Bodyguard (YN x Beyonce)

Part Thirty-Two

The Maui air hit different. Warm, salty, sweet with the scent of flowers like the whole island was alive and breathing. After a long flight filled with laughter, playlists Blue curated, and Beyoncé leaning on my shoulder for half the trip, we finally made it. The whole family stepped out into paradise, sunglasses on, hair dancing in the breeze, already glowing under the Hawaiian sun.

Everyone was buzzing with excitement. Mama Tina was taking pictures before we even left the airport, Solange was already plotting which beaches she wanted to visit, and Blue was practically bouncing with energy, pointing out every palm tree like it was the first one she'd ever seen.

Bey stayed close to me the whole time, her hand finding mine whenever the cameras came out. I could feel her energy... calm, soft, happy. She was glowing in that oversized cream maxi dress, the kind that flowed like water around her. Pregnancy looked so damn good on her, it was almost unfair.

Our rental was separate from everyone else's. Private, oceanfront, nothing but the sound of the waves and a stretch of beach that felt like it belonged only to us. I wanted this moment to be perfect. Every detail was locked in... our space, the family activities, the little things that would keep her smiling. And then, the big thing... the reason I'd been walking around with my heart in my throat for weeks now.

The ring burned in my pocket every second. Every time she reached for my hand, every time she kissed me in that soft, lingering way like she had all the time in the world, I had to remind myself not to just pull it out right then and there. Maui was the plan. Maui, under the stars, with the sound of the ocean behind us. That's how I wanted forever to start.

"Wow..." Beyoncé whispered as we stepped into our rental. Floor-to-ceiling windows opened to the ocean, the sunset already painting the water gold. She turned to me, eyes wide with that little-girl excitement that still lived inside her no matter how grown she was.

She walked deeper inside, her fingers grazing the back of the cream couch, the edges of the glass table, then sliding the doors open so the breeze swept in. Her laughter mixed with the sound of waves, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe. Damn, she was beautiful.

Blue ran in after us, camera in hand. "Mom! YN! Come look at this view from the balcony—it's insane!"

Bey and I followed her out, the three of us standing there with the ocean stretching endlessly in front of us. For a moment, it didn't feel like a vacation. It felt like the beginning of something bigger. And it was.

I slipped an arm around Bey's waist, resting my hand against her small bump. She leaned into me, her head resting on my shoulder like it belonged there. Blue snapped a photo of us, grinning. "This one's going on the wall when we get home," she said.

I smiled, but inside, my mind was spinning. Tonight, tomorrow I didn't know exactly when yet. But soon. I was going to ask her. And when I did, it would be a moment none of us would ever forget.

The sound of laughter carried through the warm Maui air, mixing with the rush of waves and the faint splash from the pool. I leaned back in the lounge chair, sunglasses on, taking it all in—the palm trees swaying above, the bright blue sky, the family vibing like we didn't have a care in the world.

Blue and her cousins were racing to see who could cannonball the loudest, while Solange floated in a flamingo pool float like she owned the damn place. Mama Tina was under an umbrella with a glass of pineapple juice, snapping pictures of everybody like the family photographer she secretly was. It was perfect.

Except for one thing... Bey was sitting next to me in a loose cover-up and oversized sunhat, hiding what I knew she was tired of hiding. Every now and then, she'd glance at me with that look. The one that said, I'm ready.