Prince: Love Always Wins

Lesha

I flew across the room to the trash can and emptied the contents of my stomach.

“Oh my God! Sis’, are you okay?” Satisa asked, holding my hair while I threw up for the third time in thirty minutes. I was pregnant. I knew since yesterday and I was scared shitless. I didn’t want to hope. I didn’t want our first experience as husband and wife to be loss.

“Have you told him?” Nesha asked.

“I didn’t find out ‘til yesterday.” I wiped my eyes.

“Oh no!” Pria came into the room. “I delayed the men a few minutes, but we are going to have to touch up your makeup again. The medicine I gave you for your stomach isn’t working.” Pria rambled a mile a minute. If I could’ve formed words without dry heaving I would have said them.

The door opened again and all of us turned to it. No one was in the entryway.

“Everybody give us a minute,” Prince’s voice boomed. Had it not been our wedding day I would have flown into his arms. My girls packed it in expeditiously and left the room. I saw his hand extend. All I could see was his strong wrist and a small piece of fabric of his suit.

“Le Monroe, are you having doubts about me?” I could hear the strain in his voice. I quickly ran to the door and placed my back against the wall. I grabbed his outstretched hand, and an unbelievable calm flowed through me. My stomach settled.

“No, never.”

“Then what’s going on?”

“I, uh, I’m pregnant.” I blinked and a tear slipped down my cheek. He tightened his grip on my hand.

“You scared?”

“Yes,” I breathed out feeling more weight come off my shoulders.

“Don’t be. Believe in us, baby. Everything will be fine.”

“You can’t just say that. What if it’s not?”

“We can’t think like that.”

“Well, that very well may be our reality. Things don’t just work out because we want them to. I know my body. I have never been able to carry a child full term, Prince.” There was an ache so deep in my chest. I dropped his hand.

“If it’s not okay it still is, Le. I don’t care what we have to go through. Nothing is changing my mind about how much I love you. Now give me back your hand, or tradition be damned, I’m coming in that room.”

I quickly took it back.

“Now listen, Le. No matter what happens you are mine. It’s okay if it doesn’t happen for us the way we think. There are so many other options out there. But today is about us. We are going to join together and nothing will ever break that. If you can’t trust anything else trust me. Can you do that Le? Can you trust that the love we built is extraordinary? If it can be extraordinary for us it can be the same for what’s to come.”

“I just want to hug you,” I said honestly.

“Soon baby. Let me worry about the problems. I got you, and I got us.”

“Whoa.” I felt my stomach flutter.

“What? What happened?” he asked concerned.

“My stomach. I felt a flutter.”

“My child know it’s me. He trusts me. Can you?”

“How do you know it’s a boy?” I asked smiling without noticing.

“I just know. All we got is hope, and if you don’t have enough, I have enough for the both of us. It’s going to be times when you will have to hold me up. Let me do this for us. Give up all the stress of what will happen because no matter what we will still be together. If you need me to say it again I will.”

“You always know what to say to me.”

“That’s my job. Now get your pretty ass out here so I can tell everyone listening what you mean to me.”

“Okay,” I said barely above a whisper. He walked away and my girls filed back in. They moved like ninjas getting my makeup back up to par. Ten minutes later, it was like nothing happened, and thanks to Prince, I was set back on a cloud. My doubts were a distant memory and I was ready to be Mrs. Richards.

“Now what I tell you?” Satisa told me with the widest smirk.

All my nerve and nausea gone, I spun around in the dress twice in the mirror for effect. Then, I stood atop the raised stand that Prince insisted I install. That man! He calmed me in seconds.

You are going to want to see yourself. I know you.

He did better than any man had. The attention he paid to me fulfilled me and still surpassed my expectations. I was happy. Truly. It had been so damn long. A tear slipped from me before I could stop it.

“Uh un! No ma’am.” Nesha flew in like a ninja and caught the tear on my cheek before it passed my nose.

