Chapter 18
CHAPTER 18
CASSIE
I was nervous as hell. Today was the day I would officially become Mrs. Kendrall Henderson. I wasn’t nervous about that though. I just wanted everything to be perfect… to at least go right. With Uncle Storm in attendance, I knew it wouldn’t be perfect . I’d heard stories from Nesha, Yendi, and Tyeis. Uncle Storm could act an entire fool if the wedding took too long. Damn near everyone expected it.
I didn’t care about that. Shayla showing up to fuck up my day was what had me on edge. I would scrap with her ass out there on the cement in my wedding gown. She had caused enough turmoil in my life the past couple of months. I just wished she could behave like a fucking adult sometimes. She was in her fifties, acting like she was new to adulthood.
Granted, she was only nineteen when she had me and felt like she didn’t get to enjoy adulthood; the clock had run out on that shit. She was twenty-seven when she abandoned me. That was over twenty-five years ago. She should have done everything she felt she was missing out on by now. Instead, she chose to hate her flesh and blood. Why? How could she be so hateful for no apparent reason?
I was nothing but loving to her my entire childhood… whenever she decided to show her face. I rarely saw her through my teenage years, and I was devastated about it. Although I was calling Kendall mom by then, I needed to know she loved me. I didn’t get the satisfaction. She refused to be in my life in that capacity.
“You okay, baby? You seem to be far away from here.”
I glanced over at my mama and smiled. “I’m okay, Mama. I just want everything to be perfect, and I realized that I just need to relax. So I’m trying to relax.”
She smiled at me as I stood from the chair. I was getting my hair done, and makeup was next. I wanted to get my hair done sooner, but I didn’t want the humidity to get to it. So I had to bite the bullet and wake up earlier to get it done this morning. Our wedding was at three, and it was already one.
Last night, we had a great time. Ebony had the drinks flowing, the twins had found strippers, Maui and Ashanni had the games, and Milana was in charge of the music. We were all at Karima’s house, having a great time. No one wanted to leave Nome, because we didn’t want to have to call anybody to drive us home.
My sister-in-law made sure we were all comfortable by getting air mattresses and plenty of linen. She would be leaving for Nashville tomorrow, so we made it somewhat of a going away party for her too. Aunt Tiff cried for at least an hour about it. She said that Karima was like her baby. With as much time as they spent together, I could imagine.
Needless to say, I was super tired this morning and had a headache from hell. My stressing over Shayla fucking things up didn’t help. I was pretty sure Kendrall was feeling just as tired as I was, since he and the guys didn’t get home until nearly four o’clock this morning. I didn’t bother even asking exactly where they went, but I knew it was a strip club. He said they were going to be celebrating his win from last weekend’s competition as well. Although we’d had our own celebration in Tuscaloosa, I felt a tinge of jealousy that I wasn’t there to celebrate even more with him.
My man was a beast on the dirt, and he knew that shit. Once again, those people were in awe of him, but it seemed they were friendlier than the ones in Sulphur, Louisiana. They respected his hustle a lot more there. They practically treated his ass like royalty, and he was eating that shit up.
I continued taking deep breaths, and my mama stepped behind me and started massaging my shoulders. I closed my eyes for a moment and soaked in her methods of consolation. She used to do that when I was younger all the time. Whenever I got worked up about anything, she would massage my neck and shoulders.
“That feels good, Mama. Thank you,” I said when I noticed the makeup artist was done setting up.
She released me and kissed my cheek. When I turned to her, I realized she was crying. “I’m sorry. I just can’t believe this day is here. I love you so much, baby. It’s like I bore you myself. Plus, you led me to who would be my forever. Your matchmaking skills were impeccable as a child.” She giggled. “You grew up to be an even more beautiful woman. You’re strong, smart, and beautiful. What I mean by strong is that you’ve learned how to nurture yourself.”
She swiped the tear that had fallen down my cheek. I was glad she was doing this now and not after I got my makeup done.
“You don’t take shit off nobody while still maintaining a soft heart. You’ve learned how to balance everything, and you make it look effortless. I love that for you. You’ve accomplished something that some women die before figuring out. Now you’re marrying a man that God handpicked for you. He complements you well, baby. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become, and I know you will accomplish everything you’ve set out to do, simply with the support of Kendrall. Congratulations, sweetheart.”
Tears were falling down my cheeks uncontrollably, mirroring hers. I pulled her to me and hugged her tightly. “Thank you, Mama, for being a caring teacher, who thought enough of me to contact my daddy about my hair.”
I giggled, and she did, too, as I released her from my embrace. I grabbed her hand and continued. “I was eight years old when we met, but we clung to each other like we were truly mother and daughter. The way you nurtured me…”
I slowly shook my head as I paused and reflected. “You aren’t my biological mom, but no one would be able to tell. You provided stability and care. The way you helped my dad take care of me after that accident was something you didn’t have to do. You chose to be a mother to me, even before you met Price Daniels. I can’t thank you enough for that. You played a huge role in the woman I became. I love you so much, Mama.”
