Chapter 3
I jumped at the feeling of a hand on my shoulder.
I’d been knee-deep in my computer for the last two hours, and I hadn’t heard anyone enter my house. Looking back, I saw my father.
“Daddy, you scared me.”
“I’m sorry, princess. I called your name, but you didn’t hear me.”
“Sorry. I was hyper focused. You know how I get.”
“I know.” He pulled me to my feet and wrapped me up in a strong embrace. “You work too hard sometimes, Jaeda. You gotta give yourself a break.”
“I will as soon as I figure this?—”
“No. You’re gonna take one now.”
“But, Daddy?—”
“No buts. Put on some shoes. I want you to take a ride with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“I don’t know yet, but we haven’t had a daddy daughter day in a long time. I want to spend some time with my baby girl.”
I gave him a soft smile. How could I say no to that?
“Okay.”
He kissed my temple, then left the room.
I headed to my bedroom and slipped my feet into my sneakers.
After tossing my essentials into my crossbody, I met him at the front door.
We headed out, and he opened the passenger door of his truck for me to get in.
I had to give him a slight side-eye, because he was never one to open doors.
“You feeling okay, Daddy?” I asked. “When did you become chivalrous?”
“Girl, get in the damn truck.”
I giggled as I climbed in, and he closed the door. Once seated in the driver’s seat, he strapped himself in, cranked up, and pulled off. We drove in silence for about ten minutes before he finally spoke again.
“So . . . what’s been going on with you?”
“Same old, same old. You know I’m boring outside of the family stuff.”
He chuckled. “You aren’t boring. Just reserved. I don’t know where you get that from with parents like me and your mama.”
“Mama’s pregnant.”
“Get the fuck outta here.”
“I swear she is. She told us the other night.”
“Damn. She’s catching up to me.”
“That’s what Steel said.”
“I’ll have to call and tell her congratulations. How’s she feeling?”
“She’s excited. Don’t you go getting any ideas about having another baby. I have too many siblings and kids close enough to be siblings as it is. Y’all are too told to still be going at it like that.”
He laughed out loud. “If the parts work, why not use them?”
I pretended to gag. “That’s nasty.”
“Wait until you get my age, then talk to me. I know you like to be secretive and shit, but are you seeing anybody?”
I threw him a look. “Be for real.”
“Jaeda, . . . baby, you are a beautiful young woman with so much to offer. You deserve to share your life with somebody, princess. What about that guy that works for Titan?—”
“Absolutely not! You see Titan and Mia. If his friends are anything like him, I want no parts of them. He is the last person I’d allow to set me up with anybody. No thanks.”
“Titan ain’t that bad. He’s just a little rough around the edges.”
“And what about your daughter?”
He blew a breath. “You gotta understand how Mia was raised. She was trained with boys who felt like she only got a pass because of who her mother and grandfather were. She had to prove herself to be twice as good as them at a very young age, so of course she’s competitive, combative, and doesn’t take any shit.
She’s softened up a little being here, where she’s treated like an equal. Give her some grace.”
“I’m not the one who has to extend her grace. Your daughter is toxic, and she’s in a toxic situationship with that man. You know he comes on the compound to see her, right?”
“Of course, I know. I keep telling y’all there is nothing y’all do that I don’t see or won’t get back to me.
I’ve learned to let your sister make her own mistakes.
As long as Titan isn’t putting his hands on her or they aren’t out here doing stupid shit to get caught up, I’m just gonna leave it be.
I’ve got eyes on them, though. If you ever start dating, I’ll have eyes on you too. ”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m the good child, remember?”
“The good ones are always good and sneaky. Don’t get you and that young man fucked up.”
I laughed and shook my head. I knew if I ever got a man, he would be all up in my business.
My brothers would be too. They already thought they were an extension of my father when it came to Mia and me.
Maceo, Smoke, and Steel were worse because they all had sisters younger than us.
We didn’t stand a chance, and neither did any man who called themselves dating us.
My father pulled into the parking lot of my favorite electronic store. The kid’s super toy store was right next door. My eyes lit up as I turned to my father.
“Daddy, do you know what you’re doing?”
He chuckled. “About to put a hurting on my wallet. Come on in here and run up a check so we can go get you a new Lego set.”
