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“Didn’t you feel that? That’s what you mean to me. I love you, Sasha, and I don’t intend to stand back and watch you make a fool of yourself.”
    If he had just left it at loving me, it would’ve been a beautiful moment. But he’d had the audacity to call me a fool? With all the force I could muster, I whipped my hand right across his cheek. Honestly, I tried to slap the taste from his mouth, but I certainly slapped him hard enough so that he’d think about it before he ever called me a fool again.
    As he stood there, recuperating more from embarrassment than pain, I stepped aside, not looking at him, and not looking at that audience of nosy biddies who stood there gaping as if they had f ront row tickets to some show.
    When I walked into the sanctuary I pushed what had just happened between me and Xavier far from my mind. Instead, I allowed myself to be caught up in the majesty of this moment. Even though I ’d been home from college for almost three weeks now, this was my first time back at Grace Tabernacle.
    “ Good to see you, Pink,” one of the ushers said as he approached me.
    I nodded, smiled and then followed him down the left-side aisle. I knew exactly where he was trying to lead me —I’d sat in the second row with my parents ever since I was a child. But when he stopped at the second pew, I moved right to the front.
    “ Pink,” he whispered.
    I just pretended I didn ’t hear him, which wasn’t hard to do. The choir was up and in it.
    “ We’ve come this far by faith! Trusting in The Lord!”
    They swayed and the congregation moved with them. So, when I didn ’t answer the usher, he just moved right back up the aisle to greet the next church member. Then, I sat down. Right in the front row, first seat, and I savored the feeling. I felt like I was sitting upon a throne rather than just on a fabric-covered pew. I had returned to Grace Tabernacle to claim everything that was mine, and that included this front row seat.
    When the choir got to the second verse, I s tood and sang and swayed with them. Closing my eyes, I worshipped God in all His reverence. On the outside, I sang. But inside, I prayed and thanked Him for my life––my future husband, my future children, and my future home.
    After a few minutes, I couldn ’t even sing anymore. I was so full of gratitude for all that The Lord had given to me and was about to pour into my life. A tear slipped through my closed eye and rolled down my cheek, but I kept on worshiping. I had blocked out the world, keeping my mind just on my praise and worship.
    Until I felt a tap on my shoulder. I couldn ’t imagine who would be rude enough to interrupt my time with God.
    I opened my eyes and looked right into the eyes of Malik ’s wife, wondering what in the world did she want with me?
    She stared me down and finally hissed, “ Please move over.”
    At first, I just stood there because I really couldn ’t figure out what she was talking about. And then, I got it. I’d forgotten that I was sitting in what she thought was her seat. It was hers, technically. But one thing I knew about God was that He wanted us to claim what we wanted and I was claiming this seat. She needed to get used to seeing me here. I was absolutely sure that she already knew what was going to happen. God wouldn’t have told me without telling her. She had to know that a change was coming and very soon, everything that had been hers would be mine. Well, not everything. I was going to have her man, her house, and this seat on the front pew, but her funny-looking clothes? She could keep all of those.
    “ I said, move over,” she repeated as if that would mean anything to me. She waved her hand, gesturing for me to move to the left.
    But just like the tree planted by the water in the Bible, I was not going to be moved. Wearing a graceful smile, I leaned in just a little. I didn’t want to get too close and draw attention to her shameless Especially Yours outfit. I whispered, “I