1 year later
"Anima, hold still. I'm almost done." April says, as she plucks my eyebrows. I sigh and sit uncomfortably in my robe.
Today is the day I am marrying my soulmate. It's been a year of marriage preparation, counseling from church, advice from family members, and planning but it was all worth it. Danny is going to be mine forever and I couldn't be happier.
Keziah is a year and some months old now, but she is still as adorable as ever. She walks now but she still cannot talk properly. She just laughs and squeals but her words don't come together yet. Just like Danny predicted, she's a Daddy's girl. She looks more like him now and they're always playing together. Seeing them together melts my heart.
"Are you done?" I ask April for the millionth time.
She rolls her eyes, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Her hair was straightened to frame her face, and she looked so pretty in her pink, illusion neckline dress. She's one of my bridesmaids, along with Lena and Ama. The color they all agreed on light pink but they never showed me the dresses until today.
"Girl, I have the rest of your face and your hair to do. This is your day and I'm gonna make sure you look bomb."
I sigh at my own impatience and play with the necklace Danny gave me. The door opens and I carefully look over to see Lena at the door. She smiles at us and April tells her to come in. She walks in and my mouth drops open. She looks amazing in her pink cocktail dress, and her hair is styled in an elegant ponytail.
"Damn, you girls just look amazing. I have the prettiest besties ever." I exclaim with a huge smile on my face.
After a whole year with Lena, we've gotten closer to her and she actually has changed. Well, she still has the mean girl attitude when she needs it but she's been such a good person to us. Danny even approves of her now and she also loves playing with Keziah.
"Thanks girl, but can you stop talking so we can showcase your beauty too?" April says and I pout.
"I got her hair. You can just focus on the makeup, April." she announces, before walking over to me and putting her hands in my hair.
"Thanks boo, this girl whines too much, just to warn you." April tells her and Lena giggles.
"Um, I'm right here." I say, rolling my eyes.
"And we are here to make you look fabulous, so hush." Lena says and I pout at the both of them.
"What style are you going to do?" I ask her and she smiles.
"An elegant, low bun. It will frame your pretty face."
I clap excitedly.
***
I look in the mirror and let out a huge breath. I fan my face, feeling a wave of heat overcome me. My heart thumps loudly, as if it's trying to break out of my chest. I scan my face again and exhale. The gold eyeshadow compliments my white, mermaid lace gown beautifully, and my lips are coated in glossy gloss. April did an amazing job and so did Lena, with my gorgeous bun and some strands of hair in front of my face to frame it.
I gasp. What if Danny doesn't like the gold eyeshadow? What if he prefers lipstick to lip gloss? What if he doesn't like my hair? I grip the corners of the desk and breathe in deeply. I feel like I am about to pass out.
Why am I so nervous? I'm just about to marry the love of my life. My best friend, who I'm going to be with for the rest of my life. No big deal.
"Love, are you okay?" a soft voice asks from behind me.
I turn around to see Ama standing there with a beautiful pink, off-the-shoulder dress. Her hair was curled to perfection. Wow, she's about to be my sister.
I gulp and nod slowly.
"I-I'm fine."
She cocks her head and gives me a look, before walking towards me. She places her hands on my shoulders.
"You're nervous, aren't you?" she asks softly.
I sigh and nod.
"I'm about to become someone's wife, Ama. I'm not just his girlfriend anymore, this is forever. I'm scared."
She sighs and gives me a small smile.
"Turn around and look at the mirror." she says, guiding me with her hands.
I slowly turn around and I stare at my reflection. I shrug and let out a small giggle.
"It's just me." I tell her.
She shakes her head with a smile.
"No., you're Anima Hayford, soon to be Forson. You are the most special girl in Danny's life right now, besides Keziah of course. He is head over heels for you, like obsessed with you. There's nothing to be afraid of. You guys were made for each other and I promise you, Danny is never going to let you go." she tells me.
I exhale and nod at her. I face her and give her a tight hug.
"Thank you so much Ama. I thought I was going to lose it."
She giggles and hugs me back.
"No problem babe. We're sisters now. Now, go meet your father, he's waiting to walk you down the aisle."
I nod and smile at her.
* * *
I grip my dad's arm as we slowly walk down the bright green grass. Danny and I decided to have our ceremony outside, in a beautiful meadowland with lavenders and daisies. Now that I'm actually seeing the meadowland with the white, decorated chairs and the decorated altar set up, I am so glad that we chose this venue.
I let out another breath as we near the altar. My father squeezes my shoulder to comfort me, probably noticing how tense I am. I look at him and smile.
"Thank you dad."
