Page 136 of A Kingpin's Weakness
“How’s it riding?”
I smirked, glancing down at the sparkling dashboard of the Maybach like it was my new best friend. “Great. But you knew that already.”
He chuckled, that deep, low laugh that always made me feel like home. “You missing me already?”
I paused, just enough to tease. “And if I was?”
“I’d be heading straight to you,” he said, no hesitation. I knew he wasn’t just playing; if I told him to, he’d pull up wherever I was without blinking. I laughed softly, the sound easing some of the tension that had been sitting in my chest since therapy. “You so extra.”
“Only for you.”
I shook my head. “I’m stopping to check on Noah before I come home. So if you beat me home, can you get S3’s stuff ready for dinner?”
“Yeah,” he said, but his voice dipped lower. “Everything okay with Noah?”
I bit my bottom lip, leaning back against the seat, heart tugging. “I don’t know. I didn’t like how he sounded earlier. Hisenergy was off like he’s carrying something he ain’t said out loud yet.”
“You want me to talk to him?”
“Nah. I got it for now,” I said, though part of me wanted to say yes. I was just tired of being the glue, but I was the only one who knew how all the pieces used to fit. A beat passed between us.
“Just hurry home to us,” he said gently.
I smiled at that.Us.
“I will.”
“Stormi?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
The way he said it was simple, steady, no fluff… and it hit harder than anything else he could’ve offered. I closed my eyes for a second, heart full. “I love you more, husband.” I ended the call, then sat in silence for a moment, my hand resting on my belly. And even with all the messiness, the questions, the wounds still healing I felt solid. Because even when life was heavy, I wasn’t carrying it alone anymore.
I pulled up to Jo’s house, already feeling the weight in my chest before I even turned off the ignition. The house looked the same: familiar, tired, stuck. And just like always, Dre and Noah were slouched on the porch, posted like time didn’t move out here.
But me, I was changing. And I was tired of being the only one. I climbed out the car, rubbing my belly once as if Shiloh could give me strength.
“Guess you not tired no more, huh?” I said, eyeing Noah with just a hint of attitude, my voice soft but laced with disappointment.
Dre looked up, speaking for him like Noah couldn’t bother. “I asked him to drop me at the airport. That’s why he outta bed.”
Noah didn’t say a word. Just dragged from his joint like I wasn’t even there. Like I didn’t damn near raise him. I stepped closer, my stomach tightening not from the baby, but from the pain of being constantly pushed away.
“Noah,” I said, calm but firm, “can I talk to you in private for a second?”
He stood up without looking at me, brushing past me like I was just air. “Nah. I gotta drop my boy to the airport.”
“Noah,” I said his name again, louder this time.
“Noah!” My voice cracked. He kept walking. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t look back. I stood there frozen, the weight of all the years I carried him suddenly heavier than my pregnancy. I wasn’t just his sister, I was his keeper for so long. And now he couldn’t even give me five seconds.
“Can I use the bathroom real quick?” Dre asked behind me.
“Yeah,” I murmured, unlocking the door without looking at him. My voice was hollow. My heart even hollower.
I walked inside and went straight to the kitchen, needing something cold… anything to ground me. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and leaned against the counter, breathing slow, trying to push the tears back down. I pulled out my phone, hands trembling. My thumbs hovered over the screen.
