“Are these happy tears, love?” Carson holds me close.
“Yeah, it’s all just happening so fast. Pierce loves her, I know. I just want her to be happy.” I sniffle. “Let’s touch and agree.”
He folds my hands in his. “What are we agreeing on?”
“I want to pray for my sister. She usually does the praying, but I want to bless their union.”
Carson smiles. “Don’t ever stop surprising me.”
“Believe me, I won’t.”
“And please don’t cuss in your prayer.”
“I’ll try.”
Carson laughs, and I'm dead-ass serious. But I recall a passage about the Spirit knowing what to pray, even when we don't.
“Father, thank you for your traveling grace. That you protected our bodies, our minds, and our hearts. We touch and agree, praying over the union between Daiya Treshelle Prince and Pierce…”
“Jansen.”
I open my eyes and smile at Carson. “Jansen.”
I lift on my tiptoes and kiss him. His lips are so soft.
"Thank you, love. Finish up. You have a wedding to attend."
"Oh yeah, right." I close my eyes. "Father, thank you for creating their hearts to love you and each other. We pray blessings over their marriage, blessings over their children, that everything they set their minds to bless you and those in their sphere of influence. I pray Pierce leads his household and his wife as a man of God. I pray Daiya submits as unto God and not unto man. I pray he treats my sister right because I don't want to have to cut him God, but I will because that's my sister God and—"
“Quanesha.”
I open my eyes and sniffle. "Sorry, you know what I mean. Daiya has the kindest heart, she's patient, she's loving, and she's my sister. I pray Pierce loves her mind, body, soul, and he curls her toes. That he cherishes her for the queen, she is. It's in Jesus' name, I pray. Amen."
“Amen,” rings through the suite.
“All right. What do y’all need me to do?”
A woman dressed in all black steps forward, “Shower and sit in the chair. We’ll take care of the rest.”
“Are you okay?”
I look from the passing scenery to Carson in his tuxedo. The beautician cleaned up his haircut and left the shadow of his beard. My man is handsome.
“I am.”
“I didn’t realize you and Pierce are this close.”
“I’ve known him most of my life. But we became closer after the passing of my father, and even closer after the passing of his late wife.”
“Please tell me Daiya’s in good hands.”
“Daiya’s in amazing hands.”
“Okay.”
Carson wraps an arm around me, and I trust him, and I trust Daiya, and I guess now I'm trusting Pierce. We park outside the church, and I check my makeup because I know if I cry, she'll cry, and I'm looking too snatched to mess it up.
A few minutes later, Carson and I part ways. He heads to find Pierce, and I'm escorted to the bride's dressing area. I peek inside and see Daiya from the back.
I hold up a finger to my lips the moment they see me. I make it just over her shoulder and whisper, “Girl, don’t make me call you out of your name in the Lord’s house.”
Daiya jumps up, and we're squealing like kids. There's not a dry eye in the room.
Urgh…
“This is why I can’t fu… Uh… mess with you." We snicker. "I was beat, and now we look like clowns. Who's going to fix my makeup?" I stop and look at her. "Love looks good on you, Daiya.”
“I knew you’d be here. I knew my sister was coming. I knew it.”
“Y’all hurry up.” Momma Alma, her mother, rushes us along.
People are running around, I bump Daiya with my shoulder.
“This is some Christmas.” I grab her hand. “We went to New York City to get away and look at us.”
“Look at God.”
“Look at Him and look at you.” My girl waited and found a man that didn’t wait to put a ring on it. “PawPaw wasn’t playing. Got us all decked out. Carson flew me in on a private plane. Is this really my life? Because I can’t stop crying.”
We went to New York, found two billionaires, and now a Christmas wedding. Hallmark take that.
"Me either. Someone tell my tears to come back tomorrow," Daiya says, and we laugh.
“You dared to do something different, and now you’re starting a new life.”
“Won’t He do it!” We say in unison.
“Won’t He do it? Change your life and situation, just like that. Quanie, I’m so in love. I can’t imagine my life without Pierce. I’m so glad that I still trust you and those crazy games you play. Thinking back on that night, I was so upset that of all the men in that lounge, you picked PawPaw. But PawPaw is just what the Doctor ordered. And believe me, I’m talking about Doctor Jesus.”
“Imma leave that one to you. I already prayed today. I’m tapped out on my bible knowledge.” I chuckle. But my heart is full, and I thank God for sisters like Daiya.
"I love you, Sissy," Daiya whispers, drying my tears. "Momma said, you're next, and I believe her. So, get ready, and I better be standing right next to you like you'll be standing right next to me. And Quanie, don't make me laugh."
"I won't, but I can't make any promises if Momma Alma starts that shouting. Remember when she kicked off her shoes and hit someone in the front row. Girl, if she does that, I got jokes for days.” I see her father enter the room. I kiss her cheek. “Love you, and I’ll see you at the altar. And please don’t drag down the aisle cause I’m hungry. Okay, bye!” I kiss Daddy Daniel’s jaw on the way out and close the doors behind me.
Pierce planned a fairytale wedding. Daiya looks like royalty and Pierce like a prince, but I only have eyes for Carson. I blow my man a kiss because he looks downright edible. He wags his head, and I shrug, remembering where I am.
My bad, I look up at God. And then it happens…
"I now pronounce you, man and wife, you may kiss your bride."
The guests go wild, and I go wilder. “Girl, you’s married now!!!”
Chapter 16
“Change into these.” I pass Quanesha a gift bag.
“Okay. Be right back.”
We’re packing up to fly back to New York. We partied all night and hung out with Daiya’s family all day yesterday. I needed this break, but I have one more task to oversee before returning to work.
I strip down and change, keeping my eyes on the bathroom door. “Hurry babe, Deacon’s waiting.”
I hear a scream and run to the door.
“What is it, another spider?” Quanesha saw a spider at the reception hall yesterday, and she climbed my body like a tree.
“No!” She hops out of the bathroom in her fuzzy onesie. “Look, I’m Rudolph.” She turns around and shakes her sexy ass, causing the little tail to move. Then she pulls the hood on, playing with the red nose hanging near her forehead. “I love it.”
She dances in the mirror, and I've given women jewelry, cars, and trips. But I've never seen a woman this happy about a pair of twenty-dollar pajamas. She spins around, still dancing, and stops.