Chapter BOONE
BOONE
By Christmas, the girls were referring to me as Daddy Boone. They helped me decorate the condo and set up a tree next to Beef Jerky’s cage. To my shock, the little guy never pissed on it.
Nova, Skylar, Lyric, and I had a solid routine as we welcomed the new year. Weekdays were spent at the Sleepy Eye Community. Weekends and vacations were at my condo. The girls got the hang of living in the building despite Rock continuing to fight me on the play set.
Skylar and Lyric enjoyed their first trip to Rawlins to visit my parents. They would often join Duffy on her endless walks around the pool. She never acknowledged their presence, but they kept talking to her nonetheless.
After our Thanksgiving visit, Goldie and I discussed buying a local house in Rawlins to give us more space.
“I might have a kid on my own,” Goldie said. “Maybe not. But I think we could get a midsize house in Rawlins. That way, you can spend time during the summers without worrying about feeling cramped at Mom and Dad’s place.”
When I shared the idea with Nova, she immediately thought a fourth home might be a bit much.
“We’re already talking about building a house,” Nova reminded me.
“Eventually, we won’t live in Lula’s house or at my condo. We’ll have our own forever house in the Sleepy Eye Community. But we’ll still need somewhere comfortable in Rawlins and Baton Rouge. Summers in Rawlins are fun. It’s small-town living in a place where our people run things.”
Nova was right to be overwhelmed. Her life had been flipped upside down more than once recently. Next year, we planned to get married and start trying for a baby. We had already begun working on plans for our forever house. So, yeah, getting a side house in my parents’ town was asking a lot.
The planned brawl with the three LM Jokers also lingered in her thoughts. Everyone was relieved when the day finally arrived.
My opponent was Vinny who nearly broke Goldie’s hand. I didn’t particularly care which guy I fought since they would all be dead soon.
Zodiac planned to fight Aaron, who was the fuck that shoved the door at Elle. Nine would face Bob, who put his hands around Dalisay’s throat.
The brawl went down at the local quarry. Members of the LM Jokers, Crimson Guard, Little Memphis, and Black Rainbow watched from up high as the six of us battled it out down in the pit.
Before the brawl, Tricky made a big deal of making sure no one had weapons.
“I don’t trust Zodiac not to fucking cheat,” he spit out while his guys glared at the Black Rainbow president.
Jagger said Tricky had been putting on a show for his guys since the meeting. He’d laid down the law about engaging with the Crimson Guard.
“You’re letting the Black Rainbow stand in the way of our alliance!” Tricky apparently hollered at the men. “You’re doing Zodiac’s work for him!”
I hoped Tricky’s rants and threats weren’t only for show. A war between the Crimson Guard and LM Jokers would be messy at a time when I was looking for life to settle down.
Vinny was a big guy, maybe six-two and built thick. I thought of him using his meaty hands on my sister. He’d apparently been the guy least gung-ho about starting trouble, but once the attack against the foxes started, he chose to join in.
I worked myself into just enough of a rage to hurt the fucker. Blackjack and I had plotted about how best to hurt Vinny without killing him.
The fucker didn’t go down easily. Vinny wasn’t a chump. After the brawl, my shoulder hurt, and my left eye throbbed.
Despite my injuries, I left Vinny with a concussion, broken ribs, and a dislocated hip. But he would survive until the time came to put him down permanently.
After I returned home from the brawl, Nova, Skylar, and Lyric took turns playing nurse. I was still covered in Band-Aids the next day when I attended a party at the Sorority House.
My girls had their hair braided like the foxes. Nova’s hair hung loose. I noticed how she was learning to embrace her own style rather than trying to be someone else.
Elle carried Trent strapped to her front. The infant had no use for the party happening around him. Following Elle around like her personal bodyguard, Zodiac sported a black eye but otherwise seemed downright jovial.
On the back porch, Clint cuddled with Ivy. I heard them talking about babies earlier. They planned to start trying in the spring. I wondered who between Ivy and Nova would get their positive pregnancy test first?
Lula might beat them both to the baby carriage. I overheard Exile sharing with Nova how they were trying.
“Everyone’s having babies and getting married,” Stevie told Nova. “Yet, all I want to do is nap at the house and read about elves. Does that make me weird?”
“Yes, but in the best way,” Nova replied quickly.
I smiled at how much Nova had learned to own her space. As she goofed off with Cher and Stevie, I walked to the basketball half-court and hung out with Rowdy, Rock, Ben, and Farley. Nine sat in the grass nearby, rubbing his bruised ribs.
“Want to take my spot in the game?” Rowdy asked me while lighting a cigarette. “Rock keeps trying to molest my sweaty body. I need a break from his horniness.”
“I’m not even touching you,” Rock grumbled and faked like he might throw the ball at Rowdy’s head.
Rather than admitting I didn’t want to distract myself from Nova and the girls, I lied, “I’m tired from the brawl.”
Soon, Clint took up the offer and joined Ben, Rock, and Farley. Rowdy sat next to me on a bench and checked his messages.
“What the hell?” he muttered and put out his cigarette. Standing up, Rowdy handed me his pack of cigarettes. “I guess I’m giving up smoking.”
“What’s going on?” Clint asked.
“I found my missing hot chick,” Rowdy said. “And I’m going to be a dad! I’ll send pictures!”
Yelling his good news to Lula, Sabrina, and Vanessa, Rowdy rushed toward the front of the property where his motorcycle was parked. I heard his sisters’ panicked voices following him. Sabrina even tried tackling him, but Rowdy broke loose and took off running.
Clint frowned at me before chuckling. Rock shook his head and muttered about people needing to keep their dicks wrapped. Farley seemed bummed about another member getting lucky in love while he remained alone. Ben and Nine just looked relieved they weren’t the ones to get the “dear daddy” text.
Returning to Nova’s side, I joined her and the girls at a table. Skylar changed seats so she could sit on my lap. Smiling up at me, she showed off the picture she had done of her new family.
A smiling Nova slid me a piece of paper with Eddie Murphy. I grinned at the memory of finding the smiling actor’s face in my pocket months ago. In my heart, I knew Nova was the woman for me. With that simple gesture, she showed me how she felt the same way.