Page 82 of A Toxic Redemption

"Lil' nigga, what have I told you about hugging up with my girl?" Khalil voiced as he entered the room with my baby in his arms. "She's mine, homie."

Mesmerized, I watched him like a hawk as he swaggered into the room like he knew he wasthat nigga. In my world, he was.He was the perfect father and protector. That alone will have me going back on my word and giving him as many kids as he wants.

"She's my mommy too, Da." He hugged tightly onto my legs as I placed his favorite cupcakes in the oven for later. I was careful not to burn him because he had tunnel vision when his father was around. Looking up at me with sad eyes, he asked, "Right, mommy?"

"Right."

KJ's been calling me mommy for a few weeks now, and my heart grows every time he does it. He knows Mia is no longer alive but doesn't bring her up that much. I made sure I reminded him how much she loved him whenever she came up. I couldn't stand the bitch, and I wasn't sad to hear of her death, but I wouldn't have KJ thinking anything negative about the hoe.

After Mia and Kaine's death, Khalil was in a really dark space. When we had services for his brother, he didn't want to go, but I told him he needed to be there for his mom. Ma Khalise didn't speak to him for weeks, which mentally messed with him. So many times, Khalil wanted to check out on us, but I wouldn't let him. At the end of the day, he took his brother's life, and that's not easy for anyone because, regardless, he loved Kaine.

"Baby, have you talked to Kira?" He walked over and kissed my cheek as he sat Khali's bottle in its warmer. "Jake mentioned going to get some food or some shit. They want to go to the wing spot."

Chuckling, I watched Khalil as he got our baby situated in his arms to feed her. She was such a daddy's girl, and he was going to pay for it when she got older. I thought about the question he asked and remembered Kira did mention a slight lunch. Why were we meeting there when we could do wings at home? I didn't know. Maybe it's because her pregnant ass was craving them again.

She and Jake didn't waste time getting pregnant again after Jacobi was born. When Kira went to her six-week checkup, she was already pregnant. It was funny and disgusting at the same time. She made Jake take her to the courthouse and marry her the following week. He was more than happy to oblige.

"I'll get the kids ready while you clean up in here. I'll pack KJ's shit because he wants to stay with his Nana and PopPop tonight. Shit, maybe we will get lucky and send Khali with Sash." He eyed me lustfully as he left the kitchen. "These kids are due for a sibling."

Rolling my eyes, I continued to clean the kitchen. Khalil can send the baby if he wants, but I'm not hearing any of the other shit. He was right about one thing. Khali would end up with Sasha if I called her. She loved my baby, and I loved that about her.

Daddy and Sasha had the most beautiful destination wedding over the summer. Yes, they were married in a private ceremony New Year’s, but I told him she deserved another one. Plus, I wanted to be there. I loved her for my daddy, and I was glad he finally found the one worth giving all his love to. Dana had done a number on him, and I'd always hate her for that. Speaking of, she tried her best to fight the first-degree arson charges against her, but she failed miserably. So, for the next fifteen years, she would wish she had never popped back up in my life. Khalil purchased me my own building since she ruined mine, and I hadn't yet decided when I wanted to open things back up. I'm loving being a full-time mom at the moment.

"Hello," I answered the phone, out of breath from walking up the stairs to my bedroom. I still felt fat as fuck from being pregnant. "Who is this?"

"Damn, you don't know my number now?" Lori snapped as her voice flowed through the phone. "A bitch gets a baby and anew house and acts different. Anyway, though, who is the girl that was in the picture with y'all in Florida? Is she with Bino?"

Pulling my phone from my ear, I looked at it for a moment before I disconnected the call altogether. Lori had been acting different since Bino cut her off, and she'd been unbearable. It'd gotten to the point where she wasn't invited into our space anymore. When she found out Khalil and I moved into the house his daddy had for him, the shade and slick shots were so bad that Khalil wanted to get one of the girls from his old hood to beat her ass. I made the decision for my mental and her safety to just place some distance between us.

Looking back on how much that's changed in a year, I couldn't help but thank God for growth. I went from fucking and ducking these niggas to being in love with the most toxic man I'd ever met. Nothing or no one would ruin the vibe and happiness when it comes to my family and me. It had been proven that it wouldn't ever work in their favor.

Never in a million years did I think I would be as happy as I am today. Never would I have thought my girl and my kids would be the reason for it all. Lucky coming into my life has been one of my biggest blessings, and I vowed to always show her that.

Killing my brother was the hardest choice I ever made in my life. Yeah, he fucked me over time and time again, and I let him make it, but he was still my blood. We grew up together, and for him to do me the way he did fucked with me. I didn't want to kill him, but I knew we would never be safe with him alive.

My mother didn't fuck with me after his funeral, and that bothered me. If her husband hadn't sat down and talked to her on my behalf, I didn't think she would have ever come back around. I'm glad he was able to get through to her. Whatever the conversation had been about led her to wanting me to releaseShelia. Personally, I wanted the bitch to rot in that house alone, but if my mother forgave her, I'd let her make it. Plus, I knew my cousins missed their mother being in the free world. I let her loose, but the bitch had thirty days to leave the state. I didn't know where she went as long as she was nowhere near my family.

"Have you talked to your father today?" Lucky asked from the passenger side. We here headed to the wing spot, and I was anxious as fuck for some reason. "He called me earlier looking for you, and I told him you were at the center."

"Yeah, baby." I kissed the back of her hand as we rode through the city. "He stopped by to tour the place."

The relationship between my father and me was everything I wished it could have been when I was younger. We talked and hung out all the time along with working together at his contract business. Almost losing him put things into perspective for me, and I no longer had any ill intent toward him. It doesn't matter if I did or did because Khalise made it clear she wasn't leaving her man again, and she married him. I swear our parents were ridiculous. Everyone around us was happy, and that's all I wanted.

Well, almost everyone. Bino was back out here wilding with the ladies and didn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. That Lori hoe really hurt my nigga, and for her to try to keep tabs on him only irritated him more. All I knew was she had one more time to piss off my girl, and it was lights out for her ass.

"Baby, it's so damn empty here," Luck asserted as she sat up in her seat. She looked around the parking lot and was confused because the place usually had a decent crowd. "Are they open?"

"Girl, you see these damn cars out here." I chuckled as I cut the ignition. "Come help me with the kids."

While Luck got KJ, I got my lil' mama. Khali Joi was a nigga's heart, and I loved her as much as I loved her brother. When shewas born, I just knew God was punishing me for giving me the most beautiful baby girl in the world. I could already see the lil' niggas that KJ and I were going to have to fuck up behind my baby.

"Hurry up, baby, it's cool out here," Luck whined as we made our way in. "I should have known better than to get my kids out in this damn weather. Just give me the keys, and we will go back in the truck—"

"Surprise!"

"The fuck?" she yelped as we entered the wing spot. "What the hell is going on?"

I handed the kids off to our parents and grabbed my girl as she took in the scene around us. I rented out the place and had our family decorate it for me. Pink and yellow roses with matching balloons littered the entire restaurant. I even made sure we had a variety of wings because, at the end of the day, we still wanted to eat.

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