AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I frowned harder. “You that conceited?”
“No, but I do know my skill level. I’m not an amateur. I wouldn’t say that I’m a damn pro, but shit, I ain’t far from it. Honestly, I was hoping you called, but that’s okay. I can respect your decision.”
“I’m never scared, so get that out your head. I had other shit going on.”
I just lied to her. That was different. I never felt the need to lie to anybody. “Mm. So, you have a kid?” she asked.
“Naw. Picking up my godson. You got a kid?”
“No. I’m picking up my nephew.”
I gave her a head nod as they escorted her nephew to the front. When he saw her, he ran to her arms. “Aunt Keke! What are you doing here?”
“Your mom had a meeting that ran late, so you get to hang with me for a little while.”
“Yay!”
The little boy looked to be about three or four, and he clearly loved his aunt. Before she could leave, the gangsta made his way up front, looking like he’d been fighting. I took a deep breath as I shook my head. “Zamir, man, why look like you been scrapping?”
“Because he has,” the daycare worker responded. “One more instance and he won’t be able to come here anymore. Please let his parents know there is a letter in his backpack.”
I glared at him as he stared at the floor. “Yo’ daddy gon’ handle yo’ lil ass. I ain’t got the patience.”
When I looked up, Keondra was walking out the door with her nephew. I followed behind her and asked, “So you weren’t going to say bye?”
“No. For what?”
“That’s what people normally do when they’re leaving a conversation.”
“Hmm. Okay. Bye, Joel.”
“Call me Vegas.”
She frowned then said, “You introduced yourself to me as Joel. That’s what I’m gonna call you. I don’t do nicknames.”
“I can’t tell, Aunt Keke.”
She discreetly shot me the finger. I supposed she was somewhat upset that I never called her, but whatever. “I mean… that can be arranged. I’m sure your number still in here.”
“Don’t bother. My number changed. Have a great day, Joel.”
She walked away from me and got in her BMW. She must have really wanted me for her to have that much of an attitude with me. Damn. She was salty as hell. I kept walking until I got to my Infiniti. Zamir was quiet as hell. He knew he was in trouble. His ass looked just like Jungle used to look when we were kids and he was in trouble. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
“Dada mad?”
I frowned at him. “He will be when I tell him. Your clothes all crooked and wrinkled and shit. Who were you fighting?”
“Dat boy.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. I didn’t have time for his foolishness. I was more than sure the letter explained everything that happened, and Jungle would be spanking his ass when he got home. He was typically the one who handled disciplining him. Chelsea would if she was home alone, but if she wasn’t, she left it to Jungle. I admired my boy. He had become a family man and loved Chelsea with everything in him. I saw the chemistry between the two of them when we picked her up from the airport around four years ago.
Although I witnessed it, I never thought it would go this far until much later. Jungle wasn’t really a playful person around people he didn’t know, but he was that way with her. He was playful and sensitive. While I knew what happened to Fawn was at the forefront of his mind, we were hood niggas. He knew how to reel that shit in if he wanted to. He didn’t want to with her. He was feeling her immediately.
“Lady peeety.”
I frowned slightly and glanced in my rearview mirror to see Zamir looking right at me. He spoke too well for a one-and-a-half-year-old. If I didn’t understand what he was saying, it would be easier for me to ignore him. I didn’t feel right ignoring him when I knew what he was saying. The crazy part was that he knew I understood him. His eyebrows lifted as he waited for my response.
“Yeah, man. She pretty.”
