Stay (Topp Dogg) {Published on Amazon}

Part 18

Tuesday

"Hyein, will you marry me?" I didn't know what to say. I felt rushed. I've only known Kidoh for two weeks. Who proposes within the time period of two weeks? Well Romeo did, but that's a fictional character and way beyond the point.

"Kidoh, I don't know what to say." The air was sucked out of me. Two proposals in such a short time. I thought I would be dating Kidoh, not marrying him.

"Take all the time you need to think about it. I'm not moving from this position until I get a yes or no answer," he said, not budging from his position.

I kept eye contact with him and continued thinking about it. Kidoh can take care of me. He has the money to keep me safe. Kidoh is intelligent. He already has a job. He actually cares about me.

I closed my eyes and breathed for a few more moments. When I opened them, there he was, still on one knee, holding up the ring.

I nodded my head. "Yes, I'll marry you." A smile appeared on both of our faces. There were cheers and whoops from the crowd around us.

Kidoh scooped me out of my chair and spun me around. "Hold out your hand. I want to put the ring on," he whispered to me.

I held my hand out and he slid the ring onto my ring finger. It was a perfect fit. Excitement swirled and swam through my blood. My good mood couldn't be taken away. I'm happy.

*****
Friday

Three days later, Kidoh called Xero to his father's house. Their father was as close to death he could possibly get without actually being dead.

Xero drove to my house and pounded on my door at midnight. I ran downstairs and opened the door. At the sight of seeing him stand there with tears streaming down his face, I fell too. I felt his pain. The feeling of losing someone close to you, it bites. It's not just a little bite either. It leaves marks and scars that stay forever.

Xero asked me to come to his father's house with him. He didn't want to be there with only his step mother, Kidoh, and dying father. He wanted me to be there too.

I didn't even take the time to think about it. I was in his car, holding his hand to comfort him as he drove. My eye was blinking like crazy, but I didn't care and neither did he.

By the time we arrived at the house and took two steps in, Xero fell to his knees. The house was huge and of all the places to let their dying father sleep, the front living room was where they put him. So as soon as Xero walked through the door, he met his dying father's gaze.

I fell down with Xero and comforted him. I started to click my tongue and sniff. It was difficult to get what I wanted to say out, but I managed. "Go . . . Say . . . Goodbye." I whispered into his ear.

Xero nodded his head and got up on his feet. He struggled to put a smile on his face, but it appeared. His father smiled at Xero.

It was such a beautiful moment, I had to get myself out of the picture. I sat down on the couch and watched the three men talk to one another.

Their father reached out to hold their hands. He coughed a few times, but made it through. Kidoh and Xero stood on one side of the bed and stared down at him.

"My boys, I love you both so much. I raised you both the right way." The boys both smiled and nodded. "Yes, you did, Dad," Xero said.

Their father directed his attention to Xero. "I love you Xero. You may not be my biological son, but I'm so happy I took you in. That house fire may have been a horrible thing, but in the same sense, it was a great thing. That fire brought me to you in a way. Don't ever forget that Kidoh is your brother."