Theirs

Chapter 17

I pushed the front door open with a yawn forcing its way out of my mouth and did a double take when I realized Kiano was sitting at my kitchen table with Joss, Junie giggling in his lap. I looked from him to Xy and Drake who were on the couch and back.

“What’s up?”

“What’s up?” my brothers echoed and I dapped them as I shed my jacket and walked further inside.

“Hey.” I cleared my throat awkwardly and was shocked when I saw Jiselle as well, standing in my kitchen with Morocco.

“You’re home.” She stopped stirring whatever was in the pot in front of her and walked over to me.

“Yeah. I’m home,” I said. Jiselle wrapped her arms around my body and I leaned down and kissed her head. “What are y’all doing here?”

“Waiting for you,” she said simply.

“Just because?”

“Yep.”

“How long do you want this to go, Selle?” Morocco asked.

“Uhhhh.” She tiptoed to kiss my cheek then rushed back toward the stove.

I looked back at Kiano who had his head down, pointing something at the table. I looked from him to Morocco and Jiselle to Xy and Drake back to him and Joss. I scratched the back of my neck and cleared my throat.

His eyes lifted to me. I swallowed, exhaled, and walked over.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

I leaned down and kissed him on the side of the head too. Kiano looked up at me. I smiled, leaned down, and kissed his lips then and didn’t look at any of my brothers to gauge their reactions.

Instead, I noted Kiano was sitting in front of Joss’s math homework and apparently helping him work through the problems.

I shook my head. Coming home to Jiselle cooking and Kiano helping my little brother with his homework had my chest tightening.

“How long have y’all been here?”

“Just an hour or two,” Kiano answered.

“And how did we decide Jiselle would be cooking dinner for us?”

“Kiano buys the groceries. I cook them. That was the agreement,” she answered from somewhere behind me and I nodded.

“You’re grocery shopping for my house now?” I gripped Kiano by the back of his neck and he grinned.

“Say hi to Uncle Stone.” He spoke to Junie instead of answering my question and I snickered but leaned down and winked at Junie who giggled immediately.

“Instead of being all in everyone’s business, go get in the shower, Mr.,” Jiselle sniped.

I looked over at her and she stuck her tongue out at me. I chuckled but nodded.

“Alright.”

I stood, made a face at Junie, and headed to my room to wash the mechanic shop off me.

I tossed on a T-shirt and basketball shorts then headed back out where Morocco was now in the living room with Junie and Joss, Drake stood beside Jiselle, and Xy was now at the kitchen table getting help with his homework.

“Alright.” I clapped my hands. “So, what are you cooking?”

“Pork chops, mashed potatoes, and green beans,” Jiselle stated. “You’re free to go.” She nudged Drake lightly. “Stone will take over the assisting.”

“Shit. Bet.” Drake hit me on the shoulder and handed me the spoon he was holding.

Then, he headed straight for the stairs.

“How’d you get him to help you anyway?”

“Junie whined for her daddy and I asked if anyone else wanted to help so he could grab her. Drake volunteered.”

“You realize you don’t need to cook for us, right?”

“You realize I’m basically unemployed, right?” She lifted an eyebrow. “What else am I going to do with my life if it isn’t helping take care of the family?”

“Of the family, huh?” I repeated.

“Uh huh.”

I gripped her by her waist, yanked her into me, and kissed the side of her head then her cheek and throat. She turned her head to kiss me then slipped out of my grasp.

“Get over there and mash those potatoes.” She swatted at me and I nodded.

“Yes, ma’am.”

I looked at the spoon Drake had given me and set it down to get an actual potato masher.

I got to work while Jiselle hummed to the light music playing from her phone.

I had to admit, the more time I spent with her and Kiano, the better I could see our lives together.

I appreciated that they didn’t give me a hard time about my place, especially considering I’d seen how nice theirs were.

I liked that they were here when I wasn’t, and not only had my siblings felt comfortable letting them in, but they’d integrated for the most part. That meant a lot to me.

I leaned over and kissed Jiselle again.

“What was that for?” She cut her eyes at me.

“Nothing. I just appreciate y’all.”

She beamed at the praise and I went back to work, mashing for her.

Jiselle had me do a series of miniscule tasks while she cooked, and when she finished, everything smelled amazing.

Xy and Joss took their food up to their shared bedroom so they could no doubt play the game while they ate.

It wasn’t something I usually let go on, but with Jiselle and Kiano over, we didn’t exactly have enough chairs at the table to accommodate.

So I let them get away with it while me, Jiselle, Kiano, Drake, and Morocco collapsed at the table.

Drake nodded after the first bite.

“Fire.” He took another bite.

“Thank you. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He shoved mashed potatoes into his mouth. “You can come over and cook whenever you want.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I took a bite of my own and nodded in agreement. The food was immaculate and because of that we didn’t do a lot of talking during dinner.

Morocco and I cleaned our plates and leaned back, letting our food digest when Drake sat up and looked from me to Jiselle to Kiano and back.

“So, what’s up? You dating Stone?” he asked.

“Uhm, no. I’m the prize, Drake. Stone is dating me,” Jiselle said matter-of-factly.

Morocco, Drake, and Kiano all laughed. I nodded without a moment of hesitation.

“That’s right, baby. Let him know.”

“I feel you.” Drake looked from me to Kiano and back. “So, what’s up with y’all?”

Kiano kept his mouth shut and looked at me. I shrugged.

“Everybody is dating everybody.” I plucked up my beer and took a slow drink.

Morocco opened his mouth then closed it.

“That’s what the fuck I’m talking about!” Drake reached over the table and dapped me. “That player shit is the bloodline, nigga. I swear.” He shook his head. “You’re dating two people and got them in the crib at the same time having family dinner and shit?” He laughed. “Nah. You that one for real.”

