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Are we really friends, or are we just using that word fraudulently? If we’re friends, I should be able to tell you that with me turning thirty-six this year, I really want to have a baby. Not a marriage or even a man, but a baby. My best friend teases me about using a sperm donor, but that’s the safest option for me at this point.
I can admit that because of my past, I don’t trust people as openly as I should, which is why it’s so surprising to me that I’m as open as I am with you. Maybe it's because you’re locked up and I don’t have to worry about being with you and you doing something to hurt me. I don’t know. Either way, I want to be pregnant by the end of the year. Being hurt by literally everyone that was closest to me may have made it hard for me to trust people and commit to relationships, but I can’t let that stop me from having my own family.
I don’t know what else there is to talk about in my present, so I guess I’ll end my letter here. If I haven’t scared you away, I can’t wait to hear from you soon.
Scratchingthe corner of his mouth, Londen stood and began to pace his cell. So many things about her words were rattling around in his mind. If Lei was so open because he was locked up, how would she feel if he told her he’d be getting out soon? Would it matter? Her father had asked him to keep her from the wrong men, not to pursue her himself. Even if Ace didn’t care about them dating, how would Lei feel about him being the man who murdered the man she thought was her father for years?
Londen couldn’t think about that right now. If all they had was a few letters and days until he was released, Londen would take full advantage of that.
nineteen
Baby,
Isit okay if I still call you that? Thank you for being completely honest with me. I am familiar with your family because I’m familiar with the secret society. Who isn’t? They are like the checks and balances system of the south. Political plotting, policing and protection, the removal and giving of power… not to mention how they technically run the government in Rose Valley Hills. Yeah, I’m very familiar with it… and your father. Neither he nor you being a lawyer make me want to stop what we’re doing, but I can understand why he would think it would. I know a few bums in here who would try to misuse and abuse you because of both.
I know this is supposed to be the letters where we talk about our future plans, and I’m hesitant to share mine with you. You might think it’s because I dread spending another fifteen years in here, but that’s actually not the case. I’m up for parole soon, and there’s a really, really good chance I’ll be getting out.
If I do, I figured I’d spend my days chilling and spending the money I have saved on myself and the people I love. Even with my wealth, I still plan to be productive and active to avoid trouble. I’ve only had two dreams in my life—to be a chef and have my own restaurants and seasoning line or to be a profiler for the FBI. With the route I took, I could never become a profiler, so I’ll be focusing on the first dream with my free days.
Maybe this is a bit forward of me, but I’d love to cook for you one day. I know they say food is the way to a man’s heart, but back in the day, I made many women swoon with one taste of my spoon. Ha-ha. For real, though, I would love to experience you outside these bars… I can feel the fact that me being behind these bars provides the security you need to be open with me, so if I never get to see that pretty face of yours in person I understand.
With this being the last of our past, present, and future letters… I intend to give you a call and hear your voice to learn more about you. If you’re okay with that, I’ll talk to you soon.
With a smile,Lei set the letter down. It wasn’t her intention to release a content sigh but she did, and all eyes were suddenly on her. They were at Mercedes’ home and Lei was in such a rush that she grabbed the letter from Normani’s mailbox and couldn’t wait until she got home to read it. What Londen said was true—not being around him physically was making it easier for her to talk to him, and Lei didn’t know if him being a free man would change that.
“What?” Lei’s tone was playful as she checked the time.
“What are you reading that has you smiling so hard?” Mercedes asked.
That day, it was just her, Yandi, and Lei. They agreed to meet up to see how their pen pal connections were going. Lei would have preferred to talk to Mercedes alone about it since they were the two who were in on the bet with Lexus, but Yandi insisted on being included.
“A letter from Londen. I really like him.”
“Oh, so y’all are done with the portal now?” Mercedes confirmed. “I’m thinking about letting Noah write me letters but I’m not sure.”
Yandi rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. “Girl, do you know who Noah is? Trust me, that man ain’t got no reason to be on some foul shit with you.”
Though Lei didn’t care for the way Yandi packaged her words, the meaning behind them was true. Noah Gabriel, and the Gabriel family, were nothing to fuck with. He wasn’t the kind of man Mercedes needed protection from; he was the kind of man she could be protected by.
The Gabriels were on the opposite side of the law and the streets compared to Lei’s family and the secret society. While the secret society made rules and executed law and order, the Gabriels often broke the law and took justice into their own hands. The secret society was run out of Rose Valley Hills but the Gabriels had a criminal organization that was run out of Memphis. A lot of Noah’s family and business partners were in Rose Valley Hills. They operated under the radar to avoid pressure from the community to be pushed out by the secret society.
Rose Valley Hills was one of the safest and supposedly drug free places in the south, and members of the community planned to keep it that way. Seeing as their tax dollars and donations fueled the secret society, Ace and the rest of the men who ran it made sure the town could trust their efforts. Though, from Lei’s understanding, they had an agreement—as long as the Gabriels and their men kept the secret society safe, they were free to do whatever they pleased in the town.
“Regardless, I want to take this slow. I don’t want to become a target because of my connection to him. Plus, if my parents knew I was dealing with him, they would give me a hard time about it.”
Yandi’s eyes rolled again, and she chuckled as she shook her head. “That’s what I don’t understand about y’all. Both of y’all are grown ass women, yet y’all are so afraid of what your parents think about the men y’all deal with.”
“First of all, it’s not fear; it’s respect,” Lei clarified.
“And second,” Mercedes added. “This shit is deeper than your simple-minded ass can understand. We have a lot to take into consideration dealing with these men. Both of our families are in the secret society, and she’s a lawyer. We have an image to uphold in this town. If people found out I was dealing with Noah, that wouldn’t be the best light for the secret society. People don’t know we deal with the underworld the way we do, and it’s best if it stays that way for the time being.”
“I guess,” Yandi said with a shrug. “Either way, Lei needs to decide who she wants to complete her bet with between Londen and Tussi. You can only choose one. It’s clear she’s going to use Noah.”
“I mean… I don’t know,” Lei admitted. Though her mind told her to go with Tussi because he was the safer bet, her heart was all in for Londen. “I am going to see them both next week and make up my mind.”
Mercedes gasped and clutched her chest. “You’re going back to Memphis?”
“Unfortunately.” Though Lei smiled, her heart began to palpitate just at the thought. “I didn’t plan to ever step foot in that city again, but I do want to see my girls and Londen. I’m really leaning toward him. Tussi is cool and what we have is light. He’s the safer option for friendship, but I don’t know. It’s just something about Londen. I genuinely love talking to him.”
