Page 153 of Are You Going to Love Me

“Opening businesses. The burger joint, the dispensary, the clothing line. Investing. Getting investors. Which isn’t an issue,” Rolani shared.

“How is that not an issue? We don’t-”

“Consider JoyCloud your initial investor. Your job is to make every stream of your brand pop off, which shouldn’t be hard because you’re in the company of two women who can make nothing into something.”

“So, how does this work when we generate an ROI?” Eden asked from the corner.

“Whatever you all choose to name this label is transferred to you and your sister. You place executives where you see fit, and we’ll stay on for accounting, marketing, and distribution purposes,” Daysha shared. “Any idea of what you want to name it?”

Maximus looked over at his lady and then at Staysha. “Poppi’s Girl.”

Lowly, Staysha flashed Eden a faint smile.

Daysha smirked. “Alright. So, the agreements of the contract are highlighted. You keep one hundred percent of your tour earnings. Whatever you got in advance from UVE is yours to keep. We will only recoup what we spend from this point moving forward.”

“Wait,” Maximus muttered. “Y’all for real?”

“Dead ass serious, nigga,” Julius spoke up. “I told you when we were in OC, you the truth. I know what it’s like to be pigeonholed in some bad ass deal and being dropped and scraping to figure out what to do next. I also know that the streets don’t stop knocking, nigga and you answer only when you feel like your back is against the wall. The hell you fall into after you answer that call not only fucks with you, it fucks with her and your whole team. It affects her and your whole team. You mean too fuckin’ much to the world, let alone your lady, to answer that call. So, as your brothers, we’re going to stand by you, behind you, in front of you and guide you through the shit.”

Maximus licked his lips and schooled his emotions. He caught Eden’s eyes, and she mouthed, “Jeremiah 29:11.”

He swiped his face free of any tears that could’ve dropped and cleared his throat. “Preciate that. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I need you to go out and do everything they said you couldn’t do.”

Hands were shaken, contracts were signed, Clicquot was poured, and photos were taken. Maximus was finally seeing the light, and the hard work behind him was setting him up for the hard work ahead of him.

fifty

. . .

She successfully madeit through lunch, eating just enough to satisfy Maximus’ curiosity. The issue now was that she was sitting in the living room, unsure of what to say to her sister. Her best friend.

Staysha had done many things, and they always bounced back. This time just seemed like betrayal in a sense. This time, it was Eden on the receiving end of the hurt.

“You haven’t told him,” Staysha commented, breaking the thickness of their silence. “Why not?”

Eden shrugged. “A lot is happening at once. Trying to figure out my own shit.”

“Does our shit fit in that?”

Eden nodded. “Yeah. You’ve done a lot. I’ve always been right there. This time you hurt me. You’ve never hurt me before, Stay. And it feels...”

“Like hell,” Staysha shared. “I didn’t want to. That’s not why I kept it from you. I remember your attacks. I know how much you’ve sacrificed, and I honestly didn’t want to see you retreat. No, it wasn’t right. I should’ve told you the second I knew. But I just thought I could protect you like you protected me.”

Eden looked at her, swiping the tears from her face. “In the light of everything that has happened, it just doesn’t feel right being angry with you. Not being able to call you because anger is blocking me. I don’t wanna end up like our momma and her sister.”

Staysha moved closer to Eden. “Me neither. I’ve been trying to figure out what to say to you for two weeks, and nothing seemed to be good enough. Sometimes, standing in your shadow doesn’t feel like I’m good enough.”

“Stop that,” Eden huffed, wiping her face. “We don’t do that. We don’t compare, we don’t covet. We don’t separate. I’ve missed you, Stay.”

Staysha pressed her forehead against Eden’s. “I’ve missed you, too. And I’m so sorry I hurt you. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t do it again. I can survive someone else hurting me. You? A part of me will die. I don’t want my heart hardened like Anzel, and I don’t want your light snatched like Mama. We gotta be better.”

“I won’t. I promise,” Staysha hummed, holding her sister tightly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

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