Chapter 12
NanNan’s voice had carried just enough strain to tighten my chest. “Baby, . . . I’m not feeling good. Mel dropped me off somewhere, and I don’t think I should be alone.”
“Where you at?” I asked, already sliding my shoes on. I stayed on the phone with her to settle my nerves and hers.
She gave me the address. I pulled up and blinked at the sign—a spa. My brows knit. “NanNan, . . . this isn’t a doctor.”
Before she could answer, Mel yanked my car door open like she owned the hinges. “Get out,” she said, smiling way too hard.
“Mel—”
NanNan stepped into view, standing tall, eyes bright, not sick at all, laughing before I could catch my breath. “I’m sorry, baby,” she said. “But your man told me I had to lie.”
“My man?” I whispered, the words turning to ice and butterflies at once.
Mel pressed a folded, cream-colored note into my palm. Roman’s handwriting stared up at me. And as I opened it, my stomach dropped, like my life knew a turn was coming.
Clue One
You give and you give, you never pause,
Today we tend to you because.
Go where the quiet softens stress,
Where hands remind you how to rest.
I laughed, but it came out watery, like my joy and my nerves were sharing the same throat.
Tears burned before they even fell. “He is so stupid,” I whispered, fond as sugar, shaking my head.
But in my chest, it wasn’t stupid. It was .
. . intentional. Roman didn’t do random.
He did mapped-out, thought-through, I-listened-to-you-when-you-thought-I-wasn’t kind of love.
He loved like a man who had studied what life stole from me and decided he was going to return it in small, practical miracles.
The clue was so him, not flashy or loud, just accurate. He’d watched me pour myself into everybody else until I didn’t have enough left to taste my own sweetness. Instead of lecturing me about rest, he was sending me into it—gentle, strategic, unavoidable.
NanNan kissed my cheek. “And you love every bit of it.”
Inside, the spa staff greeted me by name, not “ma’am,” not “sweetie.” Solè, as if I belonged in softness, like rest wasn’t something I had to earn with exhaustion.
I turned slowly, blinking. “How long has he been planning this?”
Mel smirked. “Longer than you think.”
And I believed her because Roman loved like a strategist—quiet, thorough, and intentional.
As the warm hands worked the tension out of me, NanNan held my hand like an anchor. “That man loves you something serious,” she murmured. “Ain’t no guessing with him. I love that for you, baby.”
When it was over, Mel slid an envelope into my palm. “Don’t open it yet. Wait until the car pulls up for you outside.”
Sunlight hit my face like a blessing, and I unfolded it with shaky fingers.
Clue Two
You teach all day, you pour your heart,
Shaping minds, you play your part.
Now let them dress you like a dream,
The woman you’ve already been.
My Constellation, my Pretty Litte Dipper, my Queen.
I covered my mouth. “Oh my God.”
Because the words weren’t just pretty; they were accurate.
He wasn’t trying to make me into something new; he was insisting I finally receive what I already deserved.
And as my heart thumped like a drumline in my ribs, I realized the scariest part wasn’t the surprise.
It was the certainty. He meant it. He’d been meaning it.
And for the first time, I didn’t feel like I had to shrink to be safe in someone’s love.
I just had to follow the clues and let myself be found.
At the bridal boutique, Mellonie squealed when she saw me.
“This man!” she yelled. “I been holding this secret for months!”
As she zipped me into the dress, she whispered, “You look like peace.”
I swallowed hard. “He really did all this?”
“Every detail, down to the thread,” she said.
When I stepped out, NanNan cried openly. “That’s my baby.”
Mel handed me the next clue.
Clue Three
You trust me now, don’t be afraid,
follow the path that love has laid.
Two little guides will lead the way,
to where I’ve stood here all this day.
Outside, Reagan and Reece waited, hands clasped, faces serious.
“We gotta take you somewhere,” Reagan said.
Reece nodded. “Brubbie said no questions.”
I laughed. “Twinzies . . . Y’all been plotting too?”
Reagan grinned. “We helped.”
At the venue doors, they stopped, and Reece handed me the final envelope.
“Read it,” she whispered.
My hands shook.
Final Clue
I taught you breath, I taught you trust,
now walk to me because you must.
I’m not the fear, I’m not the fall,
I’m where you’re safe—your home, your all.
I been submerged since you let me in.
Come meet me where our forever begins.
