Nyle Brown
Friday . . .
“Where are we going?” AJ wondered out loud.
Brittish turned around in her seat and smiled.
I half listened to her explain that we were going to the courthouse and why we were going.
Since she’d gotten ready earlier, I hadn’t been able to keep my hands or eyes off her.
She was glowing, looking beautiful as ever.
The white, two-piece skirt set she wore fit her body like a glove.
Her blonde hair was curled nicely, framing her pretty face which was made up in light makeup.
On top of it all, she smelled heavenly. I wanted to lean over and take a bite of out her, but AJ wouldn’t approve.
AJ’s loud gasp and him hitting the back of my seat freed me from my trance. I guess he forgot I was driving because he threw his arms around my neck. Brittish had to calm him down and remind him he couldn’t do that in between her laughs.
“I’m sorry,” AJ apologized. “I’m just so excited. No one can tell me anything after this. I’ll have two sets of parents.”
I beamed, hearing him group me into that title. I glanced over at Brittish, who was fanning her eyes. She’d been extremely emotional all day, and she had every reason to be. Our lives were about to change for the better.
What she didn’t know was that I had a surprise for her.
When we arrived at the courthouse, Brittish sharply gasped upon seeing our families and Pilar standing outside. She whipped her head to look at me, and I winked.
“There was no way I could let this day go by without the people who mean the most to us.”
“I didn’t know Dad and Mama Zaina would be here!” AJ exclaimed. “I thought they were co—”
Brittish cut him off before he could finish his sentence. I side-eyed her but didn’t pry. Whatever it was, it wasn’t my business.
I helped her and AJ out the truck, and we met up with our families. All the women crowded around Brittish, putting on her veil and giving her the bouquet I’d ordered. She was trying her hardest not to cry and ruin her makeup.
“You have my baby girl glowing, Nyle,” Lucah stated with his hand on my shoulder. “I’ve never seen her this happy, and I expect you to keep it this way.”
“Me too. You’re cool and all, but we’ll have problems if her light dims even a little.” Diamond chimed in. “And we’ll keep that energy with her when it comes to you too. After this, you’ll officially be a part of the family.”
Dionte nodded in agreement. “Exactly. It won’t be any choosing sides when y’all are one. Right, Dad?”
“Right, Son.”
My father held his hand out to Lucah. “I can tell I’m going to like y’all. That’s the perfect way of thinking. I promise to love and protect Brittish and AJ like they’re my own. Any extension of my children are extensions of me.”
“Damn right.” Lucah shook Dad’s hand and pulled him in for a brotherly hug. They walked to the side and talked while Asher came and stood next to me. AJ made his way over and placed himself in between us, grinning.
“I think I’m going to like having a big family,” AJ admitted.
“Promise me you’ll take care of them,” Asher started, draping his arm over AJ’s shoulder.
“Taking care of Brittish means taking care of AJ as well. She deserves to be loved properly. She deserves to be happy. I wasn’t able to provide that for her, but from the way she hasn’t stopped smiling since y’all got here shows me you give her everything plus more.
Keep her that way, man. Even when times get hard, don’t let it come between y’all.
Stay committed and honest. It’ll go a long way. ”
Never did I think I’d be receiving advice from Brittish’s ex, but it was crazy how life worked.
They still cared about one another, and there wasn’t anything wrong with it.
To have a healthy co-parenting relationship as they did, I believed there needed to be some love and understanding.
I gave him my word when it came to her and AJ.
Once all the commotion settled down, we headed inside to tie the knot.
The process was quicker than I thought it would be.
After we signed a few papers, a judge came in to officiate.
He asked if we wanted to recite the traditional vows or if we had written our own.
Neither of us had written anything, but we wanted to say what was on our hearts.
I went first.
“Brittish, I love you. I’ll never stop loving you.
I’m big on being a good steward of what God gives, and He gave me you when I least expected it.
He gave me you before taking me through another storm, knowing I wouldn’t have been able to confidently walk through it without you.
In a few short months, you’ve come in and changed my life for the better.
You’ve healed me in ways I never thought possible.
” I reached over and thumbed away one of her tears.
“See how easy it is for me to touch you? You made that easy for me. You took away that insecurity and made it something natural for me. Not only have you made me better, but you make me want to continue being a better man for you, AJ, and our future children. To spend the rest of my life with you is one of the biggest blessings God has given to me. I love you, Pretty Lady.”
Nothing but sniffles and soft whispers could be heard around us.
I turned to AJ who was standing next to his father.
When I waved him over, Brittish and her mother started crying harder.
AJ dragged his feet over to me, and I could see he was trying his hardest to hide his emotions.
He bit down on his bottom lip with tears resting on the brim of his eyes.
