“Peachy. But you, you’re the brother of the President of the United States.”
Xander laughed. “Does that make me cooler?”
Naomi grinned. “You couldn’t get any cooler, big guy.”
“That’s what I wanna hear.”
“Well, now, wait a minute,” her mom interrupted. “Who might you be?”
Xander offered his hand to shake. “I’m Xander Creed, ma’am. And it is very nice to meet you.”
Her mother shook his hand and giggled like a child. Niyah rolled her eyes and gave her sister a look. How long would it have taken for Naomi to call with a head’s up? Judging by the smirk on her face, she knew exactly what she was doing.
“I’m gonna go change,” Niyah announced on her way to her bedroom. After entering, she walked into her closet, took off her funeral dress, and tossed it in a pile meant for the dry cleaners.
“Hey?” Naomi entered the closet and started rummaging through Niyah’s clothes.
“Hey,” Niyah responded. She pointed toward the kitchen. “What’s that all about?”
Noami smiled. “You mean your loving mother in your kitchen cooking your favorite meal?”
“Yeah, right!” Niyah scoffed.
Noami raised a brow. “No, really. That’s what she said.”
“Okay. There’s a first time for everything.”
Naomi grabbed Niyah’s wrist. “Come here.”
She pulled her close until they were nearly nose to nose. “I--” she began, but her words faltered.
After a few seconds of pregnant silence, Niyah looked into her sister’s deep brown eyes. “You, what?”
Naomi blinked back a tear. “I want to thank you for what you did for me. I know what it did to you.”
Niyah dropped her head. “It’s fine.”
Naomi placed her finger under Niyah's chin and forced her to look her into her eyes. “It’s not fine. I know what your job means to you. I compromised not only that, but I compromised your freedom.”
Niyah reached up and caressed Naomi’s face. “I knew the risk. I made a conscious decision to protect what’s mine.” She kissed her sister’s nose. “And you belong to me.”
“And you me, sis.”
Naomi smiled, but she couldn’t hide the despair behind her eyes. Niyah’s eyes blurred with tears because the control freak in her wanted to take her sister’s pain away. But she couldn’t. Since the day Naomi announced that she was transitioning, Niyah knew or assumed there would be hard times ahead. The world was not kind to women like Naomi. A certain level of pain was expected. But what those men had done to her was unimaginably cruel.
Niyah grabbed her sister’s hand and held it tight. “I love you and I am so sorry for what they did to you. Yeah, murder…that’s a lot. I don’t know how to reconcile that. But, fuck ‘em! Maybe they got what they deserved.” Niyah laughed. “Or, maybe you’re Chicago’s zodiac killer. Either way, I love you.”
Noami pulled Niyah into a hug. “I love you too and I will never put you in that position again.”
“You better not. Because if you do, your ass is going to prison.”
Naomi giggled and stepped out of their hug. “I’ma go out there and save your man from your mother.”
“That’s a good idea,” Niyah agreed with a sigh. “I’ll be out in a minute. I’ma throw something on.”
“Hurry up,” Naomi said over her shoulder as she left the closet.
Niyah did hurry. She threw on some yoga pants and a comfortably old T-shirt. After an inner debate, she decided not to bother washing the makeup from her face. She slipped into a pair of fuzzy footies and left the bedroom.
