Once Dan and I ended our hug, Boone swept in and wrapped his arms around me. He had been in a great mood since his parents arrived.
Yet, occasionally, I caught him wearing a dark frown. I knew his mind was on the grocery store incident. But usually, he was smiling over having his favorite people nearby.
“My parents will be here through Halloween,” Boone said as we sat on his silent motorcycle next to the plot of land where our future house would one day rest. “I’d like to take them out to an engagement dinner while they’re here.”
Less than a month ago, I had given Boone the piece of paper with Eddie Murphy’s face. Now, weeks later, he wanted to give me a ring.
The old me would think we were moving too quickly. The new me understood that if I wanted something, I needed to take hold of it and never let go.
With Boone Chester, that’s exactly what I planned to do.
BOONE
By Christmas, the girls were referring to me as Daddy Boone. They helped me decorate the condo and set up a tree next to Beef Jerky’s cage. To my shock, the little guy never pissed on it.
Nova, Skylar, Lyric, and I had a solid routine as we welcomed the new year. Weekdays were spent at the Sleepy Eye Community. Weekends and vacations were at my condo. The girls got the hang of living in the building despite Rock continuing to fight me on the play set.
Skylar and Lyric enjoyed their first trip to Rawlins to visit my parents. They would often join Duffy on her endless walks around the pool. She never acknowledged their presence, but they kept talking to her nonetheless.
After our Thanksgiving visit, Goldie and I discussed buying a local house in Rawlins to give us more space.
“I might have a kid on my own,” Goldie said. “Maybe not. But I think we could get a midsize house in Rawlins. That way, you can spend time during the summers without worrying about feeling cramped at Mom and Dad’s place.”
When I shared the idea with Nova, she immediately thought a fourth home might be a bit much.
“We’re already talking about building a house,” Nova reminded me.
“Eventually, we won’t live in Lula’s house or at my condo. We’ll have our own forever house in the Sleepy Eye Community. But we’ll still need somewhere comfortable in Rawlins and Baton Rouge. Summers in Rawlins are fun. It’s small-town living in a place where our people run things.”
Nova was right to be overwhelmed. Her life had been flipped upside down more than once recently. Next year, we planned to get married and start trying for a baby. We had already begunworking on plans for our forever house. So, yeah, getting a side house in my parents’ town was asking a lot.
The planned brawl with the three LM Jokers also lingered in her thoughts. Everyone was relieved when the day finally arrived.
My opponent was Vinny who nearly broke Goldie’s hand. I didn’t particularly care which guy I fought since they would all be dead soon.
Zodiac planned to fight Aaron, who was the fuck that shoved the door at Elle. Nine would face Bob, who put his hands around Dalisay’s throat.
The brawl went down at the local quarry. Members of the LM Jokers, Crimson Guard, Little Memphis, and Black Rainbow watched from up high as the six of us battled it out down in the pit.
Before the brawl, Tricky made a big deal of making sure no one had weapons.
“I don’t trust Zodiac not to fucking cheat,” he spit out while his guys glared at the Black Rainbow president.
Jagger said Tricky had been putting on a show for his guys since the meeting. He’d laid down the law about engaging with the Crimson Guard.
“You’re letting the Black Rainbow stand in the way of our alliance!” Tricky apparently hollered at the men. “You’re doing Zodiac’s work for him!”
I hoped Tricky’s rants and threats weren’t only for show. A war between the Crimson Guard and LM Jokers would be messy at a time when I was looking for life to settle down.
Vinny was a big guy, maybe six-two and built thick. I thought of him using his meaty hands on my sister. He’d apparently been the guy least gung-ho about starting trouble, but once the attack against the foxes started, he chose to join in.
I worked myself into just enough of a rage to hurt the fucker. Blackjack and I had plotted about how best to hurt Vinny without killing him.
The fucker didn’t go down easily. Vinny wasn’t a chump. After the brawl, my shoulder hurt, and my left eye throbbed.
Despite my injuries, I left Vinny with a concussion, broken ribs, and a dislocated hip. But he would survive until the time came to put him down permanently.
After I returned home from the brawl, Nova, Skylar, and Lyric took turns playing nurse. I was still covered in Band-Aids the next day when I attended a party at the Sorority House.
