Chapter 41
Royal Grove Pavillion
Today we was finally celebratin’ ‘Lo’Lo’s birthday and she was soakin’ that shit up like she knew it was her day. The way my family had this whole setup lookin’, it felt bigger than just a birthday party.
Everything was held under this big ass pavilion, and it wasn’t no regular park setup either.
They had the whole space covered in soft pink and white colors, with balloon arches stretchin’ across the entrance and wrapped around the pillars, and custom tables set up with desserts that looked too good for kids to even touch.
There was a whole candy section, a bounce house off to the side, a soft play area for the babies, and another section set up with rides and games for the older kids.
I ain’t wanna hear nobody damn mouth say they was bored.
‘Lo’Lo had gifts stacked up damn near taller than her, and even though she couldn’t fully get around the way she wanted to yet, she was standin’ on her lil’ legs, takin’ steps when she felt like it and fallin’ right into somebody arms when she got too excited.
Zurie, Prestyn, and Kaylon and the other kids was runnin’ circles around her, and hypin’ her up like she understood every bit of what was goin’ on.
Every time she laughed, everybody else laughed with her. ‘Lo was on her heavy too.
That nigga had on a pink shirt that said ‘Daddy of the birthday girl’ like he was the one turnin’ one, and he ain’t leave her side for too long, walkin’ her from one section to the next like he was givin’ her a full tour of everything that belonged to her.
Wasn’t nobody surprised either, ’cause that was just him when it came to his daughter.
Toni was movin’ around the whole time, checkin’ on everybody, makin’ sure the food trays stayed full and the drinks kept comin’. Even when people told her to sit down, she brushed it off and kept goin’.
Pluto stayed seated for the most part with Isley in her arms. Although she looked good, I could tell she still wasn’t all the way back to herself yet.
Pressure wasn’t lettin’ her do shit either, and every time she even shifted a lil’, he was right there askin’ what she needed or already handin’ it to her before she could say it.
That whole situation with her almost dyin’ had shook everybody, includin’ my ass. Since I was the damn god daddy, I told Pressure I was the first nigga he should’ve called. Now, a month later, you could still feel that shit sittin’ under everything.
I stood off to the side with Pressure and ‘Lo, watchin’ everything play out while they laughed and talked about whatever the hell they had goin’ on, but my mind wasn’t fully there with them ’cause it kept driftin’ back to Sha’Nelle whether I wanted it to or not.
Toni had already said she was comin’, and I knew she wouldn’t miss ‘Lo’Lo’s birthday if she could help it, but at the same time, I ain’t heard from her in a minute, and that silence had been sittin’ with me.
It wasn’t even about me not wantin’ to reach out, ’cause I thought about it more than a few times, but I made a decision not to no more ’cause she wasn’t talkin’ back. I felt like if I kept pushin’, she would pull away, and at this point, I realized I ain’t know what to do with these damn women.
Once I locked in on that, I stood on it instead of goin’ back and forth with myself.
I already knew that whatever needed to be said between me and her wasn’t somethin’ I was gon’ water down through a phone, so I let that space sit the way it needed to while I got clear on what I was gon’ do when I saw her again.
I promised myself I wasn’t comin’ halfway with it and I damn sure wasn’t lettin’ her slip past me without sayin’ what I had to say this time.
I already knew how that shit looked from ‘Nelle’s side. When everything went down with Reni, I was the one over there. I was the showin’ up for that situation, and whether it was right or wrong, that’s what she saw.
So instead of playin’ with it like that, I left it alone. I already knew that if I was gon’ fix anything between me and ‘Nelle, it had to be done face to face, and not through a phone where that shit could get lost or come off weaker than what I actually meant.
So I waited, even though that shit ain’t sit right with me, and I gave her the space I felt like she needed while I got my own thoughts together. I just knew when I saw her again, I wasn’t comin’ halfway with it.
I already knew what I wanted, and I already knew I wasn’t lettin’ ‘Nelle walk away from me again without sayin’ what needed to be said, so in my head, it was already set that I was gon’ lock that shit down the right way and stand on it when I did.
My situation with Reni was dead, and I meant that in every way possible, so it wasn’t nothin’ standin’ in front of me no more except Sha’Nelle, and I was ready to deal with that head on.
Pressure said somethin’ that made ‘Lo laugh, and I smirked a lil’, noddin’ along like I was listenin’, but before I could even fully respond, I saw ‘Lo’s expression change out the corner of my eye.
He wasn’t laughin’ no more. He was lookin’ past me.
I turned my head slightly, tryna catch what he was lookin’ at, but before I could fully turn around, he reached out and slapped my shoulder, then squeezed it in a way that felt off.
I could tell right then that it wasn’t no regular shit.
It wasn’t playful. It wasn’t him jokin’, and it damn sure wasn’t nothin’ light, ’cause the way his hand stayed on my damn shoulder felt more like he was bracin’ me for somethin’ instead of just gettin’ my attention.
That alone told me somethin’. I wasn’t no slow nigga, so my stomach tightened up before I even turned around, ’cause I already knew what I was about to see.
I turned anyway, and when I did, my eyes landed right where I figured they would. And yeah, there Sha’Nelle was.
She was lookin’ good as hell too, standin’ there in the middle of all that pink and white like she belonged right in it, and for a second, everything else around her faded the way it always did when she stepped into a room. But that shit ain’t last long’ ’cause she wasn’t alone.
She was standin’ next to some tall black ass nigga, and the first thing I noticed wasn’t even him. It was the fact that she was holdin’ this nigga’s hand while she leaned in to hug Toni.
My face tightened before I could even stop it, and I turned back around to face Pressure and ‘Lo, who was both watchin’ me now.
“Nigga… when Sha’Nelle get a nigga, and why the fuck is his ass here?” ‘Lo asked, his tone irritated but confused as hell.
Pressure raised his brows, lookin’ past me again like he was tryna make sense of it too.
I ain’t say shit, I just kept lookin’ at her, and this time I really paid attention to what I was seein’ instead of just reactin’ to her bein’ here. The more I looked, the more that shit settled in a way I ain’t like at all.
It was the way she was standin’ next to that nigga, and the way her hand stayed in his, and the way she looked comfortable enough to not even think twice about how that shit might come off… all of it hit me at the same damn time, and I ain’t even gon’ lie, that shit sat wrong with me immediately.
It wasn’t just a lil’ wrong either. It felt disrespectful in a way that made my whole chest tighten up, ’cause ain’t no way she walked into this type of space, around my family, with another nigga like that, like I was just some regular nigga she used to deal with and moved on from like it wasn’t nothin’.
Nah… that wasn’t how I saw it, and that damn sure wasn’t how I was about to take it.
I was still feelin’ that shit in my chest. It was heavy and instant, and before I could even think about coolin’ it down or playin’ it off, my pride stepped in and took over.
Pressure reached for my shoulder, already seein’ where I was goin’ with it, but I shrugged him off without even lookin’ at him.
I wasn’t about to stand here and watch that shit like it ain’t bother me.
If Sha’Nelle thought she was gon’ walk in here with another nigga and act like everything between me and her ain’t exist, then she was out her fuckin’ mind.
And as far as that nigga…
He was gon’ have to see me.
I was already movin’ toward them before anybody could stop me...