Page 48

Priest eventually arrived at Britain's apartment. He used the spare key to enter and caught Britain in the middle of singing along to music she had blasting on her speakers. Despite the music being loud, he still managed to hear Britain's sweet voice, but he was sure she was unaware of his arrival.

Priest made his way toward her bedroom. He listened intently, enjoying her talent that he had just discovered. If Britain couldn't get any better, she could sing.

No longer able to keep himself concealed, Priest pushed the bedroom door open, catching Britain’s attention immediately. "God!" she yelled in shock as she gripped her chest. "How long were you here?"

"Long enough to find out you can fucking sing," he told her with his eyes widened in amazement.

A light laugh aired out of Britain as she waved him off. “Alright, let’s not make it a big deal.”

"A’ight, I’ll have you sing to me later. I need to hear that beautiful-ass voice again.” He smirked before resting his hands on her waist. “You look nice."

"Thank you, P. You look handsome." She puckered her lips for a kiss.

"I can slip you out of this later?" he asked with a mannish smirk embedded on his face.Britain laughed lightly as she looked down at her outfit.The ribbed black bodysuit seemed to be painted onto her body, enticing Priest.

"Be my guest," she approved, causing Priest to shake his head with some laughter.

Once Britain put on her shoes, they were ready to go. She continued to refrain from asking questions, which wasn't that hard for her to do since Priest never really answered her anyway.

Britain led the way out and Priest locked up behind them. As he reached up to place the spare key where it was usually hidden, she stopped him. "Keep it," she instructed him before quickly walking away from him and heading to the car.He stood near the door in confusion. Doing as she told him, he slipped the key into the front pocket of his Amiri jeans. Meeting her at the car, he opened the door for her before getting in himself.

"Why'd you walk away?" Priest asked her as he started the vehicle and pulled out of his usual parking space.

Britain cleared her throat out of nervousness. "I fear rejection. What if you think it's too soon?" she asked in a low and sheepish voice. At the moment she offered him her apartment key, her heart had spoken quicker than her mind.

Priest reached into his front pocket and retrieved the key. "I don't," he confirmed, causing a smile to etch Britain's face. "Things like letting me have the key wouldn't make or break anything. We could be three years in, and I still wouldn't mind getting it from the spot," he shrugged.

"Gioia, you've given me access to you mentally, emotionally and sexually. I definitely wouldn't be tripping off a key being kept too soon. We're damn near married at this point," he scoffed with a light laugh and a shake of his head.

Britain reached over the console of the car, grabbing his hand in hers. "Do you ever have that feeling that you're in the right place at the right time with the right person?" Britain asked him.

Priest glanced at Britain before bringing her hand up to his lips. "I feel that with you all the time," he admitted.

She sighed in a dreamy manner. "Same here. Is it safe to say we're soulmates?" she questioned, immediately wishing she hadn't asked him something so infantile and silly.

Priest nodded his head with a light chuckle. "Hell yeah. We locked in," he confirmed.

The rest of the car ride, Britain remained at the peak of happiness. Her relationship with Priest had developed and blossomed into something so beautiful that she sometimes felt like it was too good to be true.

Once the car stopped, Britain looked out the tinted window of the vehicle, realizing they had just pulled up to a community event. A smile covered Britain's face at the sight of the community members embracing each other with vibrant smiles and welcoming hugs. The sun beamed down perfectly on everyone, causing different shades of melanin to radiate from them.

Turning the car off, Priest glanced over at Britain, noticing how exuberant she had become once they had arrived. "I knew you would like it." Priest smirked as he got out the car to assist her out of the vehicle.

Priest definitely had no intentions of being flashy, but once his butterfly doors trailed up toward the sky, everyone just knew it was him. The ground vibrated from the loud music being projected out of the vehicles parked on the evenly cut grass.

Priest’s eyes scanned his surroundings as he made his way around the car to help Britain out. With her hand in his, she got out the car, earning a few eyes since not many knew of her presence in Priest's life. She had grown accustomed to people being curious about her, so she paid the stares no mind.

"What's the occasion?" she asked as she took a look around.

"There hasn't been a murder here all month. It's a celebration," he enlightened her with a light smile. Priest had grown up in the same projects in the same neighborhood with the same hopeless neighbors and the same careless cops. Nothing had changed aside from the fact that the community had some sort of unity now. Growing up, Priest had to deal with the fact that everyone was for themselves. Now, the community had merged to become one big family that could count on each other.

