Page 71 of Made to Love Ya

“I know this nigga fucked up a good thing. That’s what I was just down there talking to him about. And I know he crossed boundaries with you getting with Talia the way he did. But let’s keep it real. Get out ya muthafuckin’ chest for a minute. Admit that if you had to choose a nigga for her, who else would it be but him—a nigga you know that will take care of and protect her the way that you would?”

“Except he didn’t protect her. He sabotaged her job.”

“You need to hear the whole story. I bet you don’t even know it, do you?” Pops challenged.

Tahj’s jaws were puffed out, and his nostrils flared as he shook his head.

“You might wanna sit your hot-headed ass down and listen then. Get y’all ignorant asses down these steps. Got me ’bout to miss this fight over this bullshit,” he griped.

We started walking toward the steps, but Pops stated, “And make him give up his damn keys too.”

“For what?” Tahj asked, still heated.

“No drinking and driving,” Rashad stated.

“I ain’t planning on drinking,” Tahj replied.

“We didn’t either, but still…” Jaylen shrugged his shoulders.

“Nigga,” Pops grumbled and mugged Tahj.

He nodded, pulled his keys out of his pocket, and handed them to me. When we headed downstairs, I put them in the lockbox with everyone else’s. Pops had a strict no drinking and driving policy. He lost his baby sister and her husband when a drunk driver hit her car. That shit still fucked with him. It had been seven years, but he still missed her like it was yesterday.

Since I was serving drinks, everyone would spend the night at my house. Them niggas talked shit, but this house was large enough not only for them to sleep over tonight but also everyone would have a separate bedroom to sleep in. The house was fully furnished, thanks to Talia, who helped me pick out my furniture.

I missed her in my bed. I missed her in my arms. I missed her in my damn soul. I needed and wanted her in the light and the dark. Hell, she was my light in the darkness, and she lit the paths for my troubled soul.

We sat down, and I told Tahj the story I had already shared with the others.

“Damn, nigga. Why you didn’t say that shit?”

“You ain’t been talking to a nigga.”

“Y’all was unknowingly all in each other’s space fucking each other up. We gotta fix this shit, G,” Tahj stated.

I leaned across to where he was sitting, and we dapped it up.

“That’s the shit I’m talking about,” Pops stated and reclined in the recliner as he turned up the volume for the boxing match.

TALIA

“Girl,what do you think about this one?” Eve asked and spun around in a dress that she had bought at the mall earlier.

I had spent the entire day with Eve and Anneka at the spa, the hair salon, and shopping. We later had dinner and drinks before we returned to my place, where they had parked. Both ladies had met over here, and we rode in my vehicle.

Anneka had run upstairs to use the bathroom before going home, and Eve wanted to show off a couple of the dresses she purchased for a date she was going on tomorrow. She seemed to really like this guy and was giving him an honest chance.

I was happy for my girl, but my heart ached for Izael. I wanted to forgive him, but I couldn’t understand why he would purposefully try to sabotage me. It made no sense, and because of that, it was hard to forgive him.

I knew the only way to do that was to get the answers that I needed. Although I would have to call him or accept his calls for me to do that, I was prideful and didn’t want to let my guard down. I knew that I had screwed up, but so had he in a major way.

“You looking good, boo,” Anneka stated as Eve turned left and right.

“Chè?”

“Hmm?” I was on my belly on my bed with my chin propped on my hands. My feet were crossed at the ankles, and I kicked them up and down.

“I asked how do I look,” Eve repeated.

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