Chapter 7

Kachelleand I sat at our table, patiently waiting for our food. Jessa tried her hardest to sit with us, but I made her sit with our parents. She just wanted to be nosy, while I just wanted some alone time with Kachelle.

I looked over to find her staring at me. When our eyes met, she looked away shyly.

"What's on your mind?" I asked.

"Everything… we really got married today."

"We did. Did you ever imagine it would happen like this?"

I shook my head. "I didn't. I wasn't sure what I would be getting into, but I was always hopeful."

"So… did I meet your expectations?"

"You exceeded them. You are far more beautiful than anyone I would have picked for myself."

She blushed. "Well, you're quite handsome, Mr. Mitchell."

"Thank you, Mrs. Mitchell."

A smile passed between us. I grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"I want to know everything about you," I said, squeezing her hand. "What do you do for a living?"

"I own and operate a dental office."

"Okay, okay. So I take it you've clocked my teeth, huh?"

She giggled. "Yes. You have a very beautiful smile."

"Thank you. Now that you're my wife, are you gonna hook me up with that family discount?"

She laughed out loud. "I service children."

"I'm a child of God."

"You play too much!"

She playfully slapped my arm with a grin. I loved her smile already. I knew it was going to be one of those things that brightened my day.

"What's your office called?" I asked.

"Superhero Smiles. Every Friday, we dress up as superheroes, and the kids get to dress up too."

"That's dope and cute as hell. You must know a lot about superheroes, then."

"About as much as I know about teeth. I love DC and Marvel movies and have seen every one. I've been to Comicon at least ten times. I also have a collection of Funko Pop action figures."

I clutched my chest. "A woman after my own heart."

"I actually have a Wonder Woman tattoo."

She turned and lifted her hair, showing off this sick-ass tattoo of Wonder Woman on her shoulder blade. The detail and color were amazing. Reaching out, I traced the artwork, taking notice of just how soft her skin was. It was smooth like butter and blemish-free.

She also smelled so damn good. I couldn't stop myself from leaning in closer to sniff her. She looked back at me with a shy smile on her face.

I apologized. "I'm sorry. I know that was weird as hell. You just… damn, you smell good."

She giggled as she turned back around. "Thank you. I may or may not have a perfume obsession."

"Do you need a sponsor? I'll happily pay to have you smell like this every day."

She smiled. "I think I like you already. So… what do you do for a living?"

"I write and illustrate children's books."

"Oh! Interesting. Anything I might have seen?"

"You ever heard of J.A Mitchell?"

Her eyes widened. "Yes! Oh my god! That's you?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I have every book you've written on the bookshelf in my lobby." She looked at me in amazement. "When I saw you, I thought you looked familiar. I just couldn't put my finger on it. Wow. Maybe you could do a story time at my office one day."

"I'd be down for that."

"Do you travel a lot?"

"I have speaking occasions every now and then. Sometimes, I do press tours. I love children, and my books help me fund many programs around the city. Giving back to the community that raised me has always been a priority. Why not start with the kids? I do back-to-school bashes, summer reading camps, and Christmas giveaways."

"I take it you want children of your own someday?"

"Yes. At least three, preferably not with the thirteen-year age gap like my sister and I."

"Are you two close?"

"Very close. Most times she acts like my kid, always running my pockets."

Kachelle smiled softly. It slowly faded as she looked down at the table.

"Do you think your family will like me?" she asked.

"It's my hope that they give you a chance. I know that the family you marry into is just as important as the person you marry. I don't know how long it will take them to come around, but I'll never allow anybody to disrespect you or talk out the side of their neck to you. You're an extension of me. To disrespect you is to disrespect me, and I don't take kindly to that."

She nodded. "I appreciate that."

"What about you? You think your people will come around? I mean, Pops was giving a hell of a mean mug during the ceremony."

She shrugged. "I don't know. My family has never been in support of this. I know they only want the best for me, but I'm hurt. I had to go through this whole thing feeling so alone. That's not how I pictured getting married, you know? I imagined meeting the man of my dreams, falling in love, having this elaborate proposal, and then getting married. I imagined my mother and sister dress shopping with me. I imagined them helping me get ready on my big day. My makeup artist had to help me with my dress. My father wouldn't even walk me down the aisle."

