“Okay. You two have a good night.”
“You and mom, too.”
He ended the call and strolled to the hallway, their eyes landing on each other immediately.
“I’m sorry.” DeAndre strolled to Avery. “I never meant to discredit or hurt you, nor would I want to discourage you. I was wrong.”
Avery sighed, tilting her head. “You didn’t want me to hurt myself.”
“It’s no excuse to toss your desires to the side. I’m reminded that I have a hero complex, and it’s wack—even if I feel in my heart it’s for your good. You’re a grown woman. You can make your own choices. I apologize for standing in your way. It’ll never happen again.”
Avery blushed. “I didn’t even get a chance to go off.”
They laughed, and DeAndre drew her into his chest. “I never want you to. That would break my heart for sure.”
Avery twisted her lips. “You know I wouldn’t want that, so I’ll remind myself if we ever have a disagreement again. I’m pretty good about thinking before I act, so we’ll see.” She glanced around them. “These roses are for me?”
The hallway was trailed with rose petals and tall vases of long-stem roses on both sides of the corridor.
“Who else would they be for, beautiful?”
She rested her head on his chest, and he tightened his arms around her, kissing against her temple as they stood steady.
“What did I ever do to deserve you?”
“Fate brought us together. I was meant for you as you were created for me.”
She lifted her eyes to his. “I know you believe that.”
“Wholeheartedly.”
“Then you won't be upset when I say I made plans to take the classes today?”
DeAndre smirked. “You already told me you were taking the classes last night?”
“Yeah, but I was mad, too.”
“Did you do it out of spite or because your heart told you to?”
“The latter.”
“Then we’re still good.”
She exhaled a deep breath. “I hope our marriage is always this way. Understanding. Hearing one another and learning to resolve problems without disrespecting each other or worse.”
DeAndre frowned. “What could be worse than disrespecting each other?”
“Leaving and not coming back. Spending the night away…. Cheating.”
“None of those things would ever happen.”
She shrugged. “I’ve seen some things in my years as the owner of WTZB. You’d be surprised the lengths couples would go to spite each other.”
“You and I are not couples. We’re DeAndre and Avery Valentine. We’ll keep our eyes on our marriage and no one else’s.” He paused. “Well, except for my parents. I think that’s a good idea.”
“You would be right.”
They laughed. “I’ve made dinner for you.”