Page 135 of Just Listen
“Baby,” Malice sang, as he stepped into our bedroom, shirtless with Khari riding the crook of his arm.
“Hmm?” I lifted my head, as I was lying across the bed.
“Come on.” He grabbed my hand, helping me sit up. “Let’s go downstairs,” he instructed, while guiding me out the bed.
“Y’all.” I spoke into my phone, while Malice was tugging me through the house. “I’ma call y’all back in a few.”
“Okay,” they responded in unison.
“And if you don’t call us back, then we’re calling you back,” bossy Jhyrah warned.
“Yeah, yeah.” I nixed that off, before ending the call.
“That’s one thing that I know,” Malice mentioned. “Your sisters don’t play about you. And they don’t hesitate to call my phone, if you don’t answer. I likes that.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, knowing that my sisters were my ride or dies, and I was theirs.
“Your family in general are different,” he claimed. “Ya pops done already called me three times today.”
I arched a brow, because that was news to me. “Called you about what?”
He glanced at me, while we stepped downstairs. “That’s our business.”
“Oh,” I responded, not even attempting to pry, at this point. There was no telling what he’d been discussing with my daddy, and I honestly didn’t want to know.
“Ooh, look!” Khari pointed.
My chunky baby was now walking and could say a few words. So, she was always telling somebody to look. That’s why I didn’t think much of it, until I stepped off the stairs. When I glanced to my left, I saw a bunch of flowers on my dining room table, along with a spread of food.
“What’s this?” I asked, as Malice stood behind me.
“Some flowers for you, and then I cooked.”
I sauntered over to the table to get a better look. He’d made baked macaroni and cheese, smothered cabbage, oxtails andgravy, rice, black eyed peas, and cornbread. Everything that I liked.
“Oh, wow. What’s the occasion?”
He placed a palm on the small of my back. “Sit down.”
I nodded, before taking a seat.
“Now.” He cleared his throat, as he remained standing. “I did all this to put a smile on your face.”
“Oh.” My eyes watered against my will.
Khamere stooped down to speak in my ear. “And if you just wanna sit here and cry your eyes out, then you can do that too. It’s your world.” He kissed my cheek. “And I’d never be mad about you mourning somebody you once shared a life with. That aint got nothing to do with me.”
Hearing that, I clung to his arm, while squeezing my eyes tightly. And right then, I’d let it all out. Cried until I had nothing left to give. Then I fell into his arms, and he held me, telling me that everything would be okay.
Chapter 32
Two months later…
After all the staying off the scene, moving with precaution. Malice being my shadow. We just woke up one day, and everything was different. I wanted to take a ride to my sister’s alone, and he didn’t come. He’d removed the restraints, and I could only guess that Drop was a distant memory. So, I went to social media and did a little digging to learn that Drop, his brother, and a few other men had been killed at one of the men’s houses.
Right then, I realized that there was a part of me that was a little evil, because I couldn’t find it within me to give a damn. With Drop, nothing had to go as far as it had. His daughter cutting up over some dick was supposed to be the drama for the moment. Not turn into some life-altering event. But people were stupid sometimes. Even old ones, who were egotistical and had to show the world how tough they still were.
That type of ignorant, don’t step on my shoe type of mentality needed to be completely eradicated. Had no place in society, amongst us with good common sense. So, it was good riddance to Drop and his people, and it was fuck Paisley too.
