Page 168 of Rah

He chuckled softly, brushing his thumb over my cheek. “You think I was gon’ let you sit in there longer than you had to?”

I just stared at him as my whole body trembled from shock and relief.

He tilted my chin up, lustfully growling, “I’ve been waiting so damn long to taste you again.”

Before I could answer, his lips crashed against mine. It was hot, messy, and desperate.

When we finally pulled apart, he smiled like he was just as overwhelmed as I was.

“C’mon,” he said softly, brushing a tear from my cheek. “Let’s get you home.”

The second I stepped out of the car in front of my home, I could hear music playing inside, kids playing, and voices overlapping laughter.

When I walked through the door, the sight of everyone nearly brought me to my knees. My parents were there, smiling wider than I’d seen in years. Essence and Elijah came rushing toward me, screaming for me and wrapping their little arms around my waist. My daddy’s eyes were glassy, and my mamakept fanning her face like she was trying to keep her tears from falling.

Kahlani and Trent were there too. Fabe sat on the couch with Junior in his lap and Aaliyah beside him, both of them looking happy and settled in a way that made me realize how much they truly loved each other. Even though I hadn’t known Aaliyah well, I could tell she was good for him.

Apparently, everyone had known about my early release except me. A banner reading, “Welcome Home, Solae!” hung on the living room wall, along with balloons.

As I hugged each person, one by one, laughter blended with tears. Priest stood back in the corner, watching me proudly. I could see the pride, relief, and love in his eyes.

In that moment, surrounded by everyone I loved most, I felt the kind of peace and calm that just settled deep in my bones and reminded me that I’d made it home.

It felt surreal being surrounded by so much love after everything I’d been through. My heart was so full.

Still, there was a part of me that almost didn’t feel deserving. Like happiness wasn’t supposed to come this easy after so much chaos.

As I was talking to Priest about how he’d kept all of this from me, I noticed Aaliyah walking toward us.

She had a slightly nervous smile on her face, like she didn’t know how she’ll be received. “Can I talk to you for a minute, Solae?”

I had nothing against Aaliyah. If anything, I saw her as another victim of Rah’s, same as I was. She was just a woman who’d fallen for the wrong man and paid the price for it too.

She and I had spoken a few times while I was locked up, mostly when I called Fabe, and I only usually did that because of the kids. Essence and Elijah had built a bond with Junior,and they loved spending the night at Fabe and Aaliyah’s house.

“Yeah, sure.” I led her to my bedroom, away from all the noise. She stayed close behind me, until we got inside.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, and she lingered near the door like she wasn’t sure if she should come closer.

“I just wanted to give you something,” she said finally, slipping a bookbag off her shoulder.

My brows furrowed. “What’s this?”

She stepped forward and handed it to me. “Money.”

I blinked, confused. “Money?”

“Yeah.” She took a shaky breath. “It’s the money from Carlos’ murder.”

My eyes shot toward her. “F-Fabe told me that you’d taken this from Rah.”

“I told Fabe I flushed it,” she quickly explained. “But I didn’t. I just… couldn’t. I felt like if anybody deserved it, it was you. But then you got locked up, and I didn’t think it would be smart to give it to you then. Now… you’re free. And Rah’s dead. So, I figured… you can use it to start over.”

My throat closed up.

I’d already heard Rah took over three hundred thousand from Carlos’ stash before everything went left. And now here it was, sitting in my lap, handed to me by the woman I once thought ruined my life.

Aaliyah’s eyes glistened as she added softly, “That’s all I wanted. And I’m really sorry… for everything.”