Page 78

…Several months later

“H e sure did!” Sarah and many of the guests burst out laughing as she told of Kage’s business. Tales of his antics as a little boy at the baby shower, many of which, if he had a thin skin, he’d find highly embarrassing. He was in too much of a good mood though to allow such a thing to rattle him.

Kage shook his head as he leaned against the wall of his home, sipping on a Bud Light beer.

Poet’s stomach was absolutely huge. She’d gotten much larger in a short period of time, and he’d learned the hard way to keep his jokes about her resembling a beach ball to himself.

He found her to be absolutely adorable, but she didn’t feel that way.

Nevertheless, this was a party, and he was happy to see his new wife in a great mood, dressed in her blue and white polka dot dress, participating in fun and silly shower games and dancing the afternoon away.

Alan Jackson’s, ‘Just Playin’ Possum’ played, encouraging the light and airy mood.

The cradle he’d made for their new baby boy about to enter the world sat across the room with a big blue sash and bow on it.

He’d presented it to her at the party, and she loved it.

He glanced across the room and smiled when catching sight of his cousin Lennox who was laughing and hamming it up while holding his own new baby, Blaine, with his wife, Nadia.

He glanced out of one of the living room windows to see the new structure he was building on his land.

The farmhouse would remain in Poet’s possession, but she no longer lived there.

Instead, she was renting it out to a nice family that also helped with the monthly farmer’s market for a while, but eventually she planned to turn it into a small taxidermy museum and Bed and Breakfast, with a ‘Pick your own food’ section.

She’d get help running it with a couple close friends.

He was constructing Aunt Huni her own little cottage house, a Mother-In-Law suite.

It would be compact, making it easy for her to manage, but spacious enough for her and have everything that she needed, and best of all, it would be less than thirty seconds away from his back door.

There was even a covered walkway from point A to B.

Huni had confided how she was feeling like a burden after she’d had an episode right before the wedding.

She was in her bedroom at the farmhouse, and woke up screaming from a nightmare.

When Poet entered the room to soothe her, Huni began yelling even louder, even becoming violent when she wouldn’t recognize Poet for quite some time.

It led to her being taken to the hospital, and not recalling much of the evening at all.

The dementia was getting worse, and Poet was doing everything in her power to keep Huni’s spirits up, and stay hopeful, too.

That was around the same time that Huni finally told her what Poet’s mother had done to save her life…

While in the hospital, she confessed to Poet, that Dominque had discreetly helped her kick a prescription drug habit before it had taken a complete foothold on her life.

She was on the verge of becoming an addict after receiving medicine for a tooth infection, but avoided the deadly hold of narcotics– thanks to the quick intervention of her true friend.

Huni had been ashamed of this brief but rough stint in her past, but was finally ready to admit what had transpired.

All Kage knew was that he loved both of them, and whatever his wife needed him to do to ensure that Huni was comfortable and getting the care she needed, he was going to do it.

He and Poet hooked gazes as those thoughts swam in his mind. She looked pretty as a button, and she smiled at him shyly as she approached him with a metal bowl in her hands. Her dress swinging in beat to the music. When she arrived, he wasted no time wrapping his arms around her, then kissing her.

“How you doin’, baby? Need anything?” he offered.

“I just came over here to get a kiss from you, but I was going to get some more ice, too.” She pushed past him to do just that, but he gently curled his arm around hers, snatched the bowl from her grasp, and pulled her back in his direction.

“Naw, I got it. Go on back in there and have fun.”

“I’m pregnant, not helpless, Kage,” she said with a smile, but he could tell she was a tad offended.

“Nobody said anything about you being helpless, superwoman, but I wasn’t doing anything but holdin’ up that wall and drinking.”

“Give me that bowl back and get out of my way, boy. I’m about to—”

“Aight! Aight! Get! Now I ain’t gonna argue with you, lady.

I’m getting the ice, and that settles it.

” He patted her ass as she laughed and walked off.

He watched her waddle away, and his dick got hard.

Visions of their lovemaking that morning sent him whirling.

