Male/ho’āo/Mer’ä
MALE/HO'āO/MER'?
ORI
William Avery was probably going to lose his namesake tonight. Thankfully, he already had an heir to his business that would continue the legacy long after his death.
There was no probably about it. If William Jr kept up with his grandstanding I knew for a fact that one of, if not all of my brothers were going to take turns pulling out his bones like a human form of Operation. Since I was the groom, I knew they would let me have first dibs.
Straight for the spine.
I’d never seen a grown man act so damn spoiled about everything.
And not just spoiled he was incredibly pretentious about every aspect of our night.
First, the place that I’d decided to eat wasn’t really a good fit for him.
He complained that the champagne he wanted wasn’t on the menu and that there wasn’t a sommelier walking around making pairing suggestions.
I don’t know how he thought I was on that type of time but I guess he thought he was going to run the evening.
I’d already told everyone how he was, but my cousin Grant hadn’t been briefed.
When he walked in the room, William Jr. assumed that he was part of the security staff and tried to order him around.
WJ was lucky that my cousin’s wife Lyric wasn’t with him because I know she would’ve shot him in his foot and asked questions later.
Instead of giving him another thought, Grant came over and embraced me, allowing his silence to embarrass the fuck out of WJ yet again.
He couldn’t find his footing with any of us because he refused to just fucking relax.
He kept bringing up shit that didn’t impress any of us because despite the money we had; we were regular as hell.
Cultural differences didn’t help his case either.
Asha’s best friends were American and she’d lived here for so long that nothing besides her accent announced her nationality.
But WJ’s ass was fucking British. Probably had the fucking Union Jack tattooed on his back like rednecks had the Stars and Bars.
Everything about him worked my nerves and even my brothers trying to run interference were getting fed up.
When Grant’s fame became known by an offhand remark about his season going well, WJ was more intrigued than he’d been before.
It was funny as hell when he tried to impress Xerxes by speaking in Arabic and Xerxes just looked at him like he couldn’t understand what the fuck he was saying.
Assuming ass.
Never mind that all of us knew what he was saying; it was just the way he went about shit that was off-putting.
“Ion’t know how you gone make it with that one.” Yacouba was sitting to my right and Grant was on my left. I was thankful that the date we’d chosen lined up with his bye week. His team was going to make another run for the ring and I appreciated him breaking focus to come out and celebrate with me.
“I don’t either. She doesn’t really deal with any of them too tough besides her twin and her daddy and they’re a whole other continent away most of the time.”
“I never really thought about you having in-laws, Ori. Lyric only has Cory and Travis but how is your ass gonna deal with other people’s parents and shit? That ain’t like you at all.” Grant eased back in his chair and shook his head in disbelief.
“Just because I never had to do it before doesn’t mean I can’t. You of all people know that looks can be deceiving.”
“Damn right. I see lil’ cuz mixing it up on the sidelines and shit.
At first, I thought Lyric’s ass had changed him but then I remembered the way he fucked up her ex.
I ain’t even into gossip and shit, but when I saw it was you and how you fucked D-Mill up?
Bruh, good job.” Yacouba dapped up Grant proudly and he had the nerve to look bashful like he wasn’t out here fucking people up.
“His ass is dead now so he’s one less thing to even think about.”
Grant said that shit so plainly that I had to battle the urge to look at Yacouba. Calm, like he knew that we’d had a hand in it but I wasn’t about to break code and ask him if he knew shit.
“Couldn’t have happened to a better muthafucka.”
Grant was nodding as he looked over at Yacouba meeting his eye.
“I agree. I just hope the next time somebody calls themselves doing me a favor they don’t.
I had plans for his ass and now I can’t follow through with them.
” Grant raised his brow looking between the two of us and smirked before he tossed back the rest of his liquor.
“Let me go run interference with your weird-ass brother-in-law as a thank you.”
We both watched him walk away, heading toward Smoke who was listening raptly to whatever it was WJ was saying. He was relieved he had a captive audience but we knew Smoke was figuring out the best way to kill his ass and dispose of his body.
