He tipped my chin and replied, “You can move in now and keep your place in case you need to escape. I definitely want you around at all times. Need you, Dove.” He kissed me soft and long.
I dragged my fingers over his tattoos that covered his burns. When he stiffened, I spoke affirmations to him and slowly climbed on his dick to ride.
“You’re a beautiful man, Reigh, inside and out. Your heart will burst because it’s filled with so much love, and you’ve been holding it back to give it to someone. You’re a trusting soul despite the heartache you’ve endured. You’re generous with your compassion. You don’t hold anything back; when you love, you love completely.
“You’re a forgiving soul, even when people don’t deserve it. You’re fine as hell, and I see the way women watch you and want to get with you. Your beautiful dark skin is the gorgeous hue ofour ancestors. Those dark eyes reflect the beauty of your soul and hold so much wisdom, intellect, and knowledge within.
“Your body turns me on in ways that I never imagined I could be turned on. You make me want to ride you like this every time I see you. You make me want to run my hands over every surface of your body just to touch you and confirm that you’re real. That you’re mine.”
“I’m yours.” He croaked with emotion as I leaned down and kissed him.
My hands plastered themselves on his chest as I slowly rose and descended. “When I see you, I don’t see the tattoos that were designed to cover the scars. I don’t see the scars that came from a childhood of neglect and abandonment. When I see you, I see past all that was and is, and I see what could be. I see your heart, your soul, and the beauty of the man within.
“I see the man who loves and cherishes me, the boy who came to my rescue when I was bullied, the kid that taught me how to serve the volleyball just right, and the kid who asked me to the eighth-grade dance because no one else would. I see the teenager who made me feel comfortable in my skin in tenth grade when I was going through body shaming because of my peers.
“I see the teen who convinced me I was beautiful enough that I didn’t need to vomit after every meal, but instead he worked with me to learn how to work out in a healthy way. I see the guy who, on graduation day, told me I would do amazing things in this life, no matter how big or small, and he told me that every part of me was beautiful and worth treasuring and loving.”
Reighvyn’s hands gripped my hips tightly before he flipped me onto my back. The way the light hit his face, I could see that it was wet. I hadn’t realized that while I was affirming him, he had been crying. I reached up and wiped the tears away as he spread my legs and held them wide.
He dug deeper and deeper into me, until I cried out and dragged my nails down his chest. Reighvyn tossed his head back and released a loud roar as we came tumultuously together.
When he lowered on me again, our foreheads and lips pressed together. “Baby, I will never stop loving you. I’ve loved you since I was seven. The day you invited me to play hopscotch on the sidewalk.”
“When you came to stay with the Reeds the first time.”
He bobbed his head. “I told you, . . . I’ve loved you forever.”
My heart swelled because God couldn’t have designed a more perfect man for me.
SIX WEEKS LATER
“You look so breathtakingly beautiful.You’re stunning, girl,” I whispered for her ears only.
She beamed up at me. “You look handsome too, Mr. Bloom.”
I inhaled deeply before I spoke.
“It’s been a whirlwind these last three months being with you. When I came to the island, I never thought I would find my first love again, nor did I expect to be getting married three short months later. I tried to sit down over these last three weeks and write my vows. I balled the paper up a thousand times. None of them were fitting, and none of them felt solid in here.” I thumped my chest with my fist.
“When you were heading off to college, I promised that I would be at your wedding, Dove. I was jealous of the nigga who would be standing on the other side of you, but today, my greatest dream is coming true: making you my wife. I know that heading to the cottage wasn’t a mistake but a divine intervention from the Almighty Himself. In my heart, I know He wanted me to find my way back to you again so that I could gain the serenity that had been elusive for years. He wanted me to see the thing that I always took for granted was what I needed to be whole and complete.
“I’m standing before you today, vowing to be your protector and your provider. I will support your dreams and goals, laugh with you, cry with you, and always be that shoulder for you to lean on. I promise to hear you out and stand strong with you, even when I don’t understand. I promise that your heart will always have a home with me. I am your safe space, baby. I am your strength, your lover, and your friend.
“I vow to grow old with you, if the Lord is willing, and to build a family and a legacy of love, strength, and honor with you. I will always encourage you, fight the world for you, and wipe away your tears. I will protect your reputation, and I will love you with my very last breath.”
I slid the ring onto Dove’s finger, and she wiped the tears with her free hand. She sniffled a couple of times before she smiled at me. It was her turn to speak.
“Reighvyn Bloom, as I stand here today, I recall telling you that I would be at your wedding. Never in a million years did I imagine that it would be as your wife. Today, I no longer see the hurting little boy I once knew, or the broken man I fell in love with. I see a strong man filled with passion, the grace of God, and a beautiful soul. I see the man who always saw the beauty in me when I couldn’t see it in myself. In you, I see the gorgeous personthat I always saw. I see beyond the emotional scars of your past and the physical scars that never fully healed.
“I see the light in your eyes, the love in your heart, and the purity in your soul. I see the truth that you won’t allow the world to see, and I am honored and humbled that you allow me to see parts of you that no one else ever will. Today, I commit to protect those parts of you, respect the way that you move in this world, and honor every portion of you. I vow to always be the one who loves you in the good and bad times. Whether you are wrong or right, my love will always be unconditional.
“I vow to be that haven that your heart can fully find trust in. I will be the place that your soul can confidently rest in, and I will always hold what you share with me sacred. I will continue to pour love into you, to encourage you, to heal you, and to fulfill my role and my purpose in your life as your wife and the mother of your future children. I will always be your place of peace.”
Dove slid the ring on my finger and stared up at me with a broad smile as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride,” Minister Soto, Papa Reed’s brother, pronounced.
I gripped Dove’s chin and softly tipped her head back as I brushed my lips against hers before I applied light pressure. When I released her, she smiled widely at me, held her hand up for our small gathering to see, and declared, “I’s married now!”