She buried her face in her hands. I could tell she was fighting back tears. The shit did something to me. I hated to see women cry. Reaching over, I pulled her hands away.

"Come here," I said.

She hesitated for a moment before she slid over and rested against me. Cupping her chin, I forced her eyes to meet mine.

"I'm sorry you didn't have the support you imagined. When we chose this path, we knew it wouldn't be easily accepted, but I'm sure you hoped, like me, that they would come around."

She nodded. "I did. There's no do-over after this. This was it. These are the memories I'll have for the rest of my life for my wedding day."

I sighed. "I know. But again, this is the path we chose. We have to make the best of it. You know what I'll remember about this day?"

"What?"

"How beautiful you looked walking down the aisle to me. I'll remember the excitement I felt in holding you in my arms for the first time. I'll remember the way your lips tasted the first time I kissed you."

She blushed and smiled. I leaned in and pecked her lips.

"At the end of the day, we came here for each other, nothing else. It could have been us, the minister, and the furniture, and the ceremony would have still gone on. That was what we committed to. We don't need anybody else's approval to be together. We're gonna go into this thing with open hearts, and I'm gonna make you fall in love with me."

She giggled. "You're confident, huh?"

"Very confident."

My grip on her chin tightened slightly, and I pulled her in for another kiss. This time, it was soft and sensual… passionate. Her lips parted, and she slipped her tongue into my mouth. I could see now that kissing her was going to be my favorite pass time.

The reception was underway.The space was buzzing with conversation, but the tension could still be felt in the stares of our parents. Kachelle and I were having a ball by ourselves. We spent most of our time getting to know each other while we ate. We'd just finished dessert when I noticed my sister carrying her chair as she made her way over to us.

"Oh lord," I mumbled as she rounded the table.

She placed her chair next to mine and stood between me and Kachelle.

"Yes, Jessa," I said, looking up at her.

"Move over."

"Why?"

"Because I wanna talk to my sister-in-law. Now move your big-headed ass over."

She mushed my forehead head and shooed me, causing Kachelle to giggle.

"You see how she does me?" I asked, reluctantly moving. "Be nice, Jess."

She kissed her teeth. "I am nice."

She plopped down in the chair and crossed her legs. Turning to Kachelle, she grabbed her hands.

"We were never formally introduced, but I'm Jessa, Jacob's sister."

"It's nice to formally meet you, Jessa," Kachelle said, returning her smile.

"So, I have a few questions for you, Miss Lady."

"Jess," I said firmly.

She raised a hand and shushed me. "Grown folks are talking. Now… Miss Kachelle. Did you think about this before you went through the process of being matched?"

"Thoroughly. I wouldn't make a lifelong commitment without thinking about the outcome first."

"Okay. Is there anything we should know about you that you haven't disclosed? Any criminal record? Jilted lovers? Outstanding debts? Substance abuse?"

"Jessa!" I snapped.

"It's okay, Jacob," Kachelle said, looking over at me. "I'm sure she's coming from a place of love and concern. To answer your question, Jessa, no. I have nothing to hide. I'm a very open and transparent person."

Jessa nodded. "Are you employed?"

"I own and operate a dental office. I have a degree in dental medicine specializing in dental surgery."

"Okay, sis! You fancy!"

They shared a laugh before Jessa turned serious.

"You might be alright. Jacob and I are very close. He's not just my brother; he's my best friend. I only have two rules when it comes to him. Don't put your hands on him and don't break his heart. My brother is very loving and very giving. I've seen bitches take advantage of him because of that. Now… I'ma tell you like I told him. I'm too pretty for jailhouse orange, and I can't be a prison bitch. So you gotta act right for both our sakes cause if you hurt him… and I say this with love… I'm gon' break my foot off in your ass, sis. I don't wanna have to do that because I've never had a sister, and I really want to like your fine ass."

I half expected Kachelle to be offended, but she just smiled. She squeezed Jessa's hands.

