Page 120 of Just Like Summer

“Yeah,” he sharply spoke. “You?”

She shook her head. “Aunt J called.”

Cairo looked down at his son who was super focused on the animation about emotions. Easing from under him, Cairo stood, held his hand out for her and led her into the kitchen. “Talk to me.”

“Outside of her doing this shit every year…there’s one thing we haven’t talked about. Everyone else has told me their accounts but I haven’t gotten it from you,” Kamilla muttered hopping up on the counter and looking at him.

Cairo palmed his face. “Your uncle had a hand, foot, and dick problem. Couldn’t keep any to himself. Touchin’ on his sisters, poking at your pops, and terrorizing the block. Just like that nigga did. Your dad handled it. It was one of those unspoken things. No one from either side had anything to say because niggas didn’t play about that shit. We were in the spot one night. Kicking it on some Azul shit. I never liked that nigga and couldn’t get behind how he moved. Every time I saw him, I beat his ass. I guess he was tired of being punked out. Tired of no one touching any of us because his fake daddy was a creep. Everything happened so fuckin’ fast. I saw the gun, I went to draw mine and before I could, KP jumped in front of me. He took the shot. He threw himself on a sword for me. I lived with the shame of that for years and then you came. And whether or not we ended up together, I knew I had to take care of you because inadvertently, I was the reason he was taken from you. So when it came down to it – to protecting you – I was throwing myself on the sword for you. And I’d do it forevermore not just because of what he did for me, but what he told me.”

“What’d he tell you?” Kamilla asked.

“To carry this shit. I thought he meant the music but when I met you, it was very clear what he meant. Carry his legacy. I wanted to tell you that shit so bad but nothing scared me more than having you and then losing you. And in the end of that era, I lost you anyway. I hurt you before you even saw it coming.”

“I want you to know, I forgave you for that. For not telling me then. I’ve learned that life is short and you can’t hold on to shit. I also learned that you can’t love someone and not forgive them.”

“Who you learn that from?” he mused.

“Dania. She told me about her and Nate how they started. Things happen, people make mistakes, and you can’t live on the ugly side of it. Not if you really want to live. I choose to stand in the light with you. We’ve had enough darkness.”

He closed the space between them. “It’s us forever.”

“It is. But no more withholding. From either of us.”

“On Azul.”

She laughed softly, letting her forehead rest against his. “On Azul.”

“You hungry?”

“That’s my favorite Chinese spot?”

“You know it. Something about turning a nigga into ashes gives me some nostalgia,” he said jokingly.

She swayed her head. “Anyway, Pepe has an actual restaurant now. So tomorrow when you have your meeting with East and Fahaad take him around.”

“You know something I don’t?”

“Oh always, baby daddy. Just one thing though. At work, I’m the boss. In here, you can have your way.”

“I hear you. Call those movers tomorrow,” he directed, moving away from her to fix her food.

“Where we going?”

“To that house you bought in Ocean View.”

“Ohhh,” Kamilla crooned. “Someone looked at their portfolio.”

“Sure did. I swear if you didn’t like working as much as you do, you’d be sat down the rest of your days. In the house being soft and shit,” he commented. “I’m never coming off you.”

“Don’t. I like you in me, on me, by me. All of that.”

fifty

The sun had barely risen and already danced through the linen curtains of Kamilla’s bedroom. Sleeping soundly underneath his watchful gaze was Kairo who’d straggled into the room almost three hours ago before he could pull Kamilla in for another round. Instead, he settled for pulling her bonnet off and fondling her curls until his fingers twitched with thumps of melodies.

A soft touch prompted him to take the headphones off his head and drift his eyes up at the beauty that consumed his thoughts. She was his dream with his eyes wide open. Thankfulness flooded him as he took her in, wild hair he was the cause of, his shirt that once swallowed her was filled with her full breasts and hips he was going to have the pleasure in watching spread to house another beautiful addition to their universe.

“You still on jail time?” she sassed, voice still heavy with tiredness.