We hugged again, and when I released her and saw all the women surrounding us and crying too, my heart was overwhelmed. Mama Keisha, Ebony, Karima, and Kendrall’s many aunts and cousins proved to me that I would never be alone. I had a solid foundation and support system. For that reason, I had a hard time picking who would be in the wedding.
Of course, my sister and Karima were my maids of honor since Kendrall’s two brothers were his best men. After that, I had Bali, Noni, Maui, Ashanni, and Milana. Mya was pissed because I didn’t choose her, but I told her it wasn’t personal. She still had a small child to tend to. Angel didn’t care for the spotlight, so she was just fine sitting in the crowd with Mya.
Besides Kendrall’s two brothers, he had Christian, Jacob, Rylan, Evan, and Ryder J. He didn’t plan to ask Ryder J, but since I had so many, he had to match. It wasn’t like the pickings were slim. He said Ryder J wasn’t as rowdy as SS, Royal, Ace, and Crew. I was surprised he didn’t ask one of his older cousins, like Jakari. Apparently, he was closer to the younger ones.
When we all finally calmed down and had gotten all the hugs and kisses out of the way, I was about to head to the makeup artist’s chair. However, Mama Keisha stopped me and hugged me again. She slid her hand over my cheek as she stared into my eyes, threatening to make me start crying all over again.
“You’re so beautiful, and I’m so happy my son found a woman that can truly be his partner in crime.” She chuckled. “You are so perfect for him. I’m thankful to finally have another daughter. Karima and I were outnumbered. I look forward to establishing a mother daughter relationship with you, Cassie. I love you, and congratulations, baby.”
I smiled big and squeezed her hand. “Thank you, Mama Keisha. I’m glad to be getting a mother-in-law that I get along with. We’re gonna take that in-law right off of there though.”
She smiled big then squeezed my hand back. When I released her, she left the room with Aunt Jen, Aunt Chrissy, and all the other aunts, I assumed to help get the food together for after the wedding. My bridesmaids were all doing each other’s makeup since they had refused to allow me to hire anyone. They said that was an unnecessary expenditure. I didn’t argue with them. Well… technically, it was Ebony, Karima, and Maui that were concerned with my pockets, because the twins didn’t give a damn.
I finally sat in the makeup chair and smiled up at the lady preparing to transform me from homebody to runway model. She smiled big and asked, “You ready?”
“Yes, ma’am. Let’s do it.”
Daddy and I stood in the foyer, staring at the barnyard style doors. The flower girl had just walked in. Uncle Marcus and Aunt Syn’s daughter, Seneda, was happy to do it. She was the most beautiful little girl. She walked like a model… straight up and down and flung her hair from side to side. It was too cute, being that she was only like five or six years old. She was light complexioned, like Uncle Marcus, with a lot of hair but had a lot of Aunt Syn’s facial features.
I looped my arm around Daddy’s as Aunt Aspen and Aunt Chas stared at me, awaiting my cue to slide the doors open. I took a deep breath then nodded my head. They slid the doors open, and when I saw Kendrall standing there with a microphone in his hand, I nearly stopped breathing. He was about to sing to me. Jesus Christ. I remained still as everyone took in my mermaid styled dress. It hung off my shoulders and had lace and rhinestone embellishments all over it. The way it hugged me, showing off my deadly big girl curves, made me feel sexy as hell.
When I took my first step, Kendrall started singing. “You’re my baby, my lover, my lady…”
I knew it was “So Beautiful” by Musiq Soulchild. He was singing it a lot slower, making sure every syllable of it was heartfelt. The tears were freefalling down my face. It was taking me forever to get down that damn aisle, and it wasn’t that long… maybe twenty feet. I wanted to hear him sing as much of that damn song as possible. His eyes were on me, and they never wavered.
I’d dropped my arm from my dad’s and was in a trance, walking to my man. When he hit the high note, I could’ve melted right on those damn flower petals. Everyone seemed just as shocked as I initially was with his singing, except his immediate family and groomsmen. They’d probably gotten to hear him practicing it.
When he finished the chorus for a second time at the end of the song, I finally got to him. Everyone was laughing, and I finally broke out of my trance to see why. I looked around and saw my dad behind me with his hands up as if he was asking me a question. He’d stopped at a specific point where Kendrall was supposed to come meet me. Shit. My face got hot, but the preacher said, “That’s quite alright, Miss Daniels.”
Kendrall grabbed my hands as he licked his pink lips. I wanted to pull that ponytail loose and run my hands through his hair. Blinking rapidly, I looked around, trying to take in the decorations. The colors I’d picked were so beautiful, paired together. I’d picked mauve, ecru, rose, and a green shade called matcha. It was pretty close to an olive green. The tool on the floor lining the center aisle included all four colors along with another beige looking color.