“Shut yo’ stupid ass up.” Morocco reached over and hit him in the back of his head, making both me and Jiselle laugh.

Kiano hid his smirk behind his beer bottle.

Drake ignored him. “Teach me your ways.”

“I didn’t do anything.” I shrugged. “Shit just lined up like this.”

“This nigga is the luckiest mothafucka.” He shook his head.

“You’re grown but you ain’t that grown. Watch your mouth.”

“My bad.” He held his hands up in mock surrender.

“I’m just saying you got lucky and you’d be a fool to fumble.

I mean look at her.” He whistled and raked his eyes up and down Jiselle and this time I hit him.

“I’m just saying she’s fine and she was in the kitchen throwing down.

” He whistled again. “No offense, Kiano, but I don’t really… ”

“I got you,” Kiano offered.

“My man.” He reached over to dap him too.

“Anyway.” Morocco switched Junie to his other knee. “What Drake is trying to say is we’re happy for you.”

“Yeah,” Drake agreed. “You look happier and Jiselle and Kiano are cool people. You did good.”

“Thanks, man.” I tilted my head back to finish my beer then set it on the table.

I grinned. Everyone was looking at Drake who was now going on a tangent about the three baddies he would bring home now that I’d proven it could be done while we cracked up.

After dinner Xy, Joss, and I took care of the kitchen since they hadn’t helped with the cooking process. I made sure they went through their bedtime routine before Morocco and I went outside to smoke together.

“I meant what I said about liking them for you,” he said, halfway done with his cigarette.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Drake may have been a little dramatic at the table but he wasn’t wrong. You should keep them around.”

“That’s the plan, man.”

Morocco nodded. I took another drag from my cigarette and we finished smoking in silence.

I watched Jiselle as she leaned her head back and giggled while a bartender poured liquor down her throat.

This was her first night at the bar after quitting.

She swallowed, laughed, turned toward Kiano, and tossed her drink into his face.

I cringed when she slapped the fuck out of him and shook my head when they immediately started kissing like two lovesick teenagers.

I didn’t know why slapping did it for him but I was good on all that shit.

I tapped the bar and leaned on it.

“Can I get another beer?” I asked.

“Sure. Give me one second.”

“You can put it on my tab!” Jiselle said loudly.

The bartender laughed and nodded.

“I got you, girl.”

“Thank you.”

The bartender set my beer down already open. I took a drink and my eyes widened when Selle took it, took a sip, then handed the bottle to Kiano. She slid off her barstool.

“Come on.” She grabbed my hands and pulled me forward.

I hopped off the barstool and let Jiselle drag me to the dance floor. It was obvious that she was drunk from how she was moving. She bent over in front of me and shook her ass immediately. I smacked her ass and put my hands on her hips to catch it as she threw it.

I looked over at Kiano still at the bar, drinking my beer and watching us with a smirk on his face.

When Selle stood back up, I wrapped an arm around her upper body and leaned into her. Her hand went to the back of my head. She turned her face toward mine.

“I’m going to fuck y’all so good tonight.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm.” She leaned in and bit my lip. She ran her tongue over it then slipped it into my mouth.

She pushed back against me and I groaned against her mouth while her ass rubbed my dick. She giggled as she spun around.

“Swap out.” She nudged her head toward the bar.

I laughed but let my hands fall from around her body.

“Alright.”

I walked back to the bar.

“Jiselle wants you to get on the dance floor with her,” I said.

“I don’t dance.”

“You don’t have to. Just stand behind her and don’t let all that ass knock you down.” I took my beer from him and shook it when I felt how light it was. I tilted my head back to finish it then set the bottle down. “Ay! Can I get another beer when you get a chance, please?”

“We won’t be long.” Kiano hit me on the back and I nodded.

I waited patiently for my next beer, took a drink, and paused when screaming tore through the bar. I spun and reached back for my gun damn near automatically. I scanned the crowd, my eyes immediately going to the last place I’d seen Jiselle.

She wasn’t there so I rushed into the chaos of the bar while people ran into me and each other trying to get to the exits.

The cops who were usually parked out front pushed their way inside.

When I made it to the last place I’d seen Jiselle, I found her still there, screaming hysterically at Kiano who was on top of a man, pummeling his face with both of his hands clasped together.

I gripped him in a quick headlock and jerked him back. My free hand going to the back of his head.

“I’ve got you,” I said immediately. “I’ve got you. Shh. Shhh.” I let him go as soon as he stopped flailing and my eyes drifted to the man still on the ground, unmoving and bloody.

I opened my mouth but we didn’t get a chance to say shit before the cops pushed their way into the circle.

Kiano froze and I watched while the weight of this incident became real to him.

His chest heaved as he caught his breath and his decision immediately weighed on me too.

Kiano had a fucking company set to be in his name any day now.

He was on a board for the company already, a company his parents had poured their blood, sweat, and tears into, his parents who had accepted me and Jiselle without a second thought.

What did I have to lose?

I kicked the man on the ground and got ready to punch his ass again even though there was a chance he was fucking dead already.

I’d only gotten two hits in when I was jerked off by the cops.

“What the fuck, Stone?!” Jiselle screamed and tears immediately rolled down her cheeks.

I knew it was the liquor in her system but that didn’t make me feel any less fucked up.

“Stone?” Kiano closed the distance between us, he and Jiselle keeping up while I was pulled toward the exit.

“Just take care of Selle. Get her to stop crying and get her home safely. I’ve been to jail before, Kiano. Don’t trip.”

“The fuck do you mean don’t trip?”

“Exactly what I said. Just call Morocco.” I stumbled slightly as I was pulled along. “Call Morocco!”