“This little girl is giving me a run for my money. She just kicks me all day,” she complained while stepping aside to let us in.
“‘Cause you always blaming stuff on her. Ain’t no reason you hitting my wife phone at three AM to plan an ice cream date ‘cause you claim that’s what the baby is craving.”
“That was one time!” She smacked her lips before opening her arms up to hug me. “You alright, Keemy? Brix took care of you?”
“This ain’t nothing I can’t shake back from. This just a little graze. Brix solid. Funny as fuck too.”
She rolled her eyes with a laugh. “Yeah, that boy will never grow up, even as a surgeon.”
“Auntie Brit, where’s Genesis?” Saphir cut right into our conversation while his eyes scanned around for his homeboy. He and Genesis were as thick as thieves. Whenever the two were together, they were always getting into some shit.
“Well, hey to you too, Blue.” She hugged him. “I just started that Spongebob movie in the theater for him and J’Ream. Run before you miss something!”
He didn’t waste no time sprinting off toward the theater. He had done enough sleepovers to know where every room in the house was.
“If yo husband yell at my son for running in his house, we gone have some problems,” Jazzlyn teased her, and she waved her right off with a laugh.
My wife and I made our rounds, greeting everyone. This Sunday, we had the usual people show up: J’Ru, Aja, Kaymen and Jadey, and we also had Cyro, Mirsad, Remy, and Tasha. It was a family affair. I was hoping being around everyone would cheer my wife up.
“The fuck happened to your arm, son?” Remy asked as soon as I came through the sliding door that led to the backyard. He had a blunt between his lips as he shot me a crazed look.
“What you think? That nigga got popped,” J’Ru cackled obnoxiously.
I cut my eyes in his direction before taking a seat across from Remy. “It’s a fucking graze. This nigga said he was gonna cover me.” I pointed my thumb in Priest’s direction.
“Nigga, I did cover you. Yo ass need to learn not to move in slow motion.”
I stuck my middle finger up at Priest before glancing off in the direction of the cabanas in the backyard near the pool. The ladies were enjoying the cool weather with glasses of wine and mocktails for the two pregnant ladies.
I peeped Jazzy was a little withdrawn, undoubtedly in her own head about what was happening with the club. “You must be in the doghouse?”
I let out a heavy breath, prompting all the men to laugh. “She doing that shit where she telling me she ain’t mad at me, but her actions say otherwise.”
“See that’s why I can’t get married.” Mirsad shook his head.
Priest smacked him upside the head. “Fuck up. Grown men talking.”
Our laughter intensified at the mean mug that Mirsad shot him.
Priest glanced in his sister’s direction, noticing the downcast look on her face. “She ain’t mad at you. She just used to solving her problems with the snap of a finger. You can blame me for that. This ain’t one of them problems that can just go away overnight or if we throw some paper at it. Her club may be gone forever. Once she accepts that and moves on, she’ll be alright.”
He knew his sister better than anybody, so he was speaking facts. I pulled at the hairs of my goatee while leaning back in my seat. “I can’t let them shut down my baby’s club. She eat, breathe, sleep Club Reign.”
Kaymen shrugged his shoulders. “Figure it out then.”
“Maybe if I do, she will finally give me my little one,” I chuckled. I knew I told her I would lay up and give her time,but truth was a nigga was eager to be fruitful and multiply with her. It didn’t make it no better that everyone around us was welcoming babies left and right. Hell… Kaymen had twins on the way! In a perfect world, I was gonna get her her club back, and she would give me my baby.
Priest reached over and squeezed my shoulder. “Good luck with that, my boy.”
I excused myself from the guys and made my way toward the ladies. “What you giggling about?” I asked them, interrupting their laughter.
“Told you he was gonna come over here. His ass couldn’t keep his eyes off you for a second.” Jadey nudged Jazzlyn.
“Oh, y’all were talking smack ‘bout me?”
“Mhm,” they all hummed except my wife. She was back to looking distant, gazing at the blue waters of the pool.
“It’s so cute. You’re so in love, Keemy,” Britain gushed.
