“Wassup, Bahati?”
There was a frown on her pretty face as she looked from me to my background. She couldn’t see anything but the smoke and balloon arch outside of my face.
“You haven’t been home.”
“I know.”
Lifting my head in response to a slap on my shoulder, I pulled Zodiac, one of the last mobsters to get married before Tunan, in a brotherly hug.
“Shio.”
Putting my attention back on Bahati, I moved from in front of the door and off to the side. “Where is Shya?”
Bahati flipped the screen, and Shya was napping. I could see dried tears on her face, indicating she’d cried herself asleep for the umpteenth time. My heart fell and guilt consumed me. Baby girl was still struggling with being here. I didn’t have a solution, but something would have to give soon.
“I’ll be there tonight.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
Bahati grinned and then ended the call. I rounded the balloon arch and entered Rio’s mansion in search of my cousins.
“Man, what the fuck is this?” Nel poked a balloon as I walked up behind him, Ezio, and Vello.
Looking at the balloons, I shifted my eyes around the space and nearly walked out to be sure I’d walked into the right house.
“Bae…” Pia had her hand over her mouth, trying to hold back either her tears or laughs. The women behind her had their phones out and were tickled pink.
“This is yo’ in-law daddyyyyy!” Vello sang out, mimicking Mr. Brown from the Madea movies.
Lining the massive hallway to enter the living areas were black and brown balloons. The grand staircase also had the same balloons on a garland. It wasn’t the balloons that had the men either looking uncomfortably or laughing with the women, but it was the theme that was splattered everywhere.
Hanging in the middle of the balloon arches were long Black dicks. Rio’s ceiling was at least twenty feet tall, but with how long the dicks were, you’d have to walk around them to prevent them from slapping you in the face. At the ends of the marble staircase and on the tables scattered about were pairs of breasts, just as big as the dicks.
“Daddy! Oh, my God! This is hilarious!”
Rio stood near the stairs, sipping from what I knew had to be rare bourbon. “How did your old man do? Every inch of the space is decked in the theme, Pia. Look in the backyard.”
Lo and behold, more tables were set up around the pool with titty and dick centerpieces on them. This was some wild shit.
“Dicks and tits is the theme for a gender reveal? The fuck, fav!” Ezio grabbed Nel’s shoulder and shoved him forward, laughing hard as hell.
Nel tried shoving him off, but Ezio wasn’t letting up.
“I know how you men can be when it comes to your sexuality. Never open-minded.”
“Hell nawl, we ain’t open-minded. This shit suspect as hell!” Don yelled as people around us were either taking pictures of the decor or laughing amongst their circles.
“Guests, please join me in the backyard.”
Pia grabbed Nel’s hand to lead him back. Nel was pissed, but he kept his mouth shut and followed Pia knowing if he said anything, Ezio and Vello would be on his ass.
Everyone filed into the backyard, and my stomach growled as we bypassed the kitchen where chefs were working around each other. I could smell the seasoned meats and seafood, and I knew it would be good if it was the same vendors from Discovery party. As I finally stepped into the backyard, I watched as the guests took seats at the black and brown clothed tables. The tables with a titty centerpiece filled faster than the tables with tall-ass dicks on them. A few mobsters had claimed the dick tables, but removed the dick balloons, throwing them off to the side. There was a money and gift table for guests to drop off requested items, and I knew that was Nel’s doing. The nigga loved free shit. Before taking my seat, I grabbed a money bag from the table, pulled a knot of money from my pocket, shoved it inside the bag, and grabbed the permanent marker to write my name on it. There was a spot to scribble the amount, but I didn’t know how much it was. I knew it was more than five thousand, though, and I knew Pia would spend it on some shit that was unnecessary, just like the other women. But that’s what they were supposed to do. I made a mental note to do even better for the baby shower. I didn’t have much on me outside of my credit cards.
Taking a seat at Ezio’s table, I turned to find Jisei smiling at me. I tilted my head to her before looking around at everyone else. Missy and Essex were at the table, and she had been all in his face, removing invisible stuff from it. I reached across the table and dapped him up since people had him cornered in the yard, asking for autographs and pictures. We had already chopped it up on the phone after he showed me the rumble of Bahati’s apartment building. I was happy for everything Essexhad going on, which was a fucking lot. Missy seemed to be good for him, though, helping out with his boys and keeping his dick drained.
I scanned the rest of the table, realizing Tunan was MIA. He’d claimed he was coming to the reveal when I hit him up yesterday, but he was a no-show so far. I caught sight of his wife standing with the rest of the mob women on the lawn, so I figured he’d show soon enough. Rio escorting Nel and Pia caught my eye. The elevated brown platform he was helping Pia onto was fully decorated with balloons like the rest of the yard, but they had two black throne chairs waiting for them to sit. Nel still had an attitude, but he took his seat, and I laughed knowing his ass was biting back his words. Don was at a table across from me, and the nigga had the nerve to raise a glass. I just looked at his ass, not returning the gesture. He’d better be glad it wasn’t the time and place because I’d be on his ass, picking his brain about the Rodríguez situation. I was ready to find them niggas and kill everybody, and he was trying to be all diplomatic. The one time I’m on his type of time with his unhinged behavior is the one time he is on my type of time with strategic planning.
