Miracle held on tightly as Corvus carried her inside their new home together. They’d decided to make their primary residence in Corvus’ newly purchased property. Miracle would eventually rent her home out as another stream of income.
“I could help with the luggage,” Miracle told him when they stepped inside.
Corvus kissed her quickly while carrying her to the sofa. “My wife doesn’t carry bags.”
Gently, he laid her on the couch. “Stay right here,” he told her with another kiss before heading out the door.
Miracle laid back against the cushions with a smile. A girl could definitely get used to this. She watched as Corvus brought in all their luggage in one trip. He closed the door and headed upstairs after winking at her.
He returned a few minutes later and came to sit on the edge, looking down at her. “Welcome home, my beautiful Little Goddess.”
“Thank you, I’m happy to be here.” She lifted her arms to him.
Corvus enfolded her gently. “So before you have your way with me, let’s discuss our schedule over the next couple of days.”
Miracle pulled back. “Okay, I know that we have to talk with my father.”
Corvus nodded. “And the reception that our families’ are planning.”
“We have to find out what’s going on with the land behind the church,” she added.
“And who is on my ass.”
She frowned. “That one makes me angry.”
He smiled at her feistiness. “We also have to move your things over here.”
“I won’t take over your space,” she teased.
“It’s your space baby,” Corvus told her. “I got it for you, so you can do anything you like.”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe you bought a house for me before you even met me, and I love it.”
He shrugged. “If you didn’t, then I’d find one that you loved.”
“If anyone can do that, you could.” Miracle agreed.
Corvus kissed her. “We’re just going to ease into this, baby.”
“Like the bathtub?” she asked then blushed.
“Yeah, like the bathtub.”
Miracle stroked his face. “When I pledged my life to you, I meant every word. I’m here until death do us part,” she vowed.
The doorbell rang and Corvus looked confused. Miracle looked at him and asked, “Are you expecting someone?”
“No.” He stood to his feet and went to the door.
Corvus opened it and shouted. “Hell nah! Go away!”
Miracle sat up on the sofa preparing herself for whatever was about to happen. At the door, Corvus frowned at the visitors.
“I’m not letting you in here,” he told them.
Khayla pushed past him. “Boy move, we’re here to see our new Nigist…not you.”
Tauri, Danielle and Mac followed her inside the home.
After closing the door, Corvus turned to them. “We just got back! Damn!”
“We know that,” Tauri told him. “That’s why we waited as long as we did.”
He rolled his eyes. “What do you want with my wife?”
Danielle stepped forward. “Official Nigist business.”
Corvus threw his hands in the air. “Don’t y’all got babies to take care of?”
Mac smiled. “Listen, Corvus, we won’t keep her very long. We need to finalize the reception and we want her input, since it’s for her.”
He stared at the group. “Five minutes.”
They all frowned. “Go eat at your Momma’s and let us Queens handle business,” Khayla told him.
“I’m not leaving her here with y’all. You sound crazy,” Corvus told her.
“The party is set for this weekend Corvus. We’ve got work to do,” Tauri told him.
He nodded. “And you can do it while I’m here.”
“Hey ladies,”
They all turned to the sweet voice and the women rushed over to congratulate Miracle with hugs and kisses.
“We know you just got in and we’re not going to keep you,” Mac told her. “We need to finalize a few things and we want it to be exactly what you envision.”
Miracle smiled. “Thank you so much for being so thoughtful. I’m sure I would have been happy with whatever you’ve done.”
When Corvus heard her words, he realized why he loved these women. They got on his last damn nerves sometimes with their Nigist business, but they were the kindest group of women he knew. It was more important to them to make sure Miracle’s night was special to her, than having to deal with his wrath.
The look on his wife’s face was worth aggravation of his brother’s wives. Miracle was happy and in his book, that’s all that mattered.
“Okay, okay,” he announced. “Y’all got thirty minutes, max. My Little Goddess just got off a plane and this is her first night at home. So handle your Nigist business and bounce.”
