Page 116 of Love's Most Wanted

“Good morning, everybody.” Khari smiled at the church, having basically bumped Devante off to the side like he was Dennis Edwards and Khari was David Ruffin.

“Morning,” the congregation replied in a confused tone as they looked at one another, whispering about.

The rest of us climbed up onto the stage as well to stand nearby.

When Devante tried to wave for security on the low, Khari said, “Security, I suggest you stay right where the fuck you at, or everything is gon’ go left, homie.” His words made them halt. “I’ll be quick though.”

Devante tried to move the microphone from Khari’s face, but Lequay came to the other side, bumping him even further and creating a barrier between Devante and Khari.

“What the heck is going on?” I recognized Sharon, Devante’s new wife, asking as she stood from her seat.

“What’s going on is that your preacher, Kyle is it? Yeah, his actual name is Devante Compton. And me, along with the five other men you see up here on this stage, we’re his sons.” The congregation gasped at Khari’s words.

Devante, seeing where shit was going, tried to bypass Lequay to get to Khari, making Cemone assist in blocking his ass.

Though it hadn’t been discussed, I think my brothers and I just naturally decided to let Khari take the lead in the actual oration of the exposure.

For as long as I’d known the nigga, he was always the most outspoken, no matter the time or place. Cemone was right behind him in that department with me third. Our other brothers showed a little bit of decorum, depending on the environment. By saying that, it was natural for Khari to do the talking.

“He is lying!” Devante shouted louder than I’d ever heard the nigga yell.

“Yeah, of course he’d say that ’cause he don’t want me to tell you how our mother caught him getting head from another nigga inside the church.” Khari shook his head, gripping the podium like he was disappointed and preaching himself. The sight made my brothers and me chuckle lowly.

“What the heck are you all talking about? Unique, what is this?” Sharon came up from behind the preacher’s podium to the front.

“Yo’ husband is a closeted homosexual, that’s what theheckthis is about,” Cemone replied.

“And the fact that after our mother divorced him, he decided it’d be best to abandon usalland go make a new life with the first lady you see here today.” Khari gestured toward Sharon, whose mouth was on the stage floor.

“Honey, I swear this is a lie.” He shook his head at her, unable to break free from Cemone and Lequay.

“It’s not, Sharon,” I stated lowly to her while Khari talked into the microphone.

“My point in coming here today isn’t because he’s gay, because I couldn’t give less of a fuck. I’m here today because I want y’all to know exactly who you receiving the word from. This is a man who abandoned his kids and for no other reason than so he could reinvent himself and make money.

“I gotta give it to the nigga; he did well. And if you wondering, nah, he ain’t kick none of this shit back to us. But we did well regardless, which y’all may be able to see from the few of us you recognize,” Khari continued.

“They didn’t need me! They replaced me!” Devante tried to explain to his wife and church, head whipping in different directions out of panic.

“We did replace him but only ’cause we had to. With a much better man that, honestly… who knows where we’d be if our mama didn’t meet him.” Khari nodded and said very lowly, “I almost ruined that shit for her, but a nigga ain’t know what to do with all them fucking emotions. It took a true father figure to show me how to process that shit maturely.” He sighed. “I don’t know if Kyle, Devante, whatever is still on the down low, but a couple years ago, my other brother hired a PI who showed proof that he was.” Sharon snapped her head in Devante’s direction, but he shook his head to say no. “Y’all do with that information what you choose.” Khari walked off stage, and we followed, Cemone and Lequay releasing Devante.

“Y’all will burn in hell for your lies!” Devante shouted in the microphone as we headed back down the aisle and out the doors, the church members watching us with wide eyes and mouths.

“Keep talking and I’m gon’ knock you the fuck out, nigga,” Cemone threw over his shoulder on our way out.

Devante shockingly didn’t respond. I guess he could hear the seriousness in my brother’s voice.

As soon as we stepped outside of the church and into the parking lot, two security guards followed.

“The police has been called so?—”

“We leaving, nigga. Shut the fuck up,” I spat, cutting his burly ass off as my brothers and I went to our respective cars.

As we pulled out onto the street, I could hear the sirens in the distance, making me shake my fucking head.

The plan after showing up to Crossroads Church was to go to my mama’s home so we could inform her of the shit. We knew if we said something beforehand, she would be against it and possibly do something to stop it, which we didn’t want.

After parking anywhere we could in their big ass driveway, the six of us headed inside in search of my mother.