“Hey, boo, we've been missing you!” Aniya exclaimed, pulling me into a hug.
“I know. I’m sorry,” I replied, releasing her and then hugging and kissing Lauren’s cheek.
“We know why you've been MIA. We’re here for the reunion, though. Hello, Zion,” Lauren spoke.
“What’s up, sis? You been alright?”
“You know it. I would tell you to let my friend breathe, but I understand it’s been a minute,” she jested.
He smirked. “You’ll have her back real soon. Just give me a little bit more time.”
“We got you, brother-in-law,” Aniya said, smiling.
“I’ma go talk to my people. I’ll meet back up with you in a minute, baby,” Zion told me.
“Okay. Don’t stray too far.” I winked at him as he kissed me and walked away.
“Friend, you are glowiiing!” Aniya dragged. “You look so happy.”
“You do,” Lauren agreed.
“You guys are right. It’s partly because I'm five percent high right now, but the other ninety-five percent is because of that man. I’m still in complete awe that he’s here, and we’re together again.”
“I know, right? Girl, when he walked in the house at your bachelorette party, I almost fainted, seeing him! I was likethe king is back!” Lauren exclaimed.
“Girl. Imagine opening the door for his ass. Nigga gave me an ultimatum that required either force or allowance. I ain’t have no choice, sis. I’m sorry about that,” Aniya said, laughing.
I waved her off. “It’s fine. I’m glad you did. I was really about to make the biggest mistake of my life.”
“But you seemed happy with Akeem,” Aniya noted.
“Everything isn’t always what it seems. I’ll fill y’all in later. Jasmine is summoning me,” I said, seeing my mother beckoning me over where she, my sisters, and my grandmother sat under the tent. Daddy was on the grill, talking with Mr. Victor, who lived across the street, and Mr. Wayne, who lived next door.
I approached the table and leaned down to kiss Ma Sissi, my grandmother, on her cheek.
“Hey, Ma Sissi. I miss your face.”
“Hey, baby. You look beautiful,” she complimented.
“Thank you.”
“Gon’ and sit so we can talk about what the hell happened at that wedding. You’ve been hiding ever since it happened.”
“Ma Sissi, I don’t want to talk?—”
She cut me off. “You don’t have a choice, sweetie. I flew up here from Arkansas to see my baby get married, only for that chocolate adonis over there to barge in and snatch you up out of there.”
“Mama, it’s complicated,” my mom said, trying to throw me a bone because I really didn’t want to relive that moment.
“How complicated can it be? She’s clearly still with the handsome wedding crasher.”
I laughed. “You know me and Zion used to date fifteen years ago. You remember he came to the family reunion one year?” I asked her.
“I don’t recall. But where he been all this time?”
“He, um, he went to prison. Long story short, neither one of us ever stopped loving each other. Granted, I didn’t expect him to do what he did, but I’m not as mad as I was when he took me.”
“I can see that. You’re glowing,” she replied.