Divine Intervention by Lutishia Lovely Read Free Book Online Page B

Had Tai been the one standing there, she would have noticed how the fuchsia and lilac color scheme had been meticulously carried out throughout the room, would have appreciated the lilac silk liner that covered the aisle and the intricately woven archways of various fuchsia plants paired with fragrant white stock through which the wedding party would make their entrance. She would have considered the perfection in having the white stone walls covered with sheer, billowy fabrics of purple, fuchsia, and iridescent silver. And she would have teared up at seeing how the entire pulpit area had been turned into a fairyland of iridescent fabrics and Swarovski crystals that kissed the strategically placed chandeliers casting rainbows on the ceiling.
    That’s what Tai would have noticed. But King’s focus was on the crowd. He watched the women with wry amusement as Darius Crenshaw made his way into the sanctuary from a private side entrance and joined the Musical Messengers already sitting on stage. Once a gospel standout who was now a secular star, Darius and Company—also called D & C—had put out hit after hit since their first one, “Possible,” soared to number one several years ago. That was also about the time that Darius Crenshaw came out and announced that he was gay. For a time the backlash shook Darius’s faith in the church, but it didn’t shake his pastor’s faith in him. In a move rarely seen in Christian churches, Derrick Montgomery accepted the news of Darius’s homosexuality and allowed him to continue on as Kingdom Citizens Christian Center’s minister of music. The talented singer and musician’s popularity had waned in religious circles, but his crossover success kept him in high demand. And it’s obviously kept him attractive to the ladies, King mused, as he witnessed the side profiles of women who were obviously celebrity smitten. A similar reaction happened moments later when Cy Taylor came out of that same private door. No matter that his gorgeous wife, Hope, was beside him. Some of the women still ogled him like he was a barbequed rib. Then King caught himself eyeing Hope like she was a thick, sauce-slathered fry and figured he’d better judge not. Hope used to be a member of Mount Zion Progressive, and had been one of the many who’d drawn Tai’s suspicions. Nothing had ever happened between King and Hope. But that didn’t mean that the pastor hadn’t lusted in his heart a time or two. King continued to look around, noting that Lavon had taken a seat next to Carla, turning this part of the taping over to the capable hands of Mount Zion’s media ministry. They were sitting next to another gospel heartthrob, Nathaniel Thicke. He couldn’t see her face, but King was sure that Nate’s tenderoni wife, Destiny, looked as stunning as ever. He made a mental note to give his ministerial brother a call, tell him about a church in Las Vegas that would soon be looking for a pastor. Next to Nate and Destiny sat Derrick and Vivian Montgomery. King’s heart warmed at the sight of his best friend in the world.
    His eyes continued sweeping up the aisle, stopping on the second row where his extended family sat. Building the ministry had called for sacrifice, and he wasn’t as close to his siblings as he’d like to be. Geography had also separated them. Queen, the sister eighteen months younger than him, had married a military man. She and her family of three had lived in four different countries and several states. Currently, they called Hawaii home and King had promised a visit before the year was out. After more failed relationships than a Baptist church had fans with pictures of Jesus, King’s baby sister, Ester, had fled to Alaska where there was little sun but lots of money. King was still trying to figure out who the redheaded, red-bearded lumberjack-looking joker was sitting by her side, looking as out of place in his black big and tall suit as a Ku Klux Klansman at the MLK Memorial, but with an