Precisely eight months after everything had occurred, everyone went their separate ways. Mid had decided that it was best to live a regular life; he had enough money put away that he would be able to flip and use for investments. The workers that he had under him ended up working for Junior—Mid's good friend.
Like everyone else, Mid didn't feel safe in his line of work anymore—not that he did to begin with. However, he was losing sleep, worrying that the next person was trying to end his life.
It took a while for Mid to get back the peace of mind he had before being handed down the empire. Even though the crew was no longer together, Mid kept in contact with the trio to ensure they were good.
He did respect how his friends were on go for him—however, after the events that had taken place, he noticed a recurring issue within his circle. It seemed like he was the one that carried most of the weight whenever it came to handling missions. Despite his dislike for her now, Lotus was the only one who helped pulled weight—and was on his level.
While Santos moved away to another city that was an hour away, Gotti and Tiny kept strong in their relationship, deciding to move in together. Mid was happy for his friends; he felt they all deserved peace after the year they had.
They hadn't seen each other in a few months and decided to link up to catch up on each other's lives.
Mid pulled up to the restaurant that Tiny texted him the address to and killed the engine. He locked the doors and walked inside of the building, the cool air hitting his skin. He approached the front desk, letting the hostess know that he was meeting with friends.
They walked towards the middle of the restaurant where Santos, Tiny, and Gotti were already seated, sharing a few laughs. Their laughter soon died down once they saw Mid approaching their table.
"What's good, my boy?" Gotti grinned, getting up, slapping hands with him. Mid proceeded to do the same with Santos and lastly greet Tiny with a hug.
He got seated and slid his keys into his pocket. "Look at the lovebirds, glowing and shit. Y'all too cute fa' me." Mid teased them, causing Tiny to blush as Gotti sported a smirk, resting his hand on her thigh.
"There's a reason for that glow," Santos hinted, raising his eyebrows as he took a sip from his water. Mid stared at him with a confused expression before looking over at the couple.
He saw as they stared back at him with goofy smiles on their faces. Tiny tucked her lips and started to point at her stomach with both of her hands. Mid leaned back in his chair, gawking at them in shock. "Whaaaat?" Mid started chuckling as Gotti nodded his head in confirmation. "Well shit, congratulations. I'm happy for y'all; no wonder y'all wanted to move in together."
"Everybody having babies and shit, I needa go head and have me some li'l Javiers." Santos joked, causing them to start laughing.
"When did y'all find out?" Mid questioned them, looking through the menu the hostess had set down before walking off.
"A couple of weeks ago," Tiny told him, gently pressing her hand against her stomach.
"That's what's up; make sure y'all invite uncle Teddy to your baby shower." he grinned as Gotti shook his head, trying not to laugh.
"So what's been new with you? Are you excited to meet your baby girl?" Santos asked him, closing the menu after deciding what to get.
"Hell yeah, at the same time, though, I'm nervous. I'm new to all this shit," Mid softly sighed, resting his hand on the table as he leaned back.
Gotti nodded his head in agreement, sitting his drink back on the table. "I feel you, bruh, but you already have a slight idea of what it's like to raise someone. You may not notice it, but you have a father figure aura," he said.
"Right, you have been raising Jaden for a couple of months now, so you have an idea. It's in your nature Mid; you'll be a great dad." Tiny added her input.
"Yeah, I know, but Jaden is a teen. This is a whole new human coming into the world; my parenting and Koi's parenting determine how our child will be in the future. I just don't want to fuck up, and my daughter somehow feels resentment towards me—" Mid started venting.
"Bro, you got a second chance at life because of Clarence and Minnie; because of them, you're not that fucked up in the head. They were able to instill different aspects and lessons into you even as a teen—just like you're doing right now with Jaden. You not gone fuck up, we all got faith in you Mid; your daughter gone be proud to have you as a dad." Santos interjected.
Mid sat and listened to his friends, slowly nodding his head, intaking the words of encouragement and assurance. A few weeks before shutting down the business, he was given the news that he was indeed the father of the baby that Koi was carrying.
Although Mid tried pushing the news that she was pregnant to the back of his mind until he received his results back from the test, he was rushing to tie up loose ends that would have him and his daughter set for life.
It was apart of the reason why he wanted to leave the street life behind and go legit. He couldn't risk his daughter's life, and Jaden's as well since he now had custody of him.
Mid received custody of Jaden, when his mother decided that she wanted to go to rehab—given the fact that she was using heavily and wanted better for her son. For the time that she would be gone, she signed rights over to Mid to become his legal guardian.
Clarence teased him from time to time, saying that he was always soft; it just took him having his children to raise to realize it. Clarence always knew in the future that his son would leave the game earlier than expected, he was a family man who put his family first, and no amount of money could change that about him. He was following in his footsteps as a father the moment he started to look after Jaden.
Nonetheless, his parents were ecstatic to meet their granddaughter.
"I'm gone, pretend you didn't just low-key call me crazy," Mid said, side-eyeing Santos as he chuckled, throwing his hands up in surrender. "But thanks, y'all, I'm ready to meet her. Besides Jaden, she'll be the only one I'll let bring chaos into my life." he slightly laughed, taking out his phone to check the time.
