“Holy shit,” I say, shaking my head.
“Yeah, I don’t even know what to say. Finding out that I’m not who I thought, and he’s been expending so much energy hating himself. I always wondered how he could hate black people, yet marry my Hispanic mother.”
“Oh my God! It was to give him a cover up in case you guys came out too dark,” I say.
“Exactly.”
“Mind blown.”
“They’re going to give him to AB to take care of. I should be sad, devastated. The truth is, I said good-bye to the man I knew and loved a long time ago. He’s gotten worse over the years. I never got it until now.”
I sigh. “It’s a horrible side effect of society. Whatever they deem as something to hate becomes the social majority’s soundtrack. Back then, the worst thing you could be was black and on top of it a bastard. It wreaked havoc. I’m not defending him, but I am breaking it down as best I can for you to digest,” I say, running my hand up and down his arm.
“It’s so stupid,” he hisses.
I nod my head. “I agree.”
He buries his face in my neck, and I toy with his locks, processing the new information. We drift off to sleep exhausted from the events of the day and content to be together in silence with distance between us and the turmoil.
~~
I peer at myself in the mirror. I’d settled on a blush pink flowing dress with a lacey flower appliqué overlay that trailed down to just above floor sweeping length. Feminine and soft, it made me feel beautiful. The color made my skin look amazing, and the side ponytail made my neck look elegant. The makeup woman had worked wonders and my eyes were large, luminous, and sparkling with happiness. I hope Echo likes it. I’d forgone anything on my lips in preparation of the kiss I’d be getting once we said I do. This is it, the day I feel as if I’ve been waiting my whole life for. I step away from the mirror and walk out of the room to greet the attendant waiting for me.
“You look lovely, dear. Are you ready?”
“Oh, yes,” I answer.
“It’s always so inspiring to see two people so eager to begin their lives together,” she says. With her blonde beehive mixed with grey, her kind blue eyes, and slightly wrinkled face, she reminds me of a kindly grandmother.
“He’s my high school sweetheart. We went our separate ways and then recently, we were brought back together.”
“True love always finds a way, doesn’t it?” she whispers.
“Yeah, I guess it does.” We stop at the end of the aisle and I take in the way Echo looks in his black dress shirt, cut, and skinny pink tie to match my dress. He’s perfect.
“Here you are, sweetheart,” she says, handing me the bouquet of white flowers.
I clutch them in my hand and the music begins to play.
Echo turns and our gazes lock.
Everything else falls away as I focus on the love visible in his eyes. I reach the end of the aisle where he’s waiting.
He hooks his arm in mine. “You look amazing, babe,” he says softly, caressing my hand with his thumb.
“Right back at you, babe.” I’m completely enchanted by the rope of gold that falls down his back.
We say our vows and the chains of the past fall away from my wrists. Our time is here and now. The things that came before—the pain, paranoia and hurt, stemming from an evil bastard with a black heart—are no longer allowed to touch us. I’ve never seen Echo so happy.
His grin practically splits his face and his eyes literally sparkle.
I did that.
I always knew he was a catch. Easy going, fun loving, and sensitive when he needs to be, he was different from a lot of the brothers. Not everyone is good at keeping the darkness that comes with club life out of their soul. Echo excels at it. I cup his face with my hand. “I do,” I whisper.
“And do you, Joel Sherman Spencer take Dixie Rose Dunn to be your lawfully married wife?”
“I do,” he says.