Page 69 of The Smoke Hour

“Is this where you want them, Bossman?” Sam asked as he and three other men carried large vases filled with blue and lavender hydrangeas.

“Yeah.”

“She’s here! Y’all hurry up and get your asses in place!” MJ screeched as she ran around the corner into the main lounge of my club.

“Breathe, little brother. You’ve got this,” Jo-Jo stated and clapped my shoulder.

“Think I’m doing too much?” I asked, looking between him and Noel.

“Hell, nah. You my little brother. Ain’t no such thing as too much.”

“I’d have to agree with J,” Noel stated. “With you and Kai, shit just hit differently. Y’all don’t move to the beat of no one else’s drum.”

“Trust me. She’s not going to kick your ass for this,” Tamara stated as she moved into place. “I already know that she trusts your judgment.”

“Yeah, but for a wedding?” I asked nervously.

“Listen, I’ve had plenty of conversations with my girl on dream weddings. We talk about it all the time, and I know that this is what she wants. You did good. No big lavish production.”

Everyone moved into position. I looked at my parents, my sister-in-law, nieces, nephew, grandfather, and cousins. They all smiled approvingly at me. Then my gaze darted to Kaifiya’s mother, Faith, and her brother, Austin. They beamed excitedly back at me.

Kaifiya’s stepfather, Craig, had moved to the doorway of the room and waited to perform his duty.

I had no more illegal businesses and nothing hanging over my head that would scare Kaifiya. A lot of niggas weren’t feeling me getting out of the business, but I had to do what was best for my baby and me. I would always keep my eyes open for niggas who wanted to try me, but this was a new level of the game that I was walking into.

Christina walked around the corner with excitement in her eyes, and she wiggled her eyebrows at me. She had picked my baby up, telling her that I planned a romantic lunch for us. I had taken Kaifiya’s car to the shop the day before to have it “tuned” up. Realistically, there was nothing wrong with her vehicle.

When she suggested that she take one of my vehicles, I stated they needed to be serviced before she drove them again. I promised to have my maintenance tech check them out today so that she could get one if her car wasn’t ready before the day was out.

My heart stammered in my chest when I saw Kaifiya walk around that corner. The opening strands of Savage Garden’s “Truly Madly Deeply” played from the speakers. Ice bluegossamer fabric hung from the ceilings and draped strategically around the crystal chandeliers that displayed lavender lighting. White tables and chairs had replaced the heavy leather club chairs and smoky glass tables temporarily.

Ice blue tablecloths covered each table, and glass bowls were filled with lavender and white hydrangeas, along with the crystal table settings. MJ, who was instrumental in bringing this vision to life, stepped from a corner of the room, whispered to Kaifiya, and handed her a bouquet of lavender.

Craig stepped out from her left and took her arm. She looked up at him and instantly started crying. Slowly, they made their way down the ice-blue runner to where I stood by the stage. We had wrapped the stripper poles in lavender for the occasion.

It felt like eons passed before my baby made it to me.

“Are you okay?” I asked as she continued sobbing.

“Yes.” She cried.

“Too much?”

Kaifiya shook her head. “No, it’s perfect, and it’s beautiful. And so are you.”

“I don’t need to dial this back then? I didn’t make a mistake?”

“No,” she replied and leaned forward to kiss me.

“Hey, we haven’t gotten to that part of the ceremony yet,” Jo-Jo teased.

Everyone laughed.

“I mean, if you don’t like it, I can scrap it.”

“You’d better not do that, Smoke. Thank you so much.”

“I thought since we met in this room, we should marry in this room.”

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