How could I say no?
“One hour,” I said finally. “Not a minute more. You keep your phone on you at all times, and you text me when you get there, when you’re leaving, and if anything feels weird. Anything at all, you call me immediately. Understood? And I need to be able to track you.”
His whole face lit up. “Really? You mean it?”
“I mean it.” I tried to look stern, but I couldn’t help the smile tugging at my lips. “But if you’re even five minutes late, I’m sending your uncle after you. And you know he don’t play.”
Yusef laughed again—two real laughs in one night, that had to be a record—and launched himself across the couch to hugme. I held him tight, breathing in the scent of his shampoo, feeling his heart beat against mine.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you thank you thank you.”
“You’re welcome, baby.” I kissed the top of his head. “I’m proud of you, you know that? For speaking up. For telling me what you need. That takes courage.”
He pulled back, eyes bright. “I’m gonna find the perfect gift. Something the baby will love.”
“I’m sure you will.”
He practically bounced off the couch, suddenly full of energy. “I’m gonna go look online and figure out what store to go to. Is it okay if I use the laptop?”
“Go ahead.”
I watched him disappear down the hallway, his footsteps lighter than I’d heard them in months.
The house settled into quiet around me. I adjusted the frozen peas on my ankle, wincing at the pressure of the monitor against my swollen skin. Outside, the sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink.
Tomorrow, Yusef would go to the mall by himself for the first time since everything happened. He’d pick out a gift for his baby cousin. He’d walk through the stores like a normal teenager, anonymous and free.
And I’d be here, counting the minutes until he came home safe.
But for tonight, I let myself feel something I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Hope.
Maybe the worst was finally behind us. Maybe we could actually build the life Prime kept promising me—the one with Sunday dinners and school plays and a house full of laughter.
Maybe we were going to be okay.
I rubbed my belly, feeling the baby kick against my palm.
“Hear that, little one?” I murmured. “Your cousin’s gonna buy you your first gift. How special is that?”
The baby kicked again, like she understood.
I smiled and closed my eyes.
Tomorrow was going to be a good day.
30
THAD
The house was nice. I’d give myself that.
Four bedrooms, three baths, a backyard with enough space for a kid to run around eventually. Quiet neighborhood in Frederick, far enough from the city that nobody would ask questions, close enough that I could get there when I needed to.
I watched Kacey walk through the living room, one hand on her belly, the other trailing along the walls like she was trying to feel if it was real. She was six months along now, showing heavy, that pregnancy glow making her skin look like honey in the afternoon light.
She was fine. Always had been. Thick in all the right places, pretty face, knew how to take care of a man. We’d been rocking since high school, and she’d held me down through all of it—the come-up, the grind, the late nights building the club from nothing.
