Chapter 20
Three Days Later
Christmas Eve
“Mr. Stone. We’re preparing for landing. I need you all to fasten your seat belts,” the flight attendant announced.
I nodded, reaching over and rubbing Jela’s thigh before squeezing it. “Baby?” She stirred and looked over at me. “We’re about to land. It’s time to put on our seat belts.”
“Mmm, okay.” She stretched her limbs and then fastened her seatbelt. “I feel so bad about leaving my baby, Truce. I should never have let you talk me into leaving her. I’m having separation anxiety, and your little pill didn’t do anything but make me fall asleep.”
“Then it did its job.” I chuckled lightly. “Furthermore, you said you didn’t want her on an airplane at this age. I only went along with whatever you wanted. I wanted Chunks to meet my family, so don’t try to make me that bad guy, Sweet Cheeks.”
“Well… I need someone to blame for it.”
“Just as long as that someone is not you, huh?” We both laughed. “I can send for her if you really want her to be here, Empress. It's not a problem. I just thought you wanted some mommy time.”
“I do, but I’ve never been miles away from her… I hate this, but I know my mom and sister will take care of her.”
I shook my head when she started biting her thumbnail. I grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. “It's only for two days, baby. It’ll be over before you know it.”
“I know. I need a drink as soon as we land to settle my nerves.”
“Anything you need to make this weekend a weekend of relaxation.”
She smiled at me, then lay her head on my shoulder, and we settled into a comfortable silence. When the plane finally landed, we exited the terminal. As soon as we walked out of the revolving doors, my cousin, Jules, exited the driver’s seat of a Jeep with a huge grin on his face.
“My nigga!” he yelled in excitement.
A huge smile lifted on my face as we embraced. “Jules, my guy. It’s been a long time.”
“Man! Ain’t it? Ya ass started getting that legal money and forgot about ya people!”
“Fuck outta here.” I laughed and took Jela’s hand, who stood by nervously. “This is my special friend, Jela. J, this is my cousin, Jules.”
“Nice to meet you, Jela. Welcome to the South, baby!” he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her in the air. Jela yelped and laughed.
“A’ight, Cuzzo. Not too much,” I told him.
He released her and opened the back door to his truck. “My bad, Cuz. You know we huggers ’round hea!”
I shook my head, helping Jela inside the truck as I put our luggage in the trunk, then got in beside her. Once we pulled off, I asked, “Grams got the food ready?”
“You already know the ladies got the kitchen lit. I already smashed two plates before I came hea.”
I chuckled. “Cool. We’re starving.”
It took us forty-five minutes to get to my people’s compound. When we pulled through the gates, I heard Jela gasp. “Wow… This is amazing. How many houses are there?” she asked.
“Ten in total,” I replied.
“So, you have a big family on your dad’s side?”
“Yeah. This is where I spent my time during school months. I graduated from Morris University, then moved to Michigan in pursuit of my career.”
“And ain’t seen his ass but twice since he left,” Jules muttered.
“I haven’t had the time, bruh. You know how it is when you’re living that corporate life. It ain’t like we don’t talk, fool.”
“Virtual ain’t the same as physical… But we’re just glad to have you visit this year. Grams can’t stop damn talking about you.”
“I know. I miss my girl.”
He pulled up to the main house and parked in front of the door.
I got out and helped Jela down from her seat, grabbed our bags, and headed inside.
As soon as we entered the house, I could hear laughter and music serenading the house.
My baby cousins were running through the house while my other cousins sat in the living room playing video games.
“Aye, y’all! Truce is here!” Jules yelled, and everybody abandoned their places, yelling and rushing toward me.
“Tru! What’s good, cousin?”
“We missed you!”
“Where the heck have you been?”
“Why you ain’t been to see us?”
So many questions were fired my way, and all I could do was smile.
“Y’all killing me. I’m here for the holidays, so that’s all that matters, right? And I came with gifts.”
“Oh, we love gifts!” my cousin, Rihanna, exclaimed.
“Is that my baby?” I heard my gram’s voice enter the foyer.
I turned and smiled widely, pushing through my little cousins, who were surrounding me, to get to her.
“Grams, my love.”
Her bright smile lit up the room as she pulled me into her arms and rocked me from side to side. “My precious grandbaby. I missed you so much, baby.”
“I missed you more, Grams.”
“And who is this pretty young thing?” she asked, eyes going to Jela.
“Grams, this is my lady friend, Jela. Jela, meet my queen and everything in between, Paulina Grams Stone.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Paulina. You have a beautiful home.”
