by Blue Saffire
I gasp and frown. “I didn’t tell her. I didn’t tell anyone. I wanted to surprise you,” I pout.
Noah throws his head back and laughs. “Wrong family for that, Beautiful,” Noah then pauses and looks me in the eyes. His eyes widen. “Wait a minute, she was right,” he asks in awe.
I smile and nod my head. “Yes, with everything that was going on, I didn’t realize I’ve been late… like three months late,” I say and bite my lip.
Noah cups my face in his big hands and kisses me passionately. His hands move down my neck, over my shoulder and to my waist. He places a hand on my belly and breaks the kiss to put his forehead to mine.
“I love you so much. We’re having a son,” Noah asks with a twinkle in his eyes.
I laugh and shake my head at him. “I don’t know if it’s a boy, but we are having a baby.”
“Rebecca,” Noah breathes my name. “I don’t know if I will ever find the words to express how much I love you. I can’t believe we both almost fucked this up.”
I giggle. “Yeah, we were both pretty clueless,” I laugh.
“Baby, clueless isn’t even close. We were both blind,” Noah chuckles.
“When you think about it now, do you think you would have missed it if we could do it all over again,” I ask.
“I don’t think I would change a thing about us. It’s who we are, what makes us, us,” he says with a loving look in his eyes.
“Yeah, you’re right,” I sigh in contentment.
I peek at our table and laugh. “Looks like we are going to have to make good on that favor for Ryan. He got her over to our table,” I giggle.
Noah shakes his head. “That kid is nuts. I don’t know why we agreed to go along with his mess. We would have told her our story if she asked,” Noah grumbles.
“Well, it looks like she doesn’t know that,” I shrug.
“Well, they can wait, my wife is too gorgeous to stop dancing with right now,” Noah replies and moves in for another kiss.
My heart swells, because I picked this dress with Noah in mind. I hadn’t known I was pregnant then, and I’m so happy it still fits. The sweetheart neckline and mermaid bottom actually compliant my changing shape to perfection.
My breasts just started swelling recently, but today the swelling gives to the dress in the right way. I even think my hips are a little curvier. I smirk when Noah’s hands confirm my suspicions. His hands slide to my hips and he squeezes them.
“I can’t wait to get you out of here. This dress has been killing me all day, now that I know you are carrying our baby. I want you so much,” Noah whispers in my ear, then tilts his head to nip at my exposed neck.
“We could just leave now,” I whimper and slide my hands under his tuxedo jacket.
Noah is wearing the hell out of his tux. For such a large man, my man is always well put together, but today. Wow, I really don’t think I have ever seen Noah look sexier. Even the stray hairs that keep slipping free from his bun into his face are sexy.
Noah growls into my neck. “I wish. My mother would kill us,” Noah sighs. “Let’s get this over with so at least we get Ry out of our hair,” Noah says as the song ends, and he nods in the direction of Mariah’s niece Carmen, or Nene as her aunt so affectionately calls her.
I like her. She is a smart and funny girl. Ryan likes them smart and a little nerdy. I think that’s why he is always hitting on Nick’s wife, Sephora. It is harmless flirting, but I know she is totally Ry’s type.
I clap my hands for my best friend that just sung her heart out for us, then allow my husband to lead me off the dance floor, to our table. Ry has a sly smile on his lips as he stands possessively close to Carmen. I stifle a laugh, she is trying to seem unaffected, but she doesn’t stand a chance.
“Hey guys you remember Carmen,” Ry says and places an arm around her waist. “I figure since she is doing your wedding video and since she is my future wife, she should know your story. You think you guys could tell her on camera. I think it will be cool for the video. We can do it in the mansion, in the tea room,” Ry says with a smug smile.
Carmen whips her head in Ry’s direction and I have to bury my face in Noah’s shoulder to cover my laugh. I don’t know who is worse, Ryan or Braxton. I can feel Noah’s chest rumble with laugher and I know my husband is thinking the same thing.
“You do know who she’s related to,” I look up to see Noah lifting a brow at Ry with his question.
“What’s your point?” Ryan shrugs.
