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“Here you go, Honey. You are such a beautiful bride.”
“Thank you, best friend. You are such a beautiful maid of honor. Thank you for taking off and spending the past week and today with us.”
“Are you kidding? There’s literally nowhere else I would be.”
She pulled me in for a hug, then I handed her what would be her third glass of champagne for the day. I didn’t think it was her nerves; I think she was genuinely happy and enjoying the hell out of herself before she married the man of her dreams.
There was a soft knock on the door before we heard Harmony say, “You ready, Honey? It’s time.”
“Ah!” she squealed. “I’msoready.”
“Then let’s get you married,” her mother, Heather, said.
I think we all were surprised when she invited her father to the wedding. He’d been trying to have a better relationship with them all since the divorce. It was crazy because he was so ready to get divorced and be with Shirley and whoever the hell else wasn’t the woman he’d vowed the rest of his life to, but just weeks after that, Jacob realized the horrible mistake he’d made. Heather wasn’t giving his ass the time of day, and I was so happy about that for her.
As we all filed out of the room, my heart began to race. I was so happy for my girl! And it was so cute that they were getting married in the library. Her mother went out and let them know we were behind the door. The traditional wedding march began to play. I said a quick prayer for her and Kahlil as I lifted her train, then Harmony opened the door for us to head out.
The moment Kahlil’s eyes landed on her, they watered. Not long after, his tears were falling. As he wiped them, Tyreek patted his shoulder and spoke words in his ear that I was sure only Kahlil could hear, before he wiped tears of his own. I loved the bond they shared—all of them actually. Whatever one of them felt or experienced, they all seemed to.
I was so emotional it was hard for me to focus on what the pastor was even saying. I was crying and trying to give Honey tissues while she cried, and it was all just an emotional mess. By the time they were to exchange their vows, we’d gotten ourselves together. She squeezed my hand and pulled in a deep breath before returning her hands to Kahlil’s.
“Words are very important to me,” he started. “And I always have something to say, but in this moment, Honey, you’ve rendered me speechless.” My lip poked out as I fought back tears. Honey’s head hung as her shoulders shuddered. I squeezed them, reminding her that it was okay for her to feel every ounce of emotion that she was feeling. They’d earned this. “I made promises to God the moment I realized you were going to be my wife, but now, I make those same vows to you. I promise to love you, protect you, and provide for you. I promise to honor you, remain faithful, and a man of integrity. I’ll never do anything to disrespect you or make you feel devalued. I vow to spend the rest of my days showing you with my actions just how much I love you.”
“Kahlil,” she whimpered, pulling him into a hug. She said something in his ear that made him smile as he held her close. His eyes closed as he swallowed back tears, listening to whatever his bride was saying. It wouldn’t surprise me if she was saying her vows in his ear, because Honey had always been protective of their union. It was that sacred to her. When I watched Kahlil swipe a tear away, I knew that wasexactlywhat she was doing.
When they released each other, Kahlil told the pastor, “Let’s go ahead and wrap this up,” making everyone laugh.
The pastor did, quickly pronouncing them husband and wife.
As they kissed, and I do mean straight up slobbered each other down, we all cheered. I felt eyes on me, and when I looked to the right, Tyreek was looking at me. He’d started at my heels, so by the time he made it to my eyes and realized I was looking at him too, he smiled. Our attention briefly shifted to the bride and groom as Kahlil lifted Honey into the air and carried her down the aisle. As soon as they were gone, Tyreek was making his way over to me.
I rocked from my heels to my toes as my heart began to race, praying he wouldn’t sense my nervousness.
“You look stunning, Nae,” Tyreek complimented, taking my hand into his and giving it a kiss.
All of Honey’s bridesmaids and myself were dressed in sunflower yellow silk gowns, and I loved the way the material felt against my skin and accentuated my figure.
“Thank you. I found it difficult to keep my eyes off you.”
He licked his lips and stepped closer with a soft smile. “I’ve missed you.” He opened his arms, but instead of wrapping them around me, he pulled them behind his back.
“I’ve missed you too.”
“Missing someone doesn’t mean you have to be with them, though, right?”
My head nodded as I pulled in a deep breath. I wanted to say no. That he was wrong. That we needed to be together. But I was going to stand behind what I said in Vegas. Before I made my way back into Tyreek’s life fully, I was going to put forth the work within myself. I needed to work through a few issues and get my work schedule lighter first. Until then, it was best if we kept it friendly.
“Right,” I agreed, ignoring the desire to add to that by biting down on my bottom lip.
“I want you to know that I really enjoyed spending the week with you, and I’m here for whatever. Always.”
I couldn’t respond. All I could do was nod and wrap my arms around him. The second his arms wrapped around me, I melted in his embrace. With closed eyes, I muttered, “Thank you, Reek. Words can’t express how much I needed what we shared. Thank you.”
Tyreek cupped my cheeks and looked into my eyes, giving me a deep, paralyzing kiss before my nerves got the better of me and I quickly walked away.
CHAPTER15
Tyreek
