own money, and she was an independent woman, so it's not like Ethan picked her up and cleaned her up. She wasn't supposed to be thinking if she was in their league or not. Ethan came over and open the door for her and held it open for her. 

      "Let me unveil my beautiful angel," he said as he held the door open for her. 

    Faith wore her shades, it would make her feel more confident. She slowly stepped out of the car and looked at the three women that were standing, waiting for her to come door. She smiled at them. 

      "Oh, my God, she is pretty!" Ethan's sisters exclaimed as Ethan took her hand and walked toward them. 

    When she stood face to face with them she removed her shades and smiled at them. 

      "I must say you are prettier in person," Fiona said. 

        "Thank you and you are gorgeous yourself," Faith replied. 

       "I told you all. Come here my dear," Ethan's mother spread her arms for a hug. 

     Faith marvelled at how easy it was going, she didn't even have to say anything. She hugged Ethan's mother.  "Mom, you look so fabulous today." 

     The woman beamed with smiles.  "I know right? Thank you, dearest." 

      "Pardon my manners, how is your health? Ethan told me you got sick."

        Dolores waved it away.  "It was a minor thing, I'm alright now." 

       "I'm glad to hear that." 

    Ethan's sister hugged her and they exchanged kisses one after the other.

       "Alright, let's go in now. I prepared a sumptuous meal for you." 

      "Oh, no mom, I'm sorry mom. We would come back, we have to get to the office first." 

       "What? You can't come to my house and not eat, come on." 

       "Mom, I have to be in the office like right now." 

      "Come on, Ethan, I'm sure a few minutes' breakfasts won't kill us, besides I'm famished." 

      Ethan stared at her and then looked at his mother and sisters. "Alright, few minutes." 

       "Oh, my God, he listens to her," Flora commented. 

       "That's how it should be," Dolores said. 

     They all started inside the house, Ethan turned to Tyler and signalled him to wait for him to give him another piece of information. 

        "Uhm.. .is Tyler not hungry?" Faith asked as they stepped on the porch. 

        "Of course, he is," Dolores said, turning and beckoned on Tyler to come inside with them.