Chapter Four
AHKEEM
Sunday dinner wasa nonnegotiable in the Justice household. My baby never lied to me and straight up told me that she wasn’t a domestic chick who knew her way around the kitchen. If she wasn’t making pasta, tacos, or breakfast, the only time I would get a home cooked meal was when Priest and Britain hosted dinner.
After their wedding, they stayed in Italy for a year before returning to the city. Priest coming back from the fucking dead had everyone’s eyes on him and his family, so they decided to have baby Genesis in Italy for peace of mind.
They moved back quietly once shit died down and had been living as normal of a life as they could. Their big-ass house in Staten Island always had me thinking about moving me and Jazzy away from the busyness of Manhattan and over to their side of town. If God blessed my wife and me with children, Saphir and them would need a big-ass backyard to play in. Priest and Britain were really living the dream.
Sundays always made me grateful for the family I married into. They were rough around the edges at first, but once I was in, they didn’t give a fuck if I wasn’t blood. They took me in and made sure I was good no matter what.
“Uncle Ahk! I did the back flip you taught me all by myself!” Genesis scurried over to us as soon as we stepped foot inside the foyer. The kid was a big ball of energy and took after his mother. He was always smiling and playing around until it came time to be disciplined. Then he turned into a little menace like his father. He was my boy and could get away with everything when it came to me and his auntie.
He pushed right past Jazzlyn and wrapped his arms around my legs. “Word?” I lifted him up from the floor. “You gone have to show me after dinner.”
“Bet.” He held his fist out so we could fist bump. I laughed because he sounded just like his pops. Looked just like him too. Almost like Britain ain’t try at all.
“Gen, I know you didn’t just push past your auntie to go straight to your uncle?” Jazzlyn played hurt while holding her chest all dramatically.
Genesis laughed before reaching over so Jazzlyn could take him into her arms. He was the first baby of the family, so he had everybody wrapped around his finger. Jazzlyn gushed at how cute he was and wrapped him up in her arms tightly.
“Sorry, Lovey.”
He picked up on calling her Lovey from me. I always joked with him about that nickname only being reserved for me to call her, but like everything else, he got away with it every time. “You do that again, and I’m gonna start snitching to your mama about you having sugar while you’re at my house.”
His soft brown eyes widened at the thought of Britain finding out. Quickly, he shook his head and begged Jazzlyn not to tell her. “Chill out, little man. She ain’t gone snitch. If she do, she gotta deal with me.”
Genesis led us to the kitchen, where Britain was still cooking up dinner with the help of Jadey and J’Ru’s wife Aja.
“What’s on the menu tonight? This is my only contribution.” My wife lifted a bottle of red wine we brought.
The ladies all laughed, knowing she was dead serious. We made our rounds and made sure to hug and greet them all.
“Girl, if you’re in the kitchen, you’re gonna help. But we’re having barbecued ribs and chicken, baked mac, baked beans, and some yams. The baby has been craving it all, so I can’t wait.” Britain rubbed her belly.
“When you gone stop blaming everything on this baby, sis?” I teased her, earning her infamous little side eye.
“Bye, Ahkeem. You should know better than to test a pregnant woman. The boys are out back helping P on the grill.”
“Ight, I’m out. Y’all behave in here.” I laughed. “Especially you.” My arms wrapped around Jazzlyn from behind, prompting her to lift her head so we could meet for a kiss.
The rest of the ladies gushed at us, claiming we were wrapped up in newlywed bliss. I let them have their girl time and dipped off to the back to catch up with the guys. Soon as Priest caught me in his line of vision, he pointed the tongs in hand straight at me.
“Yo, why the fuck you teach my son how to do a back flip? That little nigga been flipping off everything.” He seemed stressed for real, but the shit was too funny not to laugh. It wasn’t just me laughing either. Kaymen and J’Ru was damn near in tears.
“My fault, bro. I told him to only do it on the trampoline or outside,” I told him while going around to dap everyone up. “He must be stressing you and sis out?”
“I don’t even remember being as bad as his ass when I was younger, so it can’t be my fucking karma. Must be Gioia’s.” He let out a stressed sigh as he checked the grill.
I took a seat next to J’Ru on one of the outdoor couches before he handed me a red cup and poured me up some of the whiskey they were sipping on.
“We was just talking about you before you pulled up too,” Kaymen said before eyeing me over the brim of his red cup.
I leaned back in my seat, waiting for them to lay whatever conversation they were having about me out in the open. Every time I was around them, it was like getting pulled into the fucking dean’s office. They were out of the game and were making bank in the oil industry; however, they always tapped in to make sure the empire they handed me was still running like the well-oiled machine they once ran.
Priest ended up taking a seat next to Kaymen and across from me. He ran his fingers through his beard while eyeing me. “Heard you sharing the city now?”
I scoffed. “Why the fuck would I do that? Only person I’m sharing the city with is my wife, and we in two different lanes.”
