Kareem stood with his hands in his pockets and his back resting against the frame of the bathroom door. He had a look of amusement on his face like he wasn’t taking me seriously, but I was serious. The man I have loved since I was sixteen years old asked me to marry him, and I didn’t want to wait another day to be his wife.
“Let’s do it then. Today. Right now.”
“You’re for real, huh?” The smile on Kareem’s face dropped, and his eyes widened with shock.
I could see the moment he realized I wasn’t joking. What I couldn’t see was if he felt the same way.Did he want to marry me just as quickly as I wanted to marry him, or was he settled on an engagement phase before he jumped headfirst into something I could very well walk away from again?
If that is what he had settled on, I understood. I had given Kareem every right to doubt me. From this day forward, I only wanted to give him reasons to trust me.
“As real as I will ever be. I want this, Kareem. I want you. I understand if you don’t want to. I’ve given you more than one reason not to trust me, but I know you will never walk away from me, and I promise my leaving was the last time.” My tone was low and even. I was controlling my breath with every word. Not only was I declaring myself fully Kareem’s, but I was also accepting what he had always told me — that what we had was forever.
“You don’t want a big wedding? What about your grandparents? Are you good with getting married without them being there?”
“Kareem, my grandparents have wanted us to be married since I was eighteen years old. Trust me. They won’t mind if we elope, and I don’t need a big wedding. I just need you.”
“I need you too.”
“Areyou sure we’re doing this?”
The smile I was wearing took over my entire face as Kareem and I walked into the small wedding venue. The décor was all white with a beautiful glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The benches where our guests were supposed to sit were leather, and the aisle we were getting ready to walk down was made of beautiful marble.
“Yep.”
Kareem smiled back at me. His phone rang in his pocket, and the sound stopped us in our tracks. He answered on the first ring.
“Yeah, we’re already in here. Come on in.”
“Who is that?”
“That’s Ray and Rayla. They are on their way in.”
“You told them?”
“Yeah. I know you said you didn’t want a big wedding, but I knew you would at least want our friends here.”
“Thank you, baby.”
I pulled Kareem and pecked his lips. He always knew just what to do. I hadn’t even thought about having Ray and Rayla come with us, but now that they were here, I was glad I would at least get to say I do in front of my best friend.
“I got the rings.”
Ray came in holding a box over his head. He looked happier than Kareem and I put together. My stomach did backflips at the thought of Kareem slipping a ring on my finger and promising to love me for the rest of his life.
“And I got the dress,” Rayla announced.
Seeing my best friend walk into the chapel with the most beautiful gown I had ever seen took my breath away. My man and I decided we were going to get married in a small chapel in Vegas, and our friends showed up and out for us.
“I hope you didn’t think I was about to let you get married in that getup. Thankfully, I got a whole team with your size on standby.”
“Literally, Rayla, what would I do without you?”
“You’ll never have to find out. I am so happy for you, my girl.” Rayla pulled me into a hug and kissed me on the cheek. If we stayed like that for more than a second, I would cry without a doubt. I couldn’t believe how perfect my life was right now.
“I hope not.”
“Come on. Let’s get you dressed. That man has been waiting on you for sixteen years. He can wait a little while longer.”
Chapter
