Page 28 of Breeze and Melodie

With the help of Raine, Harmonee, Yvonne, Mari, Aunt Pat, Mrs. Norwood, and Shyne’s mother and sisters, the baby shower Melodie thought she’d been planning wasn’t a baby shower at all.

Raine allowed her to continue to believe all the plans they’d made were for them to celebrate their upcoming births.

However, all the intricate details were for our wedding.

Although it was risky to have so many people involved in planning our surprise wedding, the whole crew was in on it, except for Melodie. She’d been through a lot over the past six months, and everyone was determined to make the day memorable for her.

The ‘baby shower’ had a princess theme, and all our guests were asked to dress in formal attire. Melodie’s dress was a strapless Cinderella-style number, where the top stopped just under her breasts, and the skirt was big, puffy, and full, almost completely camouflaging her stomach.

I wasn’t sure how they did it, but the ladies transformed one of the classrooms into a fairytale theme.

It was done so well, it didn’t look like a classroom at all.

I still wasn’t sure how they managed to do all that was done without Melodie finding out it was for our wedding, but I was thoroughly impressed.

Raine suggested all the women in our crew meet at Black Reign to get ready. Once Melodie was occupied, I got dressed and met the fellows at the barbershop. I’d been nervous about how all this would work out, but once I sat at my station and took a deep breath, a calm took over.

“You ready?” Shyne asked as he sat at his station across from me.

“Been ready. We could’ve done this shit months ago.”

“I feel you. Y’all been dealing with some heavy shit, but it seems things have settled down.”

“About fuckin’ time.”

After I put a hot one through Arielle’s skull, things had been relatively calm.

“Did you see the news this morning?” Adan asked, and I shook my head. “It’s kinda ironic that I saw this as I was about to leave and come here. Tia and her brother both lost their jobs and have to pay a hefty fine for the stunt they pulled. No jail time though.”

“Our attorney told us a few weeks ago that she’d lost her teaching license.

Her brother was still on paid leave at the time, so knowing they finally fired him is good news.

We’re still negotiating a settlement, but please know that the twins' college, and then some, will be covered. As long as they don’t fuck with us, I won’t have to take matters into my own hands. ”

“If they knew what we knew, they’d pack up and move far, far away,” Zayn said, jokingly but with a serious undertone.

Although they’d asked, I’d never confessed my crimes to them.

It wasn’t because I didn’t trust them, but because if they were questioned, they could truthfully deny knowing anything.

Of course, they were aware of how and why I killed Arielle, because that was public knowledge, and I wasn’t charged with any crime.

However, I’d never confirmed their suspicions about Sean, and they had no clue about Sean’s friend Dak.

Only Rocky and a select few in his crew knew the whole truth.

Not long after Melodie summoned me to her apartment to make Sean leave, Dak came to the barbershop one evening, near closing time. I recognized him from the one time we’d met at OC Grill. Shyne and Zayn had already left for the day, and Adan and I were preparing to do the same.

When Dak asked for a cut, lining, and shave, I offered to do it because my gut told me it was me he wanted to see. As soon as Adan left, Dak began to question me about Sean and my relationship with Melodie.

“I thought you and Mel were just friends,” he said as he sat in my chair.

“What me and Mel are ain’t your business.”

“You right, but Sean told me y’all exchanged some words and had an altercation a few weeks ago.”

“You his bodyguard or something? Did he send you here to set me straight?”

Dak was a big guy and probably considered the tough one within their circle of friends.

“Nah, but he did share the situation with me, and I offered to scope the scene before he tries to mend things with Mel.”

“You’ve met Melodie, and I’m sure you know she’s ain’t the type of woman to tolerate abuse.”

“Yeah, but every couple gets physical with each other sometimes.”

“That’s how you feel?”

“I mean, yeah. You know how women are these days. Their mouths are reckless, and Melodie rarely holds her tongue. Every now and then, they need to be put in their place.”

