18. Her Peace
Her Peace
When I woke up the next morning, not alone, not in that nigga’s crib, and having my girl in my arms, I knew that all the bullshit we had goin’ on in our lives was over.
I watched Islah as she slept. She had a slight smile on her face and was still glowing, like always.
I snuck outta bed, shaking my head at myself, and went into the living room and turned on the TV, wanting to know what the actual temperature was in that damn city, and Gio’s house was plastered on the screen.
A house near the hills was on fire, and fire marshals had said that they had found a body, but they had no leads at this time.
I listened as I rolled up to what people nearby had to say. Nobody knew Gio. All they knew was that it had sold, but they never saw who bought it. I smiled to myself, loving how shit worked in my favor.
As I looked toward the room, looking at her tossing and turning all over the bed, I felt so damn complete.
I finished rolling up and ordered us some breakfast, just as I heard a knock at the door; then it swung open with Keith and Sammy walking in.
“Nigga, how the fuck y’all get in my shit?” I asked.
“I took ya extra key,” Keith responded like it was nothing.
I laughed and passed him the blunt.
“You good?” Sammy asked. “Islah good?”
I nodded. “I’m good, and Islah is still sleeping. I just got her some food.”
While sitting there with them, I checked on Amir and the store, making sure everything was moving the way it was supposed to when Islah came out of the room looking like an angel straight outta heaven.
She didn’t do anything or wasn’t wearing anything special.
That’s just how she looked to me all the time.
She came over and gave me a good morning kiss before sitting down, cuddling up in my arms.
Keith and Sammy asked how she was feeling, told her how glad they were that she was home, then Keith looked at me.
“You look calmer, boss.”
“Because I am. We can spend a few more days here then get back to the A and get back on track.”
“Actually, baby,” Islah said. “I wanted us to go home sooner, but I wanted to do one thing first. Can we do that today?”
I nodded. “Whatever you want, mamas, we can do.”
She smiled. “Cool, I’ma go holla at my girls real quick.”
Once she walked out the door, Sammy gave me a look.
“The fuck is wrong with you?” I asked him.
“You think she’s really okay?”
“Oh, I know she isn’t,” I responded. “I’m just waiting for her to tell me.”
“You think y’all still getting married?” Keith chimed in.
“That’s not the question. The question is when, but I want her to heal from this. We haven’t really talked about what all happened, but I can tell her head is busy.”
The next knock at the door was our room service. My niggas left, and I hit Kenya’s phone, telling Islah her food was here.
When she came back, I let her in the room with a flower in my hand from one of the arrangements I had dropped off and handed it to her while kissing her hand.
“Come on, wifey, let’s get this food to my baby and then hit this hot ass city.”
As she ate, she told me how she wanted to leave Cali that night. How she was ready to get back to her life, but I knew it was more than that.
I hopped on the phone and bought plane tickets for all of us.
“It’s done,” I said, hoping that would soothe whatever it was on her mind that she didn’t want to tell me yet.
She stood up with a smile. “I’ma get dressed.”
I nodded and watched her walk off. My girl was home, but her mind was on another planet. I kept my thoughts to myself and went into the room behind her, pulling out some clothes while she looked over everything that I bought her.
“You got me everything I could think I need.”
I smiled. “That’s what I’m supposed to do, right?”
Islah laughed. “Yes, but a nigga that actually steps like you is rare… I am blessed.”
“Nahh, mamas, I am the blessed one. The shit I have done in my life, I probably was sent Jada as a punishment and got you in the end.”
I took Islah by her hand and led her to the bathroom, and she started the shower.
We did our normal routine, then I turned on some music, and we hopped in the shower together.
As I washed her off, she swayed side to side, rubbing her growing belly. We didn’t need to talk. Feeling each other was all that was needed while stealing kisses in between.
Once we were done and dressed, we were about to walk out the door when I reached for Islah’s hand, and she took the car keys from me.
“Can I drive? I want to take you somewhere.”
I opened the door for her.
“Let’s get it then.”
In the car, Islah didn’t tell me where we were going, but she skated through the traffic like it was nothing in the truck.
“Ohh, let me find out I got me a driver.”
She shrugged. “I can do a lil’ one two through this shit.”
For the most part, Islah was in a good mood. She danced to the music, held my hand, and talked ’bout what she wanted to do with Amir when we got home, but that all changed when she pulled up to a house.
She stared at it as she parked.
“Where the fuck are we? Do I need to take care of somebody else?”
She laughed. “No, Love, come on.”
We got out of the car and walked up to the door, but instead of knocking, she walked in.
“Mom, Dad,” she yelled out.
I looked at her crazy, but left it alone. I’m always ready.
As I stood there holding her hand, her parents came around the corner. They were old but looked good, and Islah was her mother’s twin.
“Islah, what are you doing here?” her mom asked.
“And are you pregnant?” her father asked.
She nodded. “It’s a lot that I need to tell y’all, but I wanted y’all to meet Love, my fiancé.”
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Walker. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Her father looked me up and down. “Yeah, we will see, nigga. Come and sit down.”