"Let me guess. You played a part in this?" She motioned her hand around, referring to the event.

Priest smirked while slyly nodding his head. "Yeah, but keep that between you and me. I don't want any bad attention"

Britain furrowed her brows. "You're doing something good. How would you get bad attention from that?" she asked him.

"I'm the same nigga who got out of these projects and is now driving an i8, and no one knows how. If some people find out I'm behind this, there would be no thanks," Priest explained to Britain in a low voice as they walked the cement that trailed the entire park. Priest wasn't much of a welcomed figure in his own hood. They seemed to hate him more than they supported him.

Britain let out a heavy sigh. Her spirits for the event had been crushed completely. "Why do people treat you so badly when you have such a pure heart?"

Priest chuckled dryly before shrugging his shoulders. "Leonard's karma maybe," he murmured as he shrugged his shoulders.

They continued walking the park, and Priest greeted a few people here and there. Britain caught a few people giving her and Priest the eye. It was evident that she was now unwelcome due to her association with Priest. The way some people's jealousy could get the best of them in such a nasty way was sad.

"Why are we here if you're not welcomed by everyone?" Britain asked, her attitude quickly growing at the sight of the side-eye one male was giving Priest as he paid them no mind.

Priest shifted his eyes over to Britain, who was walking with her arms folded across her chest and her face screwed up in a mean mug. "If the DJ play one song you're not fucking with, would you leave the club?" Priest asked her with slight amusement etched on his face.

Britain smacked her lips. "Ain't no song I can't throw this ass back to." She jokingly flipped her hair over her shoulder in an arrogant manner. She realized Priest was right and had a valid point.A few side-eyes weren’tenough to ruin a good time.

Priest laughed as his hand gripped her rear. "A fucking fool, yo.”

Their walking came to a smooth halt as they met with J'Ru and Kaymen. The men both hugged and greeted Britain politely, thanking her for showing up with Priest.

"J's here too, in case you didn't know," Kaymen advised while pointing over to Jadey, who was seated at one of the many picnic tables alongside a few women she was having a conversation with.

Britain glanced in the direction he was pointing. Seeing Jadey for the first time in a month wasn't really on her itinerary for the day. Britain gave Kaymen a tight-lipped smile while nodding to acknowledge Jadey’s presence.

"Britain straight dubbed her ass," J'Ru mumbled, and he and Priest laughed, but once they noticed neither Britain nor Kaymen was laughing, their chuckles ceased.

"Britain, you're killing me, man. Just say something to her," Kaymen pleaded.

Yes, he loved his wife dearly, and because of this, he couldn't deal with the sadness she felt from missing Britain’s friendship. The icing on the cake was Britain’s absence at the second wedding. That let Jadey know she was really washing her hands clean of her.

Britain let out a sigh. "I'll think about it," she said, concluding the discussion. She turned to face Priest. "Can we go find something to drink?"

Priest nodded, knowing that was her way of getting away from Kaymen to avoid being guilt tripped into talking to Jadey. "Nice talking to you guys." Britain smiled to J'Ru and Kaymen before she and Priest went off to grab a drink.

"Kaymen probably hates me," Britain muttered as Priest grabbed her hand.

Priest chuckled. "Kaymen doesn't hate you. He doesn't hate anyone," he clarified. "He just doesn't want to see his shorty down anymore. Believe it or not, you play a huge role in her life, G," he explained to her.

"She plays a big role in my life too, but there are just some things that need time. If I talk to her, I'll feel rushed to forgive her. I don't want that."

"I get it. You don't have to do nothing you don't want to,"Priest assured as they walked toward the food vendors set up for the event.

Food trucks rallied at the park, serving great food and even better drinks. "I want you to meet somebody," Priest told Britain after buying drinks for the two of them.

"Should I be worried?" She raised her brow.

"She's a sweet little lady. Wouldn't even hurt a fly," he enlightened her, causing them both to laugh.

They made their way to the other side of the park, where many people were seated enjoying food and light conversation with each other. Priest approached a table where an older woman with striking bronze skin was seated. Her keratin-treated hair was slicked back in a long ponytail that stopped at the small of her back, and it was the first thing Britain got the chance to admire. She was beautiful, and for some reason, she reminded Britain so much of her own mother, Seven. The woman was seated amongst a few other people, one of whom was a man who sported a marked veteran's hat proudly.