My mama and the Henderson women had done an amazing job. The flowers were gorgeous, and so were our bouquets. Honestly, though, I didn’t care about any of that at this moment. All the stuff I was stressing over, wanting to be perfect, meant nothing to me. The only thing… rather person, who I cared about was the man standing in front of me.
The family barn was crowded. I knew most of the people in attendance were Hendersons, but that was okay. The people that mattered most to me were here. As the preacher went through the traditional spiel and prayed, our eyes stayed locked on each other’s. It was the most erotic shit I’d ever done. We’d stared at one another this way before but never for this long. After a couple of minutes, we attacked each other.
We couldn’t do that now. Kendrall’s face was red. It had been that way since he’d laid eyes on me, but when I saw the tears drop from his eyes, I couldn’t help but swipe them away. When Kendrall started speaking, I realized he was reciting his vows. We agreed that we would just speak from our heart.
“Cassie, you’ve been in my heart for a long time, baby. When you finally came back to me, I was on the fast track to get us down this aisle. The moment I laid eyes on you as an adult, I knew you were my forever. I thought I would have to work hard to convince you of that, but I found out that you knew all along.”
When I heard someone huff, I knew that had to be Uncle Storm. Kendrall glanced at him and said, “Let me hurry up before I have to cuss somebody out.”
I chuckled as he smiled. “I love that I can be myself with you. I promise to cherish, appreciate, and love you for the rest of our lives, baby.”
The ball was in my court. I gently caressed his cheek. “Kendrall, you’re perfect. With all the drama you encountered when you first reconnected with me, you could have chosen to run in the opposite direction.”
“I told him to do just that until I realized you were my Martha,” Uncle Storm said.
I closed my eyes and bit my bottom lip, trying to hold in my smile, while everyone else laughed. I lifted my head and stared at Kendrall. “Thank you for being my protector, provider, and lover. Thank you for showing me what real love in a relationship was supposed to look like. I promise to always hold you down in every aspect of life. I’m your rider for life. Whatever you need from me, you got it… no question. I have no problem submitting to a man like you, because you’re a leader that I know will never steer me wrong.”
He swiped the tear from my face. “You’re my love, my all, my everything. I’m already a woman, but with the way you cherish me, I feel the epitome of that. I’m yours forever, baby.”
I lowered my head to indicate I was done. “Well, that ain’t the first person you said that to. Don’t fall for it, Kendrall.”
My eyes widened as I turned to the entrance and saw Shayla standing there. I was trying to release Kendrall’s hands to get to her, but he held them tightly, refusing to release me. My lips were twitching big time, and my entire body was trembling in anger.
“You know, you could have invited your mother to the wedding. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be here. I was the one in labor for twenty hours with your ungrateful ass! I was the one waking up in the middle of the night to feed you! When you were sick, I nursed you back to health! I did that shit!”
She was huffing hard. Uncle Storm walked to the entrance as he said, “Only one person around here interrupt weddings. That’s my damn job. You gotta go.”
“I ain’t going no-fucking-where until she apologizes to me!”
My mama was holding on to my daddy, trying to keep him from going to Shayla, but it was of no use. However, before he could get to her, Aunt Tiff had come up behind her and put her in a headlock, dragging her ass out, just like last time. Uncle Storm, Daddy, Uncle Jasper, Aunt Chas, and Aunt Aspen followed them out.
I fell to my knees in this two-thousand-dollar dress. I could hear it threatening to burst at the seams. My worst fear had happened. Shayla had ruined my wedding day. Tears fell down my face, and before long, the cries were leaving my mouth. When I opened my eyes, Kendrall was on his knees in front of me.
“I’m so sorry, baby. Damn. She messed up our day.”
“I promise you, she ain’t messed up a damn thing. Come on,” he said as he stood and slid his arms under mine and lifted me from the floor.
I would have had to rip this damn dress in order to get up. I stared into his eyes and saw the love he had for me. The love he still had, even in this moment. The preacher was stuttering somewhat. It was like he was trying to get over what had just happened. Kendrall must have gotten tired of it, because he put his hands to my face and pulled me to him.
He laid the most passionate kiss on my lips. That shit took me away from this barn, this wedding, the circumstances, and Shayla’s dramatics. I hated the drama my life was bringing to his, but his actions were showing me that I was more than my circumstances. I was who mattered, not the bullshit people were taking me through.
When he finally released my lips, I could still hear Shayla’s screaming and cursing. I swallowed hard then buried my face into his chest. I was so embarrassed. “Baby, let’s get out of here. The marriage license is already signed.”
I lifted my head to see the preacher agree with him and our bridal party surrounding us. The photographer was still taking pictures, and while I thought this moment would remind me of the chaos, I realized that it would remind me of the support and love.