Page 48

Keyani

W ith everything being as hectic as it’d been lately, I felt like doing something average was just what we needed to forget about our worries…

or at least try to anyway. The kids were falling back into their schedules since we’d returned home, and now that Cruz was back, it was almost to the way things were in the beginning, except for the armed guards walking around all the time.

After Raya fucked up Maasai and Avery’s house, they’d been staying in a rental while it was repaired.

Maasai was paying top dollar for it to be done in under a year, just so my boo could keep her dream home.

It really wasn’t fair that they were basically misplaced because of some random, but Cruz said he was handling it, and I believed him, so to take my mind off that, I was planning the twins’ birthday party.

Fucking with Cruz and Maasai had their tastes expensive as hell lately, and they’d been trying to suggest all types of outlandish shit.

Yachts, renting out Disneyland, swimming with dolphins, just all types of shit that just a year ago they wouldn’t have even thought to ask for, so I was bringing them back down to earth with a regular skating party.

They both loved skating, and there were arcade games, so it was something for everybody.

I was sitting in the living room with Avery and making the invitations with the news playing lowly in the background when she suddenly gasped loudly and turned the volume up loud as hell.

“Oh my god!”

My brows dipped as I finished up another invitation and sealed it closed. “What?”

She pointed to the TV, all frantic and shit like it should’ve been obvious, but I was still lost as hell.

“That’s the detective who was fucking with Maasai!

” she shrieked, and I looked at the screen to see them pulling a car out of Lake Michigan near Grant Park.

The reporter was saying that they believed it was a drunk driving accident, and when they moved on to another story, I looked back at Avery, still very much confused.

“So his ass can’t handle his liquor.” I shrugged. “At least y’all don’t gotta worry about him now. Look at God!” Shaking my head, I waved my hand in the air like I was filled with the Holy Ghost.

“That’s not funny, you better stop playing with Him,” her scary ass said, body already getting tensed up.

“Okay fine, I’m sorry, Jesus.” I rolled my eyes up to the ceiling and crossed my hands over my chest. “Happy?”

“That’s you going to hell, bitch! We not gone be like that meme talking about when two friends link up in hell. I’m just gone be up in heaven looking down at you like see, I told you to stop playing.”

“You a lie! If I gotta go, then you gotta go, or you gone sneak my ass up there with you,” I said, bucking my eyes at her because she didn’t immediately agree.

“Okay, okay! Anyway, you really think that man ran his own self into Lake Michigan though?”

Shifting so that I was sitting all the way on my butt, I cocked my head at her.

“You don’t think he did?” I asked for clarification.

“Matter fact, I don’t even wanna know, and you really don’t either.

Let that man just rest in peace or pieces or whatever the fuck.

” I shuddered, already picking up my pen so I could start on the next invite, and I was thankful when Avery did the same with a deep sigh.

“You’re right, I’m tweakin’.”

Nodding with a snort, I mumbled under my breath that she definitely was.

We both knew at this point what type of shit Maasai and Cruz were into, and while I didn’t agree with it, I knew firsthand that the best way to not be a witness or accomplice was to not ask any questions.

Wasn’t a soul gone be able to tie me to a damn murder…

well, unless I got a chance to kill Raya, but that wasn’t likely to happen.

She always had bodyguards and guns around, but if it ever came to a fist fight, I knew I’d beat her ass.

Wanting to completely clear the vibe of that last conversation, I cut on some music and turned the damn TV off just in case some other disturbing shit caught her eye.

An hour later, we’d finished with the invitations, and I set them aside so I could make sure the kids took the ones for their classmates to school.

“Oh hell naw, you tryna put me to work today, I see?” Avery said once she saw me pulling presents out of the closet along with wrapping paper.

“And is! That’s what besties are for, and besides, we might not get another chance to before the party, but on the bright side, it’s only a few.

” I came back over to the table and set everything down before going back for the second batch.

I had them separated for each twin, and although it wasn’t very much, I still had more stuff being delivered in the next few days.

“Okay, well give me Kari’s stuff. Girl toys are easier to wrap.

