Page 98 of Lost In London

She kissed her teeth. “He doesn’t need to know since he’s not the one pushing these kids out. He may go half but last time I checked, I’m the one with the stretch marks and saggy titties. I already made it known that I want my breast done once I’m done breastfeeding. If he wants to argue he can go out to that piranha pond and argue with his dead mammy.”

Oh, that’s cold.

I can’t believe she said that. “Dang. That’s messed up.” I gawked at her.

“Luna, are you off punishment yet?” Keatyn was on a roll with all these questions.

“Girl.” Here comes Luna with her dramatics. “Sojourn works my nerves but that’s my man and I’m going to stick beside him.”

“Basically that’s a no.” Krishna high-fived Keatyn laughing. “He bent that ass into a pretzel and made you apologize didn’t he?”

Capone started choking on her wine while Luna licked her lips, cheesing hard as hell. That memory must’ve been fresh and worth remembering. She started humming and shimmying her shoulders. “Mama, I apologize in advance.” She patted Capone’s hand. “But yes, ma’am. I was tossed, picked up, and dropped in every position that made me scream from the mountain. I have seen the light, and my oh my it is a beautiful sight.”

“What am I going to do with this girl?” Capone snickered, smiling for the first time today.

I loved these women and they loved me.

What could be better than this?

Natalie was finally laid to rest.

The hold up had been on her family waiting to see if Hendrix would miraculously be granted bail but he wasn’t. However, that didn’t stop him from showing up. I didn’t question it and neither did the dozen or so people that were at the private burial. He came in right as the service started and left after she’d been lowered to the ground. I guess that explained the family’s reasoning behind having a nighttime funeral. His court date had been moved up to next month and I had a stomach of nerves regarding his future.

Newly appointed State Supreme Court Judge Beauregard Humphrey was the judge presiding over his case. I’m well aware who Judge Humphrey is. He’s Milan’s father. The same Milan that is dating the youngest Dubri brother, Damien. Whenever Milan and I talked she never spoke on who she was dating. Most of our conversations centered around her dealing with the death of her mother and how she and her dad never saw eye to eye when it came to her life.

All of the dots were slowly connecting.

Hendrix wasn’t stupid by a longshot. He’s a very calculated, meticulous man that was always four to six steps ahead of his opponent. His arrest wasn’t because he got caught on the security cameras. Hendrix got caught because he wanted to, and I bet my last dime it has something to do with Milan and her father.

“Me being your mother, does that not mean anything to you? You should want me to meet this woman to tell you if she’s good enough to be a Reid.”

Some days I was really tempted to change my last name. Being associated with it caused more trouble than it was worth to carry it.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I squinted my eyes as my head continued to pound. Ever since I answered her call my headache has grown to the point my eyes are now hurting. “Why do you ask questions that you aren’t going to like the answers to? No, mother. You being my mother means nothing when it comes to my relationship. I’d think by now you’d understand that.”

After telling my brothers that I was getting married, I waited three days until I told my dad. I mentally prepared for my mother’s call and sure enough she spent all of the twenty-five minutes we’ve been on the phone expressing her hurt and disappointment that she had to hear about it from my dad instead of me.

Annette Reid needed to stop drinking. She was losing her memory each day because I never spoke about my life with them to have these feelings of disappointment.

“You don’t know how to stay in your lane and mind your business.” She gasped and I could only imagine that she was clutching her pearls too. “I don’t need you or your meddling, messy ass sisters to vet anyone in my life, especially the woman I love.” I stepped out of my car, moving around the parking lot until I reached the shop's doors. “I don’t value your judgment of character. You’re too anal, superficial, selfish, and manipulative. If God created her for me and has confirmed it to me, then what do I need your validation for if the creator himself said she’s the one?”

She had nothing to say because I was right and she never liked having a mirror placed in front of her face.

“Have a good evening.” I hung up as two little girls with their hair in two crooked pigtails in neon rain boots, a sequined tutu with neon green tights underneath, and a shirt that read divalicious bounced my way with frowns.

Tai had her little fist balled up and raised like she was ready to fight. “My Papa said if we ever saw you I could kick you in the balls.”

That’s a very important life lesson to teach your children.

“And why would you kick me?” I looked around the waiting area of Rims & Heaux’s. Other than the girls there was a woman with a blonde pixie cut behind the checkout counter. “I thought we were friends, Tai.”

She paused, looked around and then squinted her eyes. “You stole my Lolo. You’re a thief and thieves gotta be mandled.” Did she mean handled?

“Is… um.” Melly and those big expressive brown eyes. I can see how she had London wrapped around her little finger. “Is she…” her bottom lip trembled as she fiddled with her fingers. “Did you bring Lolo back? Can I see her please, sir?”

Now, this shit pissed me off.

Cassian was dead ass wrong for bringing the kids in the middle of their issues.

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