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A shaky breath released from my lungs as I smiled and hung my head, silently thanking God. If his pride would have kept him from agreeing, I didn’t think there would have been anything else I could do. I grabbed two glasses and poured them both two fingers of whisky before leaving and allowing them to talk.
While I waited for them to finish up, I looked at more buildings online for my salon. I was also considering renting a suite in a salon suite. If I did that, I wouldn’t have to worry about as much as I would if I opened my own salon. But, if I did open my own salon, I could make space for other stylists to rent booths. I still had time to decide, especially since I would have to look in both Memphis and Rose Valley Hills. Regardless of which route I took, I was excited about doing what I loved on a more consistent basis.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed before Carlos came into my room and told me he was about to head out. I walked him to the door and gave him a hug, asking that he let me know when he made it home.
“You’re never coming back, huh?” he asked with a knowing smile. “That’s a lot of house to be in without you.”
“Well… maybe… one day soon you’ll have a wife and babies to fill it up with.”
Carlos chuckled as he gave me a kiss on the forehead. “I doubt that’ll happen any time soon, sis. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
After locking up behind him, I chuckled at the sight of Beethoven’s naked frame sliding under my covers. The relaxed him with free time was such a stark difference compared to the busy body he was when we first met. I was glad he had time to not only rest but enjoy the fruit of his labor without having to be on call for Tim twenty-four seven.
“Doesn’t take you long to get cozy these days,” I teased, pulling my loose-fitting midi dress over my head.
“Never when I know I’m about to cuddle witchu. You’ve officially turned me into a sap.”
That got a good laugh out of me as I climbed into bed and onto his chest.
“You’re not a sap, baby. Far from that.”
A brief beat of silence passed between us before he asked, “Did you mean what you said? That you loved me?”
“I did. I do.”
Beethoven tilted my head by my chin. “I love you.”
Lowering his lips to mine, Beethoven gave me a kiss that showed me just what his words had said. And there was absolutely no reason for me to doubt him. For the first time since Robert Carter, I felt completely safe with a man… and I prayed to God that safety would never change.
29
Beethoven
“You sure about this?” Omari asked, smoothing his already wrinkle-free shirt with his hand. We had to meet with the lieutenants, and I decided now was a great time to talk to Pops about Carlos.
“Now is as good of a time as any,” I replied, temporarily putting my phone on Do Not Disturb.
“I’on know, cuz. You know Unc better than me, but are you sure if you tell him about Los and this situation at the same time that he won’t flip?”
My head shook as I rang the doorbell then used my key to let us in. “Nah. He needs to know about everything at once so he can process it.”
Omari nodded his agreement, though there really wasn’t anything he could say to change my mind about this. The sooner he knew about the changes with Carlos so he could prepare the better. We had been making a bit of progress personally over the last week. I invited him out with the crew, and he wasn’t annoying or an asshole like usual. Whiskee said it was because he wasn’t as stressed out, which I could understand.
“Pops!” I yelled, hoping he was in one of the common areas of his home.
“I’m in the kitchen!”
We went inside, and the sight of him making grits and bacon made me smile. Making breakfast was probably the most normal thing my father did over the years. He might not have been the kind of father to keep me focused on school or push sports on me, but he made sure I ate—physically and financially. Back in the day, Pops always made sure I started my day with a large breakfast. And now, any time we had to talk before noon, I could count on him making me breakfast or bringing me coffee if he was stopping by my place.
“You hungry?” he asked, sliding a plate that was covered with bacon in my direction.
“Yeah,” I replied, heading over to the sink to wash my hands.
Omari did the same while Pops fixed our plates. He made a quick skillet of eggs and popped some bread into the toaster before putting everything on the table.
A pot of coffee had already been brewed, so I grabbed it along with some mugs and put them on the table. For a brief moment, I appreciated the peace, because I knew he was going to lose his shit when I told him what I had to tell him.
