Cleo whined while hanging her head before looking between Jawaan and me like we were leading her to be spayed. The downcast expression in her eyes had me focusing on everything but her when Jawaan practically dragged her into the facility.
"Tell me about it. Her moody ass nipped my hand the minute I handed the leash to the worker. With so many changes in a short period, I might need to take her to lay on somebody's rug to help sort out her issues."
"What?" I ask, giggling.
"I'm just saying, if humans can see somebody for their troubles, then Cleo can, too. My girl needs someone who'll be gentle and understanding because she's going through it."
Jawaan's straight face and sad eyes have my giggles turning into full-blown laughter, making Jalil jump from the boisterous noise.
"Oops, I'm sorry, baby," I say, running my hand up and down the carrying flush against my front.
"Wait, don't soothe him back to sleep. Let's capitalize on the moment." Jawaan quickly moves to me before removing an unhappy Jalil from the carrier.
A wide smile upturns my mouth at the deep frown on Jalil's face that's turning beet red by the second. His cute little body looks like an inchworm when Jawaan attempts to turn him to face the water. Despite the early morning, the sun is doing a great job of heating the air around us. Jalil is only wearing a onesie to accommodate the summer-like temperatures filling the space around us.
"Uh, I don't think Simba is feeling being pulled from his comfortable position and sleep, Mufasa."
The sun beaming on us somehow gives me aLion Kingimage, although we're far from a desert and nature setting reminiscent of what was used in the movie. Jawaan ignores me, gently sitting, causing me to stand and move closer just as he prepares to make footprints in the sand with Jalil's feet.
"Hold on. I want to get a picture of this," I insist, halting Jawaan's movements.
"Hurry. Little man ain't feeling this at all."
Grabbing my phone, I trip over my fingers, trying to open my camera app because Jalil starts whimpering, letting Jawaan and I know just how much our antics bother him. Jawaan gently positions Jalil's feet in the sand, and I almost forget to capture the moment when my eyes become misty. Snapping back-to-back pictures, I lock my phone before wiping my eyes and sitting beside my family. My heart swells with so many feelings that my breath hitches, matching the steady stream of water flowing from my eyes.
"Awe. Come here, crybaby," Jawaan murmurs, placing Jalil in the cusp of his left arm, allowing me to snuggle into his right side.
"Oh my gosh. How did you... when did you set this up?" Tears fall from my eyes when I see the candlelit private dining set up in the exact area Jawaan, Jalil, and I was in this morning.
Jawaan did his big one with the small rectangular table with a red velvet tablecloth over a white one. A candlelight centerpiece is in the middle, and two chairs with white covers and red bows tied around the top. A heart ring with red rose petals surrounds the area. There is also a baby carrier holder to the left of the first chair, which makes me smile. Jalil's car seat is already resting in the holder, waiting for him. Jawaan is carrying him while holding my left hand. His ability to hold Jalil with one hand and my hand with the other is a skill I'm unsure I could achieve. Jawaan releases my hand when we reach the perimeter of the heart enclosure and turns toward me with an unreadable expression in his orbs.
"I want to say something before we continue. Can you promise to keep an open mind, though?"
Oh God, what is Jawaan about to say?
I bite into my bottom lip until it throbs like my pulse, and I nod, unable to respond verbally. My mind swirls when Jawaan walks away and places Jalil in his car seat before returning in front of me.
"From the moment I saw you holding Little Man, I fell in love with you. Only I didn't just fall in love with you. I poured my heart into you. In that singular moment, I invested my time in you to dive into all your layers and choose to dive into more eachday. I chose you yesterday. I choose you today. I will choose you tomorrow because you are my person. I?—"
A gasp escapes my mouth when Jawaan lowers to one knee and pulls a ring box from his pocket before continuing his spiel.
"I choose you for the rest of my life, and I'm praying you will do the same. Zurmani Unique Coates, will you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me by becoming my wife?"
Jawaan's image becomes blurry from the tears falling from my eyes when he opens the box to show a stunning diamond ring that competes with the glow from the candles. Not wanting to give Jawaan a reason to doubt my receptive love, I swallow the lump in my throat and provide my answer.
"Yes. I'll marry you, Jawaan." I accept his proposal in a shaky tone.
"Wow. Thank you." Jawaan taps his chest while looking heavenward before pulling me into his chest and sealing myyeswith a passionate kiss that increases my heart rate.
The Next Afternoon
"Do you, Zurmani Unique Coates, take Jawaan to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold. In good times and bad. In sickness and in health. For as long as you both shall live," Pastor Reese asks.
"I do."
My parents are gonna kill me when we get back home.
After consummating our engagement, I agreed to marry Jawaan today, but I'm blaming it on the haze of post-coital bliss I was in. Only, I didn't realize that my fiancé had our new pastor on standby so the joke was on me because here we are getting married. Letitia Baxter, her husband, Pastor Reese, Jalil,Jawaan, and I are the only people in attendance. I learned this morning that Letitia Baxter is Jawaan's counselor who had been excited to participate in today's festivities.
