My heart started beating faster. “Moses…”
He cut the engine and finally looked at me, smiling. “Get out.”
I stared at him, confused. “What you mean, get out?”
“Get out and see for yourself, woman.”
When it hit me what was happening, I screamed so loud Solae flinched on the screen. “Girl, what the hell?!”
“Oh my God, Solae!” I shouted, scrambling to unbuckle my seatbelt. “He bought a house! My baby bought me a big-ass house! Oh my God!”
Moses laughed, getting out as I jumped from the truck and ran across the driveway like a crazy person.
“Kahlani, slow down!” he called after me.
“Open the door!” I shouted. “Hurry up and open it!”
Solae was still hollering through the phone. “Turn the camera around! Let me see what’s goin’ on!”
I flipped the phone, holding it up so she could see the house while Moses unlocked the front door. When it swung open, I gasped so loud that it bounced off of the walls.
The foyer looked like something out of a movie. It had white marble floors, a chandelier shaped like glass raindrops, and a winding staircase.
“Moses…” I whispered, walking further inside. “This can’t be real.”
He grinned behind me. “It’s real, baby. Go look around.”
I ran from room to room, still showing Solae everything. The living room had floor-to-ceiling windows and a fireplace taller than me. The kitchen, all stainless steel and marble, looked like something out of a cooking show.
I was overjoyed. We’d been living in a cute little three-bedroom on the South Side, but this was a mansion.
“I can’t believe this,” my voice cracked with happy tears as I looked around.
Solae laughed with tears glistening in her eyes. “You deserve it, sis. You really do.”
I screamed again when I opened the master suite. “Oh my God, look at this closet! It’s the size of a bedroom!”
I flipped the camera so she could see the built-ins, the glass island, and the soft lighting glowing from every corner. “You see this?!”
Then I ran into the bathroom and screamed even louder. “And look at this bathroom! It’s bigger than the closet! It’s got a jacuzzi tub and a shower that could fit a whole group in it!”
Solae was laughing now. “Girl, stop! You gon’ make me cry in here!”
Moses leaned against the doorframe wearing a proud grin.
I turned back to him, feeling my heart swelling. “You did this for real?”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah, baby. I did this for real.”
Solae’s voice softened through the speaker. “I love this for you, Kahlani. Y’all really made it.”
I smiled and could feel my throat tightening as I looked around at the gleaming marble floors, the chandelier that looked like it belonged in a magazine, and Moses standing there watching me like he couldn’t believe I was his.
I glanced back at the man who had kept every promise, who had carried us both into a life I never thought would be possible, and felt so much gratitude and love for him.
“Solae,” I spoke, still staring at him, “I gotta go, sis.”
She smiled knowingly. “Yeah, I know. Go ahead, girl.”
