Page 78 of Search My Soul (Taylor Family Saga #3)

“She had me running errands for her early this morning, then I had some business I needed to take care of. What’s been up with you? I called you a few weeks ago and you didn’t answer. Don’t tell me you’re screening my calls or something.”

“Never that. I’ve been in the studio almost every day for the last month.

We’re trying to finish up this album because we’re going back on tour.

The only reason I’m in town is because my momma is having surgery in a few days, and I wanted to be here for it.

” My ears perked because I knew he seemed familiar.

Puma loved his music and introduced me to his music a couple of years ago.

She showed me a picture of him, but I hadn’t put two and two together until now.

“You’re a rapper, right?” Wale’s eyes shot over to mine with a smirk on his face.

“Yes, ma’am. Are you a fan of my music?” Arrogance dripped from his tongue, but he earned it. His music was really good, and I occasionally played a few of his songs on repeat in the car.

“My best friend is a huge fan of your music. I didn’t realize you were from here.”

“Oh, fasho. Born and raised. I moved to Miami a few years ago, but this will always be home to me.” I nodded, impressed that Darion’s family seemed to be full of successful men.

“That’s what’s up. If you have time, can I take a picture with you? I know my girl would probably freak out.”

“Of course. As a matter of fact, call her on video chat so I can say hello.” I grabbed my phone so fast I hadn’t even thought about how this would go.

Once Puma answered the phone, I flipped the camera over so she could see him.

I heard her screams through the phone and started laughing.

My girl was so dramatic, but I loved her.

“I can’t believe this shit! Damn, you’re even finer than I thought. You kind of look like my husband,” Puma blurted. My mouth fell open because I hadn’t expected her to say that.

“I appreciate it, lil mama. I’ll be going on tour soon, so if you ever want to come to one of my shows let me know. I’ll hook y’all up with some front row seats and backstage passes.”

“Are you serious? I’m already planning my outfits in my head. Thank you, thank you. Bestie, I love you so much!”

“Who the fuck are you talking to?” Murk’s voice roared in the background. “Who the fuck is this buff ass nigga that you’re on the phone with?” I turned the camera toward myself and laughed when I saw Murk glaring into the camera.

“Yo, sis. What kind of shit are you on? You’ve got my wife on the phone with a knock off version of me. What kind of bullshit is that?”

“Who the hell is he calling a knock off? If anything, I’m the original version, nigga,” Wale barked. Puma wasn’t lying when she said they looked similar. I would have assumed they were related to one another because of the resemblance. Wale was more muscular, but their similarities were uncanny.

“Who the fuck is he talking to? Does he know I will beat the fuck out of him? And he big as fuck so I might just have to shoot his ass,” Murk grumbled.

“He was just joking, brother. I called Puma because he’s one of her favorite artists so I thought she would be excited to see him.”

“Yeah, all right. Keep fucking with me and her favorite artist gon’ be on a shirt.” I immediately hung up the phone because Murk’s mouth was reckless as hell.

“Look at you messing up a happy home,” Darion teased.

“I didn’t do anything. I thought my girl would want to meet her favorite artist. I forgot how unstable her husband was,” I replied with a shrug.

“Messy ass.” Darion chuckled, then went back to his plate.

“Well, tell him he has nothing to worry about. There are too many bitches out there for me to take somebody’s wife.

I need my bitches to be available to me at all times.

I’m selfish as fuck,” Wale barked. The two of them went back and forth, making jokes and reminiscing about their childhood together.

I enjoyed hearing all of the stories about their childhood.

A few other family members came over to the table and they all kept me laughing for the rest of the night.

Darion’s family treated me as if I was a part of the family, so I never felt out of place. Even his uncles kept me entertained. We played Spades and I wasn’t nearly as good as I thought I was.

“Yeah, you might be pretty, but you can’t play worth a damn. The next time you need to sit on the sidelines, baby girl,” Unc Matt exclaimed. I laughed so hard, I snorted.

“I’m not that bad. I just need to warm up.”

“The hell you ain’t. Baby, we’ve been playing for an hour.

Ain’t too much more warming you can do.” My belly jerked from me laughing so hard.

I was grateful DJ extended the invitation to me because his family was hilarious.

While we were playing, my phone vibrated on the table.

Since I had already spoken to my girls, I decided not to answer right away.

I felt a pair of eyes on me, and when I looked up, I noticed Darion staring at me.

There was no need for me to ask why he was staring because when my phone went off again, he glanced down at it before looking back up at me.

“Are you gonna get that?”

“Not right now. I’m gonna silence it though. I need to be completely focused so I can win this next round,” I joked.

“Yeah right. You might as well answer that phone, sweetheart. Whoever it is might give you some good luck.” Uncle Matt chortled.

“I can’t believe you are tryna play me like this. Watch what I’m about to do in this next round.”

“I’m sure it won’t be any better than the last three,” Wale interjected. I flipped him the middle finger because I was tired of his shit too.

“All of y’all can go to hell. I don’t have to take this.”

“The truth hurts. The next time you want to roll with the big dogs make sure you have what it takes. We’re going easy on you this time, but the next time we won’t spare your pretty ass.

