It was Melanie’s turn to look surprised. “My daughter in love? I never thought I’d see the day.”
“I know this is all you’ve wanted.”
Melanie put the dish down that she had been rinsing. “Honey, no. What I wanted was for you to be happy. What I wantis for you to have more than just work in your life. I had to sit back and watch your father work his life away. Now, all we have are a few years to really enjoy ourselves. I sat back and watched your father give you the same work ethic he had. All I tried to do was give you balance.
“As you move through your life with Haze, because I think he’s around for the long haul, I want you to remember there’s more to life than work. Delegate as much as you can. Your father put in all the hard work so you don’t have to. The dealership is up, it’s running, and it has the best reputation. All you need to do is maintain it and spend the rest of your time loving on your man and your daughter. Do you understand me?”
Devyn nodded with a lump in her throat. For so long, Devyn thought she and her mom just had different ideas about life in general. Now, she understood that her mom was simply trying to save her from a life of misery.
Dropping the pan she’d been washing, she hugged her mom. The two sat in that embrace for a moment before they pulled apart.
“Love you, Mama.”
“And I love you. Now, go ahead and check on your man. Make sure your daddy hasn’t talked his ear off. I’ll finish up here.”
Devyn kissed her mom’s cheek and found her way to the living room. Of course, Hazel had these two grown ass men wrapped around her finger, becauseBlueycurrently played while Hazel twirled around the floor.
Devyn plopped down on the couch next to Haze and laid her head on his shoulder. “How you doing?”
“Great, baby. Perfect,” he replied before placing a kiss on her forehead.
Perfect was the proper word for this moment, and Devyn realized these were the moments she needed to chase for the rest of her life.
Haze put his arm around her, and she sank into his side, capturing this moment as another one of her favorites.
A couple of weeks had passed, and Haze had kept a low profile. Hades called him and let him know that everything was cleaned up. Apparently, his father was the mayor of Ellwood, and they pretty much had the police in their pockets, even more so than Haze had in Desmore Bay. Hades told Haze not to come to Ellwood for a while but that he was a free man and could keep breathing fresh air.
Haze knew Hades would come through for him and decided to send the man his winnings from the race. It was quite literally the least he could do. Hades took that shit without a thank you. All Haze could do was laugh.
That day, he had a heavy heart as he kicked it at the compound. It was family day. They hosted one once a quarterbecause Haze truly believed this was his family, and he wanted his members to feel the same. He smiled when he saw Hazel playing with the other toddlers. His eyes found Devyn, who chatted happily with Glimmer, Kyomi, Deja, and the other old ladies.
A few vixens were spotted about, but they were on their best behavior that day and knew they were only there for the niggas who didn’t have any family.
The atmosphere was live, but Haze felt a mixture of relief and sadness as he worked up the courage to do what he knew needed to be done that day.
The new recruits had been doing well, and he saw how they vied for his attention, but they had no idea that his attention and approval wasn’t what they needed. Not anymore.
With a sigh, he stood and walked over to Gideon. “It’s time, man.”
“You sure about this?” Gideon asked as he looked at Haze in concern.
Haze nodded. “I’m sure. I might be back one day, but for now, this is how it has to be. I need to focus on being a father and marrying that fine ass woman over there.” He pointed at Devyn and smiled.She’s worth it,he thought as he turned to Pup, who had been talking to Gideon before Haze interrupted. “Come wit’ me, lil nigga.”
“Aw, man. One day you gonna come up off that lil nigga shit. I’m grown now,” Pup joked.
“Super grown,” Haze agreed, and he truly meant it. Pup had put in work and came up from the literal bottom. He’d even gotten shot behind Vicious King business and got right back to work within days. The kid had heart and was beyond smart. Since Gideon didn’t want the position, Pup was the only man for the job.
“Can I have everyone’s attention?” Gideon’s loud voice boomed through the large space. Almost at once, everyone stopped what they were doing and focused on Gideon, Haze, and Pup, who were now on a small platform they used for times like this when there was a crowded room and they needed to give out information or make a speech. “Prez has a few words for y’all.”
“Come on, Prez,” Dame called out.
Haze smiled sadly. “What’s good, y’all? Welcome to all the families. I know shit is chaotic here, but that’s how we like it. Ain’t that right?”
“Damn right,” Dame called out above all the cheers of his club members.
Haze looked out at them all and laughed. He marveled at the fact that he had built this shit from the ground up. His father would be proud of turning his chaos into something so good.
His eyes landed on his godfather, Juke, who also happened to be Glimmer’s father. He and Big Hen, Haze’s dad, had been best friends their whole lives. A part of Big Hen lived on in Juke, and Haze had always recognized that. He nodded at his godfather. Juke nodded back proudly. It was an impactful moment and one Haze needed to keep going.
