Chapter 17 #2
“Yeah, D-Ville. You cool with that?”
“Yep, I can work while you drive. Let me get my laptop.” She eased around me and I watched her move through her space, gathering what she needed.
When she came back to the kitchen to get the s’mores, she frowned because I started lifting the lids to the ceramic containers on the counter, peeking inside.
“What are you doing?”
“You like to bake. I’m trying to see if you stashed your shit in these. I told you I’m not catching a stray charge behind your ass.”
She rolled her eyes. “The only thing illegal in this house is the login I share with Koa for my streaming app because we’re both too cheap to pay full price.”
That shit was cute as fuck because she stuck her chest out when she said it. My baby was green as hell. I could put her on to some shit that would have her mind blown.
The block was jumping when we pulled up to my old stomping grounds.
The crew was thick as hell out here to welcome Smalls home.
The visual reminded me of the block parties DP hosted every summer but this damn sure wasn’t kid friendly.
I could smell the trees before I even opened my door and the bass from the song blasting from the speaker at the DJ stand was thumping in my chest. A smile eased onto my face because this was home and I missed all this shit.
“You’re smiling.”
I glanced at Xiah who was closing her laptop. She dropped it in the backpack she brought with her and turned to me.
“You’re saying that shit like I don’t smile.” I tapped her chin lightly with my fist and she grinned.
“You smile, just not like that. You’re happy to be home.”
I loved that she could read me. Knowing my moods without being told was a bonus and meant she paid attention.
A woman who could see beyond her needs enough to focus on her man’s was priceless and rare.
With me, that would always be returned, which meant we would hold each other down with little to no effort.
“Yeah, I am.” My eyes drifted to the block and she followed the motion.
“That’s a lot of people.”
“Yeah, but you’re good because they’re my people.”
“Your people are my people.”
“Nah, you ain’t no queen pin saying lame ass shit like that. Come on.”
I got out and rounded the car to let her out. I dropped my arm around her shoulders and we walked up the block. People spoke, dapped me, and offered nods but let me make my way through the crowd, which was thick as hell.
“What’s the party for?”
“My boy Smalls did a bid. He went in a few weeks after I went overseas because of a possession charge and just touched down a couple days ago.”
“You were close?”
“We’re family, so yeah, we’re cool.” I touched the DP on my neck and her eyes followed the motion.
“You both came home at the same time. I know you’ll be happy to see him.”
“Yeah but for different reasons, and yeah, I’m glad he made it out.”
Not everybody did. Pending who you did time with, being gang behind bars could mean protection or a death sentence. Smalls was lucky to do those three years with family. He did his time and kept his head low so he could come home to his daughter. He missed time but at least he survived.
When I made it to the grassy area where most of DP was posted up, I called out, “We gon’ have to change your name, nigga. Ain’t shit small about you now.”
Smalls lifted his head and smirked before he pushed off the navy Chevelle that he had refurbished and wrapped at Lampin’ and Luxe, which my nigga Suleem owned. Smalls purchased the car at an auction years ago. Shit was sweet and still looked good. That was Smalls’ pride and joy.
“Ah shit, I must be dreaming. I got two superstars on the block to kick it with me today.” He motioned across the street to where Riq was talking to Kassir.
I chuckled and pulled him into a hug. “Cradle to the grave, fam.”
“Cradle to the grave, nigga,” he returned.
“You’re swole the fuck up, fam. The fuck you do, steal everybody’s food in there?”
He palmed his fist and smiled. “Nah, but I had to do something with my time so I got my weight up.” Smalls got the name because he had always been skinny as hell, a few inches shorter than me but under one fifty. He put on about thirty or forty pounds inside, which had him bulkier than me.
“You’re gonna have to keep that up or your ass is gonna get fat.”
“Long as I stay in pussy, I’m gonna be straight.”
I chuckled, nodding.
“This you?” He motioned to Xiah and I tugged her into my side and dropped my arm back around her shoulders. “Yeah, this me.”
“What’s up, beautiful? I’m Smalls.” He extended a hand.
“Xiah.” She accepted his hand and his smile expanded, exposing his grill.
“So you locked my boy down?”
Xiah looked at me and I nodded. “Yeah, she got me.”
“You did that shit backwards, fam. You’re supposed to get the girl before you go into the league so you know she’s real. Not after you get there.”
“You right but I don’t have to worry about that. She’s real.”
Smalls nodded. “You gonna hold my boy down?”
“Yeah, I got him.”
“That’s what’s up.” Smalls nodded right before someone called his name. He glanced over his shoulder at the woman standing near his car with a plate of food. “Let me go see what she has for me. We’re gonna kick it when things slow down.”
“For sure.” I dapped him and he nodded at Xiah.
“Keep his head level, beautiful, because shit is about to get hectic for him. He’s gonna need a real one in his corner.”
“He’s got that,” she said and I felt the sincerity in her words. Smalls dapped her up and she fumbled through it, which had him laughing and shaking his head when he walked off. I hooked my fingers through her belt loops and pulled her body into mine.
“You ready to get a rose?”
Her brows pinched. “A rose?”
