Chapter 33 #3
Next to her was Niema, the second oldest. She was fitted in a draping, long sleeved midi-dress that was backless and allowed her back tattoo of Arabic script that went down her spine to be on full display.
Her feet were adorned in a pair of Stuart Weitzman pumps.
She had a sleek ponytail that drifted down to the small of her back.
The sisters were having a drink with some laughter and light conversation.
“My older sisters. That one is Khadijah, and that one is Niema. I’m the baby,” Ahkeem enlightened her.
“They’re gorgeous. But where were they at the wedding?” Britain folded her arms against her chest over her rounded belly, already on defense.
Ahkeem chuckled as he reached over and rubbed her belly. “Chill, tiger. It’s complicated. You still the annoying big sister I never wanted.”
“Haha, very funny. You should go talk to them. I need the details on that dress Niema has on,” Britain encouraged him.
He glanced over to his sisters before sighing. “I’ll get to it. Gonna go chop it with the homies. Y’all enjoy the night. Not too much though, sis. I don’t wanna share my birthday with baby Eden.”
Ahkeem whisked me away toward his crew with my hand in his. They showed him big love, hugging him and telling him happy birthday.
“You look sharp, square-ass nigga,” Ahkeem teased Jersey while dusting his shoulder off.
“You lucky it’s your birthday ‘cause I would get on your ass. Stupid-ass nigga.” They dapped each other up. “Wifey sent us jet details for a flight to Miami in a few days. We on that?”
A smirk pulled onto Ahkeem’s lips as he turned to look at me. “You been in my business?”
“I may or may not have overheard the conversation you were having with Kross while we were at dinner. Figured I would jump ahead of things and get you guys your flight. Had PJ’s pilot slip it under the radar just like he used to do for him while he was back and forth from Italy. ” I shrugged my shoulders innocently.
“Yo, your wife solid as shit,” Jersey gassed him up while squeezing his shoulder.
Ahkeem bit down on his bottom lip as he eyed me. “Yeah, I’m a real lucky man. She may be a little nosy, but she keep shit running ‘round this motherfucka’,” he praised me.
My cheekbones rose, and my face heated up before I kissed his cheek.
“You know you can’t come with us to Miami, right?”
I rolled my eyes. “I know. I’ll be working on Bar Remedy NYC while y’all go dead that whack-ass nigga in Miami. You guys come back with his blood so I can finally get a good night’s rest.”
Ahkeem stuck his hand out for me, and I shook it. “Bet.”
Eventually, we made our way over to the bar where Niema and Khadijah were. “Y’all look beautiful. Nice to have you guys back in the city,” Ahkeem said to them, making our presence known.
I offered to stay behind to allow him to have a private conversation with his sisters, but he insisted on me coming with. “You clean up nice too, baby brother.” Khadijah smiled before pulling him into a hug. “Did you grow a foot taller or something? Wow.”
“Last time you saw me, I was 22. Young, dumb, and grieving Mommy bad.”
The last part of his response to her prompted the smiles his sister had on their faces to fall. Niema quickly picked her smile back up and pulled Ahkeem into a hug. “I’m proud of you, Keem. Mommy’s proud of you.”
“Yeah… I hope so.”
“This must be Mrs. Hendrix? Our new sister-in-law!” Khadijah quickly pulled me into a hug. “You are gorgeous. Thank you for reaching out.”
“You are too! No problem. I’m glad you guys could make it.” I proceeded to hug Niema.
“You married our snotty-nosed little brother. You know he used to think he was Michael Jackson and moonwalk around the house in just his drawls, right?”
I busted out laughing at the thought of my man moonwalking in his undies. He quickly cut his eyes at Niema before smacking his lips. “Don’t believe that shit, Lovey. Yo man ain’t never do no sucka’ shit like that.”
“Baby, you do get a little hype when “Thriller” come on,” I reminded him.
“Who you gone believe, yo husband or my two hating-ass older sisters?”
“Oh, he can do the whole eight-count to “Remember the Time,” too. Ain’t that right, ‘Dijah?”
“Hell yeah. Mama bedazzled that white glove for him, and he kept that shit on for months.”
By now, I was doubled over in laughter alongside his sisters. He shot us a stale face, ready to no longer be the butt of our jokes. “It ain’t that damn funny.”
“Daddy, Daddy, can I get some cake?!” Saphir sped over to us from the dance floor. He was full of energy from dancing and was ready to fill himself up with some sugar.
Ahkeem chuckled as he reached down and lifted him up in his arms. “We gone chill on the cake for a little minute. I want you to meet some of Daddy’s biggest haters.”
Both Niema and Khadijah gasped once they realized Saphir was their nephew. He’d always been a little shy when it came to meeting people, so he grew meek and rested his head on his father’s shoulder.
“Keem, he looks just like you! Hi, munchkin! I’m your auntie Khadijah, but you can call me KK.”
“Hi, KK.” Blue waved at her.
“And I’m your aunt Niema. You can call me Ni.”
“Hi, Ni.”
“He’s so precious.” Niema gently squeezed his cheeks.
“How was the labor? He has his father’s head,” Khadijah jokingly asked me.
“O-oh, I’m n-not－” I began to stammer, but Ahkeem quickly cut in.
“Jazzy is Saphir’s stepmom. Silent on the step, though. She loves him like she had him.”
“Damn, boy! How much did we miss?”
He chuckled before dropping a kiss on Saphir’s forehead. “Not much. Y’all made it back for the best part, though.” He then pulled me closer to him by the waist. He was so proud of the little family we had, and he never shied away from showing it.
Khadijah and Niema got to know Saphir a little more.
He was the best judge of character, so when he allowed them to hold him and give him a hug, I knew Ahkeem’s sisters were good people.
They just distanced themselves because they all grieved differently and couldn’t handle watching their father’s downfall right before their very eyes.
“You good? I gotta take this call. Somebody blowing me up,” Ahkeem whispered in my ear while fishing in his suit jacket for his ringing phone.
“I’m good. Take your call. It just better not be a hoe trying to give you no birthday pussy,” I whispered back to him teasingly.
He pressed his lips against mine before laughing. “You don’t got shit to worry about. This dick all you.”
“Go take the call, Ahkeem,” I laughed while pushing him toward an empty table so he could answer the phone.
I continued chopping it up with his sisters while Saphir filled them in on his Lego collection.
My baby was obsessed with Legos. It was so bad that even Priest and the guys would call any time they were shopping and ran across a Lego set that they didn’t think Blue had as part of his collection. He was spoiled rotten.
Ahkeem eventually returned and the distraught look he had on his face concerned me. I cupped my hands around his face, steering his eyes to lock with mine.
“What’s wrong, Pa?”
“Uh… that was just the coroner’s office.”
I raised my brow up at him. “The fuck? What did they say?”
“Kareem… my father… he’s dead.”