Page 122 of 10,000 Hours With A Rich Menace

“Do you have vows?”

I didn’t write down vows because I needed to say how I felt about her in real time. No pen or paper could hold down how I was feeling about the woman in front of me. “Yeah.”

“What?” Zoya’s loud ass mouth said.

I looked at her and she whispered sorry while leaning back in her chair. “Tell her how you feel, Mens,” Corleon whispered.

Public speaking wasn’t my thing, and I wasn’t for the shit most of the time. Standing in front of a bunch of people and confessing my feelings was torture for me. The difference was I needed to do it for Stevie.

I had to tell her and the world how I felt, because then if somebody tried to jump stupid I could kill them without an explanation. They knew how I felt about her and still wanted to be stupid.

“I’m not a man of a million words, but for you Wonder, I got two million. I love you so much that at night I think of how I’m gonna beat the shit out of the landscaper for the one time he winked at you three weeks ago. He had blue on that day, and you were wea?—”

“Mens, nigga… focus?” Corleon whispered while trying to have a smile on his face.

The pastor was mortified, and I was sure he was going to toss Holy water on me next. “Yeah. I lay away at night thinking of ways to keep you happy. I never not want to see that smile on your face. You are the sweet and good that I need in my life. We balance each other out, Wanda.”

“Who the fuck is Wanda?” I heard Don whisper to Corleon.

I kissed her hands. “You told me that it had been a while since you felt warm and safe. Last time you felt like that was with your mother. As your husband, I promise to always make you feel warm and safe. I am your safe place, your home, and protector. For a while it has always been Menace, but I realizedsince you came into my life, there is no me without you. You are the missing puzzle. I love you, Stevie.”

She stared up at me with tears in her eyes. “Love has always been something that I wanted, but I was afraid. Afraid to open myself to a man, give him a piece of me that I was always certain he would break. How could something I wanted scare me so much? I had never been in love before… not with a man. My love had always been my mama. I never knew how it would happen for me. Then I met you, Mavie. I knew for sure I could never love a man like you, and I was so wrong. The more I was around you, I had this little feeling… like a sting in my chest and it only activated when you were around. I’m not perfect and you accept me for who I am, and you have never tried to change me, no matter how much I drive you up the wall. As your wife, I want to stand by your side and allow you to lead. I just ask that you allow one thing from me.”

I kissed her hands again. “What’s that, Wonder?”

“Allow me to show you how good it can get. How great we can be, and how happy you can be. I promise to never put sauce on your chicken or squeeze the toothpaste hard. I promise to never go to bed angry and allow you to sleep on me, no matter if you drool on me. I promise to give you my whole heart because I know you would never break it. I promise to love you as you, Mavie. Never change you because what fun would that be? I want the challenge, and baby you are that. I love you, Mitchell.”

“I love you, Wanda.”

For someone that was supposed to be keeping a low profile, Kora’s loud ass nose blowing had us all looking back at her. She held her hand up and looked away because she was sobbing so hard.

Kora more than anybody knew how much I never thought this would happen for me. It wasn’t because I couldn’t get women. It was hard opening up and allowing someone in. Asmuch as I wanted to fight letting Wonder in, she wormed her way into my heart.

“I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Caselli… you may kiss your bride.”

I held her face and kissed her lips a bunch of times before slipping my tongue into her mouth. She pulled away and licked my nose, and then quickly used her sleeve. “Don’t you flip out in here, Maverick.”

I kissed her lips. “Don’t do no shit like that again, Wonder. Why the fuck would you lick my face.”

She laughed and kissed my lips. “I am your wife.”

“You are my wife, Mrs. Caselli.” I picked her up and carried her down the aisle and was heading back to the truck when Corleon ran behind me.

“Nigga, where the hell you going?”

“We done, right?”

“Yeah, but damn you gonna stick around for pictures.”

“Mantel, baby,” she reminded me, and I put her down onto the floor, and held her hand. “I’m going to have the makeup artist touch up my makeup.”

I kissed her lips and bit my bottom lip as I watched that ass switch away. “You don’t know what those jeans do to me, make me wanna get down on one knee,” I sang out the words to that infamous Ginuwine song that was now dubbed Wonder’s song every time I saw her ass.

“I don’t even wanna know.”

“If I tell you then we can’t be friends no more, Bruster.” I winked.

He squeezed my shoulder. “I already got into their systems and wiped all the cameras of us ever being here. Geeky got the cameras on all surrounding blocks of Kora, too. Oh…good looks on grabbing that phone. Enjoy your night with your new wife,and then business right after. Congratulations, Mens… fucking happy for you.”

---