I was giddy with excitement as we got out of the car and headed inside.
Most people thought my Lego hobby was childish, but it gave me peace.
I put a lot of energy into the family business.
Even when we didn’t have an active mission, I was still working.
My wind down after a long day included a nice hot bubble bath while listening to music and sipping wine.
Once I got out, I did my skin routine and dressed in comfy pajamas before pulling out a Lego set of my choice to complete.
My house had four bedrooms, my office space, and a finished basement.
The basement was a special request when my father had my home built.
It was filled with shelves that displayed my completed Lego collection.
There were also mannequins for my vintage anime costume collection.
The whole room was basically an ode to my childhood.
I had vintage arcade games and collectibles from classic movies and television series.
I kept everything in pristine condition, and nobody was allowed in my space.
My father and I spent about an hour in the tech store.
I ran up a seven-thousand-dollar tab, and he swiped his card without complaints.
After loading everything up, we drove next door to the toy store.
I immediately grabbed a cart because I had my eyes on a few Lego sets that had six thousand pieces.
My father went off by himself in search of a few things for Darlyn.
I made my way through the aisles until I found what I was looking for.
The smile on my face grew as I came upon the Mario collection.
I grabbed a Peach, Mario, and Luigi. As I went to grab the last Toad, my hand touched someone else’s, causing me to look up.
Oh my . . .
I looked up into the face of one of the most beautiful men I’d ever seen.
He stood about one of my brother’s heights, so he was over six feet, with low cut waves.
His milk chocolate skin was smooth and free of blemishes.
Black-framed glasses sat perched on his handsome face.
A beard and mustache combo encased a set of thick lips that looked so very kissable.
My eyes traveled from his face to the toned, muscular biceps of his tattooed arms. His body . . . My God, his body looked amazing, even in clothes. I could tell he was pretty fit and could probably lift me easily. I swore something about him seemed familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on what.
“I’m sorry,” he said, pulling back.
That voice was . . . panty wetting.
When his eyes finally met mine, they widened in what looked like surprise. He swallowed hard.
“It’s the last one,” he said, quickly looking back at the Lego set.
“Oh . . . Well, I guess you can have it.”
“No, no. You were here first. You take it.” He looked around me at my cart. “Looks like you’re starting quite the collection.”
“I actually have a collection already. I just figured these would be more of a challenge.”
He nodded, still avoiding my eyes. “It’s time consuming. I actually just finished Yoshi. It took me about a week.”
“A week for six thousand pieces? That’s impressive.”
He smiled but still didn’t look at me. “I had some free time.”
Just as I went to open my mouth, my father appeared. He frowned at the guy standing next to me.
“You good, baby girl?” he asked, coming to my side.
“Yeah. We were just talking, Daddy. This is the last set like this, and we both kind of want it. He was kind enough to let me have it.”
“Mmm hmm. Well, grab it so we can head back. We have business.”
I picked up the set and placed it in my cart. “I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name.”
“It’s Qu?—”
“Jae, we have to go,” my father said, pulling me away.
“Daddy, that was rude,” I said as he went to self-checkout.
“Nah, I watched him watching you before he came over. I’d hate to have to put a bullet in his ass in the middle of this store.”
He made haste in scanning my items. I stood there with my arms crossed, a little irritated that I didn’t even get the guy’s name.
He seemed a little shy . . . harmless. There was no vibe of danger from him.
Then again, DeWayne’s ass didn’t give me dangerous vibes until he grabbed me in the parking lot.
“I know you aren’t pouting,” my father said with a chuckle.
“Daddy, how do you expect me to find a man if you run them off? I didn’t even get his name.”
“If he has the right intentions, he will immediately introduce himself. You spoke to him for a good five minutes, and the man couldn’t even look you in the eye. That ain’t suspicious to you?”
“He seemed a little shy.”
“He’s too big for that shit,” he mumbled, swiping his card.
“I’m twenty-six and shy as hell. You don’t think I’m too big for that shit?”
He cupped my chin and grinned. “You’re my baby. You can be shy your entire life, and I’ll be okay with that.” He kissed my forehead, then placed the bags in the cart. “Come on. Let’s go get some food.”
“I thought we had business?”
“I lied.”