After three days, Skebo was pulling back up to their house in Jupiter Beach, with Sunshine and the twins. He’d hit Chello up asking him to hold it down until he and Sunshine were prepared to have their conversation with Keyz, to include all the events that occurred over the past few days. Chello, being the oldest in their crew, agreed, but told him a lot had changed since he wasn’t around. They never discussed business over the cell, but Skebo knew that if Chello had a concern, there was a problem. He’d hit him to let him know he’d meet him in Miami at the warehouse later that evening, but Chello told him to come to the Keyz’s cigar lounge instead. It didn’t sit well with him, but he wasn’t no punk. If he had to choose, it would be Sunshine all day every day. He just hoped he didn’t have to.
“Are you sure about this?” Sunshine asked, staring at the house before they got out.
She looked over the seat at their baby boys, who were sleep the minute they got on the road. Sirius slept peacefully while Damario squirmed a bit before he settled in to his car seat. They were so small but having them made life feel big. She was in love. She had her man and her babies, but sadly, not their father whose family hadn’t even reached out to her. Keyon decided to keep her informed, even though he was prepared to put his family and Kennedy on blast. Wanting it to all go away quietly, Sunshine begged him to leave it along for now, hoping they’d realize a piece of him was still on earth.
“Sure about what, Shine?” he sneered at her, biting his bottom lip. “What the fuck are you asking me right now?”
Feeling guilty for asking, Shine shrugged her shoulders.
“Naw, don’t shrug them shoulders, Shine. Speak before we go in the house because me and my sons trying to live and be fucking merry. You see them two back there?” he asked, pointing at them bundled up in the cold air that came in because his door was open. “Those two are my priority. Fuck your family and that nigga’s family. Now either you fucking with me the long way or I’m taking your ass home. If I do, just know my two lil’ shorties coming in this house with me. Your choice, Shine. Now woman the fuck up and stop playing. So, what’s it gon’ be?”
With his nose flared up, Shine gave her a cold stare, waiting for her to reject him after everything that happened from Oneal’s unexpected death to him signing the twins’ birth certificate. He’d never been in a committed relationship, but three days ago, he committed to doing more than that. He decided to be a man, a father, and a protector, vowing to always be there for them, and Sunshine was fucking that up for him. He was even prepared to walk away from the C.U.B crew, cutting off Keyz if that’s what he had to do.
Even Keyz, before Sunshine became his girl, was slowly building up his empire on the legitimate side, with Skebo as an investor in his cigar lounge and hookah bar. After the first six months, they saw more money than they ever thought they would see, motivating Skebo to throw more of his money into a legitimate place of business. As a surprise to Sunshine and a step towards getting out of the game, he went and purchased a building. His dream was to present it to Sunshine where she and Shower could run a party store similar to Party City, but with risqué apparel for a more mature clientele. It would be open in the new year once Sunshine had a chance to recuperate, but he would help Shower in the meantime.
“I want you… us, I mean,” she whispered, playing with her fingers.
“Huh?” he asked, putting his hand up to his ear as he leaned closer to her. She shifted just a little uncomfortable with how close he was to her face. She knew he had an attitude and she felt ashamed for doubting him.
“I ain’t hear that. Whatchu said, now? Ain’t no babies in here except them two back there, so speak up, Shine. Let your man know what we doing? Like yo, Shine. Can’t you see this shit is real for me? In the last seventy-hours, I became a fucking father and it’s the best fucking feeling in the world, princess. Can’t you tell?” he declared, snatching her hand as he placed it on his heart.
Feeling the rapid beating of his heart, Sunshine reached over and grabbed his chin gently, kissing him as a sign she was all in. The feeling she had was like none other, even if she compared it to how she felt about Oneal. Skebo was the perfect man for an imperfect situation, and she wouldn’t trade sharing this experience with anyone else but him.