“Corvus!” Miracle exclaimed.
Khayla looked at Miracle. “Nobody pays attention to Corvus. He’s just acting like the baby he is.”
Corvus frowned at her and she laughed. “But he’s our baby,” Khayla walked over to him and hugged him.
“Congratulations Corvus,”
He returned her hug. “Thanks, now hurry up and go home to your own husbands.”
Corvus watched as all the women headed to the living room then followed.
“Can I get you all something?” Miracle asked and Corvus placed a hand on her waist.
“I’ll get it, baby,’ he told her then looked at the Nigist. “What y’all want?”
All the women took seats on the large sofa. “Hmmm…we know you can’t make anything, so just bring us something to drink.” Tauri told him.
“I can make you something,” Miracle offered.
Corvus shook his head. “No, she can’t.” He steered Miracle to the sofa to join the women and kissed her softly before she took a seat. Turning he headed to the kitchen.
The Nigist watched Miracle’s eyes follow him and they all smiled. “Okay Miracle, let’s get down to business, because he will kick us out,” Khayla told her. “And we really didn’t plan to stay that long, we just like messing with him.”
Miracle laughed at the group and the affection they all had for one another. Corvus brought the ladies’ drinks and disappeared into another part of the house. Twenty minutes later, they had everything noted that Miracle wanted and guaranteed that she would have the time of her life.
“Thank you ladies,” Miracle told them.
Tauri looked at Miracle. “We all know about this business involving Corvus and we want you to know that whatever you need from us, just say the word.”
“Because we protect the Negus,” Khayla explained. “By any means necessary.”
Miracle looked confused but agreed. “Uh, okay.” She showed the women to the door then went in search of her husband.
“Corvus Shaw?” she called out.
Miracle checked a few rooms. Initially, she hadn’t understood why a single man had bought a house this large, but if they were having six kids, they’d definitely need all the room.
“Corvus?”
He appeared out of nowhere and she screamed before he took her into his arms.
“I’m sorry baby. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Miracle slowed her breathing. “I have to get used to living in this warehouse.”
“It’s really not that big, once you get the layout down,” he explained.
“Coming from my one-bedroom home, it seems like a castle.”
Corvus held her close. “Our kids can hide all over this place.”
“That doesn’t sound like fun,” she told him and he laughed.
“Why are you looking for me? Did you need something?” he asked looking down at her.
Her eyes darkened as she stared up at him and he lifted a brow. “Oh really? Are the Nigist gone?”
Miracle nodded slowly. “We got everything done. I hope you like it.”
Corvus picked her up and kissed her. “If you like it, I love it.”
“Welcome home again, Mrs. Shaw. It’s bedtime,” he announced.
She smiled slowly. “I’m ready.”
******
The next morning, Corvus met with the Negus at Katydids. They all gathered around a secluded table as the morning crowd had breakfast.
“Congratulations, little brother,” Rion told him. “Don’t threaten to put my wife out of your house again.”
Khalil frowned. “He did what?”
“I threatened to put all of them out for showing up unexpectedly when I’d just got my wife home,” he corrected.
“Don’t get hurt Corvus,” Khalil warned.
Corvus frowned back at him. “Keep your wife at home with her Official Nigist business.”
Brandon intervened before things got out of control. “What updates do you have on that land Corvus?”
“Malachi is on it. I’m checking in with him later today,” Corvus relayed. “This is bigger than I thought. Initially, I was thinking it was Miracle’s father or ex, but this is a real player involved.”
“I’m so tired of them gentrifying the city,” Khalil began. “Pushing us out of our neighborhoods because they’ve decided they want to live here.”
“Coleman Young told them to hit Eight Mile but now they’re regretting that decision,” Brandon said and they all nodded.
“Yeah, now that they’ve flooded the city with drugs and alcohol while letting the crime rates reach all-time highs, they want to purchase land for cheap, rebuild it with government loans, that the current residents could never receive, and create their new utopias.” Corvus added.
