Chapter 21 #2
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
His arm was around her shoulders, thumb tracing lazy circles on her arm. “How you feeling?”
“Overwhelmed. Happy. Scared. Excited.” She looked up at him. “All of it.”
“Yeah. Me too.” He kissed the top of her head. “I was shaking so bad when I pulled that ring out. Thought I was gonna drop it.”
She laughed. “You were nervous?”
“Hell yeah, I was nervous. You could’ve said no.”
“I wasn’t going to say no.”
“I didn’t know that.” He tilted her chin up. “But I’m glad you didn’t.”
They sat like that for a while, the music playing softly, Little LA doing somersaults, the reality of what happened slowly sinking in.
Then Kennedi smelled it.
Food.
She sat up, frowning. “Wait. Is someone cooking?”
Rolani tried to hide his smile. “Maybe.”
“Rolani.” She looked at him. “Who’s upstairs?”
“Come on.” He stood, pulling her up with him. “Let me show you.”
He led her to the back of the studio, where the staircase was. It led to the upstairs lounge area she’d barely had time to set up yet. A kitchen, some seating, and a space she planned to use for meetings or breaks between recordings.
But when they reached the top of the stairs, she stopped.
The space had been transformed.
Candles everywhere—on the counters, on the small table that had been set up near the window. String lights hung across the exposed beams of the ceiling, casting everything in a warm, golden glow. The table was set for two—white tablecloth, real dishes, wine glasses, and flowers in the center.
And in the kitchen, a chef in whites was plating food that smelled incredible.
“Rolani, this is so beautiful and thoughtful. It’s perfect.” Her voice broke again.
“Engagement dinner, First date. I don’t know,” he said simply, hand on the small of her back. “Just us.”
The chef looked up and smiled. “Congratulations,” he said warmly. “Dinner’s almost ready. I’ll be out of your way in five minutes.”
Kennedi stared, overwhelmed all over again.
Rolani guided her to the table, pulled out her chair, waited until she sat before taking his own seat across from her. He grabbed her ankle and slipped her heels off while massaging her feet and ankles. Anything to touch her.
“How did you...” She looked around, trying to process. “When did you even have time to do all this?”
“I got people.” He grinned.
The chef brought out the first course — seared scallops with a citrus reduction. Then the rest came: filet mignon, lobster tail, truffle mashed potatoes, and roasted asparagus. Everything was plated with care.
“I’ll leave you two to it,” Chef Eddie said, setting down the last dish. “Dessert is in the fridge when you’re ready. Congratulations again.”
“Thank you,” they both said.
And then it was just them.
Rolani poured her some sparkling cider and himself some Scotch.
“To you,” he said, raising his glass. “To us. To doing shit backwards and making it work anyway.”
She laughed, clinking her glass against his. “To us.”
They ate slowly, savoring every bite.
“When did you know?” she asked after a while. “That you wanted to marry me?”
He was quiet for a moment, cutting into his steak. “Honestly? That first night in LA. But I really knew when Monroe texted me that you threatened to bash Monshay’s face in.” He looked up at her.
Her throat tightened. “Rolani...”
“I’m not saying I had the ring picked out that night,” he continued. “But I knew I wanted to know everything about you. I knew I wanted to be your husband.”
“You really mean that.”
“Every word.” He reached across the table, taking her left hand, thumb brushing over the ring. She stood then, came around the table, and settled carefully onto his lap.
“I love you,” she said, looking directly into his eyes. “I don’t think I’ve said it before.”
“I love you too, baby.” He kissed her, soft and slow. “More than I thought I could love anybody.”
They eventually finished dinner, moving through the courses slowly, talking about the future.
They both agreed that the wedding would be soon.
His place made more sense, bigger, more room for all three of them.
He told her what type of father he wanted to be — present, consistent, nothing like his own.
She told him what type of mother she was working toward.
Strong. Supportive. Someone Little LA would be proud of.
By the time dessert made it from the fridge—Turtle Cheesecake with vanilla bean ice cream—it was almost midnight.
“I can’t believe this is my life,” Kennedi said, taking a bite.
“Believe it,” Rolani said, watching her. “I told you there’s more to come.”
She laughed. “What else could you possibly have planned?”