Mmmm,” he moaned in her mouth, sucking and pulling on her tongue before he playfully pushed her off of him. “Naw, keep that shit. Nigga want some of that lil’ pussy. I’on give a fuck. I’m fucking through blood and all with your hot pussy self.” Skebo knew it was too soon to have sex, but he loved teasing her about it because she did excite him just that much.
“Baeeeee,” she whined, giggling, as she looked back at their sons. “You do know they can hear you?”
Laughing, he shook his head that she still expected him to be something besides blunt and outspoken.
“So. Them motherfuckers was kicking the shit out me before. Now, I’m ready for their ass,” he laughed, stealing a quick kiss.
Secretly, she loved how comfortable he was with being himself whether he offended people or not, but even more with how he expressed his love and desire for her. Oneal would occasionally express that he missed her and even said he loved her during sex, but Skebo made it his business to put a smile on her face every time she was in his presence. Even if they were at odds, he would still remind her why she was the one for him.
“Shine, their lil’ asses ain’t but a few days old. My shorties don’t know shit I just said, but they better get used to it because I’m fucking that lil’ pussy for the rest of your life. I’on care if they walking around eating up my damn food or sucking up my air. This here my pussy,” he said, gripping her between her legs. “They just borrowed it to slide into this cruel ass world, but I put a deed on that fat ass box. You feel me?” he asked with the most serious look she’d ever seen on his face.
“I feel you,” she said, dropping her head down, feeling different emotions but mostly happy.
“Now feel this,” he said, placing her hand on his swollen dick. “He wanna feel that good, gushy stuff. Handle that when we get inside ‘cause that mouth not bleeding.”
Slapping his arm, she squealed, “Oh my God! Just get Sirius, Skebo. I’ll get Damario. I can’t with you sometimes.”
“Oh, you can and you will, Shine,” he said, turning around after he stepped out of his truck.
“Yes, Skebo,” she replied sighing as she knew he was about to say something obnoxious.
“Don’t worry about that head not being on point. You was fucking with a jit. Now you fucking with a man. A real nigga. Street. Hood. Whatever the hell you wanna call me, just make sure that mouth ready to suck on this pipe,” he smiled, grabbing his hard center.
“Boy, fuck you,” she replied waving her hand at him as she reached for Damario.
“Hey, Damario and Sirius. Your mama mouth getting fucked tonight. Fuck she thought,” he said to them, reaching in as he grabbed Sirius.
One month later
“Is that Sheryl coming in right now?” Papa B yelled jumping up as Myriah came in the door with groceries in her hand.
Over the past month, Ishmael had been back and forth between her and Keyz as agreed, but she was growing tired of their charades. Chico had his crew and Keyz had his. Both were out of control making this more about them than Ishmael, and she was sick of it. She was even more tired of Papa B who kept confusing her with her mother day in and day out.
Walking in the door with a few grocery bags, Myriah chose to ignore him as he yelled out, asking if she was her mother or bringing up her real father, Tyson. He was the mayor of a small city, Miami Springs, and was married with three children. Every so often she would look him up on the city’s website, but each time she did, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She looked like him, his skin a smooth caramel color and his lips full like hers. She thought of reaching out to him to finally close this chapter of her life, but being rejected by one more man would kill her, and she now had two children to live for.
“No, Papa B. That’s Myriah,” Nana jumped up and said, grabbing a few bags from Myriah who rolled her eyes at him.
“Dumb ass,” she muttered, walking back outside to get the rest of her bags while Nana started putting the groceries away.
She was tired of walking on egg shells and needed a break. School was due to start in a week after the Christmas break and she had made plans to return home against Chico’s wishes. She had taken a leave of absence from work which was helpful, but wished she could take a leave of absence from her pain. After all of that talk, he was still under the same roof with Meka, although she had proof through text messages he had broken up with her. According to him, the guest room is where he laid his head, but he couldn’t cut her off until this feud with Keyz was over. She had barely spoken to Iyana, who was still staying with Rickey as she prepared for Elijah’s trial. The progress they made to repair their relationship was stagnated, but in that moment, she felt like she needed her sister. Walking back in the house, she heard Papa B still carrying on.
