Page 15 of Standing In The Sun

“You have some money?”

Kissing the back of his teeth, he glared at her. “Come on, Ahvi…you can feed me. This shit smells good as hell and my stomach touching my back.”

“Hmm,” she tapped her chin. “Oh, like your son’s stomach will be touching his back if I don’t sell these plates?”

“You take shit too far.”

“And you don’t take it far enough!” she yelled. “Look, no you can’t get a plate but you can go get our son from my sister to keep him while I go to the club to sell this stuff. My sister too young to be tied down with a baby anyway.”

“Man, I gotta work too,” he fired back.

Ahvi looked him upside his head. “Nigga, please! I’m the one carrying our son on my back with love and attention, so it’s best for you to sit your ass down and watch him.”

“Nah, I can’t do it.” Dro stared at the floor knowing he was dead ass wrong, but he wanted to enjoy his weekend too.

What he failed to realize was, Ahvi wasn’t asking him to keep the baby so she could go let her hair down. She was asking him to keep the baby because she needed to make enough money to handle her business. If she wasn’t so strong, the tears she’d been holding would’ve ran down her face—she’d never give Dro that side of her though. Plus, ain’t no need to cry to someone who didn’t care to make her problems go away.

“Just get the fuck out,” she grunted through gritted teeth.

They stood in a staring match for a few seconds before he conceded. There was no need to attempt to get into a sparring match with Ahvi when he knew he was dead ass wrong.

Watching his back, she rolled her eyes at the tattoos and the new pair of shoes on his feet. Ish had taught her not to hate people, but she had a strong dislike for Dro. He was a waste of good looks and decent dick. When the door closed behind him, she wasted no time locking it then searching for her phone to post her location for the night.

Ahvi found a good little hustle that involved her doing what she loved—cooking. Every weekend when she found the funds, she’d post up at the popping clubs waiting for them to let out where people would crowd her trunk to order ready-made plates of food.

She took a few pictures of her menu, posting them with her location for the night. Then she went to her messages, her heart thumping when she saw Lunar had sent her a message with his number attached.

LLNar:Hit me up. ASAP

A chill shot up her spine as she looked through his pictures after clicking on his profile before calling him. There was no doubt that Nar was fine as hell. His aura bled through the screen as if she could feel it. Then with each zoom, she could see nothing but his father in him. Tears coated her eyes thinking about Ish.

But it wasn’t just thinking about Ish that made her emotional. Ahvi had gone through more of the home videos on the phone. Big Lunar’s presence was so chaotic but so calming that every time she heard his southern drawl, her heart would ache for the loved ones he left behind.

She couldn’t stop looking at the videos even when she knew it was an invasion of their privacy. Every time Big Lunar’s face was shown or his voice was heard, it was like a pull on her heart that kept her glued to what seemed to be intimate moments. Tears even fell from her eyes as she took a deep dive into the family. Big Lunar was everything plus more to them. Ahvi could tell just from the short videos in the phone that he was the source of everything they had ever dreamed of.

Going back into her messages, she copied the number then pasted it into her cell so it auto dialed.

Ahvi gulped when the phone trilled throughout the kitchen since she had it on speaker.

“Hello?” Lunar’s deep voice came out groggy but made her pussy pulse.

Damn. Even half-asleep, his voice carried weight. It was gritty, rich, and making her thighs press together before she could stop herself.

“Um, this is—uh…Ahvi,” she stumbled right along with her heart.

“Who?”

She exhaled sharply. “Ahvi. I messaged you about having something you might want.” Her fingers curled against the counter as guilt gnawed at her. She hated this, hated what she was about to do. But the world didn’t give a damn about feelings. It was eat or be eaten, and she had a son to feed.

The line crackled with movement, like he was shifting in bed. Her eyes flicked to the microwave clock, surprised as hell that a man like him was knocked out when the night was just waking up.

“Shit,” Lunar muttered, voice rough with sleep. Then, like the thought had just clicked, he asked, “Oh yea? Is that my kid or something?”

A loud, uncontrollable laugh burst from her lips. “What?! Nigga, no!” she was hysterical. “I don’t even know you.”

“Then what you got that I might want, Advil?”

Her smile disappeared. “Ahvi,” she corrected, already annoyed.

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