A waitress approached the table and the men ordered juice and coffee.
“No food for you Corvus?” Lance asked.
Corvus smiled and thought about the breakfast in bed that Miracle had served him this morning. “Nah, my food is taken care of, and I’m straight.”
Rion laughed. “I know Daddy will be happy to hear that.”
“How was Vegas?” Brandon asked.
Corvus smiled again. “It was great. I married my Little Goddess and showed her around the strip.”
Lance laughed. “We all know you could give that tour with your eyes closed.”
“We stayed in the tourist areas,” Corvus explained.
“I bet you did,” Rion added. “You don’t want your church girl to know how you got down.”
Corvus shrugged. “Baby can hold her own.”
“Speaking of church,” Lance gave Corvus a look. “When are you meeting with the Bishop?”
Looking at his watch, Corvus answered, “Meeting him for lunch.”
Rion raised a brow. “Good luck with that.”
“There’s no need for problems,” Corvus stated. “I hope he understands that.”
Khalil shook his head. “Your Queen is going to be there too?”
“Both Miracle and her mother,”
Lance smiled. “You taking Momma Shaw?”
“Hell nah!” Corvus frowned. “You know Momma.”
Rion agreed. “I remember when Granny Patterson met Momma. They still have a slight beef to this day.”
The Negus all laughed. “Yeah, Mrs. Shaw is no joke,” Brandon agreed. “When all that went down with Rion and Mackenzie, she was on it.”
“Momma don’t play about her boys,” Corvus said smiling. “Especially me.”
Rion frowned. “Whatever boy. You should be thankful that she gave Miracle the okay on the first try.”
“My Little Goddess is special. She’s smart, sweet, kind and she got that fire,” Corvus bragged.
“Then why is she with you?” Khalil asked.
Corvus smirked. “Comedy is not your strong suit, Khalil. Stick to being the overbearing, militant brother.”
Lance chuckled until Khalil glared at him.
Brandon shook his head and began, “My office has been informed of the issue concerning the illegal foreclosures in the city.” He sighed. “Our people have lost their homes illegally and we need to do something about this.”
“How many homes?” Khalil asked.
“One in four properties were seized for delinquent property taxes over a four-year span,” Brandon explained.
Corvus shook his head. “And most people will say, why didn’t they just pay the taxes, without knowing that the County was assessing those taxes at eighty-five percent of market value, when the Michigan Constitution says it’s illegal to assess over fifty.”
Brandon agreed. “Over 100,000 people lost their homes. Mostly African American homeowners.”
“Damn,” Khalil shook his head. “That’s a damn shame how they do us.”
Corvus looked angry. “Destroyed the damn neighborhoods and communities that did exist to make room for the vultures.”
“We want to stop this practice, try to get some funds back to the people who did lose their homes, and put a freeze on any current foreclosures until we can make sure they’re being assessed correctly,” Brandon informed them.
“Corvus, you work with the Assessor’s Office and the County Treasurer, can you check and see where they are on this?” Brandon asked and Corvus agreed.
“I’m only the Mayor here in the City, so I can’t control County business,” Brandon explained.
“I got you,” Corvus told him. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”
Khalil shook his head. “This shit has to stop.”
“For real…” Corvus agreed.
******
That afternoon, Corvus took the drive out to the suburbs where Bishop Chapman lived in a cushy community. He made sure to drive the speed limit and drive directly to his destination, since he didn’t want another Rion incident.
It was a shame that so many years later, the possibility of police brutality was not only still a possibility but almost a norm. It was well known that suburban police in this area singled out and targeted black men for stops.
Corvus looked at the stately homes and wondered how the Bishop looked at the vacant lots and falling down homes near his church then drove home to this neighborhood. People in the city were losing their homes for a few thousand dollars and the church wanted to expand. He shook his head and frowned.