“We told you to get all those tears out earlier.” Satisa stepped up just as fast examining my makeup. It was my wedding day and I wouldn’t have it any other way but my girls beside me. I couldn’t choose so I made them both maids of honor. Satisa pushed me to stick it out with Prince every time and my sister was and always would be my love. That’s what I really loved about my circle. It was no jealousy, just all love. Purity. I deserved this not because my life was so bad before now, not even because of all the scars that life had given me. I was worthy because I was ready to love completely and meet that man halfway and all the way. I had found it.

“I’m sorry. Somebody talk to me about something, please. Make me laugh,” I said quickly fanning my eyes.

“Look at Tisa pregnant ass in that dress.” We all looked her way. Tisa looked down at her clothes herself and we all burst out laughing. Somehow her dress had rode up on her round belly. The dress that was once touching the floor was around her knees. Priest had knocked my girl up again.

“Y’all shut the hell up! I promise I’m through after this one.”

“That’s what you say now.”

“Right!” I agreed with Nesha and she waved us off.

“I feel that. Y’all hit the jackpot. I can’t wait until I get me one! You know a real one that I’m not marrying for money,” Nesha said

A pang of guilt hit me. It had been in my mind how I hoped that my sister didn’t think she was going to be left out. She would always have a place with me. Prince understood that.

“You will,” Satisa added quickly.

“Don’t y’all bitches pity party me. I’m just fine. Just don’t say shit when I’m coming to y’all baby showers with a new fine-ass boo. This is your day .” She came to me and held my hand. “I am so happy for you, sis’. You deserve this.” They both hugged me.

“Five minutes, . The bridesmaids walk in two,” Pria came in looking very official like we just hadn’t mitigated a catastrophe. She had a clipboard in her hand and Bluetooth in her ear. I couldn’t have picked a better coordinator. She worked tirelessly. She made everything so beautiful. I was never used to having so much love around me, but today, that was all I could feel. It was too much to handle. My lip trembled. Pria looked my way and slapped the clipboard on the table on the way.

“No crying.” I turned and looked at my face. My girls went into overdrive. They were pulling things from everywhere like magicians. Everything was going in a blur. The next thing I knew they were gone, and I was in the room alone, trying hard to focus on not becoming another bucket. It wasn’t lost on me how thankful I should be for having support like this. They melted my heart just as much.

The music saved me from myself. I heard my cue, and I didn’t stand a chance of looking my best when I saw my future husband at the altar.

“Come on, sis’. It’s time to go.”

“Priest?” I said dumbly clearly seeing who he was.

“I can’t allow my sister to walk herself down the aisle, can I? You look beautiful by the way,” he complimented. I nodded my head because I knew words would only make me cry. I realized we never talked about it, but I remembered Prince walking Satisa down the aisle. Now, Priest was standing in the gap for me. That let me know I was not only marrying a great man but I was marrying into a great family. I never could have imagined that God would do this for little ol’ me.

“Save them tears for my brother’s ugly ass. They waiting on us, sis’.”

Priest looped my arm in his. When the chapel opened I couldn’t believe what he had done. It was so beautiful. Even when he spoke to me about it when it was only a hollow shell. Yes, Pria had decorated the hell out of the place but it was the elaborate structures on either side that I knew were built by his hands. His blood sweat, and tears poured into everything he did because I saw how hard he worked on a daily basis. His talent was next to none. It was what he was called for and I was called to love him completely. I would spend my life on task. Every step closer the more the tears escaped my lids. It was a wonder that my lashes were intact when I made it to the front. When I saw the tear slip from him that caused another wave. I didn’t know how the hell we were going to get through the ceremony. If he planned on saying anything to me like he did the night he proposed it was no way I would.

I stepped up to the altar and he joined hands with me. His touch gave me both reassurance and warmed me. I looked at the hands I loved and they gave me the power to try to clean up even if for the moment. I wanted nothing more than to pledge my love for him in front of everyone. To let it be known loud and proud. He looked into my eyes and communicated so many things. I took a deep breath and the minister began the ceremony. He was my forever. Someone I believed in down to my toes. He was everything I could’ve asked for wrapped in the sexiest specimen alive. I looked into his eyes ready for forever.

The End