Chapter 9 #2
“Fuck you,” I said, shoving her.
“Speaking of fucking,” Renay said, leaning forward. “Did you get some?”
I scoffed. “No. Y’all thought I was gonna sleep with that man on the first date?”
Shar snickered. “Technically, it was the second. I mean, I sat on your brother’s face the first time he came over to my apartment.” She pointed at Salima. “This one let your brother finger bang her in a room full of people?—”
“Oh my God!” Romi and Renay exclaimed.
Salima kissed her teeth. “Now why are you bringing up old shit!”
“It’s relevant. The point is, you have autonomy over your body. If you wanna fuck that man, fuck him.”
“If y’all’s husbands have anything to do with it, I won’t be fucking anybody. Where the hell were y’all when they broke in my house to wait for me last night?”
Kaylynn laughed. “Oooo, no they didn’t.”
“Yes they did. Deuce opened the door in the middle of us kissing?—”
All of them screamed, and I had to roll my eyes.
“It’s not that serious for all of that.”
“Yes it is!” Salima declared. “You’ve graduated from kissing Shar.”
“What!”
This time, that was Romi, Renay, and Kaylynn.
“Does Maceo know you were kissing his sister?” Renay asked.
“We weren’t kissing,” I defended. “It was just a peck on the lips, . . . my first one. And there won’t be any more of that. Y’all know how her and Maceo get down.”
Shar flipped her hair over her shoulders. “How do you think I got this ring?” she asked, flashing the rock on her finger. “I might cook and clean, but it’s this cat that brings him back.”
She twerked a little in her seat, causing everybody to laugh.
Kaylynn grinned as she said, “You know, Sharina, if you wanted to kiss somebody, I was always down for the cause.”
Shar rolled her eyes. “Kaylynn, baby, you wouldn’t know what to do with me or my pussy. Let’s start there.”
“Can we please change the subject,” I begged.
Mia shook her head. “No. ’Cause I’m not speaking to Titan, so I haven’t gotten the date from Quaid’s point of view. Go on. Spill the beans. How was it?”
I blushed as I told them about my time with Quaid. The smile on my face was ever present. Talking about him right now had me anxious to have dinner with him on Friday.
“It was just a great time,” I concluded. “I really like him.”
They all smiled.
“I’m happy for you,” Shar said sincerely. “I’ve never seen you smile like this. After all those talks we had, it does my heart good to see you with someone you like and who genuinely likes you.”
Salima nodded in agreement. “I don’t know many men that would want to date a woman after she had them kidnapped.”
Mia laughed. “Pot, meet kettle. Deuce held you at gunpoint, and you married him.”
Renay waved her hands. “Wait a damn minute. We need to start over. I need origin stories at this point because y’all have been in some crazy shit. Am I the only person that met my man in a normal, drama-free setting?”
Renay was currently dating my cousin Jakobi. She met him at my grandmother’s birthday party. Once he made the move to approach her, they’d been locked in ever since. I had to say that they were the most normal couple out of everybody here.
“Don’t come for us,” Romi said. “And by the way, Devin and I were friends first.”
“That friendship went out the window the moment you felt his dick on your stomach during your training session.”
Romi laughed hard. “Stop! You’re gonna make me pee on myself. You know I have a weak bladder with these babies.”
Renay giggled. “I’m just saying. Anyway! So are you looking forward to going to his place, Jaeda?”
I nervously ran my hands down my thighs. “I’m having a little anxiety about it. Not because of him. I think I can trust him. It’s just, . . . it’ll be different being alone with him. What if I run out of shit to say?”
Mia playfully pushed me. “Just talk about your nerdy shit. That should keep y’all busy for a while.”
“I just wanna see what this man looks like,” Shar said. “I mean, you kicked us out before we could meet him, and we all couldn’t get a clear view from the window with these big ass trees.”
“Y’all were watching me!” I exclaimed.
They looked at each other then at me before a unanimous “Yes!” went up around the room. I shook my head as I pulled out my phone. Quaid and I had snapped a few pictures during dinner and during our carriage ride. Going to my photos, I turned the phone so everyone could see.
“Damn!” Renay said, fanning herself. “Nerds didn’t look like that when I was in school.”
“You’re literally twenty-nine,” Romi countered. “It wasn’t that long ago.”
“Exactly.”
Romi laughed. “When I think sexy nerd, I think about this guy name Declan from one of my favorite eroticas. Of course, he was the virgin, and she was the experienced one. Wait, is he a virgin?”
Renay giggled. “If he isn’t, I know his ass puts down some dick.”
Shar nodded at my sister. “Ask Titan, Mia.”
“Um, no. First of all, I wouldn’t ask that man about another man’s dick. Second, I told you we aren’t talking right now. I don’t wanna see his face or hear his voice . . . fucking bastard.”
I shook my head. I really wanted her to let this toxic shit with him go.
It wasn’t that I didn’t like Titan. Truthfully, I didn’t know the man outside of what Mia and now Quaid told me.
I just didn’t like seeing her beside herself over him.
She would never admit it, but she loved him.
Love like that didn’t ever have to find me.
“He’s not a virgin, y’all,” I finally said.
“Then let’s just hope he knows what he’s doing when the time comes,” Shar said.
We sat talking for a little longer before my front door opened, and in walked Deuce and Smoke, both wearing frowns.
“Can we help you?” I asked, matching the frowns they wore.
Deuce ignored me as he looked at Salima.
“Wifey, I thought you said you were going to take a nap.”
Smoked looked at Romi. “So did you. You know the doctor said you needed to take it easy.”
Romi groaned. “I’m literally sitting on the couch. My feet are up, and I’m hydrated. I’m fine and so are the babies.”
“Y’all are hardheaded as hell,” Smoke mumbled.
Salima rolled her eyes. “Y’all are really doing the most. We’re pregnant, not handicapped. It’s not even like we walked over here. We drove the golf cart.”
Deuce chuckled. “You funny. Salima, look at your belly. You don’t need to be driving shit. You’re about to have my son any day now. You need to be resting.”
“I’m tired of resting, Stanley.”
“Well, that’s too damn bad. Come on. I’m not about to argue?—”
“I’m not arguing!” she yelled. “I just wanted some time with my girls away from you and your overbearing ass.”
I could tell that hurt his feelings. My brother loved his wife more than anything in this world. He seemed to love her even more when she was pregnant. His overprotectiveness shifted into high gear.
Salima’s face softened as she looked at him.
“I’m sorry. That was too much.”
Deuce shrugged. “You good.”
“No. I can tell that stung, and I’m sorry.
” She reached for his hands, and he helped her up.
“You just have to relax, baby. You’ve been breathing down my neck more and more the closer we get to my due date.
I promise, I’m being careful with our son.
But . . . if it will make you feel better, I will go take a nap. ”
She cupped his face and kissed his lips. Romi sighed as she reached for Smoke’s hand.
“I guess I’ll go too,” she said.
Just as she stood to her feet, there was a loud splash that made everybody stop and look at Salima.
“Oh my God . . .” she whispered. “My water just broke.”