Page 10

“Two down, one to go.”

Dal glances at Mace, who scoffs.

“Bitch, please. You ain’t ready for me to be back outside.”

Nut pushes the elevator button and scowls. Macy’s probably the only person on Earth who can get away with calling Dal a bitch.

That’s just how she talks.

“Sheeit, she may only get one day between you having my niece and her being put up with baby number three, and that’s if she wanna come on time.”

“Patrick–”

“Ion wanna hear it, Choc. I told yo ass my terms and conditions.”

He kisses her on the cheek and strolls out the elevator ahead of us.

I hook my arm around Mace’s neck.

“You ain’t finna be outside either.”

She elbows my side, pushing me away from her.

“Just watch me… yo ass finna be a stay at home dad.”

Yeah, aight.

Sometimes I don’t even know what the fuck I’m doing. Thinking about having a kid with Sahara makes my meal come back up. I’m talking, projectile vomiting. Shit, even thinking about living with her makes my armpit itch.

I can pretend like her devolving into a bird is the reason, but that would be a lie. I’ve never wanted to give anyone else the chance to love me one day and leave me the next.

Because then I’d have to murk them. And I already got enough blood on my hands.

It’s actually a relief that Sahara showed me who she was a few years ago. It kept my feelings in check, and I was able to stay detached. I could only imagine how downbad I’d be if she stayed pure.

All my bros are slowly falling in love, crashing out bad.

I mean, Nut’s been a crash dummy, first with Tati, and now with Dal. Same with Turk; him and Autumn have been doing the most over each other since they were sixteen. Ty’s on his way if Van ever gives him a chance, and you can’t convince me that Rico doesn’t have a secret family in Belize that he goes to see every other month.

I was always content with being the fun uncle. I thought Raya would carry on our genes, like Set would for my Washington side, but we make plans, and God laughs.

Stepping in for Mace is like dipping my toe in the pool. It’s no pressure, since she really isn’t my baby mama, and we’re actual friends. She doesn’t look at me and see Shotta, at least not anymore.

But when she did, she wasn’t adding up my net worth. She was a genuine fan of the music. And now, when she sees me, I’m just Shaddy. Her lamaze class partner. Someone who regulates her dairy intake, and watches musicals with her. Someone who isn’t her child’s father biologically, but is in every way that matters.

It’s a choice. Something I can control. Something that I’m finding feels right, hanging with her, rubbing her belly, counting her stretch marks when she’s not looking, and throwing out all the ice cream in the cartons and replacing it with lactose-free while she’s at work.

I pull her by her shirt so Dal and Nut walk ahead of us. She turns, and looks up at me expectantly.

She cut her hair off to a short curly cut a couple months back, but the prenatal vitamins have it growing out fast as hell. A headband keeps her unruly curls out of her face, and the fruity smell of her hair products mix well with her scent.

“You know you my Ace, right?”

Where most girls would soften, Mace just bristles and rolls her eyes.

“Yes, Shaddy, I know you can’t live without me. That’s pretty common.”

I bite the inside of my cheek and step closer to her.

“There you go with that attitude again. I’m tryna be nice.”

“By telling me what I already know? You’ve claimed Beanie as yours and rub cocoa butter on my belly three nights a week; I gathered that I’m your best friend. Just don’t tell Brina, please. I’m trying to build a sisterhood with her.”

She cups my face and brings me down to her level to plant a kiss on my cheek, twirls around, and enters Brina’s private suite.

All I can do is shake my head. This girl’s crazy.

When I walk into the suite, I smirk at Set and Nut playing the game on the couch. Just like niggas to bring their console to wait out the labor.

I make my way to Brina, who’s sitting on the bed holding one of her twins. She beams at me, tears swimming in her eyes. I know she’s been crying since they were born.

“Uncle Shaddy,”

she whispers. I hug and kiss the top of her head before taking in the baby in her arms.

“Which one is this?”

“This is Cody. Dal is holding Cam.”

Dal, on the other side of the bed, turns around to show me Cameron’s face.

They look just alike, both the color of my palm with a head full of black hair. They wanted to be surprised by the sex, so all their clothes and everything is unisex, down to their names.

“I did my big one, huh Dub?”

Set says, throwing his arm around me.

“Oh, you off the game?”

He pulls me into a brief headlock before releasing me and going to wash his hands.

“I just had to bust Nut real quick, something slight. A nigga had to take a break from these big ass feelings.”