“Naw, Nana. That’s Sheryl,” he said, sitting up in his lounge chair with a scowl on his face.
“Whatever,” she said sucking her teeth as she lightly kicked his foot on her way to the kitchen as she passed him by.
“Now act like you got some sense! Say excuse me! You done got you a grown man and now you think you grown. Look atcha, pregnant and all. Where he at, Sheryl? Huh, where he at? Now you tell that rascal he better leave you alone ‘fore he end of in jail! You gotchu a fiancé now, a good boy, and before I let you ruin it with the likes of that pervert, I’ll send you off to have that damn baby. You hear me?” he shouted, sitting at the edge of his lounge chair.
Myriah was four months with a small baby bump. She couldn’t even enjoy this pregnancy, growing tired of him saying she was pregnant from her own father. She knew he was suffering from Dementia, but it didn’t ease the sting every time he said it.
“I know you hear me! Speak when you hear me talkin’ to ya, now. This my damn house. Ain’t that right, Jamie? Tell her. This my house!” he spat, daring her to challenge him.
Unable to control her rage, Myriah dropped the grocery bags she had in her hand, the eggs splattering on the kitchen floor. Before Nana could stop her, she rushed into Papa B’s direction prepared to let him know how he made her feel all of these years. She felt alone in her own home and even now, as an adult, she was ready to let him have it.
“Now listen to me, you old man,” she barked, pointing her finger in his face. “I am sick of your shit! Sick of it! I am not Sheryl and you know what? I don’t want to be! Hell, I wish I wasn’t Myriah but unfortunately I am. Maybe if you two would have let me live my life none of us would be going through this because I would have left this hell hole years ago! Now say another disrespectful word to me and I will knock your old ass out. Say it, got damn it! Say it!”
Grabbing Myriah by her shoulders, Nana felt her body trembling full of rage and pain. She begged her to calm down, rubbing her back as she reminded her he wasn’t in his right mind. She was also ashamed that their secret seemed to be out, especially with that rant Myriah just had. She had begged Papa B for years to let Tyson meet Myriah, even after getting a big check from him after he became the mayor of Miami Springs, a small mixed community just west of where they lived. Every year, he’d send a check asking them to give it to his baby girl and begging them to be a part of her life. Sadly, Nana’s pleas went unheard as Papa B refused to allow him anywhere near Myriah, but there was a big trust fund they established for Ishmael, vowing to never touch the money once they learned she was pregnant her senior year.
“Now whatchu say, you spoiled ass chile?” he snarled, standing up as he challenged her. “You sick of my shit? Do you know how many nights you snuck your behind in this house after laying up with that grown ass man? Do you know how many lies we had to tell, including to Isaac so he can marry you before this baby gets here? If you don’t go sit your narrow behind down right now, I’ma put my foot so far up your—”
“Noooooo!” Nana yelled as Myriah punched Papa B in the face, knocking him back in his lounge chair. After a barrage of blows to his face, she pushed Nana down, snatching her keys and purse off the floor.
“Fuck you and definitely fuck you for allowing this man to ruin my life! I know who my father is! I been knew! I hate you two motherfuckers and after today, you don’t have to worry about me or my son! We don’t need you,” she barked, slamming the door. As soon as she was out, she called Iyana. She needed to final apologize for all of the years she bullied her when all along she didn’t hate her baby sister, she hated herself, and today was the day to get all of these family secrets out.
“Hey, sis,” Iyana said, picking up on the first ring.
“Hey,” she sniffed. “Where are you?”