He gives me a small smile. I know he's happy for me. He's always seen Danny as his son, and I know he feels relief that I am going to be in the hands of Danny for the rest of my life.
We get to the altar and he gently pushes me towards Danny.
"Don't think that because you are getting married, you are escaping me. You are still going to be my little girl." my father warns me, with a hint of a smile on his face. I giggle and Danny chuckles at him. My father walks back to his seat in the front row, next to my mom and Danny's family. Danny grabs my hand gently.
"You're so beautiful, it hurts." he whispers with a smile as I stand in front of him. He wipes the single tear off my cheek and I become a blushing mess. We haven't even read our vows and here I am with the waterworks.
I look down at my heels, my heart thumping in my chest. I still get butterflies around him after all these years of knowing him, it's hard to understand what he does to me. I hear him chuckle at the affect he has on me.
Aunty Gifty breaks our hands apart.
"Eii, you guys move too quickly. At least get through the vows." she playfully says, and we giggle.
We asked Aunty Gifty, our Sunday school teacher, to officiate the wedding and she happily agreed. She actually said that she had been waiting for this day and would not have allowed anyone else but herself to officiate.
The audience sits down as the pianist ends the song. I position myself on the altar, with April, Lena, and Ama behind me, holding flower bouqets. Danny faces me, with Tyler and Bill behind him, all three of them looking handsome. Danny and Tyler made a new friend, Bill, within this year. Well, actually, Bill is an old friend of ours from primary school but he moved away. He came back shortly after I gave birth, and we met him again at church. Ever since then, we've all gotten closer and he was happy to be one of Danny's best men.
"We are gathered here today in the presence of our Lord to witness the union of Danny Forson and Anima Hayford in Holy Matrimony. They have known each other all their lives and their love for each other has grown so much so that they have decided to spend the rest of their lives together as one. God has definitely put these two together to love each other unconditionally. " Aunty Gifty states.
She turns to Danny, with the Bible in her hand.
"Danny, do you take Anima to be your wedded wife, to live together under God's command? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, and to remain faithful to her forever?"
He gazes at me softly and gives me his signature warm smile, before nodding affirmatively.
"I do."
Aunty Gifty smiles and then turns to me.
"And do you, Anima, take Danny to be your wedded husband, to live with him forever as God has intended? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and respect him forever?"
I quietly exhale. This is it. My own confirmation. I look up at Danny, who is still staring down at me with his beautiful smile. I gaze into his eyes and I smile. I realize I would never want someone else to look at me the way Danny does, and I would never want him to look at anyone the way he looks at me. I want him to be mine, forever.
"I do."
He smiles and scans me from top to bottom, inching towards me.
"Herrh, Danny, if you don't take care, I will not let you guys marry today." Aunty Gifty playfully warns.
The audience laughs, while Danny and I blush.
"Bro, chill." Tyler says from behind him. Danny playfully rolls his eyes.
"We did it, girls. He can't even keep his eyes off of her." I hear Ama whisper to Lena and April from behind me. I blush even more.
"Who gives Anima permission to be married to Danny?"
My mother and father stand up and smile.
"We do." they say simultaneously.
Scattered claps start to fill our ears and I hear Keziah laugh from Danny's mother's lap. She looks adorable in her tiny white dress and her white hairbow.
"Today marks the start of a new life for the both of you. Just as God made a covenant with man, this marks a covenant of love between you two. You are surrounded with people who love you and support this relationship , who you have chosen to witness this special moment in your lives. The Lord brought you two together to complete each other and to fulfill each others' needs. I could stand here and explain the beauty behind marriage, but let us hear it from the Lord himself." Aunty Gifty says, before opening the Bible to a bookmarked page.
I subtly inch closer to Danny and he winks at me when he notices.
"In Ecclesiastes 4:9, the Lord says 'Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?' I believe this is saying that Danny and Anima, you have committed yourselves to each other, trusting and respecting each other, and of course, loving each other, which I think you guys have done enough of on this stage so far." she says, and the audience laughs.
"Now, Danny, take your Bride's hands and repeat after me-- I, Danny Forson,
Danny takes my hands and squeezes them, before staring deep into my eyes.
"I, Danny Forson,"
"Take thee, Anima Hayford,"
"Take thee, Anima Hayford"
"To be my wedded wife"
"To be my wedded wife"
"To have and to hold from this day forward"
"To have and to hold from this day forward"
Danny speaks with so much emotion and continues to gaze at me as if I'm the only person he sees. I begin to feel tears well in my eyes.
"For better, for worse"
"For better, for worse"
"For richer, for poorer"
"For richer, for poorer"
"In sickness and in health"
"In sickness and in health"
"To love and to cherish"
Danny lets out a shaky breath as I let a single tear fall from my eyes again. Why am I like this?
