Page 44 of D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding

She nodded. “We’re good.”

The whole conversation hadn’t taken more than a few minutes and by the time I looked away from her, my parents were returning. I have no idea what was said between them, but I felt a sense of relief when Papi gave me a nod. Mami said nothing, just stood there looking as if she’d swallowed a lemon. It was tough, but it would do for the rest of this visit at least. I definitely owed my old man a beer when this was all said and done.

Actually, I owed him more than a beer. It was another fifteen-minute wait before the woman returned and Mami didn’t say a peep while we waited. When the venue representative finally reappeared, the half-assed tour did little to improve our visit. After carefully climbing the wide, stone steps, hoping that the wet soles of our shoes wouldn’t cause anyone to slip and break a limb, I asked about an elevator. The answer I received was a brusque “Don’t have one.” She hadn’t even looked up from the folder in her hand.

D’Vaughn had squeezed my hand, and when I looked at her, she reached up and rubbed her thumb across my eyebrows, smoothing the wrinkles from the deep frown that I hadn’t even realized I wore.

“Let’s just make it through this,” she whispered into my ear.

I nodded. That was the plan. It was only supposed to be about an hour, with a tour and then a discussion of offerings and bridal packages. That damn woman gave us a twenty-minute walk-through and then told us we could meet her in her office if we had any questions, before somehow managing to jog down those steps in those little black booties. We all stood there speechless, watching the cloud of smoke that trailed behind her. The silence was broken when Rhea burst out laughing.

“I feel like we’re in the Twilight Zone,” she announced, pulling off her fitted cap to scratch her scalp.

“That’s a good way to describe it,” agreed Ms. Miller.

“What’s this place called again?” D’Niesha asked as we descended the stairs to the main level.

“The Starlight Palace,” offered D’Vaughn flatly. After our talk, I was confident that her tone was now due to disappointment in the venue and not from whatever had flipped the switch on her mood earlier.

Ray snorted. “They need to rename it the Midnight Dungeon, because it’s drafty, there are bugs everywhere, and the windows at the front of the building are so covered in grime that we can’t even tell that it’s only five thirty outside. It feels like it’s eight at night in here.”

Everyone started laughing. He hadn’t told a lie. This place was filthy and likely needed to be condemned. The fact that the show selected this place had me on high alert. Obviously we weren’t meant to pick this place, but what was the point in bringing our families here? All we got out of this was a good laugh and maybe a few stories to tell down the line.

I turned to my parents, who’d thus far managed to remain silent throughout the entire tour and package discussions.

“Mami. Papi. What do you think?”

They looked at each other before Papi nodded toward me. Mami took a breath and gave me a self-satisfied smile.

“I think you need to show us your second choice.”

Jitter Cam 05-Kris

I think our first family task was a success. I mean, the venue itself was a hot ass mess, but our families got along and even banded together when shenanigans were afoot. That’s a win, right?

Man, I thought for sure that somebody was going to call us out when the Starlight Palace rep had a full attitude. I expected them to take a look at the cameraman, look at the chick, and say ‘Oh hell naw!’ But that didn’t happen and now my mind is kind of blown.

Looking forward, there is no possible way that the other locations can be worse than this one so I’m cautiously excited about what’s to come. One of them has to be marginally decent, at least.

On another note, D’Vaughn did pretty well with the PDAs in front of her family. I could tell it was a struggle for her, but she says she wants to move past it and she’s putting in the work to do that. I’m proud of her for that.

I can admit that I’m enjoying this too. I like holding her hand and pulling her close to me so I can whisper in her ear, and it doesn’t even matter what I say ’cause she’s gonna react every single time. She does this little shudder and bites her lip, sometimes she closes her eyes and just stands there like she’s letting my words—my voice—wash over her. That shit is such a turn-on. On top of that? I really, really like kissing her. I don’t have to go into detail about that, do I?

Funnily enough, although she’ll try and move away if I’m standing too close to her, she never pulls away from a kiss. We can be standing directly in front of her family, but if we make eye contact and the vibe is there, she’s gonna close her eyes and gimme those lips.

Yeah, being out is a process, but she can’t fight our chemistry.

Speaking of D’Vaughn’s family, it was a happy coincidence that our sisters know each other. I mean, it’s pure perfection! Not only do they know each other, but they were friends in high school. They sang side-by-side in the choir and performed in plays together. That’s a built-in bond that brings our families together, giving us even more credibility, even though D’Vaughn and I didn’t know each other at the time. It’s just another point in our favor, proving to me that we’re meant to win this thing.

Alright, well we’re headed to the next venue. Fingers crossed that this one doesn’t have water damage, at least.

Chapter Seven

D’Vaughn

Wires Crossed

The second location was only marginally better than the first. Starlight Palace wasn’t a hard act to follow, but The Moxi Event Center managed to struggle. While it was similarly in a strip of businesses, The Moxi thankfully was in an active location, with busy neighboring storefronts and a parking lot that didn’t double as a garden. There were also people present when our crew walked in who were not only expecting us, but even had pamphlets ready to pass out. Unfortunately, that’s where the positive points ended.