“Don’t worry about it. Just know that sex will never be the same again,” Zyrian chuckled.
“I already feel like that. I think I told her I love her,” Derrick confessed.
“Nigga if she’s taking tips from Rylee you probably did. Amber ain’t playing no games. First, she got gangsta at the party, then she went home and put the pussy on you. Got you thinking she’s cheating and shit,” Zyrian laughed.
“That shit ain’t funny man. How was I supposed to know that your wife was turning my girlfriend out? I didn’t even know that Rylee was on it like that. I see why you hurry up and put a ring on it,” Derrick joked.
“Don’t worry about what goes on inside my bedroom. Get your scary ass off my line and go back to your girl,” Zyrian said right before he hung up the phone.
Derrick felt better after talking to his cousin. He didn’t want to believe that Amber was doing him dirty, but there was no other explanation. He was kind of surprised to hear that Rylee was the mastermind behind some of the things that Amber did. If Amber was only the student, Rylee had to be a damn good teacher. Zyrian never talked outside of his bedroom, but Derrick could see why he was so in love with his wife. She had to be the truth if she was able to give advice to other people. After putting his phone back on the charger, Derrick got back in the bed and snuggled up with Amber. He was tired and thanks to Zyrian, he could get some much needed rest.
Chapter 12
Zyrian was a nervous wreck as he followed the nurse’s orders and scrubbed his hands in the nearby sink. Although he hated the scrubs that they made him wear, he was happy that his babies were about to make their grand entrance. The waiting room was packed with mostly his family and the few that Rylee had. She was already being prepped for the procedure, and Zyrian was on his way in the delivery room as soon as he was done. His mother was pissed that only one person could be in the room, but that was the hospital’s rules for a cesarean. She started a scrapbook, and she didn’t want to miss a thing. She would have Zyrian take pictures of Rylee doing various things while pregnant so that she could add to it.
“Can I take pictures in there?” Zyrian asked the nurse as she led him to where his wife was.
“They usually don’t like you to, but I’ll get the doctor to let you take a few,” she smiled. Zyrian smiled back, but he was going to do it whether they said he could or not. His mother would kill him if he didn’t.
“How you feeling baby?” Zyrian asked Rylee.
“I’m okay. I actually don’t feel anything,” she replied.
“The waiting room is packed,” Zyrian informed her.
“This early?” She questioned.
They had to be at the hospital at six that morning, so she wasn’t expecting anybody to come until later on that day. Aside from Zyra and their parents, she wasn’t looking for anyone else to come so soon. Her grandmother had a doctor’s appointment, so she was coming straight over once she was done.
“You know my mama called the whole family up here,” Zyrian replied as he looked around to see what was going on.
Rylee fussed, but he took all kinds of pictures of her and everybody else in the room. The two doctors and nurses ignored him and continued speaking to each other in medical terms. Rylee could tell that Zyrian was getting antsy, so she grabbed his hand and sparked up a conversation with him. It worked for a while until the doctor announced that they were about to make the incision. Zyrian’s face lit up with excitement when they told him to get ready to cut the babies cords. He was scared to look at his wife being cut, so he held her hand and remained seated on the stool right next to her bed.
“Okay, Mrs. Hunter, we’re about to remove the first baby. You’ll feel a little pressure, but you won’t be in any pain,” the doctor announced.
Rylee nodded her understanding, and the doctor proceeded. Just like she said, Rylee felt lots of pressure, but she wasn’t in any pain. A few seconds later, she heard the cries of one of her babies.
“It’s a baby boy,” the doctor announced excitedly.
Zyrian’s smile spread a mile wide as he rushed over to the nurse that the doctor handed his son to. Just like before, the doctor gave Rylee the same instructions and out came their baby girl a little over a minute later. Both babies had a head full of hair and features that matched both of their parents. Zyrian couldn’t keep his eyes off of them as the nurses cleaned them up to bring them to the nursery. They took the outfits that Rylee had provided to dress the babies for the family to see.
“I swear that as long as I have breath in my body, you and my babies will never want for anything,” Zyrian promised Rylee as he kissed her on her lips. She had already gotten her stomach stapled, and he helped her freshen up and change into a fresh pajama set. Their families were on their way to the room, and the nurse assured them that the babies would be dressed and ready for visitors soon.
“We’re going to take care of each other. I told you that I still have my family’s life insurance policies in the bank collecting interest. I don’t know why you won’t let me put it into our joint account,” Rylee answered.
“I told you that that’s going to be our traveling money,” Zyrian said.
“You keep saying that, but where are we traveling to?” Rylee asked.
“Anywhere you want to go,” Zyrian replied right as his mother and father walked into the room followed by Rylee’s grandmother. Before long the room was packed from wall to wall with people coming to congratulate the new parents. When the nurse wheeled the babies in, some of them had to wait in the hall just to make room. Zyra waited until everybody else was pre-occupied before she went over to Rylee and talked to her.
“I knew that there was something about you the first day we met,” Zyra said as she sat on Rylee’s bed right next to her.
“Why do you say that?” Rylee inquired.
“I can’t explain it, but I knew that you were special the first time I saw you. Just like I knew that I didn’t like Mekhi the first time I saw him,” Zyra replied.
