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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

MILANA

W atchful Eyes were camped out around the family barn like it was their substation and they were having a team meeting.

We were having a celebration to celebrate the success of my girls, Maui and Ashanni, along with SS, Royal, and King.

SS and Royal had gotten their bachelor’s degrees in business, and King had gotten his bachelor’s in finance.

I was so proud of all of them. They were proving the family business would be in good hands when the time came to pass the torch.

Jakari and Rylan were already in positions to take over whenever Uncle WJ decided he wanted to retire. I doubted that moment would ever come since he didn’t start running the business until much later in life. He would be running shit until he no longer could.

I’d taken Ferris to the hospital just to make sure everything was good, and the ER doctor said that it was.

They gave him another round of antibiotics, because we didn’t tell him about the first round.

We didn’t want Uncle Kenny to get in trouble for anything.

They didn’t keep him overnight. I’d left him in bed asleep to go to the graduation ceremonies then went back to help him get dressed. He said he refused to miss the party.

He talked to his mama on the phone last night as well.

I was nervous about meeting her because she sounded extremely angry on the phone, and I noticed Ferris glancing at me while he talked.

I was pretty sure he didn’t know I noticed.

She was going to be blaming me for what happened to him.

I had no problem accepting the blame. I’d been doing that shit for the past couple of months anyway.

When we got to the table with Ryder J and my parents, they all stood and hugged me tightly then shook Ferris’s hand. “Ferris, you don’t think you need to be at home resting, baby?” my mama asked.

He smiled, and before he could respond, my daddy said, “First of all, thank you for protecting my baby as I would have. Secondly, you need to get that excitement out yo’ eyes when you speak to my wife.”

Mama shoulder bumped him as Ferris’s smile faded somewhat. I chuckled because I knew he was joking. Ferris wasn’t familiar with him yet, so that was why it was funny. My daddy was so damn possessive and intimidating at times. When he chuckled, Ferris eased up, and his smile returned.

Turning to me, he said, “It was my honor to protect this country princess. She’s my baby, too, even after only a short amount of time.”

While staring into his eyes, I could only think about all the nasty ass shit we did last night.

That man’s dick was going to be my kryptonite.

Whenever he even adjusted the shit in his pants, it put me in a trance.

I couldn’t focus for shit. My lips would part and everything.

I wanted him again so badly. The doctor told him to take off a week, not doing anything strenuous.

So I knew sex was out unless Ferris chose to ignore the doctor’s advice.

My brother cleared his throat, and I blinked rapidly as my mama giggled.

“I swear y’all remind us of when we first started dating,” my mama said.

“The whole restaurant ‘get to know you’ session in Birmingham was definitely like having a moment of déjà vu. Ryder and I met at a rodeo. He’s Legend’s cousin and had tagged along with him and Red, just like you tagged along with Asad and met Milana.

We began getting to know one another at a restaurant after the rodeo to celebrate my win. ”

I smiled brightly as I leaned against Ferris. What he said in response took my damn breath away.

“Well, hopefully, Milana and I can have the same outcome the two of you did.” He kissed my cheek. “I already know that she’s someone I want to love and build with.”

I could feel my eyes welling up with tears as I leaned over and kissed his lips. Ryder J rolled his eyes then stood. “A’ight. Y’all be easy. Too much romance at this table. I’ll go chill with my boys.”

I chuckled and watched him go sit with Crew, Kane, and SS. I glanced over at my girls and decided to go and hug them. “I’ll be right back, baby.”

“Okay.”

I made my way to Ashanni and Maui. They were seated at a table with the twins, Malia, and Ace, surprisingly. I wasn’t sure why he was seated with them. He was between the twins and looked to be upset about something. I wouldn’t bring it up now.

“Hey, y’all! Congratulations!”

Maui and Ashanni hopped up from their seats, and we were all jumping and screaming in excitement.

I swore they were making me want to go back to school to get my master’s degree.

I didn’t even have a party after graduation because I was so busy trying to establish myself in the rodeo circuit.

I didn’t want to simply be known as Tiffany’s daughter.

I wanted to be known as Tiffany Henderson-Semien’s daughter who could also fuck up the industry just like her mother.

My mama was still the blueprint in this rodeo industry for women of all cultures and nationalities, but especially for black women.

I wanted to be just as significant. While Karima was out, it was time to take over barrel racing.

So maybe I didn’t have time to go back to school right now.

However, I knew it would never be too late.

“Y’all sound like some fucking chipmunks,” Ace said.

Bali and Noni both leaned into him, and Noni kissed his cheek. I frowned slightly then went to them. I hugged the twins then grabbed Ace’s hand, pulling him from his seat. I hugged him tightly. “What’s going on?” I asked in his ear.

He pulled away from me and slid his hand down his face.

He was turning red. I grabbed his hand and pulled him outside the main area to the foyer.

When I saw Mr. Ryan, I knew it was probably best if we went further down the hallway.

He said if he was here, things were hot and heavy.

So after the shooting yesterday, they probably called him back.

