She hugged Azari tightly, then kissed her cheek. I was so happy with how my family showed and proved to Azari that this was meant to be, no matter how short a time this may have been.
“Thank you, Aunt Candace, and I love fried chicken.”
Aunt Candace smiled even bigger and said, “Girl, and I made a seafood pasta. You gon’ eat good for lunch and later for dinner tonight.”
I grabbed Azari’s hand and kissed it then pulled her to the sitting area where Uncle Carrington had a huge Styrofoam-looking board propped against the wall. Azari didn’t think anything of it. She sat next to her parents, happy that they were here getting to know Aunt Candace and Uncle Carrington. I’d called Mrs. Justine and gave her my address while Az was in her first class. X had come and hopped on his mama’s lap. There wasn’t a wince or any evidence of pain, and that made me a believer.
God had healed her through Noelle’s prayer, Raqui’s singing, and TAZ’s polyharmony.Jesus.Once everyone was seated and were in comfortable discussion, I stood from my seat. Uncle Carrington smiled and went to the board. I was somewhat nervous to do this in front of her parents, knowing that I hadn’t spoken to them about my plans, but I would apologize later. Plus, I would make it right when I asked for her hand in marriage.
I cleared my throat. “Azari, ever since I met you, I been on the fast track to make you mine and secure in what it means for a man to have your back and your best interest at heart. I’ve been doing my best to prove to you that I was the one God chose for you. You are also the woman He chose for me. I move fast, but I havenevermoved this quickly, especially with this.”
I turned to Uncle Carrington and nodded. He turned the board around, and Azari’s lips parted, then her mouth fell open. “Chozen, . . . what’s that?”
“Uncle Carrington and I stayed up late designing this. It’s our house, baby. I thought I would buy one already built, but then I thought about it. I work for a damn architectural firm. I’m in school for architecture. Let me put my skills and resources to use. I want the best for you and X. You are the woman I prayed for, and X was an extra blessing.”
The tears fell down her cheeks as her mom grabbed her hand. Tears were falling down her cheeks as well. Az stood from her seat and walked over to me. She stared at me for a moment, with her eyebrows scrunched together. The emotion in her eyes was pulling at my spirit.
“Chozen, why are you doing all this?”
“Az, you mean the world to me. I wish I could turn myself inside out so you could see my heart. It beats for you and Xavier.” I lowered my head for a moment and swallowed hard. “I love you, girl. I know it’s only been like a month since we first met, but damn if I didn’t fall for you almost at first sight. God orchestrated this. I know He did because of how quickly it happened. I wanna build a life with you. I want to be your everything too. You deserve all good things, Az.”
She fell into me as she cried audibly. This moment was so beautiful. Damn if I didn’t want to go to my knee right now and ask for her hand in marriage. If I would have followed my first thought, I would have gotten her a ring already. I convinced myself that it was too soon and that I would overwhelm her. I was underestimating her. She’d been handling everything well.
When she released me from her embrace, I kissed her lips. “I love you, Azari.”
She gave me a tight-lipped smile. As she was about to say something, I placed my finger on her lips and shook my head. “Don’t feel pressured to say it back, baby. I know this is fast. Take the time you need.”
She nodded then hugged me again. I led her to her seat then said to her parents, “My intentions are good. I plan to make her my wife eventually. I hope to get your blessing when that time comes.”
Her mama smiled, and her dad nodded. “That was going to be a question I asked you in private. Thank you for lettingyour intentions be known. My baby deserves that. Thank you for being the man she needs,” he said.
He shook my hand as I smiled. “It’s been my pleasure. Being the man she needs makes me whole.”
He smiled back and nodded. Uncle Carrington placed his hand on my shoulder and gripped it, showing his approval, then went to his seat. Aunt Candace wiped her tears and said, “Well, after that, I think we need to eat! Fried chicken, mac and cheese, greens, and cornbread. Oh! And a small seafood pasta for Azari. I hope y’all are cool with that.”
“Absolutely,” Azari said. “Thank you again.”
“Anytime, sweetness.”
I wrapped my arms around Azari from behind, before she could get away from me. This felt so right. After all this was said and done, we would be able to enjoy our time at Blake U and create lasting memories. Professor Gaines had already said he was willing to help with whatever Azari needed. He was her English professor. Our business communications professor, Nicholas Starks, had said the same thing. Everyone was rooting for her, and she didn’t even realize it.
The school as an administrative whole was willing to pay for her schooling for next semester just to give her a break financially. Although she received financial aid, that didn’t cover all her books and supplies. I knew how important school was to her, and I refused to let it fall by the wayside because I didn’t relay information to the right people. I knew with the pain she had been in, the last thing on her mind was calling people to inform them of her condition.
Thankfully, things were looking up. She was happy, X seemed to be happy, and I was beyond excited to embark on our future together.
“Noah Brooks Charles said you needed the results stat. We should know them within a few hours. You can go to lunch and just chill out for a while. When you come back at two, we will have the results of your scan and blood tests.”
I nodded nervously as Chozen held my hand. We were at Doctor Kumin’s office in Cove City. His office wasn’t far from the campus. I didn’t have class today and neither did Chozen. I was only taking three classes because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep up. He was only taking two classes since he was part-time. RJ had allowed him the week off, once again, while they were here. Having Chozen in my life, despite my initial doubts, was the best decision I had ever made. He was indeed chosen for me by God.
As we left, he grabbed my hand and kissed it. When I looked up at him, he was smiling. “What are you smiling at?” I asked as he opened the car door for me.
“Because I just know that those tests will come out in your favor. You were supposed to start those chemo meds today, but God. You look to be feeling better than you have since I met you. I love that, baby.”
“I love it too. I have you to thank for that. God, I’m so grateful for you.”
He smiled at me and closed the door. I slowly shook my head, trying to figure out why God chose me to bless in this manner. The plans for the house he planned to build for us had caught me by surprise. The home was gorgeous on paper, so I could imagine just how beautiful it would be once it was built. It would have four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a game room, huge kitchen, dining area, and a three-car garage.
I didn’t realize until the other day that Chozen had two vehicles. He drove the car when he was picking me up because he knew I would have trouble getting into his SUV. I didn’t ride in his SUV until yesterday, although I had noticed it in his garage when we went to his place. He gave me access to drive either vehicle whenever I needed to. He made me laugh when he said it was time to send my car to that junkyard in the sky.
