Chapter 20 Titan
Since Mia was with the girls, I joined the fellas for drinks and a smoke session at Senior’s.
Currently, we were sitting in his man cave in the fucking clouds.
I mean, the room was so smokey, you could barely see shit.
It was eight of us. Everybody had a blunt, and they were all in rotation.
My ass was laid out in the recliner with my feet kicked up, stuck as hell.
“Who said this was a good idea?” Quaid asked beside me. “Y’all are turning me into a pothead. I’ve never smoked this much.”
Maceo chuckled. “You wanted to hang with the big dogs, my nigga. Don’t complain now.”
“Right,” Smoke agreed. “I know you and Jaeda use to burn it down before she got pregnant.”
Quaid grinned. “We did. My baby loved her a good glass of wine, a blunt, and a Lego set after a long day.”
I laughed. “Their asses be in there high as shit, cosplaying. I’d bet money that’s how she got that baby.”
All laughter stopped as Senior and his sons looked at Quaid. My boy was grinning like hell. He didn’t bother to dispute my claims, and he certainly wasn’t bothered by their glares.
“We’re grown and married, and one of those outfits definitely is responsible for the conception of my son. Deal with it.”
He shrugged as he took another pull from the blunt. Smoke picked up a pillow and tossed it at him.
“Keep playing with me about my sister, nigga.”
“I’ll just keep playing with—”
Senior cut Quaid off. “A’ight now. That’s my baby. Don’t get beside yourself.” He shook his head. “I ain’t ready for this shit, man. I just knew my girls would stay single a little bit longer, now both of them are married. I ain’t ready to let go.”
Deuce frowned. “Don’t start that sentimental shit, Senior. You gon’ fuck up my high.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Senior said. “Let me be sad about my babies growing up on me. Just wait until it’s Darlyn with a boyfriend.”
“Darlyn ain’t getting a boyfriend and she ain’t allowed to get married either.”
He said that with all seriousness.
Senior shook his head. “Strict parents create sneaky children. That’s why you have to have an open and honest line of communication with your kids.
That’s not to say they won’t still sneak to do some shit, but at least they know they can come to you.
If you don’t let her date within reason, she’s gonna go behind your back, and that will be an even bigger problem. ”
Deuce waved him off. “I hear you and I understand all that, but she’s my baby girl. You think any of us are about to be around her with our daughters, talking about, Daddy, meet my boyfriend? Fuck outta here!”
Steel shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m okay with Nayelli having a boyfriend when she’s old enough. I just wanna meet the lil’ nigga and his people before I agree. Jaeda will be on standby for background checks.”
Smoke pulled from his blunt before speaking. “Y’all have one girl. I have four. Four! I gotta go through that shit four times and I know JuJu is gonna be the one to test me like no other.”
“Cause she bad as hell!” Maceo said.
“She ain’t bad,” Smoke defended with a grin. “She’s just her daddy’s child. My baby said she has to show y’all her preemie status wasn’t shit. She’s a no-limit soldier. That’s my sensitive lil’ thug.”
“She has one more time to pop me in my head and me and your little thug are gonna fight,” I said. “I let her put them bows in my shit the other day and she jerked the hell outta my head.”
Smoke chuckled. “Be your ass still then.”
“Man, that ain’t nothing,” Jakobi said. “Me and Nay were watching them the other day, and she popped the shit outta me with my wave brush. That’s what I get for letting her little ass help.”
Smoke frowned. “So what I’m hearing is y’all beefing with my baby because of something you willingly let her do? Make that make sense.”
Senior shook his head. “Ain’t no talking to him. He doesn’t see any wrong in that little girl. You’re gonna be her biggest enabler, son.”
“Nah, I won’t. I talk shit, but I correct her.
I don’t know what kind of genes Patrick’s bitch ass had, but they won’t be taking over my baby.
On my mama, I’m erasing every trace of him in her.
He doesn’t deserve any lingering attachments to my daughter.
If I could dig that bitch up and kill him again, I would. ”
“I feel you on that,” I said, taking a sip of my beer. “Some niggas deserve to die a thousand times.”
They all looked at me for a moment. Senior was the first to speak.
“How are you, son?” he asked.
“I’m here. Mia and I are trying to heal while working through our issues and our marriage.”
He nodded. “You know we never had that talk.”
“Let’s get it over with. You know I ain’t a nigga that apologizes for much, but I will apologize for not asking for your blessing or having either of our families present.
We were wrong for that. Shit just happened on a whim.
We were in Vegas, drunk as hell, and watching other people get married in a chapel.