When we were in the hallway, I asked, “What happened?”

“My girl broke up with me. I got a lil heated about it and cussed her out. King had to restrain me because I was about to choke her ass when she called me a fucking low-level thug. She was acting like she didn’t know me better than that.

What really fucked me up was that she did that shit in front of all her lil bougie ass friends. ”

His curly hair was everywhere, and his grill was sparkling under the recess lighting.

At first glance, Ace looked like a thug, just like Uncle Marcus.

He had tattoos, but not as many as his dad.

He slabbed his pants at times, but he was growing up .

. . maturing. He used to be an entire ho.

This was his first real relationship, although they’d only been together a couple of months before the situation with Grandpa.

After what he just said, I wasn’t sure just how real the relationship was at this point.

“I’m sorry. I’m glad King was there.”

“Me too, because they would have thrown me under the fucking jail had I assaulted her. It would have looked like I had anger issues and was a violent person. She embarrassed the fuck out of me, and all I saw was rage.”

“I can relate,” I said, thinking about what I’d done with Malik. “That Henderson in us ain’t no joke.”

“You ain’t lying, because my mama is low-key as well. You barely know she’s there because she’s so quiet. That’s probably what drew my dad to her back in the day.”

I draped my arms around his shoulders, being that we were about the same height. He was only a couple of inches taller than me, if that. I rested the side of my head against his. “Did you love her?”

He was quiet for a moment as if he were evaluating his feelings.

“Yeah. I never told her though. Janiya was everything. She was smart, beautiful, sweet, and about her business. She wasn’t one of those ghetto ass chicks.

She go to church and shit, simply because she wants to.

I never thought she would do me like that. ”

He pulled away from me and took a deep breath. “I guess from the outside looking in, I do look like a thug, but I know I gave her the inside track. She had my heart and don’t even know it. I didn’t just kill those niggas for the hell of it. She shouldn’t have felt threatened by that.”

“Maybe she wasn’t meant to be the one for you, baby. Maybe she was your practice run. Are you still going to try to get her back?”

“Naw. If she can ignite my crazy like that, it’s best that we aren’t together. I might mess around and kill her ass. I saw a different side of her earlier, and I didn’t like that shit at all. I’m gon’ be the same nigga, no matter who I’m around.”

“Well, you know I’m always here for you. Did that happen up here?”

“Yeah. Not long before you got here. That’s why the twins being all sensitive and shit with me.

” He smirked. “They walked in on it and got in Janiya’s face, threatening to whup her and her homegirls’ asses.

It was four of them here. I don’t know why she thought she needed all that reinforcement.

Ashanni brought her loud ass out there too.

They got out of here quick, especially when she thought I was about to get away from King. ”

I brought my hand to his cheek. “I love you, Ace. Better is coming for you. She was just here to prepare you for better.”

“I love you too. I don’t even care about being in another relationship right now.”

“I know, but that feeling is only temporary. Believe me.”

“Yeah, I see you and Ferris. That nigga dove on top of you like he was Jackie Chan tryna save those ancient artifacts in Rush Hour .”

I fell out laughing as he chuckled. “I’m falling for him. I hate that I do that so quickly. Nigga had me depressed as hell when he wasn’t responding to me.”

“Girl, this Henderson hostility is a lot, and everybody can’t handle that shit.

I can respect him for taking a step back to make sure it was something he could deal with.

He made the right decision, because you the shit.

That’s why those muthafuckas were so salty about what you did to their lil egos. ”

I smiled at him and grabbed his hand to go back inside. “Thanks, cuz. You the shit too.”

“Mm-hmm. I know that shit. Look at this smooth ass skin, good hair, grill, six-pack, and big ass feet.”

I slightly rolled my eyes. “Okay. Your Henderson cocky is coming out. Time for me to throw you back to the wolves.”

He laughed and put his arm around me then kissed my head. “Thanks for checking on me.”

“Always. We all we got.”

With that, I made my way back inside to see my daddy and Ferris getting along well.

My mama was up helping Aunt Chas, Aunt Aspen, Aunt Keisha, Aunt Jen, and Aunt Chrissy.

The music had gotten cranked up, and Maui, Ashanni, and Malia were up doing one of those line dances.

There were so many now I couldn’t keep up.

Crew, SS, and Kane joined them as I shook my head.

Before I could count to ten, the dance floor was filled with my cousins, cutting up.

I wasn’t a dancer, so I made my way to Ferris. When I sat next to him, he smiled. “Everything cool?”

“Yeah. He just got his heart broken. I know a thing or two about that.”

He kissed my head. “How are you feeling, besides hungry?”

He chuckled. “I’m cool. As soon as I eat, I’m gonna take a pain pill.”

“Okay, baby. Well, let me go fix you something to eat.”

I puckered my lips and kissed him, noticing my dad display a slight smile. That was a good sign. If my daddy wasn’t feeling defensive or protectively possessive, then I knew I was free to be exactly who I was, even in their presence. Loving Ferris was eminent.