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“Might as well. Storm done started bossing niggas around so that was my cue to get out the way.”
I chuckled as I saddled a horse. While he did the same, I noticed Aunt Syn watching us.Aww shit.I was already feeling sensitive and shit. She would only make it worse. As I stared back at her, she began making her way to us. I glanced at Uncle Jasper to see he noticed her too. He pulled a blunt from his shirt pocket and fired up. It was only ten in the morning, but he was right on the money as to what I needed. He took a pull then passed it to me.
I took the longest pull known to man and exhaled slowly. When Aunt Syn got to us, she took the blunt from Unc and took a long pull as well. Her tear-stained cheeks caught my attention. Once she passed the blunt back to him, I pulled her in my arms. “What’s up, Auntie?”
“He’s getting out. He fucked with me for fourteen years of my life, and what he did fucked with my mental even longer. He gets twelve years and gets to live back on the outside. How is that shit fair?”
“It’s not,” I said through clenched teeth. “That shit is fucked up.”
Uncle Jasper joined us. “That nigga ain’t coming nowhere near us. He knows that he didn’t get what was coming to him. That beat down WJ gave his ass before the police showed up wasn’t shit. But listen… I know the shit he did was hard to put behind you. Don’t let this set you back. Syn, you’ve been doing well, baby girl. Your family needs you. You got this, baby. You strong, resilient, and smart enough to know if you need help. Serita will take you back in a heartbeat to assure you don’t decline.”
“I know. Thanks, Jasper,” she said, lifting her head from my chest.
“Your husband is running this way,” I said as I looked up at Uncle Marcus.
“Baby, what’s wrong? I was looking for you. You good?” he asked when he got to us.
She went to his arms and hugged him tightly around his waist as Uncle Jasper put his arm around my shoulders. “Remember what we talked about ten years ago when that under-aged girl almost duped you?”
I nodded. “I’m not him. Until I could separate his illness from who he was to me I wouldn’t heal. I guess I’m still broken, Unc. I didn’t realize just how broken I was until Yendi showed up.”
“Speaking of, she asked what time the baby shower was, so I assume she’s coming. Quit running like I did. Although I still obtained Chas’s heart, I played around for over a damn year. I’m just thankful she didn’t run into another nigga that would have made her happy. Don’t take that risk, nephew. She’s a beautiful woman, and she seems just as beautiful on the inside. I swear she love you. I could see it in her eyes. Must’ve been love at first sight and shit. Y’all met, what? Two weeks ago?”
“Something like that. Almost three, I think.”
“Y’all fucked already too. So that shit must’ve been all consuming.”
“Unc… shit like I ain’t never felt. It wasn’t just physical. She snatched my fucking soul, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Let her have it then. If she could snatch it with as tightly as you were holding and guarding it and is willing to be here for you, then she gotta be the one. Stop fighting that shit based on the shit Avery did and that lil mishap with that girl. That wasn’t your fault. I’m just glad it didn’t go any further than what it did.”
“Shit, me too. I’m gonna try to give in to her. She done resuscitated my heart, and it won’t let go of her, no matter how strongly my mind is against it. She knows about Avery, but I need to tell her what happened with that lil girl. I get nauseated whenever I think about it for too long.”
“Get it out yo’ system then. You need to purge. Let that shit come up and cleanse your temple. Real shit.”
I nodded repeatedly. Talking to Uncle Jasper always gave me clarity. Just as I was about to mount my horse, my phone chimed with a text message. I pulled it from my pocket to see a message from Nesha.You okay? I heard the news from Aunt Syn. Does your mom know?
Today was her day, and she was worried about everyone else.I’m good. Uncle Jasper here with good sense and good smoke. How are you handling the news, baby? I haven’t spoken to my mama yet, but I can imagine she isn’t handling it too well since she hadn’t told me yet.
After sending her the message, I mounted my horse, then said to Unc, “Let me check on my mama right quick.”
He nodded as I called her. “Hey, baby.”
Her sad voice had me even softer than I was after seeing Aunt Syn’s tears. “Mama, you okay?”
“I’m okay. I suppose you’ve heard already. I was trying to get myself together to tell the three of you at once. I just got off the phone with Rylan and was about to call Christian.”
Rylan was at a rodeo with KJ and would be back before the baby shower was over, and Christian was on a call, repairing someone’s heater. “If you want me to, I’ll let them know.”
“It’s okay, baby. I’ll talk to Christian before the shower and to Rylan whenever he gets here. It’s not exactly a conversation I want to have by phone. That was why I hadn’t talked to you yet.”
“I understand, Mama. Aunt Syn is at the barn helping to decorate, and she told me. She’s not taking it too well.”
“Okay. I’ll see if Indi has talked to her.”
My mama and Uncle Storm called Vida, Syn’s biological mother, Indi. Her middle name was Indigo and you had to be extremely close to her to call her Indi. Uncle Storm did what he wanted without invitation. However, since Maui spent a lot of time with her and her husband, they’d gotten close as well. “Okay, Ma. I’m about to ride a bit to clear my mind. I’ll be at the diner in a lil while to help y’all transport food.”
“Okay, baby. Thanks.”
