Chapter 15 #2
Lifting my phone, I busied myself checking messages.
A few minutes later her father tapped on the window.
I raked a hand down my face and pushed out a short breath before he stepped out of the way, so I opened my door and got out.
Her pops was cool and had been respectful since I met him.
At the least I could offer the same in return.
I didn’t have an issue with him but her mother was a piece of damn work.
“I apologize for my wife. She was completely wrong and what she did was disrespectful. I’ll handle her.
” I cut my eyes at the porch where she stood looking crazy while Learah headed toward us.
“Look, son, I won’t lie. You’re not the man I envisioned my daughter with but I also never imagined any of how things played out for this family.
I meant what I said, as long as you’re good to her and you promise to keep her safe then I have no issues with you. She loves you…”
He paused when Learah reached us, tucking her body under my arm. “…and you love her. Sometimes that’s all that matters. With you two, I feel like that’s all that should matter. My wife won’t be an issue and you don’t have to worry about anything like this happening again. I give you my word.”
He extended a hand to me which I shook right before Learah pulled away from my side and hugged her father. He kissed the top of her head and glanced at me. I could tell that had been a long time coming and he knew it was partially due to his acceptance of our relationship.
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“I love you, Lear. Give your mother time. She’ll be okay.”
I laughed sarcastically. “She isn’t gonna have any choice but to be okay.”
Her father chuckled and kissed Learah on the cheek before addressing me. “Let me handle my wife, you have your hands full with this one.”
“You’re right but I can handle her.” Learah pulled away from her father and cut her eyes at me but she knew better than to object.
“I love you, baby. We’re making progress, I don’t want this to get in the way of us rebuilding.”
“It won’t. At least not with you.”
He nodded and offered a forced smile. “Again, I apologize.”
His eyes were on me and I offered him a nod. “We’re good.”
Watching his daughter as she rounded the car to get in, he waited until she was inside with the door shut before he handed off his final words.
“Melvin was never the right guy for her. I can’t say you are but I see how much you care. I trust her with you.”
“Good because you can. That woman right there is my whole heart. I’ll give my life for hers; so you can rest easy.”
He smiled softly and nodded before turning to walk away. When I got in, Learah stared at me for a minute before I started the car.
“What’s up?”
“You said you love me.”
“Yeah and?”
“And you told my mother and never said it to me.” She kept her curious eyes aligned with mine until I leaned across the seat and gripped the back of her neck, moving in close, so our mouths were damn near touching.
“I love you, Lear. I didn’t think I needed to say it since I’ve been showing you.”
After a kiss, I backed out the driveway and she sat looking crazy, grinning like a damn child. As long as she knew what was up, I didn’t need to hear the words. I knew her heart and that was good enough for me.
“Ay, bring a few more bottles.” I looked over at my brother who was chilling but tipsy as fuck when he addressed the bottle girl working our section. I lifted the bottle I was holding and turned it up while Kane sat between us with a mug on his face.
“You good, fam?”
“Hell nah, you’re looking at the same shit I’m looking at.”
“Yeah I see them, but my baby knows what’s up, so she can get that. Hell, she is getting that.” I smirked when my eyes landed on Lear, Esha, and Ky who were doing a little too much on the dance floor between the three VIP sections.
“They’re good, bruh, calm your hostile ass down.
” Asim chuckled, turning up the bottle he had been working on.
Tonight was a celebration. For the first time in months we didn’t feel like we had to keep looking over our shoulders, expecting some dumb shit to pop off.
Asim was engaged and me and Lear were in a good place. Shit was lovely at the current moment.
“We’re supposed to be chilling and she’s over there bending over trying to put on a show that’s gonna have me checking muthafuckers.”
“Nah, not in here. They know the deal. You see everybody keeping their distance.” Asim held tightly to the bottle in his hand but used it to motion around our area.
We only had one of the sections but the dance floor was shared by all of them.
Dudes were checking for ours but they were at least smart enough to keep their distance.
“It better stay that way too,” Kane muttered before firing up.
“Yo, this place is packed as hell. Too many bodies,” Laron mumbled when he sat down next to Asim.
“It’s a club, fam. How the fuck you think it’s supposed to be in here?” I shook my head, laughing at his annoyed ass.
Laron smirked, leaning forward to grab one of the bottles that had recently been dropped off.
We didn’t need the whole set up that came with bottles in VIP, so our server would simply dip in, line them up on the table, and head out.
She knew she was going to be tipped well so she kept everything stocked.
“Shit, I know that. I just don’t like the vibe.” He turned up the bottle and Kane frowned at him.
“Then why the hell are you here?”
“’Cause, my boy agreed to the death trap; so we’re celebrating.” He shrugged, leaning back with his eyes on the dance floor, one woman in particular. I had noticed the two of them speaking here and there but nothing major.
“Marriage is not a death trap if you choose the right one and I definitely have that with Ky.” Asim’s lovesick ass had his eyes on her, grinning, and like she could sense it, she flashed him a smile, sticking her tongue out.
“Nah, marriage is flawed as fuck. One pussy for the rest of your life. How are you even considering that? I’m damn sure not.”
“That’s because you haven’t had the right one. You can’t be fucking bottom shelf and trying to secure a commitment. Top shelf only, fam. When she has the good shit, you’ll give her whatever she wants, even your last name.” Asim turned his bottle up and Kane was next to speak.
“I agree. She has to be right though.”
“You’ve been married for a few years and you’re still fucking other women. How are you gonna agree?” Laron laughed, shaking his head at Kane.
“He’s right, fam. You might want to sit this one out.”
