“I know I lost my shit when I found out about this baby,” I said.
“You had the right to be mad. I just didn’t like watching you act like this baby was a punishment instead of another blessing.”
“I was scared. I still am. I just had the twins. My body barely got to be mine before it was somebody’s house again. I’m scared of losing what I built at Voss, of people forgetting me if I disappear again, of not recognizing myself.”
“I panicked too. I just didn’t show it. I focused on being excited to try to calm you down. I thought if I acted like it was all good, you’d relax. I’m sorry for pushing for you to ‘just be happy,’ like you didn’t have a right to be afraid.”
“I’m sorry for how I talked to you that day. You didn’t deserve that.”
His eyebrows rose a little. “Look at us…Using what the therapist taught us and shit.”
Chuckling, I took another sip of ginger ale. “I’m still worried about Voss and my name in the art world. Another pregnancy means I’m gone more. People move on fast.”
“You are more than that. Listen. We’re going to continue to build the gallery and take care of this baby at the same time. That’s why you got a husband and not just a baby’s father.”
My smirked playfully. “You sound real grown.”
He shrugged. “We can hire more staff at Voss and hire another nanny if you need. You’re not carrying all of this by yourself. Not the kids or your dream.”
I looked at him, swooning. “You’re better at this husband thing than I thought you’d be.”
He leaned over and kissed my temple. “We’re learning together. Long as you don’t keep threatening to divorce me every time your hormones switch up, we straight.”
I smacked his chest lightly. He caught my wrist, kissed my knuckles, and let it go.
While the kids argued over who could use the red crayon, I picked my phone back up and went back to Rhythm’s page. After a moment, I switched to the Voss Contemporary House account.
Then I sent Rhythm a DM:Hi, Rhythm, this is Aria from Voss Contemporary. I’d love to talk about your work.
2
SINCERE BELLAMY
By the time the sun went down that night, my head was still at the development site, though I was standing in the middle of the grand foyer of the Cartier estate, surrounded by music, people, and food, watching two old lions officially give up the streets.
Slick stood with his back to the staircase with his glass in hand, suit clean as fuck, and gray threading through his beard. Ace was next to him with matching energy and age in his eyes. They were both in their mid-fifties now, and they had earned every line on their faces.
Me, Legend, Icon, Saint, Big A, and Reek formed a circle around them. Old school R&B blending with newer tracks floated from the deejay’s speakers in the corner. Chef Eddie’s food lined the long tables. Kids ran through the crowd. Wives laughed in clusters.
Slick cleared his throat, lifted his glass, and looked at us. “Y’all know I don’t like speeches. That’s always been Ace’s lane.”
Ace chuckled. “Nigga, you talk more than me.”
The circle laughed as Slick went on. “Me and Ace been in this game a long time. And after Sterling and Eloise passed, we heldit down. We did the dirt that needed to get done. We kept the name what it was supposed to be.” He paused as his eyes shifted from Legend to Icon, then over to Saint, Big A, Reek, and me. “But my knees and back hurt, and my patience is short as fuck.” He laughed along with us as he continued. “We in our fifties now. We ain’t supposed to be ducking behind cars and arguing with young niggas anymore. We gave the game everything we had. Now, it’s time to sit down.”
“Y’all might be retiring, but we’re not letting you go anywhere,” Saint told them.
“We ain’t dying,” Ace replied. “We’re just sitting down.”
Slick nodded in agreement. “We still here. We still picking up the phone. We still telling y’all when you might be making the wrong move. But from here on out, the day-to-day? The moves? That’s y’all. We did what we promised your daddy we would do. We carried it until you could.” He glanced around the circle again with pride clear on his face. “And look at you now. Legend and Icon, you turned into the kind of bosses Sterling knew you’d be. Not just with muscle, but with your mind. Saint, you took all that fire and put it into protecting the family, not just terrorizing the city.”
A couple of us laughed. Saint shook his head, but he grinned.
“Tempo out here making moves in rooms your daddy never got invited into,” Ace added. “Big A, Reek, Sincere—you might not have Sterling’s blood, but you got his vision. You see bigger than blocks and quick flips. You see longevity.”
Slick added, “Y’all took what Sterling and Eloise started, and you’re expanding it. Y’all turning this from just a cartel into businesses, real estate, community, shit that’ll still be here when none of us are.”
Ace nodded. “We ain’t scared to sit down. You know why?”
