My dress had pockets, which was another thing that sold me, and I reached into my right pocket for the wedding bandI’d purchased for Kenzo. While I retrieved his ring, he removed mine from the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
“Kenzo, please place the ring on Malyah’s finger and repeat after me: I, Kenzo, take you, Malyah, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward, as long as we both shall live. I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness.”
“I need you to take that ring off and put it on your other hand,” he said.
I was confused until I noticed he held two rings between his fingers. One of the rings was a diamond wedding band that had more diamonds than I’d ever seen in my life. The other was a solitaire diamond ring that had to be four or five carats, and it looked very familiar.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“You chose the most modest ring in the jewelry store, but I wanted you to have something more.”
“Kenzo—”
“Baby, the judge is waiting.”
I removed the ring we’d picked up a few days ago and put it on the ring finger of my right hand. He took my hand and gently slid on each ring, with the wedding band being the first, and asked Judge Brooks to please repeat what he was required to say. She giggled, but did say the vows again, and Kenzo repeated them.
“Malyah, please place the ring on Kenzo’s finger and repeat after me: I, Malyah, take you, Kenzo, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward, as long as we both shall live. I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness.”
I recited the words as I placed the wedding band on Kenzo’s left ring finger.
“By the authority vested in me by the State of Illinois, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Mr. Goode, you may now kiss your bride.”
Every time Kenzo and I kissed, he left me longing for more. Our eyes locked as he reached up and slipped his hand to the nape of my neck. I anxiously anticipated his lips covering mine, and when they did, fireworks exploded inside me.
For a moment, I’d forgotten we were in a courtroom, and when he didn’t pull away after our tongues went around and around and around again, I figured he’d forgotten as well.
“Aye, man. Save that for later,” Ronin whispered.
Kenzo finally pulled away, but before he stepped back, he pecked my lips several times.
“Let’s sign the marriage license and get you two lovebirds out of here,” Judge Brooks said with a smile.
Five minutes later, we stepped outside the courthouse as a married couple. Ronin took pictures as we exited the building and several more in a few other areas that offered good photo opportunities.
“I appreciate you coming through, man,” Kenzo told Ronin as they exchanged a one-armed hug.
“You know it wasn’t a problem. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“Malyah, it was nice meeting you. Don’t let the details surrounding this union stop you from fully embracing it. I’ve never seen this man so smitten over a woman, and it only took a day or two for him to start falling. I’ll send you the pictures as soon as I can.”
“It was nice meeting you too, Ronin.”
He was walking away and lifted his hand in the air to let me know he’d heard me. I turned to face Kenzo, and he was already looking at me with his dreamy eyes.
“I can’t get over how beautiful you are,” he said before I could ask why he was staring.
“Thank you. What’s next?”
“How about a candlelit lunch with just the two of us?”
“Sounds perfect.”
“This is the wrong hotel,”Malyah whispered when we pulled up to Essence Suites.
“We’re in the right place,” I assured her.
