Chapter 18
F riday - One day until the wedding
Sunny smoothed down her black sundress as she approached the sun-drenched veranda, feeling like a scarlet letter had been stitched onto the front of it overnight. She was practically oozing with the guilt of what she and Kez had done just a few short hours before, her skin still tingling in places she shouldn’t be thinking about while walking into a prayer breakfast, of all things.
She inhaled deeply, relishing the scent of bacon, pastries, and coffee that filled the air. The delicious aroma made her reconsider her guilt. After all, she figured, heathens have to eat, too.
She cast a subtle glance around the long table where the family and bridal party were gathering. No Mark, yet, but lots of new faces and a few that were very familiar.
They smiled when they saw her. Two knucklehead little boys that had grown into nice young men.
“Ms. Dixon!” was Judah’s greeting. He was an aerospace engineer Davion had met in undergrad. Tall and lanky with shoulder-length locs, and just as handsome as he could be. She embraced him warmly, happy he was here.
Edric…well, she wasn’t as happy to see him. He was Dav’s friend from back in middle school, a fireman now, but a bit of a womanizer. He reminded Sunny of Orion, so he only got a polite side hug.
Chanel number five beat Brooklyn by just a couple of seconds as she rushed over to hug Sunny, looking radiant in a bright orange wrap dress.
“Did you sleep well?” was her greeting.
Sunny studied the girl, deciding immediately that she wasn’t the one who had seen her leaving the casita last night. She wouldn’t be this happy to see her.
“I did,” Sunny answered. “Something about being at the ocean…” she trailed off with a smile.
“It’s like Ambien, right?” Brooklyn said with a laugh as she hooked her arm around Sunny’s. “Okay, so, I want you to meet my bridesmaids.”
“Yes, ma’am, I’d love to.”
There were four of them standing near the flowered archway, all stunningly beautiful, glowing like they’d applied highlighter to their entire bodies.
“This is Carmen,” Brooklyn said of the one in Boho braids and dripped in designer from head to toe. “She’s an influencer,” Brooklyn added, which Sunny had to refrain from laughing at. She would never understand these kids who made their entire living online.
“I specialize in feminine luxury content,” Carmen added, her voice velvety soft. Truthfully, she was flawless. Sunny had no choice but to respect it.
“Brooklyn’s my muse,” Carmen said. “I mean, look at her.”
Sunny smiled, nodding politely.
“This is Samara,” Brooklyn continued, inclining her head toward the one with the short bob dressed in business casual. “She’s a PR executive. She keeps us all from saying stupid stuff on the internet.”
Samara laughed. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
Sunny turned her attention to the scantily clad bronzed beauty with a mimosa already in hand.
“That’s Jules. She—“
“Miss Sunny!” Jules set her glass on a nearby table and embraced Sunny enthusiastically. “I’ve heard so much about you. Such a baddie! I can’t believe you’re somebody’s mama.”
Sunny beamed at that. “Nice to meet you, Jules. And thank you. I’ll take it.”
“Jules is a…” Brooklyn trailed off as the other girls laughed. “Let’s just say she’s at my wedding to be my bridesmaid and to find a rich older doctor to marry.”
Sunny laughed. “Smart girl.”
Jules gave her a wink.
“Although…couldn’t you just hook her up with one of your dad’s friends?”
“Thank you!” Jules cried.
“Um, no.” Brooklyn scoffed. “That’s way too weird. She can date them if she wants, but I’m not gonna facilitate it.”
She turned. “And last but never least, my aunt Sadie. My mom’s sister. Supermodel ,” Brooklyn said, whispering the last part.
Sadie was…dazzling. Tall. Willowy. Rich cocoa skin. Cheekbones that could cut glass. Her cream suit was tailored to perfection, and her presence was quietly commanding.
“Sunny,” she said, revealing Hollywood-white teeth. “I’m not sure how super I am, but anyway, I’m so happy to meet you.”
Sadie, too, smelled like Chanel. By the time Sunny pulled away from their friendly hug, the fragrance was clinging to her.
“Thank you for standing in for my sister,” she said softly. “It means a lot.”
That caught Sunny off guard, tightening her chest. “It’s no problem. I’m happy to do it.”
“Look at all these baddies,” Carmen said, gesturing. “Photo op! Come on, girls. You too, Ms. Sunny. OG baddie.”
These young girls and their silly charm. Sunny was disarmed enough to pose for a photo she knew would end up on someone’s Instagram.
After posing for several pictures from several different angles, Brooklyn led Sunny away from the crowd.
“What do you think?” she said.
“They seem really nice. All gorgeous. Yall must be quite the attraction when you go out together.”
Brooklyn smiled at that. “I’m the first one to get married. They think I’m gonna turn boring, or that Dav is gonna put a leash on me.”