He found pregnant pussy to be soft and warm like apple pie.

Damn sure delightful. I think I’ll get me another slice tonight…

Moving past his perverted thoughts, he made his way to the cooler and filled the bowl with ice.

Once the large silver vessel was filled to the rim, he brought it out for their guests.

That’s when he saw him… Jasper. As soon as he scanned the room, Roman, Lennox, Maddox, and several others, were glaring at the doorway, too. Kage turned back to the son of a bitch.

The man was dressed in a dark blue shirt and jeans.

Like it was a simple, casual day for an ass-kissing errand-boy to pay him a visit.

He loitered in the doorway, looking a bit unnerved and stiff, gripping a large light brown envelope in his hands.

Kage patted his hip, making sure his strap was able and willing should the need arise, then marched up to him.

“What the fuck do you want? Why are you here? This is trespassing. You weren’t invited, motherfucker.” Kage kept his voice low, so as to not disturb anyone, but it was definitely loud enough to let this bastard know that he was dead serious.

“I’m aware that I wasn’t invited, you son of a bitch, and I don’t want to be here, either. You think I’m interested in your devil’s spawn party? If this baby ends up anything like you, Kage, you’ll need a priest in here, not me . Anyway, I’m here on behalf of your grandfather.”

“I told that rotten banana skinned motherfucker that I—”

“Kage, stop it.” Jasper put up his hand as if in surrender, and sounded exhausted. “He tried to send you a parcel several times for your wedding, but you sent it back without even opening it.”

“You’re damn straight I did. Knowin’ the old man on the hill, there’s a bomb in there. It could have arsenic in it, or some shit that’s gonna make me mad!”

Jasper sighed. Thick layers of frustration were stacked all over his face. The bodyguard and assistant of his grandfather tore the package open and ran his hands all over the pages, proving it was safe. He then turned the pages to and fro, and waved them about like a fan.

“Ain’t no damn poison on these here pages, Kage! You’re paranoid! All of y’all get one of these here letters after the deal goes through, or is called off. It’s protocol.”

“Is suckin’ that old man’s ol’ crinkled up nut sack protocol for you, too? Admit it. You’re in love with him, ain’t you?”

“You’re out of your fucking mind. You just wanna get a rise out of me. I want to deliver this and leave.”

“Are his balls sour or salty? Like peanuts and crackerjacks? He takin’ you out to the real ball game, ain’t he?

” Kage taunted. “Throat goat Jasper, at Old Wilde Bull’s service!

You gotta be in love with him to stick by his side all of these years.

Now he got you comin’ over here to fuck with me, too.

I’m sorry to break it to you, but you can’t suck my balls, Jasper.

I’m married, and I don’t swing that way. ”

“You’re a real sick motherfucker, Kage.” Kage burst out laughing as he watched how angry Jasper was becoming.

“If you don’t believe me about why I’m here, you asshole, just ask Lennox and Roman.

” Jasper pointed in his cousins’ direction.

“They got ’em, too, only it didn’t require that I come in person because they weren’t insane like you.

Now take it.” He slapped it against Kage’s chest, then walked out the door.

Kage held the now wrinkled envelope and looked over at his cousins. They no longer wore expressions of concern, and were enmeshed in the party once again. Kage tossed on a smile, the best he could muster, and made his way through the living room, down the hall and back into his workstation.

He turned on some music: Blues Saraceno’s, ‘Carry Me Back Home,’ sat on an old metal bar stool, and opened the envelope…

Kage,

I begin this letter by first congratulating you on your marriage to Ms. Poet Constantine.

In looking into her background, not only is she particularly easy on the eye and way out of your fucking league, but she’s also book smart and knows her way around a rifle.

According to you, she also helped you not to lose your land, which is in direct interference with family matters.

She should have minded her own business.

I strictly prohibit that. Had I known about her in advance, I would have done some things differently, but that is neither here nor there.

In typical fashion, you keep a tight lid on your love affairs, as you’d done with Lorna, and so I was unaware that you were getting married until only a few days ahead of the scheduled nuptials.