Page 131 of The Love of Priest

She dialed his number, and he answered after a few rings. "Before you go all crazy, I can explain," he chuckled, assuming she had found the multiple stacks of hundred-dollar bills in her bag.

"Priest, no. You don’t have to do this." She shook her head without even giving him a chance to explain. She began withdrawing the stacks from her bag and sitting them on her kitchen counter.

"Gioia, I'm giving it to you as a gift," he informed her, hoping she would be accepting of the money. "I don't want or need the money, so I want to give it to you." Priest had decided to give a hefty portion of Leonard's stashed money to Britain. It was pretty much free cash at that point. He was going to give Jazzy a portion to pursue whatever she wanted and leave the rest on Sylvia's doorstep since she had been pressed about it for so long.

"And you think I want or need it?" She furrowed her brows together.

Priest shook his head. "That's not what I'm trying to get at. This is just a token of my appreciation. Take it," he urged her.

"A token of appreciation? Priest, this crazy. I love your generosity and everything, but stop it. You don't need to gift me with shitloads of cash to satisfy me. I never asked, and I don't intend on asking. I love you, but no." Britain shook her head while placing the last stack onto the counter.

Priest let out a sigh. "Alright." He decided not to continue pressuring her to take the money. Giving Britain anything was like pulling teeth. She never felt as though she deserved anything that was given to her.

Priest knew he had over done it with sixty bands, but he honestly thought he would be able to convince her to keep it. Britain was a simple girl, and she wouldn't even know what to do with that type of money. A part of Priest was slightly frustrated with the fact that his generous approach was constantly being shut down by Britain, but the other part of him was pleased that the flashiness and money didn't excite her. It was his first time dealing with such a down to earth woman, but he was learning and he appreciated knowing her true intentions.

Hearing the tone in his voice, Britain could tell he felt a bit bummed out since she didn't give him the reaction he was expecting. "Listen. The wealth, the cars, the houses, the jewelry, the security detail, they don't excite me. You do. I love you because you wake up in the middle of the night with random questions about small details of my life. I love you because you pray before you go to bed, when you wake up, eat a meal and leave the house. I love you because you have an old soul, and sometimes, I'm convinced you've graced this planet before. I love you because you're you, not for all the lavish things that come with you," she expressed sincerely, hoping to make him understand that he didn’t need to overcompensate with money.

Priest was so used to everyone wanting or needing something out of him. It was evident he had given far more than he'd ever received. From the first conversation Britain had with Sylvia, she knew Priest was being used by the ones he thought were closest to him. Britain didn't want to be one of those people in his life.

Priest ran his hand down his face. Britain’s words spoke volumes. Britain could hear a smile in his voice when he spoke again. "You're a real gem. I love you," Priest said.

"I love you too," Britain professed before they said their goodbyes.

Once the call ended, Britain glanced over at the multiple stacks of hundreds she had sat on the counter. "He's insane." She shook her head before exiting the apartment.

After locking up, Britain made her way to her car and headed toward Remy's house. She made sure to stop for some food as a peace offering for her father to sweep the fact that she hadn't been by for a while underneath the rug.

After some usual traffic, Britain arrived at Remy's house, parking at the curb. Getting out the car, Britain grabbed the food from the passenger seat before bypassing the gate and heading toward the house.She made her way up the three short steps before applying a knock on the door. The door was pulled open by Remy who had a smirk gracing his handsome face.

"Well, well, well," Remy chuckled while stepping aside. "If it ain't my daughter who went big time for front-pagingThe Timesfinally coming to see her daddy," he teased while shutting the door behind Britain.

Britain laughed as she trekked through the home and sat the food on the dining room table. "I'm sorry," she apologized while shuffling her feet over to her father with her arms wide open for a hug.

Remy chuckled as he embraced Britain. "I missed you, kid." They swayed back and forth within the hug.

"I missed you too," Britain admitted. "I brought Rasta pasta as a peace offering." She smiled.

"Thank you, baby girl." He accepted the food, taking a seat at the table alongside Britain.

So used to the routine of eating with Priest, Britain extended her hands to her father to conduct a prayer before they ate. Jeremy couldn't help but raise his brows at the action, but he followed suit. He placed his hands into hers, listening to Britain’s short prayer in hopes that whoever prepared the food would be blessed, and the food would nourish their bodies. Releasing hands from their prayer, Britain lifted her head and was met with her father’s questioning gaze. "What?" she asked, her eyes trailing from side to side.

Remy let a smirk plaster his face. "Nothing. That was just… new." He shrugged his shoulders.

Britain let out a nervous laugh. "It’s nothing. I’ve just been getting into church lately,” she enlightened him with a subtle smile.

"Had time to stop by a church?" Remy chuckled at his daughter.

Britain shook her head. "Dad, you know everything's online now. They live stream it." Britain and Priest had become frequent viewers of a livestream by a well-known pastor. They knew it was a bit taboo to stream The Word in the comfort of their home, but the message resonated with them regardless.

Remy scoffed. "That's not church. That's a business." He shook his head. In his day, if someone had said church could be live streamed, they would’ve been ridiculed and shunned. Now it was just a commonality.

"It still gets the job done," Britain claimed with a light laugh. Glancing away from him momentarily, her eyes landed at the window where she could see Priest's cousin pushing the lawn mower back and forth. She stifled a laugh while recalling she and Priest already predicted Remy would have Mirsad taking care of the lawn. "You get lawn care service now?"

Remy glanced out the window. "Lawn care service would be a lot easier. That's Priest's little cousin. It took me roughing him up pretty good just to get him out there. That's why he mowing my grass with all that attitude," Remy chuckled while pointing at Mirsad who had a lethal mean mug on his face.

Britain laughed. Mirsad was definitely the character Priest described him to be. "What's been going on with you, old man?" Britain shifted the conversation to Remy.

A light smile graced Remy's face as he shrugged. "Your mother. She called a few days ago." He shook his head, the smile never leaving his face.

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