“Of course, we wouldn’t miss it. Your niece told us to tell you happy birthday. She’s out of the country with my sister Audra and her family. She made sure her daddy bought you a gift in her honor, although I think he did enough damage on his own,” she snickered while looking over at the bags he was still holding.
“Aye, I had to make up for the twenty-four birthdays I missed.” Rule shrugged before heading over to the table where all of the other gifts were. My heart was so full having my family there that I didn’t even care about the gifts.
One of the members of the wait staff came over with a tray of champagne, and we all took a glass. I was already feeling the effects of the bubbly drink, but it was my birthday, so I planned to drink until I passed out.
Janae, Tyeis, Yaya, Charity, and Serenity joined us with glasses in their hand as well. It was such a surreal moment to be surrounded by my sisters. Charity and Serenity both reached out to me after the cookout to apologize, and it meant a lot to me. They wanted to build a relationship with me, and I was more than happy to oblige.
“I think this is the first time we’ve all been together, and none of us were pregnant or breastfeeding. We’re definitely getting fucked up tonight,” Yaya declared with her glass raised.
“Let’s raise a toast to the lady of the hour. I know your transition into the family may not have been the smoothest, but I think I speak for everyone when I say we’re grateful to have you. I pray this year brings you everything your heart desires andthat you grow another step closer to becoming the woman you’ve always wanted to be. Live your life unapologetically and always put yourself first, my love. We love you, Peace, and even though we’ve missed a lot of birthdays in your life, you’ll never have to spend another one without us. Happy Birthday, Peace!” Ciyani cheered.
“Happy Birthday, Peace!”
Everyone raised their glasses, while I tilted my head up to try to stop the tears from falling. My makeup took two hours, and I was trying my best to preserve it. All of the love around me was overwhelming in the best way. I’ve never experienced anything so powerful outside of motherhood.
“I see y’all are over here making my woman cry. Come over here, baby.” Kavello called out over the microphone. I lifted my dress to make sure I didn’t trip as I made my way over to him. He looked handsome as usual, dressed in all black. His dress shirt was unbuttoned at the top, revealing his tattoos. My man was fine, and I loved the way he carried himself. Everything about Kavello screamed boss. When he stepped into a room, he commanded attention.
His arm wrapped around my waist, and I found myself getting lost in the scent of his cologne.
“I hope everyone is having a good time. I would personally like to thank you all for taking the time to come out and celebrate my woman. She asked me not to do anything over the top, and I think I did a good job at keeping things simple.” Everyone laughed because there was nothing small or simple about the party he put together.
“We’ve only been together for a few months, but you’ve added value to my life that’s irreplaceable. You’re a beautiful soul inside and out, and I wanted to do something to show you how special you are. Happy Birthday, beautiful.” Kavello kissed me, and for a moment, I forgot we weren’t alone. His kisses werealways filled with so much passion and intensity that it was easy to get caught up.
We hadn’t had sex yet because I wanted to take things slow. Kavello was a gentleman and understanding about my stance. While I was attracted to him, I wanted to make sure it was right before I took those steps with another man. The ladies thought I was crazy for taking my time, but I needed to do things the right way and at the right time. Besides, with Kavello’s schedule, we rarely had much time to spend with one another.
He came to visit when he could, or he would fly me out to wherever he was. We were both aware that the distance would be a challenge, so we did our best to navigate through it the best way we could. I hadn’t introduced him to Promise yet, and I decided to hold off for a little while longer. I had a habit of rushing into things without thinking, and I wanted to do things differently this time. I believed it would pay off in the end, so I decided to be patient and enjoy this new phase in my life for what it was.
“There goes the birthday girl!” Messiah slurred as he threw his arm over my shoulder. He and the rest of the men were sitting together with bottles and blunts in rotation. My girls were right there, dancing with their men and enjoying the vibes. Kavello excused himself to the room to take an important phone call, so I decided to rejoin the crew.
“Where that lame ass nigga of yours going?” He spat. I rolled my eyes, knowing he was about to be on bullshit for the rest of the night.
“My man is not lame.”
“Yeah, alright. You can’t see it because you want him to be the person for you. We both know that shit isn’t gonna happen.”
My mouth dropped in shock as Messiah continued to rant.
“I hate to say it, but his drunk ass is right. I’m happy to see you smiling, but we all know buddy is nothing more than a placeholder. My brother gon’ get his shit right, and it’s gon’ be all over,” Loyal declared.
“Well, damn. Happy Birthday, cousin.” I could hear the humor in Justice’s tone, which confirmed he also agreed with those fools.
“Don’t pay them any mind, boo. We’ve all had a placeholder or two in our lives. At least yours has money, and he doesn’t mind spending it,” Janae interjected.
“Wait. You agree with them, too? I thought you liked Kavello? You’re the one who told me I needed to move on from Dreaux.”
“Oh, honey. I think he’s an incredible artist and a very good-looking man. I mean, nobody is as fine as my man, but he’s close. He isn’t your future husband, but he’s a nice stepping stone.” I was stunned because all of the ladies seemed to like him.
“Aww, did you really think there was a future with him?” I tried not to laugh, but the serious expression on Janae’s face was too much for me.
“I can’t believe y’all right now.” I squealed.
“I love you, boo, but I need you to be honest with yourself. You have been with him for three months and haven’t even let him sniff the pussy. Meanwhile, your baby daddy hit it on the first night,” Yaya blurted out. Messiah and Loyal burst out laughing, and I was so glad Kavello wasn’t around because they would have embarrassed him.
“What! Aww, hell no. I was trying to spare the man, but now I feel bad for him. You mean to tell me, he paid for you to celebrate your birthday on this big ass yacht with the fancychef, and he hasn’t fucked? He’s either gay or he has several bitches on standby. Hell, in this day and age, it might be both. All I know is that you might not be fucking him, but he’s fucking somebody,” Loyal insisted.
“Loyal! Why would you say that?” Tyeis shrieked.
“ ‘Cause I’m a real ass nigga. You’re not gonna convince me a big-time rapper like him is going months without pussy. Hell, I’m not going that long without it, and I’m a regular nigga.”
