Where My Loyalties Lie 3

by K. C. Mills

  “Yo, you just pissed him the fuck off,” Gotti said and laughed. “Got that nigga sweating and shit, thinking we’re ’bout to bail on his ass.”

  Logic looked at Gotti as he pulled off. He hadn't discussed with him the conversation he had with Levi yet. “We are.”

  “Word, what’s fucking up with that?” Gotti rubbed his hands together before he looked Logic's way.

  “The only reason I fucked with Solomon in the first place was because I couldn't get to his plug. Fuck him. We’re going straight to the source now. Levi wouldn’t fuck with people unless you were dealing in big numbers. With Rah’s territory, we got that shit easy.”

  “Yo, I told your ass, this right here is where you need to be.” Gotti leaned back and laughed.

  Not long after, the two were back at their spot in the basement watching over a few of their guys as they got the product they had just picked up ready to hit the street.

  “You now my moms is about to be all in your shit about my sister, right?” Logic said after reading a text from Joy, telling him that they were done cooking.

  “For what?”

  “Cause, bruh, you’re kicking it with her baby girl. She don't take that shit too light.”

  Gotti laughed as he lifted the blunt he was holding and lit it. “I ain't worried about that. Moms love me,” Gotti insisted, which made Logic laugh.

  “Shit, that just because you never had to deal with Mini. She goes hard, yo. Especially when it comes to Najah. That’s her baby girl, and after Fezz, she be looking at everybody with a side eye.”

  Gotti smirked. “Man, I got this. Your mom was cool as hell the first time I met her. She was going in on your ass, but she was cool with me.”

  Gotti thought about how Mini was pissed at Logic for taking over her house and forcing everyone to stay there the night he couldn't get his hands on Rah. Mini had been nice to him, offering him food and making sure he had what he needed to be comfortable for the night.

  “Don’t let that shit fool you. That was before she knew you were fucking with her daughter. You and Nah Nah are on some couple type shit now, and that’s a game changer, bruh. Just wait.”

  “Man, Najah is grown,” Gotti said before he released a cloud of smoke.

  “Walk your ass in there telling Mini that shit, and you better fucking run. And I suggest you don't show up smelling like that shit or she’s really going in on your ass.”

  Gotti held his blunt out and looked at it. “I feel you. I’ll be straight, but your ass better have my damn back.”

  “Hell fucking no. That’s your shit, bruh. I ain't fucking with Mini like that so she can go in on me.” Logic shook his head and laughed.

  “Yo, that’s fucked up, man.”

  “You my people and everything, but when it comes to Mini, it's every man for himself.”

  Now Gotti was shaking his head. He hoped things went smoothly because he was feeling Najah. Since Moses and Rah were handled and business was picking up, it was time to get his personal life in order, which meant locking shit down with Najah. He didn't think that meant getting past her mother, but if that was what needed to be done, then fuck it. Let the games begin.

  *****

  Nova looked up at Nathan as she stepped out the shower, lifted her towel off the rack, and wrapped it around her body. He was standing in the doorway watching her with his arms folded across his chest.

  “You’re really making this no sex thing hard, especially when you’re looking like that.”

  She eyed his handsome face and grinned. “That’s your fault. I didn't ask you to come in here, did I?”

  Nate stepped into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around Nova before kissing her neck.

  “I couldn't help it. How do you expect me to know that you’re in here naked and not take a peek?”

  “Then that’s on you,” Nova said and moved past him to leave the bathroom.

  She and Nate had been kicking it for a few weeks, but unlike her other relationships, she decided to slow things down a little. After dealing with Rah, she learned that people aren't always what they seem, and she wasn't interested in finding that out the hard way again.

  The night after she met Nate at the club, he had called her. They talked for hours and she had an instant attraction. He was taking some getting used to because he was not like the guys that she usually dated, but she was committed to really giving him a chance. Nate was a legit businessman. He was a lawyer and not from the streets, which was a one eighty from the men she usually dated.

