Page 41 of Body Language
The kitchen got quiet like everybody braced for impact.
“I’m saying,” Kairo continued like he didn’t just dig a grave, “you can’t yell ‘quality time’ and still be at the spa every Friday. That’s what Pops taught us. Be a provider first. Maybe that means I can’t always be present.”
Khloe dropped her fork on her plate. “Money ain’t everything to me. And that logic is your real problem.”
You could tell that wasn’t the first time they’d had that argument.
Kordai blinked slow. “Nigga… what?”
Kross started laughing so hard he damn near dropped his spoon. “Why would you even say some dumb shit like that out loud? Do you hear yourself?”
His mama side-eyed them both and turned to Kairo with zero patience. “You sound dumb as hell. Money ain’t never raised no child or fixed a marriage. You wanna be your daddy so bad, try being better than he was.”
“Y’all don’t get it,” Kairo snapped.
I had to cover my mouth to hide my laugh, but Khloe wasn’t hiding shit.
“You keep talking, Kairo,” she said sweetly, “and I’ll season your food with rat poison.”
Their mama side-eyed Kairo, and cut him down with one line. “Provider, huh? Where your daddy at now?”
Kairo blinked. “…At a work trip.”
“Exactly,” she snapped. “On a fucking work trip. And you in here repeating the same bullshit that left me raising four boys half the time by myself. He realized how dumb that was when it was too fucking late. Stop being a dumb ass before I knock some sense into you.”
Kairo just shook his head like he was used to it. Khloe grinned like she won the lottery. That’s when my phone lit up on the counter.
Zejah.
“Hey Zejah, what’s up?”
Her voice came through fast, panicked. “Niv, where you at?”
The laughter froze in my throat. “Why?”
“You need to get to your mama’s house now.”
My chest tightened. “What happened?”
“She’s outside, screaming at some man. They been arguing for almost an hour. He tried to leave, but she keeps trying to fight him. Ms. Messy Beth done called the police.”
My stomach dropped to the floor and the kitchen noise blurred behind me.
The second I hung up the phone, I guess my face said it all, because Kendrix’s eyes locked on me. That calm, cocky grin he’d been wearing was gone.
“What’s wrong, Pretty?” he asked low, leaning in like it was just us in the room.
My chest was tight, my mind already racing. I didn’t even sugarcoat it. “I need you to take me somewhere. Right now. A Uber gone take too long.”
“Where?”
“Don’t ask questions,” I cut in. “Just get me there.”
For a second, we just stared at each other. Then he stood, sliding his chair back slow, his eyes never leaving mine. “Bet,” he said simply. “Let’s go.”
I exhaled a shaky breath I didn’t even realize I was holding.
He didn’t press me. Didn’t make me explain in front of his family. Just reached for my hand, pulled me up from the chair, and walked me straight out like it was already handled.
