The Winter Wedding

by Rhonda McKnight

  Kim’s voice rose an octave. “Listen, the same way you had to gather up your little courage to go and speak at those events, you can gather it up to post on IG. It ain’t even that serious.”

  “I know. I just needed to vent about it.”

  “And you can hire somebody. They’ll schedule your content for you. I have a client who does that. She picks the things that make your brand work. You can be hands off.”

  I went to Stephen’s IG page. He posted a pair of sneakers he’d purchased for himself and Isaiah. He’d hashtagged: #timewithmyson #shoppingisfun #ilovemylife

  Early this morning he’d posted a graphic of the scripture John 14:23 with the message: Faith is what you do. Do the necessary. #besalt #belight

  “Stephen manages his own social media.”

  “Because he likes it,” Kim said. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Spend some of the money on an assistant. You’re going to be rich.”

  I chuckled. “Sometimes you sound happier about that than I am.”

  “Because I am happier about that than you. You can be kinda cray-cray.” I heard a hair dryer come on. Kim was practically screaming in the phone to speak over it. “Being the bestie of a rich person is like rich by association. Birthdays, Christmas, just-because gifts, and our quarterly girl trips are going to be bomb. I don’t have to pay for anything,” Kim cackled.

  This girl was hilarious. “Did you say quarterly trips?”

  “Yeah, why not?”

  “You ever think I might be busy? I’ll be a famous author, a sought-after speaker, and a wife and mother.”

  Kim grunted. “I suppose. And there will be the new baby.”

  “New baby.” I cut my eyes at the phone. “Now you doin’ too much. We haven’t even talked about that. I mean I know he wants kids, but I have no idea how many. I don’t even know what I want.”

  “This is what’s wrong with the two of you. The next time I talk to you, I want you to tell me you’ve had this conversation. Y’all need to talk about everything. Children, his money, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Let’s get this communication thang going before you find a reason to break up again, and I lose my benefits.”

  I shook my head. “You’re a nut. I need to get out of here.” I paused again. “Thanks for the feedback on the book. I want it to be good. I know how honest you are, so I know you’re telling me how you really feel.”

  “Oh yes, you know if you needed to put some more anointing on this baby, I would tell you. No half stepping in the kingdom.”

  I ended the call with a smile on my face and in my heart. I went to Instagram and Twitter and scrolled through the content. It was a bit overwhelming, but it wouldn’t be so bad. This is what I needed to do to move forward. I wasn’t going to let my past keep me from my future.

  Chapter 43

  Aunt Joe, Isaiah, and I had a celebratory lunch. We celebrated Aunt Joe’s health, my contract, and Isaiah and my moving to New Jersey.

  I had been fighting tears all morning. The thought of taking Isaiah and leaving Aunt Joe was overwhelming. It felt like I was betraying her and abandoning her at the same time. I was struggling until I found out she had dinner plans with none other than Dr. Butler. She was glad to be getting some space to herself, but I could see she was having a hard time letting go of Isaiah.

  I stood in the doorway of her bedroom watching her sift through dresses in search of something appropriate for dinner. “Too churchy, too workplace, too short, too long, too ugly, too big...” in succession as she pushed everything down the closet bar. There was a lot of too churchy.

  I stepped further into the room and sat on a chair. “Let’s go to Belk’s and get you a new dress. New season. New dress.”

  “Girlie, I am not an old wineskin. I got something in here that’ll work. Besides you and Isaiah need to get on the road.”

  That’s what I’d been avoiding doing. “We don’t have to leave now, Auntie. We’re not in a rush.”

  “Yes, you are.” Her tone was firm. “And I don’t care if you leave tomorrow, next month or six months from now, I’m going to still cry just as hard, so you might as well go.”

  I couldn’t help feeling guilty. “Are you sure?”

  “Stephen needs both of you right now. I know he’s going to make a comeback, but he probably feels like his career has one foot in the grave.”