Shit was supposed to be for shits and giggles, but I’d been carrying around her ring all day and thought, why the hell not. ”
“Then y’all kept it a secret for a year,” Deuce said. “If I was the old me and you were the old you, you know we would have had to duke it out over that shit, right?”
I chuckled. “Like I’ve always told you, I ain’t ducking no smoke.
Mia wanted to keep it a secret. I begged for us to put it out there and she refused.
You know your sister and Senior, you know your daughter.
She’s stubborn as a fucking mule. You know how bad I had to beg that girl to tell me she loves me?
I’ve been known that she felt that shit.
She just refused to say it because it made things between us real.
She hates not being in control of everything, including her feelings. ”
Deuce chuckled. “She’s got it honest.”
“Hell yeah,” Smoke agreed. “We’re all like that in some way.”
Senior’s eyes were still on me. “I know the answer, but I need to hear you say it. You love my daughter?”
I looked him square in the eye. “With every fucking breath I have. Maybe I ain’t deserving of her.
Shit, maybe we ain’t deserving of each other, but I love her, flaws and all.
She’s mine and always will be. That’s why I’m fucking up the city behind her and my daughter.
If I have to single-handedly take down every muthafucka over there by myself, I will.
I ain’t stopping until I see the blood of that son of a bitch. ”
“You aren’t alone,” Senior said. “We’ll be right there with you.
He shot my baby girl. I want that back in blood.
” He took a long pull from his blunt. “Maybe I’ll fully get to retire one day.
All y’all muthafuckas stay doing shit. Quaid was the only one who didn’t have my blood pressure up.
I’m too old for this. I’m supposed to be retired and spending my days lounging around in my boxers or taking trips out of the country. Hell, I could date and get married.”
His sons and Jakobi broke into laughter.
“Pop, please,” Smoke said. “You are never gonna settle down with one woman.”
“And that woman ain’t my mama,” Deuce reminded him.
Senior chuckled. “I’m gonna allow you to keep believing that I can’t have your mama back if I wanted to, Deuce. She’s happy. That’s all that matters. You’re the one who keeps bringing her up to me.”
“You know you need a reminder at times, old man. It’s over and done with.”
Senior chuckled as he took a sip of his beer. “Okay, Stanley.”
I stifled a laugh. Deuce looked like he was ready to pop a blood vessel.
I mean, I understood his reservations. His mom was happily married to what I could assume was a good man by the way he was going hard to keep his father away from her.
Ms. Stephanie was fine as shit, even in her older age.
If I was Senior, I’d want that old thing back too. I’d be on my knees begging to do right.
The thought made me chuckle out loud.
“What’s funny?” Deuce asked.
“Nothing, man. Your mama is just fine as hell. I see why he’s still stuck on her.”
“Don’t make me shoot you. I’m just learning to tolerate your ass. Let your wandering eye get you kicked out before you can fully join the brotherhood.”
I smirked. “I’m already here,” I said, pointing at my wedding band.
“I ain’t going anywhere. Besides, you’d have smoke with alot of people behind me, bruh.
It ain’t worth it. We might as well stay on this brotherhood journey.
Not that I care, but y’all are all gonna love me one day, just like y’all love Quaid. ”
Quaid grinned. “They’ll never admit that they love me. It’s cool though, cause their sister loves the fuck outta me.”
It was Smoke’s turn to laugh. “I mean, you allowed yourself to get kidnapped because you were so thirsty behind Jaeda. It’s giving obsessed.”
“I know you ain’t talking,” Quaid said, sitting up. “Need we run your track record with Romi back? As a matter of fact, we can run all of y’all back. Jaeda told me everything. You know, if y’all were ordinary people, you’d be in jail?”
“Sitting right next to your wife,” Senior stated.
Quaid looked at him for a moment before sitting back. “You right, you right. I take it back.”
Jakobi broke into laughter. “I like this nigga. He really be on y’all ass sometimes, man. And he’s funny as fuck.”
“Funny looking,” Smoke countered.
“Bitch, I know somebody like it!” Quaid tossed back at him.
That did it. We were all in stitches. One thing about my brother, if he got too high, he turned into a regular comedian. I’d had my share of laughs with him, just like this. You could never underestimate this man because there were so many layers to him.
Even if the Dillingers hated to admit it, he fit right in with them. While I didn’t care about being well liked by a soul, it was easier to keep the peace than have an infinite beef with my in-laws. They’d grown on me,’ and even if they never say it out loud, I’d grown on them too.