"To love and to cherish"
"Till death do us part"
"Till death do us part"
"This is my solemn vow"
"This is my solemn vow"
He raises his hand to wipe the tear off my face and I smile at him.
"My turn." I whisper to him.
"Now, Anima, take your Groom's hand and repeat after me." Aunty Gifty instructs.
"I, Anima Hayford"
"I, Anima Hayford"
"Take thee, Danny Forson"
"Take thee, Danny Forson"
"To be my wedded husband"
"To be my wedded husband"
"To have and to hold from this day forward"
"To have and to hold from this day forward"
"For better, for worse"
"For better, for worse"
"For richer, for poorer"
"For richer, for poorer"
"In sickness and in health"
"In sickness and in health"
"To love and to cherish"
"To love and to cherish"
"Till death do us part"
"Till death do us part"
"This is my solemn vow"
"This is my solemn vow"
I let out a breath and gaze into his eyes.
'I love you' he mouths to me, and I mouth it back.
"With these vows, we will need the wedding rings."
A little girl from our church skips down the aisle, her pigtails bouncing up and down. She holds the rings on a pillow in her hands and she stops in front of us. We smile at her.
"These rings symbolize eternity, a sign of your never-ending love. May I have the token of the Groom's love for Anima?"
Danny grabs one ring and he gently lifts my left hand. As he slowly puts the rings on my ring finger, he speaks.
"This ring I put on your finger is a signal of my love for you. With this ring, I thee wed." He slips the ring on my finger and brings my hand to his lips, as he places a kiss on my hand.
The audience cheers and Aunty Gifty laughs.
"Danny, slow down oo." Bill says.
"May I have the token of the Bride's love for Danny?
I grab the second ring and hold his left hand in mine. I slowly put the ring on his finger as I repeat what he said.
"This ring I put on your finger is a signal of my love for you. With this ring , I thee wed."
I mimic him and kiss his hand as well. He chuckles and the audience cheers again.
"You see Danny, you are tempting her." Gifty says again, and we continue to smile.
"I see you, girl." April whispers and I giggle.
"Bow you heads for blessings."
"Father, we ask that you bless these two beautiful souls and allow for their love to grow even stronger. Thank you for guiding them in the right direction and we ask that you continue to guide them towards success. Amen." Aunty Gifty finishes praying and we look up at each other again.
"Danny Forson and Anima Hayford, you have both expressed your true love for each other, maybe a little too much. But since you have promised to stay together forever, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Let no man break apart what God has put together. "
The audience claps, and Danny's best men pat him on the back. April, Lena, and Ama jump up and down behind me. Danny looks at Aunty Gifty excitedly. She rolls her eyes and sighs, with a faint smile on her face.
"Okay, now, you may kiss your bride. Please, keep it--" she starts but is interrupted when Danny quickly grabs me by my waist and plants his lips on mine.
I quickly wrap my arms around his neck and close my eyes as he continues to kiss me. He deepens the kiss and I pull him even closer to me. He presses hard against my lips and I hold onto him tightly. He uses his tongue to beg for entrance and I submit, his tongue immediately exploring my mouth. He draws circles with his tongue on mine and I reciprocate, causing him to smile into the kiss. I run out of breath, but I don't want to break out of his embrace. His hands start to travel lower down my waist and I almost squeal, when I feel him break away from me.
I look up to see that Tyler and Bill pulled Danny off of me, and Aunty Gifty gives us a pointed look with her hands on her hips. Danny blushes and looks down at the ground, while I give her a cheesy smile. I look over at our families to see them holding back their laughs, except my dad, who looks irritated. Keziah claps and giggles, which causes me to blush.
"Well, I was going to say keep it PG, but I guess that doesn't matter anymore." Gifty says with a laugh escaping her lips.
"Family and friends, it is my pleasure to introduce the newest couple in town, Mr. and Mrs. Forson!" Aunty Gifty exclaims, and the people stand to cheer and clap.
We all jump up and down on the altar, Danny's friends patting him and giving him high fives, while I hug my girl friends.
"I love you girls."
I turn to Tyler and Bill and engulf them in hugs. They hug me back tightly and I smile widely.
"Thank you boys so much. I love you guys."
"We love you too." Tyler says and Bill smiles.
"Congrats to you two. I love you guys." Bill says and I pinch his cheek. He's so adorable.
"Hey, don't forget about me." Danny says from behind me.
I turn to him and wrap my arms around him tightly. I sway in his arms and smile as he places a kiss on my forehead.
"Anima Forson. I like the sound of that." he says, and I look up at him.
