Page 39 of Beacon Grove Chronicles 1: Hassan & Sylvia

“You out here defending my baby’s honor?”

“I been wanted to whoop Dave’s ass but more than that I don’t play about people not taking care of their kids. He needs to be put on his head about that alone.”

“I hate that I got it so wrong, you know?” She’d switched subjects fast as shit but I was sure that statement had been playing around in her head for a minute. Sisi had just finally let me in on what was going on in her mind.

“Did you?”

She stopped pacing and put her hands on her hips. “I’m a divorced mother of two kids. That seems to be me getting it wrong.”

I pulled her closer to me by the backs of her thighs and kneaded them slowly before making my way up to her ass. “How so? Your kids are wrong?”

“No. They’re everything to me.” Her eyes were fluttering closed and I watched the tension melt away.

“I hoped you say that or else I would have to kick you out my life.”

Her eyes shot open as she laughed at me. She tried to push me playfully but I wasn’t about to let her go. “Damn, it’s like that? I thought you were supposed to be wooing me.”

“I am. But the last thing I want is a deadbeat woman. Can’t have you around me if you don’t take care of your kids.”

“You feel the same way about your homeboys?”

I laughed hard as shit because I couldn’t wait for her to meet the niggas I hung out with. All of them were serious about their families and looked out for other people like family. Myself included.

“All of the men I know are upstanding as fuck. Well, when it comes to their responsibility. A few of them could be categorized as goons.”

“That tracks.”

I was intrigued because she didn’t ask me to elaborate, just accepted that I was calling my people wild and ran with it. “How so?”

“Because you and your cousins were always the ones to get up to shit growing up. I thought it was because you all were the descendants of the original founder and were just arrogant as shit. But now I see it’s got to be genetic.”

“Not you talking shit about my bloodline. We might have living proof of our mixed DNA at some point and you’re hating the ancestors? Gotta tighten up before somebody hexes our asses.”

“The dead can hex?”

I gave her a pointed look because I was now questioning her Black southerness with that statement. “You want to find out by fucking up?”

One of her ancestors must’ve knocked sense into her because she shook her head quick as shit. “No, I don’t.”

“I knew you were the smartest mouse in the maze, Sylvie.”

She cracked up laughing at me and I was hit once again with how much it made me happy to see her smile.

I pointed to her face and knew my smile matched hers. “I like seeing you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Laugh. Be free. Look as though you don’t have the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

“Yeah, I guess. It’s been a minute since I’ve been able to just let go.”

“And to think you were worried I wouldn’t scoop your son up.”

“It wasn’t your responsibility, Hassan.”

“It is because Dorian didn’t ask to be the target of his bullshit and whenever you need me, I got you. I’ll keep saying it until you understand I’m here for the long term.”

“Why?”