“Right now? Taking you home.” He stood, extending his hand. “Come on, baby. Let’s go.”
The drive back to his place was quiet, comfortable. Kennedi kept staring at the ring on her finger, watching it catch the streetlights as they passed. Rolani’s hand stayed on her thigh the whole time.
When they pulled into his driveway, the porch light was on. Monroe’s bedroom light was still glowing upstairs.
“She still up?” Kennedi asked.
“Probably waiting to hear how it went.” Rolani grinned. “She knew about tonight.”
“She KNEW?”
“Hell yeah. Helped me pick the ring.” He got out, came around to her side, and helped her out of the truck. “She’s been asking me every day this week if I did it yet.”
Kennedi’s heart swelled.
“Come on.”
They walked inside, and before Kennedi could even set her clutch down, Monroe came bouncing down the stairs in her pajamas… bonnet already on.
“Did you do it?! Did she say yes?!” Monroe’s eyes were wide, excited.
Kennedi held up her left hand, and Monroe screamed.
“OH, MY GOD!” She rushed over, grabbing Kennedi’s hand to inspect the ring. “It’s so pretty! I told you she’d love it, Uncle Ro!”
“You were right, Roe.” Rolani was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching them with the softest expression.
Monroe pulled Kennedi into a tight hug. “I’m so happy for y’all. For real. This is the best news ever.”
Kennedi hugged her back, throat tight with emotion. “Thank you, baby girl. That means a lot.”
“Wait, so does this mean you’re gonna be my auntie for real now? Like official?”
“Official,” Kennedi confirmed.
“Yes!” Monroe pulled back, grinning. “Okay, I need to know everything. What happened? How’d he do it? Was it romantic? Did he cry?”
“Roe, it’s after midnight,” Rolani said. “Let my woman breathe.”
“Tomorrow, you and I will go to breakfast, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
“Okay, deal.”
Monroe took off back upstairs, and they retreated to Rolani’s bedroom to prepare for bed.
A FEW HOURS LATER
Kennedi couldn’t sleep.
She’d tried. Laid there in Rolani’s bed, his arm draped across her waist, his breathing deep and even. Her body was deliciously sore, satisfied in every way. But her mind wouldn’t shut off.
The proposal. The ring. The dinner. Monroe’s excitement. The way Rolani had loved her when they got behind closed doors—reverent, possessive, calling her “my fiancée” against her skin until she was exhausted and begging for mercy.
It was too much. Too good. Too overwhelming.
She needed to process.
Carefully, she slipped out from under his arm. He stirred slightly but didn’t wake. She grabbed his T-shirt from the floor, pulled it on, and padded across the room.
She headed to his walk-in closet—massive and organized, with a bench in the middle and enough room to pace. She closed the door softly behind her, turned on the small overhead light, and sat on the bench.
Her phone was still in her clutch from earlier. She grabbed it.
1:03 AM.
Her Lens Family was probably asleep, but she needed this. Needed to share it while it was still fresh, still unreal.
She propped her phone up on a shelf across from the bench and pressed the live button.
Within seconds, people started joining.
@PressPassQueen: KEN?! It’s 1 AM!
@gloss.and.grace: Girl, what’s wrong?!
@thatchelseagirl: Everything okay?!
She laughed softly, running her hands through her hair. “Hey, Lens Family. I know it’s late. I’m good, I promise. I just... I can’t sleep. And I need to tell y’all something. Actually, a lot of things.”
@BSophie88: We’re here! What’s going on?
@TruthTeller42: You look different... where are you?
“I’m…” She looked around the closet, laughed. “I’m in a closet. Don’t worry about it. But listen, I got a lot to catch y’all up on because I’ve been keeping some things to myself and tonight... everything came to a head, and I’m lowkey malfunctioning right now.”
@PressPassQueen: GIRL WHAT
@thatchelseagirl: You’re scaring us
“No, no, it’s good. It’s all good. It’s just...” She took a breath. “Okay, so y’all know I’ve been gone for a minute. Quiet. Not posting like I used to. And I told myself I’d be real with y’all when I was ready. So here it is.”
She held up her left hand, letting the ring catch the light.
“I got engaged tonight.”
The comments exploded.
