In the last 12 months, LeToya Luckett’s entire life has changed. In August 2017, she and her then boyfriend Dallas-based entrepreneur Tommicus Walker, got engaged, and just four months later they tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Austin. The happy couple honeymooned in The Maldives and Dubai before coming home and settling into their new life together in Texas.

After the New Year, the newlyweds didn’t waste any time making their dreams of expanding their family come true: In June, with a little help from her stepdaughter Madison Walker, 6, Luckett announced that she and her husband were expecting their first child together in an Instagram video.

 

Any time you ask Luckett to reflect on the many blessings she’s experienced, she immediately begins by thanking God and credits her faith with helping her get through harder times and find the man of her dreams.

During ESSENCE Fest 2019, I had a chance to sit down with Luckett, who was still high on their baby news and showing off her growing baby bump for the first time, for an intimate one-on-one interview about all that the last year has brought into her world. She was humble, and honest about her journey, and the prayers it took to get her here.

“You pray for things, and you know we all have our wishlists, but I’ve learned to pray for whatever’s in your will,” Luckett said. “And I found myself throwing out my list that I had held dear to my heart for several years of what I wanted out of a man and what I felt I wanted to do in the next few years, and I ended up throwing that list out. Because I was like, alright Lord, if that ain’t in your plan and that ain’t in your will, I don’t want it. And it kind of took the reigns out of my hand. I got sick of running into the wall.”

Letting God guide her steps, said Luckett, was truly the ultimate relationship game changer for her.

“I’m not saying that you shouldn’t get out there and go for yours,” she added. “But I am saying, when you really hand the reigns over [to Him] and get out of the driver seat of your life, and really allow God to step in and do what he’s been doing all along and get out of the way, then boom…it happens. So maybe a couple months after I threw that list out and said, ‘God, I’m giving this over to you’, it happened.”

Part of what makes their bond so strong, revealed Luckett, is that they stay prayed up and constantly work together to focus on building the right foundation on faith and love to keep their marriage sturdy — incuding seeking spiritual counseling and guidance, having tough conversations early on, and commiting to being honest with each other at all times.

“The Enemy doesn’t like marriage,” Luckett said. “He doesn’t like marriage, and he will try you, and things have come up. Not terrible things, but things that can shift your relationship presented themselves very early in our relationship and we stood firm…and together. It’s very important to have that prayer life. It’s very important to communicate always.”

For Luckett, it was equally important for their blended family to run as smoothly as their marriage has, and to get there, she says they took the mature and necessary steps.

“I call Madison my ‘daughter in love’ and I’m her ‘mommy in love,” shared Luckett. ”She’s a sweetheart and she’s very vocal about her feelings.” They sat down together as a couple with Madison’s mom and her husband and talked about their blended family goals, and Luckett said, it’s been a wonderful experience becoming a stepmom.

“We talk about everything, and he allows me the space,” said Luckett. “And that’s the thing I love about my husband.”

Luckett can barely contain her baby excitement, but admits that as one might expect, she’s a little scared too.

“Honestly, I’m super excited,” she squealed. “I’m terrified because it’s my first.”

Watch the full interview with Luckett above.