Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
Karim
A few days later
I had been a nervous wreck since we’d left my house since my man was meeting my brother.
Shit, my brother was meeting my man. I didn’t know why I was so nervous, but I felt like I was about to hop out of my skin.
Of course Reminisce held his phone in one hand, talking to his brother while the other held the steering wheel without a care in the world.
He was so calm, but he was about to walk into a pit.
Then again, this man was also a psycho, so apparently walking into fire was his thing.
Lowkey that was some of the reason I liked him the way I did at first.
“Baby girl, you over there looking like I need to show you why these tints so dark.” This fool cut his eyes in my direction.
“Yo, I don’t wanna hear that shit, Reminisce,” Rennix said. Of course he had him on speaker.
“Yeah whatever, man. I’m tryna see how y’all keep thinking y’all can kidnap my child and it’s gonna fly.”
Rennix laughed at him. “Nigga, I got uncle’s rights. Jade thought she was about to come through with shorty and she wouldn’t wanna stay with me. Soon as she saw me it was a wrap, and that’s why I’m telling you I’ma keep her for the next few days.”
“You telling me?”
I laughed, at least something was easing my nerves at this moment.
“Yeah, and speaking of, you know Christmas is coming up. I’m tryna coordinate.”
“Nigga, you tryna coordinate. The fuck that means? When you ever did that?”
“Never, shit, but this year I got kids, and so do you. Gone away is the pop up with a gift and go fall into some helper pussy. Nigga, you are a helper.”
“Fuck that. I ain’t no helper, Renny.”
I couldn’t control my laughter. Their conversations were always hilarious. It never failed.
“What are you laughing at, Rim? I ain’t no fucking helper. Shit, if we’re keeping it a buck, I’m Rema Claus. ’Cause I know damn well ain’t no big nigga coming down my chimney, Black or white he’ll catch some hot shit on Jesus’s birthday.” He spoke as I noted we were now slowing down.
It was then I realized we were in front of Asteroid, pulling right into a park, which meant my man was about to meet my brother. Oh shit.
“Yo, you’re stupid. If nobody has told you that already.” Rennix laughed into the phone.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be whatever. I’ma about to go meet Rim’s people so she can stop worrying. Baby has been gnawing at her bottom lip since we got up this morning. Let me go in here and show her I can exist with her people without having to shoot her brother.”
I hit him as he turned the car off.
Rennix laughed even more. “Yo, behave, Reminisce.”
“Don’t be telling me to behave like I’m a child. As a matter of fact, get your ass off my phone. I’ll be there to get my daughter tonight.”
Judging from the lack of response from Rennix, and Reminisce putting his phone in his sweatshirt pocket, I assumed he hung up on his brother.
He didn’t give me the chance to tell him to behave in here because he was moving over to open my door.
Nothing about this man was nervous or bothered.
If anything, he was cool as a freaking cucumber like he wouldn’t be walking into a room full of people he didn’t know.
Then again, Reminisce was as extroverted as it got with his rude ass.
Having seen all the brothers, I could now see that though Rennix was his twin and they all resembled, Rem was the one who looked the meanest. Not only that, but he was the meanest.
“Yo, your hands are sweating. Stop stressing, Rim. I’ma act right in here, then take you back to the house and fuck some confidence into you.”
I grinned, about to respond, but before I could this fool was opening the door for me to go into the bowling alley.
As soon as we entered all eyes were on us…
not so much as me, but definitely him. Just as I expected my mother to, she came toward us holding the baby of the bunch, Arie.
He was Aro’s youngest son and her favorite, even though she claimed she had no favorites.
Unlike all of her other grandkids, Arie looked just like her, from the jet-black curls to the doe-like nose and slightly lighter eyes.
He was her twin and the twins were Aro’s twins.
“Reminisce, son, we meet again.” My mother was quick to hand me Arie and hug my man after he set the gift bag I had just literally thrown together in the car on the table already overflowing with gifts. “How are you doing, son?” She pulled him into a hug like I wasn’t even there.
“Hey Mama, It’s good to see you again too. Just remember the nigga you’re hugging on is mine.” I winked before making baby faces at my nephew.
She didn’t stunt a word I said, in fact she waved my ass off while she offered him something to drink.
Then, like a fucking third wheel, I followed as she took my man to get something to drink at the table near where my brothers stood along with Kinga and a few other faces I didn’t recognize.
