Chapter 30
EARLIER
“Damn, that shit is nice!”
I whistled as I stared at the diamond ring sitting before me. After leaving my lunch with Emmy, I was going to pick up Steph, but she said Maddie would drop her off because she was coming to see Mia and TJ. That came at the perfect time because Jakobi called to tell me my order was ready.
The four-carat princess cut ring was everything I knew it would be when I approached my nephew about it months ago. There was nobody I trusted with this process more than him.
“You’re satisfied?”
“Kobi, I don’t think you could have done any better. This is perfect, man.”
He smiled and dapped me up. “I’m happy for you, Unc.
I don’t get in too many people’s business, even family.
But I’ve been watching you over the years.
Once you got to fully retire, I saw you trying to better yourself as a man.
You were patient when it came to Ms. Stephanie.
I know everyone clowns you about that woman, but you did right by her this time around.
You were a friend when she needed it. I have hella respect for you for that, old man.
My heart wouldn’t have let me let the love of my life be without me. ”
I chuckled. “Wisdom comes with age, nephew. I appreciate that.”
“So, when is the big day?”
“About that…”
His brows furrowed as he stared at me. “What about it?”
“I don’t wanna just propose. I want to plan the wedding of her dreams.”
He chuckled. “Are you sure she’s gonna say yes?”
“This is lucky number seven.”
“Seven? Shiiiiit, After the first no, I don’t know if I would have asked again. You thirsty as hell for that lady.”
I laughed. “I guess I am.”
“What is it about her, Unc? After all these years.”
I sat back in the chair across from him and thought for a moment. That was a loaded question.
“You ever seen something and it’s like God and the universe pulled it right out of your wildest dreams?”
He chuckled. “My wife and daughter.”
His and Renay’s surrogate had given birth to their daughter Nadia last month and she was the cutest, chubbiest, most perfect little girl. They were so in love with her, and I was happy for them.
“That’s how I feel about Stephanie. The first time I saw her as a jit, a nigga was mesmerized. It wasn’t just because she was pretty and I was a hormonal teenager. It was her aura… her confidence, her heart. Steph’s heart was always pure.
“For all the bad I’ve done in the world, having her heart made me feel like I was worthy of something good.
The way that she loves unconditionally, even when you don’t deserve that shit is something special.
She’s patient. Kind but not a soft ass pushover.
Baby might be nice, but she’ll give you your shit right back.
“She’s a light at the end of some very long, dark days. I’ve never loved another woman the way I love her. My heart doesn’t function right without that. Getting to love her has been my greatest blessing next to my kids, man.”
“I can tell. You be showing all thirty-two teeth when she’s around. I’m surprised Deuce ain’t crash out.”
“He wanted to, but my son had to realize there wasn’t shit he could do to stop me and his mama from being together. That’s my soulmate. I firmly believe that no matter what, we were always going to end up spending the rest of our days together.”
“You have a lot of faith and patience, Unc. I can’t wait to see you pull this off.”
I stood and dapped him up. “Watch me work, nephew.”
Presently
I walked into my mother’s home and could hear her fussing in her native tongue.
She must have been talking to her sister.
Whenever they got on the phone, they were either laughing or fussing.
There was no in between. I walked into the kitchen to find her with the phone propped up, whipping up what I knew was her famous chocolate chip cookies.
Every week she made a big ass batch so the kids could grab a few when they came over.
I stood in the entryway with a smile on my face. How lucky was I to still have my mother at my age? I was vastly approaching sixty, and she was still vibrant in her early eighties and had the youth of a woman several years her junior.
She looked up and saw me and smiled.
“Your nephew here. Let me call you back. Love you too.”
She ended the call as I entered the kitchen.
“Hey, Stanley.”
“Hey, pretty lady.” I hugged her and kissed her cheeks. “How you doing?” I asked, snatching a cookie.
She slapped my hand. “I’m good. Just talking to your aunt about taking a trip back home. It’s been a while since we’ve gone.”
“It has. Let me know when y’all wanna go. I’ll charter a plane for you. My girl has to fly in style.”
She playfully rolled her eyes. “Thank you. Where’s my girl?”
“Brunch date with her ‘sister wives’,” I said, chuckling. “She might be home now. Maddie was supposed to bring her.”
“Lord, I never thought I’d see the day those two were so friendly. Miracles happen.”
“They do.”
“Now, if they had torn up my kitchen when they had that little conversation, I was gonna come out of retirement and whip all three of your asses.”
“What I do!”
“You started this shit, Stanley. All you had to do was learn to balance the street shit with your home life. Your father and I gave you and Blake a solid foundation. You had so many people up under you that you didn’t have to be in the mix as much as you were.”
“I couldn’t trust those people, Ma. I needed to make sure shit was on the up and up.”
“We trusted them. Everybody that worked for us were vetted and knew what was expected of them when we passed this shit to you and Blake. Even with that being said, we kept our grass low enough to see the snakes.”
