Page 56 of Kobalt

“No. Thank you, sir.”

They gave each other a one-armed hug before Daddy took his seat next to Mama Bear.

“You outdid yourself this time, sir. You’ll definitely have to tell me how you got Niagara to show up when she’s been avoiding my calls.”

He chuckled. “She wasn’t mad. Well, she was in her feelings, but she got over it. She was helping me pull this together.”

I looked over my shoulder and smiled at my best friend. She winked and blew a kiss at me.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re gathered here today to celebrate the union of two beautiful souls before Almighty God in holy matrimony. This weekend, I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing the love between Kobalt and Kaimera. She planned a surprise ceremony for them because Kobalt had expressed that he couldn’t wait to start life with her. Alternatively, he learned about her plans, and he wanted it to be an unforgettable day for her. They’ve both succeeded in their quests, and we are blessed to be a part of their celebration today. You have written your vows?” Pastor Miracle Sanders asked.

We nodded, and Kobalt spoke up first.

“Kaimera Moon Slope, I always knew that you were the woman for me, and I never pretended differently. You have always been the one who believed in me, the one who would sacrifice anything for my happiness, and the one who showed me what true love meant—sacrifice, unconditional love, and faith. The only thing that I want is to give you that back in triple measure. The Bible says, ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.’ You are the definition of love, and I vow to spend my life protecting, trusting, and loving you. I vow to rejoice in the face of your victory, be patient with you, and always kind and generous to you for as long as we both shall live.”

He slid the ring on my finger as I repeatedly wiped the tears from my face with my right hand.

“Kobalt Leo Harden, you make it easy to love you. You are the inspiration of love. ‘Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If one were to give all the wealth of one’s house for love, it would be utterly scorned.’ That is Song of Songs chapter eight verses six and seven.

“You have always told me that I’m yours and that I belong to you. In this union, you also belong to me, and I vow there will be no others beyond us. I vow never to break the seal of our love that bonds us forever. I vow that like God’s love, my love will be steadfast and jealous for your heart, passionate like a flame that burns brightly, and nothing we go through will ever end the love that I have for you. My love for you can’t die, Kobe, because to not love you means to cease to exist—to cease to breathe. Our love exists because of the ruach of Almighty God; He has breathed His divine breath into us and into our love.”

I slid the ring onto Kobalt’s finger, reached up, and wiped away the tears that streamed from his eyes. Although I’d been the one crying at first, he now cried almost as much as I did.

“By the powers vested in me by the great state of Georgia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride,” Pastor Sanders pronounced.

Kobalt cupped my face in his hands, kissed me sweetly but passionately, and I felt as if I had just received the gift of life. God breathed His love into my husband and me at that moment.

We were immediately surrounded by our small circle of family and friends. We accepted their congratulations, love, hugs, and kisses.

“Miss lady, you and I have a very important meeting to hold when you return home,” Niagara declared when she hugged me and kissed my cheek.

“You’re speaking to me again?” I teased, smiling at the sheen of tears in her eyes.

“Mhm, but I wouldn’t have been if you’d gotten married without me here.” She laughed.

“I tried calling you—you blocked me.”

“Truthfully, I was ignoring your calls because I was in my feelings at first. But when Kobalt called and said you two were getting married and that he wanted to surprise you—I blocked you because I knew I’d be tempted to answer your calls and tell you everything. Anyway, just be glad that we share the same name; otherwise, you’d be cut off,” she teased with laughter as she pulled me in for another tight hug.

“Hopefully not for long, sis. Your time will come,” I whispered as I kissed her cheek.

She wore a mysterious smile, even as she replied, “I doubt it.”

“May I steal my beautiful bride?” Kobalt asked, tugging me by the hand.

“This was so beautiful, Kobe. Thank you, baby.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied, leading me up the trail that led to the main building. To my delight, Kobalt had hired a saxophonist who played Lauryn Hill and D’Angelo’s “Nothing Even Matters” as we walked.

“I can’t stop the tears from falling from my eyes, Kobe. I just wanted you to know that I will always sacrifice what I want for your happiness—your career, our wedding, anything.”

“And I want you to know that you don’t have to. All I want is for you to be happy, babe.”

“Thank you for this, baby. I couldn’t have planned a more perfect ceremony,” I whispered against his lips as he kissed me.

“You didn’t have to. I gotchu, baby. I’ve always gotchu.”

I squealed with delight when we walked into the reception room at the main resort hall, and I saw that it had been decorated and set up for a reception. A deejay was playing music, and a table had been decorated with an entire wedding cake. Servers moved around serving small plates of food and wine. There was no way that my day could possibly get even better.