"Me too. I can't imagine any other name for myself." I tell him and he gazes down at me.
"I can't imagine my life without you. Seriously, you're so special to me, baby." he tells me and I lightly hit his chest.
"Don't make me cry. You keep doing that."
"You look beautiful when you cry." he says and I glare at him.
"What, you want me to stop complimenting you?"
I give him a cheeky smile.
"No, don't. I love it. I love you. So much." I tell him and he smiles.
"I love you so much more."
April, Lena, and Ama walk over. Ama is holding Keziah and I coo at her in happiness. Danny gives April a hug.
"Thank you best friend. You know I love you." he tells her and she gasps.
"Oh my gosh, I knew you didn't hate me." she exclaims and we laugh at her excitement.
Lena steps forward and congratulates us.
"I'm really happy for you two. If you hurt her, I will hurt you. And you know I can." she threatens, and he rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, I love you too." he tells her, engulfing her in a hug too. She chuckles but then lets go.
"I'm serious though."
Ama moves closer to us and smiles.
"I know you love me too, baby bro. You don't have to say it." she says to him and he rolls his eyes.
"I'm not a baby." he whines, and I raise my eyebrows.
"Yeah, okay. Your real baby wants to see you guys." she says with a sweet smile, handing Keziah over to Danny.
He grabs her carefully and kisses her cheek.
"I missed you babygirl. You look so adorable." he coos at her and she laughs, tapping Danny's nose.
"Today, I got to marry your beautiful mother. Can you tell how happy I am?"
I kiss his cheek. He is so sweet.
"Can I hold my baby too?" I ask, and he hands her to me.
I hold her and she cups my cheek with her tiny hand. I giggle and tap her tiny nose. I kiss her cheek and coo at her.
"I love you, my sweet girl."
I see a flash go off and I look up. Danny has his phone out, facing us.
"I just want to have a picture of my Queens on my phone."
"Damn, bro. You must really want that honeymoon tonight, huh?" Tyler jokingly asks, placing his hand on Danny's shoulder.
"Right, you could sense all that passion on the altar." April responds.
"I hate you guys." Danny says, removing Tyler's hand from his shoulder.
"No, no. You love me and you admitted it. Don't even try to lie anymore." April retorts and Danny rolls his eyes.
"Come on, let's take a group picture. Just us, besties for life." Lena says excitedly, and we agree.
Danny and I stand in the center of the altar, with Keziah in my arms. April, Lena, and Ama stand on my right, while Tyler and Bill stand on Danny's left. Ama gives her phone to Aunty Gifty, who agrees to take the picture.
"Okay, everyone pose."
We smile, as Danny wraps his arm around my lower waist and pulls me closer to him. The girls embrace each other, and the guys stand rigid, refusing to embrace each other.
"3, 2, 1!"
"Cheese!" we exclaim, with wide smiles on our faces, at the same time, Keziah lets out a laugh.
"Thank you Aunty Gifty!" we all exclaim and she gives the phone back to Ama, with a smile.
April runs to Tyler and jumps on him, planting a kiss on his lips.
"I love you, and if you don't marry me, I will chase you down until you do." she warns him and he laughs, gripping her legs.
"Baby, you know I'm not going anywhere." he tells her and she smiles.
"Good."she says, before kissing him again.
I take a seat and Danny follows me, as I continue to play with Keziah. Bill comes up to us with a smile.
"Hey, Anima. Um, don't laugh when I tell you this." he starts and I nod.
"Well, I think Lena is really pretty and I want to ask her out, but I'm lowkey scared of her." he says, and I gasp.
I didn't expect this. Bill is so sweet and Lena is... well, tough. But now that I'm thinking about it, they would be so cute together.
"Chale, Lena is scary at times, but she's really caring. She only acts tough so she doesn't get hurt. Just talk to her, you guys are already close." Danny says to him.
Bill exhales and nods.
"Are you sure? You guys know her best, how should I approach her?"
"I know this sounds cliche, but just be yourself. She's not going to punch you for saying hi." I tell him and he chuckles.
"Eh, it depends on what you say. So don't say anything dumb." Danny warns and Bill nods.
"Okay, thanks guys." he says, before walking in Lena's direction.
Danny and I exchange a look before we both laugh.
"He's so innocent, it's adorable. They would be cute together."
"Definitely."
I look down at Keziah and sigh in relief. I did it. I married the love of my life.
"How are you feeling?" he asks me, rubbing my shoulder.
"Right now, I'm really happy. "
"Good. That's all I've ever wanted for you." he tells me and I smile.
"I love you both so much." I say to him and Keziah.
"We love you more."
I lean into the love of my life, and smile.