  At twenty-eight years old, he owned his own home, didn't rely on anyone but himself, and didn't have any kids or crazy exes. She couldn't really understand why he was hanging in there with her because she was a typical single mom struggling to figure out life, but none of that seemed to matter with him. Every time she questioned him about it, he just said that he saw something in her.

  “So, why are you so secretive about this family dinner? You hiding me or something? Am I not good enough to meet your family?”

  Nova slipped into her panties before turning her back to him and putting on her bra. After she was done, she tossed her towel on the bed and pulled her closet door open to find something to wear.

  “I’m not secretive about it. If I was, you wouldn't even know about it. It's not about hiding you, things are just complicated with my family,” Nova admitted before selecting a pair of jeans and then stepping into them.

  Nate looked at her with concern. “Complicated how? All families are complicated, mine included.”

  He sat on her bed facing her as she pulled her shirt over her head. Once she adjusted it around her body, she stood in front of him, trying to decide how to explain that her cousin was a drug dealer, one of the biggest in their area, and him being a lawyer didn't have her feeling all warm and fuzzy inside about the two crossing paths. Lawyers weren't cops, but they worked hand and hand.

  “The last time I brought a guy to meet my family, he and my cousin ended up almost shooting each other, so maybe it's not such a good idea for you to meet them,” she teased, trying to bring humor into the situation.

  The look on Nate’s face let her know that he wasn't really sure how to respond, so she stood there waiting until he eventually did.

  “Look, I don't know what that’s about, but I would assume it had something to do with you choosing the wrong guy. I like you. I like your kids. I want more of you, and that means more of who you are. I don't care who your family is or what they do. I’m a corporate lawyer, not a criminal one, and even if I was, my business is my business and yours is yours. If I meet your family then it's Nate, the man who is under Nova’s spell, not Nate, the corporate lawyer. Don't hide from me because you think I might complicate things or judge. I just want more of you, that’s it.”

  Nova stood there processing his words, not really knowing where to go from there. One thing was for sure, she was definitely feeling Nate, and she hoped that things would continue to grow. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to bring him into their circle. If nothing else, she knew that they would let her know their thoughts on him. Nova still didn't one hundred percent trust her judgment, so having Nate around her family, might actually work out to be a good thing.

  “Fine, but don’t say I didn't warn you.”

  A grin spread across her face as she stepped between his legs. His hands held the back of her thighs and she leaned down to connect her lips with his. He returned the favor and Nova said a silent prayer that they could make it through dinner without any guns involved.

  -12-

  Joy sat in Logic’s lap with her arms around his neck, while his rested on her body. One on her thigh, the other under her shirt on her stomach. She was all smiles as she watched Najah squirm while Mini and Luther played twenty questions with Gotti, who wore a soft smile, not really moved by the interrogation that they were putting him through.

  “She’s more stressed than he is,” Joy whispered against Logic's ear before she kissed the side of his face.


  “I know, which means that she really likes his ass. Otherwise, she wouldn't give a fuck.” Logic kissed Joy’s neck and then moved one of his fingers into the waist band of her jeans, but he stopped there since he and Joy weren't alone in the kitchen.

  “And you’re how old?” Mini asked for the third time like she was expecting Gotti to change his answer.

  He chuckled before winking at Najah, who was across the room from where he was standing. “Twenty-seven.”

  “Mmmhmm, and you don't have any kids? That includes any that might be on the way.” she said, looking right at him.

  This time, Luther chuckled. He was next to Mini so he leaned down and kissed her lips.

  “Leave this man alone. He answered all of your questions and mine, even the ones you asked more than once.”

  “Oh my God, you’d think he was asking me to marry him or something,” Najah mumbled with an attitude.

  “Don’t make me cuss you out, little girl. This is my house and I can ask him whatever I want, how many times I want.” Mini was speaking to her daughter while she grilled Luther, who laughed at the fact that Mini thought her like or dislike for Gotti was going to affect whether Najah continued to date him.

