Zoya
“Now how in the hell…” I whispered when I saw Kobe and Syn hop out the back of a black SUV.
Stevie and Dennis had already boarded the jet, and I was standing by the stairs waiting for everyone else to arrive.
Blair called and told me that she wasn’t too far away.
Kobe pulled both his and Syn’s suitcase from the back.
He was dressed like he walked into his closet and tossed anything that he could find on.
His natural curly hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and not moist like it usually was.
Kobe usually wore concealer under his eyes because he had dark circles. I could tell he didn’t have any on. Not even his lips were juicy from his overuse of lip gloss.
“Girl, we heard what happened. Havoc and Syn were over my house for brunch when Sim called him,” he said, as he tossed his arms around me, and patted my back. “I know you had to be terrified, Honey.”
The staff took both he and Syn’s luggage and went to put it on the jet. “How does brunch end up with you both having luggage?”
Kobe finished squeezing me, then kissed both my cheeks and laughed while Syn was wrapping up her conversation on the phone.
“Wow, Zoya. I’m trying to be there for you and all you can focus on is why I’m here.”
Despite feeling like I was going to vomit with worry, I needed the laugh that Kobe provided in this moment.
“If you want a free trip and another jet ride, say that.”
“And do. What do the accommodations look like? This Caselli money… I know we about to be eating goodt.” He rolled his neck.
Syn came and hugged me. “Hey Zoy… this was all his idea.”
“If you didn’t agree to be my surrogate, I would have left you behind.” He side-eyed her and climbed up the remaining steps.
I looked between him and Syn confused. “Huh?”
“Long story. Everything good with you?” she checked.
“Other than worried, I’m alright.”
She rubbed my shoulder. “If there is one thing those men do, it’s handle business. Then, they’ll be right on their way to their families.”
“You’re right.”
“Don’t stress yourself too much, okay?” She looked at me, then up the steps where Kobe was already waiting.
“Girl, go and get the damn champagne.”
Syn started laughing and headed up the rest of the steps. I watched as Blair’s red G-wagon pulled behind the SUV, and she hopped out. She went to grab the kids from the back. Elijah grabbed the bags, helping his mother. Blair had changed the clothes she wore at the party.
A red corvette whipped behind Blair’s truck.
Mina hopped out and started helping her with the kids. Gams exited from the passenger side of Blair’s truck and grabbed her bags while walking over toward me.
“Hi Sweetness.”
“Hi Gams.” I gave her a hug as she stared into my eyes like she was trying to figure out what was different with me.
“Everything all good?”
“Yes ma’am.”
She cupped the side of my face. “Alright.”
Out the corner of my eye, I could see the staff pulling Don’s jet from the hangar, which meant Navy was in route to us.
Elijah ran over with the bags in his hands, and the staff took them from him. “Hey, Auntie Zoy.”
“Hey, Eli… ready to go on vacation?”
“I still have to do schoolwork. Mom called my teacher on the way here, and she’s emailing it over.”
I laughed because he didn’t care that he was about to board a jet or have fun with his cousins. He was concerned about the schoolwork that he would have to complete while being in paradise.
“You see how me and Auntie Capri are attorneys, right?”
“Uh huh.”
“And how Uncle Hassan and Uncle Meer both have degrees? Uncle Hassan is a doctor and Uncle Meer is—”
“A RN!” Elijah blurted.
“Meer is not a nurse, Elijah.”
Elijah looked around to see where his mother was. “No, he’s a real nigga.”
My eyes widened. “He told you that?”
He smirked, and I shook my head because Quameer Inferno had no damn sense. Even if God came down and handed it to him, he still wouldn’t have none.
“Well, you see how we all have degrees?”
“Yeah.” He was trying to see where I was going with this, because he wanted me to be upset with him about this work he had to complete.
“We all had to do schoolwork and look at us… we finished. Get your schoolwork done, and then you’ll have so much fun after.”
“I guess,” he sulked and boarded the jet.
Mina carried Zayah in her car seat and smiled. “Hey, Zoya... you alright?”
“Hey, Mina! As good as I can be right now. You coming, too?”
“Nah. Just making sure my grandbabies got here safe, so we can meet with Papa and Sim.”
“We?”
“Blair,” she nodded behind her, as she continued up the steps.
I watched as Blair walked over. “B, what are you not telling me?”
“That I’m not coming with you. I’m going to come later with Capri and everyone else.”
“Girl, your husband literally told y—”
“I don’t give a shit what he told me. I’m not getting on that plane until my family is with me. I’m tired of being the victim. I’m his wife, and I need to be at his side.”