“Yeah, you just told my boy you’re going to hold me down. In my world that’s not something we take lightly. The women who rock with us on some real shit get inked with a rose. You trying to get one?”
“Maybe I already have one.”
Then my name needs to be on it…
I lowered my head and she tilted hers back to return my kiss. I smiled when I pulled away. “I’ve seen every inch of your body. If you had a tattoo, I would know.”
“Would you?” She smiled smugly. “You’re kind of distracted when I’m naked.”
For sure. Her pussy had me very distracted…
“Yeah I am, so do you have one?”
“Maybe?”
“You’re not gonna tell me.”
“Nope. You’ll have to search for it the next time you get me naked.”
“Kove, the guys need you over there and we need her over here.”
Someone pulled Xiah away from me and I hated the fucking separation which had me glaring at two faces I had a love-hate relationship with. The hate was new because why the fuck were they interrupting our moment? But I loved their aggravating asses.
“What’s up, Rebel and Yah?”
“She’s what’s up. We need a moment, so go.” Yahzi waved me off and pulled Xiah to her side. When I reached for her, Rebel stepped between us. “Nope. Not happening. You brought her here knowing how this was going down. She’s ours.”
“Nah, fuck that. Don’t y’all need to be minding y’all’s kids business and not mine and my girl’s?”
Yahzi smiled big as shit. “Our kids are with Mae and Chan. We have time.”
She turned to Xiah. “Did you know that he’s our little brother, which means we get to mind his business whenever we want. And since you’re the first woman he’s ever brought to something like this, we’re about to mind yours.”
“Oh…” Xiah looked flushed but nodded. “I’m okay with that.”
“Good, because you didn’t have a choice.” Rebel grinned and she and Yahzi each took a side, looping their arms through Xiah’s, dragging her away from me.
Yahzi wiggled her fingers at me, waving goodbye, and I groaned, knowing there wasn’t shit I could say to either of them.
“You better pray she still wants to fuck with you when they’re done with her.” My brother’s voice had me turning to him.
My brother passed me a blunt when he stepped beside me. I accepted and pulled from it, watching Yahzi and Rebel walk Xiah over to where Teaira was standing.
“Ain’t shit they can tell her to change her mind about me.”
Yoel laughed. “You sure about that?”
“No, but there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it, is there? They’re locked in on her.”
“I guess that shit’s going around.”
I passed the blunt back. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“You know exactly what I’m saying.”
I was locked in…
Yes, I fucking was…
“If you’re asking if that’s me, then yeah, it is.”
“Nigga, I knew when you pulled up with her that was you.” I smirked and accepted the blunt when he passed it back. “Do we need to have the talk?”
“You smoke that much that you can’t remember you already did that?”
“Nah, I don’t smoke that much. I remember but this is a different kind of talk. I’m not trying to protect your dick right now, I’m schooling you on protecting your money.”
I extended the blunt back to him. He pulled and pointed it at Xiah. “She here for the right reasons.”
“Yeah, she is.” I had my eyes on her, watching the way she smiled, nodding at Rebel, Teaira, and Yahzi. The visual put a smile on my face. My girl looked like part of my life, fitting into the world she didn’t know a damn thing about but was willing to embrace because it was what I needed from her.
“You sure?”
“I’m sure, she’s solid.”
“Aight.” He nodded and that was the end of the conversation. “First game is coming up. You ready?”
I nodded and yanked at my beard. “Yeah, I’m ready. You gonna be there?”
“You gonna get me tickets? Because I can’t afford them shits.”
My brother had been pushing dope for as long as I could remember. He didn’t have the kind of money that was sitting in my accounts but he wasn’t hurting for shit. He also sacrificed a lot for me, so what I had he had. Blood of my blood wasn’t just inked on us. It was what we lived by.
I chuckled. “Yeah, I got you.”
By the time Xiah was returned to me, I had smoked two blunts with my brother and was feeling nice. She walked right into my arms and I shoved my tongue down her throat.
When I pulled back, she smiled and brushed her thumb over my lips, removing the gloss she left behind. “That kiss felt very needy.”
“It is, because I need you, like a muthafucker.” I cupped her ass and pulled her into me so she could feel the thickness of my dick. “You cool though.”
“Very cool. I like them.”
“Do you still like me after talking to them?”
She grinned and looped her arms around my neck. “I do and you should thank them because I think I like you a little more than I did before I met them.”
“I’ll make sure I thank them.”
“You should. They said really great things about you, but instead of thanking them, you could thank me.”
I laughed. “You trying to steal their shine?”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “That would be very selfish of me.”
“I’m cool with you being selfish as long as you’re being selfish about me.”
“I can definitely be selfish about you.”
She lifted onto her toes and kissed me.
“Kove, let her fucking breathe and come get your ass beat on this table, nigga.” I looked over Xiah’s head toward where Smalls was set up with the cards.
“You really want me to take your money like that?”
He smirked and brushed a hand over his head. “Nah fam, I’m trying to take some of that NBA money. Bring yo’ ass so I can embarrass you in front of your girl.”
“You gonna come sit with me while I hit this table.”
She nodded. “I’m wherever you need me to be but you better win.”
I gripped her chin, and kissed her. “I’m a fucking baller, Xi, winning is all I know.”