” Darion’s head whipped over in his direction so fast it scared me.

“I don’t give a damn about you making faces.

I said what I said, and you can’t fight me.

” Darion and Wale argued like brothers, and it reminded me of Tycen and Murk.

Those two were always play fighting and roasting one another.

While they were talking, I took a moment to check my phone.

I had a few messages from the group chat and a few messages from my sister.

She had been staying with one of my aunts since the kidnapping and she was miserable.

I had been thinking about taking my mother to court for custody so she could come live with me.

My aunt wasn’t abusive, but she was strict.

I used to hate spending summers with her because we never got to have any fun.

Aunt Rema was one of those God-fearing church folks who believed any fun outside of the church was devil worship.

When we were kids, she would wake us up to pray in the morning and we would be on the floor for over an hour.

It was ironic because the moment Peaches and Passion turned eighteen, they went wild.

They made sure to get accepted into a college that was out of state so they wouldn’t be under their mother’s eyesight.

They blocked her and many of our family members on social media so they wouldn’t be able to report back to her, but that didn’t last. Within the first six months of college, Auntie Rema was calling them daily to pray over their lost souls.

I can laugh about it now, but I don’t miss those days.

Some church folks treated religion like a cult with rules and regulations when it was supposed to be about having a relationship with the man upstairs.

I have so many traumatic stories from my past, and I truly believed it played a major role in why I became a stripper.

It was a form of rebellion. After years of abuse and manipulation, I wanted to prove that I was grown and could make my own decisions.

It probably wasn’t the best way to express myself, but I had no regrets.

I promised Riya and West that I would come get them for the weekend, so I let her know I would be there as soon as I left here. I should have brought them with me, but it honestly slipped my mind.

Two more hours passed before I felt myself growing tired. Darion noticed right away, and I felt guilty.

“Let’s get your sleepy butt home.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to end your night early on my behalf,” I told him as another yawn escaped me.

“Yes, I’m sure. We’ve been here for a while, and if you yawn one more time, I’m gonna start yawning. Besides, I have to come back here to help take these tables down, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Okay, fine. I need to fix another plate before we leave. I’m still thinking about that food.” I rubbed my belly, giggling as my little boy kicked me. I took that as him agreeing with me that we needed more food.

“Ma Dukes already fixed our plates and put them up for us. Come on.” Darion held his hand out for me to grab. I appreciated the fact that he was a real gentleman. I never had to tell him how to treat me, because he handled me like fine China.

“I love her. I need to make sure I give her a hug before I leave.”

“You better, or she’s gonna talk about you as soon as you walk out of the door.” Darion laughed, but I knew he was telling the truth. Older folks did not play about that. My granny would call us if we left her house without giving her a proper goodbye.

We picked my siblings up on the way, and I was grateful because Lord knows I wasn’t trying to get home only to have to go right back out. They were quiet on the ride to my house, but I knew it was only because we were in the car with Darion.

“Can I ask you a question?” Darion’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Who was that who kept calling you earlier?” I couldn’t say I was shocked by the question because I noticed him looking. However, I wondered what made him ask me. We were nothing more than friends, so it wasn’t any of his business.

“Soul.” Silence lingered between us for a moment as I waited for him to say what was on his mind.

“What’s going on between the two of you? You still haven’t told me why the two of you broke up, but I’ve noticed how uncomfortable you seem whenever he calls. Is everything okay?”

“Our relationship didn’t end on the best terms, but we are committed to being the best parents we can be to our son.

There is no bad blood between us any longer, but we’ve both realized that we aren’t made for one another.

It has been an adjustment, especially due to my pregnancy, but I’m okay.

” I watched him nod so I assumed my answer was acceptable to him.

“Do you still love him?” My face twisted because I wasn’t sure where this conversation was going. However, I wasn’t about to lie because there was no reason to.

“I’ll always have love for Soul, and he’ll always have love for me. Our son was created from love, and we both loved him.”

“I understand that, but do you see yourself being in a relationship with him again?”

“No. We will never be in a relationship with one another, but we’ll always be family.

To be honest, I don’t plan to be in a relationship with anyone right now.

My only concern is to be the best mother I can be and give my son a good life.

That’s not to say I won’t be open to a relationship in the future.

I just have a lot of healing to do before I consider it. ”

I’ve enjoyed my time with Darion, and I wasn’t blind to the fact that he was attracted to me.

I was equally as attracted to him, but I couldn’t allow things to go any further than an attraction.

At least for the time being. Soul still held a large part of my heart, and it wouldn’t be fair for me to give myself to someone if I knew my heart wasn’t available to give.

My son was the only male who would be getting my attention for now, but I couldn’t say what the future would hold.

“I hear you. I’m glad to know you aren’t closed off to love.

You’re an amazing woman and you deserve to have someone who will love you the way you deserve.

” I appreciated his kind words, and it made me even more grateful that he was back in my life.

Right now, I needed a friend, and that’s the role Darion was playing in my life.

He was a great guy, but he was so different from Soul.

It was too early to tell whether that was a good thing or a bad one.

For now, I would enjoy what we were building and worry about the future when the time came.