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I continued eating until I got full then wrapped the food up and went to pack a bag. When I heard the door close, I went back to the front room to see he’d made his way back to his food. He turned to me and tilted his head, beckoning me to him. “I realized that I went outside. Usually, whenever I talk to Jungle, it was for my ears only. Old habits die hard. Every now and then, things are still that way when it’s Watchful Eyes business.”
“I understand.”
“I have a meeting in Beaumont Sunday. You wanna ride out there with me?”
“Will some of the ladies I met be there?”
“Yep. Plus some. Of course, Fawn won’t be there since she lives in Atlanta. Amiko won’t be there either. Lexi, Brittany, Chelsea, Riley, Whitney, and Kaysyn will be there though. Their husbands are a part of Watchful Eyes. Dinalee works for the company, so most times, she’s with us instead of the ladies. Every now and then, she skips meetings.”
I nodded. “I look forward to it then. Will Sandrene be there?”
“Most likely. They have their pole dancing class on Sundays. There’s a lot of them. I hope you don’t get overwhelmed.”
“So they are the Berotte family?”
“Yeah. Ali is really good friends with Shy, and Seneca’s sister married the oldest brother. That brought all of us into the family as well. You met Shy and Chad Berotte already. It’s two other brothers and a sister. She’s petty as hell, just like you.”
I gave him the side eye and tried to walk away, but he pulled me back. “You know yo’ ass petty. I can’t wait to have you in my bed again though. You leave while I’m sleeping this time, that’s yo’ ass.”
When we got to the house in Beaumont and I saw all the cars, I got a little anxious. Joel noticed, because he reached over and grabbed my hand. “It’s gon’ be cool, baby.”
He lifted it and kissed it. Things had been great between us. I’d been at his house nearly the entire week, and he seemed to love every minute of it. I’d even cooked a couple of those days. Thursday, he stayed home the entire day with me. Surprisingly, we didn’t fuck all day. We just enjoyed each other’s company. We talked, watched movies, listened to music, and shared intimate moments. Joel was amazing… more amazing than he gave himself credit for.
Once he parked, I could see all the kids running around, having a field day. My nephew would have loved this. I saw a bounce house and water slides. Joel got out and opened my door, grabbing my hand to help me out. He pulled me to him and kissed my lips. “Please be patient with me. I want to be affectionate, but I don’t know how that shit gon’ go in front of everybody, even though I know this is a safe space for that.”
I put my hand to his cheek. “Thank you for saying that, and I understand. Just don’t trip if I kiss you or sit on your lap.”
He bit his bottom lip, trying to hide his smile. He had a gorgeous smile that he rarely let be seen. However, I saw more of it this past week, and I couldn’t get enough of it. After grabbing my hand, we walked up the long driveway. This was a rural community, so I wasn’t quite sure if we were actually in Beaumont. We were definitely close to it if we weren’t.
“Alexz is a whole jackass sometimes, so don’t take offense to anything she says to me.”
I chuckled. I recognized her name, knowing she was the youngest Berotte and the only girl in a house full of men. As soon as we walked through the gate, eyes were on us. I could feel my skin heating up. Jungle approached us first, slapping Vegas’s hand and hugging me. The woman that had to be Alexz walked up to us with a frown on her face.
“I know you fucking lying! Vegas done came here with a woman!” She turned to me and said, “Hey! I’m Alexz, the Berotte princess. You are so damn beautiful!”
I smiled big as Joel rolled his eyes. “Hi. I’m Keondra. Nice to meet you.”
She looped her arm around mine and said, “Are y’all a couple?”
I glanced over at Joel, and he said, “Do you think I would bring her here if we weren’t, smart ass?”
She shot him the finger and pulled me away from him. “Come on. I’m gonna serve as your tour guide around all these muthafuckas.”
I giggled. I liked her already. “Well, I met some of them in Houston. Joel… shit. I mean Vegas called them the Watchful Eyes crew.”
She gave me a smirk. “I already knew his real name. I know shit they don’t think I know. So, you met my brother, Shy. He tells me whatever I wanna know. His wife, Brittany, is my best friend.”
“Whew! I thought I fucked up.”
“See, Keondra, I’m gon’ like you. I can tell already.” She stopped in front of an older couple. They were swaying to the music and looking like newlyweds. “Mama and Daddy, this is Vegas’s girlfriend, Keondra. Keondra, this is Sheldon and Anissa Berotte.”
The lady’s eyes brightened as she smiled and offered a hug. “Hi, baby. You’re so beautiful. It’s nice to meet you.” Turning to her husband, she said, “You were right. All of our babies have settled down.”
He smiled and shook my hand then chuckled. “Vegas had the look of defeat last Sunday. Only a woman can have you in your feelings like that. It’s nice to meet you, Keondra.”
I smiled big. Joel was needing me, although he was trying to act all hard and shit. Hearing them call everyone here their babies was so sweet. “Thank you. It’s nice meeting both of you also.”
Alexz pulled me away as the man I remembered as Chad approached us. “Chad, stay yo’ big ass back! I’m doing the introductions, and she already met you, clown.”
