Page 157 of Certified To Handle You 2

There wasn’t no way in hell I could tell this man no in front of all these people.

I couldn’t humiliate him after he opened his whole life to me. I couldn’t look at his mama, his grandparents and everybody else who welcomed me, then crush him where they could all watch it happen.

At the same time, this wasn’t only about embarrassment.

I did love Couture. I had built somethin’ real with him, and I knew he would give me a life filled with peace, family and the kind of love I always said I wanted. The only problem was the small part of me that still wasn’t settled, and this wasn’t the time or place to admit that.

I swallowed hard and looked back into his eyes.

“Yes,” I answered while noddin’. “I’ll marry you.”

The whole field erupted before the words had fully left my mouth. His family started clappin’, yellin’ and huggin’ each other while Couture smiled up at me with more happiness on his face than I had ever seen.

He took my left hand and slid the ring on my finger. It fit close enough that I knew somebody had paid attention to my size, and that realization made everything feel even more real.

Couture stood and pulled me into his arms. His hand cupped the side of my face before he kissed me in front of everybody. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back while his family cheered around us.

When Couture pulled away, he stayed close and looked into my eyes. “I love you,” he said with his hand still against my cheek.

“I love you too,” I replied, and this time there wasn’t room for hesitation ‘cause too many people was watchin’ my face.

Ms. Emoree reached us before anybody else. She hugged Couture first and held him tight while tears ran down her face.

“I’m proud of you,” she told her son before kissin’ his cheek.

Then she turned toward me and wrapped both arms around me. I hugged her back while emotion built inside my chest for more reasons than she could ever know.

“Welcome to the family, baby,” Ms. Emoree said while rubbin’ my back.

“Thank you,” I replied as I held her a lil’ tighter.

His grandma called us over next, and everybody kept crowdin’ around to see the ring. People hugged me, congratulated Couture and started talkin’ about weddings before I had even fully processed the fact that I was engaged.

I looked down at my hand while the diamond caught the light every time I moved my fingers.

Couture stood beside me with one arm around my waist, smilin’ and acceptin’ congratulations like he had just made the best decision of his life. And maybe he had...

I lifted my eyes and looked at him while the noise of his family moved around us. He looked happy, proud and completely sure about the future he had just asked me to share with him.

I had told this man I would become his wife in front of everybody he loved, and the ring on my finger made it real in a way sayin’ I loved him never had.

This wasn’t datin’ no more. It wasn’t me spendin’ nights at his apartment, eatin’ with his mama or lettin’ myself grow attached to Justice. I had just agreed to join this family and build a whole life with Couture.

As everybody continued celebratin’ around us, I smiled and held on to him ‘cause that was what I was supposed to do.

Deep inside, though, I knew I had just stepped into somethin’ I couldn’t casually walk away from later.

I had said yes…

Now I had to live inside that answer…

Trill-Land, ‘LoLux Estate

All day, I had been out with my wife and baby, and by the time we finally pulled back up to the crib, I felt like My’Love had worked me harder than any grown person ever could.

The day started with Toni sayin’ she only wanted to pick up a few things for My’Love, which was the first lie. Ain’t nothin’ involvin’ my daughter ever turned into a few things ‘cause the second she pointed at somethin’ or made that lil’ sound she made when she wanted it, I was reachin’ for my wallet.

Toni kept tellin’ me My’Love already had enough clothes, enough shoes and more toys than she knew what to do with, but I ain’t see how that had anything to do with what she wanted today.