  Aunt Joe pulled a red jumpsuit from the closet and held it out in front of herself. “I know what it feels like to have one foot in the grave. You need people. Go be there for him the same way you’ve been here for me.”

  She was right about Stephen and I was concerned about him, but I didn’t think it was right to take Isaiah away like this.

  “There’s no other way, Tamar,” Aunt Joe’s voice broke through my thoughts like she’d been reading my mind. “Now help me pick a dress so you can leave.”

  I stood, closed the space between us, and wrapped my arms around her. I tried to squeeze all the love I could out of her body. She squeezed me back tight like she was doing the same. When we were done, we both had tears to wipe.

  “New season, baby.” She smoothed my hair. “A season with a whole lot of love in it. Go get it.”

  I nodded and took the red jumpsuit out of her hand. “This is it.” She smiled and closed the closet door.

  Isaiah and I gave her big hugs. Isaiah was excited, but I had a mess of tears streaming down my face.

  We eased into Atlanta with no delay. In addition to stopping by the office and dropping the car off to Kim, I had one more thing I needed to do while I was in town. I left Isaiah at the shop with Kim and taxied to my apartment to pick up the Range Rover.

  I arrived at the bank right before closing and requested my safe deposit box be opened. I reached in and pulled out the box that held my engagement ring. I pushed the lid back and stared at the 6-carat cushion cut set in a prong setting. I heard the passion in Stephen’s voice all over again.

  I’ll wait for you. For as long as it takes.

  His wait was over.

  “I’m ready,” I whispered. I slid the ring on my finger, gathered my important documents, and walked out of the bank with the banker happily locking the door behind me.

  A flash of light reflected against the sun and blinded me for a second. No doubt it was a camera and a reporter. When I could see, I was glad to find it was a coworker from the magazine. One I didn’t like much, but someone I knew.

  “I thought that was you,” Dedrina Akers squealed like I was a good find. “It’s my lucky day.”

  “I doubt it.” I didn’t lose a beat walking to the car. She fell in step next to me.

  “How do you feel about Stephen being benched for the season?”

  I stopped, rolled my eyes away from her, and resumed walking. “He’s not benched for the season.”

  “My bad. I forgot injured reserve might be able to come off the bench. That’s a new rule, right?”

  “Dedrina, if you’re going to ask a question about an athlete, learn his sport.” I pushed the key fob for the Ranger’s door.

  “I see you’re wearing your engagement ring. Does this mean wedding plans are still on?”

  I turned and all but laughed in her face. “I’m not answering your questions.”

  She frowned and flailed her arms like an annoyed teenager. “Come on, Tamar. You can tell me something. Eva would give us both a raise.”

  I slid sunglasses on, pulled the door open, and tossed my things inside.

  “I’m melting and starving out here in this heat and you’re getting into that?” She put a hand on her hip. “Do me a solid. Give me a quote.”

  I thought about it for a moment. Eva would be happy, and I owed her. She’d been good to me while I was on leave. “Wait.”

  I climbed into the SUV. I removed lipstick from my bag and freshened it. I fluffed my twist-out and lowered the window. I placed my left hand over the top of the window so she could get a good shot
of the ring, rested my chin on top of my hand and tilted my head. “You may print, ‘Tamar Johnson is planning a winter wedding.”

  Dedrina snapped the pictures.

  I pulled my hand back in the car. “Now do me a solid. Email it to me. I’m about to open an Instagram account. I’ll give you photo cred, and I’ll tell Eva you can come to the wedding.”

  Her eyes turned into saucers. I smiled and put up the window. A winter wedding was a good idea. It was time to get Saint Stephen off the market. I wasn’t going to let anyone, or anything keep us apart.

  ***

  Isaiah and I settled into our rooms in Stephen’s townhouse. The house had five bedrooms, so there was plenty of space for all of us to have our own. Stephen had a realtor looking for a rental for me. There were a few luxury condominium buildings in the area with vacancies. She was confident she would find something for me in as quickly as a few days.

