Chapter 26
Three Months Later
“Where are you taking me, Cocoa Puffs? I told you I wanted to stay home for my birthday. You and the kids are the only people I care about spending time with.” Keynauri fussed in the passenger seat.
He still hated surprises, and I still didn’t give a damn. We had been planning this for a while, and I decided since his birthday was coming up, we would do everything all at once. I lied and told him we were going to dinner with a few folks, and he was not happy.
Keynauri was the only celebrity I knew who preferred to be in the house.
If he wasn’t performing or working, he was at home, right under the kids and me.
There were no complaints on my end, but I never wanted him to feel like he couldn’t go out and enjoy himself.
He claimed it wasn’t something he wanted to do, so I never pushed the issue.
I loved living in his skin as much as he loved living in mine.
“Why can’t you sit back and relax? Be a good passenger princess and let big mama handle everything.” I tittered, reaching out for his hand.
“Stop playin’ with me. I ain’t no damn passenger princess. Now, where the hell are we going? You’ve passed all of the restaurants we normally go to, so what’s going on?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. Fix your face and stop pouting. You’re over there looking like your bratty ass kids.”
“Man, say. Don’t even try me. You know I don’t like surprises.
The only reason I agreed to get in the car was that you’re the one who planned it.
Plus, I checked Logic and East’s locations, and those niggas are in the same place,” he admitted.
I gave the fellas strict orders not to tell him anything because he would try to spoil it.
“You sound a little stalkerish if you ask me. How do you know they aren’t hanging out somewhere together that doesn’t have anything to do with you?”
Keynauri gave me the “yeah, right” look, and I burst into a fit of giggles.
He wasn’t wrong because the three of them were still as thick as thieves.
We were like one blended family. They were over our house all the time when they weren’t traveling with Keynauri.
Honestly, I loved to see them all together.
Childhood friendships rarely lasted after high school, but those three were inseparable.
Keynauri hadn’t fully adjusted to East and Lyric being an item, but I gave him credit for trying.
He dealt with a lot of guilt concerning his sister, and the two of them were both in therapy.
Keynauri declined at first, but once he realized it was something she needed, he agreed to participate.
Some days, he would come home silent and reclusive, but I could tell it was helping.
We all went through a lot as children, and there was nothing wrong with seeking help in order to heal.
After my heart-to-heart with Lyric, I understood her relationship with East a lot more. According to her, East had been her rock through some of the darkest times in her life, and I knew exactly where she was coming from. East was her person, just as Keynauri was mine.
The GPS called out the final instructions, and I realized we made it to our destination. Keynauri and I both peeped all the cars, and I could feel his anxiety spike.
“Don’t worry. I promise you it isn’t as bad as you think. You trust me, right?”
Our eyes locked, and his shoulders visibly relaxed.
“I do.”
“Then you know I would never do anything to hurt you or make you uncomfortable. Let’s go.”
Keynauri got out of the car and came around to the driver's side.
I learned a long time ago not to go against him on certain things.
Keynauri was very traditional when it came to how he handled his children and me, and I loved it.
He was teaching Keyaire those same traits, and it made my heart swell with pride and gratitude.
“You look amazing, baby.” Keynauri admired my dress once more before grabbing my hand.
“I must be looking extra delectable tonight because you’ve been complimenting me for the last hour.
I debated on whether I wanted to wear this dress because I feel so huge in everything I put on,” I complained.
I was nearing my fifth month of pregnancy, and my belly seemed to have grown overnight.
Keynauri was obsessed with it, while I was trying my best to adjust to the changes.
When I was pregnant with the twins, my belly took a while to show, and even then, I carried small.
This baby, on the other hand, did not waste any time making its appearance.
You would have thought I was carrying twins for how big my belly was, but the doctors confirmed there was only one active little boy in there.
The kids were all excited about the new addition, Keyaire more than anyone else.
The moment he found out we were having another boy, he did a bunch of cartwheels in the living room.
