Page 231 of When Love Takes Root

“I meant what I told you, Red. I see a future with you.” My breath caught. “With all of this. The kids. The family. The hard days. The loud holidays. The moments when grief pulls up uninvited, and we have to make room for truth before pride starts rearranging furniture. I want it. I want you. I want the life God is building from what both of us thought was too broken to grow again.”

My eyes filled.

“Josiah.”

He leaned closer, his voice low and sure. “You’ll be my wife soon enough.”

For a second, I could only stare at him. This man, sitting beneath string lights with laughter behind us and love in his eyes, had walked into my life without trying to erase what came before him. He had honored my grief, loved my children, prayed over my fear, and somehow made wanting a future feel less like betrayal and more like grace.

“I’d absolutely love that.”

His smile spread slowly, beautiful and full of promise.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He lifted his hand to my cheek. “Good.”

Then he kissed me.

It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t for show. It was soft at first, then deeper, a kiss that carried every conversation, every prayer, every hard-won piece of trust between us. I held his shirt in my fist and let myself kiss him back without guilt, without apology, without looking over my shoulder for sadness to punish me.

For once, love didn’t feel like leaving something behind.

It felt like being allowed to bring everything with me.

A chorus of whisper-screams erupted from behind the shrubs.

I froze.

Josiah’s mouth paused against mine.

Zuri whispered, “Now.”

Skye whisper-yelled, “Operation Baby Brother is in full effect!”

Then they high-fived so loud a bird flew out of the tree.

The entire patio exploded.

Leilani screamed, laughing. Onyx bent over with both hands on his knees. Juice dropped a lemon bar. Melody snatched Lyric away from the evidence because Lyric was somehow holding a handmade sign that said Future Cousin Loading. JJ covered his face and walked in a circle. Kayden pointed at the girls and yelled, “Y’all are weird!” while laughing so hard he couldn’t even sound convincing. Maya calmly added something to her sketchbook like she was documenting history.

Jaya cupped her hands around her mouth. “C-Blacks forever!”

Jamilah clapped hard from her blanket, her headphones slightly crooked, her laughter bright enough to make Leilani start crying and laughing at the same time.

Aunt Hilary shouted, “Nobody better be loading nothing until there’s a ring and a reception menu!”

Uncle Zeke lifted his tongs. “And premarital counseling!”

Yolanda pointed her napkin toward him. “And don’t rush my son unless y’all paying for the flowers.”

I buried my face in Josiah’s chest. “I am so sorry.”

His arms wrapped around me, and his laugh rumbled beneath my cheek. “Don’t be.”

“They’re insane.”