Lotus sat her phone down on the counter after checking the time, seeing that it was now going on five in the evening. The sound of her slippers sliding across the mahogany wooden tile floor of her apartment.
She reached down to grab Prince, who was attacking her feet as she walked. She rubbed the top of his head, making smooching noises, his ears perking up every time she did.
"You're getting heavy, baby boy; mommy won't be able to pick you up anymore." she cooed at him, putting him back down on the floor.
Lotus grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open. She got onto the bed and sat Indian-style, staring with a blank expression. "Maurice, get your ass up," Lotus finally said, watching as Reese slept peacefully.
She saw a smirk form onto his face as he heard her use his government name—which was rare. "I'm up; I'm just resting," he told her, peeking one of his eyes at her. Lotus scoffed and got up from the bed, walking to the communal bathroom.
"You been resting for the last two hours; I let you sleep in because I know you had to get up dumb early for your flight to come here." she flicked the light on and walked over to the shower to run the water.
"And you spent the rest of the morning, fuckin' me like a slut. So it's your fault," she heard Reese say, causing a laugh to slip from her lips.
Reese yawned and turned over on his back, stretching his body, his leg beginning to shake. He let go of a deep breath and flipped the white blanket off of him before getting out of the bed as well.
On his way into the bathroom, Lotus walked out to grab her phone from the kitchen counter. "Prince, what up li'l nigga?" he spoke to the pit, who seemingly ignored him as he followed behind Lotus out of the room. "Well, damn, it's just fuck me, huh?"
Reese turned the water on in the sink to brush his teeth. Grabbing the usual toothbrush he used whenever he visited, he squeezed down on the tube, putting toothpaste on his toothbrush.
Moments later, Lotus walked back into the bathroom with her phone in hand, texting a few of her new friends back. "You still want to go see that movie?" she asked him, bending over on the counter as he brushed his teeth.
"Which one?" he looked at her through the mirror, foam forming around his mouth.
"Us,"
"Hell yeah, that shit by Jordan Peele. Nigga be on some sick shit," he said after spitting out of the toothpaste.
"They have one playing at 8,"
"A'ight, we can go to Pappadeaux's before we go," Reese suggested; Lotus glanced up from her phone and narrowed her eyes at him. "What?" he laughed.
"You tryna make me fall asleep during the movie," she rolled her eyes, standing up straight. She went to Apple Music and selected one of her playlists to play music as she showered.
A month after her recovery, Lotus kept good on her word and moved to San Antonio, Texas. It was hard to say goodbye to the place she called home for twenty-five years; however, she looked forward to the change of scenery.
Lotus broke the news to her grandparents the moment she had gotten approved for the apartment she was now staying in. They were happy for her, to say the least, but made her vow to keep in contact with them every day just to put their mind at ease that she was safe.
Not only did she break the news to her grandparents, but her aunt and siblings as well. Her aunt helped her with the process of moving, given the fact that it was her hometown also. It made her emotional, knowing that her niece was living out her brother's dream of moving back to Texas.
She made sure to keep in contact with Lotus since she was alone in the big state.
However, Lotus hadn't felt the emotion of loneliness since she moved there. She started her catering business and had some fantastic workers under her. Even though it became overwhelming at times, seeing the positive reviews, photos, and videos that her clients left on social media brought her joy.
While she focused on her business, Reese visited her once a month. The two hadn't realized during their time, and all of the trauma they had experienced together brought them closer than ever.
While they did have a rough patch in their relationship as Lotus still tried to get over her anger towards him for faking his death—they managed to move on and establish something more than just a friendship.
Once Reese was done gargling his mouth with mouthwash and washing his face, he turned the water off and turned to Lotus.
Grabbing her by the neck, he pulled her closer and gave her a few kisses. "Missed yo' li'l mean ass. You get in the shower?" he asked her.
Lotus hummed, bending back over the counter again, finishing up the rest of her text message. Reese sucked his teeth and started to walk out of the bathroom until Lotus quickly stood up straight again and grabbed his arm. "Wait!" she tried muffling her laugh, standing in front of him.
"Bruh, move, dang! You treat me like a whore, use me for your own sexual needs, and then toss me to the side. Ask me how my day is sometimes." Reese looked down at her as she started laughing.
"Nigga I don't give a fuck about your day; I want that throat." Lotus laughed as his mouth dropped agape before he pushed her to the side.
"Get out of my way; I don't deserve this. All you use me for is my body," he shook his head, causing her to laugh even harder. "As fye as the yo' throat is, I don't just use you for it."
"Boy, please," Lotus waved him off, taking her shirt off. "That's all you talked about the night before you got here. 'Baby, I'm horny; I want some head. I can't wait to fuck you.'" she mocked him, stripping out of the rest of her clothes.
"I do be horny though, I only get to see you once a month, so what you mean?" he replied, looking in his suitcase for some clothes to wear for the day.
"Better get acquainted with your hand, my boy. Either that, move here." Lotus said, getting into the shower.