“Yeah, you always said that, but you never said why,” Rylee wondered.
“My grandmother used to always tell me and Zyrian that we had the spirit of discernment. It’s like we can look at a person and tell when they’re not right. I’m not as good as Zyrian is, though. He can tell you that somebody is no good, and he be right on point.”
“Zyrian says that about everybody,” Rylee laughed.
“You’re laughing, but it’s true. He said it about Mekhi, Nicole, and Brandy. You see how that turned out. He even said it about our cousin China, and I believe him.”
Rylee stopped laughing because Zyra was right. Every time her husband said something about somebody they turned out to be exactly what he said they were. He’d only seen her aunt Leslie once, and that was enough for him to know that he didn’t like her for some reason.
“But enough about that. Who would have known that us meeting all those years ago would bring us to where we are now?” Zyra smiled.
“I know right. I remember how heartbroken you were when you came in to get Zyrian a lawyer. I felt so bad for you,” Rylee told her.
“You couldn’t have paid me to believe that y’all would have been married with twins now. But I couldn’t be happier. You’re the best thing that ever happened to my family,” Zyra said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
Rylee grabbed her into a tight hug as she let the tears flow freely from her eyes as well. Zyrian stood off to the side observing his only sister and his wife have their tender moment. They’d both been through a lot, and they deserved happiness. There was only so much that he could do for his sister, but he planned to spend the rest of his life making his wife smile. As much shit as Mekhi took her through, she still kept pushing forward. Zyrian knew that she was skeptical about moving on so soon with him, but he was happy that she gave him a chance. He was going to make sure that she didn’t regret it.
Chapter 13
Hurt, embarrassment, and betrayal were just a few of the word
s that described how China was feeling. As much as she tried to be there for Brandy after Zyra cut off their friendship, she still ended up stabbing her in the back. And Kirk was no better. He tried to lie at first and say that nothing happened, but China wasn’t buying it. When she threatened to put his broke ass out, he confessed and told her that he and Brandy had slept together. What was worse is that her cousin Derrick knew about it and didn’t even bother to tell her. More than likely he’d told some of their other family members, but nobody thought to say anything to her. That hurt her feelings more than anything. As far as she was concerned, she no longer had a family. Aside from her mother, everyone else could kiss her ass, starting with Brandy. She made a huge mistake by confessing her feelings for Mekhi. The same day that China found out about her and Kirk was the same day that Brandy told her that she was still messing with him. It was also the same day that she confessed her love for him. She wanted him to commit to her, but he was too much of a dog for that. China didn’t even like Mekhi, but she was about to give Brandy a taste of her own medicine. She was so happy when she searched through Kirk’s phone and saw that he still had Mekhi’s number saved. He used to be the president of their bike club, so that wasn’t unusual. China didn’t waste any time calling him either. She knew that he had just opened up a new bar, so she called him to inquire about a job. He hung up on her the first few times, but he finally took the time to listen to what she had to say. He really thought her brothers had put her up to calling him, and it took her a while to convince him otherwise. After a brief conversation, he agreed to give her an interview. China didn’t need a job because she already had one. That was just her way of getting her foot in the door.
“Are you ready to eat baby?” Kirk asked shaking China from her thoughts of a few days ago.
Their roles were definitely reversed. China worked and paid all of the bills while Kirk stayed at home and cooked and cleaned like a housewife. He really didn’t have any family, so China felt sorry for him. The few older family members that he did have lived in some part of Mississippi. She really couldn’t believe that he had the nerve to cheat knowing that he didn’t even have a place to stay without her. The only thing that he had to call his own was the motorbike that he got from one of her cousins. Her brother Buck helped him fix it up, and that was the only reason why it looked as good as it did.
“I’m not hungry,” China snapped angrily.
“Do you need anything at all? Maybe something to drink,” Kirk offered.
“What I need is for your broke ass to get a job. I’m tired of doing everything by myself. Then you had the audacity to cheat like you bringing something to the table,” China yelled.
“Please don’t start that again China. We talked about that already. I made a mistake, and I apologized over and over. I swear that it will never happen again,” Kirk swore.
“Oh I forgot, you were drunk,” China replied sarcastically.
“I was drunk, but that doesn’t excuse what I did.”
“It damn sure doesn’t. And none of what you just said changes my mind. You need a job, or you need to find you another place to stay. I hope you didn’t think you were getting off that easy. Fuck I look like to you,” China bellowed.
“You know I’ve been looking for a job China. I can’t make nobody call me back.”
“And going once a week ain’t helping either. I don’t give a damn if you have to flip burgers for a living. You have sixty days to find a job and your time started yesterday,” China said with finality as she got up and stormed away.
She’d made the threat a million times before, but this time, she meant it. No amount of sex, begging or pleading was going to change her mind this time. Kirk had to pull his own weight, or he had to go. He looked like a lost puppy when he walked into the room a few minutes later, but China was unmoved. She had to meet up with Mekhi at his new club later on that day, and she had to find something cute and sexy to wear. If all went well, Kirk wasn’t going to be the only one in their relationship who cheated. But unlike him, it wasn’t going to be a secret. She wanted Brandy to see just how it felt to have the man you loved sleep around on you.