Finding the address, he pulled into a long driveway and spotted Miracle’s car. At the door, he rang the bell and waited. Corvus smiled when his wife answered the door.
“Hello Little Goddess,”
She smiled. “Hello, my love. Please come in.”
Corvus stepped inside and bent down to kiss her gently.
“Daddy is on his way,” she informed him and he nodded before she led him into the home.
In a large living room, he saw a woman who had to be Miracle’s mother and watched as she approached them.
“Corvus this is my mother,” Miracle introduced them. “Momma this is my husband, Corvus.”
Betty Chapman looked over the tall, handsome man who had swept her normally level-headed daughter off of her feet, and married her within a few weeks.
“Mrs. Chapman, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Corvus greeted and she smiled. “I now see where your daughter gets that smile that stole my heart.”
Miracle beamed as her mother responded. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Corvus. I’ve heard so much about you.”
The two shook hands then Betty turned to Miracle. “I’ve never seen my daughter happier than when she arrived today, so I’m glad to welcome a son into our family.”
Corvus smiled. “Thank you Mrs. Chapman.”
“I must tell you that your mother is a delight,” Betty added.
“My mother?” Corvus asked.
Betty laughed. “Yes, Pam and I got along very well while assisting in the planning of the reception.”
“I’m glad you two got to meet,” Corvus commented.
“Joel should be here shortly,” Betty informed them. “I only told him that the two of you were coming for lunch. I didn’t mention anything else.”
Miracle felt her heart speed up. “I hope that he takes this well.”
“He doesn’t have a clue,” Betty told them. “So be prepared.”
Corvus shrugged. “I told him when we met that I was marrying his daughter.”
Betty nodded. “He said that, but he truly believed that he could prevent it.”
He put his arm around Miracle and looked down at her. Feeling her anxiety, he kissed cheek. “It’ll be fine.”
“It has to be, because nothing is going to change,” she responded.
They all turned as they heard voices coming down the hall. When the figures reached the living room, Miracle’s heart sank. No, it wasn’t going to be fine…
Bishop Chapman entered the room along with Emanuel and both men sized up Corvus. Betty stepped forward with a frown.
“Joel, why did you bring Emanuel? I told you we were having lunch with Miracle and Corvus.” She reminded him.
The Bishop looked confused. “I brought Emanuel because he’s instrumental in church business.”
Miracle stepped forward. “Daddy, this isn’t church business.”
Both Emanuel and the Bishop looked at Corvus. “Then what is it?” her father questioned.
Corvus placed his arm around Miracle to both comfort and shield her from what he knew was about to be an all-out shitstorm.
“I came here to inform you that your daughter is now my wife,” Corvus told him.
The silence in the room became deafening before the Bishop spoke again. “You married my daughter!”
“What have you done Miracle!” Emanuel yelled and Corvus lifted a hand.
“Dude, no. Shut up.” Corvus told him firmly.
Betty came forward. “Emanuel, you should leave. This is a family discussion.”
Emanuel frowned at her then turned to the Bishop.
After a minute, Bishop Chapman agreed. “I didn’t know this is what was happening. You should go and I’ll speak with you later.”
“How can you let her do this?” Emanuel yelled at the Bishop.
“Lower your voice in my home Emanuel,” he ordered. “I am the Bishop.”
Emanuel’s eyes narrowed. “You were supposed to keep her in line. Now I have to stand before the congregation and say I was engaged to a little harlot!”
Betty gasped as Miracle held on to Corvus.
But before Corvus could react, the Bishop grabbed Emanuel by the shirt. “You will not disrespect my daughter in front of me and her mother!” he gritted out. “Now leave before this gets out of hand.”
Corvus stood back and allowed the Bishop to control his home. He’d deal with Emanuel on his own time and it was a certainty. Instead of punching Emanuel in his other jaw, Corvus pulled Miracle closer and held her as she watched her father deal with her ex-fiancé.