“Kevin nor Nathan Briggs, are men you want to piss off. Not to mention, Nate’s wife happens to be very good friends with Uri Donati. I’m just saying,” Noah shrugs and chuckles.
“And I started to care about all that when,” Ry says pointedly. “Just give my girl her interview and don’t hold back. She wants to know it all.”
“I’m not your girl,” Carmen murmurs.
Ryan plant a kiss on her cheek and slaps her ass. “Oh good, our first disagreement is out of the way. We’re off to an epic start, Baby,” Ryan croons.
Carmen stands there with a stunned look on her face. I decide to rescue her. I walk over and loop my arm in hers. “Come on, this may take a while. You’ll be safe with us at least,” I giggle.
“I’m not so sure about that,” Carmen mutters as she eyes Ryan warily.
Noah walks up beside me, planting his big hand on my ass. “She’s right, when a Black wants something, it’s as good as ours,” Noah laughs.
“But what if I don’t want to be his,” Carmen says with alarm in her voice that doesn’t match her eyes.
A laugh bubbles from my lips and I pat her arm. “Sure sweetie, you keep telling yourself that,” I giggle. “Trust me, being loved by one of the Black brothers is not so bad. They all come with their own special surprises,” I wiggle my brows at her.
“What,” Carmen asks with furrowed brows.
“You’ll get it once you hear our story,” I just grin. “We’ll start at the beginning.”
CHAPTER ONE
Our Beginning
Noah
I walk out the front door and turn towards the side of the house where I know I will find Wyatt and Johnathan. The younger boys are in the house with mom, baking cookies. Ryan gets whiny when mom bakes and the cookies take too long to eat. I can’t take that crap so I came out to see what Wyatt and John are up to.
“Noah,” I hear a little voice sing from behind me.
I smile and turn to find a smiling little six-year-old on the sidewalk outside my house. Her little brown face is lit up with a brilliant smile. Rebecca has this smile that makes you want to protect her. She also has the prettiest caramel brown skin and the biggest, brightest cinnamon colored eyes. I love this kid. I open my arms and she runs right into them.
I’m tall for eleven, but Rebecca is a tall, six-year-old as well. She is tall and skinny as a rail, or a bean stalk like her dad always says. That’s where her nickname comes from. Everyone calls her Bean, well, almost everyone. I still call her Rebecca.
I give her a good squeeze, before I let her go. “Hey, what’s up,” I say as I step back from Rebecca.
“Guess what,” she gushes as she bounces on her toes in her little purple sneakers.
“What’s up,” I say with a smile, her excitement is contagious.
“I got my new bike. It’s purple and has training wheels,” Rebecca says with big wide brown eyes.
“Cool, have you taken it for a ride yet,” I ask, knowing how bad she wanted this bike. Her dad had promised her one not too long ago and it has been all she has talked about since.
Her little smile falls and the sparkle leaves her eyes. “No, daddy said he would teach me to ride it, but he was de-…dip-…disp-…,” Rebecca pauses and looks up to think. Her face twists and she frowns. “Deployed,” she beams as she thinks of the word she is trying to say. “He had to go away on a special assignment,” she whispers the last part.
I chuckle. I know all too well what she is talking about. Dad was
called away this morning. Uncle Chase, Uncle Rob, Uncle Steve and Daddy are on the same team. I don’t think Bean understands that much yet, but it sure is cute watching her try to explain her dad not being able to teach her to ride her bike.
“Right,” I nod. “So how about I teach you?”
Rebecca’s face lights up the whole block. “Really Noah,” she says in awe. “You’ll teach me?”
“Sure, come on, kid, show me this bike,” I say and tug one of her cute little pigtails.
A little blush colors her little light brown cheeks and she turns to lead the way to her shiny new bike. I chuckle as I watch her knobby knees carry her away towards her house. I love this kid.
~B~
Bean
I can’t believe Noah is going to teach me to ride my bike. I thought daddy would be able to, but now that Noah said he’ll teach me, I’m so excited. The Blacks are the coolest kids on the block. My daddy and uncles are friends with their dad. Noah is my friend.
