Jamal snickered loudly, while Cookie and Andre tried to hide their laughs behind their hands. "Dad, man, you're getting to that age where you need a little help getting around. Your legs don't work like they used to anymore...well, leg." Hakeem explained, digging himself into a deeper hole.
Lucious opened his mouth to cuss out his rude child, but one playful look from Cookie had him sighing in defeat. He cleared his throat and reluctantly muttered; "Thank you, Keem."
Hakeem slowly blinked. He expected his Father to be furious. He looked between his parents before shaking his head. He didn't want any parts to whatever secret challenge King Kong and Godzilla had going on. Instead, he stabbed his fork into some watermelon and stuffed his face.
Cookie chuckled. She'd truthfully struggled to find a heartfelt gift for her husband's birthday. What did you give a man that had everything? They were millionaires! The whole gift searching process had taken her back down memory lane when it had come to Lucious' twenty-first birthday and she'd been saving for years just for the occasion. She'd wanted to make it special for her husband.
When Cookie had grabbed Lucious' hand and pulled him upstairs, away from the commotion going on downstairs, his horny ass thought she wanted to give him some birthday sex as one hand gripped her hip and the other slipped underneath her dress with a mischievous smirk playing on his supple lips.
"Aht! I didn't bring you up here for that." She proclaimed, smacking his hands and jumping away from his enticing touch before she got sidetracked. "I got you a present." Lucious' opened his mouth to protest. "I know we said no presents! But I couldn't resist." Cookie interjected, knowing what he was going to say. They didn't particularly have money to splurge, especially with two kids to clothe and feed but her man deserved to be spoiled every once in a while.
"Baby..." He tsked. Cookie scrunched her nose and waved a hand of dismissal at his reluctance. Bending down, she pulled out a box that she'd hidden beneath the bed and slowly padded toward her husband with a shy smile.
"Open it." She murmured, passing the box to him. She prayed it liked it; it had cost her an arm and a leg.
He looked deeply into her eyes for a moment before ripping the paper from the box and excitedly opened it. "Cook..." He exclaimed with disbelief, mouth dropping at the sight of what lied in the box. The gold illuminating his hazel eyes. "Damn, girl," he muttered as he pulled out a gold chain with a lion encrusted on the front in red and yellow diamonds.
"I figured a rapper needs his gold chain. Do you like it?"
Tossing the box onto the bed, Lucious pulled his wife into his arms. "I fucking love it, baby." He cupped her face and kissed her lips. "Thank you."
Cookie flicked his cheek. "Anything for you."
For the first time in years, the Lyon family got into their swimwear and slid into that large, unused pool. Their sons' significant others had brought their grandbabies around after breakfast, and Cookie could feel her heart glowing at all the family surrounding her. It reminded her of all those times in Philly where their house used to be overflown by family and friends. Cookie and Lucious in the backroom, flirting and talking about music for his album. Jamal somewhere playing with the girls, while Andre was in his bedroom, hiding out from the guests as he studied.
Cookie relaxed in a lounger, watching Hakeem lift Bella in the air before tossing her into the pool. "Hakeem!" She yelled out, her heart pounding until she saw the little girl in armbands, resurface and laugh.
"Thirsty, baby?" Cookie slipped her sunglasses off and squinted up at her husband, his yellow skin blinding thanks to the sun. She nodded and took the cocktail glass from him before she patted the seat beside her for Lucious to keep her company. "Can you believe that boy got me a cane? A cane?"
Noodle.
Start from the beginning
