Page 93 of Betrothed To Love

Tre joins in on this conversation. “I haven’t seen this with my own eyes but I heard he’s living in D-Ville,” he says.

“Alami and her mother live there,” I reveal. “He’s probably with her.” I shake my head at the thought.

“If anyone would have told me this shit would be happening, I wouldn’t have believed them. Shuga and Asali done and he’s living in D-Ville with another fucking woman,” Ace says.

“Don’t forget to add Shuga is fucking Nina Wright,” Deuce says and we all laugh. We are still tripping off that shit.

We kill all the food on the platters and talk more shit when our server brings us a fresh round of drinks. I place a to-go order of sliders for Niya and wings for Mireya. Niya loves these little chicken sandwiches. When my order is ready, we all hug and leave. Shiro walks to my ride with me.

“I’m serious about being there when you meet her. Just hit me with the deets,” he says.

“I got you. You heading home for the night?” I ask, knowing he isn’t. The last thirty minutes inside the bar, he was on his phone, texting and smiling.

“You worse than Ace. Nah, nigga. I’m not going home. I’m going to something soft and warm like you.”

“Chill the fuck out. That’s my wife,” I warn with a smirk.

“You got that. Kiss Niya for me and hit me for real.”

“I got you,” I say, then we dap.

I’ve tried too many cases to count, guest lectured at the university, and even spoken in rooms full of people and I’ve never felt a hint of nerves. But the fact that my little sister will be here in less than thirty minutes has me on edge. She called to tell me she wasn’t going to make it because she didn’t have a ride, so I sent an iDrive and she’s enroute. I texted Shiro as well and he’s heading this way.

“Do you need anything?” Aven asks from my door.

“No. I’m straight. Maybe something for her,” I say.

“Like snacks?”

“Yeah, maybe that.”

“Quintus, I was joking. She’s seventeen. If she wants something, she can pick it from the breakroom,” she says with a grin. “You know I’ve never seen you like this, nervous. I like it. It reminds me that you’re not Superman.”

Laughing, she walks off and I just shake my head. I also stare at my phone and see Alami is seventeen minutes out. My view of the route is interrupted by an incoming call from my beautiful wife.

“Hey, my kyau,” I answer.

“Hey, baby. How’s it going? She’s there, right?” she asks.

“Nah, not yet. She’s on her way though.”

“Are you nervous? Excited?”

“A little of both. I know once I see her, all of this is really real. Plus I have to tell Shuga too. That’s going to be hard,” I admit.

“Not as hard as you think. I believe she’ll be cool with you and your brothers reaching out to her. She’s your sister, family, and you know how Shuga feels about family. Now, seeing Alami… That’s probably a no. Seeing the child your husband had while cheating is a bit much.”

“True,” I agree. “What about you? Any word from Richardson yet?”

“Still ghost silence. We haven’t heard shit since my interview or official statement.”

“Well, he has twenty-two more days to issue the retraction.”

“He’s lost and doesn’t want to admit it. Throwing that lie out there about me simply because of my friend was unprofessional, unethical, and dumb.”

“It was knee jerk and dumb as fuck. You put him in his place during that debate and he acted out of anger and embarrassment. That’s on him and now he has to live with it and face the consequences. Your bench is safe. It’s yours, kyau.”

“I really hope so, baby.”