“I was going to wait until after the baby arrived, but we don’t have the kids here and you said it’s not that far from Brooklyn, right?”
“Not too far at all,” he answered, nodding. “Right.”
Though he was doing everything to keep his cool, Rylee could see the cautious excitement on his face. She could hear it in histone too. His voice was deeper, words slower to leave his mouth—which was so not Xander.
It melted her heart seeing him try to be composed when he clearly wanted to be excited.
That made it all the more important for them to go right then and there.
So at Rylee’s insistence, they took off in the direction of Greene Gardens.
As they drove, Xander’s awe was palpable. He couldn’t keep to himself how excited he was for Rylee to see the place as they got closer.
The ride was smooth, no traffic. It was the other side of the expressway that was bumper to bumper, with only the shoulders of the road clear for the most part.
Everything looked pretty much the same through the windshield to Rylee… until Xander drove past the village’s entrance sign.
Welcome to Greene Gardens.
The logo looked official, and from a distance, lights could be seen glowing.
A mile from the sign and after crossing a small bridge that led into the village, Rylee blinked hard at howaliveit looked.
“Wow,” she expressed with more air than tone.
She peeked over at Xander, who smiled and nodded.
“I know,” he voiced, just as in awe.
For a village that had just undergone construction a few years back, the way people filled the streets and the number of shops that were open for patrons… you’d think the village had been there for years.
Rylee’s eyes were glued to her passenger window as she caught sight of families outside, enjoying the autumn night. Shops were bustling, music playing from some.
Rylee pressed her hand to her chest, her eyes trying to keep up with the truck’s movement and the people.
Black people of all shades filled the streets and sidewalks. It was like a scene out of a Black film.
Streets were clean. Lights shined bright.
It looked like Brooklyn—except cleaner, quainter, and with fresher air.
“I wasnotexpectingthis,” Rylee said as they turned down a block that quickly became residential.
“Neither was I when I first visited,” Xander said in response.
There were homes lining both sides of the tree-lined blocks. Expensive cars were either parked on the curb or in driveways.
Rylee’s eyes moved with those trees, unblinking. “I gotta give Bryant a call tomorrow and get some answers, because damn.”
Xander chuckled.
“This is amazing,” Rylee whispered. “How does someone imagine this? Wow.
Her eyes locked in on a familiar property. One she’d only seen in a picture on Xander’s phone. The oneshe thought was beautiful.
But in person, there was no comparison.
It looked huge in the photo, but as they pulled up in front of it… it was colossal.
