Picture Perfect

24.

"You have a brother? Where he been at while this nigga been dogging you out?"

"I haven't talked to Saint John since the wedding. And that was what, 4 years ago?"

"Saint John?" Jabari asks with an eyebrow raised.

"Don't ask me. My momma, well foster mother, is a white catholic and my dad is a black non-denominational Christian that loves Bob Marley and secretly grows his own pot to help with his joint issues. SJ runs a little edible business off of it. Cool people, just very structured, everything and everyone must have a plan or pathway and they must see it through. No matter what it is. They want and expect for us to have intention and understand it."

"Why'd ya'll stop talking? You and SJ, were ya'll close?"

"Very. I just, I'm realizing now that this shit is all on me. He tried to tell me you know? At the wedding? Well, the night before. We were staying at my parents' to help prepare everything, and I don't know what the fuck Garrison was doing but SJ heard him on the phone with who I thought he just wanted to assume was another woman because he didn't fuck with him. He always disliked Garrison. Thought he was a joke. A nigga that throws rocks and hides his hand he said. He always called him out on it too. I just thought no one knew better for me than myself. Given everything I went through before, I always wanted to think that. But I was wrong. I've been wrong. And I owe it to my family, these people who took me in and really loved me, to share that side of myself and my reasoning. I think it's about time." I nod thinking to myself.

"Yeah... you should've listened to Saint John. Johns always be the wisest niggas." Jabari speaks as he plays in his hair.

We both just look at him, and then each other, and we laugh.

"Bari you a fucking trip man."

"You can still fix it baby. If you need some help, just introduce him to me. I'm sure he'll have no issues with me."

"Oh yeah?" I ask.

"So you the man for the job?" Jabari asks him.

"Hell yeah. No questions." He looks me in eyes.

"I think he'd like you too. I think all of them would... in due time." I take his hands. He kisses both of mine and then snatches the controller from my lap.

"Go book your flight baby. Let me get this nigga up out of here for real. And then we'll go get something to eat." He tells me.

"Yes sir."

~Kyler~

Jabari's phone rings and he answers quickly as if he's been waiting on her to call.

"What do you mean why I'm not home? You told me to "get the fuck out of your face." End quote." He's so dramatic. "What was I supposed to do?" He laughs. "I gave you some space to cool off, and now you mad because I did. Listen, this indecisiveness is not going to work for me. You gonna have to figure this out. Cause now you want some dick, I was trying to give you some earlier but you had a little attitude... Chill out." He gets up and jumps back into his slides still going back and forth with her. They are funny as hell.

He's so gentle with her though. Always. I've only ever seen him get a little feral once.

"I'm coming back now. Stop talking." He waits a moment. "Damn, now what do you want to eat?" He stands still with an arm out as if confused by what she's saying.

I look to Samantha who was about to get up and get on the laptop and smile at her.

She snickers.

He waves bye to both of us and finds his way out.

"I love you. I'm hanging up now. Damn all she do is fucking talk." We can hear him as he closes the door.

"When they go at it, I can't lie it's a little funny." She says staring at me.

"You think so?" I smile interlocking her hands with mine.

"They are going to be that old couple that bickers just because all they do is love on each other. Sometimes you gotta switch it up." She explains. "I want that."

"You'll have it. We'll get there. What kind of married couple do you think we'll be?" I ask her.

She blushes and rolls her eyes.

"What kind of married couple do you think we'll be?" She throws my question back at me.

I think about and kiss her.

"I think we're going to be right up there with Jabari and Elijah when it comes to baby making." I kiss her again and she laughs.

"Definitely." She just stares into my eyes. "I think I'm the wild one, and you're the calm and reasonable one. You're going to have to keep me together."

I nod seconding that notion.

"I can see it. We definitely seem to balance each other out. How many babies do we want?" I take things a bit further to see if her mind is really there, as in, on us being together for real.

"I think 3 is a beautiful number. I want a boy first, would you want a junior?" She asks but my heart is so full of joy at her answer that I can only think to respond with a kiss.

She groans into my neck as she climbs off of me and then she picks her panties up off the floor to put them back on. I pull my pants up and lean forward pulling her back close to me.

I place a kiss on her thigh as she stands in front of me rubbing the top of my head.

"I'm going to tell Coach I'm dealing with some fucked up family shit so I can go with you to see that motherfucker. We can make a road trip of it."

"Kyler..."

~Samantha~

"I don't trust him. Knowing what I do, I already don't think the shit is a good idea, hunting him down to get your wires crossed with him again. I don't like it. But I understand the situation, you gotta let the man know what's up and I'll give you the space to do that but I want to be close by. I carry, you know that right?" He asks.

I did not know that.

"No, I didn't. But, Kyler I can't get you caught up in my mess,"

"Our mess." He cuts me off. "You are my responsibility Samantha." He looks up into my eyes as he declares himself.

"Okay." Is all I can say. "Ours." I repeat.

He loves me. This man loves me. And I must let him. I'd be a fool not to.

"You and me baby."