Chapter 27
Truth
Igot to the bridal boutique early and waited in my car for the girls to get there. My mind was all over the place cause of Love was telling me that he wanted to get married now. Even though I had the same thoughts here and there, I put in too much work not to see it through.
I sat there staring through the windshield while people walked past my car.
The venue was booked. The dresses were bought, and I even sent out the invitations on a bored-ass day I had.
Everything was completely done, but my mind kept flashing me and Love running off somewhere just us and Amir and getting married, and it brought a smile to my face.
I was broken outta my thoughts by Kenya knocking on my window.
“Damn girl, you gonna hop out or what?” she asked.
I laughed and got out, giving each one of them a hug before we walked inside.
The fitting started as normal. The ladies tried on their dresses first, and everything fit great.
“My ladies look so good!” I yelled out, trying to bring myself outta my thoughts.
“We do, don’t we?” Deja said.
The seamstresses fixed any lil’ things that needed to be done, then it was my turn. I walked to the back with the consultant, looking at my dress hanging up, waiting for me. They helped me slip into my dress, and this time, it fit me like a glove.
I walked out to see my girls still in their dresses waiting on me. I stepped up on the lil’ stage and stared at myself.
I looked beautiful. Their dress did everything that it was supposed to do, and with my girls standing beside me, I should have been over the moon excited, but I wasn’t.
“Wussup with your face?” Renee asked.
“Yeah,” Kenya added. “You okay?”
I sighed. “I think that I am just tired…”
Deja shook her head. “Nah, I don’t think that’s it.”
“It could be it if Love put her through the mattress last night. Did that happen?” Kenya asked.
I laughed. “No, that is not it.”
I stepped off the lil’ stage and took a seat on the couch with them around me.
“The other night, Love told me that he wants to get married now.”
“Like move up the wedding?” Deja asked.
“I don’t know, he just said that he wanted to get married now. He don’t want to wait for a few more months.”
“What do you want, Islah?” Kenya asked.
I thought about it before I responded. “It has crossed my mind, but then I did all this shit for nothing.”
“It don’t have to be for nothing,” Renee added. “Y’all could do something small at y’all house.”
I agreed and let out another sigh.
“Yeah, we could, I just don’t know. This wasn’t the first time that he asked me. That man said he would marry me in the kitchen first thing in the morning.”
“Damn,” Deja let out. “That’s love.”
We all laughed.
“I think you just need to talk to Love, see what he really wants, and tell him what you want. Either way, you know we are down for whatever,” Renee expressed.
We got changed back into our clothes and then went out to lunch. Talking about the same shit before, but this time, adding in the niggas they are bringing with them to the wedding, and adding, if you have a big wedding to the end of it.
I entertained it, knowing they were joking and thinking I wouldn’t agree to it for real, but they damn sure don’t know how many times that shit has crossed my mind.
Once lunch was over, I took my time walking to my car, laughing to myself, switching my thoughts, thinking about how months ago I was looking over my shoulders but now I was out living freely.
I got in my car and headed home, taking my time with no other choice but the traffic around me.
When I did finally get home, I found Amir in the living room eating a sandwich.
I sat and talked to him for a lil’ bit, asking about his day and what he wanted for dinner before going downstairs to see what Love was doing.
Love was on his couch watching TV with his feet kicked up, smoking, when I got down there. I walked around and laid on his lap and looked up at him, making him look down and smile at me.
“Wussup up with you, mamas,” he asked.
“I have been thinking,” I said softly. “About us getting married sooner.”
“Okay,” he responded, blowing out smoke. “What about it?”
“What about all the money I spent?”
“I’ll make it back.”
“What about the invitation that has been sent out?”
“We will send more out, canceling it,” he shot back.
That nigga had a response for everything.
I got silent, thinking about my next question as he cleared his throat.
“Islah, I don’t care about the money that was spent. I don’t care about the people who wanted to see us. At the end of the day, them people was with us building what we have and gonna continue to have. I don’t need them there. I just need you and Amir there to be honest.”
He paused and I took in what he was saying, feeling every word that came out of his mouth as he continued.
“I love you, Islah. I got my BM outta the way. I got Amir. I put Gio in the ground. We got a house and a baby on the way. The last piece of the puzzle is you having my last name.”
I sat up and turned to Love and took a deep breath.
“Let’s do it then.”
Love put his blunt down and looked at me, trying to hide his smile.
“You serious?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, to be honest, I have been thinking about it. I just felt like I came too far with the planning, but after you said the material shit don’t matter, I just need you and our kids.”
Love placed his hand on my stomach and kissed me.
“My niggas been telling me that I’ve been changing, becoming a house nigga and shit. I didn’t realize it until I was with my niggas and I was craving to be with you.”
That shit made me light up on the inside.
“I feel complete with you,” Love continued. “I need for us to be complete.”
I wrapped my arms around Love’s neck and pulled him into me.
“I can’t wait to be your wife, baby. I will start canceling everything.”
I hopped up to run up the stairs and stopped myself.
“Wait, when and where are we gonna do this?”
Love laughed. “You take care of the canceling. I will take care of that, baby. You have done enough. All I want is for you to wear your dress. I still want to see you in it.”
I smiled and nodded as I ran off to get to work and called my girls in the process.
“You look happy,” Renee said, answering the phone.
“You talked to Love?” Kenya asked.
I nodded. “I did, and we decided to just go and do it. Me, him, and Amir.”
They all started to cheer for me.
“Girl what about our dresses?!” Deja blurted out, Kenya tried to tell her to shut up, but she had the right to ask.
“You will still use your dress, I’ma ask him about us doing something later to celebrate with everybody.”
She nodded and let it go. “I am happy for you,” Deja added. “You look happier than you were earlier.”
I agreed.
“It feels like a weight being lifted off my shoulder.”
“Well, listen, he got his party. Girl, you are going to have yours,” Kenya said. “I am thinking a spa day that leads into a club night.”
Deja and Renee agreed with her.
“Iight, I am with you, but I am driving cause when I am ready to leave and be with my man, I am outta there.”