My parents turned around, and I looked at Islah, and she chuckled as she grabbed my hand, and we followed behind them to their dining room.
As we sat around the table, her parents looked at us while I was looking at her.
“Well, I am here because Gio—”
“He didn’t leave you alone?” her mom asked, cutting her off.
“He didn’t, and Mom, Dad, I am so sorry that my issues with him were brought to y’all’s doorstep. Mommy, I am so sorry for what he did to you. And I needed to tell you that in person because it was that bad. I don’t know what I would have done if he had taken his anger for me out on y’all.”
Her mom smiled. “Baby, I don’t give a damn about that boy. I am covered. I am just surprised that he didn’t leave you alone. You see that mess on TV, but knowing your child dealt with it, that is scary.”
We agreed with her mom.
“Love told him to leave me alone; I told him, our friends told him. He didn’t listen. He turned into somebody I didn’t even know. He took me from a club, held me hostage in a hotel for days, then brought me here, trying to take me from Love. He was mad that I was choosing Love over him.”
Her parents looked at her like she was lying about the shit, but I kept assuring them that she was speaking facts. They didn’t even know what to say.
“But Love came… He came from Atlanta and found me, and before we went back home, I needed y’all to meet him.”
“I don’t think that’s right, baby.” Her parents looked at me along with her, and I continued, “Mrs. and Mr. Walker, I didn’t know we were coming here today.
If so, I would have come with something, so I’ma say this…
I love Islah with all my heart. Y’all raised a beautiful, smart, loving woman that I am so glad to have in my life.
My son loves her. She’s giving me another child, and I am giving her the life and the love that she deserves.
And because of that, I know this is not in order, but I want y’all’s blessing. ”
Her dad smirked. “And if I say no, would that change anything?”
I nodded at him while thinking about my words, trying to keep things respectful.
“To be honest, sir, no. I love her. I crossed the country for her, and if I had to do it all again just to have her, I would. Over and over again.”
Her dad looked at her mom.
“Was that good enough for you?” he asked her.
She laughed. “Was it good enough?! I was trying to hold back tears! Of course, you have our blessing.”
I smiled while Islah grabbed me and pulled me in to kiss my cheek.
Her father stood up with his hand out, and I followed suit, shaking his hand. “Thank you for bringing my daughter home.”
“Always, sir,” I responded.
We sat back down, and his father looked at her.
“I never liked Gio for you. This man right here! That’s a real man. I told you a long time ago, Gio was a boy!”
The rest of the time there was good. We exchanged numbers and told them we would be letting them know about the wedding soon.
When we walked outta there, I rested my arm on Islah’s shoulder.
“What do you think?” she asked.
I laughed a lil’ bit. “I think you should have listened to yo’ daddy and left that clown a long time ago.”
We both laughed, hopping in the car.
“I know. I was scared I would find better.”
I looked at her. “And what happened?”
She smiled hard. “I got the realist nigga alive.”
I clapped it up. “That’s what I want to hear.”
“One more stop, then we can get ready to leave?”
“Whatever you want to do, mamas, I am in your world.”
Islah pulled off, and I rested my hand on her thigh, watching her move through the streets while I smoked, looking at her.
After a while, we made it out to Crenshaw.
“You going to holla at Bully?” I asked.
She raised her brow at me. “How you know this area?”
I sat up. “Because I listen when my girl talks. I remember where you told me y’all stayed. I pulled up over here and found Bully. How else do you think I found the house?”
She nodded. “My nigga smart, my nigga smart.”
We laughed, pulling into the parking lot and hopped out, just as Bully was walking out of his crib.
“BULLY!” she yelled out.
That big nigga smiled. “Mannn, is this how you tell me my nigga gone?”
Islah nodded.
Bully walked down to us, hugged Islah, and dapped me up while looking her over.
“Are you okay? That nigga wasn’t listening to none of us. We told him to leave you alone.”
“I am okay,” Islah responded. “I’m not 100 percent, but for the most part I am good.”
That was the first time she admitted she wasn’t all the way good.
“Listen, I am just glad you’re away from that nigga. And Love, man, you my nigga, you did your big one for her!”
I nodded. “Always, I’m never letting off her.”
“We are about to go back to Atlanta,” Islah expressed. “But before we left, I wanted to see you and tell you thank you for looking out for me.”
Bully pulled Islah in for another hug. “You will always be sis. RIP to that clown, but the hood was tired of him.”
“That man got what he needed,” I chimed in. “He’s in the best place for him.”
Bully laughed. “You are ruthless, but I fuck with it. I pray y’all have a happy marriage, no more crazy shit like this again. Sis, you deserve to be happy.”
We chopped it up with him for a lil’ bit, then made our way back to the hotel, making sure everybody else was getting ready to leave. Once they were all back in our room, Islah stood off to the side, looking out the window, not talking to any of us.
I walked up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist.
“Are you okay?”
She exhaled softly. “I am just ready to leave.”
I pulled her away from the window. “Let’s go then, our son waiting.”