As NanNan took my arm, the air shifted, like the building itself understood this was sacred and started making room.
On either side of us, Elias and Ahmad appeared like quiet insurance policies in fitted suits, eyes scanning corners the way protectors did when love was on the line. Elias gave me that familiar, steady look—half big brother, half detective—and opened the path like he was parting a sea.
“You look stunning, sis,” he murmured, voice warm without losing its edge, like he could compliment me and still clock a threat in the same breath.
Ahmad nodded once, respectful and solid, moving with that calm discipline that made you feel covered without feeling crowded.
Mel and NanNan walked close, my gown gathered and gliding behind me like a soft wave, and the two men guided us through the entrance with quiet authority, no fuss or chaos, just a controlled corridor of safety.
And in that moment, it hit me. This wasn’t just a surprise. It was a system, a whole circle of people who had decided my peace deserved protection, my joy deserved witness, and my love deserved a clean, uninterrupted path to its beginning.
The doors opened. Inside, the room opened like a held breath finally released.
Roman stood still as stone, eyes locked on me like he was guarding the entire room, like every aisle and every breath belonged to his protection. Bryce stood beside him.
Chase and Jacory sat together, grinning with their beautiful wives next to them. Jolani scattered petals with the careful focus of a child who understands sacred moments.
Near them, Jonay and Jazz were seated too, posted up like love’s witnesses and peacekeepers, eyes bright and posture calm, present in that way that said we’re here, and we’ve got you.
NanNan took my arm. “You ready?” she whispered.
“I’ve been ready,” I said, voice shaking.
When she placed my hand in Roman’s, she said, “Take care of her.”
Roman kissed my cheek. “I got her. Always.”
During vows, Roman smiled that crooked smile.
“I don’t usually rhyme, but she started it,” he said, making everybody laugh.
Then he got serious. “I been a protector since I was seventeen. That’s all I know.
But you taught me how to protect peace, not just people.
” He held my hands tight. “I’ve been submerged in loving you since the first clue I ever wrote.
I vow to cover you, cherish you, laugh with you, and stand in front of anything that tries to shake you. To the death of me, love.”
I smiled through tears. “You never asked me to be smaller,” I said. “You just asked me to trust you. I will love you and trust you for the rest of my days.” When we kissed, the room erupted.
The reception was warm, loud, and glowing. Candlelight danced across glassware, laughter bounced off the walls, and the DJ was already acting like he had a contract to keep everybody on their feet.
Roman had his arm around me like I would disappear if he moved it away from me.
Reagan and Reece were up front at the sweetheart table, eating like they had been working a full shift all day, which, honestly, they had.
Jolani, Elias and Jonay’s little girl, was so pretty.
She kept twirling in her flower-girl dress like she was the star of the show as her big brother, EJ, stayed near, monitoring her.
Chase and Jacory were posted up with their wives, Shaniya and Daniale, laughing and talking amongst everyone.
Then the DJ’s voice cut in.
“Alright, alright, let’s get into these toasts,” he said. “If you got a drink, hold it up. If you don’t, go get one.”
He grinned. “Before we get too lit, we got somebody special with a few words. Y’all show love for Reece.”
A soft murmur moved through the room. Reece stood slowly, not rushed or nervous. She was regal. Reagan rose with her, straightening Reece’s dress with a quiet nod like, you got this. Roman watched them both with pride written all over his face. Reece stepped to the mic, hands steady, eyes calm.
“Good evening. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Reece. I’m Roman’s little sister, . . . but he’s been my big brother, my protector, and my safe place for as long as I can remember.”
The room stilled, and Reece glanced at Roman briefly, then back to the crowd.
“This morning at breakfast, Reagan and I asked Big Bro a question. We asked him what love really is.”
Reagan smiled beside her, arms folded, proud.
Reece continued. “He told us that love is consistency. Love is showing up even when nobody claps for you. Love is keeping your word, especially when it would be easier not to.”
A few quiet mm-hmms moved through the room.
“He said love is protecting someone’s peace, not just standing in front of danger. And he said love is choosing one person and never treating that choice like an option.”
Reece continued. “He said love is when you show up, even when it’s hard. Love is when you do what you said you would do every day. Love is when you protect somebody’s peace, not just their body. Love is when you pick a person, and you don’t play with them or about them.”
A hush fell over the room, and Roman swallowed hard.