27 | Samaj
Three months later
On the outside I appeared cool, calm, and collected, but on the inside, I was lowkey nervous. My thoughts kept circling back to the same thing: This is it. Don’t mess this up.
My dad’s voice kept replaying in my head like a mantra. “Have a plan in place. A real man has a vision and a plan.”
He’d told me that when Simone and I were broken up and I was trying to navigate my season of singleness.
His advice and wisdom weren’t something I took lightly.
Mix that with the time I had been spending in therapy and in prayer, I felt like I had a clear vision of what the future for Simone and I could look like.
Tonight was going to be the moment where I could share a glimpse of what that was.
Simone and I shared locations, so a surprise flight or some dramatic pop-up proposal was never going to happen.
Instead, I leaned into what made sense for her.
Our community. When I talked to Emaree months ago about what Simone had always dreamed her proposal would be like, she didn’t hesitate.
Private. Intimate. Close family and friends only.
I told her my dad wanted to book an Airbnb and host a nice family dinner.
A chance for my mom and her GiGi to reconnect now that my mom was officially out of rehab and back on her feet.
That part was true. What she didn’t know was that the house was not an Airbnb.
It was our new home that I had purchased for us.
With Harmony and my dad’s help, I’d been quietly working behind the scenes, and as of two weeks ago without Simone having the slightest clue we became homeowners by way of virtual tours and a remote closing.
A home I chose with us in mind after countless conversations about what neighborhood we could see ourselves in when I moved back to Carrington and what we both deemed as top priorities and non-negotiables when it came to our future home.
Renovations were coming soon in order to turn this house into our dream home including a downstairs in-law suite so GiGi would always have a place with us especially as she gets older.
Adding a wall between the dining room and kitchen because she expressed several times how she wasn’t’ a fan of open floor plans and of course a gym for myself because Simone already knew I wasn’t giving that up.
I had the blueprints blown up and ready to show her tonight. I wanted her to see that I wasn’t just asking her to marry me, I was asking her to build a life with me.
We still had two premarital counseling sessions left, so I knew she wasn’t expecting a proposal yet. That thought settled my nerves a little. This would land the way it was meant to.
When she walked out, though… man. She stood there in this long white satin dress, soft and effortless, like she didn’t even realize how breathtaking she looked.
“You look like Heaven on earth,” I said, pulling her into my arms after staring too long.
“Why are you so beautiful?”
She laughed softly, that sound that always disarms me.
“You really like it? Emaree picked it out.”
Emaree was my right hand, and I was super grateful to her. Keeping Simone distracted, making sure her hair and nails were done, making sure she felt special without knowing why.
Somewhere along the way, she stopped feeling like Simone’s cousin and started feeling like my younger sister.
“I love it, baby,” I replied, pressing a kiss into her hair. “Tell Emaree I said good looking out.”
As I held her there, feeling her relax into me, I thought again about my dad’s words. Have a plan. I did. And tonight, everything I’d been working toward was finally about to unfold.
My phone buzzed with a text from Emaree.
Emaree: Everyone is here. We’re ready for ya’ll to come!
Me: On our way. Be there in 15 mins.
We pulled up to the house, and it felt surreal. This was really about to be our future home as husband and wife.
After much prayer and planning I knew our engagement wouldn’t be more than a couple of months, which gave us time to have all the renovations done and for me to finish the year and lease in Union Heights.
Everything was literally falling in place, and it was a testament to if you did things God’s way He would direct your path and make everything work together for the good.
“This house is really nice. I love the neighborhood too. Didn’t we drive through here a couple of months ago when you came to visit? You said your dad booked it on Airbnb?”
This girl was too inquisitive for her own good.
“Baby, I don’t really remember, but come on because I think we’re the last ones here.”
As soon as we reached the side entrance that led to the backyard, the music I selected started to play. The matrimony by Wale ft. Usher.
I opened the gate and felt her hand tighten in mine. Simone looked up at me, eyes already glassy, lips trembling like she was trying to hold herself together.
“Samaj…” she whispered, my name barely making it past her breath.
I squeezed her hand and guided her forward.
The path was lined with candles, their flames flickering under the evening sky, red rose petals scattered beneath our feet.
When we stepped fully into the backyard, she finally saw it.
A large WILL YOU MARRY ME sign stood glowing beneath string lights, framed by greenery and red florals.
