Page 92 of Maceo

A tear slipped down her cheek, and I swiped it away. Salima sniffled as she dabbed her own eyes.

“Well, I don’t think we need to hear anything after that,” she said faintly.

She and Deuce produced our wedding bands and handed them over.

“Repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed. Let it be a symbol of my endless love and unwavering commitment to you. As this ring has no end, neither shall my devotion to you. I give you this ring as a daily reminder of my love and the promises we make today.”

We repeated the words, then slipped the rings on each other’s fingers.

“By the power invested in me by some random website, I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Maceo Dillinger. You may kiss the bride.”

I wasted no time pulling Shar into my arms and laying a nasty ass kiss on her lips. She always matched my nasty, so it was no surprise that she gave it right back to me. My hands slid down her back and gripped her ass, causing a loud moan to fall from her lips.

“All right now,” Deuce said, clapping his hands. “We’re still standing here.”

“You’re dismissed,” I said.

“Nigga!”

I laughed as I pulled him and Salima in for separate hugs. “For real, though. I love y’all, and I appreciate you doing this for us.”

“You’re welcome. Now, when the family finds out, I didn’t have shit to do with it and neither did my wife. We’re gonna act just as shocked.”

I shook my head. “That’s fine. Y’all can go now.” I scooped Shar up bridal style and started walking back toward the house. “Aye, blow them candles out!” I tossed over my shoulder.

“I’ll light this bitch on fire!” he yelled at my back.

Shar and I laughed hysterically as I led us inside. I practically sprinted up the stairs to our bedroom and placed her on the bed. For a moment, all I could do was stare at Shar. She was no longer my girlfriend… She was my fucking wife.

“I know,” she said, seemingly reading my thoughts. She looked down at her ring. “We really got married.”

“Are you happy?” I asked, leaning into her.

She smiled as she palmed my cheek. “Very happy. I love you, Maceo.”

“I love you too, mama. Now, take this shit off so I can give you this newly married dick.”

She laughed but was happy to oblige me.

Sharina Nicole Dillinger.

I smiled as I looked down at my ring. The wedding band blended in perfectly with the engagement ring, so it was easy to conceal. I couldn’t believe that Maceo and I had secretly gotten married after such an atrocious mess of a wedding day. I felt guilty about being so happy when the lives of three undeserving people had been lost. Tiny, Sloan, and Mikko dedicated years of their lives to their country. They dedicated a year to a greater cause, right here on American soil, only to be gunned down in the street.

It didn’t sit right with me.

An elbow to my side caused me to look up from my ring. I looked over to see Deuce peering at me. We were sitting in the meeting room at the big house. I told Maceo that I wanted to sit in on all conversations until Charity and Blane were taken care of. For one, I was tired of everybody putting so much blame onmy man when I knew what the fuck I was getting myself into. I knew me, and Maceo knew me too. Once I got something in my head, there was no talking me out of it.

Now that he was my husband, all that jumping down his throat was gonna stop.

“You know, if you wanna keep this under wraps, you might not wanna draw too much attention to your hand,” he jested.

I grinned. “I can’t help myself.”

“I see that. I’m happy for y’all. I know I gave y’all a hard time, especially with all this shit going on, but I really do think you’re the best person for my brother. As long as he’s happy, I’m happy.”

I playfully nudged him. “Awww, look at you being sweet.”

He kissed his teeth. “Go on, now. Ain’t shit sweet over here.”

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