Chapter 1 #3
Rae sang beneath the dimming St. Lucia sky, her voice carrying softly as Mrs. Amina walked down the silk, cream runner that was laid down the center aisle.
It was an intimate detail chosen personally by Amor.
She’d been blown away ever since she’d heard Rae sing in Paris.
Power and Amina had both lived full lives before finding their way back to love again.
They’d had big weddings, raised their children, and endured the kind of losses that reshaped a person.
This time around, they wanted something different.
Something small, intentional, and shared only with immediate family and a few close friends.
St. Lucia captured their vision effortlessly.
Between the endless water, the sinking sun, and a palette of soft brown, ivory, and gold, love lingered in the air, moving gently with every note Rae sang.
There were a few people who could have stood as the matron of honor for Amina, and the best man for Power; but there was no one else in the world more fitting than their children, Amor and Truth.
As Power watched Amina walk toward him, a calm he hadn’t felt in years settled deep in his chest as everything else faded into the background.
For a brief moment, his late wife, Angel, crossed his mind.
Loving her had been a lifetime in itself, and losing her to lupus had taken more from him than he’d ever admitted out loud.
Yet, despite his brokenness, he managed to live beyond the permanent scar her death left behind.
Between Truth’s blessings and the peace he had moving on, he was certain as Amina reached the end of the aisle that their future wasn’t a gamble, it felt earned.
His eyes misted with tears of joy that he wasn’t ashamed to let fall.
Power was fifty-four, and had retired as Chief of Police in Houston, Texas.
He had more years behind him than ahead, and was intentional about how he spent the next thirty or so years of life he had left.
Amina was more than a catch and far from a second choice.
She had slipped into Power’s life with ease, becoming the love he hadn’t known he still had room for, and he was honored to spend the rest of his days loving her out loud.
Her custom soft-brown lace gown hugged her perfectly, the nude-illusion bodice subtle and elegant.
Her natural hair streamed unapologetically to her ass, effortless in its beauty, framing her radiant face that glowed with confidence and joy.
Ivory roses and white calla lilies rested in her hands, her French-tipped fingers curled gently around the stems.
“Who gives this woman away?” Pastor Jones asked, his voice steady as the moment settled.
“I do,” Monroe answered without hesitation, releasing Amina’s arm before stepping back to stand beside Truth.
Rae finished the last note and stepped into place beside Amor, but her attention had already found Tru.
Their eyes met without effort, the kind of understanding passing between them that didn’t need words.
They were in a good place—stronger, steadier, and more in sync than they’d ever been.
Everything they’d survived to get here no longer defined them, instead, it had shaped them.
So, as they stood in the moment, surrounded by love, they were proof that real bonds didn’t break under pressure… they deepened.
Pastor Jones smiled warmly, his voice steady as the breeze rolled in off the water.
“Power,” he began. “You stand here today before God, your family, and your friends, having found love once more. A love rooted not in perfection, but in purpose. And it is with that understanding I ask—”
Power shifted slightly, his grip on Amina’s hands tightening. He looked at her for a long moment, taking a mental picture, needing to remember the moment they stood in forever. “Hold on,” Power said calmly, lifting a hand.
A soft ripple of surprise moved through the guests, but not Amina, she understood Power in a way words could never translate. She blinked once, then smiled, welcoming his spontaneity.
After kissing the top of her hand, he exhaled slowly, then spoke with certainty.
“I’ve lived long enough to know love don’t always show up when you expect it.
Sometimes it find you after you’ve lost…
once you’ve healed wrong, or convinced yourself you’re done.
” His eyes softened. “But you reminded me that when my heart found peace in another soul, it felt like home.”
Amina’s eyes shimmered.
“I promise you patience,” Power continued, his voice steady and sure.
“Laughter when life presses in. Protection without control, and love that respects your strength and honors every season we’ll weather together.
” He smiled, but the way he gazed into her eyes secured a deep place in her heart. “This is my vow, baby. I love you.”
Powers’ confession to Amina had all the ladies' eyes misting as they vowed to themselves that when their time came, if their man wasn’t like power, they didn’t want him.
Amina lightly cleared her throat as her response registered, and power slid her ring on her finger. She wasn’t prepared to recite her vows, but she was fluent when it came to speaking from her heart. She took a deep breath, still holding Power’s hands, her thumbs brushing over his for comfort.