“You ready?” Alexis asked me. She had tears in her eyes as she looked at me.
I nodded my head quietly. There was nothing I wanted more in my life at that moment than to marry Zo. He was the love of my life; even with everything we’d been through, I knew he was the one. He had always been the one. But I couldn’t get over the uneasy feeling that something was going to go wrong.
It’s just wedding jitters, I thought to myself.
“You’re so beautiful,” Jazmyn whispered as she looked at me in my dress.
I was wearing a Vera Wang gown that was handpicked by Zo himself. I’d never been a girly girl and I hadn’t ever thought too much about my wedding. I had no idea what kind of dress I wanted but Zo had the perfect vision in mind for what he wanted his bride in, so I handed over the reins to him.
“Thank you.” I looked at myself in the floor-length mirror.
I was standing in the church that I would be married in within the hour. I entered as a single woman but I would leave as a married woman, happy as hell and ready to enjoy a romantic vacation with my husband.
We’d decided that today would be our last day in Atlanta. Zo said that too much had happened and it was time for us to leave. I knew that there was something that he wasn’t telling me and that it concerned Salem, but he didn’t offer any details, so I didn’t ask.
“I’m ready,” I whispered, looking at myself. The Swarovski crystals adorned the entire dress, making me glow in the dim lighting. Alexis had given me my something borrowed. I was wearing extremely expensive chandelier diamond earrings. My something blue was a piece of material from one of my father’s old shirts that I’d kept over the years. I had Jazmyn sew it into the hem of my dress. My something new was the beautiful diamond encrusted crown that Zo had sent over to me by way of a very pregnant Vanessa who was watching me as I got ready.
“Okay, everyone’s waiting for us to give the cue that we’re ready to get started,” Alexis announced looking at her phone. “Marc just texted me.”
I’d opted for a very small wedding. Only about twenty people were inside but I still felt a little nervous and uneasy. Something wasn’t right.
“Okay, let’s go.” I let out a long breath.
“Nervous?” Jazmyn asked me.
I looked at her.
She’d been through so much but at the moment she looked so healthy and so strong. You wouldn’t even know that only a few months ago, she had been fighting for her life. I wanted to be like her…courageous and confident. She’d been that way before the incident, but once she came back it seemed like her strength and confidence had only been magnified by a thousand. She was a dark chocolate Amazonian Queen who wasn’t willing to take shit from anyone.
“Naw, I’m good,” I told her.
“Okay, well then let’s get this shit started!” Jazmyn yelled out.
“Jaz! We’re in a church!” Vanessa shrieked.
“Aw, damn, you’re right. I’m sorry, little baby Jesus,” Jazmyn said with a shrug.
I laughed and it released some of my tension.
“Alright, let’s go.” I grabbed up the hem of my dress, Alexis picked up my long train and we walked out. I was ready to be a Mrs.
“I loved you in another lifetime. I know it had to be that way because being with you felt natural. Loving you was instinctual. It was a necessity. Ever since the first time I laid eyes on you, I knew that I needed to be with you and that you need me. I promise to take you by my side as my partner, but I also promise to protect you like a queen. I will stop at nothing to make sure that you live out your days with me as my wife and my everything. Our children will know every day of their lives that their father loves their mother the way that a man should.”
There wasn’t a dry eye in the building. By the time that Zo finished up his vows, I was crying silently. Alexis was handing me tissue after tissue to dab at my tears as she wiped at her own eyes as well.
“Lorenzo Damien Roberts, I love you more than words can express. You’re my world and I can’t imagine…won’t imagine living without you. When God gave me a vision about the man who was supposed to be mine, he showed me you. I’m willing to take whatever life brings because you’re the only one who truly knows me… You’re the only man who’s really loved me. I can’t wait to have your babies and raise them with you. I can’t wait to grow old with you. I love you,” I finished, lost in Zo’s brown eyes.
