Page 51

Two years later…

“ H ere, take this heavy little boy!” I huffed, handing Cruz our son, CJ, who’d been trying to sit on my hip for the last hour.

It was his second birthday and his terrible twos had kicked in already.

Cruz’s face frowned up as he set him right back on the ground, and I waited for him to start crying, but his bad self only ran off, unlike what he’d been doing with me.

“I told you to stop holding his ass so much. He needs to run off some of that energy so he can go to bed and I can put his little sister up in you,” he said, pushing up on me, but I was already shaking my head.

“Not at all, we agreed that we’d wait until I finished school, and I ain’t gone let you renig, renigga.”

“That don’t even sound like some shit I’d say,” he denied, crossing his arms, and I twisted my lips knowingly.

Ever since I had CJ, he’d been trying for another one, but he had me fucked up.

While we were handling having the twins and CJ, I knew throwing another baby in the ring at this time would be crazy, and I absolutely wasn’t going for it, no matter what his slick ass did.

He was becoming worse than Russell Wilson trolling Ciara on all her posts.

The last time he’d asked about another baby was the night before, and the answer was still no.

“See, I knew you would try and pull that, so I made sure I recorded you.” I held my phone up with a raised brow and grinned as his face grew tight.

“First of all, that’s unlawful. You can’t be recording a muthafucka without their permission. It’s cool though, I bet you gone say yes when I put you on dick punishment again,” he threatened, but I just waved him off.

“Nigga please, you wouldn’t last a day.”

Shrugging, he moved closer so only I could hear. “You right, low key, I’m ready to take you upstairs right now?—”

“Bestie!” Saved by the bell! Avery came into view with her belly leading the way, cutting off whatever freaky stuff he was about to say to me.

Maasai was right behind her, carrying a smiling Mariah Keyani McCarter.

She’d lived up to her end of the bargain, but while she’d had a little girl, I had pushed out Cruz’s twin.

“Hey, big mama! I already got you a plate!” I gushed, moving away from a glowering Cruz, and she immediately started looking around for it.

“Oh, run that thang right now!” I handed over the plate from the table of foods, and she sat down to eat. “Your friend over here wouldn’t let me stop to get a snack, so I’m starving,” she complained, and Maasai looked at her like she was crazy.

“Baby, a Big Mac meal ain’t a snack, and you ain’t feedin’ my son that garbage anyway!”

“So now I’m a pig?” She stopped eating, and her eyes started watering, sending him into fix-it mode.

“That ain’t even what I said. You’re beautiful, and you can eat whatever you want.

” Her fake tears dried up instantly, and I just shook my head at the way he let her play him.

My girl had that man wrapped around her finger, and I had been a firsthand witness to it on more than one occasion.

Life had been pretty quiet for them, and Avery had even opened another realty company, but once she’d reached so far into her pregnancy, Maasai had insisted she take leave.

Now she spent her days shopping or stuffing her face, and most of the time, I joined her if I wasn’t in class.

She still wasn’t talking to Gabby despite Armand constantly pushing for them to squash their problems, but she wasn’t ready yet, and I didn’t blame her.

That bitch had crossed the line and had managed to get off easy with just an ass whooping, especially since she wouldn’t apologize.

It was a damn shame she was missing out on her niece and nephew because she was being so stubborn, but thankfully, Avery had me and Maagic.

“That’s how a bitch go down the slide!” She winked once Maasai pulled Cruz away and disappeared in the house, probably to smoke a blunt and lower his stress after dealing with her bratty self.

“I can’t stand you,” I teased, sucking my teeth at her bratty self.

I had a mind to snatch her plate away, but I wasn’t about to risk losing my hand or whole damn arm.

Unbothered, she shrugged her shoulder and continued eating as I watched the twins play with their baby brother.

They got along so well considering their age difference.

While most kids probably wouldn’t want to be bothered with a younger sibling who was a toddler, the twins always wanted CJ to tag along.

Unfortunately, Javon had taken Cruz’s last words to heart and had completely removed himself from their lives.

He and Neveah had finally gotten married and quickly divorced once he found out that the baby she’d had was somebody else’s.

I’d learned to never wish bad on anybody, not even him, anymore, but I knew shit in his life would only get worse as long as he mistreated his kids, but that was for him to figure out if he ever got the chance.

Cruz already had a lawyer looking into adopting the twins, which I didn’t feel was necessary because we all considered him their father, but I did understand where he was coming from.

He wanted the real title, and I couldn’t blame him for that, especially after he stepped up in such a huge way.

He was already showing Kari how she was supposed to be treated and teaching Kani how to be a man.

After so many years, it felt good to see them taken care of in that way, and I caught myself getting emotional just seeing it.

Every day, Cruz was striving to be a better man for us.

He’d left his family’s business to his uncle and had gone completely legit, buying three more shops, which was made easier by the hefty insurance policy his parents left behind.

Of course, without Cruz or his father overseeing operations, it had quickly been taken over by some new boys wanting to make a name for themselves.

The St. Cruz arms empire was no more, and that was just fine with me and my baby.

There’d be no looking over our shoulders; we were true civilians.

Life had definitely done a one-eighty for all of us, and I didn’t have a single thing to complain about.

I had a husband who adored me and children who were perfect. Who could ask for more….

The end.