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Capone got comfortable on one of the couches and rested his head back with a beer in his hand. “My son asked me for a grill.”

“I mean… you have one and every nigga out here do… he trying to be swagged out.” Goon chuckled, as he pulled Zoya’s leg over his.

“Nah, he need to go back to liking Sonic and shit… he getting too damn old.”

I nodded my head and held the beer Anjo slipped into my hand, before she came to sit on my lap. “Where you been?”

“I needed to take a shower and get all that sand off.”

I kissed her neck. “You wasted your time… bout to get sand right back in those places, my love.”

She blushed. “Hmm, we’ll see about that.”

Aimee and Capella sat on the same couch as Capone, while Cappadonna and Alaia got comfortable in the armchair. “Wouldn’t be a trip without karaoke, huh?”

“And we not doing Juicy Fruit… get a new song, Pops,” Aimee called him out.

Corleon chuckled as he came out the house. “Starting to think this nigga getting royalties with the way he be wanting to listen to it.”

He took back one of his shots and settled into the couch. “We together now? I missed some chapters.”

“No, we are not.” Zoya quickly answered.

“Alright, family… karaoke, you already know the rules and Meer isn’t allowed to participate… Sim, you’re alright cause you flat.”

“Erin?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“I’m taking Elijah to swim with dolphins on our vacation to Jamaica.” I lied to her, and her face dropped.

“Winnie… remind me to call CPS, cause clearly, they ain’t fit over there. Do you know that dolph?—”

“Erin, please!” We all shouted while everyone laughed because she was about to go into a whole lecture about shit, we already knew.

“Get your damn wife… always walking around throwing out animal facts.”

He finished his beer. “Leave my wife alone… sue her for wanting to keep us prepared.”

“Winston, please,” Capri yelled, as she got on Blaze’s lap.

Erin patted the mic. “Anyway, who wants to go first… Zoya?”

“Hell no.” she blurted.

“I’ll go… got something I need to sing to her.” Goon removed her legs and got up there, using the phone to find the song.

We busted out laughing as he busted out his little two step when the beat dropped. “Baby” by Jagged Edge played, and as he sang it to her, she couldn’t hide the smirk and blushes that came up on her face.

He stared right into her eyes as he sang the words to her. I knew like hell that nigga meant every single word. His ass had been chasing Zoya since the day she represented him when he and Capella got locked up.

I knew it wasn’t easy for Zoya. Although Menace did everything he could to protect his siblings and to make sure they never wanted anything, that comes with some emotional trauma, too.

The loss of her parents early, and never really knowing affection, is why she was closed off from it now.

Dating men she knew her brother wasn’t fond of meant it wasn’t real.

Forty told us that we couldn’t touch Sigel without something coming back on us. He was keeping an eye on him, and he wasn’t on our radar, but he wanted both Goon and Khaos bad. I was keeping my own eye on his ass, because if Diablo had to come out, I had no problem.

While he was updating me, he told me about Thea’s accident that wasn’t really an accident. Between him and Hassan handling shit, I didn’t know how I could thank them and everyone else that held us down.

I was so used to getting my hands dirty, when I had people that didn’t mind stepping in for me. They didn’t mind doing the heavy lifting because they knew I would do the same for them. The one thing that surprised me was Cherish popping up at Gam’s house.

That shit bothered me, and if she wasn’t dead, I would have fucking killed her with my bare hands.

She was angry because it never was her. It would never be her, and she wanted her cousin’s life.

She sat all these years, angry, because I saw her for what she was.

Always trying to weasel her way into somebody else’s space.

Cherish wasn’t something that I even thought about, because she was irrelevant.

I wished moms didn’t handle her because I would have told her that shit to her face before slicing her throat.

With Thea overdosed and Mercer found dead in his cell, there was no case and it was dropped.

Mercer was personal because he abused my child.

It wasn’t as simple as having someone handle him, I needed to do that shit myself.

My son would always carry this with him, but I prayed for him every day and prayed that the help we were getting him would be enough.

Elijah didn’t understand the amount of love we had for him, and how much he was part of this family.

As if he knew I was thinking about him, I felt his arms around my neck. I smelled my cologne that he was forever stealing too. “Night mom and dad… see you in the morning.”

Anjo looked over her shoulder and puckered her lips, and he gave his mother a kiss, and then me one before he ran back to the house.

I looked over at Aimee as she teased Capella, and he kissed her lips. They were in love, and able to exist being them. They didn’t need to be any of us, all they needed to be Aimee and Capella. Aimee was getting better on her bike and had been spending a lot of time with Zuri.

