Page 59

Blair

“I know like hell you hoes wasn’t about to take off without me?” Kobe ran onto the jet, as if we were taking off without him.

He texted the group chat and told us his Uber was in traffic.

“Had you not been trying to link with your little yeah, you could have stayed at the hotel with us in Ashbourne.” Synthia snickered as she pulled her legs up.

We all snickered as he squinted his eyes and kissed her cheek, before mushing her. “Don’t be a hater because you and your man broke up.”

“You have to be together to break up… we’re friends and have always been. That’s my nigga right there.”

I laughed as me and Capri sat across from each other with our laptops out. She stopped at a random gas station on our way to the private airport to get a slushie. “Did Meer make you promise not to cut up?”

“Now you know those men aren’t too damn far… I didn’t bother to give Roy the rundown on the kids because I know he gonna be right behind me.” Alaia snickered. “Actually, I need him to be… three toddlers, you can imagine how limited our time is together.”

“My brother… he is my brother.” Capri loudly reminded her.

“Then why they gotta fuck good?” Erin slurred, and we all turned to look at her, as she downed another shot. “Look, between Jaiden about to be drafted and my two little spawns… I needed this mommy getaway. I started drinking with Capone this morning.”

“So much for sharing a damn hotel room,” Alaia muttered.

Erin laughed and took back another shot and handed the bottle to Synthia. “Where is Aimee?” Skyler asked.

“Sis is going to that race week down in Miami this weekend. Her and Zuri Cruzari are going together… the two of them got pretty cool.”

“Aim been heavy on that bike… think she gonna become a Goddess?” Skyler asked as she opened up a pill bottle and quickly popped them.

“Maybe.” I smiled. “You alright?”

Skyler looked at the pill bottle. “Well… I’ve been diagnosed with bipolar… two to be exact.”

“There’s levels to it?”

She nodded. “Apparently so. My mood swings, depressive episodes and everything else gave me clues. Not that I was bipolar, but that maybe I was still dealing with postpartum, and grieving my mother. It was deeper.”

Capri rubbed her back; I assumed she already knew. “You just got on the right medication so you can always be your best. You need to tell Corleon, though… you cannot leave him in the dark. He loves you.”

“I’m not telling him. He already is stressed when my mood is up and down with him. The last argument we got into, he literally told me to stop being crazy.”

“Technically you are, babe,” Kobe said while scrolling on his phone.

Synthia kicked him and he looked up. “What?”

“Have some decorum, Kobe.” I said.

“No, you all need to realize that she has a mental illness and while there isn’t anything wrong with that, she is receiving the help, and that is more than some people do. I feel for you, babe, but you have a man that wants to love the socks off you… stop being scared and be honest with him.”

“Who invited him?” Zoya came from the back, changed into a sweatsuit, since she had come straight from the office.

“You did, babe… cause you love me.”

She rolled her eyes. “Technically, I was talking to Synthia, and you happened to be there and heard the word jet.”

“It’s not my fault that Uncle Kobie wanna be there… them Inferno brothers don’t play. You carrying one, and you over there carrying two.”

“Yeah, I have to agree… plays no games,” Synthia chuckled.

“Anyway, I’m here for you and I know that this is a lot to take in and you have to come to peace with it first. Just don’t leave him in the dark too long… allow him to connect some pieces and support you.”

She smiled. “Thanks, Blair. I kinda feel bad about eating your food on the ride to Ashbourne yesterday.”

“Bitch!” I tossed the pillow while she laughed.

Alaia lifted my hand and looked at me. “Fingers started getting too swollen?”

“No, I left my husband.”

Everyone gasped except Capri, who continued to take slow sips while working at the same time.

“What the fuck you mean you left your husband?” Kobe screamed. “You left the kanggggg?” His dramatic ass held both sides of his face while dragging the word kang out.

“This is a joke, right?” Zoya squeezed through to sit near the window.

“Nope.”

“I know you told me things were tough, but I would have drove to Ashbourne if I knew it was that bad.”

“It’s not bad in the sense of us screaming and hollerin?—”

My phone lit up with a facetime from Elijah. “Go ahead and take your call.” Zoya told me, and I picked up the phone.

“Hey, Eli.”

“Hey, mom… Dad said you were about to be wheels up and I wanted to tell you to have a safe flight.”

He paused as he looked at me through the camera. “What’s the matter, baby?”

“You going to come back for me?”

I smiled. “Do you get gas after you eat rice?”

He started laughing and snorting. “Yes!”

“Then that means me and your sister will always come back for you. Just like your father always comes back for us… right?”

“Right.”

“Love you more than you know, Elijah Inferno. The world needs smart Black boys… and I needed you. Okay?”

“Okay, mom. I love you more than you know.”

I smiled. “Gams get there yet?”

“Yes. Her and Nana Augusta are making me peel potatoes,” he groaned.

I could hear Gams laugh in the background. “Less talking… more peeling.”

“Love you, baby… call you when I land.”

He stared at me before I moved the camera to my stomach. “Safe flight, Zayah.”

“Love you. Where’s your father?”

“He played the game with me and told me that he has to take a trip too… now he’s home sitting in the dark?”

“How do you know he’s in the dark?”

“Cause he scared me half to death… I walked over to grab some breadcrumbs out your pantry, and he was in the dark with Pyro on his lap.” Gams got on the phone and I laughed. “He didn’t have much to say, so I know what that means… Papa the same way.”

“These your boys, Gams… you know they crazy.”

She chuckled. “But these are you girls’ husbands… whatever that is going on between you two, I am praying.”

“Thanks, Gams.”

“Love you, Angel pie.”

“Love you, too, Gams.”

Elijah rushed off the phone because Gams promised him some bucks for a game, and he was determined to peel the rest of the potatoes to get them.

“I love our family so bad… the way… way… you pour into him.” Capri sobbed with her extra emotional ass.

No sooner than she started, I started crying, too. “I miss him already… love th…that little boy so much.”

“This was your idea, right?” Kobe pointed to Zoya who was laughing while recording us crying.

It was worse for Capri because she had chip crumbs all on the side of her mouth. “Then I have to wo…worry about Meer.”

“Why?”

“They’re heading to Miami the same time as Aimee… Quasim wants blood, and he’s gonna make sure he gets it from Polo.”

My eyes widened. “Oh fuck.”

“Yeah… already know when they on go, ain’t no stopping them. This shit is personal to kang… I ain’t never seen Quasim down like that before… shit scared me.”

“He gonna fuck Polo up!” Erin hollered.

We all paused and then started laughing because of the way she screamed it out randomly. “You know who gonna really fuck him up?” Kobe asked.

“Who?” I replied.

“Meer… you know that nigga love to fist fight, and he tried to kill his brother. I tried to go; you know, to vlog the experience.”

“You were not going to vlog the experience,” Syn said through her tears, while hysterically laughing.

“Alright, maybe Hamza told me to take my ass on… said he coming to Barbados after.”

Syn licked his lips. “Is he?”

“Girl, fuck that man and get it over with.” Zoya hollered as we took off, and I leaned my head back with my hand on my stomach.

Hubby: Have a safe flight, my love. Love you more than you know… the world needs more beautiful Black women like you. And your boys need you.

I kissed the screen and closed my eyes. It was hard being mad at him, but I needed him to know. He had to know that this wasn’t the kind of marriage I signed up for.