“That nigga too damn smart.” Yacouba’s words made me chuckle because we should’ve known better than to keep him ignorant of what we had planned. He ran his hand down his face and I knew he was reassessing every interaction with Grant, attempting to figure out how he’d underestimated him.
“Did you doubt it? He might get chased around for a living but his ass ain’t dumb. You seem to forget how we fucked up his Super Bowl because you didn’t want me to choose between the two of y’all.”
“I wasn’t about to change my wedding date and shit it did his ass some good for it to be delayed. He got a fucking ring didn’t he?” When he crossed his arms indignantly I knew there wasn’t any use arguing with Couba. Especially not since everything worked out well for everybody.
“I don’t even know how to combat that.”
He playfully pushed me and; because of our equal size I didn’t move. “Cause you can’t. But we done talking about the past, how you gonna handle this nigga?” He nodded toward WJ and the look in his eyes meant Yacouba was plotting right along with Smoke.
“I can’t kill her brother. Would you be able to take out JJ?”
He didn’t hesitate despite how much I knew he loved his brother-in-law.
“In a heartbeat if I thought his ass was on some fuck shit. Nothing comes before Jazzy baby and our son. She was born into that with them but she chose this life with me. Eyes wide open without hesitation. If someone is causing trouble for her or Yasar, they gotta go.”
“I don’t really have the same foundation to stand on that y’all do.” Things had gotten better with us since we’d wrapped up the case but that didn’t mean they were perfect. I’d opened my heart to her, she’d been less guarded with me but it wasn’t on the level of Yacouba and his wife.
“You do your ass is just too afraid to reach out and accept it as fact.”
“You’re doing this romantic shit again.”
“I’m trying to put your ass up on game again.
Y’all there, you both are too damn scared and scarred to realize it.
But the time is going to come when it’s inevitable for you both to accept it.
Faith coming back when she did and this chance coming at the same time isn’t a coincidence.
It’s alignment. So stop trying to fuck up what the stars have in store for you and accept the blessing.
The life we live isn’t guaranteed so hold on to every good thing you can with both hands as long as you can. ”
The festivities were in full swing and I was thankful that this weekend was finally here.
Despite not saying who I was marrying to anyone, Cochran didn’t seem surprised to see that Asha was my bride.
She’d been vetted enough to come to something like this and additionally needed to continue to be a good person on the inside.
Asha was dressed in the traditional Habesha Kemis but it had a slightly modern twist to it.
The material was the same soft cotton and was in a stark white to show she was the bride.
The embroidery at the hem was intricate and when I looked at it for the first time I had to wonder if she’d chosen to work the myriad of colors on her own or if it was Jada’s doing.
The thick border of embroidery on her dress was set against an orangey-red that had deep gold embroidery throughout the length of the fabric.
The neckline of the dress was off her shoulders displaying hints of her full breasts and her collarbones that had held me enraptured.
Who knew collarbones were so… stimulating?
The material gathered at her waist similarly to a wedding dress and there was traditional more colorful embroidery throughout the skirt and bodice.
I had to wonder if this was a hint at what she would wear for the formal ceremony tomorrow or if it were the complete opposite.
Knowing Asha, she was going to be as contrarian as possible with her wedding dress.
And I found myself looking forward to it.
I watched as she and her sister danced the traditional Habesha shoulder dance, which looked ridiculous when any of the other guests attempted to mimic them.
Taking my eyes off them wasn’t something I wanted to do especially with the way Asha was moving her body.
She looked free. Like the girl she would’ve been without the weight of her mother’s bullshit and her father’s wealth complicating her life.
Semira in the purest of all forms.
“God has blessed me with eyes to esee.”
I turned to listen to the heavily accented words of Xerxes’ uncle who had been newly crowned king after the death of his father, several of his brothers and all of his nephews in line for the throne ahead of him.
I wouldn’t call that shit untimely because those fuckers deserved to die a long time ago based on what they’d done to Xerxes’ mother.
And the current king was one who understood diplomacy and working for his people instead of thinking they were simply chattel to be used at his whim like his father had.