Chapter 18
MAJA
“You and Heir decided to wait until I left the country to show y’all whole asses,” Poppa fussed. Heir and I were sleeping peacefully when he laid on the doorbell until we answered the door. Poppa entered our house with a scowl on his face, and Mama was by his side.
“Well—”
Poppa shot Heir a death glare that made her shut her mouth. “You ran off wit’ the opps,” he said to her, then glanced at me. “And you ran off to the fuckin’ woods, wit’ the ops. Yo’ fuckin’ phone wouldn’t even pick up a signal. What the fuck is goin’ on?”
“Babe…” Mama touched Poppa’s arm. He gave her the same look he gave Heir. Mama scratched the back of her head and found something else to look at besides her husband.
“I can explain,” Heir stated. Poppa positioned his arms over his broad chest and tilted his head, impatiently. “It wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I was living in the moment.”
Poppa’s face screwed up even more. “That’s all you got?
” Sheepishly, Heir shrugged, causing Poppa to sigh in frustration.
“Aight, look. What’s done is done, and as much as it pains me, y’all are grown.
I may not agree with everything y’all do, but it’s my job to protect y’all.
Not only are the two of you heiresses, but I love y’all to the muthafuckin’ grave. ”
Heir and I embraced Poppa. Having him in our lives proved that all men weren’t the same. His steady strength and unwavering love ensured that Heir and I always knew he had our backs.
“If it makes you feel better, this thing with Kody isn’t a thing at all. Maja, on the other hand, spent the entire weekend with that man.”
Poppa grumbled under his breath as I glared at Heir for throwing me under the bus. Unashamed, she grinned proudly.
“You think this is funny?” Poppa asked Heir.
“You do realize the position you put Adir in, right?” His statement wiped the smile off Heir’s face.
He closed Heir’s partially opened mouth.
“Exactly. This isn’t a game. The McAroy and Bell families have a truce in place.
Don’t let that shit go up in flames just because you want to live in the moment.
” He dropped a kiss on Heir’s forehead, then mine. “I love y’all.”
“Love you, too.”
“Love you, Poppa.”
Heir and I agreed on that. Our love for him was cemented in our need to make him proud.
Once he and Mama left, Heir and I stood in the foyer, mulling over our recent decisions.
I didn’t go as far as she did, but I still understood where Poppa came from.
He wanted me to be accessible at all times.
I didn’t give him that courtesy by being off in the woods.
“You almost got us killed,” Heir joked.
“Oh, hush,” I grumbled and stalked off toward my room to prepare myself for work. Hopefully, being at the office kept my mind off Von. He’d saturated my dreams until they were shattered by Poppa’s arrival. Now I was more irritated than hearing the doorbell incessantly ringing.
For the first time in my life, a man who wasn’t my mark dominated my thoughts. And he was a man who wore a badge. Hell was surely developing ice.
***
Around noon, Heir and I walked to the Burger Shack. Contrary to what I’d hoped, work didn’t distract me from thinking about Von. It didn’t help that he stayed on my line, periodically checking on me as the day progressed.
As we walked inside Burger Shack, seeing a familiar face caused me to wave. Iyana cheerfully waved back.
“Hey, girl!” she spoke to me. “How are you?”
“I’m great, thanks. This is my sister—”
“Heir!” Iyana interjected. “Wow, we’ve never officially met, but I’ve seen you around. You’re fine as hell, girl.”
“Thanks,” Heir replied with a gracious grin.
Iyana waved her off. “It’s nothing to be honest and pay another beautiful woman a compliment. That’s one of my favorite pastimes.”
Heir and I chuckled, then Heir asked, “Are you dining in? You can join us for lunch.”
Iyana pouted. “No, not today. Unfortunately, this is my man’s favorite burger spot, and he sent me over to pick up his order. As a matter of fact, I better hurry along before he starts blowing up my phone.” She laughed at her own humor while Heir and I exchanged glances.
“Well, it was good seeing you again,” I said as she grabbed her order from the waitress.
“You, too, girl.” On her way out the door, she waved. “Y’all behave!”
Chuckling, Heir and I waved back, then followed the waitress to a seat. Minutes later, the skin on the back of my neck stood to attention. Paranoid, I discreetly scanned the restaurant for any signs of danger. As my eyes skimmed past the entrance, my stomach fell into my ass.
Dressed in tailored black slacks, a crisp black button-down tucked neatly into his slacks, and expensive designer black sneakers, Von strutted his sexy, tall ass toward my table.
What gave me pause and had my mouth parted in surprise was the low braided bun he wore, and the freshly groomed face he owned.
Then, there was the bouquet of flowers tucked in his large hand.
“Ooh,” Heir mumbled. “Mm, mm, mm. That man knows damn well how fine he is,” she said under her breath as he slid into the booth next to me. Swiftly, he leaned over to peck my lips.
“‘Sup, Heir?” Von spoke.
“Hey, Vonshae,” she sang.
He chuckled and leaned over to kiss my lips. “Hey, baby,” he said between another kiss.
I accepted the delightful flowers, picked up my mouth and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I stopped by Dr. Bell & Associates to see you only to be told you were here.”
“Oh,” I muttered. Bringing the bouquet to my nose, I hid a smile behind the petals, but Heir still noticed the gleam in my eyes. She wiggled her eyebrows at me, which I ignored. And although the flowers were aromatic, they didn’t cancel out the smell of Von’s cologne.
“Is this a ladies only lunch, or can I join?” Von asked.
“Ladies only—”
Heir cut me off. “You can join us.” She bumped fists with Von.
“I appreciate you, sis-in-law,” he stated.
Heir’s eyebrows shot up, and her eyes widened. Pointedly, she glanced at me. I turned my nose up at her and side-eyed Von. Heir’s phone rang, and judging by the look on her face, it was someone she didn’t want to talk to. She silenced her phone, then peered at Von.
“So, Von, what made you decide to be a detective?” Heir quizzed. She sat her chin on her fist and listened with rapt attention. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear she was smitten by Von.
Unashamed, he replied, “It was either a badge or strippin’.”
Heir’s eyes lit up with intrigue. “Seriously?”
“Unfortunately,” I mumbled as Von nodded.
“How exciting!” Heir exclaimed.
Sighing, I flipped my menu open and fished over which burger I wanted while Von and Heir discussed Von’s sexcapades.
His arm ended up around my shoulders, and as he settled in, I thoughtlessly tucked my fingers in his hand.
By the time the thought occurred to disengage my fingers from his, he had a hold on me that stayed long after lunch was over.