Page 80 of Surrender

There were times I’d walked into her room and found his big ass curled up in her crib with her laying on his chest, fast asleep. The way she looked at him was one of pure love and adoration. Her smiles simply made me melt.

“You look beautiful, pooh,” Myra said, fluffing my train out. “That snap back ain’t come to play. Who had a baby four months ago?”

I giggled. “Thank you, My.”

There was a knock on the door and in walked Jessa. She’d gone with another pantsuit, and as usual, she looked flawless.

“That’s my bitch!” she said, snapping her fingers. “You look fabulous, love. I can’t believe we are doing this shit again.”

I laughed. “At least it’s a happier occasion for all this time.”

“True. Jake won’t have to curse at anybody.”

My man still didn’t play about me. He was and would forever be my biggest stepper.

“How is he?” I asked Jess.

“Girl, you would think y’all aren’t already married. He’s anxious to see you.”

“Does he look handsome, Jess?”

She rolled her eyes. “He’s a’ight.” A smiled played across her features. “I’m joking. He looks very handsome. I see the two of you sneaking out on the reception later.”

That made me laugh because I could foresee it, too. I couldn’t get enough of that man. My entire pregnancy, I was on him. In fact, we were trying to get it in when my water broke. I was high-key disappointed that we couldn’t finish!

The door opened once again, and in walked, Ebony with my baby, and Kelcy from Arranged Hearts. We made sure to send her and Chance invitations. Without them, this union wouldn’t have been possible in the first place. When we had our three, six, and twelve-month check-ins with them, neither of them were surprised that we had made it. They revealed that during the matching process, they’d played our videos side by side, and it was a no-brainer for either of them.

“Hi, Mommy’s pretty girl!” I said, reaching for my baby. “Hey, y’all.”

As soon as she saw my face, she smiled and cooed. She looked so cute in her little dress.

“Has she been any trouble, Eb?”

“Girl, no. She’s enjoying being spoiled by her grandmothers. They insisted on giving her a little taste of mashed potatoes, and she tore that shit up.”

I tickled my baby’s tummy. “Your grandmas are gonna make you a butterball, pud!”

She grinned, and my heart swelled with pride. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to her being mine.

“You ready to do this all over again?” Kelcy asked.

“I would marry that man ten times over. Thank you for putting us together, Kelcy. You did your big one.”

She giggled. “Thank you for trusting Arranged Hearts with your heart. We love success stories. Maybe we can get you two to come back for a video interview on your journey?”

“I think we can do that.”

The door opened once more and in stepped Somya and my father.

Somya clasped her hands. “Ladies! It’s time to take your places. We start in ten minutes. Come, come!”

I gave my baby loving before handing her off to my sister. Everyone followed Somya out.

“You look beautiful!” she said as she closed the door, leaving me and my father alone.

He came to me with the biggest smile on his face. It was crazy how far we’d come.

“Baby girl… wow. You look stunning.”