“Well…you’ll obviously be spending more of your time at home, but I don’t see where you’d need to have a leash on you.”
Brooklyn swallowed hard. “Me and my girls go out. A lot.”
“What’s a lot?”
“Every weekend. And a few times a week.”
Sunny felt exhausted just listening to that.
“Friends are important,” she said slowly. “But when you marry, you should be spending more time with your husband than your friends.”
“I know.” Brooklyn sighed. “It’ll be fine.”
Sunny nodded, her eyebrow raised as she took note of the fact that Brooklyn didn’t sound too sure.
She locked eyes with Davion, putting herself right back in suspicion mode. Was he squinting at her? Did he look mad? Not really, but it was hard to tell. He’d been sour for most of the trip.
She smiled sweetly at her son and busied herself with stacking pancakes onto her plate.
She heard the sound of Mark’s voice somewhere behind her. Resisting the urge to turn and stare at him was a herculean task, but she managed. Just barely.
“Which one of those bridesmaids do you think is in my league?”
Sunny turned to Amari, rolling her eyes. “Not a one,” she said. “You’re gonna need about ten more years and six figures if you wanna talk to one of those girls.”
Amari sucked his teeth. “I got game, though. Mama, you’re supposed to encourage me.”
She chuckled as she grabbed three pieces of bacon and rested them next to the pancakes. “It’s not my fault they’re baddies.”
Amari shook his head. “Don’t ever say that again, Mama.”
“Why? I’m a baddie too!”
His lip curled in disgust before he walked away.
Sunny was pouring on the syrup when a quiet, deep voice sounded in her ear.
“You damn sure are. Baddest in the room, and it ain’t even close.”
She shivered, smiling from ear to ear, but she knew better than to turn around. Someone could be watching. That person could be watching.
Sunny found her place setting—next to Davion, and diagonal to Mark, who sat at the head of the table—and took her seat, hoping and praying Orion stayed wherever he was at the moment. It was so peaceful without him here.
“You okay?” she asked Davion. “You look stressed.”
He popped the last of his cherry danish into his mouth. “I’m cool.”
“After last night, I just thought—“
“I don’t wanna talk about it,” he snapped, which caught Mark’s attention. “Respectfully.”
She studied his profile, wondering again if he was the mysterious watcher from the night before.
But Mark was busy wondering who Davion was talking to like that. His soon to be son-in-law was a fine young man, but Mark didn’t tolerate disrespect toward women. His sons knew firsthand.
Davion was about to find out, too.
He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of another man’s deep voice ringing out.
“Am I too late?”
A hush rolled over the table, subtle, but immediate. Heads turned. Conversations trailed off mid-sentence.
Mark looked up and saw him standing behind Sunny’s chair.
Luke .
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark skinned with close cropped coils and a jawline that could cut steel. And he was younger…probably mid-30s, if that. His gray sweatpants were a cliche Mark didn’t find funny, and his muscles popped against his thin white t-shirt in a way that made Mark’s chest tight.
Sunny had said he was just a friend, but there wasn’t a damn thing about that nigga that looked friendly.
Mark stood, playing the host, not missing the way every woman at that table stared at his new guest.
“How you doin’?” he said, sticking out a hand. “I’m Mark. Welcome to my home.”
Luke smiled, and Mark thought, damn, even this motherfucker’s teeth are perfect. She said she knew him from work. Was he a model from a commercial?
“Thanks for having me,” Luke replied, his handshake firm like he was trying to prove a point. “My apologies for being tardy to your breakfast.”
“It’s all good.” Mark signaled to Mars, who quickly snapped to attention, grabbing a chair and rushing it over. “Enjoy yourself.”
But not too much , he thought.
Eyes followed as Luke took the seat Mars placed next to Sunny and rested his arm casually behind her.
“Everybody, this is Luke,” she announced. “My date for the weekend.”
Murmurs sounded around the table, making Sunny smile.
“Sorry for interrupting,” Luke said. “I caught an earlier flight. I just couldn’t wait to see her.”
“Aww,” said, well, everyone except Mark. Because that was a little too convincing to be fake.
“Nice to meet you, Luke. What do you do?” Jules asked, obvious and completely unashamed.
“Air traffic control,” Luke answered.
Jules nodded, then whispered to Carmen, “That’s six-figures. Low end, but doable.”
Brooklyn rolled her eyes at her friend. “It’s nice to meet you, Luke. I’m the bride. The absolute most important person at the table.”
Everyone chuckled at that, while Sunny grimaced.
“Sorry, yes, that is our bride, Brooklyn, and next to him is my son, Davion.”
Dav nodded at Luke. “Good to meet you, man.”
“Congratulations to both of you,” Luke said politely. “I’ve heard nothing but good things.”
Mark bristled, wondering how often they talked. “So…” he said a little louder than he meant to. “How did you two meet?”
