23. Reighvyn
SIX WEEKS LATER
“You look so breathtakingly beautiful. You’re stunning, girl,” I whispered for her ears only.
She beamed up at me. “You look handsome too, Mr. Bloom.”
I inhaled deeply before I spoke.
“It’s been a whirlwind these last three months being with you.
When I came to the island, I never thought I would find my first love again, nor did I expect to be getting married three short months later.
I tried to sit down over these last three weeks and write my vows.
I balled the paper up a thousand times. None of them were fitting, and none of them felt solid in here. ” I thumped my chest with my fist.
“When you were heading off to college, I promised that I would be at your wedding, Dove. I was jealous of the nigga who would be standing on the other side of you, but today, my greatest dream is coming true: making you my wife. I know that heading to the cottage wasn’t a mistake but a divine intervention from the Almighty Himself.
In my heart, I know He wanted me to find my way back to you again so that I could gain the serenity that had been elusive for years.
He wanted me to see the thing that I always took for granted was what I needed to be whole and complete.
“I’m standing before you today, vowing to be your protector and your provider.
I will support your dreams and goals, laugh with you, cry with you, and always be that shoulder for you to lean on.
I promise to hear you out and stand strong with you, even when I don’t understand.
I promise that your heart will always have a home with me.
I am your safe space, baby. I am your strength, your lover, and your friend.
“I vow to grow old with you, if the Lord is willing, and to build a family and a legacy of love, strength, and honor with you. I will always encourage you, fight the world for you, and wipe away your tears. I will protect your reputation, and I will love you with my very last breath.”
I slid the ring onto Dove’s finger, and she wiped the tears with her free hand. She sniffled a couple of times before she smiled at me. It was her turn to speak.
“Reighvyn Bloom, as I stand here today, I recall telling you that I would be at your wedding. Never in a million years did I imagine that it would be as your wife. Today, I no longer see the hurting little boy I once knew, or the broken man I fell in love with. I see a strong man filled with passion, the grace of God, and a beautiful soul. I see the man who always saw the beauty in me when I couldn’t see it in myself.
In you, I see the gorgeous person that I always saw.
I see beyond the emotional scars of your past and the physical scars that never fully healed.
“I see the light in your eyes, the love in your heart, and the purity in your soul. I see the truth that you won’t allow the world to see, and I am honored and humbled that you allow me to see parts of you that no one else ever will.
Today, I commit to protect those parts of you, respect the way that you move in this world, and honor every portion of you.
I vow to always be the one who loves you in the good and bad times.
Whether you are wrong or right, my love will always be unconditional.
“I vow to be that haven that your heart can fully find trust in. I will be the place that your soul can confidently rest in, and I will always hold what you share with me sacred. I will continue to pour love into you, to encourage you, to heal you, and to fulfill my role and my purpose in your life as your wife and the mother of your future children. I will always be your place of peace.”
Dove slid the ring on my finger and stared up at me with a broad smile as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride,” Minister Soto, Papa Reed’s brother, pronounced.
I gripped Dove’s chin and softly tipped her head back as I brushed my lips against hers before I applied light pressure. When I released her, she smiled widely at me, held her hand up for our small gathering to see, and declared, “I’s married now!”
Everyone laughed at the famous line from the movie The Color Purple before they swarmed around us to congratulate us. We hadn’t wanted a big ceremony. Both Dove and I had more than enough attention from the media to last us a lifetime.
I hadn’t even informed my coaches or anyone in my camp that we were getting married. I didn’t want any news to leak and the media found out. We knew if they learned about it, there would be no end to the coverage from the gossip vlogs.
The weekend we spent on our first date, we immediately talked about wedding plans as we lay in the bed the night of our engagement.
The next morning, when the after-sex glow had dimmed a bit, I asked if she was sure that she didn’t want a big wedding.
I was surprised the night before when she said that because I thought all women did.
She and I were on the same page mentally about what we wanted.
Once we were convinced that we knew what we wanted, we also decided there was no reason to wait. We made plans to return to the cottage at Sorrel Island for our wedding and to hold it right on the private beach.
The only people in attendance were Dove’s parents, Quinton and Sharon, Ivy, Keonte, Myracle, Kandi Grace, Mama Alma, Papa Larry, Wryn, Paloma, my mama, and Noah. We hadn’t told another soul that we were getting married, not even Dove’s staff.
I swept Dove up into my arms, and she whooped and threw her bouquet over our heads. I ran straight for the water, and Dove screamed and laughed as the cold water splashed up all around us, drenching our wedding attire.
