Page 46 of Mister Fireman

Robin gripped the edge of the table, huffing as her jaw clenched. Hopping up from her seat, she hovered over the table.

“You win, V.” She chuckled. “You fucking win. You don’t have to keep your promise to me, and you never have to worry about me ever speaking to you again.”

As she stormed off, the moment was bittersweet. I was glad she had finally given up, but I hated it had to come to this. Only God knew how much I’d miss having her as my friend, but I was completely content with having Enjell as my wife and life partner instead.

26

Enjell

Early October

Between Mama’s constant tears, Dallas’s extreme excitement, and Malaysia constantly hugging and kissing me, I couldn’t wait to get out of this room to marry my man. The only woman missing was Grandma. She was back in Memphis with Auntie. She’d finally started to allow Daddy to lead, and they had set Grandma up with homecare. The specialist did exercises with Grandma daily to gauge her cognizance and ability to be alone. On her good days, she gave Grandma space. On her bad days, she had the experience to handle what needed to be done.

The family had a schedule in place to relieve her and visit Grandma when she was there. Because of Grandma’s condition, she cared less about being alone and having her independence and more about being safe and not hurting any of her loved ones accidentally. I think not being able to remember us made her realize it was beyond her control. When that happened, she started to put up less of a fight. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. It didn’t seem like a victory. More than anything, I was just glad we were able to finally get her the help she needed.

Italy may have been the place Dejvi’s grandparents met and fell in love, but it would be the place we made ours legal and divine. After the wedding, we’d stay here for two days before spending the rest of our honeymoon in a secret location Dejvi had yet to make me aware of. I was excited about it and spending the rest of our lives together.

Mama gave me a kiss on the cheek, and when her happy sobs started up again, I groaned. Malay laughed and said, “Uh… let me see how long we have before we start.”

“Thank you!” I said excitedly, and while they probably thought it was because I was ready to marry Dejvi, it was also because the emotions in this room were starting to overwhelm me. Usually I was the most emotional, so holding the emotions of others had my heart in overdrive.

“Now, baby,” Mama said as she dabbed her eyes. “You know you can end this after November if you ever feel like you need to. I’m happy and trusting Dejvi is the one for you, but if that ever changes, never feel like you can’t come back home.”

“Thank you, Mama. I will, but I really believe that won’t be the case. Even without the urgency because of Robin, I was going to marry Dejvi. It was literally just a matter of time.”

“Awww.” When her cries started back up, I stood.

“You ready, baby girl?” Daddy asked, grinning widely as he walked in behind Malaysia.

“Yes, Lord,” I replied, making them all laugh.

He kissed my cheek and told me I looked beautiful before swatting his own tears away. With our arms locked, we stayed behind as my trio headed out of the room.

Our ceremony would be held in the lemon garden of a beautiful hotel in Sorrento. Mountain views and the Mediterranean Sea would be our backdrop. As soon as I saw the pictures, I fell in love. And when we arrived yesterday, I was glad we chose this place. It was intimate and beautiful, which was all I really wanted for my wedding.

The relaxed vibe made selecting a dress easy. I’d chosen a white, loose flowing number that was sleeveless. My bridal party was in white too, and Dejvi and his groomsmen were in khaki and brown.

When “Have I Told You Lately” by Rod Stewart began to play, the weight of the moment settled within me. My heart dropped and nerves caused me to shiver. I pulled in a deep breath as Daddy looked down at me.

“You okay, my Enjell?”

“Mhm.” I nodded and took a deep breath before giving him a reassuring smile.

He kissed my temple and told me, “I know I have to give you to him and trust him to take care of you, but no matter what, I’ll always be here for you. I love you. You’ll always be my baby girl.”

His eyes watered, and I had to look away to keep from shedding my own tears. “Thank you, Daddy. I love you too.”

We made our way out of the room, and at first, my breath was taken away by the beautiful panoramic view. The moment my eyes shifted to the right and landed on Dejvi, nothing else in the room mattered. He blinked rapidly, fighting his tears. Aspen squeezed his shoulder, and that was when they fell. The brothers were deeply connected like me and Malay, but I was still surprised to see Aspen wiping his own tears. He turned and composed himself before wrapping his arm around Dejvi. Dejvi briefly put his head on his brother’s shoulder before nodding and composing himself.

As I made my way in front of him, my own tears had fallen. Before Dejvi could wipe them, Daddy was turning me and doing so himself. He squeezed my shoulders and kissed my cheek. I guess he lingered longer than they wanted him to because Mama told him to come sit down.

“Don’t rush me,” he snapped, but I didn’t think any of us took him seriously because his tears made his voice crack.

I wiped his tears as I laughed and gave him another hug. “I love you, Daddy.”

Nodding, he looked me over once more before placing my hands inside of Dejvi’s and taking his seat.

“You’re really mine,” Dejvi whispered, using my hands to pull me closer. He rested his forehead on mine before pecking my lips sweetly. “Thank you, God.”

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