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“Who is that for?”

“Us.”

“I’m only taking one shot and I’m getting some food before I start drinking.”

“On the house,” the bartender said.

“No, you can start a tab.”

“The boss said so. He’s showing love to Mr. King’s baby mama.”

“Well, tell Q we said thank you,” my mama said.

“I don’t need Q thinking anything because he’s giving us free drinks.”

“Girl, shut up and drink. I swear you would think you was raised up on the east side of town with the rich people. Stop acting green and take what the nigga giving.”

Q, whose real name was Quincey, was a nigga that flirted every time I came in here. Even if it was to pick up food. I never saw him as anything but the owner of District 12. My mind was always on Rah even when his wasn’t on me.

“Q said anything y’all want tonight is on him. Food, drinks, and hookah.”

“Shit, bring me a hookah,” my mama said.

The bartender slid me a napkin, and it had Q’s number on it.

Niggas always wanted something for the bare minimum. I could buy my own drinks, food, and hookah.

“From one boss to another,” my mama said. “A new dick to get your mind off the one you ain’t had in eight years.”

I rolled my eyes and took my shot down.

CHAPTER 7

KYENNA

It was Sunday morning, and today was my last day with the kids. Since I cooked yesterday morning, I had the chef cook whatever they wanted. Yesterday after Khari and I came back from getting our nails and toes done, we picked Kaiden up from Shameek and enjoyed the rest of the day at the house. I didn’t really bother them that much until it was time to eat. It was important for me not to force anything. Usually when they were here, they did their own thing, and I didn’t want to change their routine because Rah wasn’t here.

Khari was sitting in the middle of her bed with her television on one of her shows as she braided her baby doll’s hair and added beads to it. I smiled because she looked at peace. I wanted kids of my own, but being able to love on Rah’s kids was good enough. The only one I was missing was Ryleigh. Raya was refusing to take the test even though she said she would when she left the reading of the will. It was court-ordered, and she still hadn’t taken Ryleigh. I guess when the bills start piling up, she’ll run her dramafied ass up to the clinic.

I walked down the hall to check on Kaiden. Since he had gotten here, he hadn’t said much to me. We had a lot of work to do, but I was willing to give him the space he needed to grieve. When he was ready to talk to me, I would stop whatever I was doing to give him my attention. His door was closed, but I could hear his television. I knocked, but he didn’t answer. Slowly, I opened his door, and he was sitting on the floor. Kaiden had pictures spread out on the floor. Rah kept a photo album in Kaiden’s room from when he was younger and still with Averie.

There was a picture of Kaiden, Rah, and Averie after she birthed him, him learning how to ride his bike without training wheels, his first football game. Then my eyes stopped on a picture of me, Rah, Kaiden, Khari and Ryleigh a few Christmases ago. I had forgotten we took that picture because Kaiden had given his daddy such a hard time that morning. I eased down beside him. He just kept putting the pictures in a stack, not acknowledging my presence. This was his moment; I just wanted him to know I was here for him.

“He looks so happy,” Kaiden said.

“He was.”

“Do you think he knew he was gonna die?” Kaiden asked, looking at me.

It took me a minute to process his question. Kaiden was only twelve and how was I supposed to tell him that being a King man came with a lot of enemies without stepping over my boundaries? I always said if I was to become a parent, I was going to be honest with my kids. The same way my daddy was with me. He wasn’t my biological child, though and I had to be careful how I approached his answer.

“No,” I told him.

“How you know?”

“Because your daddy had too many plans. He was planning our anniversary, your football season, Khari’s birthday. Shoot, he even bought me a gift three months early.”

Kaiden looked down at the picture in his hand.