She wore an ivory A-line lace wedding gown with spaghetti straps and a plunging V-neckline. I had gotten so full of emotion when I saw her walking down the beach toward me with her sweeping, floor-length skirt.
I had wanted to run my hands down the bodice of her dress that was composed of sheer tulle with floral lace appliqué and embroidery just to cup her beautiful breasts. The luminous pearl embellishments shimmered in the midday sun and gave her a soft, romantic look.
I had opted for an ivory linen suit with a baby blue button-down underneath. I didn’t care about the expensive Italian loafers on my feet, or the fact that I had just ruined the suit I wore, which cost just over five grand. The only thing that mattered was that we were happy.
I stood in the waist-deep water and kissed my wife. I slowly lowered her to her feet and cupped her face in my hands. “I promise that life will always be this surprising, this exciting, and this filled with adrenaline.”
We laughed before we kissed again. Wryn walked to the water’s edge with his pants legs rolled up and played his saxophone as my wife and I slowly danced in the ocean.
“Are you happy with our decisions, Dove?”
She smiled at me.
“Baby, I couldn’t be any happier than I am right now. You have given me everything that I need in this life. If we were to move into that cottage right there and grow old in it, and never do another thing in this life, I’d be happy because I have your love, Reigh.
“It was hard wondering if I would find love and be able to trust someone again after I had been manipulated and lied to. I didn’t want to always be wondering if I did find someone, if they would have my back when times get hard.
I know that I never have to wonder about that with you.
I have always been safe with you, and I’ve always been able to trust you, Reigh. Nothing has changed.”
“Good. I look forward to a lifetime of love with you, babe. But right now, ya man is looking forward to consummating our marriage.”
She giggled and smacked my wet chest. “We have company. You have to behave.”
“Not really. Did you forget that we bought an entire villa and our little wedding party will be staying there?”
I had purchased a beautiful villa three weeks ago, which was named Sunset, for our vacation home here on the island. It was further down the beach, and the six-bedroom, seven-bathroom villa had an open plan kitchen, separate butler’s pantry, and a dining table that seated eighteen.
The floor-to-ceiling windows provided opulent views of the ocean, only yards away from the water. The main living room and family lounge provided ample opportunities to socialize with family and friends.
There was a pool deck that had a lounge area, a private infinity pool, and sunbeds.
The master bedroom had an exclusive upper level complete with a spa-like bathroom en-suite, sitting room, separate his and her walk-in closets, and the guest bedrooms located on the lower level all had their own balcony and private en suite.
There was a rumpus room on the main level for games and entertainment, and plenty of outdoor space that included basketball and tennis courts, gardens, and a boat dock.
Our family would be staying in our new house, while we stayed at the old cottage overnight before we flew out to head to Santorini for our honeymoon in the morning.
The cottage held plenty of memories for us, not including that was where we reunited, so we wanted to spend our first night of marriage there.
We stayed at the villa for the first time last week. It was something that had been in the works since Dove first told me that she loved Sorrel Island.
“They want to celebrate with us,” she proclaimed against my lips as her hands locked loosely around my neck.
We continued to sway in the water. “Mm, but what about me? I’m hungry, baby.”
“The caterers have set up a beautiful spread on the patio up there.” She bobbed her head toward the house behind us.
“That’s not the type of food I’m talking about.”
“You’re so naughty, Mr. Bloom.”
“And you love me that way, Mrs. Flowers-Bloom.” She laughed hysterically at me calling her that name.
She hadn’t wanted to hyphenate her name.
She was okay with dropping hers and taking on my last name, but I thought it was beautiful and a wonderful name to pass on to our children, especially considering she was a florist, and our names were what bonded us early on.
She had agreed that it was a great idea and pretty catchy to use for her business. She thought it would put a nice spin on things, especially sounding much better than “Rose the Recker.”
“I love that name.”
“You do, huh?”
“I do.”
I gripped her ass and brushed our lips together again as my brother transitioned into playing a new song.
He was a professional saxophonist, and I hired him to play for us.
He didn’t want me to pay him and insisted it would be a gift, but I insisted he could get us something else as a gift.
I didn’t take his skills for granted, and I believed he should be compensated generously for his talents.
“I’m ready to take you up there and make your flowers bloom.”
She laughed so hysterically at that, that she couldn’t keep kissing me. We had been talking in between pecks. When she finished, she stared at me with the brightest smile as we continued swaying. “God I love you.”
“Not half as much as I love you.”
And I believed that with my heart. As much as Dove loved me, I would always love her more. She was the most precious gift I had ever received, and I would never take a moment with her for granted.