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“I can trust you. But if it’s something important, can you promise me you’ll let me know?” She stared into my eyes.

“It depends. If I feel like it will put you in danger, fuck no.”

“I want y’all to stop babying me. My husband was dead when I arrived. Only feet away from our gate. I can’t get any more traumatized than that.”

I threw my hands up. “Aight. If I find anything out, I’ll let you kno’.”

The meeting with the partners went great. I watched all of them niggas eyes as Kyenna talked. Some I saw lust and some I saw respect. What I was looking for was envy. So far, none of them showed it. They gave her feedback on how they should move forward. They collaborated and figured the shit out. After today, I doubted that Kyenna would even need me. She had this shit under control. If she didn’t, I’m sure her dad would get the shit straight. My brother left it to her, and I didn’t want to interfere with any of her decisions she made.

Later that evening, I finally pulled up to Nikki’s driveway. The porch light was already on because she knew I was coming. As soon as I stepped inside, I could smell the smothered pork chops.

“Damn,” I said. “I’m starvin’.”

Nikki looked over her shoulder. “You said that three hours ago. It took a lot to get this food to stay warm.”

“My bad.”

She fixed my plate without another word. Nikki would cuss me out and take care of me in the same breath.

“Thank you,” I said, kissing her cheek.

Nikki and I had been kicking it for a few years now. My mama asked why I had not made things official with her. I wasn’t big on titles when it came to women. I had love for her, but the answering to a woman was draining for me. Nikki worked at a bakery that she shared with her family. She was a beast in the kitchen.

“How did it go?”

“Shit, Kyenna killed it. She got everythin’ under control.”

“I told you she would.”

“I’m just glad to see my brother’s dream stayin’ alive.”

“Will you be spending a lot of time over there?”

I shrugged, “Probably.”

“Until she gets settled?”

“Yeah.”

Nikki looked down at her glass.

“Okay.”

Her okay carried something with it. I knew it wasn’t because she didn’t trust me. I haven’t given her a reason not to. Nikki wasn’t the jealous type. She knew if I wanted another bitch, I’d leave before I started playin’ in her face. That’s why I was confused about why the fuck she was questioning me about my brother’s wife. I would never cross the line with Kyenna. She was like a sister to me.

“You good?” I asked.

“I just miss you.”

“What you mean?”

“You’ve been gone every day. You come over exhausted and we don’t talk as much as we used to. I know your family needs you more than me right now. I just miss my man.”

Her feelings were valid, but she also knew what she was getting into when it came to me and my family. This was one of the reasons I didn’t want to be tied down to a woman. It came with too many emotions. I wanted her to understand that I had just lost my brother and I was trying to keep his dream alive and that included me helping his wife keep that shit going. At least until she told me she had it.

“I understand your feelin’s. You need to understand mine as well. I’m not gonna always be able to be with you. Even if I wasn’t helpin’ Kyenna, I would still be out and about runnin’ my shit. This is not somethin’ new, Nikki.”

“You were doing better though, Shameek.”