Page 51 of D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding

I chuckled, taking note of the familiar van parked in a far corner of the parking lot. I hadn’t noticed it when I’d first arrived, but I wondered if Felix had been recording us this whole time.

“Did you see Felix?” I pointed at the van.

D’Vaughn glanced over her shoulder and then nodded.

“Oh yeah. He was here when I arrived. Got me mic’d and everything.” She pushed her twistout back behind her ear and pointed to the tiny ball in her ear.

My stomach twisted. For some reason I’d thought that we were having a private moment alone. Finding out that our conversation had definitely been recorded made me want to kick myself. I should have checked before I’d started speaking.

“I hope none of this ends up on the show.”

Quirking an eyebrow, D’Vaughn gave me a look. “Now, you oughta know better.”

Sighing, I shook my head. “You’re right.”

In the grand scheme of things it didn’t matter. By the time this aired, we’d hopefully have moved well past this moment, and there was always the chance that it wouldn’t make it to the final edit of the episode. In the corner of my eye, I saw Ms. Miller’s car pull into the lot, followed shortly by Papi’s SUV.

It was showtime.

Unlike the other two locations, this venue was a freestanding building, with no other businesses on either side and a private parking lot. The façade of the building was gorgeous, with four wide columns spread out along the front, serving as a backdrop to an opulent polished stone fountain, both of which gave the venue a palatial look that the Starlight Palace had failed to achieve. The inside was even more impressive than the outside.

The first thing that caught my eye once I stepped inside of the glass doors were the two fish tanks on either side of a mini replica of the fountain out front. Instead of water, the fountain inside was filled with lush greenery and vibrant flowers. There was a fresh, clean scent in the air that seemed like it came from the terrarium and gave me the feeling of having a picnic in the park.

“Oh! Look!” gasped Mami, her arm outstretched as she pointed at the arrangement in front of us.

I hadn’t noticed it at first glance because I’d been trying to take in so much at once, but in the center of the garden fountain was a chalkboard banner with our names scrawled across in loopy handwriting.

Welcome D’Vaughn & Kris!

As we marveled over the sign, a person appeared from behind the fountain, smiling serenely at us. They wore a sheer, pink duster over a sleeveless, cream slip dress and pale pink mules on their feet.

“Good afternoon, all. Welcome to The Majestic. I’m Airyn.”

They smiled, and I swear I saw a glint of sparkle from their blindingly white teeth. Not only did the building radiate prestige, but so did Airyn. If this was real and I had to pay for this thing out of my own pocket, I would have turned on my heel right then. There was no way this place was affordable to the average working woman.

“I love those shoes, Airyn,” Ms. Miller gushed as she stared at Airyn’s feet.

Their smile widened and they tipped their head.

“Thank you, darling. They’re one of my favorite pair.”

“Lord, I would love to wear a pair like that to the wedding,” she added wistfully.

“Oh? Are you one of my guests of honor tonight? Kris, perhaps?”

Shaking her head, Ms. Miller giggled. “Oh no. I’m the mother of the bride.” She stopped short and cast an uncertain glance at me. “Or rather...one of the brides. Do you identify as a bride or groom? I’m sorry. I’m still learning.”

“Bride and groom are not genders, Mama,” offered D’Vaughn gently. “They’re just labels.”

“It’s okay, Ms. Miller.” I smiled to show her that I wasn’t offended. “The language can be confusing.”

“It’s not that confusing,” murmured Ray.

Kiana was already elbowing him in the side before I shot him a censoring look. I didn’t need him adding on to an already precarious situation. Ms. Miller was making an effort, which was more than D’Vaughn had expected, but the bare minimum that she deserved. It was easy to judge from the outside looking in because me, Ray, and Rhea had been blessed with parents that never made loving or accepting us feel like anything other than regular parenting, but we do others in our community a disservice when we forget to give them grace.

“If I may interject,” Airyn smoothly inserted, aiming their attention at D’Vaughn’s mother. “It sounds like you are trying to fit your daughter’s situation into the traditional marriage box. Perhaps if you think of it in terms of two souls joining together instead of a man and woman, it may help you.”

“Ooh,” whispered Mami, “I like that.”