Page 121 of 10,000 Hours With A Rich Menace

“Yeah.” She smiled and took a seat.

Corleon and Don came and stood beside me next to the pastor. I kept my hands in my pockets because I had the urge to rub my hands because I was anxious waiting to see her come down those steps.

I didn’t even need to see her to know that she was beautiful. Stevie was beautiful and fresh on the wake up. Every moment of her day she was beautiful, and I found myself lost in her.

“Hold the pole, baby,” Skyler called as Estella came down the steps tossing flowers. She had candy in her flower basket, too, because she picked that up and then dumped all the flowers in one spot.

Frustrated with herself she started crying and Skyler went to get her, but Corleon stopped her. He went up the steps and picked Estella up, who held onto him while he kissed her cheek and told her that she was alright.

Corleon wanted to be a father more than anything, and I knew he would be great at the shit. The man had the patience of a saint and was built for that. How he soothed Estella withoutneeding her mother told me that Skyler, Estella, and Jeffie were in good hands.

Jeffie came down the steps and Corleon waited at the bottom with Estella, reaching his hand out. She took his hand, and he walked her over toward Skyler. Estella reached for her mother. I took a deep breath.

“You good… breathe,” I turned when I saw Duke. “Boss, she looks like an angel.”

‘For You’ by Kenny Lattimore softly played as I looked up and saw her at the top of the steps. My heart jumped out of my chest as I watched her. She was dressed in an ivory one shoulder dressed that hugged every curve she had, even those I ain’t never seen.

The dressed hugged her body perfectly, with a little bit of material that trailed behind her. Her hair was straight and pulled into a messy bun with a few tresses hanging. I didn’t hear shit Kenny Lattimore was singing about because all I saw was her.

She waved at me with a nervous smile. “Mens, the fuck you doing?” Corleon whispered as I left the altar and went up the steps to get my baby.

“Hi Mitchell,” she whispered.

“Hi Wanda,” I whispered back, as I held my hand out, and her perfect hand slid right into mine, as she took one step at a time. “You look beautiful, Baby.”

She smiled. “You look handsome, Mavie. I love you in a suit.”

“I love you butt ass naked in my bed.”

She snorted. “Nasty.”

I kissed her cheek. “One… two…. three…”

Wonder blushed as we made our way down the steps. “You’re not going to count all of my freckles.”

“Watch me make they ass wait while I do it.”

She squeezed my hand. “Mavie, my heel got stuck in my dress that’s why I was up there so long,” Wonder snorted loudly, sending an echo through the hall.

I couldn’t help but to laugh, as I bent down and unraveled her dress from her heel. “There you go.”

Kora dabbed her eyes as we made it down the last step and walked to the altar. “Who gives this woman away?”

The woman that spoke to me, the Indian man, and Skyler stood up. “We do,” they all said, and Stevie looked at each of them, blowing a kiss.

As we stood up there, staring into each other’s eyes, nothing mattered in this moment. Not the fact that Priscilla was a crispy mermaid, or the fact that her father was somewhere out here. None of that mattered because I was marrying my baby.

Ghost and Rah both gave me a nod, and winked as I turned my attention back to Wonder. The pastor went on saying all that he had to say to bless this union. “What color panties you got on?” I mouthed to Wonder.

“Stop.” She squeezed my hand while trying to hold her laugh in.

I never broke eye contact with her. She looked away from me a few times, but my eyes remained on her. How the fuck did I get so lucky with her? When did God wake up and decide to make my baby an accomplice to robbery? How did he know I would fall in love with her. My whole life was in this woman’s hands.

Anything she wanted I would give her because she deserved it. “Mavie,” she softly said, and I looked at the pastor and everyone looking at me.

If she asked me to choke this nigga, I would.

“What happened?”

---