Page 77

Eden scoffed. “Heard it on the radio this morning, headed to the set. Hosting drug-fueled orgies or whatever else under your agency’s name is crazy. Part of me feels bad for Mac'Roy, but then I don’t. He sat back passively and let Nativia run his brand into the ground because of ego.”

“Pride is the devil.”

Eden scrunched her nose. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because maybe if I can try and work shit out with my mother, you can too.” Maximus’ suggestion was out of pure intention.

Eden scoffed and rolled her eyes. “You think she’s going to own anything?”

“You’ll never know until you go talk to her. At the very least, get the answers you need so you can move on. You can’t focus on healing me when you need it too.”

“I hate when you’re right.” She retreated her hand and picked up another article of clothes to fold. Maximus reached over and placed her hand back where she had it.

“It ain’t about being right, E. It’s about that life we’re bringing into the world.

And the other kids we’ll have. That one and the rest of them are deserving of whole parents so we can break the cycle of dysfunctional parents.

What is it going to hurt to get the answers and closure you need?

If you decide at the end of it that you’re better off without her, that’s fine, take your answers and closures and bury it. ”

“I like how you didn’t add anything else to that.”

“Mmmhmm, because I know you.”

“Are you going to at least take me up there? You know, for moral support. I’m going to need a hug and some food after she pisses me off.”

“Keon, Brody, and I will be sitting across the street while you and Staysha handle your business. Deal?”

“Deal. Give me a kiss.”

Maximus obliged her with a deep kiss, missing her lips on his. “Aight, that’s enough, we got to get this house back right. I can’t take it.”

“Me neither. Maybe we should look into someone coming in when our schedules are like this. I’ve walked by the laundry room every night and got overwhelmed.”

“I know that and all the boxes from your apartment. The agency will be here in a couple of days, but we can’t have them thinking we live like this.”

“Oh, look at you. Cleaning for the cleaning people.”

Maximus chuckled. “Soundin’ like I'm the lady of the house or some shit.”

“You’re a clean freak, you like shit straight. I get it. The way we’ve been running around, this ain’t it.”

Maximus started to talk, then paused after hearing her stomach rumble. “You eat today?”

Eden rose her brows and continued to fold clothes.

“E,” he rumbled.

“Hm?” she buzzed, giving him a subtle side eye.

“You huh you can hear. You eat today?”

“Does a muffin in the green room count?”

“Hell no,” he grumbled, standing up the piles of clothes tumbling over. “Leave ‘em, I’ll get them when we get back. Let’s go.”

“Where we going?”

“To feed you and our seed,” he stated. “A damn muffin.”

“It was a busy day,” Eden whined, dragging her tired body over to where he stood.

Maximus didn’t respond. He only shook his head.

In the car, Eden settled into the seat. “Where you taking me?”

“Lex. You said you wanted oxtails the other day, you get oxtails.”

“Keep it up, I’ll think you love me,” Eden said with a giggle, prompting Maximus to lace his fingers in hers and kiss the back of her hand as he backed out of the garage.

“That’s exactly what I want you to think. When I touch you, kiss you, taste you, inhale you, lead you, follow you, stalk you...all that, I want you to know that. Feel that shit in your core. ‘Cause I feel you.”

“That’s what got you folding clothes.”

“It’s going to keep me folding clothes, too.”

The ride to Lex was short, the traffic on their side of town dying down.

When they walked in, they were immediately seated, and Maximus was hyper-vigilant.

Most of the patrons didn’t care about who’d just walked in.

However, there were a handful of people who pointed, stared, and chatted amongst themselves about everyone’s couple goals.

That didn’t bother him, what bothered him was the woman at the bar, lowly recording them.

Eden sensed his frustration and looked in the direction holding his attention. Eden squinted. “Is that...”

“Anzel’s receptionist?”

“My damn cousin,” Eden huffed, scooting out of the booth. “Order my food, please.”

The way Eden cooly exited the booth threw Maximus off. He should’ve been following her to the bar to pick her up and return her to their booth.

“Aysha,” Eden grunted, snatching the phone from her hand. “The fuck are you recording me for?”

Aysha reached for her phone, but Eden turned her back as she deleted what was recorded and scrolled through her camera roll. Every single photo in the camera roll was of Eden and Maximus. By the time Maximus realized that Aysha was about to get an oops upside her head, Eden was in her face.

“You’ve been following us around and sending these to the blog? What kind of shit are you on? Helping my momma steal Poppi wasn’t enough for your scary ass?”

“Eden, she made me,” Aysha spoke, trying not to stutter or cry.

“She didn’t make you do shit you didn’t want to do,” Eden gritted, pressing her finger against her nose. “You mean to tell me ain’t no thoughts behind those eyes? How is she still making you do something?”

Aysha, embarrassed that she’d turned into Anzel’s lap dog, looked around at all the eyes on them. “Because the feds couldn’t take it. Word on the Street isn’t registered to her. It’s in my name, and all the money goes to her. It’s paying her lawyer fees and keeping money on her books.”

Feeling Maximus behind her, she handed him the phone and continued to fuss and point her finger in Aysha’s face. Grace and class were out of the window. Aysha was blood and for some reason, could never do right by someone who’d always done right by her.

“You two bitches deserve each other. You’re pathetic.

It’s one thing to follow me, it’s another to write bullshit about me and my man when I was the one saving your ass from walking the track for some East Side niggas.

Lucky, I'm pregnant and I can’t whoop yo ass the way I want.

Bitch, if I could, I’d drag yo stupid ass through every block in Trae Way.

Oh, but believe me, karma is coming for you.

And she’s going to beat your ass with eighty-seven rolls of quarters in a sock. ”

Eden left Aysha at the bar, stopping to add, “Publish that on your little bullshit ass site.”

Back at the booth, Eden had heat behind her fingers while Maximus returned to drinking his drink and chuckling.

Eden: I found out who runs that bullshit ass site

Staysha: Bitttchhhhh who?!

Eden: Your dumbass cousin and your bitch ass momma

Staysha: IKYFL

Eden: Nope now I want to go up to that prison and cuss her ass out

Staysha: You should actually. I’ll go with you

“Why you shakin’ your head?” Eden questioned.

“Because you got too much of me in you. Where is my peaceful Eden?” he slightly joked but was serious. That soul tie rushed the passiveness from Eden’s being.

“She’ll show up after I feed this alien baby and cuss my fuckin’ momma out. She’s done some shit but having that airhead follow us and publish bullshit on her dumbass blog is another thing.”

Maximus knew there wasn’t any use in arguing about it. “So, when you going?”

“If I could teleport there right now and cuss her ass out, I would. But tomorrow, since it’s an off day.”

“Heard you, Brody will drive. Can’t have you goin’ up there and havin’ another panic attack.”

“Moral support from outside the prison? I’ll take it.”

“Good, you need the closure.” Maximus chuckled to himself after a moment of musing. “Why eight-seven rolls of quarters though?”

“‘Cause she stole eight hundred and seventy dollars from Pootie that EWG with the silk press and the French tips. She was messing with him. Why? I don’t know, but he put eighty-seven rolls of quarters in his beat a hoe sock and was driving through the hood looking for her. Come to think of it, the bitch always been slow. Mama must’ve smoked crack, carrying her or something. Or her daddy was on some shit.”

Maximus snorted in laughter. “Whole time I was assuming she was just thirsty. Messin’ with Pootie is wild shit.”

“Exactly my point. Then she went and became a can, now she’s dumb, broke, and unemployed because I’m taking that entire blog. Fuck out of here.”