Page 68 of Betrothed To Love

Me: I’ll tell you everything at my place. Just head there now. I’m on my way.

Deuce: Better be important. Coming

Shiro: Give me five

Ace: Coming.

Tre: Me too.

I text my wife next, giving her a partial update. This is some shit that can’t be explained in a text. I’ll tell her everything face to face after I’ve processed this.

Me: Shuga was home. We talked.

Kyau: Oh good. Is she okay?

Me: Not really but I’ll explain when I get back. Going to meet with my brothers before I head back. Is Niya okay?

Kyau: Take your time with your family. Niya is fine . We are having girl time. We love you.

Me: I love both of you.

In the midst of my anger, her last text solicits a smile. I can talk with my brothers and figure this shit out without worrying about Niya. She’s good with my wife and they are having girl time.

I start my engine and head to my house. When I pull up, Deuce and Shiro’s trucks are in my driveway, blocking my garage. I park behind Deuce and get out.

“I hope you got something to eat in there,” Deuce utters in a groggy voice. It’s before noon and I have him up. He usually doesn’t get in from the club until about four or five and sleeps in until the afternoon. He probably hasn’t eaten, but hell, neither have I.

“Nothing cooked. We’re at my wife’s this weekend but I can order something.”

“Yeah. Do that,” Deuce says.

“Shit. You said 911; are we gonna want to eat fucking food?” Shiro asks as we walk into my home.

“Good or bad. A nigga gotta eat,” Deuce says.

“Is it bad?” Shiro asks. “Your damn face tight as fuck.”

“I’m going to wait until Ace and Tre get here.” I can’t say this foul shit more than once. “Let them in when they get here. I’m going to run to the bathroom.”

I leave them in my living room and take the stairs two at a time to my room. I need a minute to get my damn words together. What the fuck am I about to say?

In my room, I ease down on my bed and just replay Shuga’s words. Asali has another damn child, a seventeen-year-old girl. That means that nigga was fifty-fucking-years old creeping and shit on Shuga. I have a million questions and I know my brothers are going to have a million more.

After taking a deep ass breath to collect my thoughts, I walk into my bathroom and wash my face. When I make it back downstairs, Ace and Tre are here. They are all in the living room and Deuce is eating chips with a pile of Niya’s snacks in front of him.

“What’s so urgent? Is Shuga good?” Ace asks before I can sit.

“Nah, she isn’t,” I say then sit.

“She sick or something?” Shiro asks.

“Nah, nothing like that. Well, not really,” I begin then I decide to just rip the damn Band-Aid off. “Asali has a seventeen-year-old daughter.”

“Nigga what?” Deuce and Shiro bark at the same time.

“Asali been cheating on Shuga?” Tre asks next.

“I know the fuck I didn’t hear yo’ ass right,” Ace booms.