Page 87 of Disrespectfully, Relic

Jahleel’s eyes were glued to his phone until Relic pulled up at the field where his game was taking place. Relic scratched at his chin stubble to hide his smile while Jahleel squinted, leaning forward to see through the crowd before gasping as he fisted a hand at his mouth like his uncle Shabu and cousin Pierre always did.

“The whole family is out here, and they brought the food truck!”

“Yea. I figured since you thought your uncles were so cool for bringing cheap ass snacks the last two games, I’d show them up,” Relic replied as he parked behind a row of cars on the grass. “Plus, I had to make it up to you for missing them.”

Jahleel beamed. “Yea, you did, and this is a good apology. Is grann here?”

“She’s manning the truck. Speak and go straight over to your team!” he shouted when Jahleel grabbed his things and hopped out the car, racing off before he could even finish his sentence.

Relic huffed a breath and rolled his neck in agitation before climbing out of the car as he slid on his shades. The relationship Jahleel had built with Judith vexed him, but she’d been right about one thing—hating her wasn’t worth losing his son over.

His eyes swept the field while his hand wandered to his hip, tapping his gun to ensure it was in place before he strolled toward his brothers, who were kicking it near the truck. He caught sight of Drish in his peripheral, sporting a black shirt with red flames and Blaise’n Security emblazoned in white across it. Kennedy had come up with the design and emailed it for him to sign off on, but Relic rejected it out of spite. A part of him had hoped she’d call to fuss, but she just ordered them without consent on his credit card that he hadn’t taken and she hadn’t offered to return.

She’d also hired three additional guards, and a receptionist for his studio before opening the empty room to booth rentals in hopes of scouting future talent. Relic had realized with or without him; big dog Kennedy was on her shit, the same as before he’d weaseled into her world. He, begrudgingly, respected the fact that losing access to him hadn’t stopped her hustle.

“Look at this nigga! How you have my nephew late to his game, folks?” Shabu badgered him as soon as he neared the truck.

His lips cocked to one side as he slapped hands with his brother and then Titan before giving Savvy a one-armed hug that made Indigo cheese as he stretched out both arms and flung his little body toward him. Relic debated before taking him from Savvy to prop on his waist.

“I got the nigga here, didn’t I? He wasn’t that late if he had time to stop over here before taking his ass to the field,” Relic replied to his brother while bouncing Indigo, who giggled and stared at him with blue eyes that carried more light than his ever did.

“Facts. Manman sent him off as soon as he came over. They’re about to start, and she wants to watch, so she’s switching out with Toot and Tima once they get here. They should be pulling up soon.”

Creases lined Relic’s forehead as he counted the ten heads in line before glancing at his mother, hanging half her body out the truck to point at the menu while explaining what certain foods were to her customers.

“She’s up there by herself?”

“Nah. Aunt Esther and Unk are up there. I tried to help her, but she talking ‘bout I’ll get in her way. Same shit she does at the restaurant. Just fucking took over my shit.”

“My shit,” Relic corrected.

“Fuck out of here! When is the last time you were there?”

“When I got into it with her ass, and Jah ain’t talk to me for weeks behind that bullshit. Nigga act like he ain’t already have a grandma before he met her.”

Shabu chuckled, slapping a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I bet that shit burns yo britches, don’t it?”

“You damn right! I’m letting it be what it is, though, because I’m already the bad guy every day of my life to everyone else. I can’t afford to be that in my son’s eyes too.”

“You won’t. I told you, you’re doing a good ass job as far as I can tell. Parenting ain’t no easy responsibility, bro. Shit, you got lucky by missing the worst years.”

“Hell, nah. I heard teenagers are the worst,” Titan chimed in before biting into a patty. He finished chewing before clowning, “Relic gon’ be bald in a few years because watch Jah takes his ass through hell. They say you get what you give tenfold.”

“I’ll send that nigga to live with his momma before I put up with him testing me like that.”

Savvy gawked. “Did you just threaten to unalive my nephew?!”

“That joke was a little too dark, huh? Let me not put that in the air. Order me a patty from the truck, so I can go watch his game, favorite sister-in-law.”

“Don’t try to butter me up! I’m your only sister-in-law, and nope. Get it yourself because I know you’re just trying to avoid Ms. Judith. Besides, I see someone in line you might want to talk to... or stand behind like a creep and not say anything to. Whichever you’re in the mood to do.”

Relic tensed at her vague description because it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who she was referring to. He tried to appear disinterested—tickling Indigo after his little ass tried to snatch off his shades—but his head rotated toward the truck’s line as if he couldn’t help but steal a peek.

His molars grated and jaw ticked the moment he spotted Kennedy at the end of the line in the exact jersey his folks were wearing to represent Jahleel and an oversized pair of shades concealing her eyes. A laptop bag hung from her shoulder. She eased up in line, pinching at the white long sleeve shirt underneath her jersey like she was unnerved by having so many scrutinous eyes around her. Relic tossed his head because Kennedy was confident in everything but her skin in public places. In the bedroom; she’d fucked him like those burns didn’t exist.

“She came to his last two games, too,” Shabu informed him, taking Indigo as his head bobbed in silent approval. “They talk a lot, and Jah likes her. Me, Whoop, and bro ‘bout to grab Navy and Michi from the swings while you holler at your girl. Chin up, chest out, and stop acting like a pussy about it.”

Relic didn’t tear his eyes away from Kennedy as he reminded his brother, “What happened to you saying I need to cut her off before shit gets sticky?”

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