“Yeah. He had to beg, plead, and throw money around to even get them to allow him to post bail. His connect is a Cubanguy, and he doesn’t play that shit. As soon as he got wind of James’ arrest, he sent hittas to shut that wedding down.”
“Got damn, I want to meet that nigga and hug him.” Blak shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong. Whoever that was doing the shooting fucked up. They hit mad innocent people including Naomi and her moms, but James is still alive. They saved me from having to marry ole girl though.”
“James might still be alive, but I wouldn’t bank on him being alive for long. Between the plug and the police, somebody is going to get his ass. This shit got my nerves bad. I’m going to try Block again.”
“Okay Unc. Thanks for the info.”
Blak ended the call in disbelief. James was a fucking pedophile. The man spent countless years in the game selling drugs, committing murders and the whole nine, and he got busted for being a pervert? He really lasted years in the drug game only to be arrested for some embarrassing shit like texting a damn kid to have sex. Blak hoped he burned in hell for more than one reason. Thinking back to Naomi, Blak’s heart once again felt heavy. He didn’t want to marry her, but this wasn’t the way he wanted to get out of it. She was a good person. Dying because her father was a piece of shit was nasty work. But, Blak had lost a seed also, so it was what it was.
He poured more alcohol in his glass and sat on the couch. Blak assumed that he was in the clear to deal with Averi, but he was sure that was out the window. She more than likely blamed him for her getting shot and losing the baby. Blak was willing to bet money that she didn’t want anything to do with him, and he couldn’t blame her. He was no longer getting married, but he was going to let Averi go. Fuck it. He didn’t need love. All he needed was money.
Symphony smiled as she watched Block hold his niece cradled in his arms. It was hard to believe that just a week before, Block, his brothers, and his mother had been at a wedding where a massacre had taken place. They were an interesting family indeed, but she wasn’t deterred. Finding out why the men shot the wedding up was even crazier. Now, the family was gathered as if nothing had ever happened. Blak was sitting back without much to say. He honestly looked like he didn’t want to be there, but it was understandable. He had been through a lot.
Symphony had to wonder if he was the cousin that sold drugs to her sister but at the end of the day, it didn’t matter. Drug dealers may have played a part in enabling Monique’s habit, but her addiction wasn’t their fault. She couldn’t put more blame on the dealer than she put on her sister. None of that was Symphony’s business.
“See how natural you look doing that?” Tasha smiled at her son, and Block groaned.
“You just don’t let up. Ain’t nobody having no babies no time soon. Unless it’s Lethal.” Block’s head lifted, and he eyed his brother. “You still sensitive to smells like a hoe?”
Lethal stuck his middle finger up making Block chuckle. Every time Lethal complained about the way something smelled, his brothers and mother urged him to reach out to everyone that he’d had sex with and ask them if they were pregnant. Lethal refused. If they wanted his ass they had to come find him. Imagine him going looking for trouble. There was no way in hell.
“Do you want kids, Symphony?” Tasha ignored her son and smiled at his guest.
“Yes, I would like kids.”
Block’s mother gave a knowing smile, and all he could do was shake his head. “This is why I don’t bring people over here.”
“Oh boy please,” his mother waved his comment off. “You don’t bring anybody over here because you haven’t found the one you like enough to do so. That’s okay with me because now, I know it’s real. Symphony popped your mama meeting cherry.”
“Man what?” Block frowned as Symphony stifled a giggle. Block groaned. “Get your baby, Brazil. I’m about to be out. I will not be subjected to this all day.”
“No,” Symphony chortled. “Let me hold her.”
It felt like ages since she’d last held a baby. After her thirtieth birthday, Symphony forced herself to stop thinking about kids. She didn’t want to hype herself up to be disappointed. With each year that passed it really looked as if she might never have kids. It was still way too early to be trying to make any kind of plans with Block, but she still found herself wondering what their creation would look like. Symphony would love to have a son that looked just like his father. From what she could see, the men’s father must have had strong genes because the only one that slightly favored their mother was Block.
Symphony placed the sleeping baby on her chest and rubbed her back in a circular motion as she sniffed her. That baby smell was so nostalgic. Block peered at her. The way he was gazing at her made her cheeks warm. “What?” she asked bashfully.
“Nothing.” Block licked his lips and stared another few seconds before looking away.
A nympho was the last word Symphony ever would have used to describe herself but there was something about Block that made her want to jump his bones every day. They had sex so many times in Chicago, she lost count. Yet, anytime he stared at her for too long, she just wanted to drop to her knees and top him off. The dick was divine, and he was the furthest thing from a minute man that she’d ever met. Block could go for more thanan hour in the bedroom. Sometimes, she loved it and sometimes, she felt as if she couldn’t take it anymore. Before she could fully tap out, he’d cum, and all would be well.
“Let’s eat,” Tasha sang just as Block’s phone rang.
He answered it as they all followed her to the kitchen. Symphony eased Unique in her car seat. She was pretty certain that the tiny baby wouldn’t be able to get out of the car seat, but she strapped her in just in case. Staring at the baby for too long made Symphony’s ovaries tingle. She wasn’t sure if her biological clock was ticking or if she was simply infatuated with a man that was unlike any other she’d ever met before. Only time would tell.
Symphony was the last one to enter the kitchen. As she made her way over to the table, Block spoke to his mother. “Ma, Pops said are you going to cook for him when he gets home?”
A devilish grin inched across Tasha’s face. “If he trusts me to cook for him, sure.”
“Hell nah, Pops,” Block reported with a chuckle. “You’d be a fool to eat her cooking.”
A smile graced Symphony’s face as she fixed her plate. Being there with Block’s family was great, but it made her miss her own family. More than once, she thought about reaching out to her mother to say hello, but something always stopped her. If Sonya was still upset with her, she wouldn’t answer the phone, and the rejection would sting. Symphony kept telling herself that her mother would get over it, but that day seemed to be taking a long time to come. When her mother was ready, however, she’d be there.
“Tell your father you brought a doctor home,” Tasha beamed at Symphony making her blush.
Block shook his head and continued his conversation without acknowledging her comment with words.
“Blak, what’s wrong, baby?” she switched her attention from her son to her sons’ cousin. They weren’t related by blood, but she viewed him as family.
