Chapter 14
Reuniting Jela with her family made me feel good about the choice I made to make it happen for her.
I could see the love and could tell they missed her a lot.
Her sister was a character and the spitting image of Jela.
If Jela hadn’t told me she was the eldest, I would have mistaken them for twins.
Mrs. Draya was easy on the eyes too. They all looked like sisters, with Mrs. Draya being the older sibling.
Jela’s smile and laughter eased my soul.
I could see why my brother was so obsessed with her.
Her spirit was calming, nurturing, and unforgettable.
Dame swore she was a boring counterpart in the bedroom, but with the way her ass jiggled when she walked and how he’d gotten her pregnant twice, I found that hard to believe.
I was trying my hardest to remain respectful and not pursue her, but boundaries and lines had already been crossed.
Jela deserved real love, commitment, fidelity, and happiness.
She deserved me.
As I pulled into my home in Grosse Pointe Woods, I thought about giving it to Jela to start her new life.
Dame didn’t know about this spot, and it was a slim chance he’d come out here to look for her.
You needed big money to live in this extravagant neighborhood, and Jela had none yet.
I wanted her and Chunks to be comfortable and feel safe, even with his goons he had in Detroit.
She could start fresh and not have to worry about looking over her shoulder too much.
“You live here?” she asked, once we drove through the wooded area up to my house that sat on ten acres surrounded by silence and trees.
“Yeah, I was going to put it on the market next week, but I think I’m going to keep it now.”
“You should. It’s beautiful.”
“Thanks. Let’s get y’all settled in.”
When she went to touch the door handle, I gave her a look, and she laughed. “Sorry.”
“I’ma need you to set a reminder on your phone once we get you one tomorrow.”
She giggled some more. “Duly noted.”
I got out of the truck, retrieving my niece, who was wide awake and talking gibberish, and then walked around to open the door for Jela. I held out my hand to help her down and led them into the house.
“This is amazing,” Jela said, looking up at the high ceilings and open views.
“It’s a little chilly in here. I’m going to start the furnace. When I come back, I’ll show you around, and you can pick whatever room you like.”
“Okay.”
I walked out of the living room and went into the basement to relight the furnace when my phone rang. I pulled it from my coat pocket, seeing Neveah’s name on the screen.
“What’s good, Nev?”
“Hey, Tucci. I went by the hotel and noticed you or Jela weren't there.”
“Yeah, we checked out this morning.”
“Why? Did Dame find her?”
“Nah, but I knew he would be coming to look for her soon.”
“Do you know his ass had the nerve to threaten me?”
“Oh, yeah? What did he say?”
“That if he finds out that I had anything to do with Jela leaving him, he’s going to beat my ass or some shit like that.”
“Well, we both know that's cap. But to be on the safe side, I’m going to call Law and have him put a detail on you.” I moved to the furnace and turned the knobs to heat the house when I noticed the line had grown eerily quiet. “Neveah?”
“Yes, I’m still here. If Dame knows what's good for him, he’ll stay the fuck away from me. I don’t need the detail, though. I’m good.”
“It's not up for debate. Damien is not the same brother I used to know. He’s something different. I don’t know what that nigga on, but I have a strong feeling that I’m going to either have to put him away or put him down.”
“Shit, Truce. Please don’t get me wrong, I love Jela, but… he’s your brother. I know he’s a little off the chain right now, but could you really see yourself hurting him that way?”
“You know that will never be my first option, Nev. That man threatened to put my name on a tombstone. Am I supposed to overlook that he’d do me in if the opportunity presented itself again?”
“I know…” she said with sadness in her tone. “Just be careful. I’ll come by tomorrow and see if my girl wants to have some drinks. I don’t want to take her out in public until shit calms down some.”
“We’re not in Muskegon anymore.”
“Oh, where are you guys? Wait, nope… don’t tell me. If I run into that nigga, I don’t want to have to lie. Wherever y’all are, I hope it’s far the fuck away from here.”
“Eh, it’s a little ways away.”
“Good. Are you coming back, though?”
