Chapter 8 #3
“Yeah, like he took me to a house he’s been building and told me it was basically our endgame.” I cheesed hard as fuck, like a damn sap.
“Oh my God. That’s a grown ass man right there. Never mind the fact that you’re your brother’s sister, so I know you difficult as hell. But he still wants an endgame with you. It sounds like a good chick flick.” She openly fawned.
“Yeah. Me, him, and his daughter. Her name is Romance.”
“Wait, you didn’t tell me he had a kid. Her name is Romance. How cute is that? How old is she? Where is her mama?”
I ran down the answers for Kay’s questions, sure not to leave anything out at any point.
She was the sister I never had growing up because my actual older sister hated me so bad.
We talked for a while longer, me tasting her food and her going on and on.
Then I got a message that had me itching to tell my sister-in-law I had to cut out, but I knew if I cut out, I’d hear my brother’s mouth.
Aro wouldn’t let it go at all. I glanced down at the phone and smiled immediately.
Rem: You cut out on me this morning.
Rem: When you coming back?
Me: Had something to take care of.
Me: Plus, my family was starting to get worried.
Me: When do you want me to come back?
Rem: ’Boutta drop shorty off at Jade’s. Err’body wanna do sleepovas.
Rem: Beat me to your spot. I got some shit to handle tho.
Me: What?
Dots appeared at the bottom of the screen before they disappeared. Then I was getting a call. Of course I welcomed it.
“Yes, Reminisce?” I asked. I was smiling hard because I missed him. How did I miss him when I had just left him? Lawd I was in deep.
“What do you mean what?” he asked, tone letting me know he had just gotten up.
“You said you have something to deal with. I asked you what. I can’t ask you wha—”
“Heavy shit, baby. I got a call from Renny this morning.”
“Oh. Do you need anything?”
“Not that I know of, but if I do, I’ll call.” He sounded like something was bothering him, but he wouldn’t say it over the line. That was rookie shit.
“Um ok—” I started.
“I’m good. You wanna beat me to my shit and make your mama’s chili for me like you said you would?”
“Sir, what?” I remembered promising him my mama’s chili, but I also remembered bullshitting because I had just cum so hard I would have agreed to anything he asked.
“Exactly what I asked. I’ma leave a key for you at the front desk.”
“So, if I’m not cooking does that mean I should head home?” I asked, just to mess with him.
He chuckled. “What you think?”
I smiled, then looked up from the phone. Of course, Kaydence was smirking at me.
“You gonna tell me what you thin—”
“How do you know I wanna go to the store and get everything, then come in there, clean your kitchen, and cook? What do I get out of this deal?”
“Dick, conversation, and a full nigga lying up under you.”
I laughed.
“Or you tired and want me to bring something in? I could do that too, but I want my chili, Rim.”
“I’ma make the chili, nigga damn. And don’t have me sitting in your house while you’re out all night.”
We spoke for a while longer before hanging up. Though she hadn’t said anything, her smile and those eyes of hers were loud.
“What, Kaydence?” I sighed.
“Oh nothing, I mean you put bass in your voice for me. But you ’boutta cook chili for that man?”
“Cook for what man?” Aro asked, walking in the kitchen mugged up.
“None of your business.”
He grunted. It wasn’t long before he was standing behind Kay and leaning down to kiss the side of her face.
“Aroyal.”
“What? I ain’t said shit. Rim knows I wanna meet this nigga before we sit at my mama’s table.” He momentarily glared at me, then gave his wife another kiss. They were so cute, even though he got on my damn nerves.
“Then how about you bring him bowling with us this weekend? Asteroid would be a great place. It’s nice and public.” Kay was sure to put emphasis on the word public.
I laughed. “Who is going to Asteroid?”
“We are for your nephew’s birthday this weekend,” Kaydence responded.
“His birthday isn’t until the week after next.”
“Next Monday to be exact and he wanted his party to be the weekend before,” Kay said at the same time my brother looked up at me.
“Same thing I said.”
She cut her eyes in his direction. “Either way, his party is this weekend and I expect you to be there, preferably with your plus one.” She then winked at me.
I waved her off. She thought she was cute with that.
My brother stood up straight and looked from me to his wife. “You know what, yeah. Bring your boy to Asteroid.”
“Um, what’s that look?”
“Nothing. Are you sticking around for dinner?” he asked, eyes searching my being.
I screamed I was grown, yet here I was, scared to tell him I wasn’t staying for dinner because I needed to be cooking dinner for my man. “Um, n—”
“No, Aroyal. It’s just us tonight. She has to go make chili for her man.”
“Nah, that ain’t my sister. She ain’t cooking for no nigga. Shit, she don’t even like making her part during the fucking holidays.” He laughed at his own joke. “Oh and it ain’t gonna be just us, Bry is going to get the kids and Krisis.”
“Good, somebody to drink with, especially since somebody ass decided to grow up on me.”
I cackled because I knew she was talking to me.
“Nah. You promised me another daughter. Leave that wine in the fridge tonight.”
Kay’s face turned up as she rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Another one of your bad ass kids. We’re what, four in, how could I not? It’s not like I like having my body to myself.” Sarcasm lived in her tone.
I laughed. We all knew that after she had my nephew Arie last year, she claimed they were done.
The thing was, my brother was dead set on another daughter.
They had Junior, Aroaian, Arie, and Aurora.
Junior was his son from a previous relationship, but the only mother he knew was Kay since she had been in his life more than his birth mother ever had, even when she was alive.
“We talked about this. Don’t be tryna’ get on that in front of my sister. We agreed that we didn’t want Aurora to be an only girl, right?”
Kay rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Yeah, we did.”
“Now get in motion, especially since your kids are going to their grandmother’s house after dinner.”
I laughed and she rolled her eyes.
Apparently, he was right because she conceded seconds later. “I hear you.”
I spent a little while longer with them then left. When I got in the car, I dialed my mother.
“Oh, now my daughter knows I exist. To what do I owe the pleasure?” she answered immediately.
“I’ve always known you exist, Mama. I text you every morning.”
She laughed. “You know I don’t read those messages. That girl Sarah does, whatever the hell the kids call her.”
I chuckled. “Siri, Mama.”
“Well, whatever her damn name is. So why are you calling and not coming by, mi hija?”
“Because I have to go to the grocery store.” I sped through the streets trying to get to the grocery store, then back to the city.
“For what? You don’t cook.” She laughed after saying that.
“I can cook.”
“I didn’t say you can’t. I said you don’t. You don’t like the kitchen. I mean you didn’t until a certain—”
The smile on my face couldn’t be missed which made me glad I was in the car alone. “Mama, please.”
“Don’t mama please me, girl. Now tell me what you need.”
I grinned, pulling into the parking lot. “I need your chili recipe.”