L.A. was the top R&B male singer. He was sort of retired now, but every now and then he’d bless the world with a feature.
Zaire guided her to the next circle.
“Aku,” Zaire called out.
Aku turned with a soft smile, one hand resting over her tiny bump poking through her beautiful green satin dress. Her eyes glowed with that mix of Black girl magic and pregnancy softness.
“Zaire!” Aku hugged him but pulled back just as quick to check out his outfit. “I guess this cute,” she teased out her approval.
“Damn, Aku,” Zaire faked being hurt. “You too busy creating legacy…ain’t had time to put nothing together for me.”
“Oh, please,” she waved him off. “You know we’re locked in. All you have to do is hit my line.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He tapped his chest. “I just came to introduce you to the woman who gon’ carry my legacy.”
Aku’s eyes lit up. “Oh, this Ms. Meadow?”
When Zaire decided he was going to surprise Meadow in Emerald City, he reached out to Malik for some things to do. When Malik told him about the private listening party, Zaire told him all about Meadow which turned into Aku chiming in too.
Zaire nodded once, proudly, “This her.”
Aku lit up. “Girl, com’ere.” She hugged Meadow like a cousin she’d been waiting to meet. “I’ve heard your name at least ten times in the last twenty-four hours.”
Meadow’s throat tightened. “I…Wow! You’re so pregnant and gorgeous and…I’m nervous,” she giggled awkwardly.
Aku laughed. “Don’t be! We’re Black women. We welcome each other first, and judge later,” she laughed.
“Dorthy,” Malik teased, stepping up behind her with that slow Crescent Park swagger.
Malik stood tall, his broad shoulders relaxed, braids perfectly stitched to the back, tats everywhere, and that hood boy turned money boy chain shining.
He dapped Zaire. “You brought her through, cuh?”
“Yeah,” Zaire nodded. “This my baby…my Marai.”
Aku swooned. “Ugh, them Crescent boys love a fairytale.” Her eyes glossed over, thinking about her own love story. It was probably just the hormones.
Malik gave Meadow a once-over…respectful, curious…then nodded his approval. “He did good.”
He looked at Aku. “Right?”
Aku nodded proudly. “Real good...Ms. Meadow is super thick,” she lifted her hand to pop her ass a little.
Meadow cracked up, covering her face as she blushed. Zaire nodded like a proud father. He knew he did good because not only was Meadow pretty as hell on the outside, she was pretty on the inside too.
Zaire and Malik fell into hood talk using crazy words she barely understood. Aku chimed in every now and then, but Meadow was trying her hardest to keep up and stop swooning.
“We need to chop it up about sponsorship, cuh,” Malik finally said something Meadow understood.
Zaire cocked his head to the side. “I didn’t know PluggedIn does sponsorships.”
“They don’t,” Malik laughed with Zaire joining in. “But Crescent gon’ always be good.”
“Hella good,” Zaire slapped hands with Malik, pulling him into a brotherly hug. “That’s love.”
“On the set, cuh,” Malik said.
Meadow became dizzy being around two fine ass niggas that loved the color blue.