Our community, her GiGi, my parents, Emaree, Emon, Kadeem, Destiny and her husband Marcus stood quietly around the space, smiles wide, some already wiping tears.
Everyone who mattered. Just like she always wanted.
Simone stopped walking. Completely frozen.
I watched her chest rise and fall as the moment hit her all at once. The life we’d rebuilt. The healing. Faith. Prayers. All of it standing right in front of her.
“Oh my God,” she whispered before more tears started to fall. I had a picture of her parents placed on a chair on one side of our proposal set up. On the other side was a picture of Shiloh.
“They may not be here physically, but it was important to me that the people you and I love were a part of this special night.”
She nodded, unable to speak. I took out a handkerchief so she could wipe her eyes before her makeup got completely ruined.
I stepped in front of her, my heart pounding so loud I was sure everyone could hear it. I took both her hands, grounding myself in her warmth before dropping down onto one knee.
“Simone,” I said, steady even though everything inside me was shaking, “loving you changed my life. God used you to teach me patience, discipline, and what it means to love with intention. I don’t just want a future with you, I want to build one for you.
To cover you. To pray with you. To choose you every single day.
I promise to lead you the way God leads me.
To protect your heart. To honor you. And to never stop fighting for us.
I love you more than I thought humanly possible. ”
I opened the black velvet box, the ring catching the light as the music swelled behind us.
“Simone Victoria Renee… will you marry me?”
She let out a soft sob and squatted down in front of me, laughing and crying all at once.
“Yes,” she breathed. “Yes, Samaj. A thousand times yes!”
The backyard erupted with cheers, applause, and tears but all I saw was her.
I slipped the ring onto her finger, stood, and pulled her into my arms. She held onto me like she never planned on letting go, and I held her the same way.
Everyone eventually came over to hug us and thankfully Marcus was a photographer and was able to capture the entire moment.
Once the cheering settled and Simone finally caught her breath, I kissed her forehead and whispered, “Come on, baby. I have one more surprise.”
That caught her attention really quickly. “You and these surprises.”
I led everyone inside, and the moment we stepped into the dining room, her eyes widened all over again.
The space was warm and elegant, soft candlelight, cream and gold linens, florals down the center of the table, place settings that felt intimate but celebratory.
It looked like a dream, like a house already full of life.
But what really stopped her were the blown-up blueprints and renovation renderings displayed along the wall and on easels near the table. She turned to me slowly.
“Samaj… what is this?”
I took her hand, feeling that familiar mix of nerves and excitement hit my chest.
“This,” I said, smiling, “is our house.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. “What do you mean our house?”
“I mean exactly what I said.” I laughed.
“No way!”
I nodded. “Two weeks ago, we closed. I got the paperwork to prove it. You’re officially standing in our new home.”
She laughed and cried at the same time, shaking her head like her mind couldn’t catch up to her heart. I walked her over to the designs, pointing everything out that my dad and I had come up with.
How we planned to open up the kitchen more in order to have a bigger island and a walk-in pantry, the downstairs in-law suite designed specifically so her GiGi could stay comfortably whenever she wanted, and the home gym I knew would keep me sane.
Simone studied every detail, asking questions, touching the paper like it might disappear if she didn’t.
“You also have time to add your input or suggest any changes” I assured her.
“You really thought of everything,” she said softly. “I honestly can’t think of anything I’d change. It’s everything we’ve talked about.” She looked at me like I just hung the moon in the sky. “You did good, baby.” That was all I needed to hear.
After the tour of the home, we gathered back in the dining room for dinner. The smell alone felt like home before the house even had furniture.
GiGi and my mom cooked together. On the table sat red snapper smothered in Creole sauce, laid over coconut rice, perfectly seasoned vegetables, warm bread, and a few other side dishes that had everyone already loosening buttons before they even took a bite.
“This,” Kadeem said after his first forkful, “is dangerous.” Everyone laughed.
Simone leaned into me as we ate, still glancing around like she couldn’t believe any of it was real. She squeezed my hand under the table and whispered,
“Thank you for all of this. I can’t wait to become your wife.”
I looked at her, my fiancée and felt peace settle deep in my chest.
“You’re welcome. I can’t wait to give you the world.” This wasn’t just a proposal. This was the beginning of everything.