Page 66 of When It’s All Said And Done

“Yes, chyy. Look at her and her daddy cuttin’ up ‘bout the news.”

I flipped the camera so she could see Nyla and Nas dancing. She laughed like the rest of us did before taking a screenshot. When Nas noticed me, he walked over and grabbed a hold of my phone.

“I should’ve known she was talkin’ to you. Merry Christmas, Ma,” he expressed as he took over my FaceTime call.

“Merry Christmas, Son. I’m not gonna be too long because I got some business to handle, but I just wanted to make sure that you’re still comin’ to the family reunion next month.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Good to hear. Tell everyone I said Merry Christmas for me. Love y’all.”

“I will and love you too, Ma,” he assured before tossing me back my phone. “Okay, so since the ladies did and amazin’ job with dinner last night it’s only right the guys throw down for breakfast. Then after breakfast we’ll go visit Mama Eva, sound good?”

“Sounds good,” everyone agreed.

Chapter 22

Nas

“Are you sure ‘bout this plan?” Chance wondered after I explained the plan one last time.

“Honestly, it’s just a hunch but I feel like this is the best plan,” I explained as I put away everything on the table. “I’d been studyin’ the blueprints, docs and pictures for the past three weeks. So, I’m on some better safe than sorry type of energy.”

“Are you gonna tell Nina?”

“Nawl, I can’t risk anything. I need you to do exactly what you’re supposed to do, and everything should be just fine.”

“You know I’m down for whatever. I gotcha cous.”

“Bet. Once the dust settles we’ll reunite, but until then stay vigilant and safe.”

“Same for you.”

He left my office as I continued to put away everything. We were almost four weeks into the new year, and the pregnancy felt as if it were flying by. With Nessa already twenty-four weeks, we were now in the planning stages for a baby shower. She was still trying to decide on what theme she wanted, and I was just going with the flow and paying. Once I had my office cleaned, I stepped out before heading toward my basement.

With me moving into Nessa’s house it became our family home while my house became our working space. When I made it to the bottom of the steps, I flicked on a light to reveal a state of the art studio. I’d had this built before Nessa even stepped foot into her house. The right time for me to give it to her never presented itself, but I figured as a push gift this would be perfect. She could come here and find herself musically with no stress of paying for studio time or anything.

I couldn’t wait for her to see it but until then I wanted her to just focus on the baby. This time around I wanted to make her pregnancy as stress free as possible. Aside from the kidnapping shit she hasn’t had any worry since then. As much as I enjoy making money, seeing Nessa and Nyla happy was something I enjoyed more than that. Their happiness was a beacon of light in my life that was dark for a long time.

In prison you have so much time on your hands that all you can do is daydream. The future I daydreamed for me and Nessa was coming to fruition. With everything in me I vowed to continue to give her the soft life she deserved. At a very young age, Nessa had to grow up way sooner than she should’ve. Despite her predicament she beat the odds of being a young mom. I admired her strength to keep going no matter what.

“You’re back earlier than expected,” Nessa observed as I entered the living room.

“It was just a quick meetin’ with Chance,” I informed.

“Was it about the family reunion Nina had mentioned during Christmas?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Are me and Nyla comin’ with you?”

“Nawl, it’s really more business than a real family reunion. So, once everything is safe then we can talk about a family trip to Puerto Rico.”

“Safe? Do I need to be worried, Nasir?”

“No, I promise. Everything will be handled, no need for worryin’. When I come back I’ll tell you all about it, ok?”

“Fine. When are you plannin’ to leave?”