Chapter 30
A Few Weeks Later
I smiled as I walked into Pure Glow Beauty Bar.
Since I was cleared to come back to work, I decided to come back on a part-time basis. I had Danielle open my books for no more than four appointments for three days out the week. I was getting tired of sitting in my house. Even though I went to visit Juri every day, there were still many hours in between leaving her and Korri coming home. I needed something to fill my time.
“Good morning, boss lady!” Danielle exclaimed, coming down the hall with open arms.
I willingly went into them for a hug.
“It’s so good to have you back!”
“It’s good to be back. I’ve really missed you all.”
“We’ve missed you too. It’s not the same without you around here.”
“I’m glad to see the place is still standing.”
“Um, did you forget your man promised us that bonus? We weren’t going to let anything happen if we could help it.”
I laughed. “I appreciate it.”
“How are the babies?”
“Both of them are doing well. Korri is still Korri. Juri should be able to come home soon. She’s no longer on the feeding tube, and she can breathe on her own. They want her to gain a little more weight before they release her, though.”
“That’s so good to hear. We’ve all been praying for her and you. Literally every morning for weeks, we gathered and said a prayer before the doors opened for the day. We’re a family here, and we’ve got your back.” She pulled me in for another hug, squeezing me tightly. “Now, come with me! I have something to show you.”
She grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hall to my office. When the door opened, she gently pushed me inside.
“Surprise!”
I jumped as I was met with confetti cannons, whistles, and balloons, along with the smiling faces of my employees. There was a small spread of breakfast items in the corner, along with drinks and a few wrapped gifts.
“You guys!” I whined. “You didn’t have to do this.”
I made my rounds, hugging them all. Everyone wanted to see pictures of Juri. Then they all had questions about Devin and I. After learning his reputation, I guess I could see why everyone was so curious as to how I managed to pull him. I hadn’t done anything special. In fact, I was absolutely pathetic when I met that man. If I were him, I would have run far away from me.
But he stayed.
He stayed, and he pursued me despite everything I had going on. He made my burdens his burdens, and he carried them for me. That alone was love.
We were in the middle of having a light breakfast when there was a knock on my office door. I must have talked him up because I looked up to see Devin standing in the doorway with flowers and a small bag in his hand. I hadn’t physically seen him in three days because he had something to do with the family, so I was happy to see him.
Forgetting all about my employees, I went to him, throwing my arms around his neck. Of course, I had to jump a little to achieve that. He’d caught me with one arm and lifted me in the air. Immediately, I planted a kiss on his lips.
He chuckled. “I take it you missed me, mama?”
“Very much.”
“I missed you too.” He placed me on my feet and handed me the flowers. When he looked up, he was met with the smirk filled crowd that made up my staff. “What’s up, y’all?” He spoke.
Various greetings went up around the room.
“I’m glad to see the building is still standing, and you all seem to be in good health. Since y’all kept your word and made sure my baby’s shop stayed afloat, I guess I should make good on my promise.”
He placed the bag on my desk and opened it. Inside were several thick envelopes, I assumed filled with cash. He motioned the crew over and disbursed them. Most of them looked shocked to see that he’d really given them the money.
“It’s a little something extra in there for each of y’all. I appreciate you keeping my lady stress free so she could recover and mother our girls. Now, I’ma need y’all to get out of here ‘cause I’ve been away for three days, and I need?—”
I covered his mouth, causing everybody to laugh. “Thank you all for the warm welcome. It’s time to open the doors, though.”
Danielle smirked. “I’m sure the doors ain’t the only thing about to open, boss lady.”
Behind my hand, Devin nodded his head.
“Bye, y’all,” I said, waving them out. “Oh, and somebody is cleaning up all this confetti paper later!” I called after them as they filed out of the room.
When the last person was on the other side of the door, I locked it. Devin scooped me up in his arms and set me on my desk. Plucking the flowers from my hands, he set them on the desk and crashed his lips into mine. We kissed heavily for a solid three minutes before he pulled back, leaving me hot and horny. Since having my first real taste of him, I craved him even more.
“How are my girls?” he asked.
“They’re good. Korri asked about you this morning.”
“I’ma head over there and have lunch with her.”
I smiled at that. We talked it over, and I added him to her approved visitor and pickup list. He’d made it clear time and time again where he stood in both girls’ lives and that he would alleviate the pressures of being a single mother wherever he could.
“I’m sure she will like that. How was your trip?”
“Well, I wasn’t there for pleasure purposes. Just know we handled business. You been good the last three days? Anything I need to know?”
“Nope. I told you, all is well.”
“Good. I’m going to see baby girl when I leave here, but I needed to lay eyes on you…” His fingers crept under my scrub top as he leaned in and kissed my neck. “Hands on you too.”
I giggled as he nipped at my earlobe. “Devin! They’re gonna hear us.”
“I don’t give a fuck. Take this shit off.” He pulled the top over my head and tossed it aside. “How long before your first client?”
“It’s Shar, and she comes in at eleven.”
“Good. That’s plenty of time.”
He pulled me from the table and placed me on my feet before turning me around and bending me over my desk. The hard slap to my ass as he pulled my bottoms down caused me to moan.
Behind me, he chuckled. “Spread them legs and show daddy how much you missed him.”
Since my next appointment after Shar wasn’t until two, I decided to take her up on her offer to have lunch. We met Salima, Jaeda, and Mia at a bar and grill not too far from the shop. Settled into our booth, we ordered drinks and appetizers while we looked over the menu.
Salima clapped her hands. “Before we get too deep in conversation… I just wanted to share some news with you guys.”