***
Mekhi sat behind the desk in his office watching the camera’s that surrounded his unopened night club. He had a few hours to kill before they opened, so he decided to chill out for a while. Business was booming in such a short period of time, and he was very pleased with that. He gave himself six months to be rid of Tommy, but if things kept going as good as they were, it would probably be sooner. He was an okay business partner, but Mekhi wanted to be in business by himself. He loved running the show with Rylee, but that was a thing of the past. Mekhi’s heart broke when Brandy showed him the pictures of Rylee and Zyrian’s twins a few weeks ago. He couldn’t help but feel like that should have been him celebrating the birth of kids with her instead of another man. Although Janice was pregnant by him, it just wasn’t the same. He didn’t want that kind of commitment with her, and he told her as much. He all but begged her to have an abortion, but she refused. Big Moe offered to get some chicks from the hood to help him out with that, but Mekhi declined. Besides, unlike Shay, Janice wasn’t on his back. She made it clear that she didn’t want or need anything from him, and he was cool with that.
“I’ll be right back boss,” Big Moe stuck his head in the door and said.
“Where you running off to?” Mekhi asked him.
“I’m going to the parking lot. One of my bitches is about to come see me,” he smirked.
“Tell her to come in here. Let me see what you working with since you be bragging so much,” Mekhi joked.
“I don’t have to brag nigga. All of my bitches are bad.”
“Let you tell it. Bring her bad ass in here and let me see for myself.”
“Alright, I’ll be right back,” Big Moe agreed before he disappeared.
Mekhi got up from his desk and headed to the front of the building. He didn’t want Big Moe to bring anybody that he didn’t know to the back of the club. After looking around to make sure that everything was straight, he heard the front door open and then Big Moe reappeared. Mekhi’s eyes quickly traveled to the woman that he was with, trying to see where he knew her from. He waited until Big Moe introduced them before he said anything.
“Where do I know you from?” Mekhi asked the woman that he now knew as April.
“I don’t know. Where did you go to school?” She replied.
“Nah, it’s not from school or nothing like that. You just look familiar to me for some reason,” he said.
“I work for the health inspector’s office. Maybe that’s where you know me from.”
“That’s it!” Mekhi yelled as the realization hit him. “You were one of the people that came to inspect my other bar MJ’s.”
“Oh yeah. I see that y’all are renovating, so I’ll probably be seeing you again.”
April smiled, but Mekhi never did. She’d just told him something that he didn’t know. He passed by MJ’s all the time, but he didn’t know that they had started doing anything with it. That was another blow to his ego, but he tried not to let his face show it. He continued to make small talk with Big Moe and April until it was time for her to go. Big Moe walked her outside to her car before rejoining Mekhi at the bar.
“Where you know her from?” Mekhi asked his employee, turned friend once he took a seat.
“I used to fuck with her a while back before I got locked up. She ended up meeting another inmate in the visitation room one day when she came to see me and started kicking it with him,” Big Moe replied.
“Damn, she don’t even look like that type. She looks like a good girl.”
“She is a good girl. She just likes bad boys,” Big Moe replied.
“So she still fuck with the other nigga who you was locked up with?” Mekhi asked.
“I don’t even know. He got out before I did. Me and that nigga used to always bump heads in jail, so I know that he hollered at her just to fuck with
me. I wish I would see his punk ass now. It’s over for him if I do,” Big Moe said right as the buzzer on the front door sounded.
Mekhi looked at the monitor behind the bar and saw China standing there. He’d completely forgotten that he agreed to meet her, but he was curious to see what she wanted. He didn’t have shit to say to her or anybody in her family for that matter. He and Buck weren’t even cool anymore, but he seemed to take a liking to his brother Kendrick. Buck made it known that his family came first, and Mekhi had to respect that.
“Aye boss, some chick is here to see you,” Big Moe yelled snapping his from his daydream.
“Bring her to my office, but stay right by the door. I don’t trust this bitch as far as I can see her,” Mekhi instructed as he went to his office and sat behind the desk.
A few minutes later Big Moe walked in with China following close behind. Mekhi scanned her body from top to bottom and admired her slender, but curvy frame. He always thought that China was cute, but her attitude turned him off big time. She was always frowning, and she stayed in some mess.
“Hey, Mekhi. How are you?” China smiled as she took a seat.
“Cut the bullshit China. Why are you here? I don’t fuck with you or nobody in your family. You know damn well that I’m not giving you a job,” Mekhi spat.
“Good, because I don’t need one,” China smirked.
“Okay, so what do you want?”
“You,” she replied sexily.
“Come again,” Mekhi said as if he didn’t hear her the first time.
“I said that I want you,” she repeated.
“I really don’t know what kind of games you’re playing, but it’s time for you to go.”
“Did you know that Brandy and Kirk slept together?” She asked getting Mekhi’s undivided attention.
“No, I didn’t, but why should I care?”
“Because you’re still fucking her. As much as you cheat, you hate being cheated on. You can try to act unaffected all you want to, but I know it pisses you off,” China taunted.
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