Page 104 of Love me Like XO

She laughed. “That would be perfect huh, me being the one to do all of the moving. Plus your place is you, what about if I ch?—”

“Ain’t no reason nothing in there can’t be changed. You said it yo’ self my space is perfect because everything is on one floor. You know it’s more than enough room and plus it’s out of the way. Good school district and lowkey a nice ass neighborhood.”

“Can’t argue with you about that, but that’s your space. I don’t want to invade.”

“Fuck all that. We’ve been living together since everything happened, right? The fuck is space when it comes to us?”

She looked at me for a minute, before shrugging her shoulder. “How about I think about it? Considering I was in the midst of working on my dream house before we…you know.”

I chuckled. “Fair.”

“Now while you take forever to get dressed, I’m gonna go get me some fruit.”

Before I could respond or talk shit my phone was ringing and she was out of the room. I glanced down at my phone seeing that it was an incoming call from a number I sure as hell didn’t know. The thing is I wasn’t stupid enough not to answer it, because I had too much going on in these streets, too much chit under my belt.

“Yo.”

“Call it off. Call all of your goons off.”

I didn’t know who this was, but I stayed on the phone. Had to be a connection to something, right? “Who is this?”

“You know who I am. You’re terrorizing so many people that you don’t know who I am?”

“I’m waiting.” I had an idea who it was, but I was going to make this motherfucker say announce himself.

“Givens. Now call off your little op. Face me like a man and not through my family.”

Something about the tone of his voice and that statement had me cracking up.

“Face you like a man? Where is the man?”

“You’re not funny. This is my life that you’re fucking with.” He seemed to be trying to create some type of sympathy plight, but that wasn’t possible. I don’t even know how he thought it was at this point. I mean after all the plotting and bullshit this was what he succumbed to? This was the hill he decided to die on.

“I don’t give a fuck. You came looking for me. You came after me, and you fucked up.”

He laughed nervously, I could hear the falsity of the laugh. “C’mon Aimes Zero Hughes. I’m calling you as a courtesy, because truth of the matter is the badge on my waist gives me all that I nee?—”

“Let me stop you right here. If that badge gave you anything I’d be behind bars in a set of metal bracelets, but seeing as though you’re on my line asking me to stop whatever the fuck you think I’m doing, I assume that badge doesn’t mean a god damn thing. If my assumption is correct, then If I was you I’d be getting all that shit like last will and testaments together. I’d hate for your wife to be blindsided.”

“Are you threatening me, Hughes?”

“Nope. I’m working off an assumption, detective. Now spend your time wisely and don’t hit this line no fucking more.” I hung up and slipped my phone into my pocket. After I grabbed my wallet and keys I walked out of the bedroom to go find Em.

The moment I entered the kitchen I had a smile on my face. She was sitting at the center island with a big ass bowl of fruit.

“Figured I’d eat since you took forever.” Her tone was different, like she was now carrying something that she didn’t leave the room with on her shoulders.

I chuckled, approaching her. “Wasn’t that long.”

“Long enough for you to threaten a detective on the phone, right?”

I looked over at her when she said that and her expression was blank, shit I was even about to explain myself to her, but when I began to speak, she held her hand up.

“Nope, I don’t wanna hear it. You better have all of this together for when they get here. I don’t know how many times I can say this to you without you getting tired of me saying it, but we need you. Shit I need you.”

“I know. I promise you I know that and I got all three of y’all. Trust the process.”

The seriousness was washed away by the smirk that filled her expression. “Though I don’t know what the process is I trust it because I trust you. But seriously, I’d not just you anymore. We created life, two lives that I need you to consider at all times.”