Mid walked out of his parent's house and headed towards his car; he dropped Jaden off to stay with them for the time he would be away. He received a call from Koi that she had gone into labor; without a second thought, Mid paid his portion and said goodbye to his friends.
Before he could go to the hospital, he had to get Jaden from school. Although Jaden was a little disappointed he wouldn't be going to the hospital with Mid to see his new sister, he understood that visitors were limited.
However, Mid promised him that once everyone else in Koi's family visited, he would pick him up and take him to the hospital.
Deep down inside, panic had set in for Mid. He knew the day was coming, but he hadn't expected it to be so sudden as now.
Fifteen minutes later, Mid pulled into the hospital's parking garage that Koi would be staying in for the next few days.
He killed the engine and got out, hitting the alarm to the car. He quickly walked into the lobby of the hospital and approached the front desk. He started to open his mouth to speak until he heard someone call out his name; glancing over, he saw that it was Koi's sister, Rayan.
He approached Rayan and reached in to give her a hug before the two approached the elevators. "You nervous?" she raised an eyebrow, noticing that he wasn't speaking much.
"Like fuck," he sighed.
"Relax, you'll be a great dad. Now that you and Koi are on good terms, my niece will be good."
Mid silently agreed with her, watching the numbers change on the small screen at the top as they ascended to the floor of the maternity ward.
Mid stepped off of the elevator and followed Rayan down the hall before stopping at the room. She opened the door, stepping side with Mid on her tail.
Mid could see as Koi laid in the bed, one hand resting on her huge belly as the other held her mother's hand while they did breathing exercises.
"Hey," Mid softly spoke, grabbing her free hand. Koi weakly smiled as he planted a kiss on her cheek. He could feel the intense stare that her mother was giving him, but he continued to ignore it, not wanting to engage with her.
"Hm," her mother hummed, staring at him with an unamused expression. "I don't know why you're here,"
"Mama," Koi deeply sighed, "Please don't start; he's here because this is his child."
"Well, he didn't seem to be bothered with the child when you first told him that you were pregnant. So why is he showing interest now? Nyce could take care of the baby with you,"
Mid decided to bite his tongue, not wanting to disrespect the grandmother of his child. While it did bother him that Koi and Nyce were still together after the two had betrayed him, he managed to move past it for the sake of his daughter.
"Stop," Koi said in a stern voice, letting go of her mother's hand. "Mid is the father of this baby, whether you like it or not. It was my fault that he questioned me, so don't blame him. He could've easily not shown up, but he's here, and that's all that matter."
"Fine," she scoffed, getting up from the chair. She walked out of the room with Rayan behind her to take a short trip to the vending machine.
Once the door shut, Koi redirected her attention back to Mid, who sat down in the chair. "I'm sorry bout that—"
"It's fine, don't worry about it. How are you feeling? You ready to meet her?" Mid started to grin; Koi giggled and nodded her head before wincing in pain.
"I'm definitely ready for her to get here because these sharp pains, ain't it." Koi slowly breathed out. Mid got up from his chair and began to rub her back soothingly. "Other than that, I'm definitely ready to meet our little girl."
"Me too," Mid said; he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket; pulling it out, he read the text message and sent back a simple text before sliding it back into his pocket.
"It was cold as fuck in that theater," Lotus yawned, rubbing her arms as she and Reese walked out of the theater. After the couple went out to eat, sharing laughs and making new memories, they finally made it to to the movie.
"I told yo' ass to bring a jacket, but you wanna look cute and shit. Had a nigga in there freezing," Reese mugged her, throwing his arm around her.
"Boy, shut up, you didn't tell me shit." Lotus playfully mushed his head.
"Give me back my jacket then,"
Lotus sucked her teeth and took the jacket off, handing it back to him. "Dickhead," she rolled her eyes.
"You love me, though," he smirked.
"Unfortunately—" Lotus managed to say until she saw Reese flinch from the blood splatter on his face. The pair stared back at each other with widened eyes. Reese looked down, seeing the visible hole in the middle of her neck.
He watched as Lotus tried to open her mouth until his ears ringed with another shot, more blood splattering on his face, followed by piercing screams coming from others outside.
"Lotus!" he screamed as her body went limp, falling to the ground.
Annnnnnd, we are DONE!
About damn time 🙄 so yeah, ainno sequel or spin-off. My plan was to kill off Lotus from the start lmao. To be honest with y'all since the story is done now, Lotus was supposed to be the snake. But I changed it last minute. (:
I really don't have anything to say honestly. everything should be cleared up. if not, like I don't know what else to say 😂 and I don't know why you're still confused.
Bambi is dead.
Rylo is dead.
Lotus is dead.
Mid? He's happy now.
Reese? He's sad now.
Jaden? He's in Mid's custody now.
Koi's baby? Is Mid's child.
I'll be putting up a new story, but as for right now, ima just chillout and read.
Thanks for all of the love on this book, I really appreciate it. I know I tell y'all this all the time, but I owe all success to y'all. 🤍 yall comments definitely kept me going, yall crazy af.
dassit, dassall!
thanks for reading!
yall be easy!
See y'all in the next book! - Wynter 🤍