Page 26

Avery

I t felt good to finally be home, even though my honeymoon had been amazing.

Plus, I was excited to finally go to the doctor and see my baby.

When I hadn’t been on the beach or up under my husband, I’d been reading everything I could find about pregnancy and looking up what was going on with my baby every week.

I’d already talked Maasai into going shopping once we found out the sex, and I couldn’t wait to break the bank on cute little bows and dresses because I just knew I was having a girl.

He’d already gone to work, but I was waiting a day or so before I went back.

The baby had me tired as hell in addition to already being jet lagged, but today I was going to see my bestie and my babies.

I still hadn’t talked to her about Cruz coming up out her room that night in Fiji or about how she felt after he’d gone up that skirt.

She’d left the island and hadn’t been answering my calls since she’d been home, but that shit was about to come to an end.

Jumping in the brand-new Lexus that Maasai had surprised me with when we got home, I headed over to her house and parked on the street, immediately noticing the porch full of Walmart bags.

Her car wasn’t there, so I figured she had to be on her way if she had something delivered.

I let myself in and started carrying the bags to the kitchen once I realized it was food.

I was only on my second trip when I heard her and the kids talking loudly, so I made my presence known.

“Teeeeeteeee!” Kari and Kani shouted at the same time and ran over to me with their mama bringing up the rear.

“Hey, my babies!” I peppered them with kisses as they both talked excitedly.

“Ummm, did you bring all this?” Keyani quizzed, still standing at the door and looking from me to the bags outside.

“No, I just got here. I thought you’d ordered it…” My words trailed off at the confused look on her face before her phone started ringing in her hand with a FaceTime. The second that Cruz’s voice filled the room, I smirked at her knowingly.

“Hey—”

“Did the food come?” he skipped right to the point, and her eyes shot over to me, but I held my hands up.

“Yeah, I just got here. How did you...?”

“Is it enough?” he asked, and Keyani instantly became too overwhelmed to speak.

“I-it’s more than enough…thank you,” she managed to choke out as her eyes glistened.

As they continued their conversation, I sent the kids out to start bringing in more bags as I watched her get all googly eyed.

I couldn’t help wondering when they’d become so close to be FaceTiming and caking on the phone, but I wasn’t mad at it.

Although Cruz was somewhat of a playboy, I saw how he carried my friend, so I knew he actually liked her like that.

Whether or not he would try and play with her was yet to be determined, but I had my bat ready if he did.

I was so caught up in my thoughts, I didn’t notice she’d finally ended her call and was moving bags inside with the kids. I made myself useful and helped until we’d gotten the porch cleared, and she sent the kids to go play while we put everything in its place.

As soon as they left, I followed her around the kitchen with my eyes until she finally sighed. “Okay, gone head, get it out.” She set down the flour she was holding and rested her hands on the counter.

“Oh my god! Did that man really just send groceries to your house?” I squealed, clapping my hands together.

“And when did y’all become so chummy? Was it from that night he was in your villa?

Do y’all go together now? Y’all did catch the bouquet and the garter, so traditionally y’all gone be the next ones married?—”

“Woah, woah, woah!” Keyani held her hands up, halting my rambling. “Let’s not say all that. Yes, Cruz bought us groceries, and we’ve been kinda cool since his crazy ass insisted that we go together. I spent the last night in Fiji with him and?—”

“That’s why you left like that?” I gasped, eyes wide. “Was it…good?” My voice dropped to almost a whisper, and she swooned, eyes fluttering like she was reliving that shit.

“Good? Bitch, it was great! That’s why I brought my ass back home so quick.

Cruz is liable to have me walking around here dick dizzy, but apparently, he’s just as addicted because he said he’s not letting me leave him alone after Fiji.

” She rolled her eyes like she was annoyed by that, but couldn’t fight her lips from turning up into a smirk.

Clearly, she liked his ass just as much.

I ended up staying for a while and helping her cook dinner while she filled me in on everything that had happened since she’d been home.

I wasn’t at all surprised by Javon bringing his raggedy ass fiancée over there, even though he should’ve known that Keyani had been sparing her this whole time.

