“So I never loved you? I never took care of you?”
“Barely,” Logic snorted. “If you loved us like you claim you did then you wouldn’t have fucking left! Did you think about how we’d eat? I was on my knuckles trying to find a way to keep the heat on, and you were in Vegas being a lucky fucking charm.”
“LJ-
“You left us for dead!”
“Y’all seem to be ok to me.” Pepper wiped her tears. “Sage is wearing Nike this, Polo that. The twins wearing Tory Burch and gold anklets. Is that what survival mode looks like?”
“Fuck outta here. You measuring their well-being by what’s on their backs? Nah, that’s me overcompensating for the bullshit you pulled. The twins have separation anxiety and think I’m going to leave them in the middle of the night. Sage pissed in the fucking bed for three years after you left, thinking he did something wrong.”
“Whoa,” Sage coughed. “Not too much.”
“Nah, tell her every fucking thing. This lil nigga had a hard time with you leaving the first time, what the fuck you think gone happen this time?”
“I’m not leaving.” Pepper wiped her tears. “I’m here to stay.”
“I don’t believe you!” Logic roared. “As soon as shit starts getting hard you’re going to leave.”
“That’s why I’m here to prove it.”
Before he could answer, the front door flew open, and the twins walked inside. Suspiciously mugging Pepper, they slung their backpacks on the couch and took the space beside their big brother. Pepper couldn’t help but check out her girls. Her eyes scanned their new shoes, fresh silk presses, full sets, and the gold tennis bracelets on their wrist. Pepper heard things about Logic on social media but seeing it with her own eyes had her wondering just how much money her baby boy was actually getting.
“What’s going on?” Spice asked, breaking the silence.
“Yall mama wanna cook dinner,” Logic snorted.
“Eh, I’ll pass.” Shugg shook her head. “I had a big lunch.”
“You don’t even eat school lunch.” Sage frowned.
“Who asked you?”
“Look, my intentions were not to cause any problems,” Pepper explained. “I live in Detroit and I can’t be here and not see my own children,” she sobbed. “I messed up and I’m sorry, ok. I’m so sorry. I’m trying to make it right, and I know that it’s going to take time, but I’d really like to cook dinner and catch up, just a little bit.”
“Lo,” Sage begged, wrapping his arms around his mother’s shoulder.
“Mannnn.” Logic rubbed the back of his neck. Just like he thought, Pepper was playing with his head by using his brother. It was clear that he’d walk to the edge of the earth for his siblings, and like a master manipulator, Pepper used Sage’s love for her to get back into a family she left for dead.
“Oh, girl please.” Shugg rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to do all that. If you gone cook, cook, but we don’t need to catch up.”
“You ok with this?” Spice asked, peering over at Logic, ready to follow his lead.
“Nah, I’m not,” Logic answered honestly. “But this nigga not gone let it go. So go ahead, Pep,” he stretched his arm out toward the kitchen. “Make ya kids dinner for old times’ sake.”
“Are you going to join us?” she asked, hopeful.
“Nah, you wanna be a parent for the day? Cool. Shugg probably has homework that she gone lie about, Spice good on her own, but she probably needs to go through her syllabus again, and Sage likes to hang out with niggas below his standard, make sure he comes in before the streetlights come on,” Logic explained, picking his keys and phone off the coffee table.
“Lo,” Spice panicked. “You leaving?”
“Just for a few hours,” he swore, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Turning, he did the same to Shugg before heading to the door.
“Lo,” Sage called out, lightly jogging to the door. “You not mad at me, right?”
“Not at all, bro.” Logic pulled him into a brotherly hug, soothing his racing mind. “You didn’t do anything wrong, aight?”
“Ok, but you coming back, right?”
