"Morning, son," Bryson greeted, entering King's place. It was going on noon but Bryson felt like stopping by to check on King before he had to meet with his first client about a house.
When things transpired between King and Renae, Bryson decided not to choose sides or add any input unless asked otherwise. Yeah, he helped Renae move but when it came to choosing who was right or wrong, he wanted no parts and kept his thoughts, strictly to himself. He had his own issues going on. Trying to work things out with Lucy for the sake of Laiya, it was clear that they wouldn't work, especially since she was pressing to get Renae and Eve to talk their problems out.
That irritated Bryson and Lucy knew the reason behind Renae putting hands on Eve, but she felt that they needed to learn how to coexist. With that, Bryson and she came to common grounds and agreed to just co-parent.
"Sup," King gave a nod, leading him to his man cave.
"You want something to drink?" King asked, standing behind the bar he recently had built.
Bryson declined and sat down, "You're drinking?"
"I've been slowing down," King said, already knowing his thoughts.
"I didn't come to judge... let me apologize for that," Bryson started then paused, "How are you holding up?"
Sipping on his Ciroc, King walked around the bar and sat on the stool, "I miss her... but I heard she's dating some nigga named, Trent. I just know his ass a clown."
Bryson avoided looking at him, "I'm aware..."
King nodded, sipping again. Staring into the glass, he set it down and exhaled, "I still love her. I know what I did was fucked up and I tried to apologize for it... I just hate dat she barely likes talking to me."
"I can see that you still love her... I can't give you any advice other than to don't go off the deep end thinking it'll bring her back. Don't slip up one day or night and call her under the influence talking crazy or threatening her for trying to move on. Technically, you two are separated, so just think about how your actions would affect her if you revert. If you want to prove that you've changed, show it. I can't tell you how to do that but you should know."
King nodded understanding then cleared his throat, "Back then... I wanted to hurt her out of pettiness... and when I realized it was too late to stop, it fucked me up, man. I miss her... but I can't just sit here and let some goofy ass nigga take her from me. And why tha' hell Layton ass staying there? Dis nigga don't ever go back to Jamaica with tha' rest of tha' clan!"
Bryson exhaled, "One thing at a time, son. You wanna get her back but in the same breath, you flipped right into envy... you wanna be upset or get her back?"
King sucked his teeth, picking up his drink. "I'ma get her back and when I do, niggas gon' come up missing."
"Kingston,"
"Nah," King shook his head. "I appreciate dat nigga for looking after my family when I was there. But it's like dat nigga was waiting on an opportunity to get in... fuck me trying to change, I'ma handle dat ass."
"Lord," Bryson leaned into the cushion. "Just think this through and think about the people this could affect other than you."
King groaned, "How's lil LayLay?"
Bryson smiled, "She acts just like Zuri when she was little, it's so freaking crazy."
"Do you drop her off over there?"
Bryson nodded, "She loves her some Zuri and Zuri can't get enough of her, but her favorite person is Dante, I think we all knew that."
King chuckled, "Facts... bring her by if you don't mind."
"I think I will, she's been asking why you two live in different houses," Bryson softly laughed. "I'll bring her over tho."
"I appreciate that."
"I gotta get ready to go tho, I just wanted to check on you," Bryson stood as did King.
"I appreciate dat, on tha' real, B," King said.
Embracing each other, Bryson removed his keys and headed out.
Glancing at his empty glass, King sighed shoving it away. "Dis can't be tha' end of us."
***
"Zuri!" Dajon yelled upon entering her house. Ary had called and gave him the rundown of what happened and before he went to sit down with Kwan, he wanted to make sure his sister was ok first. Dajon couldn't understand why Yanna would even threaten Kairo or any of the kids as if that was cool. Anyone in the world knew that you don't go around threatening folks kids without suffering the consequences.
Stepping out of his shoes, Dajon placed his briefcase down and walked through the large home before jogging upstairs, "Zuri!"
"Yeah?" she answered softly, closing the hall closet.
Dajon could hear it in her voice and see it in her eyes that she's been crying and that bothered him. Walking toward her, he enveloped her into a tight hug. "Stop," he asserted when she tried to fight him off.
"Let me go," she mumbled, shoving him again.