  The closest hotel was a good distance. Stephen and I were more than capable of respecting each other and God for a few days.

  Worn out from the travel and a big meal, Isaiah had already gone to bed.

  Stephen and I were stretched out on a double chaise on the balcony. The Jersey heat was almost as bad as Georgia’s, but an evening breeze made it comfortable.

  Stephen raised my left hand. “Finally, the woman is wearing my ring.”

  I admired the ring with him. “It’s beautiful.”

  “And right where it should be.” He took my hand and kissed my finger. “I told you I’d wait for you. I didn’t know it would be this long, though.”

  Once he loosened his hold, I picked up my cell, swiped the screen, and showed it to him. A little laugh escaped his belly. “Are you kidding? You have an Instagram account?”

  I shimmied my shoulders. “I’m coming out like Diana Ross.”

  Stephen laughed again. “You’re full of surprises today.”

  I rested my head back against his chest and let him take the phone out of my hand. “And using hashtags right.” He read them:

  #WinterWedding #WearYourBestCoat #LuckyGirl #Blessed #SaintStephenOfftheMarket

  “You’ve got jokes.” Stephen laughed. “You’re good at this.”

  “I’m a writer, luv.”

  “Yes, you are.” He kissed my forehead. “So, now that you’ve given us a season for this here wedding, we need to find your calendar app and set a date.”

  My heart was beating hard, but it wasn’t from fear. It was excitement. I was ready for this. “You pick it. I don’t care.”

  “If I pick it, it’s going to be tomorrow.”

  I turned my head in his direction. “Maybe we should elope. That would eliminate the need for my apartment.”

  “Nooo…” Stephen stretched the word. “I was joking. Your father asked me to make sure we had a church wedding.”

  I gripped the side of the chair and sat up to face Stephen. “Did he?”

  “Yes, when I asked him to marry you. He asked me not to run off with his only daughter.”

  “You didn’t tell me that.”

  “I didn’t have time. You were too busy dumping me.”

  I shoved an elbow in his thigh.

  He pretended to be hurt. “Girl, don’t mess with my muscles. I’m already on the injured list.”

  Suddenly, I felt responsibility come down on me. “Daddy, wants a wedding.”

  “Don’t you?” He looked like he was waiting for me to shock him.

  I shrugged. “I never really thought about it. I didn’t think I would get married.”

  “Well, I want the whole big thang. A bunch of bridesmaids and groomsmen, kids bringing rings on pillows and dropping flowers, a 10-foot cake and every person who has ever cared about us in attendance.” He pulled me back down and kissed my forehead again. “Can you do that for me?”

  “I mean I have an IG account, man. You’ve got me doing things I never thought I’d do.”

  “It’s good to know you love me enough to want to make me happy.”

  I scrunched my nose and turned my face in his direction. “My book contract requires me to have an IG account. All social media is in my contract.”

  Stephen shook his head. “I should have known there was another motive.”

  I laughed. “I gave that picture to a reporter from my magazine. Eva was so glad to have it. She was more than happy to tell me I could telework.”

  “Oh, so all this compliance is for the publishing house and Eva. I thought you were marrying me for the culture.” A teasing smile spread across his lips.

  I turned over and scooted higher. “That too.” I looked at the calendar app on the phone. “What are we working with?”

  “The second weekend in December. It’s Bye week.”

  My eyes probed his. “That’s…”

  “A week we don’t play. Most teams have one every season. It’s that date or we’re into the holidays. I want my teammates to be able to attend.”

  I pointed at the Saturday. “That’s our wedding date then.”

  I hovered above him. Stephen raised his head and met me for a kiss. “It’s a long way off. But I guess I’ve been waiting for almost thirteen years. I can wait four more months.”

  “Four months,” I repeated. “Is that it?”

  “Four and a half,” he said, with his deep, sexy eyes laser-focused on mine.

  God, he was fine. I did want to get married tomorrow. I fought saying it and instead asked, “Do you think we can go that long without drama or scandal?”

