Zoya
By the time I made it to Menace and Stevie’s villa, I wished I would have called for the golf cart.
A bitch was winded, needed a drink, and I’d even take some food at this point.
The doors were always unlocked so the staff could get in and out when they needed.
The only time the doors were locked were at night, but even then, nobody was getting onto this island without being detected.
There were armed guards with sniper rifles at the highest points of the villas. Goo had to have called Menace before he docked. I turned the knob and wanted to turn around and leave.
“I was gunned down and you’re talking about going back alone?” I heard Stevie’s voice before I could make it towards the kitchen.
She never yelled.
I half expected it to smell like some sort of food cooking, but it smelled like jasmine and bergamot. Duke was seated at the counter while holding Dennis, who was pulling his beard.
Stevie was in workout clothes with one hand on the handle of the fridge, and the other pointing at her husband. Menace was seated at the breakfast nook staring at his wife. He didn’t like when he was the source of her anger.
As crazy as both of them were, they were the most peaceful couple that I knew. They hardly argued and that was admirable being that they spent all of their time together, and had a child.
Babies changed people and I noticed that before I got pregnant. Relationships never lasted once a baby came into play.
Shut the fuck up, Zoya.
Between the religion thing and now thinking how things changed when a baby came into play, I was ready to send this baby back to God. He was a better babysitter than I would be.
“What’s going on?”
They both were so consumed with their argument that they didn’t notice I had come in. Duke handed me my nephew, because he was about to pull more patches from him.
“Hey Dennis,” I kissed his cheek, because his mother didn’t play that kissing in the mouth, which I agreed with.
Stevie finally opened the fridge and grabbed a protein drink out. “Your brother wants to go back to the states alone.”
“I don’t fucking want to go anywhere. I have to go back, Wonder… shit isn’t done.”
She heaved a sigh and walked over towards the window.
“I’m supposed to stay here and drive myself crazy?
Wonder if you’re alive or not… have you taken your medication or eaten.
Maverick, you were nearly on death’s door when you got here.
Dehydrated, malnourished, and on the verge of being a looney tune. ”
I never knew why my brother took medication, just that he took it. It was something that Angie had prepared for him in the mornings. Back then, I didn’t care about anything that he had going on.
“And I got shit done. You don’t fucking shoot at my wife and not get a response.”
She held onto the sink and looked out the window. Out of nowhere, she broke out into a fit of stomps and spun around. “Where does this leave us?”
“You and my son will remain here.”
“No.”
“Wonder, stop this shit.”
She snatched her son from me and looked me in the eyes. Stevie was scared, and she didn’t know how to let him know that. The words weren’t enough to explain how she felt. The fear was deep and rooted in if she would have a husband if he was to return back home.
Her fear was valid.
“Oh, Timmy, at least we’ll have Papa’s land to roam on while he goes back to war to turn into maggot food because he feels he has a point to prove.”
Menace’s hand slammed onto the table, causing me and Stevie to jump.
“I do have a fucking point to prove! They fucking tried to take the only thing that matters! That’s the one and only fucking point that needs to be proved.
I’d prove that shit over and over again!
” he hollered, spit flying from his mouth.
Stevie looked at her husband. “Heard you.”
He swung the chair back, sending it flying into the wall. Dennis started crying, and he looked at his wife and son before he left out the backdoor. I looked between both Stevie and Duke. She nudged her head at the backdoor, telling him to go after him.
“Not about to bother him. This shit not easy on him, Steve-O. You gotta know that shit.”
I heard feet slapping against the marble floors and Don came around the corner holding a towel around his waist, with Navy behind him.
“Papa going back to war,” I randomly blurted.
Navy and Don looked at me confused. “You knew about this?” Stevie asked Landon.
“Yeah, because I’m going back with him.”
“Excuse you?” Navy looked at him.
He was in the middle of Navy and Stevie. “What the fuck do you both want me to do? Sit here and not have his back? Negative.”
“You need to—”
“Pooh, I’m not even trying to hear any of that shit. This is our life and before I change that name, you need to know this is what you signed up for. Will it always be this chaotic, fuck no. But right now, they want his head, and he’s gonna give it to them.”
“I’m pregnant.”
Navy gasped, while Stevie had a small smile. “Oh em gee! I’m gonna be an auntie!” she hugged me.
