“Whew, you run a strict program,” Jahlil spoke, gently tugging at Sanaa’s ponytail after rounding the back of the massive couch. “I don’t care that y’all hogging her, she gets to sleep with me.”
Andrew frowned his face and Sanaa groaned. “So you can be kissin’ all night? No thank you. Doin’ too much.”
“My biggest hater is my kids. That’s wild. I got to go anyway.”
The trio looked at him in one motion. “Where you going?”
Jahlil threw his hands up playfully. “God forbid I want to do hoodrat shit with my hoodrat friends.”
“You got a hoodrat friend right here,” Sanaa spoke, referring to Emani. “No ‘fence.”
Emani laughed. “None taken. But she’s right. I’m right here.”
“It’s cool when they do it, when I do it, I get my door taken off the hinges,” Andrew muttered, earning him a pop across the head. “Ow!”
“That didn’t hurt, nigga,” Jahlil quipped. “I got some shit to handle with Carson.”
Emani’s brows furrowed and Jahlil shot her a knowing look. “You don’t need my help?”
“Nah, My Rose,” Jahlil muttered into her skin while pressing his lips against her forehead. “Y’all chill out. Figure out what we’re doing for dinner.”
“We already got it,” Sanaa announced. “Aunt Violet is coming and we’re making tacos.”
Jahlil smirked down at Emani, remembering their last night of tacos. “Whose idea was that? Daddy loves tacos.”
“I asked for them,” Andrew shared with a curl of his lips.
“Daddy, I’m going to give you the best taco ever,” Sanaa announced, making Andrew groan and Emani muffled a giggle.
“What the hell you groaning for? You ain’t had no taco,” Jahlil murmured.
“Drewy eats tacos all the time,” Sanaa continued, making Emani’s head drop back. “I eat tacos too. I like them with a lot of cream on them.”
Jahlil dropped his head and Emani covered her face, trying to recover.
“I’ll make sure you have enough sour cream on yours. Let’s finish this movie,” Emani spoke through breaks in her laughter. “And you, be cool?”
“You know me, baby,” Jahlil spoke.
“Mmhmm. I know you, Savage. Be cool,” Emani replied, wanting assurance. Jahlil kissed her face as an answer.
“Love y’all.”
“Love you too,” they chimed as he walked out the door just as Carson pulled up. Jahlil was dressed in a pair of black joggers and a white tee. He didn’t have any intentions on causing physical harm to anyone today. Mental and emotional stress were still on the table as major players though. It was only right. For all the games Malik and Emani’s so-called best friend played in her face, Jahlil and Carson were coming to collect on the winnings.
He climbed inside and settled into the passenger seat. Carson wore an amused smile on his face.
“What you do?” Jahlil asked.
“You’ll see. I need your baller ass to have plausible deniability. Get our girl’s shit. I got a moving truck meeting us there,” Carson informed. “Emani’s been bankrolling everyone’s life, now they’re going to have to figure the shit out.”
“Thanks for watching out for her while I was away,” Jahlil stated, gratitude filling his words.
“Away? Come on, man. Don’t thank me for doing what I’m supposed to do. I knew where she needed to be. And you know E. You can’t tell her what to do. You just got to let her work that shit out. Stay close. We family. I’m going to always look out for y’all. Don’t ever thank me for being your brother. But fuck up again…”
“Yeah, I know. You taking her. Nigga, I’ll have to shoot you,” Jahlil stated with laughter. “I’m laughing but I’ll kill you and hire Ashton to be my alibi. You know that little nigga will sell that shit.”
“And the fee is managing every penny you make now until you die.” Carson laughed. “You know the nigga really got a mind of a financial genius he just a troll.”