"Just cry man... you earned it, let it out," he tightened his hold on her and she stopped fighting and hugged him back as she cried into his shirt.
"She's supposed to be my friend," she cried, staring at him. "I worked so hard to grow out of this side of me... she's acting like this is my fault!"
"It's not," he used his sleeve to wipe her face. "You know how proud I am of you and you know how much your kids love the hell out of you. Zuri, in all my years of being under you, I will admit that after what happened with you and bro, the mom I watched you grow into, the woman I watched you grow into was exactly how you were when you used to take care of me. Giving me your last. Giving me your food, knowing you hadn't eaten. Scraping up change so I could buy lunch at school. We were cramped in pops car, sharing that thin-ass blanket, and every morning I woke up, I would always find it off of you but covering me. Zuri, you don't realize how much of a positive impact you have had on me because of the sacrifices you made just to make sure I was always ok," wiping her face again, he cleared his throat before continuing, "Kairo is grown and chose to run the streets, but I'll talk to him because I know how it's affecting you. As far as Yanna trying to come at you and blame him when she knows good and well that Zay has been hinting at that shit for years, that's foul. If it wasn't with Kai, he would be in that shit with someone else or by him damn self because it's what he wants to do. So nah, I don't appreciate that shit she said or tried to do. I ain't watch you come this far, just to get knocked down by someone who's supposed to be like a sister to you, fuck that shit, you hear me?"
Renae nodded, "I know I'm supposed to be the bigger person but I can't just let that go."
"You have that right, don't feel bad about it. I'ma go talk with Kwan about this shit, but you know how I'm coming behind you. I ain't the hardest nigga in the world but if he gets crazy, then we just gon' be two fighting motherfuckers," he said and she cracked a smile.
"I love you, but I don't want you saying anything to him... I'm trying to protect my peace and if that means I have to cut her off then I'll do it. I really like this new me... I'm so tired of crying and being angry. I'm tired of the drama and feeling judged... I'm tired, D.J..." she officially broke down.
"I got you," he wrapped his arms around her protectively and leaned side to side. "Keep doing what you doing, sis. Keep being a bomb ass mom. Keep being this happy person because you deserve it, don't worry about nothing else, a'ight?"
Too emotional to speak, Renae only nodded as she hugged him tighter. She appreciated his words more than he could ever know. She had no intentions of going backward, she wanted to keep growing, keep learning, keep refining herself, and doing things that made her happy. But she couldn't stand for someone threatening any of her kids, especially not someone she considered family. But she would try to let it go but she also understood how she had to move around Yanna now. . .
After Dajon left, Renae tried to forget about the argument and busied herself with her writing. Only able to write for a good hour, she read through a few emails from the women in prison informing her of how things have been improving after she wrote a letter to the governor. That took an additional hour and after that, Renae called to check on the twins, discussed their recent sales, and suggested that they do a holiday promo up until Halloween.
They agreed and told her they would call Ava to get her input as well since she was selling her merchandise on their website. They knew Ava would be up for it but they still felt it was respectful to ask. After the three-way call, Kaari had called Renae back and asked if she could help her come up with a dance routine for her students. Renae was a bit nervous to get back into dancing and told Kaari that she would have to sleep on it. To be honest, Kaari purposely made the request because she wanted her mom to get back into what she loved most.
Kaari could come up with a dance routine in her sleep; literally but Kaari and Reign have been discussing a few things and both agreed that their mom always seemed a bit happier whenever she danced. By 2:30 Assyria had made it home from school, showered, and ate the lunch Renae made for her before getting started on her homework.
It was now going on 6:30, Renae was in the middle of cooking dinner while trying to catch up on the latest episodes of Real Housewives of Atlanta on Hulu. That was until someone knocked on the door. Thinking it was Trent, Assyria remained seated as she read her book as if she heard nothing. He could freeze for all she cared.
Knock, Knock, Knock Knock!
"Sy!" Renae called from the kitchen, too tied up with seasoning the steaks. Tonight's dinner consisted of steak, cheddar mashed potatoes, roast, and spicy carrots with apple pie for dessert.
Ding, dong!
"Sy!"
Assyria huffed, "I'm goinggg," putting her book down, Assyria rose slow and mumbled how much she couldn't stand Trent the entire way to the door.
