She laughed, but I meant every word. I was still hurt by her actions, even though I understood where her head was at. She got a pass once, but the shit would never happen again.
“You don’t have to worry. I would never put myself through that again.”
“I’m glad you know. I love you, and I would hate to have to live life without you.”
“The fact that you are casually threatening to take my life is crazy, but the fact that I’m turned on by it means I’m just as fucked up as you.” She snickered, standing on her tiptoes for a kiss.
“What can I say? We’re meant to be.” I shrugged, meeting her halfway for a kiss. Her lips were soft and juicy, and I couldn’t get enough. When we pulled away, Lyric looked at me with a pensive expression.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“You just found out that I might be pregnant, and you never asked whether it was yours or not.”
“Should I be concerned?” I observed her, taking notice of her demeanor.
“Not at all. Based on my period calculator, I got pregnant the night of the grocery store incident. I don’t know. I guess I was expecting more of a reaction.”
“I mean, if we’re being honest, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. We’re so deep in this shit that any child you carry belongs to me regardless. I would probably have to kill that nigga, though.”
“I thought you were calming down now that you’re elevating and expanding your legal and illegal businesses?” she inquired.
Gunna had taken me under his wing and began preparing me for the big leagues. His connect, Luciano, had taken a liking to me and my business practices and wanted to offer me a seat at the table. While I never thought I would be making moves like this at my age, I wanted to prove I could handle anything thrown my way.
“I am, but I’m still a hoodlum at the end of the day. Hell, you’re lucky I didn’t slit that nigga’s throat for the simple fact that he knows what my pussy feels like. That’s a capital offense in my book; punishable by death.” I frowned, just thinking about how Mendeecees was still trying to get in touch with my woman.
He created a fake IG page and had been blowing her up, begging her to hear him out. Lyric thought I didn’t know about it, but I saw everything. Luckily for her, she ignored him and eventually blocked him. I was waiting for her to respond so I could get in her ass, but she did exactly what she should have and left that nigga where he was at. I thought about sending the video we made at the mansion, but when I watched that shit back, it was too good to share with anyone else. Little mama was taking this dick like a pro, and I didn’t want to risk it getting into the wrong hands.
“Your daughter is taking a nap, and I’m tempted to follow her lead. I’m not sure how this vacation is going to go, but I don’t see myself having much fun,” Lyric whined, rolling her eyes.
“This vacation will be what you make it. Look, you know I don’t get into all that catty drama, but you need to squash whatever bullshit you have going on with Ari.”
Lyric glared at me as if I had called her out of her name.
“You can look at me crazy all you want, but it’s time to let it go. Naiari is the mother of your niece and nephew. She isn’t going anywhere, and based on the stars in your brother’s eyes, he has no plans of letting her go again. I understand you feel some type of way about her keeping the kids a secret, but you’ve got to get over it.”
“Are you kidding me?” Lyric scoffed. “I’m sorry if I’m not easily fooled like my brother. Regardless of Keynauri saying it was his fault, she purposely kept those kids away from me. We used to be close, and then the minute Nauri got locked up, she bailed on all of us. Maybe I’m not blinded by pussy, so I don’t see things the way he does.”
When Keyz went to prison, it shook the foundation of our crew. Lyric was younger than the rest of us and, unfortunately, suffered the worst due to his absence. While I understood why she felt like she had the right to be angry, I wanted her to understand that with growth came forgiveness. At the end of the day, we were young, and they both made mistakes. Keynauri finally explained what happened between him and Naiari when the two of them ran into each other the night of his performance.
When he found out she gave birth to twins all those years ago, he was crushed. Unbeknownst to the rest of us, Keynauri knew Ari was pregnant, but he thought she’d gotten an abortion. When he broke everything down to us, I couldn’t find fault in Ari, simply because my boy knew she was pregnant. Yes, the twoof them could have communicated better, but it didn’t happen that way.
Lyric wanted to hold on to her own grudge and hurt feelings; meanwhile, her brother was ready to make an appointment with the jeweler. I had never witnessed Keynauri so deeply in love. Bro’s nose was wide open, and no one could tell him anything. Truthfully, I was happy for him. The two of them went through a lot back then, and now they had been given the opportunity to start over and do things right this time around. I could never be upset about that.
“How many times have you fucked up, Lyric?” She hated when I used her real name, but I needed her to understand I meant business.
“W-what are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying, you’re out here looking real hypocritical. No one is perfect, and we’ve all made mistakes. How can you want forgiveness for the mistakes you’ve made in life, but refuse to extend the same grace to someone else?” I questioned.
“Are you trying to say my feelings don’t matter since Keynauri decided to forgive and let go?” Lyric challenged. Her cheeks were red, which let me know she was getting upset.
“Honestly, this has nothing to do with your brother at all. He said it out of his own mouth that he was at fault for not knowing about the twins sooner, so there’s no way you can still be holding that over her head. The issues you have with Ari are deeper than what you’re willing to admit, but until you’re ready to be honest with yourself, you can’t heal.”
Lyric gulped, and tears welled in her pretty blue eyes. My girl and I were connected on another level, and I knew that Ari’s presence triggered her, but it wasn’t for the reasons she claimed. My baby was hurt, but she wasn’t ready to acknowledge the root of her pain. Therefore, misplaced anger fueled her and wouldeventually cause a rift in the one relationship she valued most: her relationship with her brother.
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I came here to have a good time, and no one is going to ruin it.” She put her walls up, but I saw right through the act.
“You’re going to have a good time regardless, but you could have an even better one if you made amends or at least tried to be cordial with the ladies. Logic, Keyz, and I plan to hit up a smoke shop and a few other places, so there are gonna be times when you’re alone with them. Why not try to make the most of it?” I pressed.