  “It's all good. I don't have anything to hide,” Gotti said, offering up a set of pearly whites.

  Mini rolled her eyes and walked over to the stove. “Where’s Nova? Anybody heard from her yet?”

  “She’s coming. She asked me to get the twins because she was going to be late, but she just text and said she’d be here in a minute,” Najah said, looking down at her phone, grateful that the focus was no longer on her and Gotti.

  “Auggie, when are you going to slow your ass down long enough to find a house for Joy?”

  Logic looked up at Joy, who shrugged with a grin. This was the downside to Joy and Mini spending so much time together, sidebar conversations about their personal life.

  “I’m working on it.” He cut his eyes at Joy and then bit down on her shoulder.

  “Hey everybody,” Nova said as she entered the kitchen, pulling her purse off her shoulder and then dropping it on the kitchen table. She was followed by Nate, who quickly had everyone’s attention.

  “Who is this?” Mini asked as her eyes moved from the top of Nate's head down to the Jordans on his feet. He was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a Nike sweatshirt.

  Joy and Najah shared a quick glance and grinned, recognizing Nate from the club, before they focused on him again. Neither of them knew that Nova had called herself friendly enough with Nate for him to be standing in Mini’s kitchen for family dinner night.

  “This is Nate. He’s a friend of mine and—”

  Mini held her hand up to silence Nova and then looked at Joy. “Do you know him?” she asked with the most serious expression.

  “No, why?” Joy asked in confusion.

  “Good, then maybe Auggie won't try to shoot him,” Mini said like it was nothing, and then looked right back at Nate. “Welcome, baby, make yourself at home. We’re glad to have you. Dinner should be ready in a few, and Nova, get that damn purse off my table, little girl.”

  Everyone in the kitchen exchanged glances and Luther shook his head while Mini continued moving around like she hadn't just said the craziest thing ever. It caused them all to smile, but no one said a word about it. Mini was Mini, and that wasn't changing for anyone.

  The rest of dinner went about the same. Mini took shots at everyone because she could, and no one but Luther was going to challenge that, which he did from time to time. Nate seemed to fit right in, which was a relief to Nova, and she was even impressed that Logic and Gotti got along with him. The three spent time with Trent and Kenyan playing the game and having guy talk while the girls chilled and did their own thing.

  As the night went on, Luther and Mini disappeared, which didn't go unnoticed, leaving the crew to fend for themselves. Trent and Kenyan were deep into a movie while Kenya slept peacefully next to them, leaving the adults to conversation amongst themselves.

  “What the fuck does a corporate lawyer do?” Gotti asked Nate, who was sitting across the room in the La-Z-Boy with Nova on his lap.

  Gotti was on one end of the sofa with Najah on his lap, while Logic was stretched out on the other end, one leg across it while the other rested on the floor. Joy was positioned between his legs with his arms around her.

  Nate chuckled because he got that a lot. Not many people understood his job. “It's like private legal counsel for the company I work for. I help with contracts and acquisitions, but I guess the easiest way to explain it is I make sure they get their money's worth with every deal they make.”

  “You like that shit? It sounds boring as fuck,” Logic said, which made Nova roll her eyes.

  Nate laughed. “It's alright, but you’re right, it is boring as fuck. Pays the bills though, so it's whatever.”

  “I feel you on that. Get that paper anyway you can,” Logic said with a grin.

  “Absolutely.” Nate agreed.

  He knew from the time he laid eyes on Gotti and Logic what their profession was. There were subtle clues like the fact the neither of them had actual jobs, but were dressed in expensive attire. Their mannerisms and conversation were also a dead giveaway, which connected the dots on why Nova didn't want him around her family. He didn't really care one way or the other.

  Nate wasn't from the streets, but had no issue with anyone who was. How Logic and Gotti lived was none of his business, and he planned to make that clear to Nova so that she would be at ease about him being a part of her life. After tonight, seeing how free and loving she was around her family, he knew that he was slowly falling, and planned to make that clear to her.