Glancing out the peephole, she flicked the porch light on and frowned. Looking behind her then back at the closed door, she twisted the locks and cautiously opened the door.
Standing there in a black HBCU hoodie, a pair of black sweatpants, and a bandanna around his head, King stared at Assyria and smiled.
"Daddy?" She blinked a few times to make sure he was actually there.
"Wassup? Where's yo mom?"
"Cooking... wanna come in?" She grinned feigning innocence.
Chuckling, King shook his head, "I can stand out here."
"I'll get her... she's making one of your favorites," she whispered before running away.
Glancing around the yard, King slid his hands into his pockets and chuckled to himself catching Ary peeking out the kitchen window. Sending a nod her way to let her know she's been caught, King turned forward just to lock eyes with a confused Renae.
Clearing his throat, he looked down momentarily then up at her, "I ain't mean to just pop over like dis... I heard about tha' shit dat went down and wanted to see if you were fine before I pay Kwan a visit."
Renae stood in the doorway silently and continued to stare at him.
Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, King stared at her a bit hopeless, "Did I overstep by coming over?"
"No..." she continued to stare then stepped outside with him.
Overwhelmed by her aura, King stepped back and shifted under her gaze a bit before mentally pulling himself together. "Are you ok?"
"Stuff happens," she folded her arms and shrugged.
"She ain't have to go dat far, Nae. I know we're not together but you know I don't play those games, anybody can catch dis wreck."
"I know," she leaned her head against the door and just analyzed him momentarily.
King did the same with her and could see that she was bothered, "I know it hurts."
"It did," she mumbled, raking her fingers through her hair.
"What you tryna do? You wanna sit junior down and talk? We can't force him to stop with tha' dumb shit but we can tell him to stop bringing Zay around."
"I don't need the drama... if it's that bad, she should have been spoken to her child," she took a deep breath, shook her head then glanced over her shoulder to find Assyria watching them.
King chuckled.
"May I help you?" Renae smirked at her.
Assyria giggled and walked over. Standing on her tiptoes, she whispered in Renae's ear then rushed away.
Contemplating her little plot, Renae glanced at King and rose a brow, "Have you eaten?"
King's heart fluttered, "Nah... not yet."
Cursing herself, Renae exhaled and stepped back, "You wanna come in?"
"You sure?" He queried.
"Unless you wanna eat takeout," she shrugged and he chuckled softly.
"Preciate dat," he said, entering the home.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the vibe of the house, King stopped by the shoe rack and Renae frowned in confusion. "You can sit with Sy if you want, food won't be done for another hour... shoes on the rack, please."
When she walked away, King closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Wanting to follow her into the kitchen, he did as instructed then joined Assyria in the living room where she was just grinning at him.
"What?" He chuckled.
"Nothing at all," she began humming as she returned to reading.
Glancing around the living room, King took his time admiring her place. Renae always had an eye for decorating but she went all out for her home. Liking the fireplace, King leaned forward a bit and smiled softly noticing the picture she had on the wall of King and the kids when they went to Disneyland years back.
"Ava asked her to hang it up," Assyria whispered, interrupting his daze.
King smiled, then glanced over as Renae entered the living room and sat next to Assyria. Picking up her binder, Renae put on her reading glasses and leaned into the cushion as she began going over Assyria's homework.
King was fascinated by her simple movements and found himself, absentmindedly staring at her the entire time. He could see what Ava and Kairo meant when they said Renae was different. She definitely was and he just hoped that it wasn't too late for them to mend things.
***
It was 9 in the evening when Kairo made it home. He's been out making his side money, attending his online classes, then popped up at the hospital to drop off an edible arrangement basket to Ava. Leaving there, he received a call from Dajon, who gave him a quick heads up about what happened between his mom and Yanna. Of course, Kairo was a bit slighted when he heard about how his aunt was acting.
Kairo knew he would have to let Zaire down easy, listening would be the hard part. Zaire was like his father and got a thrill out of dangerous things. So Kairo knew without a doubt, if he stopped keeping an eye on Zaire, Zaire would find a way to continue with his festivities. He was in a bit of a compromising situation but if that's what Yanna wanted, he'll give it to her, but he wanted no parts if things went left.
