Page 22

Mace can run all she wants. She don’t even know how fun it is to chase her. Corner her, so that she has no choice but to see me. I know I got a long road ahead. I dipped out, no explanation, but shit. She ain’t even try to hit a nigga up once, when she got out the hospital. She completely washed her hands of me, like she does all these other pussy niggas. Like she’ll do to that nigga following her out like a pussycat.

I told her ass to stop grouping me in with her hoes.

So I let her go. Just like I let everyone else drag me into Turk’s den. Pay makes me stand by the fireplace while everyone surrounds me. YT’s ass is grinning, standing by the door, taking in the scene.

Nut snatches the baby monitor out of Turk’s hand and pulls it to his ear, scowling at me.

“Gimme one reason why I shouldn’t knock yo head clean off, muthafucka. Standing there smug like you ain’t just up and disappear for three months–”

“Not to mention you didn’t tell nobody that Mace gave birth, almost died doing it at that!”

Brina folds her arms, and I swear I see steam rising from her ears.

“And do you how traumatic it is to come back from an eleven hour flight to see YT sitting at your kitchen island making food like she lives there?!”

Dal narrows her eyes as Nut pulls her into his arms.

“Sheeit, that’s every other day for this nigga,”

Ty cackles, pointing his thumb at Reem. Reem glances at YT and licks his lips, before scoffing.

“Seriously dy, we were so worried about you.”

Pay sniffs and wraps her arms around me, but Autumn pries her away and tucks her under her arm.

“Nah, bae. He’s Rahshad until he spills the beans. Where the fuck have you been?!”

I eye Set, who’s been quiet. Hooded eyes never leaving me as he stands between Brina and Nut.

“You not gone ask?”

He rubs his waves.

“I’m waiting for you to tell us, Dub.”

I sigh and look at the rest of our family.

“My bad for not saying shit, it’s just I kept feeling like I was finna have a seizure, and you know that’s from high-stress, so I went away for a while. But I’m good. I’m here, and to be honest, shit finna get real interesting.”

I comb my lip with my teeth to hold in a cackle. Something about executing plans just gets me excited like a muthafucka.

“You ever gone tell us where you went? And why Thing Three knew before us?”

Reem hits Ty on the chest, but the nigga serious as fuck, I’m knowing.

“Yeah, in due time Ima reveal my hand. Just trust me like you been doing and know everything is finna be on the up and up. Starting with my comeback show tonight.”

“That’s real then?”

Auty asks.

“Yup. Y’all names are already at the door for VIP. Doors open at nine since it won’t be no opener. And I’m just letting y’all know now…”

I level my glare at Dal.

“Sahara will be there, too. So be nice.”

Dal rolls her eyes hard as fuck.

“I’m always nice to her colorist, bougie ass.”

“When Van’s here. I know she’s OT, and you still need to be cool. That’s my girl,” I smirk.

Auty scoffs.

“I was about to comment on how you do seem better, but then you go and say some bullshit like that. Can’t be all the way right claiming her Bug’s Life looking ass.”

Turk and Ty snicker at her while Brina just shakes her head at me.

“What about Mace, ?”

I pull on one of my braids.

“Didn’t she just leave with Brandon, B?”

Pay’s brows furrow. Auty curses under her breath. Dal and Brina’s faces pale.

“H-how do you know his name, ?”

Pay asks, making me smirk.

“Told yo ass this nigga’s looney. Turkey, get him!”

Auty hisses.

“C’mon, Dub. I’m tryna see my nieces and nephew anyway.”

I follow Turk deeper into his crib to where the babies are, snickering at the girls discuss how I could possibly know who that nigga is.

“Niggas disappear for three months and back on that good bullshit. You showing your crazy all willy nilly all of a sudden. Never thought I’d see the day.”

Turk glances back at me before opening the door to the nursery.

I shrug, going up by Cody and Cam’s portable crib.

“One thing I’ve learned these few months is that I can’t keep hiding myself. Shit not good for my mental, you know? Besides, the girls all batshit themselves, they can handle it. Maybe Pay will stop looking up them nasty ass pimple popping videos if she knew muthafuckas know about them.”

Turk squeezes my shoulder and snickers.

“Yo ass. Don’t be watching my lady’s browser history, nigga.”

He pats me one more time before picking up Rue and bringing her to me. I pick up Cam, and both babies smile when they see each other.

“Can’t believe we went from stepping on niggas to having babies.”

Turk pulls Rue’s headband down a little and sniffs.

“I know, right.”

My app already showed me niggas is en route to my show, so I have no problem letting myself into Nut’s house. I make my way right to the theater room, where Denver, Ana?s, the nanny, and my lil shorty are chilling.

Denver sees me first, and a grin splits his face before hopping up and running to me.

“Uncle ! You’re back!”

This nigga grew at least four inches over the summer, coming to my shoulder now. His growth spurt makes him look even more lanky and awkward, and his voice has lost most of its childishness, opting for it cracking between squeaky and deep as hell.

I dap him up before pulling him into a headlock.

“I never stay away for long.”

I let him go in time to grab Ana?s, who followed him and was about to jump on me.

“I missed you Uncle dy,”

she said, squeezing my cheeks.

“Don’t leave again.”

“Yes ma’am. Y’all been good? Watching over your baby cousins?”

“I been good. Boots has been on time out twice this week,”

Denver snickers.

Ana?s cuts her eyes at her brother before fluttering her lashes at me.

“Lil Mama, you not the baby anymore. You gotta be a good example for your cousins.”

She picks up the tie of my hoodie and plays with it.

