Chapter Thirty-Three

Jordyn Love POV

"A little higher—no, your other left, KP!" I called out, trying not to laugh as we wrestled with the wall sticker. The pink and gold letters that spelled out 'Jonah Riyadh' sparkled under Jo's bedroom lights, slightly crooked but getting there.

"who let the Three Stooges do interior design?" Kah read from her phone screen, before cackling. "The comments are dragging us!"

"Oh not too much," I adjusted the positioning of the last letter, "we're making magic happen here. Show them the final product, Kels."

Kelsey flipped the camera to showcase our handiwork. Jo's room was transforming from its previous sunshine yellow, which was, and I quote the two year old, 'not cute', into a pink paradise worthy of any princess. Stuffed animals perched on freshly arranged shelves, and metallic accents caught the light just right.

"The crown molding really sets it off," I said proudly, before my phone buzzed with an urgent notification.

Jordy's Angels 👼🏾Group chat: Angel | Jackie | Jordyn | Allisha

Jack: Before we proceed, I would like to file my quarterly complaint about this group chat name.AR: Seconded. STRONGLY seconded.Jordyn: yall secretly like it. 💀Jack: The table's set up. Angel handled the helicopter situation. How should she dress?AR: And by "handled," I mean I had to sweet talk the most difficult pilot in Vegas. You better appreciate me, Love.Lish: Wait... helicopter? What'd I miss?AR: Lish, sis. 😭 The surprise date? At their engagement spot?Lish: Right! Sorry mom brain Jack: Just pray A'ja doesn't start investigating. Yall knows he nosey as hell😂Jordyn: Not too much on my wife na🤣Jordyn: But fr, thank you all. All black for the fit. I just sent y'all something for the help ❤️

I quickly Zelled them both two thousand dollars, knowing it wasn't nearly enough to repay their dedication. This night had to be perfect. After everything we'd been through, I needed to show A'ja that some things—the important things—hadn't changed.

Walking down our hallway later, I called out softly, "A?"

Silence greeted me. I made my way to our bedroom, knocking gently before pushing the door open. Steam billowed from the bathroom, carrying the familiar scent of her lavender body wash—the same one she'd used since college. Some habits never changed, even when everything else did.

"A, we're heading out," I called through the bathroom door.

"What? Come in, I can't hear you," she called back.

I stepped inside, immediately hit by a wall of steam. Her silhouette moved behind the glass shower door, and I found myself studying the tile pattern with sudden intense interest.

"Jo's room is pretty much done," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Just need to tackle that closet situation, but we're out for now."

"Thanks, Jordy."

The nickname hit me like a punch to the gut. When was the last time she'd called me that? Before the separation? Before everything went sideways?

"Yeah, no problem," I managed, my voice slightly rough. "See y'all later."

I closed the door behind me, leaning against it for just a moment, letting the weight of that simple "Jordy" settle in my chest.

A'ja Love-Wilson POV

The hot water had worked out the knots in my shoulders, but my mind was still racing when I checked my phone:

Jordyn: Be ready by 7.Don't think too hard❤️

I frowned at the screen, typing back:

A'ja: What are you up to?Jordyn: Just trust me.

Those three words shouldn't have made my heart skip, but they did. Trust had been our biggest hurdle, the thing we'd had to rebuild piece by piece. And here she was, asking for it so simply.

Angel burst through the front door like a whirlwind, designer shopping bags swinging from her arms. "Okay so boom!"

"Ang, what—"

"Nope, no questions." She thrust the Aritzia bags into my arms. "Just get dressed and be ready. Doctor's orders."

"Since when are you that kind of doctor?" I called after her retreating form, but she just waved over her shoulder with a knowing smile.

Inside the bags, I found a black bodysuit that probably cost more than it should, along with some dark washed jeans, silver jewelry earrings, and heels that somehow matched my favorite pair perfectly. At the bottom was a note in Jordyn's messy scrawl:

"I love you. Tonight, just let me show you why."

My fingers traced over the words, remembering all the little notes she used to leave around our apartment when we first started dating. Back when everything was simpler, when love felt like enough.

By 6:55, I stood in front of our full-length mirror, smoothing non-existent wrinkles from the bodysuit. The fabric hugged every curve, the silver accessories catching the light just right. I looked... good. Really good. Not that I planned to make it easy for her to know that.

A sleek black SUV pulled up right on time, its tinted windows revealing nothing. The driver opened my door with a practiced flourish.

"Good evening, Mrs. Wilson-Love," he said warmly.

"Where exactly are we headed?" I tried, knowing it was futile.

His smile widened. "I am so sorry. I've been strictly instructed not to spoil the surprise."

The drive felt familiar until we turned onto a private airfield, and my heart nearly stopped. There, backlit by the setting sun, was a helicopter, its blades cutting lazy circles through the desert air.

"She didn't..." I whispered.

But of course she did. Because when Jordyn Love decided to do something, she never did it half assed.

And then I saw her, stepping out of the helicopter like some kind of R&B video fantasy. The black button-up stretched across her shoulders just right, dark jeans and Dior 1's completing the look that she somehow made seem effortless.

"Okay, I see you," I said, fighting to keep my voice neutral despite the warmth spreading through my chest.

Her smile—that same cocky, tender smile that had made me fall for her in the first place—lit up her face. "You look beautiful, A."

She held out her hand, and I stared at it for a moment. Such a simple gesture, but loaded with meaning. Taking her hand now meant letting her lead, meant trusting her again.

I took it.

—————

The helicopter ride was surreal, Vegas lights sprawling beneath us before giving way to the vast desert. When we landed, my heart recognized the spot before my mind caught up.

Here. Where she'd first promised me forever.

A table for two sat perfectly arranged, lanterns casting a warm glow that mixed with the desert sunset. Champagne chilled in an ice bucket, and the smell of my favorite dishes from Chef Marcus's kitchen wafted over.

"Jordyn..." Her name came out barely above a whisper.

She shifted nervously, hand going to the back of her neck—a tell she'd never outgrown. "I thought... maybe we needed to go back where we started. Before i fucked everything up."

The sunset painted the sky in brilliant strokes of orange and pink, but I couldn't take my eyes off her. Because this was the Jordyn I'd fallen in love with—the one who planned grand gestures but got shy in the moment, who could command a room but still fidgeted under my gaze.

Under a canopy of stars, we shared bites of food and fragments of conversation that grew easier with each passing moment. She told me about Jo's latest basketball game, and I caught her up on my foundation's new youth program. Simple things, normal things, but they felt precious somehow.

"To second chances," Jordyn said softly, raising her glass. The desert breeze carried her words like a prayer.

I studied her face in the lantern light, seeing both the woman who'd broken my heart and the one who was trying so hard to piece it back together.

My glass clinked against hers. "To second chances," I echoed, "I love you."

Her smile then—honest and vulnerable and full of hope—told me that maybe, just maybe, we were finally finding our way back to solid ground."I love you more,"

Excuse all errorsAjah💕