That particular evening, Trey had a little too much when he emptied the contents of his stomach all over his clothes. It wasright after he told them he saw Gianna as wife material, then passed out.
"His daddy, though," Cain spoke, lifting one brow. "Now, that nigga's a millionaire. It might not be a bad idea for him and Gia to link up," he stated when she smacked him. "Damn, woman." He rubbed his arm.
"Our daughter is not for sale. Neither is our son. That's the reason I cook dinner, and they continue to have keys to our home."
"No, that's not the reason. It's because you do such a damn good job making this house a home, Lo. Let Swift find his own woman. I did. You couldn't get enough of me. I had to marry your ass."
"You mean after you stalked me since you'd been discharged from the hospital, or after I pulled my gun on you when you followed me home?"
"Shoot, desperate times call for desperate measures. I told you at the hospital you were mine. Now look at you, looking like I fucked you good because I did."
He beamed proudly when she waved him off, washing her hands.
"I need to really bathe now before he stops by and dinner's not ready."
London then pulled all the ingredients from the refrigerator, from the marinated steaks she'd seasoned that morning to the baked potatoes she'd put in the oven before Cain had his way with her. She'd top it off with a colorful tossed salad, which was needed because her husband was a carnivore.
"Probably why Swift's ass ain't settled down, all jokes aside. DoorDash and Uber Eats took over."
"Give him time, Cain."
When he pecked her neck, London shoved him away.
"Go and get cleaned up. I'm right behind you," she instructed just as her cellphone rang.
London glanced and sighed. It was Logan. She'd been avoiding him because it was her year to take the lead in planning their father's birthday. She was dreading it, knowing it would turn into a huge production, even though their father preferred something small and intimate. All he cared about was that his children and grandchildren were there.
She also regretted it because a trip to Pellum was more than one flight, sometimes two. Therefore, they turned it into a nice road trip when going so they could sightsee along the way, pick up peanuts, bushels of corn, and his favorite, fresh pole beans.
"Who's that?"
She pecked Cain's lips, knowing he'd get upset once Logan started pressuring her, but when he wouldn't move, she gave in.
"That's Logan."
"Stand firm," he instructed her, lowering his gaze. "I already know how his ass can be."
She did, too, particularly because he was a top lawyer, even representing clients outside of Pellum. Her other two brothers, Lawson and Lincoln, usually fell in line with whatever Logan suggested, which made it three against his baby. It did help, though, that Lincoln was a chef, while Lawson ran a successful cleaning company. With all hands on deck, the siblings would come together to get the job done like they always did.
"Hey, Logan. Is everything good?" Her brows instantly dipped before she gasped, getting Cain's attention. "No, are you serious? When?" She gulped, then looked at her husband. "Last night?"
"Baby, what's going on?" She didn't respond, a lone tear hitting her cheek before Cain took the cellphone out of her hand.
"Bro, talk to me."
"I need y'all to come to Pellum. If I had anyone else to ask, I would, Cain. It's Lucky. He was killed. I knew something was off and I… Fuck, Cain."
Logan was pretty choked up, devastated that he'd not only lost a client but a friend and pillar in the community.
"Logan, man. Damn, Lucky was good people, like family."
Logan felt the same way, hating that he hadn't questioned Lucky more when he mentioned selling the farm.
"And his son."
"His son?" Cain's brows pinched as he sat down, waving his wife to sit on his lap. "You mean Creed?"
"Yeah." Logan sighed. "The one who used to hang with Swift and Money when they visited Pellum over the summer or holidays. Left one daughter behind — Starlah. I need someone I trust to help her plan the funeral, be there for her while I handle Lucky's estate. If you can't come, can you spare Swift to hang back a few weeks with London? She's nineteen, Cain. Lost her mother when she was eight."