He was tired of being outnumbered by all the girls in the house.
Lyric was also having a boy, so he was over the moon.
“You look perfect, and I don’t know why you’re being so hard on yourself. You’re literally building my lil’ homie from scratch. I think you’re the finest woman walking the Earth, and pregnancy has only enhanced your beauty in my opinion.”
“Thank you, baby. I still feel like Fat Bastard from Austin Powers, but I appreciate the fact that you love me regardless.”
“Alright, now. You’ve got me at this big ass house I’ve never been to before, and you still haven’t told me where we are. Do I need to grab my strap from the glove compartment?”
I would have laughed, but his face told me he meant what he said.
“No, silly. You don’t need any weapons. Security is in the building. Plus, you already know Ren and Stimpy are not gonna let you go anywhere without making sure the place is secure.”
Logic refused to come if he couldn’t bring his gun, so we made exceptions for him and East, along with the security team.
“Damn fuckin’ right. We don’t go anywhere without our shit. You never know what may pop off, and I’ll lay out the whole party if anyone tries anything with you.”
“Calm down, Killa Key. No one is gonna do anything to me. This is a day of celebration, so come and let’s go inside.”
I sent a message to let them know we were outside. Keynauri’s palms were sweating, and I found it hilarious. My man did not play about keeping me safe. He wouldn’t even let me go to the grocery store without a guard, and he still kept me on the phone until I could get back home.
Nova called him obsessed, but I didn’t mind.
He wanted to make sure his family was safe, and I couldn’t blame him.
After the debacle with Golden Richie, he began receiving hate mail and threatening messages.
People were doxing our address and leaking our phone numbers for weeks.
It became so bad that Keynauri temporarily moved us into a house in a rural area that no one knew about while he got a gate installed at our house.
Fatima advised him to let her handle it, but Keynauri didn’t think she was moving fast enough.
Instead, I took matters into my own hands.
For days, I messaged Golden from Keynauri’s phone, apologizing for leaving her hanging.
I told her he really cared about her and realized he had made a mistake.
Her desperate ass couldn’t even see she was being played.
Nova and I impersonated him until she admitted to lying about the pregnancy and miscarriage.
She claimed that her best friend, Kelton, advised her to do it so she could get more sympathy, and that he was also the one who recorded them in the dressing room.
She also acknowledged that they never had sex, but she was hoping that would change soon.
After we gathered all the information, we leaked those messages on a popular tea page.
Keynauri hated the drama, but he was happy when the drama ended.
Despite all the hell her lies caused, it also came with some benefits.
Keynauri’s album skyrocketed to the top of the charts and remained there for several months.
Keynauri and I both gained followers on all platforms, and his music blew up even more.
A part of me wanted to thank her because she was the reason our children would be set for years to come, but she wasn’t worth it.
“It’s about time y’all showed up. You know I’m not friendly enough to be a hostess.” Spinz beamed as he held the door open for us. Keynauri’s eyes dashed between the two of us. I giggled seeing the genuine confusion on his face.
“Come on.” I led him inside the house, and as soon as we stepped inside, my mouth dropped in awe. Although it was my vision, the party planner’s execution exceeded my expectations. The balloon arches were beautifully crafted, and the black-and-gold color scheme gave off an elegant vibe.
“What is all of this?” Keynauri whispered as he stepped further into the house.
“You’ll see.” I lifted his hand and kissed the back of it.
When we stepped into the main room, it was filled with all our closest family and friends, including some from high school.
His team was also in attendance, along with everyone who contributed to his first album.
Well, not everyone, because Que was not on the guest list. He made several attempts to reach out to me, but I declined.
At one point, he became aggressive and showed up at my old house, tearing it up.
Keynauri told me he would take care of things, and a few days later, Que was on the news after being shot in a drive-by shooting.
He survived, but he was wheelchair bound.
I never heard from him again, and I never bothered to ask Keynauri what he did because it was none of my business.