When he comes back, he takes his son from Brina and his dimples look like they’re permanently on his face.

“Cody Rahshad Washington. Gotta nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

He puts my nephew in my arms and my face crumbles. I gently sit down in the seat behind me and take him in more. He’s asleep, only been on this earth for a few days, and is already loved so much.

“Aww. What’s Cammy’s middle name?”

Dal asks as she walks to me.

Brina clears her throat. “Rose.”

“A boy and a girl is fucking lit. See, Choc? We gotta have a son now, so Cody won’t be surrounded by all girls.”

“You really gone name him after me?”

I look up at Set, who hasn’t taken his eyes off his son.

The years we were beefed out, I threw myself into my music. I don’t know how I survived not fucking with him nor Nut. As soon as my Pops put me and Set together, he was my hero. Couldn’t no one tell me about my big bro, at all. He’s always protected me, and I thought I was protecting him for once, by not telling him about Brina’s second miscarriage. He’d been off the deep end since she left, and finally seemed to be okay.

Not telling him cost me my brother, and I’m just now starting to get him back.

But to me, it’ll never be the same. Set isn’t the type to forgive, and to him, I chose up on him, for Sincere of all people; one of my closest bros at one time, but someone who none of the others ever liked, and someone who was plotting on Brina.

I never would have thought he’d give his first son my name.

But he just shrugs, and shifts his smile to me.

“You the smartest and coolest nigga I know. Names mean shit… gotta start my boy off right.”

“Ima pretend you didn’t just admit you think I’m a lame ass nigga, Dub.”

Nut strolls over and shoulder bumps Set, who just laughs him off.

“It’s just fuck Nutty huh? Don’t trip Cody, yo uncle Nut gone raise you right.”

“Got my eyeballs sweating and shit,”

I mumble. He takes Cody so I can clean my face off, and try to settle the warring feelings rising in my chest.

A hand starts rubbing my back, and my shoulders drop.

“You know it’s okay to cry right, Shaddy?”

Mace whispers.

I turn to face her completely, and fight not to get lost in her eyes. They’re so dark they could be black, like bottomless pools that seem like they have the answers to all my questions.

She lets me stare at her, her hand slowing on my back before it stops completely in the middle. The longer I bore into her, the more her pouty lips part, and when my gaze shifts down, she bites that bottom lip of hers.

She opens her mouth to say something but the door opening steals her attention.

And the air is sucked out of the entire room.

Big pink and blue balloons fall into the room first, but then we get a glimpse at who’s carrying them, and Nut kisses his teeth, drowning out Dal’s sharp intake of breath.

“Congraaaaats Baby Girl!”

YT struts into the room like she owns it, in a powder blue velour short set and ice blue stilettos. Big opaque oversize glasses cover half her face, but she’s showing all thirty-two at Brina, who’s own face is frozen.

“T-True–”

YT tsks as she sets the balloons down.

“Now, Bri, you know I go by YT. But you’re tired, and you’re you, so I’ll give you a pass… my brothers send their regards.”

She finally looks around the room, winking at Dal before training her gaze on Mace and I.

Her grin somehow gets wider.

“Oh, Deezy, you’re glowing more and more every day–”

“How did you know where I was?”

Brina’s voice is shaking, and Set places Cody in his portable crib before moving toward her.

YT shifts her eyes toward me, her gaze hardening as her smile sharpens.

“Baby Girl, Shaddy isn’t the only person you know that’s handy with a computer.”

She takes off her scarf and fluffs out her platinum blonde pixie cut before pouting at her cousin.

“I thought I told you when I got out we would be working on our relationship. That means you have to tell me these things. I shouldn’t have to resort to other means to find out you’ve given birth.”

She speaks to Brina like she’s speaking to a toddler, scolding her for eating a cookie before dinner.

“Maaaan, in a minute–”

YT holds her hand up.

“As much as I would like you to finish that sentence, my time is limited.”

“Ay, who the fuck–”

“Rahshad, can we speak outside, please?”

Mace stiffens and moves in front of me, which only makes YT narrow her eyes.

“Oh… this is juicy.”

“What do you want with him?”

YT folds her arms.

“Are you questioning me?”

“True–”

“Oh my God I just need to talk to him! Alone. He’ll come back in one piece.”

She starts backing out of the room, mumbling under her breath. When she gets to the door, she looks at Brina one more time, eyes softening.