“Okay, Uncle dy. I’ll be good just for you.”

My heart melts. I know this is how she gets us. Talking in her cute lil voice, telling us she’ll be good, only to do something not even a couple hours later. Most of the time it’s harmles.

“science experiments.”

Like when she flooded her bathroom flushing the rocks from her fishbowl down the toilet.

I set her down and she goes to step on Denver’s foot immediately for snitching. They take off running through the house.

“Don’t be running like that!”

the nanny yells, making me freeze. When I get a good look at her, all the wind is knocked out of me.

Her hair’s different, in small braids pulled into a bun instead of her usual short cut. And she’s bundled up in a sweatsuit instead of scrubs. But it’s still Sheryl Freeman, Sean’s mom.

I haven’t seen her in years.

She smiles at me, tears gathering.

“Well, don’t just stand there. Come gimme a hug, baby.”

She stands just as I round the couch and pulls me into a fierce hug only mothers can give. I squeeze her back, blinking the pressure in my eyes away.

I didn’t even think to look into who Nut hired, because I knew whoever it was, was damn near gonna have top secret security clearance to be around his kids. But damn… the way I’m floored, maybe I should have.

“Whatchu doing here, Ma?”

“Oh, a little bit of this and that… first, Sergie told me the Center’s expanding, and they have their hands full and can’t keep Ana?s and Denver. Then Katrina emailed me this long email about how Kareem is a father now, and some girl keeps calling herself his future wife and popping up. But I really decided to come after Esha told me Casey had been shot. It was heavy on my heart to come see about my other son, but when I got here, everyone told me you were in the wind.”

Ms. Sheryl rubs her hand on my arm, deep concern etched on my face.

“Are you okay, Rahshad?”

In the Birch, I saw most of the niggas we hung with didn’t have good moms or dads, and that’s if they were around. Ms. Sheryl worked nights at Saint John’s as an orderly, and took me in with open arms once me and Sean started hanging together. I was at her house if Set and Nut couldn’t take me, and even though she knew who my people were, who Nut was, and knew the shit Sean was getting into, she never banned me from hanging with him, and even slapped her brother, Tati’s father Sergio, upside the head when she found out he tried to hem me up.

Ms. Sheryl was one of the good ones, and my heart always ached for her when I remembered Sean was taken from us, and she skipped town right after. I told her his death didn’t go unanswered, and besides a yearly Happy Birthday and a money transfer on Sean’s, I hadn’t seen her since.

I could never lie to her, though. Out of everyone, probably she and Sean knew the most about me struggling with my mental.

“I wasn’t… I be having good and bad days, now. Been talking to a shrink, taking some meds, so… I ain’t gave up yet, Ma.”

Approval shines as she smiles at me.

“And you won’t. They’ve been quiet too long, so Ima go see what they’re up to… she’s asleep, and she’s a little hellraiser like her daddy, but I’ll deal with it since I know you’ve been away.”

She winks at me before walking out the room, and all of a sudden I don’t see shit but the little bassinet at the end of the couch.

My feet guide me to my lil shorty. She’s knocked the fuck out, on her back, paci hanging out of her mouth. Steady breaths rising and falling in her chest. Little fists clenched.

I gently pick her up and sit on the couch, catching her paci before it falls. Her eyes flutter open, unfocused and disoriented before she opens that little mouth and starts hollering like she’s on fire.

Neither Ana?s nor Deuce were this fucking loud. Like a fucking alarm. Tears spring from her eyes as she gets louder and louder.

When I try to put in her paci she doesn’t take it. In fact, she moves her head almost violently to the side.

“Aight, mamas. I get it,”

I murmur, placing it on the arm of the couch. I hold her up so she’s facing me, bouncing her slightly.

“Yo ass loud as fuck to be so little.”

She quiets down some like I offended her, and a chuckle escapes me.

“Oh, you mad, pretty girl?”

Sadé being so close to my face, I easily see the features she got from Mace. The lower half of her face is all Mace.

It’s wild though. She lowkey favors me too. I guess it was written for me to be her dad.

She quiets a little more, peering at me curiously.

“You done yelling? I mean damn, I know you missed me, but–”

All I see is gums as she grins widely at me. Her eyes go to my mouth, and her little hands reach for me.

She likes my voice.

It’s a longshot, since I know Mace is pissed, but fuck it. I ain’t got much time anyway. I start singing the chorus to By Your Side and Sadé lights up even more, kicking out her feet and reaching for me.

Damn… she knows my voice. That means she’s heard my song for her.

I bring her closer, letting her hand pull at my lips. Her smile falls slightly, until I nip at her fingers, then the most beautiful sound I ever heard bubbles out of her.

“I missed you too, shorty. Don’t trip; next time I dip out you coming with me.”

Sadé seems to like my statement, if the spit bubble she blows is any indication.

Denver plops down next to me on the couch.

“Can I come to your show tonight? Ima need two tickets though.”

“Nah, youngin. You got like six more years before you can pop out with me.”

Denver rolls his eyes then takes Sadé from me. She starts hollering immediately and reaching for me, but I'm damn near running late.

“Boots! Grab a bottle!”

he yells, before walking toward the kitchen, passing Ms. Sheryl.

“I’m back for good, so we gotta catch up soon, Ma.”

She smiles at me and pats my arm.

“You be safe, dy. I’m not going anywhere, and you don’t need to be either.”

I duck out of her observant stare and pass the kids, disappearing out the back to my crib above the garage.

I got the perfect fit to send a message.

It’s time to play ball.