Let’s get married
Peering through the lightly cracked doors, I clutched the bouquet in my hand.
Remembering how fragile it was, I loosened my grip, not wanting to damage it before the photographer could take pictures.
The florist had done an incredible job arranging my bouquet.
There were pink roses intertwined with purple lilies and a few sprigs of baby’s breath as well.
It had been everything I asked for and more.
I let my eyes scan over each of my perfect bridesmaids.
Cressida, Zora, Imani, Dashai, Storm, Breezy, and Aubree all looked stunning.
Their pale pink dresses flowed effortlessly from their bodies, and I could see all of them dabbing at their tears.
A year and some change ago, I’d been upset because I hadn’t had a single bridesmaid, and now I had a whole crew of them.
The Hellcat Barbies had shown that we were more than just muscle cars; we were ride-or-die.
“Okay, you ready this time?”
My wedding planner, Daylani, quietly approached me from behind.
I turned slowly because my dress felt heavy, and I faced her.
She was her sister’s twin, and I was grateful that this time I could plan my own wedding and ensure every detail was perfect.
I wanted to have my wedding at my father’s estate, but the problem was that he didn’t have a building on the property for the ceremony.
Zodiac stepped in and hired a team to build my dream venue, offering a view of the lake that I hadn’t known existed because of the trees lining my father’s property.
When I returned, besides the grass being overgrown, everything else remained as I had left it.
The property taxes were still being paid, which surprised me.
My father’s old colleagues had been taking care of it.
“I’m ready,” I grinned.
“You look beautiful.”
I’d said yes to the dress three times. Yes, I was going to change dresses three times; all three had been designed by Alonuko, a Black seamstress.
For the ceremony, she designed me a pink ballgown with a seven-foot train.
The dress was long-sleeved, but with her custom mesh, it gave the illusion that flowers were just placed all over my arms and chest.The second dress was all pink crystals, and I’d be cutting the cake in that one.
And the third was a pink silk dress, the same style and color as the bridesmaids.
I’d had my mother’s dress made into a beautiful gown for my rehearsal dinner yesterday.
“Thank you so much! You did an amazing job!”
“You made it so easy. Let me see this rock again.”
I held up my hand and stuck out my tongue.
My fiancé had the old ring melted down and crafted a new one according to my specifications.
A larger opal, shaped like a three-carat diamond, sat in the center of a white gold band with pink halo diamonds surrounding it.
It was the prettiest ring I’d ever seen.
My music cued, and Daylani spoke into her earpiece, signaling for the doors to open. Tossing my veil over my head, I gasped at what looked to be a fairy Barbie land with how the floral arrangements went down the aisle in arches. The aisle was even one for the books; it was mirrored.
I instantly teared up when I saw all the people I’d gotten to know in the audience.
The mob wasn’t as bad as I thought it was.
Everyone had an unusual love story, just like me, which made them easy to relate to.
Even with my brand-new position at Jagoda One, which I loved, and still traveling back to my Hellcat family, plus being a mom and having a man, I hadn’t yet felt burnt out or stretched thin.
My glam team winked at me, having been working tirelessly around the clock to get not only me and the bridesmaids together but also the rest of the mob wives.
After today, they told me they were heading to an awards show with Beyoncé.
It was still hard for them to do my makeup because I cried the whole time, especially when my baby came into the packed bridal suite so I could see him in his pink tuxedo.
Steele was asleep in Mrs. Jean's arms, with his great-grandmother beside them. The two old ladies would be fighting over him next. They’d been my flower girls and had done an amazing job.
Blinking at the flash, I avoided looking at my handsome groom because I wanted the photographers to at least capture some good pictures of me as I made my way down the aisle.
When I locked eyes with him, the waterworks started.
My six-foot-three man was crying like a baby, and I nearly missed a step trying to get to him.
I had a gangster, a killer in a pink suit, along with all of his best men who had been members of the mob.
He had let me handle the wedding planning, only giving me the money to do as I pleased.
I hadn’t had to touch a penny of my inheritance.
I was more than a third of the way down the aisle as the violinist played the traditional 'Here Comes the Bride' melody.
Breaking eye contact with my man because he had me about to fall from not being able to see through the tears, I turned to the right and smiled at Dasani holding my girl Mafia.
She was so cute in her little pink dress.
Plopping the sippy cup out of her mouth, she looked at me in admiration, then her smile dropped.
“Wuuuuun! Wuuuuun!” she yelled, making everyone laugh—including me.
Right there on my father’s land, with my girls behind me and my newfound family watching, I became Mrs. Zodiac Valor. My father’s Challenger was parked out front with the just-married sign on it. We’d be driving it to the airport so we could catch a private plane for our honeymoon.
A year ago, I had nothing and no one, but today, I had everything I’d ever dreamed of and hoped for.Did all that running for nothing just to end up exactly where my daddy wanted me. Life was funny like that.
The End…