“I really am happy for you, Baby Girl. But you need to start answering my calls. I don’t like being mad at you.”

As soon as the door closes behind her, Nut starts.

“Ay, I know that’s yo cousin B, but something ain’t right with her ass. Choc told me all the shit her and her brothers be into; why the fuck they move down here?”

“She crazy as fuck, but apparently Mekhi said she’s his Number Two now. She the leader, not that big nigga YC. And Ty said she be doing her shit on the business side.”

Nut scowls and waves Set off.

“I don’t give a fuck. I don’t trust that bitch–no offense. But shit, y’all don’t either. What the fuck she want with Shad?”

“I don’t know, but I’ma go see.”

“Like hell you are!”

“Oh hell no!”

“I don’t think–”

All three ladies speak at once, but it’s Mace grabbing my shirt that has me turning to her.

“You don’t know her like we do. She could be complimenting you, or she could gut you like a fish in the middle of the hallway. You never know, and you never see her coming.”

The corner of my mouth lifts.

“You worried about me, Mace?”

She scoffs, folding her arms and turning away.

“Fine. It’s your life. Don’t listen to me.”

I shift my eyes to Dal, who’s shaking her head profusely, and Brina, who’s now got Cameron in her arms.

So I shrug and follow YT out.

“I’m finna have to smoke a bitch. First body as a father,”

I hear Set say before the door closes behind me.

YT’s leaning on the wall, but stands up straight when I come out. She smirks, and gestures for me to follow her to the elevator.

Her energy is all over the place. Not like how it was in the room. Back there, I can tell she was regular, but now, it feels like at any second she really could gut me like a fish.

She’s a little taller than me in her heels, like before. Up close in the elevator, she doesn’t look like she belongs here again. YT looks like one of those early 2000s video vixens, all lithe and shit. Even the way she blows a big ass bubble and pops it with her tongue.

“Stop staring. The last nigga who thought they could fuck with Deeze and me at the same time got his dick cut off.”

The elevator doors open and she waltzes out.

“The last thing I’m doing is checking you out. You too off the wall for me.”

She glances back and rolls her eyes.

“If I’m too much for you then I know Deeze is too. It’ll be fun watching you crash out.”

I choose to ignore her statement and follow her to a conference room she shouldn’t know about.

As soon as I close the door, she whirls around, and I’m not too proud to admit I did flinch a little.

“Me and you have a common problem. Sincere Tolson.”

My jaw damn near locks at the mention of that name.

“How do you–”

Her fucking hair. It’s platinum blonde, a little longer than in the photo, but still. I step into her space, wrapping both hands around her narrow throat and backing her ass up to the other wall.

This bitch was driving the fucking car when Sincere shot at my brother.

“Gimme one reason why I shouldn’t snap yo fucking neck right now,” I grit.

She doesn’t gasp, nor claw at my hands with her long ass nails. She’s not even struggling. She just grins, showing her white teeth, like she’s letting me choke her.

I loosen my grip enough to let her breathe, and she still doesn’t even cough.

“If you kill me you’ll never find him. Please, let me go.”

I drop my hands and take a step back. She massages her neck and clears her throat.

“I’ll let you have that, since you weren’t so rough… I didn’t know Sincere was connected in any way to Baby Girl, and by extension you all. He tricked me… and caused Baby Girl pain. I haven’t told my brothers because I want to be the one to end him, and since I can’t go to YP for his computer expertise, I guess I can team up with you, since you have personal stock in it, too.”

“And why should I believe you?”

She licks her lips.

“You really don’t have to. One way or another, I will find that nigga and end him. I just thought, since he was your friend, and tried to kill your brother, you’d want in on it. He’s hiding here in the city, told me about some bitch he fucked with years ago. That’s where I’m starting… look, I don’t play well with others, especially if they’re not my kin, but if you Foe Dub niggas are good enough for Baby Girl, then I guess I’ll make an exception. We can talk more after DW’s wedding.”

She goes to walk past me, but stops at my shoulder.

“Oh, and that’ll be the only pass you get. Put your hands on me, or any woman, again, and I’ll cut them off and make you eat them.”

She gives me a quick peck on the cheek and strolls out, humming my singl.

“No Love”

to herself.

I take out my phone and dial a number I probably shouldn’t even have. It rings three times before the line clicks over, and silence greets me before a lighter flick.

“Wassup cuz.”

“We need to link soon. It’s about that lil Riverwalk shit.”

“Fasho.”