Though my mama only gave me one brother and a hoe ass sister, God gave me Bry too.
Though he could be somewhat just as unreasonable as Aro at times, he was often the middle ground.
Somehow Aro and Bry found their way a little closer, forming a lump in my throat.
“Reminisce, these are my brothers Aroyal and Brysheer. Aro and Bry, this is my man, Reminisce.”
The longest, most unbearable silence filled the space as these niggas sized one another up.
But then the moment shocked me. Aroyal extended his hand to shake Reminisce’s.
They shook hands, something Aroyal had refused to do so with Turo, telling me it was my fault and the way I had introduced him.
I’d never understood Aro’s reasoning, but that was just how he was, meticulous like that.
Thank God for Kinga. Within seconds he walked up and began to converse with Reminisce.
“Yo, that’s you Rem?” Kinga asked, holding his daughter.
I started to stand there with baby Arie ear hustling but leave it to my mama to loop her arm in my free one and lead me toward the area with all the women.
As soon as I got there, I side hugged Krisis, then handed Kaydence her baby.
I loved my nephew, but his little ass was thick, and I wasn’t equipped to hip that all through this party.
“Tete, it’s my birthday. Are you gonna bowl with me?” Junior’s voice had me looking him over. He had grown so much over the last couple years, a true indication that time wasn’t on anybody’s side. He then hugged my waist, prompting me to hug him back. Shit, he was almost taller than me.
“Happy birthday, baby boy. Yeah, get me the black ball and lemme talk to your mama right quick.”
He nodded. “Okay.” Then he ran off and three other children ran behind him. Nah, he wasn’t coming back to find me any time soon.
I stood there for a moment, my eyes finding their way over to Reminisce, of course.
Damn he looked good. That black hoodie and even blacker jeans set fire to my whole body, just like the fresh haircut that had me wanting to do other things than come to this party.
Shit, I loved my nephew, but when Rem walked in the door this morning, I was willing to make my absence up to Junior another day.
“Girl, stop looking at that man. He’s fine, I promise.” Kaydence’s voice filled the space.
I blinked a few times before my eyes landed on Kay. She was holding Arie who was now holding a chicken bone. “How do you know I’m staring at him?”
“Because it’s all in your face. Your brother likes him.”
“And how do you know that from all the way over here?” I cut my eyes between her and them.
“Call it Aroyalisms. His body language and the expression on his face would have indicated if he didn’t. Not only that, he hasn’t stopped talking to him since you walked off. He likes him and you have nothing to worry about.”
“Except my mama. Hot ass. Hugging all on him and shit.”
Kaydence busted up laughing. “You’re a mess, just as nutty as your damn brother.”
I waved her off. “Not even. You better get your mother-in-law, girl.” I was just playing.
And she played right on back with me. “What’s wrong, afraid of a little competition?” She then winked in my direction.
I cackled. “You’re just as nutty as your damn husband.”
“So you say but you seem to be nutty as well. How did you manage to find the only man with virtually the same placement and just as many if not more tattoos than your brother? And no disrespect, but he’s fine too.”
I laughed. “I promise you, it wasn’t on purpose.”
“It never is. Niggas just be falling out of the sky and who are we to turn down the rides they offer to take us on?” She shrugged with her dada repeating baby in her hand.
“Is that what happened with my brother? He just fell from the sky?” I kidded, knowing damn well how they’d met.
“Hell nah, you know God sent that fool to test me,” she responded and we both began to cackle at the absurd inside joke we as a family clung so tightly to.
“The hell y’all over here laughing at?” Aroyal’s voice made me look away from Kay in his direction. He and Reminisce were standing behind us.
“None of your business.” Kay waved him off, looking from me to Reminisce. Yeah, she wanted to be introduced.
“Dadadada.” Arie extended his hands for his father who immediately grabbed him.
“Kay, this is Karim rude ass’s, man. Reminisce, this is my wife Kaydence.”
“Now why I gotta be all that?” I glanced from my brother to Reminisce.
“Because your hosting skills suck and you fucking know it. You probably haven’t even offered the man something to eat or shit, you just left him over there with us all parched and shit.”
I waved him off. “Uh, yo’ mama did all that.” Then I turned to Reminisce. “You want some cake?”
He laughed. “Nah, I’m good. I’ll probably get some later.”
I nodded, then gave my brother the duh face.