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“Come on now, beautiful. You know I ain’t going for that.”

Her long lashes blinked up at him, softening beneath his gaze. The love she felt was visible and made him want to kiss her, but the last thing his homies needed was some more fuel to add to their already messy fire.

“Your sister Slim Goody for real?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re a lawyer? Like a real one?”

She nodded again.

“She’s the one that got Blue out,” Pat praised her. “She’s the real deal.”

Wale’s eyes shot to her. “So, that means you can help me with my drug case?”

“Me too. Can you be mine too? I got a gun case pending, with some gang charges and shit. I’m just out on bond, and I don’t want that lazy ass public defender. I can tell by the way she wears her glasses that she’s gon’ get my ass jammed up.” Yayo interjected, expressing his interest loudly.

“She’s not here to be y’all lil’ worker bee. Call her office and schedule an appointment. Pay her, then y’all can talk. Until then, let my girl rest.”

“Definitely do what Zurich said, and I got all y’all.” She winked before pulling away to walk toward the house. “I’ll wait on you inside, baby.”

“Aye, hold on, Miss. Forever. Call your sister for me,” Wale’s young face gleamed with a mischievous smile. “I’m a fan.”

“Hell yeah, she fine as a muthafucka!” Rico openly agreed.

“Both of y’all are,” another gang member mumbled, putting Blue on high alert, but since he couldn’t see who’d saidit, only hearing laughter in its place, he just shook his head and zoned back in on Forever.

“Baby, hurry up and call her so you can go in the house before I fuck somebody up.”

“Why? All we said was that they fine… I meant that Slim Goody was fine,” Yayo burst into laughter when Pat slapped him across the back of the head playfully.

“Thank y’all, but she’s fine and married,” Forever smiled while pulling her phone out. “I’ll call her, though. Just don’t say nothing crazy if my brother-in-law is around, she’s gon’ cuss y’all out if you do.”

“Been handing my ass to me since I met her,” Blue agreed while watching Forever’s ringing phone.

He wanted to laugh at how quiet all the men had gotten, waiting on Goody to answer. Seconds later, the call picked up.

“Oooh, where you going looking all sexy, Sista?” Forever’s ghetto girl drawl came out as she admired Goody’s made-up face on the screen.

The long green hair was straight with a part down the middle, while her nails and eyeshadow matched. The black robe she had on showed she was preparing to go somewhere, while the heavy iced out necklace did whatever the robe didn’t do.

“You know I perform for Megan’s tour tonight, but don’t worry about me. Where you been? You looking just as pretty. Let me find out you down there getting fine for that Haitian.”

“And is! Been in the city with my man all day, girl!”

“My man, my man, my man! I know that’s right, bitch!” Goody squealed, making Forever cackle with her.

Blue loved how Forever’s whole demeanor changed when talking to her sister and cousin. She was so homely and down to earth with them that it made him see her in a normal light.Something that never happened because he didn’t see her being like everybody else. Ever. She was in a league of her own.

“Where Jerrico?”

“Dropping Jerrica off with Mrs. Sofia. Why?”

“Because Blue’s friends wanted to say hi.”

The way Forever’s dialect could go from white to black so quickly and without effort was one of Blue’s favorite things about her.

“Oh, shit now! Tell them I said what’s good?”