None of the little kids play with me because I’m so tall and the big kids call me a baby. Not Noah, Noah is always there to defend me and be my friend. I don’t bother him a lot. I don’t want to seem like a pain. So when I do get to hang with him and the other boys, I try to keep up as best I can.
I just wanted to show him my bike, but now he is going to teach me to ride it. This is the best day ever. I’m going to make him proud. Just you see.
“Here it is,” I beam proudly. “This is my bike.”
“Cool wheels,” Noah smiles. “Come on, walk it out to my driveway. We can practice there. When you can ride, we’ll ride to the store for ice cream.”
“Cool, I have money,” I say and dig in my pocket. I pull out the money my daddy gave me this morning before he kissed me goodbye.
“Put your money away. I’ll take care of it,” Noah chuckles.
I shove my money into my pocket and grab the handlebars of my bike. Yup, this is the best day ever. I’ll be riding this bike in no time. Noah is my hero.
CHAPTER TWO
Enough is Enough
Noah
Three years later…
“Oh come on, Noah, it’s none of our business,” Felix whines as I storm up the block.
“The fuck it ain’t,” I snarl. “That’s Bean and she is like our little sister. I’m so tired of her letting those punks pick on her. I know she can whip their asses.”
“I got one more time to get in trouble today. Mom is going to kick my ass,” Felix grumbles.
I roll my eyes at my little brother and keep walking. “Then go back to the house and wait for the others to come back from the store,” I toss over my shoulder.
Felix has once again broken his bike, so when the rest of our brothers, -with the exception of Wyatt, who is off with some girl, -decided to take a ride to the store, he had to stay behind. None of the others wanted to give him a ride, because he’d likely jinx their bike as well.
I had to stay behind because according to Cassidy Black, my big mouth reached its word quota for the day and I’d better not move my ass from our front step. Cass maybe a tiny little woman, but we’re all scared as hell of her. I’m going to be in all types of trouble in a few minutes, but Rebecca Lockhart, aka Bean will be worth all that trouble.
Bean is still the skinniest thing on two legs. Mom is always telling me that I’m too rough with Bean and that I’ll break her one of these days. That’s crap, Bean is tough as nails.
I have always had a soft spot for the kid. Those big brown eyes get me every time. It’s like watching a sad puppy you want to take home. Bean is so sweet and innocent. Even when she is hanging out with me and all of my brothers, she manages to come off as innocent.
I know better than anyone that shit ain’t true. Rebecca has a mean streak a mile long. She just likes to hide it deep down inside. It has a lot to do with her daddy. Chase Lockhart, or Uncle Chase as we call him, hasn’t adopted to civilian life as well as my dad and Chase’s brothers, Uncle Rob and Uncle Steve, have. Uncle Chase is a flat out drunk, a mean drunk. Not to Bean, but he is to Bean’s mom.
I don’t know, I’m only fourteen, but I see shit. I think that’s why Bean is the way she is. Bean is five years younger than me at nine years old, but she is one of the smartest little girls. I know that much. She has been skipped a grade and all. What is happening in her home with her dad is not lost on her.
I hate it when that smile I love isn’t on Rebecca’s face. She is one of the prettiest little girls ever and her brown eyes make you want to see her smile light up her pretty face. Bean has always had long flowing brown curls that meet the center of her back when it’s down, but her mother always puts it in these pigtails on the sides of her head, braiding them with silk ribbons.
It’s those fucking ribbons and plats that gets these bullying sessions started every time. Bean doesn’t allow anyone to tug on those pigtails but me. However, Tommy Henry thinks it is his right to touch Bean anytime he feels like it. That fucker won’t pull her hair when I’m around, but as soon as he thinks I’m not watching he starts his shit.
I should have known he was going to fuck with Bean today. I saw the smug smile on his face when my mom blasted my ass in front of everyone that was in a block of listening and watching. I’ve got something for his ass. I’ve just been waiting.
“Leave her alone,” Nellie shouts in her little voice. She is the tiniest thing out here. A year older than Bean, but still half as big.
Nellie and Bean are as tight as tight can be. They met a few years back in school and have been best friends since. Nellie is over Bean’s house whenever Bean is not at Nellie’s place or when Bean is not hanging out with me and my brothers.