“Of course. My job and home are there. I’m going to get Jela settled, then I’ll be home next week.”
“Okay. Love you, Tucci. Hurry up and get my girl a phone so we can chat.”
“She’ll hit you tomorrow. I love you more.”
“Okay. Byyye!”
I chuckled and hung up after checking to make sure the fire was lit. I went back upstairs to see Jela sitting in the windowsill with Chunks as she pointed to items outside, trying to get Chunks to repeat them.
“Tree.”
“Teeee.”
Jela chuckled. “My smart girl.”
I smiled and went to grab some blankets. When I returned, I signaled for her to come to the couch to sit. I powered on the television, then spread the blankets over them.
“It shouldn’t take long to warm up, then y’all can shed the coats. Are you hungry? I don’t have any food here, but I can order you something, if you’d like?”
“I’m okay for now, but I'm sure chunky mama here is starving.” She laughed. “There’s a dinner in her bag that I can warm up for her.”
“She doesn’t want that bullshit, Jela.”
“She loves those, actually.”
“Nah… we gon’ get her some real food. Ain’t that right, Chunks?”
She smiled and reached for me, and I gladly accepted her.
Dame was a foolish nigga. He may have loved Scottie, but not realizing that hurting her mother would only hurt his relationship with Scottlyn proved he wasn’t right in his head.
I was almost positive he would never see her again until he got his shit together, and even then, I would recommend him having supervised visits with her.
“I want you to file a restraining order on him. We can go to the police station tomorrow and handle that after we grab you a phone,” I suggested.
I could see the sadness in her eyes as they dropped to her lap.
I took my finger and lifted her head. “Hold your head up, baby. You don’t have to be sad about shit.
This is the first step to making sure you’re protected.
I have to resume my life back in Muskegon next week, but I’m going to make sure you have everything you need before I leave here. ”
“I know. I guess I’m just trying to see the silver lining in all of this. I’m trying to be strong for my baby, but I can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen.”
“Nothing’s going to happen—”
“You can't guarantee that! Damien is evil. I would get my ass beat just for being the first to wake up in the morning. While my bladder screamed, I had to lie there until he opened his damn eyes. I’ve been through hell, Truce.
He kicked my baby out of my stomach and blamed its death on me. Like… what kind of shit is that?
“I’m happy to be back here with my family, but I will never stop thinking that one day, he's going to come for me, and my happily ever after will never come.”
“I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you trust me?”
“I want to—I really do. You got me this far, but how long will that last?”
“Forever, if you let it. I just need you to trust me.”
She looked away from me and shook her head. “Okay, Truce. If you say you have it under control, I’ll believe you and try to stop worrying.”
“Cool. Let me get y’all some food and show y’all around.”
I passed her Chunks and pulled out my phone to order some pizza, wings, and fries. Hearing what she went through with my brother only made me that much more eager to show her that she didn’t have to worry about him anymore. I was going to make sure she was just a memory to him.
“Name any place you’ve always wanted to go. It can be anywhere.”
Jela and I sat on the floor in the living room having a glass of wine.
After the food was delivered, we ate, showered, and I played with my Chunks before her mother put her to sleep in the guest room down the hall.
I pulled out a bottle of wine, grabbed a deck of cards, and turned on some music for relaxation.
“Hmm, I always wanted to go to Arizona.”
“Arizona?”
She giggled. “I know it sounds silly to want to still be in the states, but I want to see the Grand Canyon. I heard it was beautiful.”
“It’s not silly. Our country has some dope places.”
“We do, but that's where I want to go. My dad was going to take Jas and me, but he died that year, and Mommy never followed up.” She shrugged. “So, we never went.”
“Tell me more about your pops,” I told her, placing a card down and taking the book.
“Cheater!” She laughed. “He was a great man, though. He treated us like gold and always thought he was Mr. Fix-It. Anything that would break around the house, he swore he knew how to fix it. It’s funny because whatever he claimed to fix would always break again.
It used to grind Mommy’s gears until, eventually…
she started calling professionals to come out and fix whatever would break. ”
I chuckled. “Sounds like he was being frugal.”
“Very!”