I squatted and pulled a small box from my pocket before handing it to him.
“I didn’t forget about you either, AJ. Marrying your mother means I’m committing to you as well.
That’s a pinky ring. It symbolizes my promise to you to love and cherish you just as I do your mother.
I promise to always keep you first and be the best role model I can be for you.
Just like you love your Mama Z, I hope you’ll find it in you to love me like that as well.
I want nothing more than to be another positive figure in your life, one you can come and talk to, one you can depend on, one you know will always be in your corner outside of baseball. I got you, man.”
Brittish stepped over as AJ opened the box and revealed a ring engraved like a baseball with his name on it. His eyes lit up, and to my surprise, he threw his arms around my neck. I wasn’t sure who was more emotional: me or the women.
“Thank you, Nyle,” AJ said. “You know, I gave you a hard time in the beginning because I needed to test your strength when it came to my mama. She’s strong, so she needed someone who could match that. You passed the test.”
I chuckled. “I’m glad I did.”
We bumped fists, and he went back to stand by his father. It was Brittish’s turn to say her vows. There was already a lump forming in my throat as she took my eyes with a quivering bottom lip.
She cleared her throat and expressed, “I probably won’t be able to get through this without crying, but I love you, Nyle.
So damn much. You had my heart from the very first day.
The way you took my breath away from just one look was a key indicator that you were different.
At first, I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t believe my heart was ready to allow someone in again, but you smoothly found the key to it.
Even during the hardest time of your life, you did your best to keep me first. You did your best to push your feelings to the side to give me the reassurance I asked for, and I know that wasn’t easy for you.
That was out of pure love and that good heart God blessed you with.
I want nothing more than to be the best wife, best friend, and lover to you.
I want to be all you need and so much more because you deserve nothing but the best, Nyle.
If God allows, I’ll be the best to you.”
Her words had me choked up. Naheem placed his hands on my bouncing shoulders from behind, and I could’ve sworn I heard a few sniffles come from him.
When I finally got myself together, I said, “That worked on me.”
Brittish and I shared a laugh. It was our special inside joke, one that we would always have and cherish. The judge continued with the ceremony, and before he could fully get the words out his mouth, I kissed Brittish.
My wife.
My healer.
My life.
My pretty lady.
My everything.
Everyone crowded around us as we took pictures and basked in the moment.
AJ was growing antsy, and I couldn’t figure out why.
He kept asking Brittish if we could finally leave because we were cutting close on time.
I was confused, but I didn’t ask any questions when Brittish explained we had one more stop to make.
She insisted on driving, and I hesitantly agreed.
My truck wasn’t a small one, but I had to trust my wife.
I’d never get enough of saying that.
The entire drive to our destination, AJ couldn’t stop bouncing in his seat. I’d also noticed that our families were trailing behind us, and I was trying to put the pieces together on what could be happening. None of them had given any clue as to what it could be, so I didn’t pry.
We pulled up to a venue where there were cars parked everywhere. My brows furrowed as I glanced over at Brittish who gave me a small smile before getting out.
“Don’t you do anything like that again, Mrs. Brown,” I chastised.
She held her palms up in surrender. “I’m sorry. It’s just instinct when I’m driving.”
With her and AJ by my side, they led me to the front where our families were waiting. Everyone stopped talking when we got closer, raising my suspicions even more. AJ stepped in front of the door and peered up at me.
“Nyle, we wanted to do something special for you. I don’t want to bring it up, but what happened to you affected us all. We wanted to do something to cheer you up and show our appreciation for you as a person and a coach, so . . .”
The doors opened, and the team stood there, all dressed up.
Before I could fully process what was happening, they all rushed to me, showering me with their love.
I hadn’t seen any of them since everything went down, and their presence broke me down.
With each hug, I cried harder. To know they’d put something together for me meant more to me than they’d ever know.
With my wife by my side and my family behind me, we went inside to see they’d done it up for me.
Of course, it was baseball themed with a full spread of food, games, and music.
I spoke to the parents who all informed me they’d been praying and expressing the positive impact I’d made on their boys.
I didn’t believe my heart could swell any bigger.
“So, this is why you wanted to wait until today, huh?” I asked Brittish when we had a moment to ourselves.
She draped her arms over my shoulders and nodded. “Yes. I figured it would be the perfect way to wrap up the day. You deserve to be celebrated, Nyle. You touch so many hearts, especially these boys.”
“I can see.” I looked around the room with a heart of gratitude. God had blessed me with so much, and I couldn’t do anything but thank Him for it.
Despite all I had been through in life, He continued to bless me with the things and people I loved most.
Healing could be ugly, but with the right people, the scars were worth it.
At Last.