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“I won’t.”

“Good. Bring your ass. We ain’t got all day to be sitting up here waiting on you.”

She snickered and ended the call just as Jerrico and Goody came strolling back up the hallway. They both looked refreshed but wore guilty smirks. Forever allowed her squinted eyes to scrutinize them for a moment before smiling and standing from her chair.

“I don’t have time to lecture y’all nasty behinds today. Let’s go.”

“Bitch, you wasn’t gon’ lecture me and my man anyway. This my house and that’s my dick, and hoe you know the rest so I ain’t got to say it.”

Forever faced Goody with her nose turned up on one side before looking at Jerrico. “You deserve so much better.”

He chuckled with Goody laughing along with him. “That mouth is terrible, but this my baby mama and I’ma stick beside her.”

The three of them continued their banter until they were out of the house and in the driveway, ready to leave. Them in Jerrico’s car, and her climbing into Blue’s gigantic truck. Another request from him. They trailed each other to thecourthouse, with Forever thanking God the entire way. She’d been prepared to take on the trial alone, but with the family members that she had, they wouldn’t allow it.

From Goody and Jerrico to her other cousin, who was more like a sister, Eternity. She was Calvary’s fiancée and the wild card of the crew, which was hard to be anytime Goody was around, but Forever loved them. They were so necessary to her sanity, and they didn’t even know it.

“Oh Lord,” Forever mumbled as her stomach flipped again.

She’d just turned into the courthouse parking lot, and all she wanted to do was vomit, but decided to pray instead. In her most earnest moments, she prayed to God in her mind as she found a park and prepared to get out. Once she was out with everything she needed, she met her family and two other people on the stairs. They were near Calvary, laughing comfortably.

Forever smiled when the dark-skinned boy rubbed the girl’s stomach before leaning over to kiss it. The smile on her face was the kind that made you want to be happy simply because she was happy. Anybody with eyes could see that not only were they together, but they were in love. Though the dark-skinned man’s hand was no longer on her stomach, it was still wrapped around her.

With her being a little on the heavy side, his arm didn’t go completely around her waist, but his grasp and facial expression displayed there was no other place he’d rather be, and judging from the way the woman kept laughing, she felt the same. It was truly beautiful and just what Forever needed to push her way up the stairs. She wanted to be in love like that.

In front of her were three couples that had found their soulmate, and if God loved her the way she felt he did, hopefully, she’d found hers as well. Goody and Jerrico, Calvaryand Eternity, and the other unknown couple all looked to be enthralled in deep conversation with each other and were holding onto their person in some sort of manner while doing so. Forever’s heart was bursting.

Me next, please, God.She sent one more plea to Heaven before approaching them. “We partying or what?”

Everyone looked at her with the dark-skinned dude responding first. “Hell yeah, we are! It’s a party anytime a real nigga is set free,” he slapped hands with Calvary. “Especially when the nigga gang!”

“Oh, now he gang? Not too long ago he was that Crip nigga Blue,” the woman smiled in his direction.

“Stop bringing up old shit, Moo. He my nigga now, even if he is a Crip with his bitch ass.”

His tone was so comical that they all ended up laughing at him.

“Forever, this is Auto and Nova. They met Blue on the yard,” Calvary introduced.

Auto looked her up and down with a light smirk on his face. “I know her lil’ skinny ass. Gang showed her to me a few times.”

Forever was visibly taken aback by his comment on her size and was sure the frown on her face showed it.

“Nigga, don’t be calling my sister skinny like that,” Goody intervened. “You don’t know her.”

“Who gon’ do something about it?” He mugged Goody just as Jerrico sidestepped in front of her.

“Y’all please excuse my husband, he’s not wrapped too tight,” Nova smiled at Goody and Forever while nudging Auto’s shoulder. “What did I tell you in the car?”

Forever tried to laugh when Auto looked at Nova as if he was a scolded child. Anybody with eyes could see that something smart was on the tip of his tongue, but he bit it back.

“You always trying to be on some sweet shit, Moo, and I don’t know the fuck why,” he pecked her cheek before looking between Goody and Forever. “My fault y’all, I didn’t mean no disrespect. I just like big bitches, so I say rude shit about skinny women from time to time.”

“Is that an apology?” Jerrico asked, clearly disgusted with Auto’s commentary.

Auto chuckled with Calvary joining. “From this nigga it is. Trust me. Like his wife said, he’s crazy as fuck for real.”

“For real, for real,” Auto agreed.