Chapter 26
I moaned as my stylist, Nykia, massaged the shampoo into my scalp.
I needed this so bad. We’d seemed to have an influx of cases the last couple of weeks, and I was always busy.
My self-care days had been few and far between.
I just spent all day at my computer. All I wanted to do was shower and lie my ass down.
When my sisters told me they were planning a girls’ day, I immediately jumped right on it. They probably needed it more than I did since most of them were mothers, but I was happy to tag along.
Nykia giggled. “Feels good?”
“It feels amazing. I so needed this.”
“It has been a while since I’ve seen you.”
“I promise, it won’t be this long again.”
She finished washing and conditioning me, then proceeded to blow dry my hair so she could trim it. While she worked, I checked in on my mama and Emelie, before texting my man. He was out of town this weekend, meeting with a huge potential client, and I missed him something serious.
“Now I see what has you glowing like this,” Nykia said over my shoulder.
“Huh?”
“Huh?” she mocked. “That fine ass man on your lock screen. That’s your boo?”
“Yes. His name is Quaid.”
“I see you, girl. I ain’t mad at you. Shit, I’d be tucked away too.”
I laughed because Quaid and I really were in our own little bubble. We spent so much quality time together. Even if we were just chilling in the house. I felt complete just being in his presence. He brought me out of my shell and gave me a boost of confidence in myself.
Everybody saw and commented on that. Even my brothers liked him, which I was grateful for. They’d welcomed him into the fold but never missed an opportunity to tease him. It was funny until he teased them back, then they started play fighting like big ass kids. It was . . . sweet.
“Um, girl, can you get outta that damn phone,” Mia said. “This is supposed to be togetherness. You can talk to Quaid later.”
“You’re in my business.”
“We’re your business today, boo. Hand it over.”
She held out her hand and wiggled her fingers.
“Girl, go to hell. I miss my man, and I can talk to him if I want.”
“Aht, aht!” Shar said. “If we can go without ours for a few hours, so can you. This is a girls’ day, love. No men allowed.”
I rolled my eyes as I put the phone back in my purse. “Happy?”
“I’m gonna ignore the little attitude. We have nails and feet after this. Then some shopping! My man gave me his black card, so I’m balling out!”
I shook my head. “Like you don’t ball out on a regular basis on his behalf.”
“Don’t be a hater because your brother worships me, boo.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever, Sharina. My man loves me too.”
“Oh, we know he does.”
Something about the way she said that made me raise an eyebrow. It didn’t help that the rest of the girls were smiling hard as hell.
“Have y’all been talking to my man about me?” I asked.
Salima waved me off. “Girl, he talks to your brothers about you, and you know they come tell us everything. That man is obsessed with you. He loves you like your brothers love us.”
I blushed. “He’s not crazy like my brothers.”
Shar kissed her teeth. “About you, you’d be surprised what he’d do.”
I might could agree with her there. Quaid and I hadn’t been put in many situations where he had to act out of character, but that wasn’t to say he wouldn’t. If push came to shove, I was sure he would protect me.
We finished up at the hair salon and then headed to the nail shop.
I decided on a classic French manicure for my nails and toes.
Cute but simple. I also opted to get my eyebrows and lashes done since the other girls did the same.
It had been a long time since I did a full pamper day, so I might as well go with the flow.
After leaving the salon, we headed to the downtown boutiques to do a little shopping.
Most of my money was spent on electronics and my hobbies, but when I decided to shop, I would shop , shop.
As soon as we got into my favorite boutique, I branched off from the girls to look through the clothes racks.
They didn’t tell me where we were going for dinner, but Shar mentioned she had a taste for something expensive.
Nine times out of ten, that meant we had to dress up.
A couple different things caught my eye.
As I hung the dresses over my arm to try on, Mia came over and bumped me.
When I looked over at her, she was smiling big.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing. I just wanted to tell you how much I love you. I know we didn’t get the chance to grow up together, and I’ve always hated that.
But since I’ve been around, you’ve never made me feel like anything less than a sister.
That means a lot to me, Jaeda. I don’t have female friends.
Never have, actually. I’ve always been one of the boys, .
. . having to be hard or having to prove myself.
