Page 140 of Own It

“My beautiful lady, Daylin.” I introduced her, causing her and Shardaya who was now seated beside my cousin, to cheese widely.

“Nice to meet you, Daylin. You grinning all hard when he called you beautiful, he must not be saying it enough for you to be used to it.” Talid took a shot at me, causing Shardaya to swat him.

“Shut up, nigga,” I shook my head.

“No, he says it all the time; it just never gets old coming from him.” Daylin looked down into my face briefly before we pecked gently.

“Awww,” Shardaya cooed.

“Aww, hell nah, you mean,” Talid’s crazy ass said, causing a wave of laughter. “Nah, but I like seeing my cousin like this. He more like my brother, though, and with our mom’s being identical twins, we basically the same as half-brothers.” He informed Daylin of what she already knew.

“Isn’t that weird but cool?” Shardaya frowned.

“It is.” Daylin wore a glint in her eyes as she looked between my cousin and me.

“Don’t break his heart, Miss Daylin,” Talid said, eyes squinted in mirth.

“I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

“Okay, the food is ready, guys, so let’s go eat.” Shardaya rose.

“Let me help you.” Daylin hopped to her feet and switched off behind Shardaya, already talking a mile a minute.

“You love her?” he asked me as we ascended simultaneously.

“I do,” I confirmed, watching Daylin’s pretty ass help set the patio table while running her fucking mouth.

THIRTEEN

josias

COUPLE WEEKS LATER . . .

Hopping out my whip, I checked the time on my Rolex to see if Divine was awake yet. She napped at the same time every day and for the same amount of time while with her mother.

I wasn’t sure how the fuck Kasia was able to achieve that, but I had to chuck it up to her being a fucking super mom because when I got Divine’s bad ass over to my spot, I was lucky if she went to sleep by midnight. She was on gang shit when with me, no naps, no real food, and no sleep until the next day.

Shaking my head with a chuckle, I rang the doorbell. Kasia came to let me in shortly after.

“She’ll be up in about five minutes,” she told me.

“Aight.” I shut the door behind myself, watching Kasia wipe down the bar counter in a dress that looked painted the fuck on. “How you doing?” I went to sit on the couch.

“Been doing pretty well actually. How about you?”

“I been straight.” I eyed her. “I miss you.”

“Oh, okay.” She ventured deeper into the kitchen, seemingly to end any type of conversation we were having.

Expelling a dejected breath, I scoured the living room visually before my eyes landed on an empty root beer can in the cupholder of the couch adjacent to me.

Frowning, I picked the shit up and inspected the Barq’s branded can as if I’d never seen the shit. I tried but failed in under two seconds to keep my fucking cool but was up off my ass almost immediately and in the kitchen where Kasia was cleaning out the fridge.

“Who had this?” I held the can up, causing Kasia to straighten herself up, mouth ajar.

The issue was, Kasia only drank Sprite and Starry whenever she indulged in soda, having an aversion to dark soda for as long as I’d known her ass. No matter how good or limited edition the shit was, she wouldn’t touch it due to its color. So seeing this very much dark ass root beer sitting in her fucking cupholder had a nigga’s mind conjuring up all kinds of shit.

“Oh, that’s trash.” She tried to ignore my question, reaching for the can, but I held the shit up and out of her reach, making her suck her teeth.