Sunny cut her eyes at Mark, but he just stared and waited for the answer.
“We both work for Skyluxe,” she said pointedly.
“Interesting.” Mark took a sip of his water, staring at Sunny over the rim. “I was under the impression that air traffic controllers are employed by the FAA, not the airlines.”
Luke and Sunny exchanged glances as the rest of the table quieted down again, but before they could explain themselves, Orion swaggered out onto the veranda, his eyes covered with black sunglasses.
Sunny leaned over to Luke and whispered, “Showtime.”
He nodded.
Just behind Orion, Pastor Bell walked out with his Bible in hand. Mark stood, rushing over to greet him.
After a warm hug, Pastor Bell surveyed the scene. With a smile and a big, booming voice, he said, “Sorry I’m late. I see y’all started without me. Fair enough.”
After Mark introduced Pastor, he took his seat at the other end of the table. “If I may, let us bow our heads and give thanks. This is a special occasion. A union of not just two people, but of two families. Two lineages. Two legacies.”
Chairs scooted. Heads bowed.
“Father God,” Pastor began. “We thank you for this day. For life, love, and the gift of new beginnings. We ask that You be present in every aspect of this occasion, from the vows to the cake to the people at the table. And the food we’re about to receive. Let it nourish us so that we may go forth in peace, love and joy. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”
After the amens, Orion walked over with his plate, eyeing Luke on Sunny’s left, and Amari on her right.
“Yall didn’t save me a seat?” he said roughly.
Mark signaled Mars again, much as he would have preferred leaving Orion’s dumb ass exactly where he was. With an incline of his head, he let Mars know to put the empty chair next to Drew on the opposite side of the table from Sunny.
“We must remind ourselves that marriage isn’t just a moment,” Pastor said as everyone commenced eating. “It’s a ministry.”
A chorus of hummed agreement sounded around the table.
“We know the Word says in Ecclesiastes 4:9–10, ‘Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.’”
He looked directly at the couple. “That’s the power of partnership. And while there may be fireworks, especially in the beginning, marriage is also about patience. Endurance. Sacrifice. Amen?”
“Amen,” they said in unison.
Sunny stared down at her plate, her appetite waning. She’d done those things. She was patient. She’d endured. She’d sacrificed. She didn’t think herself the type of person to confront a man of God, to call him out in disbelief, but she resented his words. It sounded good, but if only one of the partners wants to participate, what the hell do you do then?
A few chairs down, Mark seethed at the word partner. Pastor was obviously referring to the romantic type, but he couldn’t help that his mind wandered to Sterling.
“Affirmations!” Pastor boomed. “Let’s say a few to carry us into the weekend. Repeat after me. I am surrounded by love.”
“I am surrounded by love,” the table echoed.
“I am patient.”
“I am open to forgiveness.”
Frowning, Mark said that one a little too tightly as he, once again, thought about Sterling.
“I am not bound by the past.”
Sunny said that one a little louder than the others.
“I’m ready for my new beginning.”
The table was most enthusiastic about that one. After the affirmations were said, Mishon brought Pastor a plate and sat with him, while Orion eyed his ex-wife and the man sitting next to her.
He reached across Drew to tap Mark’s arm.
“Who is that? Is that one of your friends?”
Mark’s lips curved into a smile. “Sorry, man. That’s your ex-wife’s date to the wedding.”
Orion finally took off his sunglasses, tucking them away in his shirt pocket as his red eyes studied the couple. “When did he get here?”
“A few minutes before you.” Mark watched Orion closely, enjoying the man’s obvious discomfort. “You good?”
“How old is that motherf—sorry,” he said, his eyes on Drew, who simply shrugged. “He can’t be our age.”
Mark chuckled. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Nah.” Orion shook his head, pushing his plate away. “We not doin’ this.” His mouth dropped open at the sight of Luke leaning in to whisper something in Sunny’s ear, making her laugh. “You seeing this shit?” he asked Mark.
Of course he was. Mark didn’t like seeing this shit any more than Orion did, but he knew it was an act. That was what Ci said, anyway. But given their caginess about where they met and the fact that Luke looked like a fucking GQ model, Mark was starting to wonder.
“I ain’t even hungry no more,” Orion said softly, and Mark was almost tempted to feel sorry for him until he said, “I gotta get him outta here.”
“Hold up.” Mark put a hand out. “Whatever you’re thinking about doing, save that for after my daughter’s wedding. Ain’t bout to be no trouble, understand?”
Orion’s eyes narrowed. “So I’m supposed to look at that for the next two days?”
“I don’t care where you look, long as you don’t make a scene.”
Chastened, Orion realized the doctor was right, so he spent the rest of breakfast sulking, wondering what the hell Sunny was up to. He thought she might have had something brewing with the doctor, but now he knew—this Luke guy was the one in the way.
But not for long.