Pulling up into the driveway, not noticing his father's car, Kairo went to lower his music until headlights caught his attention. Squinting a bit from its glare, he removed his gun from his glove compartment and glanced over at his side mirror.
"Dis nigga don't give up," he stressed, seeing Trent exit his car.
Watching him for a few, Kairo had to laugh. How in the hell did his mom not see that he was goofy?
"Look at dis nigga," he laughed to himself, watching as Trent checked himself out in the side mirror.
Shaking his head, Kairo put his gun back, cut his engine, and purposely opened his car door just as Trent walked up. Catching him in his side, Kairo smirked, exiting the vehicle.
Rubbing his side, Trent's scowl vanished as he realized it was Kairo who hit him. Knowing it was on purpose, he chuckled, "Wassup, kid?"
"Ain't yo kid, nigga," Kairo looked him up and down before closing his door.
Grabbing his bag with his laptop in it, he stared at Trent and cocked his head, "Fuck you staring at me for?"
"I know you aren't fond of me, but I really do like your mom."
Did this nigga just say, fond? He twisted his face up at the thought then stared at Trent in annoyance, "That's why yo ass still on tha' porch, huh?" Chuckling, Kairo brushed by him and headed towards the house.
The locks began turning and Kairo halted his reach for the doorknob but was bemused to lay eyes on his father.
"Junior," King smirked.
"What tha' hell you doing here?" Kairo tried not to laugh after hugging him.
"Nothing mu—" King's sentence ceased as his eyes traveled to who he assumed had to be Trent.
Kairo glanced back at Trent then to his father and chuckled, "Can't stand his goofy ass."
Before King could step out, Renae squeezed beside him and smiled at Kairo, "Why are you standing out here?"
Kairo laughed to himself at the situation at hand then cleared his throat and beckoned his head towards a confused Trent.
Furrowing her brows, Renae leaned over some, unknowingly brushing her ass against King's third leg. "Trent?"
"Wassup?" Trent queried, taking that as his cue to step forward.
Kairo glanced at his father but could see his attention was elsewhere as Renae remained in her spot.
Just get back together already, Kairo shook his head and leaned against the brick, wanting to see how this was going to play out.
"What are you doing here?" Renae asked, moving forward some, snapping King out of his trance.
"Came to see you... I guess you have company," he cut his eyes to King.
King smirked tauntingly at him and leaned against the door, mirroring Kairo.
"Um..." Renae pushed her hair behind her ear and smiled, "It was kinda unexpected... maybe tomorrow?"
"Sure," he shrugged. "Another breakfast date before lunch?" He quizzed and Kairo sucked his teeth.
"I'll be busy in the morning," she said and King smirked at Trent.
Clearing his throat, Trent stared at King then Renae, "Is this the ex?"
Before King could reply, Kairo gave him a look, telling him it was best to be quiet.
"Kingston," Renae said as if she had forgotten he was behind her. Glancing between the two, she laughed awkwardly, "Um... King this is Trent."
Trent extended his hand and King walked away. Returning shortly, he leaned towards Renae's ear, "You know he ugly as hell," chuckling, King smoothly gripped her ass before dapping Kairo up on his way out the door not even giving Trent a second look.
Still stuck on him grabbing her ass, Renae stared ahead a bit dazed.
"Well, that's yo cue to bounce," Kairo finally spoke as he pushed off the brick and slid by his mom.
"I'll call you," Renae mumbled before closing the door.
Turning around, she locked eyes with Kairo and Assyria as they stood there grinning. "Oh please," she waved them off before heading into the kitchen.
"Psst!" Assyria whispered before Kairo could go upstairs.
"Wassup?"
"Did you see dat?"
Kairo frowned, "Nah, what happened?"
Assyria glanced towards the kitchen then got up and ran towards him, "Daddy touched her butt," she whispered.
"Hell nah," Kairo chuckled.
Assyria nodded.
"Smooth criminal face ass, that's why she all flustered," Kairo laughed softly. "Don't say nothing... let's see how dis plays out."
"Got it," she bumped his fist then sat back down when Renae turned the corner.
Cutting her eyes to her brother, Assyria and Kairo smirked. This was getting interesting.
**************************
👀 hmmm