"Mrs. Cox, I know you not hustling these people out their money with these cards," Priest teased as he leaned down and sat a light kiss on her cheek.

Upon hearing Priest’s voice, excitement washed over her, and she sprung up from her seat. “Priest, hush! This is the longest I've went without seeing you. What's the meaning of that?"

She wrapped her arms around him for an embrace. Mrs. Cox was getting up there in age, and that scared Priest a bit. She played such a huge role in his upbringing, just like Remy. He felt guilty for not coming around to see her more often, but these days, it seemed like he was trying to please everyone all at once.

"I know, Mrs. C. I just been busy, but I'm here now," he assured her as he parted from the hug.Priest made her so proud. He and J'Ru were like her children. She looked after them and cared for them, and just like she was disappointed whenever they got themselves into trouble, she was proud whenever they did something remarkable. Mrs. Cox never got the chance to have children of her own, so she had taken both boys under her wing.

"I want you to meet Britain, my shorty," Priest introduced Britain to Mrs. Cox with just as much swagger and flavor as he used to have back in high school whenever he brought his little flings to Bueno! to grab a cheap breakfast sandwich before school.

Mrs. Cox laughed while shaking her head at him. "This beauty is not your shorty. She's your woman," she corrected Priest as she gave Britain a warm and loving hug.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cox," Britain smiled.

"Pleasure is all mine, babydoll. I'm just grateful I'm still alive to see my handsome son has finally found someone to call his shorty," she teased Priest, causing him and Britain to laugh.

"I'm getting the hang of this whole chivalry thing," Priest told her as he hooked his arm around Britain's shoulder.

Mrs. Cox directed her attention to Britain. She was a gorgeous girl, and she couldn't help but feel like Britain reminded her of someone. "How's your mother?" Mrs. Cox sporadically asked Britain, confusing not only Britain, but Priest also.

Britain cleared her throat. "I'm sorry?" she questioned her, trying to understand how her mother had surfaced within the conversation.

"That face belongs to Jeremy Demings." Mrs. Cox smiled as she referred to Britain's looks. "And there's only one little lady Jeremy belongs to, and that's Seven Demings, I hope." Her smile stretched into a light smirk.

"You know my parents?" Britain asked in slight disbelief.

Mrs. Cox nodded. "Of course I did. They were my favorites. They were so in love. That woman had Jeremy’s nose wide open," Mrs. Cox said to Britain. Both Seven and Remy had been so guarded about the time they shared with each other. All they told Britain was that one day everything was all good, and then the next, it went to shit.

Mrs. Cox gestured for Britain and Priest to take a seat. "I'll be happy to tell you more about them, baby. I can't help but want to. You two remind me so much of them." She smiled sweetly.Priest and Britain glanced at each other before shrugging their shoulders in unison. Remy always told them he didn't want them to repeat history, and Priest and Britain were curious to find out how they would do that.

Mrs. Cox placed her hand over Britain's. "Seven was a sweet girl, a smart one, too. I met her through Jeremy, and you could tell she drove that man up the wall, but he loved her," she chuckled. "She led that relationship, and he just followed her lead. It was like she was giving him the guidance he needed. Every morning before she went to class, they would meet at Bueno! for coffee. They would take turns paying, despite how stubborn your father was. He would take her all the way to school and then make it back in time to post up and do his job.

"Seven's parents weren't the biggest fans of Jeremy, so she would stop by and just tell me how much Jeremy made her happy and how she was really invested in changing his life for the better. He was hard to get through to, but your mother was a determined woman." Mrs. Cox could remember all the times Seven and Remy would stop by showcasing how in love they were. Their relationship came with a lot of wonders and a few jealous women who were all after Remy, but Seven had his nose wide open.

"As far as I knew, the two were madly in love, and they were gonna stay together, but they just disappeared. I stopped seeing them both, and before I knew it, everyone was telling me that Jeremy had found himself behind bars. Seven had to be devastated. She went from being the girl everyone knew for keeping Jeremy in check to never being seen again." She sighed in disappointment.

"They still love each other," Priest stated exactly what Britain was thinking.

"They have to," she added.