Her laugh always calmed me—I loved to hear it. I felt sleepy, but I didn’t want the night to end yet. Jela made me want to be in her presence for as long as I could. If I had it my way, she’d be sleeping in my bed tonight.
“Nothing wrong with that, love.”
“Yeah, but he was a loving father and devoted husband. You couldn’t tell him shit about his girls either.”
“I can see why. All of y’all have this nurturing spirit. Even your crazy-ass sister.”
We both laughed again as she finished off her wine. I could tell the wine made her loosen up some. Jela wasn't much of a talker unless you spoke to her, but the wine influenced her to spark a conversation, and I loved to see her in this light.
“Jas is something else, but I love her to death. She’s my best friend.”
“I can tell. Do you have other friends here?”
“I do. I hadn't spoken to them since I left. I don’t even know what to say to them if I ever see them again. We sort of fell out because of Damien. Even they said he was controlling me, and I defended him, only for them to prove me wrong.” She shook her head.
“Well, if the friendship was real, you all will get right back.”
“That's true.”
“Lose Control” by Silk queued, and Jela stood.
“Yesss! I love this song!” she exclaimed, turning the volume up on the speaker.
She made subtle moves with her body until she lifted on her toes, did a spin, and then lifted her leg in slow motion until it was high in the air.
She brought her leg back down slowly and did a back bend, reminding me that she was indeed a dancer.
Her perfect posture and agility had me in a damn trance.
I know I’ve said this before, but my brother was a nincompoop.
Every time I thought about the possibilities of making Jela mine, his dumb ass popped inside my head because I knew the shit was wrong to feel this way about her.
She was my brother’s girl. They had a baby together—a baby that I loved dearly with a father I loved just the same, if not more.
I was only supposed to get her away from him and be on my way back to Muskegon, yet here I was, sitting and watching her.
My eyes were stuck on her body, thinking of all the ways I’d turn her ass every which way from Wednesday.
The passion on her face let me know that she had checked into her zone.
I could tell she loved this, and my chest expanded, being proud of being her audience.
Before I could stop myself, I was off the floor and heading over to her.
Her arms were up, and I slid behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist.
“Tell me no, Jela,” I painfully told her.
Her arms came down, and her hands rested on my forearms. My lips pressed the nape of her neck, and her head fell to the side, allowing me more access.
“What if I don’t want to?” she replied in a raspy tone.
“I need you to…”
My tongue traced her earlobe, and my hands cupped her mango-sized breasts.
She turned in my arms, looked up at me, and kissed me.
I didn’t waste a moment, feeding her my tongue instantly as we kissed.
So much passion radiated between us that my head was reeling.
I had one hand on her soft ass, and the other secured on her neck.
“Mmmm,” she moaned.
I picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I carried her over to the couch and sat down with her in my lap.
Her fingers busied in my hair, while her eager tongue explored my mouth.
I slipped the T-shirt she was wearing over her head, exposing her pretty-ass titties.
I attacked them while she dry humped me.
My dick was so fucking hard and ready to burst through the joggers I wore to get between her legs.
I watched as her head fell back, and her eyes closed, enjoying me alternating between her breasts and squeezing her ass.
When I went for her biker shorts, that's when I heard that painful-ass word.
“No.” My mouth disconnected from her breasts as I looked at her. “I—The river is flowing through the canal.”
It didn’t take me long to figure out what she meant. I nodded and pecked her lips once more. She slid from my lap, grabbing her shirt and covering herself. “I should go… No, I need to go to bed.”
She stood from the couch, putting her shirt back on, and I stood. Her eyes dropped to my dick, and I could see her cringe slightly.
I smirked. “Yeah… Don’t walk. Run. At this point, I don’t give a fuck about that little situation. I like my steaks medium-rare.”
“Oh God.” She turned and hurried out of the living room. “Good night, Truce.”
“Good night, Jela.”
She disappeared inside the guest room with Chunks already inside. I turned everything off and headed to my room to relieve myself, something I hadn't done since I was a damn teen.
Jela didn’t know it, but she had just fucked up.