Page 37 of Spending Forever With You

“Oh my gosh, I didn’t know Hef had another baby. He’s so stinking cute,” I gushed as I reached for him. He had other kids, but one was in prison and the other two were wild and reckless, not thinking about making no babies.

“He didn’t. This one of the triplets’ doing. Elyon had a baby.” I frowned as I leaned the baby back, getting a better view of his tear-stained face. His little face matched mine as he deepened his invisible brows, probably wondering why I’d moved him from my chest. My cousin Elyon was in prison for armed robbery of some tech guru or something. Growing up, we were all close. The grownups used to refer to us as two-three since it was two of us and three of them. When I first got the news, I tried to get Elyon to use Nas’s services, but she refused, which I didn’t understand. They hit her with twenty years and she was only a year in. The most I was able to do was put money on her books since Elyon didn’t allow us to visit, nor did she call. I looked at baby Ali good. Of course I didn’t see her, so he must look like his daddy. I shrugged, laying him back down as I began to rub his back.

“Oh wow, when did this happen? No, how did this happen is the better question. Ooh, was it a guard in there? I heard they be getting down.” My Uncle Ellis chuckled but he knew I was telling the truth. He had a couple of love affairs behind those thick ass bars.

“Naw, well shit, not to my knowledge. She said it happened before it all went down. And of course your cousin can’t find the father, so I stepped in so he didn’t end up in the system. Getting Ali back would’ve been hell, if even possible.”

“Well I’m here if you need me. I babysit.” I offered my services as I continued to soothe a quiet Ali.

I got so caught up in my motion until Lacy’s question had me remembering what I was here for.

“You all dressed up. Where you headed wearing a jersey with your married last name on it?”

“Oh, to the game to watch Luke play,” I said nonchalantly as I passed Ali back to my uncle.

“Oh really? Is this for work or for…?” She left it open so I could answer without her taking too many unnecessary guesses.

“As his wife, Granny. I have to be his wife until he can get the house Jimmy left. Speaking of, can you write us a statement to help us? We need family and friends to say we’ve been together happily for the past ten years or so.”

“But you haven’t been, so why would I lie?” Lacy said bluntly.

“I know, Granny, but there’s a clause in the will for Luke to get the property and assets.”

“If you have to lie to get something, maybe you shouldn’t have it. I didn’t raise you to be deceitful, Holli. Now, if you told me you and Deacon were working it out to love each other for real this time as adults, that I would be co-signing.”

“Well, we can’t do that, Granny. You raised me to not be deceitful.”

“Ain’t nothing but your mother all over again, I tell you. That stubbornness gon’ have you alone in a house full of cats. Keep pushing that man away and you’re going to lose him for real. God gave you a second chance with your one love and yet here you are, still running.”

“Sprinting.”

I didn’t know how bad it would look that I didn’t have my granny on board with us, but it was something we would have to work out if it hurt us.

I bent down, kissing her cheek before doing the same to Ali and my uncle. My visit was over. There was no need for me to stay around, so I left the same way I came, heading back to the house to drop my car off since I was no longer leaving from Lacy’s.

I made a mental note to send an email to Nas so she could notarize the statements.

CHAPTER 10

Luke

“Okay, so along with the six statements, do you have anything else?” Skyla asked as she looked over the statements from everyone, including one from Nas.

“Yes, one more thing.” I reached into my pocket, pulling out a folded sheet of paper from the bank that I’d kept from Hollis. I didn’t want to make a big deal about the fact that I had an account with both of our names. It was opened when I got my first check from playing ball.

I wasn’t even aware that money went into the account monthly. That was Kay’s doing and I was happy she kept up with it.

I placed the piece of paper on the table, scooting it closer to Skyla as Hollis’s eyes moved with it before she peered over at me with a quizzical look.

“Oh wow, now this is the gold mine. A bank account created over ten years ago that’s been accumulating all this time is the Holy Mecca in cases like this, almost as high as names on deeds. You two did good. I hate to admit this, but I was a little nervous. I even had my migraine medicine on standby. This should be all I need. Give me a couple days to a week. It shouldn’t take me long at all to get you guys the keys to both the house and the cars and as well as the information on the trust fund.”

I chuckled while Hollis sat back, quiet with an unreadable expression on her face.

“I’m a man of my word. I promised no stress.”

“Good. Now, Hollis, can you please explain the condo in the Millennium Towers in writing? Then that will be everything.”

When Hollis didn’t move, I grabbed her hand, bringing it to my mouth, getting her attention.