Capri guzzled down her water and then started to drink Blaze’s water as he held onto her. With the twins, she decided to take the full maternity leave to bond with the babies and adjust Cherry to being a big sister.

As stressful as her career was, and besides the fact that she only got into her position to save her brothers, I could tell Capri really lived and breathed for this.

This was her life, and she enjoyed her career.

Blaze supported his wife in whatever she wanted to do.

The moment he knew he wanted her when she came back to the states, he knew all the ways he was going to make Capri Delgato his wife.

He accomplished that, making her an Inferno first.

Anjo cuddled up in my arms as she watched everyone performing. I kissed her head, and she looked up at me. “Hey.”

“Hey, love.”

I felt her hand slip into mine and something cold touched my skin. Our eyes met as she smiled at me, slipping something on my finger. When I looked down, it was a gold diamond ring with king on it.

“My king.” She kissed me on the cheek.

It took me almost losing her to realize I needed to stop shutting her out. Crazy shit was that I was doing it without really knowing because I was so used to doing the shit. I was always used to holding everything in, never burdening someone else.

She lets a few days pass before we sit and do a check-in with each other. Talking about what is going on with each other. With a new baby, we often didn’t get the chance to check in as much as we wanted.

Our house was in the process of being built, and I changed up the whole layout.

My style was never big and over the top like my dramatic ass brother.

I wanted a home that fit my family, and truly felt like home.

Staying on the compound was what Blaze and Capri wanted, but being on Gam’s block with Augusta Mae across the street felt more like home to me.

Ezra was still on his own path, and he would be for some time.

He had to find his way, like I had to find mine, and everyone else on this shitty journey called grief had to find theirs.

I checked in with him when he didn’t go ghost on everybody.

I wanted the best for him, and would forever pull up on him and be there when he needed me.

I meant what I told him, and I prayed he realized that sooner than later. He had been leaning on Yasin more, and I wasn’t mad — long as he leaned on one of us, because we were a family.

Erin sang Sweet Love by Anita Baker to Capone, and everyone watched as she stared into his eyes while he held onto her hips, still sitting on the couch.

Cappadonna kissed Alaia’s head as she quietly sang along in her husband’s arms. The music switched, and We Fly High by Jim Jones played.

Jaiden came running out the back of the house hype as fuck. Capella damn near tossed his wife off his lap when he jumped up, dapping him up as he did the balling motion.

“Jaiden? Why don’t you tell me when you’re coming?” Erin ran over and hugged him and punched him at the same time.

“That’s a surprise, E.”

He dapped Capone up, and bent down so he could kiss his head. “You good?”

“As good as a nigga getting drafted feels.”

We all held up our drinks, ready to celebrate him getting drafted into the NBA. It had been a long time coming, and a lot of sacrifice, pain, and building himself back up, but he did the shit.

“Sonics’ coach been talking to me and says I got a good shot… he thinks I’m going to be drafted by the New York Sonics.”

“Floor seats with a Birkin would be so tea… let me wear your chain, too,” Aimee flipped her hair and Capella looked at her.

“Can he get his name on the locker door first?” Corleon laughed and dapped Jaiden up.

“Congrats, Jaiden.”

I held my fist out and he dapped me up. “Appreciate it, King.”

I watched my family and felt blessed. It took a lot to be here, and was a constant fight to stay here. I could have lost my life, left my wife a widow, but my baby above prevented that. She sent me what she felt I needed.

She knew I couldn’t have her, so she sent me Anjo, Elijah, and Izayah. I looked down at Anjo sleeping on me. “Motherhood looks beautiful on you, my love.”

“Thank you, Simmy,” she yawned.

“Know what else looks good on you?”

“Hmm?

“Let me show you.” I smirked, and her eyes opened with a sly look on her face. “You gonna let me show you?”

I watched as she climbed out of my lap and switched, her ass jiggling. All that baby weight was still there, and I wanted it to stay, while she was over here eating cleaner and working out.

“I see you trying to slip the fuck away,” Blaze loud ass called me out.

I smirked. “Grown man business, lil nigga.”

“They call me Big Pa round these parts.” He called back.

“Nigga, don’t nobody call you that around here,” Cappadonna added.

“I do…”

“Capri, don’t fucking start!” Capone hollered as I turned to follow my wife into the house while laughing.

He heard my prayers and sent me what I needed. It took a minute for me to stop being stubborn and allow it into my heart, but the moment I did, Blair Inferno entered.

Thank you, God.

The End