Isis woke up reaching for her nightstand. Her head was pounding. She had gone to a neurologist a month prior and was advised not to take anymore Goody powders. But, that was the only thing that knocked the headaches out fast. She went to the kitchen and got a cold Sprite from the refrigerator and took 2 of the powders. After drinking half of the Sprite, she laid back down. Usually her headache would be gone in thirty minutes or so.

As she lay in her bed, she thought about how boring her life was. All she did was work and come home. She and Bradley went out on the weekends. But, most of his time was devoted to his church and church members. Even sometimes when they were on dates, if a church member would call, he would have to cut their date short. There was also the idea of her faith. She still hadn't told him that she didn't have the same beliefs as him. From the beginning Isis had just said that she didn't go to church. Now, she had promised him that this Sunday, she would come to his church service. Her anxiety was on ten.

Thinking back to how they met compelled her into being optimistic about their future. While Isis didn't see herself becoming a Christian. She didn't see Bradley leaving Christianity either. But, she figured that their love could outweigh both and they could come up with a mutual agreement. Isis wasn't against supporting him by going to visit him at church. She was a firm believer in supporting her man. On the other hand, she wasn't so sure how he was going to feel about supporting her with her spirituality. Her phone rang just as she was about to go into her bathroom for a shower. Her face lit up when she saw that it was Bradley.

"Hey bae," Isis crooned into the phone.

"Hello beautiful," replied Bradley. Isis heart skipped a beat. Hearing his voice did something to her. That was another thing about dating a pastor. Of course, the man was going to wait until marriage to have sex. This was driving Isis crazy. She had even passed on her dream wedding venue to push the wedding up because she can't stop thinking about her man's third leg.

"What are you doing?" asked Isis.

"I'm about to head out to Mom and Dad's and do some yard work. Why? Do you need me to do anything for you sweetheart?" asked Bradley.

"Oh no, baby. I'm good. Iris and I might go over to our parent's house for lunch also," said Isis. She was quick to answer due to the fact of Bradley's parents being so judgmental. Having to deal with them two days in a row would be hell for Isis.

"Well, why don't we grab dinner tonight before I sit down and get everything ready for my sermon tomorrow? You know I got to show out since my lady is going to be in the house," said Bradley with a chuckle.

"Babe, you just act like I'm not even there," Isis advised him sincerely. She wouldn't know one way or the other if he was showing out or not. The only thing she knew about church was what she'd seen on TV. Her parents had never taken her.

"I will text you when I am done out in the country so that will give you enough time to get ready," Bradley added.

"Man, are you calling me slow?" asked Isis,

"I'm just saying, babe!" exclaimed Bradley. Isis laughed it off with her man.

"I love you," said Bradley.

"I love you more," said Isis. After disconnecting the call, the scrolled through Facebook for a few minutes before heading to the bathroom for her shower.

Hours Later at 7 p.m.

"I didn't know it was possible," Bradley said shaking his head. Isis looked at him confused as she turned around from locking the door.

"What are you talking about?" she asked him curiously.

"I didn't think it was possible for you to be any beautiful than you were the last time I saw you. But, I guess I was wrong," confessed Bradley. He took her left hand and kissed it. Taking it in his hand, he led her to his car. His car was one of the things that had Isis intrigued by him in the first place. He opened the passenger door to his Porsche Panamera and helped her inside, closing the door once she was inside.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"One of my church members is a waitress at Old Lady Gang. It is Kandi from the Atlanta Housewives' Restaurant. She got us reservations there. So, I figured we would eat there tonight. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure," said Isis. She and Iris had been trying for a couple of months to get reservations at Old Lady Gang. Every time they tried, it was all booked up. While she hated to leave Iris out, she was glad to be able to spend the evening there with her man.

Once Isis and Bradley arrived at the restaurant and valet parked, they were ushered in. They were seated shortly afterwards. Isis was glad that they were seated at an intimate table away from all of the excitement in the center of the restaurant. Sure, she wouldn't mind meeting Kandi or Todd. But, she was on a date with her fiancé. He was all that mattered during that time.

"So, are you still planning on attending services in the morning?" Bradley asked her as they looked at the menu. Isis couldn't believe he was bringing it up while she was trying to decide on what she wanted to eat.

"Yes, I am," she said.

"Good," he replied. She looked up and noticed that he'd placed his menu down on the table. Not long after, she'd made her selection as well.

"Have you been here before?" she asked him.

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Because it didn't take you but two seconds to decide what you wanted," said Isis.

"That's because I've been wanting to come here for forever. I already looked at the menu online and knew what I wanted. That's all baby," he assured her. Reaching over the table, he took her hands into his. He peered into Isis' eyes, but she looked away.

"Look, I told you from the beginning that I know that you have been hurt in the past. Your trust issues are now mine as well. We will work through them together. But, you are going to have to trust me in order for us to move forward and build our future. You're going to have to forget about the past. It's you and I now. The past is dead. We're getting married, Isis," proclaimed Bradley as he squeezed her hands. Looking up at Isis, he saw tears in her eyes. Not tears of despair. But, tears of joy. Before she could speak, the waitress arrived at their table. They placed their orders and enjoyed the rest of their night. Isis felt more in love than she ever had.

The next day was Sunday. It was a day that she had been dreaded every since she had met Bradley. She was finally going to church with him. Actually, due to him having so many obligations to the church, she was going to meet him there. Unfortunately, she happened to be running late on one of the most important days of her life. She cringed when she arrived and heard singing coming from inside of the huge brick church with stain glass windows as she made her way to the entrance. She clutched the handkerchief her grandmother had given her tighter when she realized that she was late for services. Bradley told her that he wanted her to be on time so that she could sit down front with his parents. Today is the first Sunday of the month. And on this Sunday, at The Life Church, it is communion Sunday.

"Hello," said Iris when she entered the foyer of the church and was greeted by a tall, dark-skinned lady with short gray hair. She had a pin on the left of her chest that read greeter.

"Welcome to The Life Church where Reverend Bradley Woods is our pastor. Have you ever been here before?"

"No ma'am," said Iris even though her parents discouraged her from saying yes ma'am and no ma'am. She felt that she needed to say it.

"Well, what church are you visiting from?" asked the greeter.

"I don't have a church," said Iris truthfully. She watched the facial expression of the lady in front of her.

"Well, where do you fellowship at?" asked the greeter.

"Excuse me?" asked Iris. Before the greeter could farther interrogate her, another lady walked out of a side door that had balcony posted on it.

"Hello, I'm Melanie. Would you like to sit in the main sanctuary or balcony?" she asked Iris.

"The main sanctuary is fine," said Iris. Not wanting to get the other lady any more in her business than she already was, she didn't bother mentioning that she was there to be with Bradley. She was sure that she would send the poor old lady to the hospital in cardiac arrest because she wasn't a saint.

Once Isis walked in she immediately made eye contact with Bradley who was standing up at the tall podium in the center of the church. She saw him whisper to one of the women who were up front and seconds later she saw the lady were making a beeline towards her. With a smile on her face, the lady took her by the hand and ushered her up to the front of the church. Isis was uptight for most of the service. She was proud of her husband-to-be. But, she knew that church just wasn't her thing. After church, she was bombarded by church members. Isis didn't think she'd ever received that many hugs before.

"So, do you think that you got what it takes to marry my baby boy and be a pastor's wife?" asked Bradley's mother Claudette once they were alone.

"Absolutely," she said with a smile. See, her momma had taught her that no matter what to never let your opponent see you sweat. And, Isis looked at Bradley's family and church members as nothing more than opponents until they proved her wrong.

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