Page 295 of When a Soul Cries

I unlocked my phone. “I’m calling Kai and Sugga. Tell Zari to get her ass on the road.”

Her eyes got huge.

“Rome!”

“What?” I looked up from the screen. “You said you wanted family.”

“I didn’t say—”

“Now they coming.”

She stared at me.

I smiled.

“Welcome to being Mrs. Devereaux.”

“I’m not Mrs. Devereaux yet!”

“Give me a few hours.”

Sol stood there staring at me, and slowly—real slowly—I watched something change in her expression.

Her eyes narrowed.

Then she shook her head.

“Oh my God.”

I stopped scrolling. “What?”

“You act just like your damn mama.”

My smile disappeared.

“The fuck I do.”

“Yes, you do!”

I lowered the phone. “How?”

Sol stepped closer, gesturing between me and the imaginary version of Sugga apparently standing in the room with us. “Because neither one of y’all asks anybody nothing! Y’all decide what y’all want, announce it to everybody else, and then start making plans!”

“That ain’t true.”

“It is absolutely true.”

I opened my mouth.

Then closed it.

Because unfortunately, I could think of about fifteen examples.

Sol pointed at me the second she noticed.

“See!”

“That don’t mean shit.”