Page 8 of Lost In You
“You don’t owe me an apology. I know you were frustrated. I just?—”
“Shh,” he said, placing a finger on my lips.
I wanted to suck that shit in my mouth. My eyes lifted to his as he gave me a smirk. “I get it, baby. I’m going to do a better job at listening. Y’all went through a lot of shit. You got grace from me.”
He pulled me in his arms, and I felt a sense of peace there, until a nigga had to disturb it.
“When the fuck this happen?”
I looked up to see Uncle Storm mean mugging us. “Tonight, Uncle Mayor.”
He smirked at me and shook Asad’s hand. “It’s about fucking time. Asad, I’m like her second father, so don’t put yourself in danger.”
Asad nodded. “I got’chu, Unc. Mister Jasper already warned me.”
Uncle Storm nodded, then joined Noni and Bali on the dance floor. I glanced up at Asad, then pulled him to the dance floor also. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and kissed my neck. “Thank you for putting me out of my misery, baby.”
I turned my head slightly and puckered for him to kiss my lips. He leaned over and did so. “I put myself out of my misery too. I came to the realization that I just wanted to be happy. Fuck anybody that can’t get with that.”
“Hell yeah.”
The minute I walked through the door, the smell hit me in the face. Could have sworn the nigga smoked in the house with asstrong as it was. I knew he was on the deck, so I headed that way, but my mama stopped me before I could get there.
“Y’all look cute together, baby. You finally stopped running, huh?”
“Thanks, Chas . . . I mean Mama.”
She gave me the side-eye. “Don’t get fucked up because that ass got tapped earlier.”
My eyebrows damn near jumped off my face. “What?”
“Girl, first of all, I’m your mama. Secondly, you are your father’s daughter. That nigga is sexual as hell. That’s why I’m that way.”
I turned my lip up slightly. “Yeah, yeah. I don’t wanna hear about my daddy’s sex drive,” I said, then fake gagged.
“I could see it all over y’all when y’all finally got back to the barn. Anyway, what made you finally give in?”
“I was tired of being unsatisfied . . . unfulfilled in my love life. I’m ready to settle down. I’m working in my career field, and have been for the past three years, I’m building my house, I’m financially set, and I want to be the same in my love life. He’s been after me for over a year. It was time.”
“What were you really afraid of, baby? Is it his age?”
“No.” I huffed, wishing I could tell her and Daddy at the same time. As if he heard my thoughts, he walked in, high as fuck. “I know his baby mama.”
“You know who baby mama?” Daddy asked.
“Asad’s. That was the bitch I got into a fight with in high school.”
“Oh, that heifer? No wonder,” my mama said.
“What else?” my daddy asked.
Mama was always in the moment, but Daddy always looked for the bigger picture. He was always a step ahead. I took a deep breath and said, “A year ago, she broke into Asad’s house while I was there. She called me a slut and said some other shit aboutme, and I slammed her ass headfirst into the wall and knocked her out. The only thing that saved me was that she had literally broken into Asad’s house and could get arrested. I would get away scot-free because of that. After that, I told him I couldn’t risk my life that way. I might black out on her ass next time and end up in jail.”
Daddy slowly shook his head. “Hotheaded just like your rowdy ass mama.”
Mama’s head turned to him so quick she should’ve gotten whiplash. I chuckled as she said, “If that ain’t the pot calling the kettle black! Nigga, you pulled a gun out on Shameka’s ass . . . or whatever her name was. You was ready to beat a woman’s ass. Remember that shit?”
“Sounds like I get it honest then. I was trying to avoid bullshit. Our family was already going through enough after Grandpa got killed. It was a lot. So, I let go. He wouldn’t stay out of my face though. He wasn’t being forceful or anything. He just said he wanted to be in my presence so I wouldn’t forget about him. After he told me he was basically done waiting at graduation, I knew I had to do something. I didn’t want to lose out on the man that could be my forever over a stupid ass ho.”
