Page 52 of Stoplight
Irish discreetly exhaled, relieved that Noble didn’t want to scratch their newfound affair.
“It’s not surface for me,” she confessed. “Well, it’s been more than that. I’ve been on the hunt for something more in life. Something that actually holds value and is all mine. I’m not sure if this situation is that for me but I’m willing to explore the possibility.”
Irish played it cool, but she would’ve wished to convey that she liked Noble and saw a future with him if things continued down the road they were driving on. It was too early on to confess feelings like that, so she held back.
“My integrity on the line,” he reminded her. “I don't have room for error in my position. Plus, I don't fuck with women who are married but your situation is different. There’s nothing morally correct about your marriage. My mind keeps telling me to walk away before shit get too deep but I’m here with you, Pumpkin, counting down the time until you give me some more pumpkin spice.”
Irish burst out laughing, hating how the new nickname had grown on her. “You are not about to be calling my pussy pumpkin spice.”
“You wanna know why I call it that?”
She cocked her head, blushing. “Why?”
“Because you try to act all innocent, but when that pussy get wet, it get spicy. Plus, you're a ginger and pumpkin is the perfect way to describe your hair color. So, that pussy is pumpkin spice, Irish. Deal with it.”
Playfully, she rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Noble.”
“You done?
Bobbing her head, she answered, “Yes, I am.”
“Let’s go take a walk on the beach.”
“I would love to.”
Her hand fit perfectly into his. How could something so wrong feel like the greatest decision on earth? Noble was still conflicted, pushing his integrity to the side like a finished plate at the dinner table. Shit like this didn’t transpire with him. Noble didn’t move carelessly off of his emotions. He hadn’t been perfect. There had been some choices in the past that were deemed irresponsible, but he learned from them. Yet, this choice to be on the beach, under the glowing stars with his latest desire had contradicted all the work he’d done to be what his name meant—Noble.
“How come it seems like you just popped up out of nowhere?”
He glanced at her, wondering what prompted her to ask that question.
“What do you mean?”
“When Tuck was running TLM, I never saw you around. Then you came out of nowhere. Jovanis had never even spoken about you or nothing. You just appeared.”
He scratched his low shaven beard. “I was around in the beginning. Me and Tuck started TLM together.”
Irish’s eyes bucked. “Really? When?”
“Years ago. We were young and reckless back then. We walked around with a chip on our shoulders. You know, like we had something to prove.” He thought back to those times.“We were getting money back then and we needed a team. So, we started recruiting and that’s how TLM started. After a while, I had this nagging feeling to stack my money and invest in a legitimate business. I really can’t explain why I started thinking that way, but I did.”
“Your intuition,” she added. “You probably saw the train wreck before it happened.”
“I did.” He exhaled. “Shit started getting too wild. These niggas started moving like they were invisible. Causing all kinds of bullshit. Then Tuck didn’t make that shit no better. He started encouraging them, knowing what kind of influence he had on them.”
“Yeah, they were wild,” she noted, glancing at the ocean waves. “It got to a point where I never went anywhere where they were. I literally just started coming around once everyone left or got locked up.” She chuckled.
Noble looked down at the sand, remembering the exact moment when he made his departure.
“When I found out I was going to be a father, I knew I had to get outta the way. My transition was discreet too. I didn’t tell anyone, not even Tuck. As soon as I established my logistics company, I told Tuck I was done.”
“And how did he take that?”
Noble peered at her, smirking. “He was pissed. Said I was weak because we were supposed to do this shit together. It didn’t matter that niggas was getting knocked and turning witness or the old heads had made their exit to Noir Mob. To him, I was leaving him behind and he cursed me for doing that shit.”
Noble remembered how Tuck told him he was selfish for making an exit knowing they had made a pact to ride with TLM. Back then, Noble didn’t care about leaving Tuck to handlethe mafia alone. He needed peace of mind and to know that he would be there to raise his child.
“So, what made you come back?”
