Page 93 of For the Love of City
“Ma!”
“Nah, let her speak, Pretty. Toots ain’t lying.”
My mouth dropped open at how Corey was teaming up with my mama to tease me about all of this. “Damn, I’m marrying you! You not gonna stop teasing me about this?”
Corey looked thoughtful before he seemed to come to a conclusion. “I need about two more kids and thirty years.”
“Y’all ready?”
Lyric held up that knife with too much joy on her face and I could only shake my head. I mean none of us were exactly normal but she was gonna have to be supervised watching my kid for a little while.Acting like the Black Wednesday Adams.
My mother held the cake and I took the knife away from Lyric and Corey wrapped his wide hand around mine. I could only smile at how his hand seemed mildly sweaty and I could see that he was anxious to cut this cake.
We were instructed to cut into the pink and blue cake that was decorated with bows and bears in the spot where the colors merged to purple.
I didn’t bother looking at the cake, just kept my eyes focused on Corey to see his reaction. He wasted no time pulling back the slice of cake and his mouth was in a wide grin.
“Damn, you really always give Lyric what she wants, huh?” I looked down at the color and could only shake my head as the round ofI told you so’swent up among our guests.
Corey, of course, was grinning broadly like today couldn’t get any better. “Big Homie looked out so that I wasn’t surrounded by just you and her since Trav ass is always on the road. Damn, I can’t believe that shit.”
“Now I need to figure out how to keep the love of two Citys, huh?” The blue interior of the cake was a sign that I’d been wrong about the baby.
“Do for him the same thing you do for me.”
“Which is what?”
He leaned over and gave me a gentle kiss as he pulled me back into the shelter of his body. “Love me as unselfishly as I love you and everything will be alright.”
“Just like that?”
“As simple as that. My love is never something you have to work for. It always has been and always will be given to you freely. Never forget that, Pretty.”
My eyes filled with tears and I couldn’t wait to show him my appreciation for each way he’d loved me.
“And I know without a doubt, you mean every word.”
The End
EPILOGUE
CITY
“WHO IS THIS nigga staring at you, P?”
She looked around the table confused cause I’d spoken up out of left field. We’d hopped back down to Houston so she could visit with the rest of her people. She didn’t know that I had business down this way and a loose end to tie up. This muthafucka was looking at mine like there was something he had a problem with and that shit wasn’t okay.
“Who are you talking about?”
Porsha and I had stepped out because her mama had a date and put us out the house. Since we didn’t want to hang around the hotel, we stepped out for dinner.
“This bitch ass nigga near the kitchen who keeps acting like he might know you.”
I moved my neck from side to side looking at this man who didn’t have the good sense to avoid my eye or turn his head. Which meant he was inviting me to act the way I was about to.
“Corey, I don’t see who you talking about.” She was trying to keep her voice down because we were in this fancy restaurant but I didn’t give a fuck.
Pretty looked finer than a muthafucka as usual with this deep purple dress on that had her looking like royalty. With her hair up in a bun and diamonds in her ears and lighting her neck and wrist, she looked like money. I kept it light in all black with a diamond watch. Now I was glad I had worn black so the blood wouldn’t show.