Birds of a feather sure as hell flocked together, so I shouldn’t have been surprised by Dak’s words. I wanted to end him right then and there, but I knew it wasn’t a good idea, so I played along with him.

“You got a point. Her mouth been slick since I met her when she was in middle school.”

“My girl was like that when we first hooked up, but I broke her from that shit quick. I kept telling Sean to do the same, but he didn’t listen.”

I continued to engage with him, pretending to agree with the bullshit he spewed, but the whole time, I had to stop myself from cutting his throat.

I wasn’t from Onyx City and had to be careful how I moved.

Taking someone’s life on a whim, not knowing the lay of the land, wasn’t wise.

I didn’t follow through with taking Dak’s life until after I’d met Rocky and killed Sean.

I was blessed with the resources, and I’d be damned if I’d let them go to waste.

“Where you at, man?” Zayn asked, snapping his fingers in front of my face and pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Chill, nigga.” I smacked his hand away from my face.

“We’ve been trying to get your attention. It’s time to roll.”

“I’m ready. Let’s go.”

I took one more look in the mirror and adjusted my tie. Instead of nervousness, I felt excitement.

“Is Mr. Norwood here?” I asked.

“Here I am!” he shouted as he entered the shop from the hallway that connected it to the other spaces in the luxury spa.

“I thought you’d taken back your blessing for a minute,” I told him.

“Not at all. You’re the perfect man for my baby girl. I know you love her and will protect her at all costs. Here’s the ring.”

When Mr. Norwood asked to speak with me in the hallway the last time Melodie was hospitalized, he asked me to be straight up with him. I agreed, and for privacy purposes, we went outside and walked the path near the hospital.

He was concerned that Sean might pop up to harm Melodie.

I assured him he would not, but he wasn’t convinced.

If he wanted me to come right out and say I killed Sean, he wouldn’t get what he wanted.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my soon-to-be father-in-law, but I had to do him like I did Shyne, Adan, and Zayn.

Not only could a full confession put my freedom at risk, but it could also put him in a difficult position if he were ever questioned.

We had a long moment of silence, and eventually, he accepted my word.

Before we headed back to Melodie’s hospital room, he showed me a diamond wedding band.

It belonged to his grandmother, and he wasn’t able to give it to Mrs. Norwood because her mother wanted her to have the wedding band that once belonged to Melodie’s maternal great-grandmother.

I was sure Melodie would be honored to have the ring.

Mr. Norwood kept the ring to have it serviced and ensure it was in perfect condition before I gave it to Melodie.

He gave it to me for inspection, and after I looked at it, I gave it to Shyne, who was my best man.

He put it in the pocket of his tuxedo jacket.

Before leaving the shop, Mr. Norwood said a prayer.

The next time I saw him, Melodie’s arm was looped through his as he walked her down the aisle toward me.

The last time I cried, I mean really cried, it was the day my mother was laid to rest. She wasn’t a good mother, nor were we close, but I was lucky enough to experience the good parts of her for a short time before she became an addict.

I wasn’t necessarily crying because she was dead.

Given her lifestyle, it was probably for the better.

I cried because the opportunity for her to become a good mother and build a close relationship with me and Raine was gone, as well as the opportunity for her to do the same with her grandchildren.

Today, my tears were for an entirely different reason.

These tears weren’t for the mourning of my past. As bad as it was, it shaped me into the man I am today and motivated me to seek a better future.

These tears were for the woman walking toward me, who was probably the only one in the room crying harder than I was, with the man who raised her by her side.

Melodie saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. It may have started as a crush, but she looked past my rough exterior and saw someone special. These tears were for the woman who trusted me with her future and believed I would love her properly.

She made it to the end of the aisle with Mr. Norwood, and the officiant asked, “Who gives this woman to this man?”

“I do,” Mr. Norwood responded with pride.

After kissing his daughter’s cheek, he sat next to his wife, and Melodie rushed into my arms. I wrapped them around her so tight, I should’ve been concerned whether or not she could breathe.

She hugged my neck just as tightly, and we cried in each other’s arms for at least five minutes while our guests watched.