Page 24 of Nothing Without You

The doorbell rang, lucky for Chyna, who had suddenly gotten hot to the touch. I chuckled before I kissed her cheek and got up to answer the door. I heard the two of them bickering quietly as I left the room.

Icelynn may have tried to bully me to drink, but she was still alright with me. She spoke her mind and didn’t give a fuck what anyone had to say, and all I could do was respect that.

She had gotten here an hour ago, and I had laughed a couple of times at her crazy ass. That said a lot for me. I typically didn’t find shit funny.

When I opened the front door, my cousin Beretta, my cousin Sami, and Sami’s wife, Millie, greeted me. Beretta had a mug on his face, as always. That nigga was a lot like me . . . Wasn’t shit funny . . . ever. It made sense, though, because my parents raised him, and we grew up more like brothers than cousins. The only difference between us was that Jerome’s goodness had gotten to me. It didn’t get to Beretta.

And yeah, that was his real name. His mama was a straight up hoodrat who didn’t know no better.

Sami and Millie, on the other hand, stood there with smiles on their faces and bottles in their hands, ready to turn up.

“Move,” Beretta said as he pushed past me. I stuck my foot out and tripped his stupid ass. He fumbled but caught himself before he turned and stuck his middle fingers up at me.

“Here y’all go,” Sami said as he slapped my hand and pulled me in for a brotherly hug.

I pulled away from him and gave Millie a side hug as I said, “That nigga always startin’ shit. Hey, Millie.”

“Hey, Keegan,” she said.

I led them into the house, right on Beretta’s heels. I almost ran into the nigga when he stopped abruptly.

“Fuck wrong wit’ you, nigga?” I asked as I thumped Beretta on the back.

“Who dat?” Beretta asked as he pointed at Icelynn, who looked at us with curiosity.

“Aw, hell. That’s Chyna’s cousin, Icelynn. It’s her birthday.”

This wasn’t good. Niggas thought I was bad . . . Beretta was a certified crashout. Icelynn seemed like the female version of me . . . a damn bully and a woman who wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted. On some by any means necessary type shit. Beretta didn’t do relationships. I didn’t know what Icelynn was on, but those two linking up could either be epic or really, really bad for everyone involved.

“Oh yeah? Well, let me go gift the birthday girl wit’ my presence.” Beretta rubbed his hands together as he eyed her.

“Y’all do know we can hear you, right?” Icelynn asked as she arched a brow up.

I chuckled and put my hands up in mock surrender. “I’m stayin’ out of it.”

I quickly went around and made introductions before the doorbell rang again. Chyna hopped up. “That has to either be the food or my sister and cousin.”

I nodded toward the front door. “Come on.”

I grabbed her waist and kissed her neck. She giggled.

“Aye, who the fuck is this Chyna chick?” I heard Beretta ask as we left the room. I left Icelynn to explain it to my boys. I hadn’t filled them in on Chyna yet. They knew they were coming over for a party, but they had no idea whose. All they knew was I called, so they came. I made a mental note to get up with them, just the boys, at some point next week and really fill them in.

I watched as Chyna pulled the door open. Something about that gesture from her had me feeling all warm and shit. Baby moved like this was her house, and I loved it.

When she squealed, I tore my eyes away from her and to the people in the door, ready to knock everyone’s heads loose if it was a nigga. Lucky for them, it was two women. One looked a lot like Chyna. I assumed that was her younger sister. The other woman looked like Icelynn.

After she hugged them, Chyna looked up at me. “Baby, this is my little sister, Chiara, and that’s my cousin, Icelynn’s younger sister, Capri. Y’all, this is my man, Keegan.”

“I thought he was your boss,” Chiara said. She looked up at me curiously, looking just like my Chyna Doll.

“She finally upgraded me to her man,” I joked as I gestured for them to enter.

“’Bout time,” Capri said as she walked past.

“Ohh, does Mama know? Wait ’til I tell Daddy,” Chiara exclaimed. She pinched Chyna when she walked by her. My baby took a page out of my book and stuck her leg out to trip Capri. That shit was funny as hell to me because she didn’t even see me do that to Beretta. She was my lil mini me, for real.

Capri stumbled but caught herself and then glared at Chyna, who simply shrugged. “Don’t you dare go tellin’ them anything until I talk to them.”