Page 49 of Rhodes to Love

“We just wanted to tell you how much we appreciate you being there for everyone. The family is all split up right now. Some are with Marcus and Ace, and the others are at the barn preparing for this weekend, but they all wanted to be here to thank you.”

The tears fell from my eyes as I hugged my mama then everyone else standing there.

“Everyone will be in and out to love on you. I left the boys with Jakari just so I can come and hug you as soon as you got back,” Yendi said as she handed me a card. “Your words to me helped me so much. You had your own issues you were dealing with, but you took time to help me address mine. You are a true angel of God, and I love you.”

More tears fell from my eyes as I smiled. “Y’all got me crying so much. I love you too, Yendi. If you ever need me, I’m always here.”

She smiled and hugged me again then left. Decaurey put his arm around me as Milana opened the door to the house. I could tell by her eyes just how sad she still was. It was too soon to talk to Aunt Tiff, so she would just have to stay with me until Aunt Tiff was ready for that conversation. When I got past the foyer and saw Aunt Jen taking food out of the oven, I smiled big.

When I glanced at Rhodes, he was shaking his head slowly. I already knew what he was thinking. That lil comment he made a couple of days ago about food was still fresh on my mind.

“Thank y’all so much for all of this. It means so much to me.”

I went to Aunt Jen and hugged her tight then peeked to see what she’d taken out of the oven, because there was a couple of pans on the stove. There was baked chicken, greens, and mac and cheese. The fact that they’d taken time out of their day to see to me was overwhelming. My parents both joined me in the kitchen, and my mama handed me a gift bag. My eyebrows lifted slightly as I accepted it and threw tissue paper everywhere.

It was a beautiful journal with a black pregnant woman with natural hair on the front, along with my name and Roselynn’s name at the bottom. It was so beautiful. Before I could say a word, KJ said, “Keep digging.”

I smiled at him and found a small box. I wriggled my eyebrows as everyone laughed. When I opened it, there was a necklace with all our birthstones on a locket. When I opened the locket, the tears cascaded down my cheeks. It was a picture of Kendrick and me. My brothers all surrounded me. While King and Kane had never had the pleasure of knowing Kendrick, as much as we talked about him, I believed they had a real sense of him and how precious he was.

“KJ, thank you. You’re the only one I talked to about losing my last one. I was so depressed about it.”

“I know, so I knew this would make your day. I love you, Rima. We all do.”

When they backed away, Cassie was standing there with tears streaming down her face too. I went to her and pulled her to me. She giggled as I felt her belly moving. It was so strange that their babies reacted to me that way.

I took a deep breath and thanked God for my family. Before I could even think about asking someone to fix a plate for me, Jacob was at the stove with the utensil in his hand. I glanced at him, and he smiled. “I couldn’t wait until you got here so I could eat.”

A frown graced my face, and he laughed. “Chill out, girl! This yo’ plate. Mekayla is next. I ain’t finna fool with y’all pregnant women. Them tempers be on a whole notha level!”

Mekayla pushed him in the head then hugged me tightly. I could feel her baby move as well. “What are you having?”

“A boy!”

“Aww congratulations! My baby gon’ catch hell!”

She laughed loudly, causing me to do the same. When Jacob was done fixing my food, I turned to Rhodes and said, “Come eat with me, baby.”

“Naw. That’s all you. I might get carried away and eat too much. I’m not tryna be on your bad side.”

Everybody laughed. Seeing him dap it up with my brothers made my heart light.Thank you, God, for a small reprieve and a show of appreciation for me and what I mean to them. I can endure even longer because of it.

My eyes scanned the room, and they met with Milana’s. We would be talking before I went to Cheek tonight. She and Aunt Tiff hadn’t spoken since the other night according to what my dad had said yesterday by phone, but I figured as much. It wasn’t because Milana wasn’t trying though. I gave her a tight smile then dug into my food. Everyone disappeared from my focus as I enjoyed the best food in Southeast Texas.

CHAPTER20

RHODES

Just as I was covering my SUV, my phone started ringing. I nearly tripped over my own feet, trying to get it out of my pocket. Karima was already inside my pickup, waiting for me. When I saw Ali’s number, I answered quick as hell. I’d been waiting to hear from him since the night before last. I had been trying to stay calm, so I didn’t upset Karima, but I felt like I was about to lose my mind waiting to hear something.

“Hello?”

“What’s up, nigga? You good?” he asked then laughed.

That was a good sign. “Man, quit fucking with me. What happened?”

“He was waiting for reinforcement in case shit went south. He had a nigga flying in from South Carolina and a another from Killeen. Once they were in place, he met with that nigga. After talking and catching up for about thirty minutes, they got into a heated debate about the shit. Your cousin that took over, left his territory alone, so our dude used that to his advantage. Later that night, though, they had to take that nigga out. He had niggas following him to do the exact same thing. It didn’t end well for them either.”

“Shit! I’m glad he had a team.”

---