Page 81 of Breeze and Melodie

“I mean, yeah. You know how women are these days. Their mouths are reckless, and Melodie rarely holds her tongue. Every now and then, they need to be put in their place.”

Birds of a feather sure as hell flocked together, so I shouldn’t have been surprised by Dak’s words. I wanted to end him right then and there, but I knew it wasn’t a good idea, so I played along with him.

“You got a point. Her mouth been slick since I met her when she was in middle school.”

“My girl was like that when we first hooked up, but I broke her from that shit quick. I kept telling Sean to do the same, but he didn’t listen.”

I continued to engage with him, pretending to agree with the bullshit he spewed, but the whole time, I had to stop myself from cutting his throat. I wasn’t from Onyx City and had to be careful how I moved. Taking someone’s life on a whim, not knowing the lay of the land, wasn’t wise. I didn’t follow through with taking Dak’s life until after I’d met Rocky and killed Sean. I was blessed with the resources, and I’d be damned if I’d let them go to waste.

“Where you at, man?” Zayn asked, snapping his fingers in front of my face and pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Chill, nigga.” I smacked his hand away from my face.

“We’ve been trying to get your attention. It’s time to roll.”

“I’m ready. Let’s go.”

I took one more look in the mirror and adjusted my tie. Instead of nervousness, I felt excitement.

“Is Mr. Norwood here?” I asked.

“Here I am!” he shouted as he entered the shop from the hallway that connected it to the other spaces in the luxury spa.

“I thought you’d taken back your blessing for a minute,” I told him.

“Not at all. You’re the perfect man for my baby girl. I know you love her and will protect her at all costs. Here’s the ring.”

When Mr. Norwood asked to speak with me in the hallway the last time Melodie was hospitalized, he asked me to be straight up with him. I agreed, and for privacy purposes, we went outside and walked the path near the hospital.

He was concerned that Sean might pop up to harm Melodie. I assured him he would not, but he wasn’t convinced. If he wanted me to come right out and say I killed Sean, he wouldn’t get what he wanted. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my soon-to-be father-in-law, but I had to do him like I did Shyne, Adan, and Zayn. Not only could a full confession put my freedom at risk, but it could also put him in a difficult position if he were ever questioned. We had a long moment of silence, and eventually, he accepted my word.

Before we headed back to Melodie’s hospital room, he showed me a diamond wedding band. It belonged to his grandmother, and he wasn’t able to give it to Mrs. Norwood because her mother wanted her to have the wedding band that once belonged to Melodie’s maternal great-grandmother. I was sure Melodie would be honored to have the ring.

Mr. Norwood kept the ring to have it serviced and ensure it was in perfect condition before I gave it to Melodie. He gave it to me for inspection, and after I looked at it, I gave it to Shyne, who was my best man. He put it in the pocket of his tuxedo jacket. Before leaving the shop, Mr. Norwood said a prayer. The next time I saw him, Melodie’s arm was looped through his as he walked her down the aisle toward me.

The last time I cried, I mean really cried, it was the day my mother was laid to rest. She wasn’t a good mother, nor were we close, but I was lucky enough to experience the good parts of her for a short time before she became an addict. I wasn’t necessarily crying because she was dead. Given her lifestyle, it was probably for the better. I cried because the opportunity for her to become a good mother and build a close relationship with me and Raine was gone, as well as the opportunity for her to do the same with her grandchildren.

Today, my tears were for an entirely different reason. These tears weren’t for the mourning of my past. As bad as it was, it shaped me into the man I am today and motivated me to seek a better future. These tears were for the woman walking toward me, who was probably the only one in the room crying harder than I was, with the man who raised her by her side.

Melodie saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. It may have started as a crush, but she looked past my rough exterior and saw someone special. These tears were for the woman who trusted me with her future and believed I would love her properly.

She made it to the end of the aisle with Mr. Norwood, and the officiant asked, “Who gives this woman to this man?”

“I do,” Mr. Norwood responded with pride.

After kissing his daughter’s cheek, he sat next to his wife, and Melodie rushed into my arms. I wrapped them around her so tight, I should’ve been concerned whether or not she could breathe. She hugged my neck just as tightly, and we cried in each other’s arms for at least five minutes while our guests watched.

I couldn’t believemy family and friends pulled off a surprise wedding. A few days ago, when Breeze and I went to get our marriage license, I thought it was strange that he didn’t want to pick a date to come back and get married. However, he explained that even though we were having a courthouse wedding, he wanted to make sure all the important people in our lives could be present.

Unbeknownst to me, the joint baby shower I’d been planning with my best friend was actually my wedding. When I realized what was happening, it was a miracle I didn’t pass out. I was truly in shock and rendered speechless.

I tried to control my emotions, but when my eyes connected with Breeze’s, I gave up. As my father walked me down the aisle,I was overwhelmed by emotions. The past several months had been a whirlwind, to say the least, but I wouldn’t change a single moment if I knew I’d end up here, at this moment.

The crush I had on Breeze turned into a love so beautiful, I couldn’t have imagined it in my wildest dreams. With him, I could be soft. With him, I felt protected. With him, I felt loved properly.

I made it to the end of the aisle with my father, and the officiant asked, “Who gives this woman to this man?”

My father proudly responded, “I do.”

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