“Oh, please. Call me Grams like everyone else does and thank you, darling. Truce hasn’t brought anyone around for years. I’m hoping you’ll be the one to stick around for a while.”
“I’m hoping she will too,” I said, smiling down at her.
Jela blushed, as she often did when I said things like that.
I honestly didn’t know what was happening between us.
All I knew was that I wanted her around for the long haul.
With me, she didn’t have to worry about other women, being lonely, or me putting my hands on her.
She would get nothing but love, fidelity, queen treatment, and a lifetime of good dick.
“Well, your aunts and uncles are in the den cutting up, per usual. If you two are hungry, I can make y’all a plate.”
“Let us get settled in first, and we’ll be back over.”
“Okay, baby. Jela, welcome, beloved.”
“Thank you, Grams.”
Grams kissed her cheeks as I took her hand and led her back out the door.
“Cuz, where you going?” my cousin, Brayden, asked.
“I’ll be right back.”
“A’ight. I want to show you my highlights when you come back.”
“I got you, my baby,” I told him, closing the door.
I led Jela to the side of the house where the golf carts were and placed our luggage on the back of one.
“Where are we going?”
“My house.”
“Your house?”
I chuckled. “Yes, Empress. We’re going to put our luggage away, then come back to eat.”
“You have a house on this compound?” she asked, shocked.
I laughed. “Baby, I helped build this compound, so I'd better have something on it.” I helped her onto the cart, then walked around and got in.
“I promise, I’m not trying to be nosy or count your pockets or anything, but exactly how much money do you make?”
I smiled. “I make enough to live comfortably.”
“Fair enough. This is all just… so much. I’d never seen anything like this before.”
“My brother got money; I’m sure you’ve seen luxurious places and things before.”
“Tuh. Let’s not bring negativity into the conversation, please?”
I nodded and pulled away from the main house.
I traveled along the pathway to the far end of the compound. We passed by the tennis court, the three pools, the basketball court, and the golf course. Beyond the trees was my glass house.
“Wow! This is even better than your house in Grosse Pointe Woods. You built this?”
“Nah, this used to be my pops' crib. This is the house he built from the ground up. He left it to me when I graduated from high school. He was only able to build this house, the main house, and my Aunt Sarah’s house before he passed. I built the newer houses and compound amenities for the rest of my aunts and uncles.”
“You’re very talented. It’s truly admirable.”
I smirked. “Thank you, beautiful. Let’s get inside so we can call and check on my Chunks. Just so you know, I put a security detail on them while we’re away.”
“You think he knows where I am by now?”
“Possibly, but he won’t be able to get through to touch Chunks or any of your family members. Those guys you met are thorough. But enough about that. Let’s get inside.” I helped her off the cart, grabbed our luggage, and led us up the porch stairs. “I promise, Jela, y’all are safe with me.”
“You should have seen him, Tru. The boy was out there giving it to them boys. I swear… he’s the next MJ on them courts!” my Uncle Nell said, hyping his son.
We were all sitting in the living room watching Brayden’s game highlights after Grams pigged us out. Jela sat content next to me, while my cousin, Rihanna, showed her some of her dances on her phone. I was forgotten once they started talking about her passion.
Uncle Cornell was my pops' first brother. Then came my Aunt Sarah, followed by Uncle Vince, and last was Aunt Nora, the baby of the siblings. At one point, Uncle Cornell used to play for the Blacktop Rockets until he tore his ACL during the highlight of his career. After he knew he wouldn’t be able to play again, he started putting his three sons—Rhys, Silas, and Brayden—in sports.
Only Brayden kept at it while the other two decided to get in on the family business and become builders.
“I can believe it. You def got handles, Bray.”
“Thanks, Cuz. I’m trying to make it to the big leagues, ya heard.”
“And you will. Just keep staying at it, and I promise… you’re going to get there. Just make sure you have my floor seat tickets handy, my guy.”
“You already know what it is, Cuz!” His smile reached his eyes.
“Allll right! You already know what time it is, Nephew!” Aunt Sarah sang, coming from the back with the Book of Stone’s Bible. My head dropped backward, and I chuckled. “Don’t look like that. We ain’t done this in a long time. Ever since your first girlfriend, what was her name… Nora?”
Aunt Nora said with her brows pinched together. “Shelly, I think. No. It was Shelby.”
“Shirley. Her name was Shirley,” I corrected.
“Yes! Shirley was her name. She was such a doll,” Grams said.
“Shirley?” Jela asked, trying to hold in her laugh.