  “I hope so,” he replied. “No matter what, you have to promise me that we’re going to go through it together.”

  I kissed him again. “Scandal ain’t nothing two people in love can’t handle.” I returned to my supine position next to him. “We’ve got this.”

  Stephen raised my hand again and planted another kiss on my finger. “God is our strength.”

  Chapter 44

  Happiness was my new friend. We went back to Yancy for my speaking engagement and Aunt Joe’s party. I’d planned the party to be on the same day, so we’d only have to make one trip. The event was a success. There were already stories in the room about bullying and cyber sexual abuse. Afterward, I was even more sure that speaking to young women was what I wanted to do.

  Later that evening, we had Aunt Joe’s party. She’d gained a few pounds back. Although she hadn’t lost all her hair, it was thin, so she had a wig designed that looked exactly like the hair she’d had. She looked amazing. Dr. Butler was at her side for every step she took. I’d never seen her this happy. When Isaiah told her he was staying with her for a few weeks, the joy was multiplied. She thanked me through tears and gave Stephen a hearty hug.

  The next morning, Stephen and I were back in New Jersey. We met with a wedding planner and spent the day making decisions about everything that had to be done right away.

  Later that evening, I checked my email and found the art department from my publishing house had contacted me. This was really happening.

  “I got a few book cover options today.” I removed the take-out dinner we’d ordered from the bag.

  “Let’s see what they sent.”

  I opened my iPad to the email and showed him the covers.

  Stephen was dramatic with his facial expressions. “That’s what’s up. Do you get to pick?”

  I leaned on the table on one elbow and looked at them again myself. “Not really, but I can give them feedback. I like both, so they can do what they want.”

  “I like your picture on the cover. That’s cool.”

  More excitement rose up from my belly. “I’ve decided I want to continue the speaking. My publicist asked me if she could scout out some opportunities for me. She even mentioned a Ted Talk.”

  Stephen lowered the iPad and wrapped an arm around my waist. “I’m proud of you. I’m proud that you’re trying to help other young people by being brave enough to get out there. You were great yesterday.”


  “I think it’ll help. I feel like this entire thing has been healing for me.” I felt warmth in my spirit that only God could give. “Anyway, the book is being released in late August of next year. They want it out in time for October, which is National Bullying Month.”

  “National Bullying Month.” He opened the lid to a container of fried rice. “I didn’t know there was a month for it.”

  “There’s an awareness month for everything.” I sat next to him at the table.

  Stephen put rice on my plate first and then his. “What’s the ‘I’m in love with you so much I can’t wait to marry you month’?”

  I put a finger on my chin and cocked my head like I was thinking. “I’m guessing that’s February.”

  “Not in this house.” He winked. “That was a test. Every month is ‘I love you’ month.”

  I swooned. Could he be sweeter? I just didn’t think so. “Since you put it that way. Every day is ‘I love you’ day.” I opened another carton and put steaming Hunan Chicken on both our plates. I handed him the chopsticks, and I reached for my fork. Stephen blessed our food and we began to eat.

  “How’s all the wedding planning stuff coming?”

  “It’s crazy. There are so many details. It’s even crazier because we’re having two receptions. Deniece Wright has earned her reputation as one of the best wedding planners in New York City. She’s great, but this is a lot.”

  Stephen maneuvered his chopsticks to put huge hunks of chicken in his mouth. He was giving me his undivided attention, but I knew he was not into the details of this planning.

  I continued. “I’m seriously thanking God she had an opening. Believe you me, her team is earning her fee.”

  “I’m glad my money isn’t going to waste,” he chuckled. “December will be here before we know it.”

  We were having a private wedding and reception in Pine and then a second reception on the same day in New York City. What had I been thinking? “I can’t imagine planning a small wedding without help. This event of ours has a million moving pieces.”

  Hungry, we both ate for a few minutes before I said, “Speaking of the wedding. Deniece asked me about your mother. She said you were deciding who was going to stand in her stead.”