We all looked at her, waiting for her to spill the beans.
“I’m pregnant.”
Shar screamed, causing the whole bar to look at us, but she didn’t care.
“We get to be bump buddies for a little while!”
“It’s about time,” Mia said. “If I had to hear my brother tell us he was trying to make another baby one more time, I was going to scream.”
Jaeda laughed. “Congratulations, Salima. For the record, I agree with Mia. Deuce was running that into the ground.”
“No harder than he was running up in me,” Salima said. “I was pulling out all my best tricks to get pregnant so that man would give me a break.” She smiled. “I do love him in daddy mode, though. Darlyn is his pride and joy. She loves him so much.”
I’d seen Deuce with their daughter at their grandmother’s birthday, and it was safe to say he was head over heels in love.
“I’m happy for you two,” I said.
“Thank you. I guess it’s mocktails for the next eight months.”
Shar groaned. “I just want you heifers to know it was very tasteless to order alcohol when a bitch can’t even smell it right now,” she said, rubbing her belly.
She looked so cute sporting her baby bump. Pregnancy looked good on her.
Salima rolled her eyes. “Then you should have swallowed.”
“I do swallow.”
Jaeda and Mia made a face.
“Y’all keep forgetting that you’re married to our brothers,” Mia said. “We don’t wanna hear that shit.” She pointed at me. “And don’t you get any ideas about adding your two cents about Smoke.”
I laughed. “I prefer to keep my bedroom habits to myself.”
“Oh no, ma’am,” Shar said, turning to me. “I need to know if my brother got you right. We saw the way you two were all over each other at Granny’s birthday. Looking in each other’s eyes and shit. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were in love.”
I blushed. “I do love him, Shar.”
A round of awwws went up from the table.
“Have you told him?” Salima asked.
“We’ve told each other. I know it’s soon. I know I have a lot of baggage?—”
Salima stopped me. “Listen, boo. The Dillingers men are built to carry a lot of baggage. No offense to my father in-law. I love that man, but he’s got having baggage down with having kids by four different women who are all friendly or friends. It’s the healthiest coparenting I’ve ever seen in my life. If Smoke can handle it, don’t worry about a thing. Shit, he’s still around.”
Shar nodded. “They have thick skin, and they are super protective of those they love. Once they love you, it’s up and it’s stuck.”
It was reassuring to hear that from two women who married into the family rather than was born into it.
Jaeda smiled. “They are right. I might be biased because it’s my family, but when we love, we love hard. Y’all are picking my brothers off one by one. I love it. They need to settle down. Now, if Steel can find someone, everything would be perfect.”
“Are you two dating anyone?” I asked.
Shar and Salima both groaned while Jaeda said no.
“Please don’t get Mia started,” Shar pleaded. “You don’t want to hear about her toxic love affair with Titan Deluca.”
Mia scoffed. “Shut up. Romi, as far as I’m concerned, I’m single.”
Shar laughed. “Ha! Until she sees another woman in that man’s face. Then she’s ready to pistol-whip somebody. Go on and tell that man you love him, sis.”
“Did you say pistol-whip?” I repeated.
“Pistol-whip, girl.”
She proceeded to tell us about a time when them and this Titan guy were in the club in different sections. Apparently, some girl had been all over him all night, and Mia got fed up. She went over to confront him, and when the girl got smart with her, she pulled her gun out and hit her with it several times.
I gasped. “Oh my God! Mia!”
“So I’m a bit of a hothead. You’ve met my brothers.”
“Did she press charges?”
“She wanted to, but Titan paid her off and let her know what would happen if she didn’t keep quiet. Not that I cared. I mean, my daddy has pull. I would have walked. “
I thought back to Devin’s run-in with Chief Barry. I knew then that the Dillingers were a different breed. To confidently run up on the chief of police and know they wouldn’t do anything to you was another level of having pull. I guess that was the pull Patrick’s father thought he had.
“I’m starting to see the connection with you and Devin,” I said.
“Smoke is crazy,” she said. “Like, the man is fool. Just the other night?—”
She stopped mid-sentence as her eyes settled across the room. We all followed her gaze to see Derrick Mathis sitting at a table with the girl I knew to be Dana, his daughter. He glared in our direction with so much hatred that I couldn’t tell who it was for exactly.
“Excuse me a moment,” she said, sliding out from the booth.
As she got up, I could see the gold gun attached to her waist. She walked over to where Derrick stood and leaned to speak to him with her hand on her pistol. Whatever she said caused his daughter to grab Mia, who swiftly chopped her in the throat.
“Shit!” Shar exclaimed, wincing.
Mia left the table as Mr. Mathis quickly got up to assist his daughter. He made haste in grabbing their things and leaving the restaurant without even paying the tab. Mia slid back into the booth with a smile on her face.
“Anyway, what was I saying?”
Salima shook her head. “We aren’t just gonna gloss that over. Who was that?”
I answered. “My baby daddy’s father and sister.”
“The one that was behind him harassing you?” Shar asked.
“The one and only.”
“Oh, well never mind. I’m sure whatever you said was warranted, Mia. What did you say?”
“That if he didn’t get up and leave, this whole restaurant was going to see him assed out again.”
“Again?” Shar, Salima, and I asked.
Mia proceeded to tell us the story of how they snatched him up, stripped him down, and dropped him ass naked in another part of town after dark. I tried not to laugh, but the image of Mr. Mathis roaming the streets with nothing on both amused and disgusted me. Devin hadn’t told me that tidbit of information, but I guessed that was part of his plan to terrorize the man. Either way, I didn’t care. He had his son terrorize me for far too long. It was about time he got his karma.