I’ve started teaching Nellie to protect herself just like I have been teaching Bean for most her life. When Uncle Chase couldn’t be around to protect her all the time he left it to me and I take that shit seriously. It’s my turn to smirk as I think of what I know these two are capable of. I stop right beside Bean and cross my arms over my chest. I may be fourteen, but I look more like I’m sixteen. Tommy and his friends are my age and shouldn’t be picking on a nine-year-old anyway. I don’t care how much older Rebecca looks.
“I should’ve known this pussy would come to your rescue,” Tommy says with confidence that doesn’t show in his face or body.
He looks like he’s about to shit his pants. I watch his eyes flicker between me and my brother Felix, -who by the way, followed me down the block just like I knew he would. He would be in more trouble with mom if he let me get into a fight and didn’t help.
Tommy’s eyes dart around as if he is looking for my other brothers. I can see he is thinking about running before they get here, but he wants to save face in front of his boys. If I were him, I would have chosen to run today, because what I have planned is going to be so much worse than getting his ass beat by me and all of my brothers.
“Shut up, bitch,” I growl.
I then look at Rebecca. I stare down at her until she lifts her head to look at me. When our eyes lock, I know she knows it’s time for her to follow through on what I have been telling her. No more. I’ve had enough.
“You’re going to beat his ass or it’s me and you kid,” I say low, but not so low that the others can’t hear me.
“Yeah, right,” Tommy snorts.
“But I don’t want to,” Bean pouts, she then turns to Tommy. “Tommy, just give me my money back.”
“Are you kidding me,” I snap. “He took your money? What did I tell you, Bean? Never, and I mean never, let no one take what’s yours. Beat his ass, Bean, because I sure shit ain’t taking it easy on you if you don’t.”
Bean turns her head slowly to look up at me. Her shoulders sag and she sighs. “Fine,” she huffs.
Tommy and his friends throw their heads back and laugh. I smirk because I’ll be having the last laugh. Just then all my brothers except for Wyatt, show up on their bikes and surround me and the girls. Tommy stops laughing and looks around nervously again.
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“Don’t worry, we’re not jumping in and neither will anyone else,” I say in warning as I eye Tommy’s boys.
“I won’t jump in, but I sure do want to slap that one,” Nellie says pointing to Derrick Griffin, from up the block. Yeah, I’m not a fan myself.
I shake my head at Nellie’s feisty little self. I’ll have to watch her, because when it comes to Bean, Nellie will jump in. She and Bean are a lot alike. They’ll let others pick on them, but not on one and other.
Bean walks up to Tommy and he grins in her face. “You ain’t gonna do sh-,” he doesn’t get the last words out. Bean pulls back and punching him right in the nose.
Tommy howls and covers his face, but Bean knows that is not enough. I’ve taught her to make them pay. She better beat his ass until he knows to never fuck with her again.
That she does. “Oh,” my brothers holler collectively as Bean throws that right hook I made sure she has perfected. Tommy tries to throw his own punch after shaking away the cobwebs, but Bean is quick.
Bean ducks out of the way and comes up swing. I wince when her two piece lands. Just from the sound of the punches, I know Tommy has just lost some teeth. Tommy’s cousin Kirk steps forward like he is going to jump in and I growl at him. My brothers all hop off of their bikes, placing them down on the ground.
“Go ahead if you want. I’ll beat the fuck out of you,” Brax yells.
I snort. Brax just beat Kirk’s ass last week. From the look on his face, he still remembers the beating. I nod my head when Kirk steps back and I refocus on Bean whipping Tommy’s ass. He is on the ground holding onto one of her legs as she beats the shit out of him with her fists.
“Damn,” one of Tommy’s crew says. “She fights just like one of them. Fucking crazy Blacks. I’m out of here.”
“Now give me my money,” Bean shouts down at Tommy as her little chest heaves up and down. Her little brown face is red with anger.
Tommy rushes to pull Bean’s money from his pocket as he spits out blood. “My teeth,” Tommy whines.
“I told you stop picking on me,” Bean huffs. She pops him twice more. “That’s for calling Noah a pussy and for trying to push Nellie. You’re going to leave me alone from now on.”