I could feel the love radiating from his eyes and there was nowhere else that I wanted to be than right where I was.
“Well, there we have it. You may kiss your bride,” the minister said to us.
Zo grabbed me up in his arms and pulled me close. He gave me a light kiss on the lips and then pulled me even tighter, making it a more passionate kiss. He poked his tongue inside of my mouth and explored the warmth within as everyone clapped and cheered around us. I grabbed the side of his face and allowed him to kiss me even harder. When he reached down and gripped my ass, the minister cleared his throat and we finally broke our embrace. Everyone laughed, including us.
“Alright! Let’s get out of here!” I yelled, waving my bouquet in the air.
As we walked down the aisle, everyone stood up and cheered. All of my friends were there. Once I got towards the back, I saw my mother sitting, staring at me with tears in her eyes. She stood up and I stopped in my tracks, waiting for her to walk over.
“Darling, you look beautiful,” she said, tears falling down her face. “I love you.”
I looked back at her, my own tears obstructing my vision. “I love you, too, mama,” I whispered.
For the first time in years, I felt like I had my mother back. She didn’t look like her old, regal self but she did have some resemblance to the person she used to be. I grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. When I released her, she gave me a kiss on the cheek and looked at my husband.
“Y’all go work on giving me some grandbabies,” she joked.
“I’ll try my hardest,” Zo laughed.
I grabbed his hands and we walked down the rest of the aisle. The ushers at the doors opened them up for us to pass through.
The next few moments happened so fast. The sun shined brightly into my eyes as we exited the church. I put my hand to my forehead to block out the radiant rays that penetrated my eyes. I felt Zo’s grip tighten on my hand and I turned to him, smiling.
“Baby, I’m yours now. You don’t have to hold me so hard. I’m not going anywhe—” I started.
The words were snatched out of me when I looked into my husband’s eyes. They were filled with horror and fear. I turned to look in the direction that he was looking and I saw a black Suburban filled with men across the street in front of us. I couldn’t see the man in the driver’s seat very well. But what I could see was that he had what looked like an AK-47 hanging out the window aimed directly at us.
“What the fuck!” I heard Ty yell. “Everyone get down!”
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat
Zo grabbed me and pushed me to the ground, enveloping my body in his.
“Umph!” I grunted as we hit the cement. My head snapped back and hit the sidewalk hard, making my diamond jeweled crown fall down the stairs of the church.
Zo held me, breathing heavily in my ears as everyone around us screamed and ran for cover. The bullets stopped, but he didn’t move. I felt weak….and wet. And it was starting to become increasingly hard for me to breathe.
“Baby, are you okay?” Zo asked me once the bullets stopped. I heard the screeching of tires as the men drove off in the opposite direction.
“Kingston, let’s go get them motherfuckers,” I heard Ty yelling as he ran off somewhere behind my head.
“Aight,” Kingston agreed. More footsteps as he ran away, too.
I tried to answer Zo, but I couldn’t.
“OH MY GOD!” Alexis screamed. I wanted to ask her what she was screaming for but I couldn’t open my mouth.
“My GOD! Kaylen! Oh my God, please no!” Jazmyn yelled out. I heard loud sobs coming from afar although I knew Jazmyn should have been standing right next to me.
“Baby! BABY! Nooooo, please God, no! Baby?!” I could barely see Zo’s face as he hovered above me. I saw his outline but everything else was blurry. I was heaving out my breaths and I couldn’t change it no matter how hard I tried. I felt so weak and my dress was so wet. A sour taste came upon my taste buds. It was the stale taste of blood and fear.
“Oh my God, she’s been shot. Someone please call 9-1-1! Please make them come save my baby!” Zo cried. I felt him cup me in his arms and wet drops of water began hitting me in the face.
I’ve been shot? I thought to myself as a white light started blinding me. Shot?
“Baby, please don’t leave me! Please,” Zo yelled out.
I’m not leaving you, baby. I’ll never leave you. I love you.