“Man, fuck y’all. I did some dirt but not because I didn’t have what I needed at home. I was just dumb and immature. Trust me, lesson learned. I won’t fuck up again because I’m not losing the one good thing I have besides my kids.”
“Ah shit, he’s on that fresh outta jail talk.” I peered at Kane who shrugged.
“Shit yeah. I promised God and anyone else who would listen that if Esh took me back I would be on my shit. She doesn’t have a damn thing to worry about with me.”
“Fam...” Asim leaned forward and dapped Kane.
“Yo but who is that? You’re watching her pretty hard. What your girl gonna say?” I asked, nodding at shorty who had Laron’s undivided attention.
“Just somebody. Shit I don’t know her but she presented a good argument for why I should get to know her. I might get with that.”
“Your ass is gonna be on Fatal Attraction. You know her crazy ass son had to inherit those crazy genes from somewhere.”
“Hell yeah he did which is why we aren’t together anymore. She’s batshit crazy. She pulled up to my OG’s house and threw a brick through the window because I was over there having dinner. My OG doesn’t fuck with her; so when I told her she wasn’t invited, she lost her damn mind.”
“Oh shit, for real?”
“For-fucking-real.”
“What happened?”
“Ma dukes came out and beat the brake off her and told me if I didn’t cancel the hoe then she was gonna beat my ass too.” Laron chuckled and turned his bottle up, wiping his mouth after. “Ma dukes has those hands, bruh. I wasn’t trying to take it there.”
“Your pussy ass.”
“Call it what you want but it was time anyway. Shorty was unstable. I legit had to get a restraining order because she kept pulling up on me trying to fight. Hell, she might even be here tonight.”
“She better only have one target, fam. I will shoot her ass on sight and I’m not playing wit’ it,” Asim warned, causing all of us to laugh. He was dead serious but I felt the same. Women got out of line with certain things. I knew firsthand because I had experienced Lear’s crazy.
“Ay, that’s on her. I can’t do shit with that. She’s been warned.” Laron shrugged before he continued, “So y’all are really about to walk?”
“It’s time.” I looked over at the dance floor, smiling at how carefree Learah was. That beautiful smile of hers in place as she danced with Esha and Ky. I never wanted to be a source of pain for her, ever.
“I’m not complaining because it means I get to level up, but shit, it won’t be the same.”
“You gon’ cry ’bout that shit?” Kane joked, but we all shared a look of understanding, feeling the same.
It was true. We had been doing this shit together for a long time.
It wasn’t like the divide was happening overnight but I was sure when we all finally called it quits, I was gonna feel the void.
“Nah, nothing like that, but you have to admit, this shit has been all us for a long time.”
“Yeah it has. Me and Mir were raised in this shit. It’s all I’ve known. I’m gonna miss it but what I have on deck has to be my priority. She has to be my priority.”
“Isn’t that the damn truth? I cursed her mother out today on that same principle.” I chuckled, revisiting the events from earlier.
“Hold the fuck up. You cursed her mother out?” Kane questioned with raised brows.
“Shit yeah. She isn’t really feeling me so she sent Lear’s ex to my spot on some rekindle our love type shit. I guess Mama isn’t feeling the thug vibe.”
“And you’re not in lockup?”
I grinned, knowing I broke ol’ boy’s nose for sure. “Nah, he’s gonna require some reconstructive work and her mother caught a pass because her pops is cool with me. He got her in check but I still let her ass have it.”
“What did your girl say?” Asim’s eyes shot over to the ladies.
“Nothing really. She isn’t tight with her parents because of things with her sister but she’s trying. Her mom is just on some fuck shit. Her pops cool though.”
“Hell, I guess so if you cursed his wife out and he backed you,” Kane laughed.
“He knows she stays on the bullshit.”
“Ay, isn’t that ya’ boy coming up here?” Kane motioned to the entrance and we all looked at the same time.
“Yeah, that’s him.” Asim kept his eyes focused, laughing under his breath when Symphony turned her head and found us. She rolled her eyes but kept looking until Mano pulled her into his side and whispered something in her ear. Shortly thereafter, they were on their way out of the section.
“Yo, the fuck? You just looked at old boy and he’s running up out of here. The hell did you do to that man?” Kane chuckled, watching Symphony and Mano as they left the section, stopping one of the bottle girls and pointing to one of the other areas clear across the club.
“I didn’t do shit to him.” Asim shrugged and I laughed hard.
“Don’t let his ass lie. He broke that muthafucker’s face is what he did and Ky tried to rearrange ol’ girl’s. You know both of their asses are unstable as fuck.”
“Facts, and the way ol’ boy skipped up out of here was proof. He wasn’t trying to share the same air as this fool.” Laron shook his head, grinning.
“You’re cursing out mothers and he’s breaking faces.
I want no parts of that. Let me go find me one of these bottom shelf hoes to ride out with tonight.
I’m not trying to be in that deep with anybody no time soon.
I need to get this money first.” Laron stood and tossed up deuces before he left us.
We all watched as he pulled up on ol’ girl he had been watching.
I shook my head when she snatched the bottle of Henny from his hand and turned it up before sliding up close and grinning in his face.
“He’s about to be fucking in the bathroom tonight and getting a shot of penicillin in the morning.”
Asim and Kane both burst out laughing but I was deadass.
She looked like the type. I had been there and done that too many times and hadn’t planned on going back.
Yeah, I was in this for the full ride and not in the least bit hesitant or worried about what that meant.
Just like Sim knew Ky was his priority, I was certain Learah was mine and that was a good ass feeling.
One I hadn’t seen coming but I damn sure welcomed.