A test of Love - Navaura Campbell (best management books of all time .txt) 📗

I have family up there." She stated.
"Do you?"
"Yes, Tammy and Oris Walker."
"Oh, ok. My mom and dad lived up there till I was two and then my dad moved out to Oregon while my mom stayed till she met my step dad and remarried."
Addie sighed, "My parents were married during their entire lives."
Jordan cleared his throat softly and thought to himself. It was a good thing she could hold a conversation with Addie without getting irritated, because most people couldn't.
"How old are you, Denise?"
This question came from his uncle Arlyn. Arlyn glanced at Denise with cautious, yet curious eyes.
"I'm twenty."
"Are you interested in marrying my nephew?" His Irish accent was so thick with the word Marrying, the sarcasm couldn't be missed in his tone.
Denise turned her gaze over to him, her eyes finding his. "If he asks me to marry him, I won't say no."
This caused his Aunt Marissa to jump in, "So, how long have you two been dating?"
Jordan, who's face was already a bright shade of red, answered. " Five months."
"You've only known each other for five months, and already you are ready for marriage?" Disbelief came from his uncle Dezmund.
A laugh was heard as Lasaire, who'd been chopping up carrots since Denise's entrance, took her chopping board to the pot, to dump them inside said, "They've known each other for five years dad."
Dezmund stared at the two with a new interest. "You've known each other for five years and are just now starting to date?"
This caused Jordan's cheeks to become even redder. "No, Uncle Dezmund."
"We dated in high school too." Denise whispered, her tone so quiet, the words were almost missed.
Grandma Leigha cleared her throat. "Oh really?"
Elliot turned to Denise surprised, "How did you put up with him back then?"
Jordan hissed at him, "Mind your own business brat, you weren't around then."
Elliot smirked at him. Jordan stared across the table from him.
"They were in love in high-school." Lasaire stated, her expression dreamy.
"Lasaire, do you necessarily have to tell our business?" Jordan inquired, already fuming. He had wanted to keep that bit of information private. He had wanted to see how well his family had taken to her first.
Lasaire looked up at him, "Oh come on, Jay, why hide it? You were in love then and from the looks of things still are." Her tone was firm, scolding toward her cousin consuming need for secrecy.
"You were in love with her?" His uncle's Arlyn's tone caused everyone at the table to turn and stare with raised brows. His tone was incredulous mixed with disgust. Denise raised both brows, feeling a sadness come over her.
"Arlyn!" His mother scolded him.
"Don't act like everything is peachy kean mum, you know that Jordan's supposed to marry within the culture. If he wants to have a little fun and dabble, there's nothing wrong with that, but marry her? Her?
Denise swallowed, suddenly angry. Feeling a heated warmth come over her, she turned around and excused herself from the room. She went past the living room and to the front door. After hearing it open and close, Jordan turned to his uncle. "Why did you say that in front of her?"
His uncle shrugged, "It's true. You both come from different backgrounds. What could you possibly want with one another? What could there be between the two of you?"
"You accepted Addie and she's not Irish."
"Addie could pass for Irish. That girl out there couldn't. Not in a million years."
"Should it matter whether or not Denise is Irish?"
"It's tradition Jordan, you're breaking tradition."
"Tradition? Uncle Arlyn, dad didn't marry an Irish girl, he married an American girl."
"Who could still pass if she needed to."
Jordan narrowed his eyes, "You're saying that Denise isn't good enough to be in this family because her skin is dark?"
"She's a negro, in case you haven't noticed."
"I know what color she is, but her ethnicity shouldn't have anything to do with her being a part of this family."
"So, you are planning to marry her?" This question came from his uncle Dezmund, who had a bemused expression over his features.
"In the future yes. I know what it's like to be a part from her and I don't want that to happen again." He stated, his tone sure.
"Aww, that's sweet." Addie put in, cradling her arm inside her husband's.
"I love her uncle Arlyn, I love her alot and I don't want to let her go. I've been there, done that and believe me, it's not fun."
His uncle Arlyn stared at him with contempt. "She's not even half Irish. She has none of our blood in her. She's probably not even familiar with our culture."
Jordan rolled his eyes, "She knows alot about Ireland uncle. She's studying to become a historian." He stated in Denise's defense.
"What ever lad. I do know that if you do happen to marry her, don't count on me to come to the wedding. It's an abomination!" His accent was thick as he spoke these words, his tone feverish with passion.
Jordan, who's face had become a beet red with anger, shouted out to him, "I don't care, don't come. I love her and I want to be with her. It doesn't matter if she's brown, purple, black, yellow or white. She's still a human being and she deserves to be treated like one." Turning his attention to everyone else, he said, his tone a lot calmer, but still raging with anger. "If anyone else feels that way, I'll be happy to scratch your name off the list too."
With that, he got up and left the kitchen. He had to go find Denise and apologize for his uncle's behavior.
When he was gone, Lasaire glanced over at her father's brother and said, "She's a sweet girl, uncle. She may not be Irish by any means, but it doesn't mean she's not human. She's the one he chose. At least you could try to be happy for him, even if you disagree with his choice of heart."