For the duration of an hour, Mrs. Cox filled Priest and Britain in on all she knew of Remy and Seven. The more they sat and listened, the more they started to realize they weren't too far from being just like Seven and Remy. "Love, tell your mother and father I said hello," Mrs. Cox advised Britain with her sweet smile.

"Most definitely," Britain agreed. "It was so nice to meet you.”

They shared goodbyes with Mrs. Cox before she sent them off to go enjoy the rest of the event. "We can't end up like that," Britain murmured.

"Like what?" Priest asked for clarification.

"Like my parents."

Priest let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "We're in control of our future." His low and rugged voice trekked through her ears in a volume so low, it was only loud enough for her to hear. "I love you." He kissed her cheek.

A smile stretched across her gorgeous face. "I love you too."

A basketball game taking place on the blacktop court caught Britain's attention. She wasn't a sport enthusiast, but the way the men were playing on the court looked far more interesting than the regular NBA game. With her hand in Priest’s, they made their way toward the basketball court to join the crowd that stood around it spectating.

"Yo, Priest!" Britain and Priest both turned around at the calling of his name. A smile grew on Priest's face as twelve-year-old Jamari began approaching him and Britain with his smile that was caged by the colored bands in his braces.

Priest unhooked his arm from around Britain to greet Jamari. "What's crackin', kid?" He and Jamari slapped hands with each other.

"Chilling," Jamari shrugged. "Who you got there?" He proceeded to point at Britain with a young, flirtatious smirk.

Finding his little manly demeanor funny, Britain stuck her hand out to him. "I'm Britain, his girlfriend," she introduced herself to him.

"I usually don't do hugs, but for you, I'm willing. You're fine." Jamari smirked while opening his arms for Britain to hug him.

Britain laughed loudly as Priest mean mugged Jamari playfully. She went ahead and gave him a hug, fulfilling Jamari's flirty desires. "You really trying to snatch my shorty up right in front of me?" Priest laughed with a shake of his head.

"At her own will." Jamari rubbed his hands together as he scanned Britain up and down, which resulted in her laughter intensifying.

Priest jokingly nudged Jamari to get his focus off Britain. "She's good where she at." He wrapped his arm around Britain's waist.

Shooting Priest a stale face for blocking, Jamari withdrew his attention from Priest's girl. "I'm still waiting on that ride and ice cream you said you was gonna take me out for." He raised a brow at Priest, reminding him.

Priest chuckled. "I didn't forget about you, Mari. I just got a lot going on right now. How them grades looking, though?"

Jamari retrieved his phone from his back pocket. "See, I knew you was gonna ask. I got it ready for you," he told Priest as he tapped a few things on his phone before handing it over to Priest.

Britain couldn’t help but smile at Priest as he looked over Jamari's grades with satisfaction etched on his face. Priest turned to Britain, allowing her to look over the report card as well.

"These look right to you?" he asked her with a smirk.

Britain laughed lightly. "A's and B's. Looks perfect to me," she approved while handing the phone back over to Jamari.

"Keep up the good work, Mari," he praised with a wide-stretched smile. "I'm busy this week. Next week, I'll stop by."

Jamari smiled his contagious smile that was amplified by his braces. "Cool, Priest. I'm gonna hold you to it."

"Like you always do." Priest laughed as he drew his hand out of his pocket, extracting some money. Britain watched him as he peeled four hundreds from his stack and handed it to Jamari.

"This for your mother. If I find out you shorted her, I'm gone deal with you," he warned Jamari as he handed him the cash.

Jamari folded the money tightly, sliding it into the pocket of his jeans. "Always wanna deal with somebody," he mumbled with a playful roll of his eyes. "Thanks for looking out, PJ," he expressed his gratitude, knowing his mother would appreciate the gesture immensely.

Priest nodded before pulling Jamari in for a hug. "You're good, man. Have fun and stay safe," he advised before sending him off.

Britain held onto his muscular arm with a proud smile etched on her face as she looked up at him. "You're such a beautiful soul," she praised him.

"I do what I can," he shrugged lightly.

J'Ru eventually joined Priest and Britain to watch the basketball game that was more entertaining because of the trash talk the men playing carelessly spewed. When Kaymen joined them as well, Britain glanced in his direction, making immediate eye contact with Jadey, who stood with Kaymen's arms snaked around her waist as she stood before him. Britain quickly looked away, not giving Jadey a chance to give her the look of sorrow.