“Whatever it is, we’ll face it together. We’ll fix it together. Or we’ll kill it together. That’s my motto. It ain’t never changed.”
"Thanks, Tracy."
“Now give me one more hug,” she told me.
I hugged her again, loving her for always being there for me and my mom.
"I want a hug too," someone called from the walkway.
The two of us looked up at the same time to see Dayana making her way toward us with a bright smile on her face. She'd dyedher buzz cut blonde since the last time I'd seen her, and the color suited her perfectly.
She was wearing a long black maxi dress, black sandals, and a pair of gold earrings that caught the afternoon sunlight every time she moved. The moment she reached us, she wrapped Tracy in a hug first before turning and throwing her arms around me.
"You looking good," I told her as we pulled apart.
“I know, right? I had a date. But I canceled it and told her I would see her later tonight,” Dayana told me.
"Ahh, Yana. I'm sorry for ruining your date."
She waved the apology away.
"It’s cool. You come before some girl I've just met," she told me.
I swallowed, knowing I needed to keep that same mindset when it came to Rome.
"Come on inside, ladies," I told them, opening the door wider. "We have a lot to talk about."
I stepped inside the cottage with Tracy and Dayana right behind me. Coke and rum awaited us when we entered the living room. Kelly was already seated on the couch, sipping from her glass. Dayana's gaze landed on the drinks.
"Oh, we've got drinks,” Dayana drawled. “That means this is going to be a deep conversation." She reached down, picked up one of the glasses, then plopped onto the couch beside Kelly. "Hey, Kels Bells."
"Hey, Yana," Kelly greeted before taking another sip.
Tracy settled onto the couch beside me. She picked up her glass, took a long sip, then looked over at me.
"Okay, Blossy. We're all here. What do you need to tell us?"
I rubbed my hands over my knees, working up the nerve to admit what I needed to and tell them my plan.
“Hey,” Kels said. “Why isn’t Ivy here?”
“Oh, a Petal called, requesting help in Texas. Ivy volunteered to go help,” I told them.
“The job must’ve required muscle,” Dayana said.
I nodded.
Dayana chuckled. “If it involves murder and mayhem, my girl Ivy is there.”
That was true.
"Actually, I'm glad she went to Texas,” I admitted. "If she was here for this meeting, she’d definitely take it upon herself to go after the Cattaneos on her own. And that would not be wise."
Kelly's expression immediately changed.
"Did something happen with Rome?" she asked, fear filtering into her hazel eyes.
"Kind of." I clasped my hands together before looking at each of them in turn. "I'm going to tell you all everything. Please let me get it all out before you curse me out or ask me questions."
