“All right. I’ll let you go. I love you.”
“How much you love me, Kitty?”
“Enough to have your baby.”
I grinned. “My girl.”
I ended the call and headed to a meeting I didn’t plan to attend when I left Kannon’s home. I had plans to pull up on theniggawho ran up on me a few weeks back, but Echo called saying the old heads wanted to meet. It had been two weeks since Kannon found out she was pregnant, and I’d been too far off the radar for folks to reach me. I went to the casino when my elders weren’t around, and I still helped stock shelves at our family’s liquor store, but outside of that, I was with her. Any other day, I would’ve gone to my father for advice on how tointegrate Kannon into the family, but his moves lately made him questionable.
Though I was under dressed in streetwear, I walked through the upscale restaurant like I had on Prada. Since I spent many meetings in the Mediterranean spot, I knew my family was sitting outside in a private area. I was grateful the sun was out since the moment I laid eyes on the group a cold feeling came over me. Even with my brewing resentment, I pushed the chip off my shoulder and greeted my loved ones before sitting next to Pluto.
“What’s good, y’all,” I spoke to the group. “What did I miss?”
Uncle Lester leaned forward and looked at me cynically. “You tell us. We haven’t seen you in a few. How’s the girl doing? We ain’t seen her since she fell out at the party.”
My eyes snapped in his direction. “She’s fine. Where’s your bum-ass son? He went missing again?”
“There you go again, down talking your family to defend that bitch.”
I jumped from my seat at the same time as my dad.
“Neptune, sit down, and show some respect.”
I scoffed, recalling the accusations against him. I wouldn’t confront my father in front of other people, but I couldn’t pretend shit was sweet. I planned to have a conversation with him about the claims, but the family meeting came faster than I could figure out the truth.
“What are we doing here? I have somewhere to be,” I announced.
Uncle Lester groaned as he shuffled around in his seat. “I’m sure somewhere involves that girl. That’s exactly why we don’t take bitches seriously. They become a distraction.”
“Yours was a distraction. My lady is motivation.” I sat back and smiled. “Now that she’s having my baby, she’s the answer to a Sinner’s prayer.”
Excitement and shocked stalled my father’s features. All the ways I planned to announce Kannon’s pregnancywere puton hold when Uncle Lester kept picking. I knew the information would have him too in his feelings to speak.
My father walked over and squeezed my shoulders. “That news is right on time since I’ll be out of your way at the top of the year.”
“I will too.” Echo and Pluto’s father chimed in.
My cousins and I maintained our chill, but I could feel the eagerness from across the table.
“There’s one thing we need to discuss before we bow out. We can’t ignore this partnership with the Denvers like it doesn’t exist,” my father continued.
I frowned. “It doesn’t!”
“Why are you testing me, boy? I’ve never done shit to make you question how I operate.”
“Are you sure about that?” I blurted out. “Listen, I’m not opposed to building lucrative connections. I plan to keep working with Michael Delano and his family. But you’re not asking us to do that. I can’t let a man dictate what’s sold when we aren’t getting cut in.”
“So what do you believe we should do, Son?”
I intertwined my fingers and rested my hands on the table. “It’s obviousthe Denvers are pressedfor cash for a reason they aren’t telling. Cut them a check since y’all want to do charity and connect them with Michael. The way he flips investments, they shouldbe loadedand satisfied in a few months.”
The twins’ dad smiled and nodded. “I like how you think, Nephew.”
“Good. Is that all?”
The crushed look on my father’s face almost made me apologize for my harsh tone, yet the unknown led me to dismiss myself before I said something I regretted.
I left my dad where he stood and headed to my car as fast as I got out of it. I gave my two cents about the partnership, and I wasn’t changing my mind. If my elders didn’t feel obligated to lend the Denvers a helping hand when they were running shit, I wouldn’t either. From the parking lot of the restaurant, I checked Kannon’s location and saw she never left the house. Part of me wanted to go home, yet the nagging that kept me up at night led me to Jefferson High School.