I was a little touched out today, and every time I said those two words, everyone felt the need to toss their arms around my neck and give me a squeeze. I welcomed it because they were family, but I had to be honest, I was done with the hugs.
“Thank you.”
Don smiled and gave me a big bear hug, kissing my forehead. “I’m about to be an uncle again.”
“Usually what that means, Landon. You ignore the hell out of this one. Zoya, don’t get your hopes up… Dennis is perfect. Hard to compare.”
I snorted, because only our family understood the humor. Anyone else would have been offended, but you had to understand us to know that meant she was happy about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had baby classes lined up for us to attend together.
Mind you, she has never attended a baby class since Dennis had been born. She would just sign up because she knew it would get on my nerves.
“We don’t plan to measure up to the golden lunatic.” I kissed my nephew’s head and then headed toward the backdoor.
“Where you going, Zoya?” Duke asked.
“To the lion’s den, possibly. None of you are going to go after him.” I shrugged, knowing that this could go terribly wrong.
“Gang invited us to have dinner with them and since we have no dinner, me and Dennis are going to walk over there. He can join if he wants, but I doubt he will.” She rolled her eyes.
“Gams… her name is Gams,” I corrected to her.
“That’s what I said. You walking over with me, Navy?”
Navy was wearing a slip, and her hair showed she had been preoccupied before they heard Menace’s outburst.
“I’ll walk over with you, Stevie,” Corleon came down the stairs, holding Estella’s hand.
That little girl loved that man with her entire heart. The entire time he had been gone, she kept telling her mother to look him up. It was amazing to watch how they fostered her curiosity for tech things. Corleon had her in coding camps and afterschool programs, too.
“Hi Stevie!”
“Hey Stellie Bellie… wanna push the stroller?”
She smiled. “Uh huh. Core-Core said we might have a baby of our own soon… from Jeffie.”
My eyes became wide. “Well, I have a baby on the way. No, you cannot have him. Don’t think my husband would like that.”
“Husband?” Duke hollered, and I had half the mind to put his ass in a headlock. The word slipped out.
“I never said that.”
Corleon had the biggest smile on his face as he came near me. “First, you did. Second, congratulations, Zoy.”
He was going to give me a hug, even if I didn’t want one. “Thanks, Core.” I melted into his arms.
“I’ve always wanted this for you, Zoya. Be happy and allow that nigga to love you, ‘cause I know he will. He’s proven himself to you… just let go and be.”
“I’m trying, Core… really hard.” I smiled up at him.
He pinched my cheeks, something he had done since I was younger. “No trying…do. You called that man your husband.”
I pulled away from him. “It was a slip of the tongue… I’ll come to the villa once I’m done here.”
Stevie nodded and headed out with Corleon and Estella. Jeffie had been at the villa with Gams cooking all morning, and Skyler was doing whatever Skyler did. If that phone wasn’t glued to her ear, she was in bed sleep.
I didn’t know where he went, so I looked around the massive yard, and couldn’t find him.
Just when I was about to give up, I spotted him down on the beach.
I stood there for four minutes rubbing my eyes because he couldn’t have been sitting in the damn sand.
Menace hated anything with mess and seeing him sitting in the midst of the mess had me confused.
As I stood at the top of the beach, I battled with myself. Did I want to go and talk with him alone? We were always misunderstanding each other, and that worried me. There wasn’t anyone here to play mediator if this turned wrong. It was just the two of us alone, and he was already heated.
I was about to turn back around when I felt hands around me. “Go, Boobie.”
I turned in his arms and stared up at him. He stood there, beautiful, and fully in love with me. Corleon was right, I was no longer trying to love this man. I was in love with him and showing him.
“What if we end up arguing and making things worse?”
He kissed my lips and removed my hair from my face. “Won’t know unless you go and have that conversation with him. I do know that he loves the shit out of you. He may have kept shit from you, but that was because he didn’t want to cause more pain for you.”
“Yeah.”
Goo stroked my face and smiled at me. “You so beautiful, Boobie.”
“Beautiful enough to be pushing a brand new Wraithe?”
He kissed my lips before gently mushing me away from him. “Gyal must tink mi shit money.”
I laughed. “Come get me in twenty minutes… he might have choked and buried me out there.”
“I got you.”
Recommendation: Listen to “One Man Can Change the World” by Big Sean ft John Legend