Jordan walked out of the house, just as Denise had reached the corner of the house. Calling out her name, he watched as she stilled. Going over to her, he wrapped her in a hug and apologized for his uncle's behavior.
"Jordan, perhaps my coming was not such a good idea."
"Shh, don't say that De-De. Uncle's Arlyn always held pride in being Irish and knowing alot about our culture."
"But that doesn't give him the reason to push me out because he feels I'm unfit to be apart of your family, be a part of you." She whispered, her head pushed into broad shoulders.
"I agree with you. It shouldn't matter what cultural back ground you come from. If I've chosen to love you then he should accept it, not bash it."
"I can't believe he said that you could fool around with me but that's it." Denise stated, her tone filled with acid.
"I don't even know why that popped up in his head." Jordan whispered. "I wouldn't do that, couldn't."
"I know."
"I love you, Denise. It doesn't matter if I should or shouldn't. I do."
"I love you too, Jordan." Denise stated, feeling the pain ease a bit. She pulled her head up from his shoulder. He ran a hand over her cheek, wiping away the tears there. "I'm going to marry you, Denise. Regardless of what he thinks, I'm still going to be with you."
"Awww, thanks." She smiled up at him.
"No objections?" He teased, shocked that she hadn't disputed the marriage part as she had two years ago.
Denise shook her head, "Not this time around."
"What changed that?"
"I grew up."
Jordan inhaled sharply. "Good, Denise Calloway, very good."
Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Two:
By the time thanksgiving dinner began, everyone who'd been invited was sitting down at the table. Denise and Jordan both found out that Addie's sister, Marrian and her husband Zachary along with Lasaire's fiancee, Kyle came up from the Den. They'd been downstairs the whole time watching thanksgiving football. Denise was astonished that Marrian seemed to know more about football than her husband did.
"Alright everyone, it's time to eat. Jordan, would you do the honor of saying grace?" his grandmother inquired. Jordan cleared his throat and said grace.
After dinner, there was a game taken out of the closet. Of a list that included charades, monopoly and twister among other choices, the game family feud was chosen. Teams were chosen and Jordan and Denise found themselves on opposing sides. The girls against the guys, with Grandma reading off the categories.

Halfway into the game, the guys leading and a lot of laughter going around the living room, Grandma called out a category that Denise happen to know by heart.
"Name the parts of a paragraph."
This caused everyone to laugh, because other than Mel and his brother, everyone knew this one by heart. Denise smaked her hand on the buzzer that just happened to be provided for her group. "There's the introduction, the body and then the conclusion."
The guys all laughed at her enthusiasm. "Good grief, Denise, you weren't taking any ponders on that one was you?"
This question came from Lasaire, who'd propped herself up against the couch located behind the girls side of the coffee table the game sat on.
Denise laughed, "Sorry."
"It's cool, just relax." This came from Elliot.
Denise smiled at him, "Ok." With that, she took a deep breath and then exhaled. This caused Jordan to laugh. Denise glanced over at him.
"What's so funny?"
"It's just a game, De-De, not a final or something."
Denise rolled her eyes, a very stressful game."
Lasaire raised a brow. "Stressful?"
"Stressful, you know to be...
"I know what stressful is, but I can't believe you said the game is that way. What's so hard about it?"
Denise just smiled secretly and said, "You'll never know."
Both Jordan and Elliot raised their brows, "Ok." They spoke in unison.
"Anyway." Lasaire stated, clapping her hands together. "Who wants desert?"

Later that night, Leigha Williams went into her son's room. Arlyn was seated at his desk, going over a coin collection he'd had since he was a boy.
"Do you remember when your father first gave you that collector, Arlyn?"
"Yes, mum." Arlyn stated, staring at the images through his magnifier.
"You were nine years old at the time."
"We were living in Ireland back then."
"You know what I never understood, Arlyn?"
"What mother?"
"Why you didn't just return to our homeland when you became old enough. Surely we could've sent you back."
Arlyn cleared his throat, turning a page. "I didn't want the rest of our family to not know our culture, to not embrace it as we have."
"I'm told that Jordan's girlfriend, Denise, likes history."
At the mention of the girl, Arlyn's jaw tensed up. "She's not a part of this family."
"She will be when she and Jordan get married."
"No she won't. She'll never be a Williams of Connacht."
"She will if she marry into this family, Arlyn."
"I don't have to accept her, mum. I won't."
"Why not?"
"She doesn't have any of our blood running through her."
"What if they have kids?"
"The kids will be bastards." He spat out. Turning to gaze at his mother, he said, "Surely he doesn't intend to mate with her either."
"Arlyn Williams, that is not excusable in this house and you know it. I will not tolerate you saying such things about Jordan's guest. He loves her."
"You don't know that mother." He stated. "He's just offended because we insulted his pick."
"I can see