I get to be soft for a little while. That started with you. ”
I stared at her for a moment. “Bitch, are you okay? Why are you being so sentimental today—are you pregnant?”
“Bitch, how does me being sentimental equate to being pregnant? See, this is why I don’t show you hos love.”
She tried to walk off, but I pulled her into a hug, laughing as I did. She playfully put up a fight but quickly gave in and hugged me. This was my little sister, and I loved her dearly.
I kissed her cheek a couple times before holding her away from me.
“You know you’re my bestie, Mia. You work my nerves like your brothers, but there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Whether we were raised together or not, you are my sister, my blood. Nothing can ever change that.”
She kissed my cheek. “Promise me we will always be this close.”
“Always. Now, tell me which one of these dresses is gonna make my ass look fat. I wanna send pictures to my man.”
She laughed. “I’m loving this side of you. Who knew getting a man and some dick would boost your ego? Let me see these dresses.”
After going through them, I decided to try on this sexy red number.
It was a halter style dress that plunged low in the front, and my entire back was out.
The dress stopped at my ankles and exposed a good bit of my left thigh.
When I came out of the dressing room, the girls caused a ruckus in the store.
They were clapping and cheering, making me blush hard as hell.
“Honey, you look flawless,” Romi said, hand over her heart.
Salima snapped her fingers. “Ain’t a bitch badder.”
Shar turned me around and slapped my ass. “You know you can’t wear any panties with this, right? Let that thang jiggle when you walk. And by walk, I mean strut, bitch.”
“This is my sister, y’all!” Mia announced to the whole store. “Can we get a little commotion for the dress?”
The nearby shoppers clapped and snapped their fingers too. A few of them shouted compliments that had me blushing even harder.
“I have some red heels that would pair perfectly with this,” Shar said. “You have to know that I love you because I haven’t even worn them yet. We all packed bags so we can get dressed at your house when we leave here. Are y’all down for a little pregaming before dinner?”
My brows furrowed. “You and pregaming are never a good thing because we always end up drunk as hell.”
She laughed. “I promise I will act right this time. Now, after dinner is a different story. We are going to take full advantage of not having these kids.”
“They haven’t bothered y’all yet?” I asked.
They all shook their heads no.
Salima smirked. “We might have threatened them. We take care of these kids, day in and day out. When they are out on missions, guess who has the children? Us. Well, that’s if their grandfather or grandmothers don’t come snatch them up.
They can hold down the fort for a day. Trust me, they will be rewarded tonight. ”
I shook my head because men were such simple creatures. It was crazy that years ago, sex didn’t impress my brothers. Where one female wouldn’t do it, another one would. They weren’t pressed about commitment or never even thought about getting married.
Smoke even said he couldn’t see himself sliding in the same pussy every day for the rest of his life. Now they were completely obsessed with their wives and what was between their legs. It was funny how the times changed.
After taking a full two hours to get ready, the girls and I hopped into Shar’s car and headed back into town. I had to admit we were looking fine as hell. I was never one to like attention, but I knew we would turn some heads.
When we pulled up to Imperial Bistro, the place looked like it was closed. The shades were down, and there wasn’t the typical line to get in.
“Are you sure this place is open?” I asked, looking around as we got out.
“Yes,” Mia answered without giving much context to anything else.
Shar gave the valet her keys and walked up to the front door.
She gave a light tap, and a few seconds later, the door cracked open.
I watched as she whispered loudly to whoever was on the other side.
There was this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was going on.
I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew it was something.
She turned to us with a smile. “Come on.”
The door opened wider, and we headed inside. The entrance was dimly lit with candles and blocked off by a long row of curtains.
“What’s going on?” I asked, stopping.
“Girl, bring your ass,” Mia said, grabbing my hand.
She pulled me forward until we got to the end.
While the rest of them went through the curtain, I was told to stay back.
Impatiently, I waited. My nerves were on ten, and I didn’t know what the hell to expect.
Hearing the curtain open, I looked up to see my father standing there in a suit, looking dapper as hell.
“Daddy? What are you doing here?”
He smiled. “Something I was dreading for a long time until now.”
“What-what do you mean?”