Page 113 of Tangled Hearts
She blinked, pulling herself back to the present, to Knycole beside her. Some things you couldn’t get back, and maybe you weren’t supposed to.
Christian leaned against the hood of his Maybach, jaw clenched so hard a vein popped out his temple. “Nigga, you don’t hear me? She was in that nigga’s arms like I’m dead already. I should kill Cash right now.”
Hov kept his eyes across the street. He wasn’t even looking at Christian, too focused on Knycole. She was fine as hell tonight—curvy, waist snatched, designer two-piece hugging every dip. The cropped jacket hit just above her hips, and her skirt stopped mid-thigh. It was trendy. The kind of trendy that only Knyccould pull off without trying too hard. Her hair was laid, lashes long, skin glowing under the park lights. He couldn’t look away even while Christian ranted.
“Nigga, you listening?” Christian’s voice cut through Hov’s daze.
“I hear you nigga,” Hov muttered, still watching Knyc. She laughed at something Noir did, head tilted back, smile wide. He soaked it in.
“Y’all good?” Briana slid up, swinging her braids over her shoulder. She leaned close to Hov, touching his arm.
He nodded politely. “Yea, we good.” He didn’t move away, but there was no spark in his tone. Briana lingered anyway, searching his face like she wanted an invite he wasn’t giving.
She showed up looking good as always. Her braids hung long down her back, edges slicked in swirls, and her lip gloss catching every headlight that flashed their way. The tube top hugged her chest, her jeans were just right. Anybody else would’ve stopped mid-sentence to stare.
Hov didn’t flinch though. He knew Briana was fine, always had been. But her energy never matched what he needed. She was flashy in a way that felt loud, always chasing attention instead of demanding respect. He respected her hustle, respected that she stayed put together, but she never moved his spirit.
That was the difference.
Beauty wasn’t rare in the city. They were surrounded by it every night. What stuck was presence. Knyc had it, even when she didn’t try. Briana didn’t, and no matter how good she looked, Hov couldn’t force himself to feel something that wasn’t there.
Shakeisha walked by, her daughter at home with her mama. She spotted Hov and gave a warm grin. “Hey, Hov.”
His lips tugged into the closest thing to a smile. “What’s up, Kesh. Let me holler at you.”
He’d been meaning to check in on her since Rock’s been home but had so many other moving parts in his life that it slipped his mind.
They stepped to the side, Briana left standing with a pout.
“How’s my niece?” Hov asked, voice dropping low so no one could hear.
He’d known about Rodeisha since Shakeisha was pregnant with her. He’d stocked her home with all the baby essentials and made sure she had any and everything she wanted. She was carrying his best friend’s baby, of course he was gonna look out.
Hov would always put his people’s needs above his own. The same way he kept Knycole’s secret, he kept Rock’s too.
Hov wasn’t a hypocrite. He was as solid as God made real niggas.
“She’s good. Growing too fast,” Shakeisha chuckled. Her face was pretty under the streetlights, clear brown skin, glossed lips, lashes curled. Motherhood had softened her edges but made her glow. Her ass was still lopsided but no one really cared anymore.
Hov studied her, then got to it. “How’s Rock?”
She exhaled through her nose. “Adjusting. Some days up, some days down. But he’s here, and that’s enough.”
Hov accepted the vain update. “You done came so far. Don’t let nobody take you back there.” His tone was firm, protective.
“Trust, I’m not.” She pursed her lips, shoulders squared.
Before he could reply, yelling cut through the crowd.
Noir’s voice was wild. “I told you it was on sight!”
Hov’s head snapped around. Noir was on top of Chanta, fists flying, dragging her across the grass. The crowd circled and phones came out. Noir’s hair swung as she threw another punch, lip curled in rage. Chanta tried to swing back but couldn’t keep up. Noir was winning.
“Knyc!” Hov barked, already moving.
Knycole shoved her way through bodies, grabbed Noir by the arm, and yanked hard. “Bitch, enough!”
“Aww she mad her nigga loves raw dogging me!” Chanta yelled, taunting Noir while trying to get on her feet.
