The big face Rolex adorning her wrist was a ‘plain Jane’ meaning no diamonds, but the simple time piece spoke volumes. The two Van Cleef bracelets that were clasped around her wrist and the diamond studs in Symphony’s ear, screamed, “I’m that bitch”. Her smile was so pure and infectious that Khrome wasn’t intimidated. She actually relaxed a bit.
“Hi, I’m Khrome.”
“Oh my God, you are so pretty,” Symphony squealed, giving Khrome a hug.
Khrome was caught off guard because even back when she had friends, they didn’t hug.
“Those freckles are everything,” she gushed over Khrome.
“Thank you. I used to hate them but now I love them.”
“As you should.” A pretty woman stood up from the bench she was sitting on. “I’m Averi.” She didn’t move to hug Khrome, but her smile was just as welcoming.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
The women followed the hostess to a booth. Averi slid in first, and Symphony slid in beside her, so Khrome chose the side across from them. The server came over right away, and the women ordered their drinks. Finally, Khrome’s milk was coming in. She had enough at the hospital to last Lyric through at least six feedings, and she had milk stored in the freezer at Lethal’s house. For those reasons, Khrome wanted to indulge. She ordered a strawberry Mimosa.
“As I said, I’m Symphony.” The woman smiled again when the server walked off. “I’m a doctor, and I date Lethal’s brother, Block. I don’t have any kids, but I help my mom with my fourteen-year-old nephew. My sister passed away, so we both raise him.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thank you.”
“And I’m about to pop.” Averi chuckled. “I have three more months to go but oh baby, being pregnant is not fun. Every time I think about the fact that Blak got me pregnant on purpose, I want to punch him in the throat.” Averi rolled her eyes.
“Lethal didn’t tell us much about you,” Symphony stated. “Just that he recently found out you were pregnant by him and that you didn’t have any friends. Whatever you feel comfortable sharing you can and what you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”
As much as she didn’t trust people, Khrome was surprised that she didn’t see anything wrong with sharing her story withthe women. Lethal said they were cool, and they appeared to be just that. By the time she told them the short story about her childhood, Vick, Cam, what she did to Lethal, and how Lyric was born early, she was on mimosa number two, and Averi and Symphony’s mouths were hanging open.
“My God today,” Symphony replied.
“I know. It’s a lot, right?” Khrome hadn’t had any alcohol in seven months, so she was tipsy and feeling all warm inside. Despite the shocked looks on the women’s faces, Khrome didn’t regret sharing her story. It actually felt good to talk about it. Of course, she left out certain things like Lethal and his people taking care of Cam. If they knew they knew but if they didn’t, she wouldn’t be the one to tell them.
“It’s absolutely a lot,” Averi agreed. “I’m sorry you even had to go through that. I can’t imagine a mother letting her teenager go be with a grown-ass man and one that was abusing her at that.”
“You are definitely a survivor,” Symphony chimed in. “I know it’s hard, but you should be proud of yourself.”
If this was what having friends was like, then Khrome was sold. “I’m trying to be,” she admitted.
“Soooooooo,” Symphony sang with a huge grin. “If we know Lethal, then Lyric already has everything she needs and a ton of what she doesn’t need. So, we want to give you a push party. Because anyone that pushes out a baby deserves a party.”
Khrome was thrown all the way off. She’d never heard of a push party and more importantly than that, no one had ever thrown her a party. She’d never even had a birthday party. “I, um.” She racked her brain, trying to find the right words. “I’m not sure how much of a party it will be with only three people, but I’m down.”
“I can invite my best friend,” Averi offered. “She loves any excuse to drink. So does my mother. And we can invite Lethal’s mom. Ms. Tasha is cool as fuck.”
The mention of Lethal’s mother made Khrome’s eyes balloon out of her head. “His mother? Do you think she knows I drugged her son and stole his chain?” The food she’d consumed was churning violently in her belly.
With a giggle, Symphony lifted her glass. “I’m not sure, but if Lethal is over it, she will be too. She loves her sons, but she’s not one of those overbearing, acts like she wants to screw her sons type mama.”
Khrome gave a curt nod while licking her suddenly dry lips. If Lethal’s mother did give her a stank look or two it wasn’t like she didn’t deserve it. Every time she thought about the fact that Lethal could have had a very bad reaction to the drugs she put in his drink, it made her nauseous. The man had a promising career, and she had really played with his life. When brunch was over, Khrome was in the best mood. An outing with genuine women was something she didn’t know she needed. She planned to be at the hospital for a while, so she wanted to stop by the house to pump and dump.
On one hand, she hated to waste milk, but the mimosas had her feeling lovely. She also wanted to grab a book and a few snacks to take with her. When Khrome walked into the house, it was quiet. Every morning when she woke up, any time she walked through the house, she was in awe of Lethal’s beautiful home. The gym he had inside his home was damn near bigger than the living room and kitchen put together at Cam’s house. She’d never been inside the master bedroom, but it was huge as well. Each time she walked by, she peeked in.
The bedroom she slept in was spacious, nice, and had an adjoining bathroom. Lethal had set his guest rooms up to make any guests comfortable. His home was the reason she foundherself often sitting and daydreaming. Khrome wondered what it would be like and how she would act if money wasn’t an issue for her. She ascended the stairs and ran into Lethal coming out of Lyric’s room. He was shirtless, and the mimosas in her system had her body heating up at his toned upper body. She knew what he was working with between his legs, and it was worthy to be praised.
“Hey. You have fun?”
Ignoring the aching between her legs, Khrome smiled. “I did. They are very nice. Thank you for connecting us. Um.” Not even talking to him about brunch had lessened the desire brewing inside of her.
