Page 67 of A Major Love

“Don’t worry about all that. Congratulations!” my mother cheered.

Organized chaos erupted for a few minutes as hugs and kisses were exchanged, and congratulations were offered. When I saw Zena and her husband, I almost passed out.

“Zena!” I screamed.

“Now you know I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Congratulations! And girl, I still can’t believe the man who’s had your heart all this time was thee Major Lloyd. Look at my husband over there acting like a groupie.”

I looked in the direction she’d pointed and could do nothing but laugh. While we were in Onyx City, getting my affairs in order, she and Major met, but her husband was out of town for work.

“My fiancé is kind of a big deal,” I stated proudly.

I happened to glance at the TV and noticed Dr. Simone still on the screen, smiling like a proud mother. With all that had happened, I’d forgotten all about her.

“Oh, damn! Dr. Simone, I forgot you were here. I’m so sorry,” I said, rushing over to the TV.

“Don’t apologize. This was beautiful. In all my years of therapy, I’ve never had a couple get engaged during a session. I’m honored to be a part of this.”

“Were you in on it?” I asked.

“I sure was.”

“Wow. This means everything.”

“You’re most welcome. You’ve come a long way from the heartbroken woman I met at our first session. You deserve all the love and happiness in the world, and I believe Major is the man who will make sure you receive it. That man loves you in a major way.”

“Thank you so much, Dr. Simone.”

I felt someone tugging on my dress and looked down. Maja looked up at me with a smile, and even though she was five years old and tall for her age, I picked her up and wrapped her in a hug.

“When you and Daddy get married, you’ll be my bonus mom," she said excitedly before kissing my cheek.

“I sure am, and I can’t wait. When did you get here?”

“My mommy just brought me. She said we missed the proposal because she had to pick up Taj.”

She pointed across the room, and Rahkia smiled. I waved her over, and she headed in our direction. Over the past two months, we’d become friendly. Although I couldn’t say we were friends just yet, I was confident that our relationship was moving in that direction.

“Congratulations,” she said, and we exchanged a quick embrace.

“Thank you.”

“You’ve been the missing piece in his life, and I’m glad the puzzle is now complete. He’s my daughter’s father, and his happiness is important to me.”

“I appreciate that, and thank you for allowing me to be a part of Maja’s life.”

We embraced again, and this time, Maja put her arms around each of our necks and kissed both our cheeks. When we separated, she shouted, “Yay, I get to have two mommies!”

I put her down as the three of us shared a laugh. Maja ran off to Mr. Lloyd, and I wasn’t sure how Rahkia felt about Maja’s declaration.

“Doesn’t that bother you?” I asked.

“What?”

“What Maja said about having two mommies.”

She shook her head. “Not at all. The more people she has to love and guide her, the better. It looks like she might have gained another set of grandparents too.”

I looked toward my parents, and I could see that Maja had already won them over.