I understood her position. She was Queen Inferno, and although it took her some time to step into her role, she was now ready to stand in her position alongside her family.
“We’ve spoken about this a lot of times.”
“You out of all people know how I feel. I promise we’re going to come behind you, and then we’ll relax.” She smiled at me and pulled me into a hug.
“Fine. Please be safe, B.”
Duke was grabbing the rest of Stevie and Dennis’ things when she came to the door.
“Duke, go with Mavie.”
He handed off the rest of their things to the staff and then looked over at Stevie. “Steve-O, he wants me with you… already know that. Following orders.”
“And you follow orders from either Mavie, or me, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then, I’m not asking as Steve-O. I’m telling you as Mrs. Caselli. Go with my husband and make sure he’s protected. Pull him in when he goes too far. Corleon is his right hand and you’re his left. I need my husband, Duke. We need him.”
Duke nodded. “Heard you, Mrs. Caselli.”
“Please be careful, Duke. Navy said Jett is on the way with her,” Stevie called behind him, as he made his way to the truck. He didn’t need anyone to tell him where Menace was.
If there was another person, aside from Corleon, who could find Menace, it was Duke. Like Stevie said, Duke was Menace’s left hand and someone he trusted with his life.
Mina came down the steps, and Blair went onto the jet to kiss her kids goodbye. I could only imagine how sad she was to send them off and stay behind. I watched as a Maybach truck drove across the runway with a Bentley truck following close behind it.
Cappadonna hopped out the driver’s seat of the Maybach, and then Capone the Bentley.
Erin and Alaia both got out, with Jean in the back seat of the Maybach.
The staff rushed over and grabbed their bags from the back, while Cappadonna kissed his wife on the lips a bunch of times.
He held her face and kissed her lips while staring into her eyes.
She was his entire world.
Promise got out the back of the car with Jean’s help, while the twins were running behind her. Erin unloaded Cooper, Cee-Cee, and Rory from her truck.
I watched in horror at all the kids playing around before getting on this jet. This jet with me… a woman who didn’t do kids. A full flight with children and babies sounded like a nightmare.
I mean, I loved the kids, but there were so many of them. Overstimulation had nothing on the Delgato kids. Promise headed toward me and I almost wanted to hide. That little girl was tough, and secretly she scared me.
“Hi Tee-Tee Zoy.”
I smiled at her. “Hey, Promise. You ready to go on a trip?”
She looked at me and struggled to climb up the steps. When I tried to help her, she gave me a look that could kill. “I do it, Teetee.”
I backed up and allowed her to continue up the steps, although she was struggling.
“And when you fall, you better not start hollering, Promise.” Alaia came over with her purse, and another bag on her arm.
“I nots!” she hollered back, still struggling with that same step.
“Girl, don’t have no damn kids,” she playfully joked, watching her daughter to make sure she didn’t fall up the steps with her stubborn self.
“Too late,” I muttered, and Alaia nearly snapped her neck to look me in the face. How the fuck she heard what I said was beyond me.
“Alhamdulillah! Zoya, I’m so hap—”
I bawled her lips up before she could go on. “How the hell did you even hear me in the first place?”
“Girl, I’m a mother of three kids and a grand quack. I hear every damn thing.”
“We haven’t told anyone yet…we both agreed not to tell anyone right now,” I damn near pleaded with her.
Goo wanted to tell his mother before anyone, and I wanted to break the news to Menace. I don’t know why I felt like he should have been the first person to know from my side, but something inside me told me to tell him.
Maybe because I was around when we found out Stevie was pregnant, so I wanted to keep the fake tradition in our family.
“It’s not my business to tell. I am so happy for you… just wanna scream it to the world.” She stomped in joy. “Oh, and Zoya?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t you ever ball my damn lips up. I’ll drop kick you, k?” she winked, as Capp carried over the boys.
“Give Daddy a kiss and behave right?”
They both kissed their father’s cheek, and he put them down.
“Good,” Captain said, staring up at his father.
“You need to be having that conversation with your daughter.” Alaia looked up at her husband, and he kissed her cheek.
“Stop.”
“What?”
“That worried look, Joy.”
“Can you blame me?”
“Nah, but you know Daddy always comes home. Call me soon as you land, okay?”
She hugged her husband, as she said something to him, while he kissed her nose. They went to the side while Mina remained.
“You’re worried about Blair.”
“I am.”
Mina walked closer to me. “She’s in that range more than me and Capri combined. Feels like she has something to prove and I don’t blame her for feeling that way. Quasim takes her, or she goes alone. Even got the razor down.” Mina laughed to herself.
“This girl was ducking in the back of cars, Mina.”