“What are you feeling?” DeShawn’s voice was a touch too high, a sign he was more anxious than he appeared.
I pulled to a light and looked at him. We’d left the courthouse and were on the way to Grandma’s. Even though she’d expected this outcome, it was almost an unwritten agreement we’d tell her in person rather than over the phone. “I’m glad it’s over, that it’s one less thing we have to worry about. What about you?”
He leaned against the headrest, his eyes closed. “Too many things.”
“Name them.”
He laughed, then reached out and grabbed my hand, twining it with his own. “Relief. Joy. Sadness.”
All of which made perfect sense. There was always a chance Robert would contest the will itself, but I doubted it. I worried, though, about how DeShawn and Grandma would feel when I said I planned to help. Not a lot. I damn sure wasn’t going to be an ATM spitting out money, but I wasn’t as heartless as I’d played at Larry’s office.
We pulled up to the house and DeShawn reached across the console to pull me in for a kiss. “I love you.”
Those words would never get old. And after I said them once, I could seem to shut up about it. “Love you, too.”
We climbed out the car and walked up the front steps. Miss Maxine’s car was already there, but Larry said he had some work to do before he came. DeShawn opened the door and we walked in to find her bustling in the kitchen. She beamed when she saw us. “My boy take care of you guys?”
I snorted and shook my head. “Your boy is amazing.”
“He does good work, doesn’t he?”
Understatement of the year, no doubt. She came into the living room, wiping her hands off with a towel, then threw it over her shoulder and pulled us into her embrace. “I’m proud of you guys. For putting up with Robert’s bullshit, for holding on to each other and making this happen.”
DeShawn grabbed my hand and tangled our fingers together again, and I couldn’t stop what I’m sure was the dopiest of grins at him.
“How is she?” DeShawn asked, inclining his head toward the bedroom.
“Worried. I had to give her a mild sedative so she’d sleep, but she should be awake now. Go on and check on her.”
We nodded, and I followed DeShawn down the hallway and into Grandma’s room. She was just starting to wake, fumbling for her remote in the sheets. She grinned when she saw us, and slowly raised the bed up. “Hey, boys. How did things go?”
Her voice dropped off at the end, but I could tell it was from fear and not weakness. I sat on the other side of the bed, as close to her as possible, DeShawn at my back. “We won, Grandma. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“Good. Serves him right, thinking he could just come in and change what I wanted like that.”
DeShawn didn’t try to hide his grin. “Yeah. From what I heard, preparation wasn’t his strong suit.”
She huffed. “Boy thinks he can get through life on bluster, and is surprised when it doesn’t work.” Her eyes grew softer then, as she looked over to the side. “I’d hoped after his dad died that he’d come around, but it never happened.”
DeShawn pressed his face against my back and wrapped an arm around me, then reached out with his free arm to lay a hand on top of Grandma’s as well. “You can’t blame yourself for that. Uncle Robert had problems before Grandpa passed. I think grief made them worse, but Papa didn’t cause, and couldn’t solve, his problems.”
She closed her eyes and her shoulders sagged. “I know.”
That look was all it took for me to firm up my decision. “Grandma, I’m going to give him some money.”
A tiny smile graced her face. “I knew you would.”
DeShawn’s shoulders shook, and he pressed a kiss between my blades. “Malik, we all knew you would.”
“Is that so?” I tried to sound offended that they knew me so well, but my own laughter was bubbling up.
“Yes, you can be a hardass and everything, but you’re not the type to leave someone high and dry. No matter how much they deserve it.”
And I was glad. They understood me, better than I wanted to give them credit for, and didn’t object. It was all I could ask for.
Grandma cleared her throat, which turned into a small fit, and I rubbed her shoulder gently. When she finished, she looked over at us and pointed between us. “What does all this mean?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I’m too old for games, Malik. This. The two of you. The trial’s over now. You don’t have to pretend.”
“Now, Grandma,” I started. “You know darn good and well we weren’t pretending.”
She smiled. “I’d hoped not. I saw the love in your eyes, saw you guys wanted more, and I hoped it would last. But I always feared y’all would be too stubborn to see what you had.”
DeShawn tightened his grip on me and leaned to the side. “That’s because you know us too well. But we got our heads out our butts.”