  “Aight, bet, so when I need to negotiate some deals and acquire some shit, I’m gonna give you a call,” Logic said.

  “I got you.” Nate said and then kissed Nova on the temple.

  “Yo, what I want to know is why the fuck your ass didn't get the third degree like I did,” Gotti asked, pointing at Nate.

  “Because you look shady as fuck, and he’s a suit and tie type brother,” Logic said.

  “No hell, he’s rocking jeans and Jays. YOUR mother just be on that bullshit,” Najah said, making them all laugh.

  “Why she gotta be my mother just because she went in on his shady ass.”

  Najah rolled her eyes and knocked Logic’s leg off the sofa.

  “Yo, chill, don't be mad. It's all good, Nah Nah. It’s just because she loves you more than she loves Nova,” Logic teased.

  “Oh, hell no, it just means that she trusts my decision making skills more than she trust hers,” Nova said, pointing at Najah.

  “Do we really wanna go there?” Najah said with a smirk.

  “Man, don't bring that shit up before you fuck around and piss me off,” Logic said, getting annoyed.

  A conversation about Rah was the last thing he wanted right now, and he knew that was where Najah was going with that.

  Joy tilted her head back and kissed Logic to calm him down, knowing that him thinking about Rah wasn't good on any level.

  “Well, on that note, I think it's time for us to go. It's late and I’m tired.” Nova lifted her body from Nate's and he followed, standing behind her and sliding his arm around her waist.

  Everyone else followed so that they could say their goodbyes. Nova and Nate got the twins ready to go, and Najah and Gotti did the same with Trent, since the two were staying at his place. After everyone said their goodbyes, Mini and Luther made an appearance before everyone left. Family dinner night had been a success, which everyone was grateful for, but Nova more than anybody. Maybe things were starting to fall into place.

  *****

  “Stay with me tonight?” Nate said when he pulled up in front of Nova’s apartment. The twins were asleep in the back seat of his car and he wasn't quite ready for their evening to end.

  “I can't do that. They have school tomorrow.” Nova glanced over her shoulder at Kenyan an
d Kenya, who were both knocked out.

  “I’ll bring you home in the morning. I don't have to go in until nine.”

  Nova looked at Nate, who had an intense stare as he waited for her answer. She was so entranced by his looks. His chocolate complexion and dark eyes were sexy to her. Combined with a body that was well worth the time she spent admiring it, she knew she could easily fall for him. He had the sweetest personality, which surfaced anytime he dealt with her and the twins, but he also had a protective side to him, which she’d witnessed firsthand.

  While out to eat one night, a random guy got too friendly with her, which rubbed Nate the wrong way. It only took a minute for him to make it very clear that he wasn't to be messed with, and neither was anyone he valued. Nova was now in that category, so needless to say, the guy who approached her quickly backed down and apologized.

  “Maybe that’s not a good idea.”

  Nova didn't know how much will power she would have, sleeping in the same bed with Nate. She was more than attracted, and he had no issues letting her know that he felt the same. They had yet to stay the night with together. Although Nate had damn near seen her naked because he wasn't shy about being around her while she dressed or undressed, she didn't know if he would be able to stick to the no sex rule that she had insisted on and still be that close to her all night.

  “Why not? You think you’ll break down and let me have this?” Nate’s hand moved between her legs while a smirk spread across his face.

  Nova’s body reacted so fast she quickly removed his hand and clenched her thighs together to stop the flow that was happening.

  He laughed. “I’ll play by your rules. You can even sleep in the guest room with the twins if you want, although I would prefer that you slept in my bed with me. I just want to spend more time with you, so go home with me.”

  Nova searched his face, already knowing her answer before she let out a sigh. “Fine, let me go get a few things.” She looked over her shoulder again.

  “I’ll stay here with them,” Nate offered, pleased that she had given in.