@LensLover23: WHAT?!?!?!
@Readerqueen25: ENGAGED?!?!
@BlackGirlFR88: WAIT, HOLD ON
@MediaMaven: KENNEDI WHAT
“But that’s not even the half of it.” She was talking fast now, words tumbling out. “Y’all don’t even know I’m dating anyone. Y’all don’t know I’m pregnant. Like, I’ve been living a whole life and I... I needed to process before I shared it. But tonight, tonight I can’t keep it in anymore.”
@BSophie88: PREGNANT?!?!
“Okay, okay.” She laughed, wiping at her eyes.
“Let me start from the beginning. So, a few months ago, I met someone on a plane. Like, literally a stranger on a flight to LA for work. And we... clicked. Talked the whole flight. One thing led to another, and—” She gestured to her belly. “I’m six months pregnant.”
@LensLover23: SIX MONTHS?!
@MediaMaven: How did we not know?
@JQueen: Kennediiii
“I know, I know. I kept it quiet because I was scared. Scared of what it meant for my career. Scared of what y’all would think.
Scared that I was doing everything backwards.
Because y’all, we did it ALL backwards. Met on a plane, got pregnant, moved back home, and now we’re engaged.
Like, we skipped every traditional step. ”
She was crying now, happy tears, overwhelmed tears.
“But tonight, he planned this whole thing. Showed up at my door with flowers and a gift for RJ,” she laughed because I guess she’d agreed to the baby name.
“He took me to my studio—yeah, I got a studio now, that’s another thing I didn’t tell y’all—and surprised me with a maternity photoshoot.
Professional photographer, racks of dresses, the whole thing.
And then at the end, he put this ring on my finger and asked me to marry him. ”
@BlackGirlMagic88: Who is cutting onions?
@BSophie88: THIS IS BEAUTIFUL
@TruthTeller42: We’re so happy for you
“And I said yes. Because y’all, I didn’t think this kind of love existed.
I didn’t think I could have a man who supports my career AND wants to build a family with me.
I thought I had to choose. But he showed me tonight and every day that I don’t.
He set up the photoshoot in MY studio. The place I built for my career.
And made it about us, about our family.”
She was talking with her hands now, animated, the words pouring out.
“He had a private chef cook us an engagement dinner. Candles, string lights, everything was so perfect. Like, my man, thought about every detail, made sure I felt seen and loved, and I think that’s what I love about him the most.”
“Ken?”
She froze.
Rolani’s voice, muffled, coming from the bedroom.
“Baby, where you at?”
Her eyes went wide. She looked at the camera, then at the closet door.
@LensLover23: Is that him?
@JQueen: OMG
@MediaMaven: Are we about to meet this mystery man?
“Uh—” Kennedi started, but before she could finish, the closet door opened.
Rolani stood there, shirtless, pajama pants low on his hips, locs in a messy bun, squinting at the light.
“Why you in the closet?” he asked, voice rough from sleep. Then he saw the phone propped up, the light indicating she was recording. “You on live?”
“Yeah, I—”
“At one in the morning?” He stepped inside, and the camera caught him fully now. “Ken, you need sleep, baby.”
The comments went absolutely feral.
@LensLover23: OH MY GOD HE’S FINE
@BlackGirlMagic88: KENNEDI!!!!!
@JQueen: THAT’S HIM?!?!
@MediaMaven: We SEE you, SIS. We fuckin see you!
Kennedi tried to grab her phone, but Rolani was faster. He scooped her up off the bench, one arm under her knees, the other around her back.
“Rolani!” she squealed, laughing. “I’m still on live!”
“I know.” He looked at the camera, that slow smile spreading across his face. “What’s up, y'all? I’m taking her to bed because she needs rest. Y'all cool with that?”
@BSophie88: WE LOVE HIM
@TruthTeller42: TAKE CARE OF HER
@LensLover23: Have a goodnight Kennedi girl.
“Wait, I didn’t finish—” Kennedi protested, but she was laughing too hard.
“You finished.” He carried her toward the door, leaving the phone behind. “Tell them goodnight, doll.”
@MiMi: Not doll.
“Goodnight, Lens Family!” she called over his shoulder, still laughing. “I love y’all!”