I placed my hand over his on my stomach and smiled at him. For the first time, we weren’t letting our fears, our worries about what we should be doing, get in the way of what we had.
“I’m glad I got to see it. Now go on and get out of here.” She shooed us to the door, and after we both reached down to give her a kiss, I grabbed DeShawn’s hand and led him to the front.
Larry had arrived and was sitting on the couch with his mom, sharing a small pot of tea. “How is she?” he asked without preamble.
I gave a half shrug. “She’s good. Sad about Robert, but good.”
Larry nodded. “I get it. Robert was like an honorary uncle to me, too. It was hard to see him like that today.”
My sentiments exactly. DeShawn perched on the arm next to the chair I’d sat in and, at Miss Maxine’s muffled gasp, rolled his eyes and slid into my lap instead. I kissed his shoulder and sat back.
“So, now what?” Larry reclined and ran a hand over his head. “You guys have plans for what you’re going to do?”
DeShawn went quiet, so I answered. “We’d like to do a renewal of our vows. Here, if it’s possible.”
DeShawn whipped his head around and stared at me, like he needed to confirm I knew what I was saying. I gave him a small nod and continued. “We want Grandma to be here for the commitment ceremony, and we know she can’t travel. So we’ll do it here, and would like to do it fast.”
A soft sniffle made me turn my head. “Mama, don’t cry.” Larry pulled Miss Maxine against him and kissed the top of her head, even while shaking his own. “We’ll get it set up ASAP. Will this weekend work?”
DeShawn looked up, and the smile on his face was more beautiful than any I’d seen since the day we were married. “To make sure we can do this for her? This weekend isn’t soon enough.”
I wholeheartedly agreed.
I had maybe been a little hasty about wanting to renew our vows so quickly. Not that I regretted it, not even a little, but dear god, the amount of work that went into that was out of control. Not just getting the celebrant, which was honestly the least of our worries, but the food, the decorations, cleaning up the inside of the house enough so that Grandma wouldn’t fret. I’d put Christopher to work and made him handle rescheduling my scenes for the show. He’d also put my name to good use with the hotel and extended my stay, and would arrange to have my luggage held until I got back to the set.
All things considered, it was a lot. Next to me, Malik grumbled. “Why is this so elaborate? Did you think it was going to be this much? It’s like the wedding all over again.”
“Tell me about it.”
But they were celebrating us. And fighting in the kitchen. Or something. Maribel and Sheila had created some elaborate fusion of Criteria and Franklin’s food, and Lord only knew how that was going. I wanted to jump in there and add my own touch to it, but I had been forced from the kitchen. Literally.
Miss Maxine had insisted on getting a new dress for Grandma, an event that Maribel and Sheila dropped everything to assist with. The result was her sitting in the front of a small row of chairs, James protectively holding her arm, looking as elegant as I’d ever seen. The celebrant stood by the fireplace mantel, with just enough space for me and Malik to walk down the hallway and the grand total of four steps to reach them. Larry and Miss Maxine had done outstanding work turning the inside of Grandma’s living room into a chapel.
“You ready?” Malik asked. We sat in my childhood bedroom, in matching tuxedos that clashed with the peeling dinosaur wallpaper, waiting until it was time to go.
“I’ve wanted this for a long time.”
He smiled and leaned in for a kiss. “Me too. I was scared, you know.”
I gasped, placed a hand over my heart, and fluttered my lashes. “Of what? Little old me?”
“You’re impossible.” Malik rolled his eyes, trailed his finger over my cheek, then gripped the back of my neck before letting his hand fall. “I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from falling in love with you again.”
I thought about it. “Not going to say I’m mad you failed.”
“I didn’t fail. I realized I didn’t have to fall in love with you again. I never fell out of it. No matter what, you had always been a part of what I wanted for myself. I have loved you since the day I laid eyes on you.”
“That is really romantic and demonstrably false.”
He snorted and stared at me in mock consternation. “Just what is that supposed to mean?”
“You fought me so hard from the time I met you.”
“Because I knew you’d be dangerous. I knew if I ever had you, I’d never want anyone else.”
I closed my eyes at his words, and remembered. Remembered his wide-eyed stare when I asked him out, remembered him fighting off tears when I proposed, remembered his resignation when he asked for a divorce. Remembered that kiss at Franklin’s, remembered dancing at the gala, remembered the love on his face at the courthouse.