Iyana could tell she was upset and given everything that had happened, she still hadn’t asked about Ishmael’s father but she had heard about the father of her new baby. It was some guy named Chico, who apparently had been around for some time. She had never introduced him to the family, but she knew Myriah was in love with him. Instead of a bunch of questions whenever they talked, she mostly listened, ensuring her that they both were going to be great mothers and how they planned to raise their children together. Iyana still hadn’t told Nana or Papa B about her pregnancy, and Myriah agreed to keep it a secret. It was something she was obviously good at for the past eleven years as her family remained in the dark.
“At Rickey’s place. You know I still haven’t gone back home yet, but I plan to soon. I’m just not quite ready. You okay?” she asked knowing she wasn’t but wanted to let her get it out.
“Naw, but give me his address. We need to talk.”
“Oh, okay. That’s cool. He needs a girls’ night. For the past month, he’s been fucking like a rabbit in heat all times a night. I haven’t met this dude, but let me tell him you’re coming through so he can tell Captain Stroke to stay home tonight.”
“Yea, yea. Fuck men. Who knows why old boy choosing to come through late at night, but I’m sick of men and their shit. Just text it to me, please. We need to talk and I rather do it face to face. Just let me stop by my house first and pick up a few things.”
“Alright, let me text it to you,” she said, worried about what she needed to say.
“Okay, sis. I’ll see you in a few hours. You know how that traffic is coming to Miami Beach,” she said, knowing he lived in that area.
“Yes, I do, which is why I rarely step out of the house, but I will. I still need some time.”
“You going to therapy? I mean, for the nightmares and what not?” she asked, knowing all too well about nightmares. She had more than her fair share over the years and thought she was finally waking up once she and Chico decided to be together.
“I am, but it’s… it’s hard, you know,” she said, pursing her lips as she laid on the top pillow-top mattress, wishing she could lay there forever. “But I’m making it. Well let me get up and get ready before you get here. Love you.”
“Love you, too,” she said, hanging up.
Sitting up in the bed, Iyana rubbed her small stomach and smiled. She was three months and although many people said it was impossible, she would feel an occasional flutter in her stomach as a sign there was life growing inside of her. Her stomach was firm and round, given how petite she was.
“Yes, munchkin. Your auntie Myriah is on her way,” she cooed, examining her body as she took off her clothes before she ran herself some bath water.
Staring in the mirror, she rubbed her eye that was no longer swollen but still had some slight bruising. Her ribs and hip were still tender, although she was moving around much better over the past week. Now the baby was a different story, making it quite difficult for her to keep any food down, as the OB/GYN informed her she was underweight. She also knew it was due to her being lovesick, missing Keyz something terrible. Even with the holidays coming and going, Iyana still hadn’t heard from him, confirming that he didn’t want to hear from her until she had the baby.
After lighting a few candles, she remembered she forgot to tell Rickey that Myriah was stopping by. Luckily, Rickey was more accepting of her than Sky, making it easier for the three of them to co-exist, although it didn’t happen that often.
“Shoot, let me tell Rickey she coming over,” she muttered to herself grabbing her satin, purple robe before she stepped out of her room.
The condo was rather large, but still only had two bathrooms which made it easier for her to hear Rickey climb the wall as he ran away from his man’s dick. At first Iyana thought he was being attacked, but after being cursed out and told to get away from his door, she knew all that screaming was from good dick; something she hadn’t had in over a month. She had even abandoned her toys thinking she’d hurt the baby, even though Rickey told her she had to be the blondest black bitch he’d ever met. She chuckled walking to his bedroom until she heard a firm knock at the door.
“Awe, man. Damn, who is this?” she said to herself, walking lightly to the door. She wasn’t sure who Rickey had in his room, but she didn’t want to be the one to start a riot if he had two boos there, one inside his room and the other one stopping by unannounced.
Standing on her tippy toes, Iyana used her good eye to see who was there as the person knocked again, this time louder like they were angry or getting impatient. I got to get my own place real soon. This shit is too much. Still unable to see who was at the door as they blocked the peephole, Iyana yelled that she was leaving them out there since they wanted to play, until she heard his voice.
“Cheeks! Open up this got damn door!”