Chapter 23 Baye #2
“Thank you, boo. I’m glad you could make it.”
“Not going to lie. I thought about not showing up at all. But I knew I couldn’t do that to you. I wouldn’t hear the end of it.”
“Oh, I was going to pull up once we left here and curse your behind clean out.” Alicia giggled. Rae’s eyes went to Tray, who stared a hole through her. Rae looked away as if he wasn’t sitting there as she hugged Sheena and my brother, then sat next to Alicia.
“Did you have a good time?” Rae asked her.
“The best.” Alicia beamed.
“You really gon’ bring yo’ ass in here and ignore me, wife?”
Rae rolled her eyes. “Trayvon, please. Keep entertaining your guest and leave me the fuck alone. Thank you.”
“I ain’t never leaving yo’ ass alone. The sooner you realize that shit, the better.” A mischievous smirk rested on his face as he sipped his drink.
“Okay, let’s play some cards or something, yeah?” Sheena suggested.
“That sounds like a good idea, baby.” Lal agreed.
“You guys have Uno?” Tray’s date, whose name escaped me, asked.
“Nah, we Spades players around here,” I told her.
“Yeah, so I’m going to kick it with the older crowd. Y’all have fun. Ali, come get me when y’all done.”
“No, Rae. You just got here. I want you on my team.” Alicia pouted.
“Oh, that’s how you do me?” I asked with a smirk.
“No, baby, you know I love yo—” She paused, biting back her blush, and I smiled at her.
“Awww, girl, don’t be scared to tell him you love him if you really do. Y’all look so cute together,” Anonymous said.
“Do not talk to my cousin. We don’t know you,” Rae told her.
“Raeley, please, Cousin. It’s my birthday,” Alicia pleaded.
“You’re right, babe.”
Anonymous laughed. “Girl, direct that energy to who you really mad at. I ain’t the one.”
“Oh, goodness,” Alicia grumbled.
I spoke up. “Aye, let’s keep it cool. This is my parents’ house, and I don’t want y’all tearing nothing up.”
“I wouldn’t give her ass my energy. Trayvon, put your dog on a leash before I put her ass to sleep.”
Tray chuckled. “Chill, wifey.”
“Don’t call me that shit.” Rae sneered.
“Why? You are my wife, right?”
“T, I’ma go. Clearly, you have some shit going on, and I don’t want to disrespect your people’s house.”
“Bitch, you talking like you got hands or some shit. I love a bitch that knows how to fight back.” Rae and Anonymous stood simultaneously, and Tray got in between them.
“I said chill. Terah, I’ll holla at you later.”
“Nah, I’m good, love. Enjoy.” She snatched her bag up and stormed away.
“Look at you, ready to crash out because you really in love with your husband,” Trayvon said and laughed.
“How did this happen? Like, I seriously want to know,” Bilal said, referring to Rae and Tray’s situationship. “At the party, I thought the nigga was playing, but for y’all to actually do the shit, . . . I’m intrigued.”
“He drugged me,” Raeley said.
Tray laughed. “With this dick.”
“You ain’t all that, nigga. Be humble.”
“But you told me he was—”
“Shut the hell up, Ali!”
Alicia giggled. “My bad.”
“You so messy,” Sheena said, nudging Alicia, and they both laughed.
“I wasn’t trying to be. I promise. I’m just a little tipsy. Fave, come on and sit back down. Actually, I want to dance.”
“I need a drink. I’m too sober to deal with this right now,” Rae said, shaking her head.
“It better not be shit but juice or water,” Tray countered.
“Trayvon, please leave me alone.”
“And I told you never. We locked the fuck in, my baby. I got your hand and—”
Raeley tossed her hand over his mouth and pushed him toward the other side of the backyard, fussing at him the whole way.
“Man, Tray a fucking fool, bruh.” Lal laughed.
“Uh un, what was that about?” Alicia asked me.
I shrugged. “I ain’t got a clue, baby. But whatever it is, I’m sure your cousin is going to tell you soon enough. If she don’t, I’m sure Tray will.”
“Oh my gosh.” Alicia shook her head. Chrisette Michele’s “Couple of Forevers” queued as Sheena snapped her fingers to the music.
“I love this song. Come on, babe. Let’s dance,” she said, standing and pulling my brother with her.
I looked at Alicia. “Wanna get one last dance before we rally up the gang?”
“You dance?”
“I can do a little two-step.”
She giggled and nodded. I stood, pulling her up with me as she wrapped her arms around my neck, and I pulled her in close by her waist. My palms went to her ass, and we rocked to the music.
“I don’t think I told you, but thank you for everything today. I didn’t want to celebrate, but you made this day beautiful.”
“You’ve thanked me in more ways than one. You deserve to be celebrated, and I’m going to make sure you get everything you deserve.”
She blushed. “You promise?”
“I promise, baby.”
“I believe you.”
“I’m glad you do. I’ll never hurt you or mislead you, Alicia. I know your last situation scarred you, but I’m your antiseptic. I’m going to heal you when you’re wounded, seal you when you’re broken, and make sure them sexy-ass lips stay with a smile on them.”
Her face was flushed now, and I loved that I could be the one to make her swoon. “I love that for me.”
“What were you saying earlier? That you were in love with me or something?” I joshed, and she laughed.
“I did not.”
I raised a brow at her.
“Okay, I did. I do love you. I just couldn’t bring myself to say it.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t know if you felt the same.”
I frowned. “Haven’t I been showing you, woman?”
“You have.”
“I was going to tell you first, but you beat me to it. I love you more, baby. And I can’t wait to show you a life outside of feeling neglected or feeling pain. Your happiness and the kids’ happiness mean more to me than you’ll ever know.”
“You’re amazing. How did I get so lucky?”
“Nah, I’m the lucky one. You needed a nanny and got me.”
She laughed. “What are the odds, huh?”
“No odds, just additions.”
“Additions. I love it.”
“Give me a kiss.”
She pushed her lips to mine, and we shared a kiss. In that moment, Lal and Sheena dancing, Rae and Tray’s quiet beefing in the corner, not even our parents and the kids bonding mattered to me.
God made sure he put me in Alicia’s path for a reason. He knew I was ready for love again, and He knew Alicia needed someone like me who would give it to her.
The stars aligned.
The moon was full.
And love was in the air.
The only thing left to do was make her mine . . . forever.