” She quickly slid Kari’s pile over toward her, and I sucked my teeth because she was right.

The way they packaged boy toys, especially cars and action figures, made it difficult to get the paper on there cute.

Halfway through, I always just went ahead and started taping paper wherever just to cover the box.

I still had another couple of hours before they would be coming home, so I wanted to get as much done as I could, but I wasn’t pressed to be wrapping Kani’s damn toys.

Pouting, I snatched my stack off the table and got started on the first stupid car as Avery laughed.

My phone rang, and I saw Cruz’s contact popping up, so I hurried to answer since I hadn’t spoken to him all day. “Hey, baby.”

“What you doin’, still in the bed?” His voice was teasing because he knew damn well I wasn’t. Sucking my teeth at the fact that I was already fucking up the wrapping paper, I sat up on my knees like that would help.

“No, I actually just finished the kids’ party invitations, and now me and Avery are wrapping some of their stuff up before they get home. What you doin’, ridin’ around smokin’ with Maasai?” I rolled my neck, and he chuckled lowly like he could see me.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Tell him I know he bet not have my husband doin’ nothin’ crazy!” Avery had her face balled up, and they must’ve heard her through the phone because they both fell out laughing.

“I don’t be havin’ this nigga doin’ shit, man! Ole pillow talkin’ ass nigga be tryna blame everything on me like he don’t be with the shits too!”

“Lies!” Maasai shouted in the background, and they started arguing before Cruz finally called my name.

“Baby, man, fuck what he talkin’ ’bout! I was gone bring you something to eat when I got back. What you got a taste for?”

I put my finger to my chin, excited as I thought about what I had a taste for. I’d stopped fucking with Church’s since the accident, so that was out of the question, but the thought of seafood had my stomach rumbling loudly. “Oooh, can I get a seafood boil?”

“I want one too!” Avery shouted like she hadn’t just accused my baby of being a bad influence.

“Tell her I got her,” he said anyway, and I simpered. My baby was so sweet.

“He said he got you, so you better stop throwing dirt on his name.” I stuck my tongue out at her, and she returned the gesture.

“I’ll think about it.” Shrugging, she went back to wrapping while I finished up my call.

“Ayite, I’ma be home soon…I love you,” he said, making my heart pound. He’d never said it before, and it came out as if by reflex, prompting me to say it back with ease.

“Awww, I love you too.”

Avery looked at me from across the table, just as shocked as I was by the revelation, and as soon as I hung up, she let out a sigh.

“Awww, bestie! Look at y’all. If we twinnin’ with girls, I’m gone need your baby to have my name since technically this love story happened because of me,” she quipped, pointing her scissors at her chest.

“Yeah okay, you just wait on that one.” I made a face, pretending not to like that idea, even though I’d already had it once I accepted my pregnancy.

“Don’t play with my name!” she scoffed, balling up some loose paper and throwing it my way.

“Okay, okay, girl…I’ll think about it, but the same goes for you.”

“Agreed.” She didn’t even hesitate, and we shook hands to seal the deal.

“Baby, wake up.” Cruz nudged me, and I rolled over, squinting at the time. Seeing that it was three in the morning had me looking at him crazy, because I just knew he wasn’t disturbing my sleep for some pussy this late.

“I’m tired, Cruuuuz, maybe in the morning!” I snuggled back into the mattress as he chuckled lowly.

“Naw, it’s something important.” The sudden seriousness of his tone had me sitting up, and I took in his all-black attire. “Remember when you said you wanted to be the one to end Raya? Did you mean that?”

If I hadn’t been awake before, I was definitely up now, and I was suddenly shaky as hell with nervous energy.

I’d just been talking about not wanting to know what he did, however, if God would forgive me for killing anybody, it would be her ass.

Plus, it was technically like self-defense since she’d tried to kill me three times.

When it took me too long to answer, he added, “If you don’t want to, that’s cool too. You can go back to sleep and forget I even asked. But if you were serious, then you can come ride with me right quick.”

“But who gone stay here with the kids?” I whispered back, heart beginning to pound out of my chest.