She tilted her head as she frowned, then suddenly her eyebrows lifted and her eyes watered.
“I want to be on your mind throughout the day and while you sleep. I promise not to try to pressure you into something you aren’t ready for. Again, I love you so much.”
I gently swiped the tear that she allowed to drop down her cheek. I wasn’t trying to be the man that didn’t learn his lesson. I didn’t want to be without Noni, so I knew I had a lot of work to do. I felt like I was so busy watching what Carter had with Bali until I expected my relationship with Noni to be similar. That was impossible, especially since those two had been feeling each other since they were kids.
Furthermore, just because Noni and Bali were twins and had similar personalities, they weren’t completely the same. However, I did notice that Carter was softer with Bali than he was normally. That came a little easier for him, though, because he was low-key anyway. I was aggressive and had a temper . . . the total opposite of him but just like Noni.
I was going to have to lead by example. My dad said women were reciprocators. They reacted to what they felt from theirpartners. So, if I wanted tenderness, I would have to be tender. I would have to show her affection if I wanted it in return. She was going to follow my lead. If I was always complaining, so would she. I knew that I couldn’t take this too fast, though, or she would think I was only doing it to get her back, then ultimately, revert to my old ways.
Finally, putting me out of my misery, she said, “I love you, too, Red.”
I gave her a tight smile. “So we good to go back inside?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded and got out of the truck. While she didn’t verbally respond to what I said, I knew she felt every word. Her skin had reddened some, and she dropped a tear. When I opened her door, I saw her dad standing on the porch watching us. I was gonna need fucking back up to deal with this nigga. I could see the anger in his eyes when he looked at me. When Seven appeared next to him, I knew there was trouble.
I helped Noni out, and her eyes went right toward her dad. She pulled her phone from her pocket and typed in it, then said, “Wait until reinforcement arrives.”
“I’m not a punk, Noni. Whatever smoke they got for me, I deserve that shit for putting my hands on you, regardless of what you did to provoke me.”
I closed the door and stared at her, then gently stroked her cheek. “Can I kiss you?”
She nodded shyly. I knew not to go too far, but her pouty lips were calling me. I lowered my head slightly and gently grazed her lips with mine, then pecked them, gently pulling her bottom lip as I pulled away from her.Shit.I wanted to go so much further. I grabbed her hand and headed to the door as Mr. Storm and Seven walked out.
Noni glanced up at me, her eyes quickly shifting back to her dad. I knew she was nervous about what was about to happen,but I wasn’t. My people were here. I wasn’t alone. I gave her hand a squeeze, and said, “Go inside, baby.”
Her eyes watered slightly. It seemed she was pleading with me to be cool. I would be. I brought this shit on myself. When I got to the porch and Noni had gone inside, Mr. Storm grabbed me by the neck and jacked me up against the house.
“This shit don’t feel good, do it? Next time you decide to put your hands on my daughter, I’m gon’ really fuck you up. The only reason you getting off easy this time is because I know you didn’t physically hurt her and that she provoked this shit. Don’t get it twisted, though. Whether she provoked the shit or not, that’s still my daughter. I don’t give a fuck how close y’all are to us. You feel me?” he asked as my dad, Uncle Legend, Mythic, Epic, and Asad stepped outside.
“Yes, sir,” I responded . . . barely.
He had a tight grip on my neck, much tighter than the grip I had on Noni’s neck. I stared in his eyes and didn’t allow my gaze to waver. I wanted him to know that I wasn’t looking for anyone to save me. I was willing to face my consequences like a man. They were here to make sure he didn’t go too far.
His lip twitched, and I knew he really wanted to take me out. Finally, Mythic said, “Pops, it’s gon’ be cool. I’ll fuck that nigga up myself if it happens again.”
Mr. Storm glanced at him, then gradually loosened his grip, lowering me to where I could stand. That nigga had me on my tippy toes, and I was six-two. After clearing my throat, nearly coughing, I said, “It won’t happen again. I’m working on myself to be everything she desires, because I don’t want nobody else. I apologize, Mister Storm . . . Seven,” I added as I glanced at him. “You have my word.”
Mr. Storm’s frown lifted slightly, but Seven’s stayed in place. Finally, he nodded. I turned and walked away, preparing to go to my truck to head home. After this shit, I knew he didn’t wantme inside his house, despite Noni and me coming to some sort of understanding. When I got to the driver’s side, I saw Carter jogging toward me. He must’ve noticed that most of the men were outside.
I closed my door and put my window down. He frowned and asked, “You leaving?”
“Yeah. I don’t think I’m wanted here right now, man. I want to keep the peace, especially if I want her back. Now ain’t the time to be cocky or aggressive.”
He extended his hand, and I slapped it. “A’ight, nigga. I’ll holla at you tomorrow.”
I nodded, then watched him walk back toward the house. My heart was hurt, because I wanted to be next to Noni, but I knew I needed to distance myself from her family for a minute. Before I could back out, my dad got in the truck with me. He didn’t say a word, just like at the rodeo. I backed out and went home, only a couple of miles away, down the same road, Highway 1009.
I’d built this house about five years ago. It wasn’t anything fancy. It had three bedrooms and was one level. It was a barndominium with a wraparound porch. It was in the middle of ten acres, and I loved every minute of peace it offered. My sister stayed here more than I did. If Noni and I worked out, I would let Aaliyah have it.
Once I parked under the lean-to connected to the garage, I turned to my dad. “You always here for me, even when I’m wrong. I appreciate that more than you know.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “You always got me, man. I see a lot of myself in you. I couldn’t say a thing to Storm about jacking you up, because had that happened to Aaliyah or even Cambel, I probably would have done worse.”
Cambel was Asad’s sister from his mom, but we all claimed her as ours. She called my mama and daddy, her second set of parents as Aaliyah and I did with her parents. “I know. I felt likeshit the next morning. I mean, you saw me. I hate what I did to her. I don’t even care about the shit she did. I should have been able to control myself better. I start counseling tomorrow.”
“That’s good. I think it will truly benefit you. My temper was out of control just like yours. I believe I was worse. The difference is that I had to fight and steal for everything I had. You’re just spoiled because you get everything you want. That’s our fault as parents. Although, sometimes, we made you work for it, you were still able to get what you wanted.”
