Page 3 of Crown: Phase 3
“I am. We had a long day, but your picky ass wife finally found her dress. So, I’m good.”
“That’s wassup.” He leaned down and kissed Nivéa on the forehead as she hugged him tightly. “Sup, ma? You made sure you got what you wanted? You ain’t settle, huh?” Crown didn’t give a fuck how picky she was. He wanted her to have whatever her heart desired.
“Hey, baby. No settling. I love what I picked. You will, too. I miss you.” Nivéa stood on her toes to kiss his lips.
“And I guess Ny misses you as well. Look at her. Reesh is right. Her lil butt gave us the blues the whole way here.”
Crown chuckled, glancing down at Nyla. Her big, pretty eyes looked up at him with a familiarity that suggested she knew exactly who he was, despite her young innocence.
“I miss y’all, too,” he said, rubbing Nyla’s cheek just as Danger limped out of the kitchen with a plate of leftover dinner from the night before.
“Damn,” he said between bites, his gaze landing on Caresha in her shorts.
“Excuse me? Is that any way to greet a lady?” Caresha joked, hands on her hips.
Nivéa snickered, shaking her head. “Hey, D.” She turned to him. “You eating good, huh?”
“Hell yeah. Those oxtails you made last night good as fuck.”
“Well, thank you. I try.”
Danger nodded, then cleared his throat, trying again with Caresha. “My bad, ma. Wassup? How are you?”
“I’m good. And you?”
“Straight.”
“Don’t look like it.” Caresha glanced down at his long, toned leg that sported a fresh bandage.
“Nah, I’m good.”
Danger straightened as best as he could, glancing down at her with an intensity that made her blush, even though she tried not to. When he didn’t look away, she popped her gum and asked,
“Dang, what you looking at?”
“You. This a nigga’s first time really seeing you.” He didn’t hesitate to say.
“Yeah, that’s crazy. How have we been in the same places but never really noticed one another?”
Danger shook his head, wondering the same shit. They’d both been at the clubhouse for the back-to-school drive, and he had spotted her coming out of Nivéa’s shop when they picked up their shirts. But both times he had been occupied. At Nivéa’s shop, he was on the phone while sitting in Crown’s truck as she exited. And by the time her and Nivéa made it to the clubhouse the next day, he was drunk, and as high as a kite. From a distance, he couldn’t see what she truly looked like. He knew now, though. And he was feeling what he saw.
“Shit happens, but I see you now. Fasho.”
Crown smirked inwardly at his brother. The look on Danger’s face said everything. He caught on quickly, nodding toward the stairs and gesturing for Nivéa to follow him.
On the upper level, Crown sat at the edge of the bed, talking softly to Nyla while Nivéa slipped out of her clothes and changed into something more comfortable. Her feet were killing her after a long day of searching for a dress.
“What you think they down there talking about? Seems like D is feeling my girl.” She asked, being nosy.
Crown shrugged, his eyes never leaving Nyla. “Ain’t none of our business. We got our own shit to worry about.”
Nivéa paused, glancing at him. “Like what? Who’s worried? I’m not. Life is good to me now.”
“Good. That’s how I like you to feel. Stress-free.” He nodded slightly. “Let me correct myself. We got something important to discuss.”
“Okay… what we need to talk about?”
“When y’all moving in? Can’t have my wife living apart from me.”
