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“Wait. I thought you were gonna take a picture with me?” Her grown ass was too big to be pouting and stomping her feet, but I decided to keep my thoughts to myself.

“Yeah, but I don’t play about my respect. Your friends were very disrespectful to my lady, and that’s not something I can overlook. You ladies have a great night.”

I wanted to laugh in their faces, but instead I decided to keep it cute and simply wave. The rest of the night was even more overwhelming, and security had to shield us as we walked. I wasn’t used to this type of reaction, and it triggered my anxiety in a way I hadn’t expected.

Solo tried his best to make sure I enjoyed myself, and I appreciated him even more for that. I was able to try everything on my list and then some. We had a ball despite his fans wanting his attention every five seconds. It honestly made me proud to see the way people reacted to him. Solo was humble and never allowed the fame to get to his head, and he deserved everything in his life.

“Yeah, whatever. His publicist sent me over some dresses to try on for this event, but I’m not interested in any of them. They make me look like I’m on my way to communion service at church.” I frowned, thinking about the dresses they sent to my house. I cringed as the choices seemed to get worse and worse. Designer didn’t always mean pretty.

“Why don’t you make your own dress? You know exactly what looks right on your body, and you’ve been making your own clothes for years.” River pointed out.

“River’s right. You’ve been making custom pieces for years; this would be the perfect opportunity for you to create a dope ass piece and show off your work to the world.”

I thought about their idea and couldn’t believe I didn’t think of it myself. I wanted to attend fashion school when I graduated from high school, but my momma thought it was better for me to major in business with a minor in fashion.

In hindsight, I was grateful for the business major because it gave me a lot of knowledge, but my cousins made a great point. I had been making dresses and outfits for my friends and family for years, but never made the move to sell my pieces to the public. Women would slide into my inbox begging for a custom outfit after they saw what I made for my people, but I always declined. I guess a part of me was afraid to fully step into my purpose.

My family came from money, so I never needed to worry about income, and the money I made babysitting for my siblings or housesitting while they were out of town was more than enough to sustain me. My Uncle Truth taught us about financial literacy, so I had money invested in the stock market since I was a baby.

My father made sure we were all financially secure from his own investments. When he passed away, we all received a hefty settlement. He even set aside a portion for my sister Peace, but because of the circumstances surrounding her existence, she didn’t receive it until we found out about her.

“Y’all, I think you’re on to something. I drew up this fire design the other day and wasn’t sure what I was gonna use it for. The dress looks so cold in my head, but I don’t know if I can get it finished in time.” I rubbed my chin, trying to see whether I was being delusional. The more I thought about the dress, the more I wanted to give it my all.

“You can do whatever you put your mind to. I’ve seen you create something from nothing in a short time, so I have faith you’ll be able to get it done. I think it would be really cool to show up in a custom piece and when everyone asks, you can tell them it’s an Honesty original. Maybe this is the push you need to help you stop sleeping on your talent. I mean, granted, I don’t want to share you with others, but if the money is calling, I would never stand in your way.” Triniti stated, with her lips poked out.

“You are dramatic. If I did start taking outside clients, I would definitely block off my calendar for anything you need. Now, you’ve really got me thinking. I was at the fabric store a couple of days ago, and there was this gorgeous sheer material I wanted to grab, but I told myself no since I didn’t have any plans for it right away. I’m gonna head up there and grab a few other things.”

My mind was swirling with all kinds of ideas and visions. I loved creating, and it had been that way since I was a young girl. My momma used to call me bougie, but I always had a love for quality fabrics and beautiful pieces. I would walk through clothing stores, running my fingers along the racks. There was something about fashion that excited me and made me want to create my own things.

When I was seven, my grandmother gifted me a sewing kit when she saw how fascinated I was with hers. She would bring me to her house where we would spend hours playing with fabric and coming up with cool ideas.

Granny Lula possessed a multitude of hidden talents, and sewing was one of them. Whenever we tore our clothes or needed them altered, she was our go-to person. Those younger years were when I discovered my eye for fashion. Granny would quiz me on which fabrics worked best together, and I hung onto her every word. The sound of the sewing machine whirling was something like white noise to me and instantly sent me into the zone.

“Alright, well, we can stop by the fabric store after brunch. I need a mimosa in the worst way,” River stressed.

I nodded in agreement because after the week I had, a couple of strong drinks and some good food were just what the doctor ordered. I was already dressed, so I grabbed my purse and headed out of my room, trailing behind them. We passed by the kitchen, and I rolled my eyes when I saw my momma and her husband making out. Moe was a great guy, and he loved my momma to pieces, but it was gross to see them groping each other all the time.

My momma never looked her age, but since she got with Moe, you would think she was a young ho. They were always out or on vacation somewhere when he wasn’t working. The only time my mother was home was if she was babysitting one of my nieces or nephews. It was one of the reasons I didn’t mind living at home, but they were rarely here throughout the week, and I was usually in the streets for the weekend.

“Eww! Get a room!” I shouted with my finger in my mouth like I was about to throw up.

“Oh, please. Every inch of this house belongs to us, and if I wanna kiss my man all up and through here, I’m gonna kiss him all up and through here.” She gestured in a circle, making us all laugh.

“Why is auntie over there sounding like Jodi’s momma from Baby Boy. She said, "That’s her man, and this is her house cousin." You might want to close your eyes,” Triniti snickered.

“Whatever. All I know is you better be on birth control or something because if you pop out with a baby, I’m moving out, and I’m not babysitting. Y’all too old,” I scoffed playfully. Truthfully, I loved the relationship between them. Moe made sure the world knew how much he loved my momma, and he never hesitated to show his love for her in private and public. As much as it killed me to admit, he was the best man she ever had.

“Oh, you don’t have anything to worry about. This coochie is a playground, but ain’t nothing coming out of it; only in it. Ain't that right, daddy?” She cooed, standing on her tiptoes to kiss Moe again.

“Yeah, it’s time for me to get out of here because you are talking real X-rated and I'm just a girl.” Hurriedly, I blew them a kiss, and we booked it out of there.

Triniti and River were still cackling while I was trying to get the visual of Moe palming my momma’s booty out of my mind.

“Aye, I’m not mad at auntie at all. Big Moe is one big, fine ass nigga. I wish he had a brother or a son for me to slide my number to.” Triniti stated.

I gave her the side eye, but it was something I was used to. Most of the girls who knew my family were secretly drooling over my brothers, cousins, and Moe. I couldn’t stand it, but unfortunately, it had been like that since I was little.

“I’m happy for her. I’ve never seen her smile the way she does with him. I won’t lie, I didn’t think they would make it when they first started dating,” River admitted.