I shrugged. “I can’t much get upset at that.”
He chuckled, then bussed a kiss against my jaw. “You ready to get this show on the road?”
I took a deep breath, nodded, then stood and held my hand out. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
There was a soft knock on the door before Sheila, who somehow found time in all the madness to grab a shower, change, and look absolutely lovely in her emerald-green sheath dress, poked her head in. “We’re ready when you are.”
Malik smiled at her. “Be right out, sis.”
She walked away, and Malik stood, pulling me up and tangling his fingers with mine. “Thank you for not giving up on me. On us.”
I squeezed, then looped an arm around his neck. “Thank you for giving us a chance.”
Hand in hand, we left the bedroom and walked down the hallway. Three rows of seats, the celebrant, and Corey and Bruno, of course. They’d both refused the doggy tuxes we’d purchased, but still managed to look regal as they sat side by side at the front of the living room.
I smiled at the people as we passed, Sheila and her husband Bryan, James, Maribel and Jesus, Larry, Miss Maxine, Malik’s parents, and Grandma. We reached the front and a shiver ripped through me. We were really doing this.
Malik tightened his grip and I glanced at him with a small smile. He winked at me, then grinned at the celebrant, who returned it full force.
“There is little I love more than a renewal of vows,” they said, their smile broad and bright. “People who, after looking at their life, their history, the ups and downs that come from marriage, decide, not to let each other go, but to cement their commitment and move forward. We all know how infrequently that happens. We all know how easy it is to take the other way out.” They speared us with a look, and I coughed into my hand.
They chuckled and looked at the crowd. Grandma was already sniffling, and from the corner of my eye, I saw both James and Larry hand her tissues. The celebrant waited until Grandma waved at them to continue. “There are many times when parties need that out. I won’t stand here and tell you that every marriage can be saved. Some can’t, and some should not be. But it is a true blessing when people find their love can be saved, and they want to give themselves that chance.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t know DeShawn and Malik’s story. It’s been like reality TV for the past few months.” The room laughed, but none so deep and as heartfelt as me and Malik. “But this is the best ending. Those happy-ever-afters that seem unrealistic to the masses, but are the only possible outcome of a love like this.”
They faced us head on. “Malik, DeShawn, I am so happy for you. So honored to be part of this today, and to see you stand here, before your loved ones, and renew your commitment to each other.”
They turned to Malik. “Malik Franklin, do you with these words renew your vows to DeShawn Franklin, promising to love him always, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, even if Corey throws up all over your wood floors once a week for the rest of your lives, until death do you part?”
Malik started laughing so hard he almost cried, and was nearly bent over with it.
They fluttered their lashes. “Was it something I said?”
The entire room laughed again, then Malik straightened. “Yes. I do so renew my vows.”
They turned to me, and I took a deep breath. This wasn’t a dream turned nightmare turned fantasy. I’d taken one look at Malik when I walked into Franklin’s and thought, This is all I want. And I’d known, from the minute Malik looked at me, that I had a snowball’s chance in hell of it happening, but here we were.
“DeShawn Franklin, do you hereby renew your vows to Malik, and promise to love him for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, for better or worse, even if Bruno makes any new piece of furniture his personal nemesis and tears it all to pieces, till death do you part?”
I closed my eyes. I would not laugh. And we all knew that was a lie, because I had to break away from Malik to get myself under control, enough that the boys came over to me to check what was wrong.
Corey whined and rubbed up against me, Bruno standing strong behind him. I knelt down and rubbed the tops of their heads. “I love you both,” I said, petting them again before standing up and taking Malik’s hands. His expression was so full of love I couldn’t look away as I answered, “Yes. I do so renew my vows.”
“Excellent. Then by the power vested in me, I hereby renew your commitment as husband and husband. You may kiss your spouse.”
Malik tugged me into him, his lips hard and unyielding, and didn’t let up until Grandma whistled. He broke away and shook his head, then pointed a finger at her. “Behave, young lady.”
Grandma popped his hand. “Never.”
He smiled and pulled me close, and I let myself sink into his embrace. Fully, wholly, and unreservedly. For the first time in too long, I knew we were going to make it, and as I looked out among my friends—my family—I was certain we’d all find a way.