"Something serious happened with their brother and the family is going through something right now," I told her quietly. "Give him time. It's not about you, I promise. He’s dealing with personal things.”
She nodded but I could see the hurt sitting in her eyes. We'd have to talk about this later.
For now, we took pictures. So many pictures with the photographer. Me and my girls, me and Kaseem, Kaseem with his brother, all of us together. The sun kept getting lower and lower, painting everything in gold.
Then a beautiful horse and carriage pulled up.
Kaseem came over and told me it was for us.
My mouth dropped. The carriage was pristine white with gold details, and the horses were black as night with white plumes on their heads.
Nyla and River practically shoved me toward it, squealing and taking more pictures.
That's when I noticed them - four black trucks that pulled up and surrounded the carriage. Security. Real, visible security that made it clear this wasn't just a beautiful moment. It was a protected one.
I looked at Kaseem, worry crossing my face.
"Is it safe for us to take the ride if you gotta do all that? Do we really need this much protection for a carriage ride?” I asked, gesturing to the trucks.
He stepped closer to me and took my face in his hands.
"This your big day," he said simply. "I'd die before letting anything happen to you. Trust that. As far as us being protected, hell! That’s something I have to do. Don’t let that take away from this moment.”
We got into the carriage and he pulled me close, his arm around my waist. The horses started moving and we rode through the garden as the sun finished setting, the candlelit pathways lighting our way.
Then we left the arboretum and rode through downtown Dallas. The city lights were coming on, reflecting off the buildings, and I was in a carriage next to my husband riding through the place we both called home.
This was real.
I was Tattiana Carter now.
And as we rode through the streets with security surrounding us, I realized that I wasn't scared of any of it. Not the trucks. Not the danger that those trucks implied. Not the reality of what being married to Kaseem actually meant.
I just held onto him and enjoyed the ride.
This was my muthafuckin husband, and I was gone stand beside him.
Immediately after the carriage ride, I took my bride to the staycation I’d planned. As much as I wanted to take her out the country like she deserved, I had too much pressing shit going on that wouldn’t permit me to leave the city. I needed to stay close.
The presidential suite at the Ritz Carlton was exactly what I'd booked it to be. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking downtown Dallas. Marble everything. A living room that felt like a penthouse in the sky. But all of that shit was secondary to watching Tatti walk through that door and take it all in. I’d paid to have the room decorated and set up just for her. There were white rose petals all over, champagne on ice, chocolate covered strawberries and all that.
Her eyes got wider with every step. Although she came from money, she always made me feel like anything that I did for her was huge. She walked over to the windows and just stood there, looking out at the city lights like she couldn't believe this was real.
I let her have that moment. Just watched her while she processed it all.
After a few minutes, she turned back to me with tears in her eyes.
"This is beautiful. You’ve made my whole day beautiful for real. I can’t believe this is my life.” she said softly.
I walked over to where she was standing and pulled her close.
"For the next two days, we don't leave this room," I told her, my voice steady against her ear. "You got me all to yourself. Everything you need is here. Everything you want, you ask for it and I’ll have it delivered.”
She turned to face me and nodded, but I could see something shift in her expression. Like she was still getting used to the idea of being taken care of.
We ended up on the balcony. The night air was cool and the city was alive below us. She leaned against the railing and just looked out, and I stood beside her, giving her the space to feel whatever she was feeling.
"Thank you," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you so much for today. For all of this."
