“I love you,” I said, my voice shakin’ a lil’. “And I mean that with everything in me. You been my home even when we ain’t feel like home. You been my safe place even when we was hurtin’ each other.”
He closed his eyes for a second, feelin’ that.
“I’m always gon’ ride with you,” I continued. “No matter what. You my husband, my baby daddy, my best friend, all that. And I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
We both was laughin’ and cryin’ at the same time now, and when the pastor finally told him he could kiss me, Kay’Lo reached up, lifted my veil, and pulled me into him.
The kiss was deep and full, like everything we had been through led up to this one moment.
Everybody started clappin’, cheerin’, and right in the middle of that, we heard My’Love cryin’.
Kay’Lo pulled back and looked around. “Where my baby at?” he said, already reachin’.
Treasure walked up with her, and the second My’Love saw him, she reached for him, her tiny arms stretchin’ out like she couldn’t get to him fast enough.
He grabbed her, kissed all over her face, not even carin’ that she was slobberin’ all over him, and I leaned in and kissed her too.
That was her daddy for real.
Kay’Lo held her with one arm and pulled me in with the other, and for a second, we just stood like that—Together.
And after everything we had been through, everything we had fought through, everything that almost broke us…
We finally had our moment.
I was officially Toni Mensah, and I wasn’t goin’ nowhere.
Reception Vibes
I had just got my baby down that aisle and now we was at the reception turnin’ the fuck up, and I ain’t even gon’ lie, for a minute I had to sit back and really take this shit in, ’cause everything about this day hit different when you knew what it took to get here.
After we did our thing at the altar, we moved straight into pictures, and that alone turned into a whole moment, ’cause everybody wanted they time, and I ain’t rush none of it. First it was me with my people, me standin’ there with my pops, Pressure, Renza, Kelli, Blaqson, Uncle Kojo, and Uncle Asa, all of us lined up lookin’ clean as hell in our suits, and I ain’t miss the way my pops kept glancin’ at me like he was proud but wasn’t gon’ say too much in front of everybody.
Then we did the ones with just me and my wife and my baby, and that right there was my favorite part without me even havin’ to say it out loud, ’cause Toni had My’Love on her hip, and I was all on both of ‘em, kissin’ my baby cheek while she reached for me, smilin’ and mumblin’ her lil’ sounds like she knew this was somethin’ special. Toni kept lookin’ at me like she couldn’t believe we really did this shit the right way, and I kept pullin’ her in, kissin’ her forehead, her cheek and her lips, not carin’ who was watchin’.
Then they had Toni with her girls, Pluto, Sha’Nelle, my mama, Auntie Abeni, Auntie Nyori, and my cousins, all of ‘em around her hypin’ her up and laughin’. I stood off to the side watchin’ that shit for a second, just takin’ it in, ’cause my wife looked happy in a way I hadn’t always seen, and that meant everything to me.
After pictures, we got into the reception for real, and the vibe shifted right into celebration. The music picked up, drinks started flowin’, and everybody loosened up like they had been holdin’ that energy in all day waitin’ for this part.
When it was time to cut the cake, me and Toni stood side by side, her hand over mine while we held the knife together. She looked up at me smilin’ like she already knew I was gon’ play with her.
“Don’t do too much,” she murmured.
“I ain’t gon’ do nothin’,” I told her, already smirkin’.
We cut into that big ass cake. It was pink and white just like everything else, and the second we pulled that first slice out, everybody started clappin’ and cheerin’. I leaned in and fed her a bite first, watchin’ her lips wrap around the fork before she laughed and fed me right back.
Then the toasts started.
Kelli went first, and I ain’t even expect that nigga to get deep like he did, but he stood there with his glass raised, lookin’ right at me.
“I ain’t gon’ say too much,” he started, but we already knew that was a lie.
Everybody laughed, and he smirked before goin’ on.
“But for real, I watched you go through a lot, brother, and I watched you stand up for what was yours every single time. Toni, you got a real one, and I know that because I seen it with my own eyes. And you,” he said, lookin’ at her, “you held him down when it mattered, so I respect you for that.”
He lifted his glass. “To both of you.”
