Page 39 of Kisses Behind The Spotlight 2: Finale

“Well, I am!” He roared.

Sighing, I turned around to face him. The sooner he got his thoughts off his chest, the sooner I could go to a bar for a drink.

“Your choices are piss poor! On one hand, you have Travis, a nigga I had to make sign an NDA before crossing my threshold, which he violated less than an hour later. On the other hand, you have Stepp, a nigga that has been running with mafia bosses since God knows when.”

“What is there really to discuss? I’m grown, and I can do what I want! What can you really do about who I’m seeing? Stop paying my rent? Whoopty do. I’ll just pay it myself. I can afford it on my own now. At the end of the day, I love Stepp, and I want to make something clear. I never had sex with Travis. I am not a hoe!” I clarified.

“Amill, the last thing I want to do is discuss your sex life!” My dad palmed his bald head, his nose wrinkling.

“Amill, I just don’t understand.”

He paced the space between my bed and the closet door, hands still on his head.

“I’ve introduced you to a dentist, an orthopedic surgeon, and an investment banker. How did we end up with you torn between Stepp and Travis?” He sneered, roughly yanking his tie loose. “And that nigga Stepp is old enough to be your fucking daddy!”

My lips flattened at his preposterous assertion. He was just being dramatic with that comment.

“Daddy, Stepp just turned twenty-nine. If you want to talk about age, Mama Marissa is old enough to be your mama then, huh? What is she? Eight years older than you? We are only five years apart. Pot meets kettle.”

“He’s basically a security guard,” he retorted.

“And you’re basically an elitist. We all have our flaws,” I sassed.

“Oop,” Yarissa’s little voice spluttered. We both paused and looked at the closet where the noise came from.

Dad yanked it open, and Yarissa and Fallon sat there, looking like a pair of deer in headlights.

“Why are y’all in my closet?” I scowled.

“Auntie Anila put us in there when your side dude started beating up your boyfriend,” Yarissa giggled.

“Get out!” I exclaimed.

“Here is your phone. I took it just in case I had to call 911,” Fallon tossed my phone at me.

They sprinted out of the room, their kitten heels slapping across the hardwood floors. Mama Marissa entered the room, and they almost barreled over her on their way out.

“Yaseer, there is a nigga bleeding out that we need to figure out what to do with. Leave Amill alone and go help the men. It’s evident she’s having a rough night. What have we discussed about you putting your expectations on the kids? Amill is living for herself, not you. I’ve known Stepp since before I’ve known you; any woman would be lucky to catch his eye. His temperament reminds me a lot of you when I really think about it,” she snickered.

“They do say most girls go after men like their fathers. I guess you better improve your behavior before Yarissa grows up if you don’t want her to come home with a younger version of you too,” I chimed in.

“Exactly.” Mama Marissa nodded along.

Dad stormed out of the room, and Mama Marissa turned to face me.

“I won’t pretend like your father’s concerns aren’t valid. They are. He just wants to make sure you’re safe. I grew up in the life, so I can attest to the dangers.”

“I know,” I lamented, taking a seat on my bed.

She came over and sat beside me while I vented.

“We aren’t officially together because Stepp doesn’t want to be in a relationship while doing what he does. So I was moving on.”

She flashed a knowing look.

“For real. I’m trying to. I hadn’t talked to him in a week. That’s why I changed my number and went to stay in Siesta while he was in town.”

“Well, Amill, if it’s meant to be, it will be. You can’t force Stepp to leave that life. He has to leave it on his terms.”