"I promise, your brother and his heart are safe with me. I'm not here to take anything from him. I want to know him as a person and as my husband. Throughout this process, I've prayed and had long talks with God about the man I would marry. I've been very intentional with my prayers and now that they have been answered, I'll be very intentional in how I handle him. In addition… I'll be very intentional with how I handle you. You say you've never had a sister, well I've never had a little sister. I look forward to getting to know you and spoiling you in all the ways only a big sister can."

Jessa looked back at me. "She's gonna make it really hard to hate her," she said, grinning. She turned back to Kachelle. "Come here, girl."

She pulled her into a warm embrace that made my heart smile. I looked around at our families. A few of them watched the exchange. My people knew how Jessa could be, so to see her show Kachelle love caused a lot of them to move. Before I knew it, there was a line at our table waiting to meet her. Seeing my family move got her people out of their seats too.

The only people who remained seated the whole time were my parents and hers, along with her sister. Even her brother-in-law came to meet me. The families were seated next to each other on purpose. They often passed looks between each other, but none of them spoke. When the line finally died down, I reached for Kachelle's hand.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

I nodded at our parents as I stood. "To put an end to the tension at those tables."

She was a little hesitant to take my hand.

I leaned into her. "I'm your husband. From this day forth, I've got your back on any and everything, including standing up to the people we love most."

Again. I reached for her hand. This time, she took it. I pulled her to her feet. Hand in hand, we made our way over to the tables. Our folks looked at each other, then at us as we approached. I cleared my throat.

"Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, my name is Jacob Mitchell. I want you both to know that I plan to take very good care of your daughter. I will love and treat her with the respect she rightfully deserves. You may not be convinced at this very moment, but you'll grow to love me as a son-in-law. I'm a good man and I'll be a great husband.

"Now… I will apologize in advance for the tone I'm about to take, but you and my parents should know I mean every word that leaves my lips. I'm sorry that Kachelle and I didn't meet the way you all think we should have. You may feel like we robbed each other of the traditional dating process. You may feel like we are not good enough for each other and we can do better. I mean this with the utmost respect when I say I don't give a fuck."

Their mouths dropped. Mr. Lewis started to say something, but I held up a hand to silence him.

"Furthermore, we are not going to have ongoing conversations about my wife's and my decision because it was our decision. We came into this fully knowing that we could fall in love or be heartbroken. The fact that this beautiful woman took a chance on allowing me to be her husband without knowing me makes we want to know her even more. The bond we build from this day forward is one that I pray is solid because I am committed to her.

"I don't take my vows lightly. I spoke with intention behind every word I said to her at that altar. With or without your support, what's done is done. I suggest we all find a way to learn to be family because this…"

I held up our hands and pointed at our wedding rings.

"This makes us family. I don't need anybody to say anything. I don't need protests or any other words. It's my wedding night, and I'd like to be alone with my wife. I will leave you with this. I'm happy you all showed up today, but I'm very disappointed in the behavior you displayed."

Jessa snickered. "I guess he told y'all."

I turned to Kachelle. "Are you ready to get out of here?" I asked.

"Very."

Without another word, we headed out of the reception. After thanking Chance and Kelcy, we grabbed our things and headed out to the limo. Once we were inside and settled, Kachelle looked at me with a devious smile.

"What?"

"I can't believe you spoke to them like that."

"I said what needed to be said."

"You did… so where are we going?"

"I booked us a penthouse suite at The Ivory Towers."

Her eyes widened. "Penthouse?"

"It's our wedding night. I thought we should enjoy some luxury. I made sure to get a suite with two bedrooms. Nothing has to happen between us tonight. I just want to be alone with you."

Her face softened at my words.

I meant that. Would I love to consummate my marriage? Hell yeah. It had been a minute since I'd been intimate with anybody. For a year and a half now, I'd been celibate. The moment I decided I was ready to settle down, I prepared my body to receive my wife. I denied my flesh because I wanted the next and last woman I slid into to have my last name.

Now, here she was.

Even if nothing went down tonight, she was mine, and I was hers.