9 #2
“I’m not talking about zoning. You wanna make sure you build in a high-traffic area.”
“What I always tell y’all?” Hank asked while looking at all three of his sons.
“Accessibility is key,” all three brothers replied simultaneously. He’d been saying that to them even before they were old enough to build. It was drilled into him at a young age by his own father.
“Don’t trip though, bro. I’m on it,” Dash assured him. He was good at scouting out the perfect locations, especially for businesses.
“Aye, Dot said she’s about to be on her way with the food. We put the drinks on ice too,” Denny noted as he wheeled himself over to them in his electric chair.
Two of Denny’s sons were there with his grandson and some of their cousins.
A few more people were coming over, and they wanted to make sure that everything was together before they got there.
Hank and his sons knew their way around the kitchen very well, but Dot offered to make them some sides to go with their grilled meats.
Since the celebration was for Monty, nobody was surprised.
She claimed she only did it because no women were in attendance, but they knew better.
Dot hated to cook but she would step out of her comfort zone for her favorite grandson.
“I told her that I would come pick it up,” Monty replied.
“She said she tried to call you and didn’t get an answer.” Denny shrugged.
Monty checked the front and back pockets of his jeans, looking for his phone. When he didn’t find it, he rushed to his car, hoping that’s where he’d left it.
“Man, fuck!” Monty bellowed while slamming his car door shut.
“The fuck is wrong with you?” Dash looked at him like he was crazy.
“I must have left my damn phone at home.”
“Go back home and get it. Shit, ain’t nobody but Caprice ole stalking ass gon’ call you anyway.”
“Fuck Caprice!” Monty frowned angrily.
“Nah, nigga, don’t be out here on no disrespectful shit. Being with Caprice was your choice, so live with it. Ain’t nobody force your hand to do a muthafucking thing,” Hank snapped.
Monty pissed him off when he acted like somebody put a gun to his head and made him be with Caprice.
He understood him feeling bad about her losing her job, but that was a choice that she made.
She knew what the outcome would be if she ever got caught.
Monty could have easily looked out for her financially without being with her, but Hank knew what it was.
He fucked up his relationship with Iva and he didn’t want to make it seem like it was all in vain, even though it was.
He made it work out of fear of embarrassment.
Now, he was in a loveless relationship, mourning the loss of the woman who really had his heart.
“It’s all good. I’m ‘bout to go by Diva until I can get my own shit.”
“And you ain’t gon’ be there long either, nigga.”
“Why not? It ain’t like she letting you come back home. She need a man in the house.” Monty smirked, knowing that he was hitting a nerve.
“Keep believing that shit if you want to.”
His sons didn’t need to know it but he and Diva hooked up at least once a week. He had never cheated on his wife and he wasn’t about to start. They both had needs and they fulfilled those needs with each other. To his knowledge, he was his wife’s first and only, and he wanted to keep it that way.
“You and Diva need to stop playing and work that shit out,” Fonzo spoke up.
He and his brothers were blessed to grow up in a two-parent home. Not many people their age could say that. Diva and Hank were young parents, but they handled their business. He hated that they were separated at the moment but he was confident that they would get back together.
“We’re good, bruh. I’ll be back home soon,” Hank assured him.
“You keep saying that and ain’t went back yet.” Monty shook his head.
“Stop worrying about me and handle your own shit.” Hank laughed while discreetly pointing to Caprice’s car that had just pulled up.
“Man, fuck! She must have a GPS on my dick or something,” Monty was fussing as his brothers and cousins laughed.
Before he had a chance to get up and go to her, Caprice and her cousin, Sade, were already out of the car heading in their direction.
Dash frowned as they approached, and he made a mental not to call Caprice out on her bullshit.
She was starting to really have him fucked up with the games she played.
“Hey, y’all,” Caprice spoke and waved when she walked up.
Everybody else spoke back while her man looked annoyed. He didn’t even try to hide his disgust and that hurt more than anything. He was like the perfect man behind those four walls, but the real Monty was revealed soon after his release.
“Good evening, everybody. What’s up, Dash?” Sade spoke to everyone but she made sure to call Dash out by name.
Caprice smirked when Hank, Monty and Fonzo all looked at Dash accusingly. It was probably killing them to know that he was on some shady shit behind their precious Clover’s back. Dash was just like every other nigga, and Clover got cheated on just like the next bitch.
“Man, back the fuck up! The fuck you getting all close to a nigga for?” Dash snapped angrily when Sade walked closer to him.