It served them both right that they got their asses whooped and embarrassed for doing that shit at all, let alone in front of the kids.

I wouldn’t have blamed Cruz if he’d shot that nigga in the ass, but there was still plenty of time for that.

“And when were you going to tell me that you basically got fired from the club just so you could come to the wedding?” I finally asked after she explained how she’d been out of a job since we’d left.

Shrugging, she continued mixing the cheese into her macaroni.

“Once I found another job, which is why I’m telling you now,” she hummed, raising her eyebrows.

“I told you, with the wedding and you being freshly pregnant, I didn’t want to add any more stress.

Plus, I’m an adult and should be able to handle shit on my own.

I know you want to help Aves, but some stuff I just have to do myself, you know? You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Yeah, ’cause Cruz is taking care of you now,” I teased, wiggling my brows playfully, and she nudged me with her shoulder.

“Ooop! Shut up!” She burst into a fit of giggles, unable to hide the truth.

“No, I’m glad you have him now, especially since you insist on wanting to keep my load light.

Cruz is definitely strong enough to handle the job of looking out for you.

” I may have been saying it in a joking manner, but I was dead serious.

Keyani kept trying to make sure that I got my happily ever after without any stress, and I wanted the same for her. She deserved it, and so did the twins.

I filled up on the fried chicken, macaroni, and sweet peas Key cooked, even getting seconds before finally taking my ass home.

Maasai’s car was already in the driveway when I got there, which surprised me because he’d already told me he was gonna have to put in long hours to make up for our wedding and honeymoon.

Before I’d seen his car, all I wanted to do was take a shower and go to sleep, but now I wanted to lay up with my boo.

He must’ve had the same idea because he met me in the foyer, looking good as hell in his button down and slacks with his hands stuffed down in his pockets. I’d never get tired of business Maasai.

“Hubby!” I gushed, biting my lip as I slipped my arms through his for a hug. As usual, he smelled heavenly, and I nestled my face into his shirt.

“Hey, baby.” His chest rumbled as he spoke, wrapping his arms around me.

“You must have missed me. I thought you weren’t gonna be here until later,” I said, enjoying the feel of his hug, but when a few silent seconds went by without him speaking, I pulled back just enough to look up at him, and I finally noticed his expression.

Worried, I pulled away even more as his eyes roamed the walls like he couldn’t even look at me. “Bae, what’s wrong?”

I studied him for any sign of what was bothering him, growing more and more concerned with each passing second.

After everything that had happened in my life, I knew when some bad news was coming.

What I didn’t know was what type of bad news I was about to get.

Had he cheated on me? Had somebody died?

My chest tightened at either of those possibilities after having such a perfect past few months.

My eyes were already misting over as I asked him again.

Seeing my reaction had him reaching for me, but I backed away.

“Maasai…please tell me what’s wrong.”

I watched as his jaw clenched, and he shoved his hands back in his pockets with a sigh. “I-I, uh, found out who robbed your house,” he choked out as if it pained him to say, and I chuckled through my tears.

“That’s it? Babe, you had me scared that something bad had happened. That’s a good thing…right?” The way he was refusing to speak up was beginning to frustrate me. “Dammit, spit it out, Maasai!”

“It was Gabby, bae. She paid some niggas to run up in there, but they decided to cut her out once they saw how much was there. One of the nigga’s baby mamas got caught out in North Carolina tryna cash one of the checks.

” It was like his words didn’t immediately register because there was no way his ass had said my own fucking sister was the one who robbed my mama’s house!

Shaking my head, I backed even further away. “Baby?—”

“No…no, Gabby wouldn’t do that.”

“I had somebody hack her phone when I heard just to confirm. It was definitely her,” he said, reaching out for me, but I’d gone from hurt to extremely angry in a matter of seconds.

“Does she know that you know?”

“Naw, I wanted to talk to you first and—Aves, where you going?” He was talking to my back as I turned right back around and headed to my car.

His fast ass managed to catch me before I could pull off, jumping in the passenger seat and slamming the door shut.

“Baby, what the fuck you think you bouta do? I?—”