Page 56 of Counting His heartbeats

"Do you, Jawaan Emmanuel Young, take Zurmani to be your lawfully wedded?—"

"I do," Jawaan answers, cutting Pastor Reese off, causing Letitia and me to giggle at his confident, firm, and quick response.

Well, God, thank you for keeping your promise to me. I can't wait to see what you do next.

Several WeeksLater

"I'm trying to figure out how we go from thick as thieves to solo weddings and shit." Kayshon's words are said with a tinge of disappointment accompanying his deep frown.

My gaze shifts from Kayshon to the black band on my left ring finger, and joy flows through my body.

I'm married!

"Man, we each have to forge the path necessary for our lives. Besides, why are you in your feelings when little bro already popped out with a woman and baby we weren't aware of?" Kyce asks, smirking.

"We don't move like this and stop trying to make light of this situation, big bro. My feelings are hurt. Seeing pictures isn't the same as witnessing my brother securing his happiness," Kayshon objects.

"My bad. The moment felt right a?—"

"How? You had to plan it for Pastor Reese and Letitia to be in attendance. Pastor Reese performed the ceremony, which said planning had to be done in advance. Bullshit somebody else, little nigga," Kayshon interjects, and a low chuckle escapes my mouth after seeing the tightness around his eyes.

Kayshon is right because before I left Pastor Reese's office, I asked him if he could do me the solid by marrying Zurmani and me. Since it had only been a two-hour flight, Pastor Reese and Letitia agreed to fly down on the day of my proposal. Both said they would wait for me to tell them if the wedding was a go. When Zurmani fell asleep after we sealed the deal on our engagement and I got Zurmani to agree to get married right away, I texted Pastor Reese and Letitia, letting them know we were good to go.

"All right, stop crying so much, and let's toast to new beginnings. We're all married to the women none of us saw coming. This isn't a time for sulking and shit, so get out of your feelings, big bro. Damn, I thought you called me the emotional one," I assert with my gaze on Kayshon, who flicks me off.

Kyce, Kayshon, and I are catching up and spending some much-needed time together, which we haven't had much time to do. I now understand and appreciate the beauty of having a woman in your life who makes it easy to focus on building with. The crying and whining I did with my brothers when they found happiness seems pointless now that I have Zurmani and Jalil.

"My bad. I always laughed when men would say they got the pregnancy side effects, and now I'm a walking, talking, maxi pad. This shit is crazy," Kayshon vents, causing Kyce and my mouth to drop from the news he just shared.

"Wait, Ashari is pregnant?" Kyce asks.

"Yeah, and her ass ain't got a single symptom. Meanwhile, I've been eating the weirdest shit and can cry at the drop of a hat. I ain't gonna make it through the whole pregnancy like this," Kayshon voices, hanging his head.

"This is good shit. Congratulations, big bro," I declare, smiling from ear to ear.

"Yeah, congrats, little bro. How are you feeling about this, though? I know you've had your reservations," Kyce asks.

"I'm too damn blessed to be stressed. Ashari didn't know that her placing me in control of our future concerning procreation had given me the authority I needed to knock her up. I was fucking her every chance I got," Kayshon admits, smirking with light and merriment shining in his eyes.

"Listen, how do you think Masani got pregnant with twins? I felt like I had some stuff to prove," Kyce co-signs.

"Now y'all see why I had to marry Zurmani. Having her hold the title of baby mama didn't sit right with me. My Tigress is too awesome a woman for me to not secure her place in my life. I wasn't ready for love, but I'm happy as fuck to wake up feeling the effects of it every day," I confess.

Laughter rises from the pit of my stomach when Kyce, Kayshon, and I raise our glasses because the contents differ from what we would have had before meeting and marrying our queens.

"What's funny, little nigga?" Kayshon asks.

"The fact that we're toasting with water, fake ginger ale, and strawberry lemonade. These women have clipped our wings, and we didn't see it coming," I point out.

"Man, I wanted a beer, but my stomach is queasy. I'm just hoping I'll be able to eat," Kayshon says, causing my laughter to return.

"Remind me not to go out with this pregnant nerd again, big bro," I say to Kyce, who laughs.

"How far along is Ashari?" Kyce asks, looking at Kayshon.

"She's almost out of the first trimester. Which reminds me, act surprised when the news officially breaks during Sunday dinner because we were supposed to be keeping it a secret until then," Kayshon leans in, whispering before looking from left to right like he's checking for spies or Ashari.

"Nope. I'm snitching and telling big sis that I've already added my niece or nephew to the prayer list at church. MaybeGod will honor my request and allow at least your offspring to join the choir at Pursuing His Glory Ministries, making him or her a shew in for the heavenly choir," I joke, grinning.

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