“Damn, I was just speaking.”
“Well, do that shit from over there.”
Sade looked embarrassed, and Caprice felt bad for her cousin. Dash wasn’t shit just like his older brother.
“Let me holla at you right quick, Junior.” Hank walked off, and Dash got up and followed him into the house.
He already knew what was up and he knew that Hank was about to get in his ass. It didn’t take a genius to see that something was up with him and Sade. The shit wasn’t even that deep and she was doing way too much.
“What’s up, Caprice? What you doing around here? Nah, scratch that, how did you even know that I was here?” Monty looked at her sideways. Caprice was gonna get herself busted with the way she moved, but she was always ready to come up with a believable lie.
“I didn’t but I took a chance. I passed by the bar and Diva’s house and didn’t see your car, so I came here next,” Caprice lied effortlessly because she tracked his car to Hank’s house and that was the first and only place that she went to.
“What you looking for me for? What’s good?”
“Here, you left this at home.” Caprice handed him his phone that he’d accidentally left on the kitchen counter. She’d tried, unsuccessfully, to get into it but she didn’t have any luck.
“Preciate it. Come on and let me walk you back to your car.” Monty walked off without even waiting for a reply.
Caprice unlocked her car and waited for her cousin to get inside before she spoke, “Damn, I can’t even get a plate before I go?”
“Nah, this is an all-men gathering. Ain’t no women here.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Clover’s truck pulled up and parked right in front. Dot was riding up front while Diva and Jess sat in the back.
“I guess that rule only applies to me.” Caprice rolled her eyes.
“They ain’t staying here. They just came to drop off some food.”
She highly doubted that but she wasn’t gonna say anything. Dash was too damn clingy to let Clover go anywhere.
“Why didn’t you tell me about your grandmother’s party in Georgia? Am I not invited to that either?” Caprice had been wanting to ask him that but she never got the chance until now.
“You know the saying, not invited, don’t go.” Monty shrugged uncaringly.
“Oh, I got my invite and I’ll definitely be there. It would have been better if I heard it from my man first.”
“You be easy, Caprice. I’m gone.” Monty walked away without so much as a backwards glance.
“Stupid ass,” Caprice mumbled as she got in her car and pulled off.
Monty helped Fonzo get the pans of food out of Clover’s trunk right as Dash and Hank walked outside.
He didn’t know what his brother had going on with Caprice’s hoe ass cousin but he couldn’t wait to ask.
That bitch had more miles on her pussy than a rental car.
He would have been a damn fool to cheat on Clo with her.
“What y’all cooked so far? I’m hungry.” Clover asked as soon as she got out of the car.
Dash was pissed at first, but he was all smiles when he saw Clover.
Hank went in on him about Sade, and he was heated.
Even though he tried to lie, his father knew him well enough to know when he was trying to bullshit him.
His family loved Clover just as much as he did so he didn’t expect anything less.
“Hey beautiful. Where is my baby?” Dash pulled Clover into a hug and kissed her neck.
“She went with Irie and her kids to the bounce house. Me, Diva and Jess were just riding around and passed by Dot. She was on her way over here so we gave her a ride. What did Hank cook? I wanna eat.”
“Me too.” Dash stuck his tongue out and wiggled it, making her blush.
“Later, nasty. We need to hit up the mall to find something to wear for Grandma Leo’s party.”
“Yeah, I know. Come on, Hank just got some steaks and ribs off the grill.”
Clover followed Dash to the back patio where everyone else was at.
Hank had already fixed Diva a plate, and she was sitting down enjoying it.
Two of Jess’ sons were there, along with one of her grandsons who was already begging to leave with her.
She was sitting on Denny’s lap in his wheelchair and their grandson was on her lap.
Although she and Denny were divorced, they remained close friends.
He had two other baby mamas besides her, and they both hated her.
Jess gave him his first two sons and daughter.
Denny was still with the last one but he refused to live with her.
Jess was the only woman that he’d ever lived with, and he was fine with that.
He was a male whore, so he was doing the right thing.
He appreciated Jess for making sure all of his kids knew each other and were close.
His other baby mamas didn’t care one way or the other.
She was the only mature one out of the three, which was why he talked to her the most.
“Where your thot ass friend at, Clo?” Monty asked.
“On your mind obviously,” Clover’s reply made everybody, including Monty, laugh.
“That slut ain’t on my mind. But she better stay up outta my damn dreams though.”
“What?!” Clover looked at him in total confusion.