Page 40 of Meet Me at the Altar

I sighed. “I haven’t shared it with them yet.”

“Well, you might want to do that. They need to be prepared for any drama that may arise, and I’m sure they’ll need a final count,” Khatya advised.

“You’re right,” I conceded.

“Still doesn’t mean that you should call them people. Let sleeping dogs lie, chile,” Mommy warned.

“I just want them to be at peace, Mommy. I want my man to have happiness, the support of his family, and not be stressed over crazy stuff.”

“Honey, our whole family is crazy,” Mommy countered.

“With love,” Kelsey, Khatya, and I responded.

Mommy smiled and nodded. “As it should be.”

“My friendship with Andrès has always been drama free, easy, and light. Our relationship is relatively new, and it’s been the same way. I know that people think we’re moving too fast, and we’re making a mistake by jumping straight from friendship into a relationship, but I know that man loves me, and I love him. I want our wedding to reflect that same easy, light, and drama-free feeling.”

“Who are people?” Kelsey asked.

“Your aunts and your grandmas,” I replied sarcastically.

“Grandma—not grandmas,” Mommy corrected.

“That’s right. Grandma Delia is happy for me,” I stated, referring to her mother. My grandma Sasha, my daddy’s mom, thought we should slow down.

“You cannot get caught up in what other people say you should do. If that were the case, I would have had this big old wedding complete with a big poofy gown, lace, and all. Devon and I were happy with eloping and making it personal between just us two,” Khatya stated.

“But you weren’t happy with taking that baby with you. You left him behind and didn’t keep that personal,” Mommy replied.

“Uggh, here we go again,” Khatya muttered.

“Don’t y’all start. This is about Kalliope,” Kelsey stated.

“All I’m saying is do what feels good to you,” Khatya replied.

“She’s right, baby. It’s about the two of you at the end of the day.” Mommy agreed.

“It’s a celebration of your love, not other people’s opinions,” Kelsey remarked.

“We’re about to have the wedding production of the century. But, if you want a little added drama, I can get my mama to call his mama,” Adriana teased.

“Don’t!” Mommy, Khatya, and Kelsey shouted.

I laughed so hard that I cried. I loved these women, and I couldn’t wait until Andrès was a part of this family, because he would be loved as deeply as they loved me.

“Are you okay, baby?”I asked, rubbing Andrès’s arm.

He was on his side, facing away from me, but he had been silent and had checked out of watching the show on TV a while ago. He turned onto his back and moved his arm so that I could lie on his chest.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“How was your day with Silas and the boys?”

He chuckled. “We had a great day. Did a lot of bonding, faced some hard truths, and just did shit that only men do when they’re together.”

“Hard truths like what?” I asked, reaching up and pulling one of his dreads loose from his bun.

“That Leon will always be an asshole, and nothing about that will ever change. That I sought his approval initially because my mama loved him and my daddy was moving away. That when it was clear he would never treat me like his son, though he talked a good game, I took the pain of rejection to heart.”