“It wasn’t just that, Ma. Back then, I felt like the game was a birthright. I hated to disappoint you and Pops by telling y’all I didn’t want to do it.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry you didn’t think you had a choice.
Honestly, Stanley, I wish your father and I had done a lot of things differently when it came to you boys.
I wish we’d given you a chance to have the childhood my great-grandbabies have.
You had no business in the streets so young.
Blake… he would have ended up there, regardless.
He wanted to be everything your father was.
But you… you were destined for something greater, and you achieved that.
” She cupped my face and stared up at me.
“I’m so proud of you, Stanley. I know your father was, too. ”
The mention of my father being proud of me took me back to a dream I had just a few nights ago. Before the shit with Mia in Paris, my father had never come to me in my dreams. Him coming to my baby when she needed him most let me know that he was watching us.
During that time, I spoke to him and God more than I ever had. I thought I was going to lose my baby, if not from the bullet, then by her own hands. My father came to me and told me everything was going to be okay with Mia. He wouldn’t let her go into the light.
Since then, he visited me every so often. When he came the other night, we were sitting in my sunroom. I’d gone in there to roll myself a blunt and he was sitting there smoking one and rocking in my chair.
“Good shit, son,” he said, with a hearty chuckle. “Y’all still have the best strands this side of the state.”
“You know it.” I took a seat next to him. “How are you, Dad?”
“Well, the good thing about being dead, there’s no pain.
Just a little sadness. I’m missing my family.
Sometimes it feels like I’m right back in my body with the sickness.
Wanting to say something and not being able to find the words.
” He took a pull from the blunt and smiled.
“Eden keeps me good company. She’s the only one of my great-grands I get to bond with.
Well, her and TJ. She made sure we kept a good eye on baby boy until he was ready to make his entrance.
I have to visit my boy every now and then to make sure he’s good. ”
“He’s giving them hell, just like his mama and daddy.”
“What about you? You good?”
“I’m great actually.”
“I see you and Stephanie finally got things together. It’s about damn time.”
I chuckled. “I know, I know. It’s long overdue.”
“It is. I’m happy for you. You deserve this and I know how long you’ve been trying to make things work.
I’m proud of you. Not just for your growth with her, but for the man you’ve become over the years.
I realized I didn’t really give you and Blake a chance to choose anything else.
I was wrong for that and I’m sorry, son.
” He reached out and grabbed my hand. “What you’ve done with the organization…
the government contracts, the amount of people you’ve saved and families you’ve reunited…
it’s more than I ever could have done. You showed your old man there was more than one way to eat. ”
“Thanks, Dad.”
He smiled and damn, I missed that smile. “No problem.” He rocked for a moment then looked over at me. “Sooo… Daxon and Sevyn. You’re in for a journey with those two.”
My brows furrowed. “You know something?”
“I know a lot. In due time you’ll know too. That Sevyn’s a tough cookie.”
“I figured that.”
“Don’t worry. She can handle herself. What she can’t handle, she’s got a ruthless one at her side that’s coming hard behind her.”
The way he said that was very telling. What was it telling, I don’t know. I just had a feeling that ruthless one wasn’t any of us.
The sound of the front door opening broke my thoughts. I looked up to see my son walking into the kitchen. He moved to hug and kiss his grandmother before stealing a cookie and earning a slap on the hand.
“Like father, like son,” she fussed.
Deuce chuckled as he approached me for a hug. “Sup, old man. Whatchu asked me over here for?”
“I uh… I wanted to run something by the both of you.”
I motioned them over to the kitchen table. My mother put the next batch of cookies in the oven then joined us. My son stared at me as he munched on the stolen sweet.
“You ain’t dying, are you?” he asked.
“What? No. Why the hell would you ask that?”
“Your face looks serious, man.”
I shook my head as I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring box, setting it before them. My mother picked it up and when she opened the lid, her eyes widened.
“Stanley,” she whispered. “This is… oh my, this is beautiful.”
She handed the box to Deuce and even his eyes widened.
“This custom?” he asked.
“Yep. Picked it up from Kobi today.”
“When are you proposing?”
“Well… even though I don’t need your permission, I’m gonna ask because I know how much she means to you and there is no one else to ask for her hand in marriage.
I love her, Deuce. I can humble myself and promise you that I’m gonna give your mother the world.
Whatever days we have left on this earth will be filled with nothing but peace, love, and happiness for as long as I’m here to give that to her.
She’s my person. My heart, my fucking soul.
I’ve waited a long time to get this peace of my heart back and I promise you I’ll never fumble it again. ”
He stared at me. I was a little shocked to see the tears pooling in the corners of his eyes, but I didn’t bring attention to it.
“You promise you’re gonna take care of her?”
“Yes.”
“Do right by her?”
“Yes.”
“Put her first?”
“Always.”
He stood and walked over in front of me, extending his hand. When I took it, he pulled me to my feet and embraced me tightly.
“You got my blessing, old man. I’m trusting you with my favorite girl. Don’t fuck this shit up.”
I chuckled as I kissed his head. “Trust me son. I won’t.”