The Bishop released Emanuel and the younger man stepped back to smooth down his wrinkled shirt. “This isn’t going to stop my plans,” he told the Bishop before turning and walking out of the room. They all heard the door slam after he exited.
Bishop Chapman turned to Corvus in anger. “I can’t respect a man who stole my daughter.”
“Yet, the one you wanted to give her to, didn’t respect her,” Corvus came back.
Betty moved to her husband’s side. “Joel, you need to have an open mind on this.”
Corvus continued. “And I didn’t steal her…I told you my intentions from the start.”
“What does a man like you want with my daughter?” the Bishop questioned.
Corvus smiled down at Miracle. “I want to love her, nothing more…nothing less.”
She smiled up at him and he touched her face while Betty looked at her husband. A blind man could tell how much Miracle cared for the man standing before her and Joel Chapman was a lot of things, but blind was not one. He turned to his wife and to her surprise, took her hand.
Betty smiled at him and looked at him the same way that Miracle was looking at Corvus Shaw. Joel looked into the face of the woman who had stood by his side for nearly thirty years without a complaint then looked at his oldest daughter.
Miracle had always been the one he’d never had to worry about. She’d followed every direction and completed every task he’d assigned. She’d never given him one minute of distress and now she was in the arms of a man who’d managed to make her go against his every wish.
“Mr. Shaw, we need to talk.”
******
“What do you think they’re talking about?” Miracle asked her mother in the kitchen.
Betty sat at the counter. “They’re talking about the fact that you now have a husband.”
Miracle stared at the rings on her finger. “Yes, I do.”
“You look happy Miracle,” Betty told her.
“To be honest, I never imagined this level of happiness existed…at least not for me.”
Betty looked surprised. “Why not?”
Miracle shrugged. “I guess I didn’t feel I deserved it.”
Her mother came and touched her face. “Don’t ever feel that you don’t deserve happiness. God wants us to be happy.”
“I thought God wanted me to be with Emanuel,” Miracle said quietly. “And that didn’t make me happy.”
“We all see now that Emanuel was not the man for you,” Betty agreed. “But the right man did come along.”
Miracle frowned. “You think God sent Corvus to me?”
“Where else would he have come from?”
“But Corvus says that he is a god.”
Betty smiled. “Yes, Pam and I had a very enlightening discussion about that.”
Miracle lifted a brow. “Really?”
Patting her daughter’s hand, she smiled. “You don’t have to adopt another’s practice or belief…understanding and respect is all that is required.”
“That’s what Corvus believes,” Miracle said quietly. “I’m beginning to believe that too.”
Betty nodded. “I thought initially it would be a problem for you two, but after meeting his family and friends, I know that Corvus will not expect you to do anything that goes against your own principles.”
Miracle thought of the way Corvus had adapted and accepted the saying of grace whenever they ate together. He teased that he only wanted to hold her hands, but she knew he recognized how important that ritual was to her and he’d incorporated it into their relationship seamlessly.
“Corvus is very open,” Miracle commented. “I really appreciate that about him.”
“His family says he is quite the jokester,”
Miracle laughed. “He can be. It caught me off guard at first, but now I enjoy it.”
“Faith says that he treats you very well.”
Looking at her mother, Miracle said, “You’ve been checking up on Corvus.”
Betty smiled. “Of course, he has one of my most prized possessions. I had to make sure this young man was worthy.”
“And he passed?” Miracle inquired.
“He would have never gotten you to that plane if he hadn’t.”
Miracle hugged her mother. “Oh, Momma…I always thought you were so meek, but you’ve got some fire too.”
Betty framed Miracle’s face. “I haven’t been married to Joel Chapman for thirty years without being able to hold my own.”
“Corvus has made me see that I have fire too,” Miracle whispered.
“Of course you do,” Betty agreed. “I’m sure that Corvus will bring out many things you never thought about yourself.
Miracle flushed. “Oh, he has…”