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I searched his face for any indication that he was lying. I found none.
“Aight, Pops.” I stood.
For a second he looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn't. He just reached out and squeezed my shoulder the way he’d been doing since I was a kid.
“I’m proud of you, son. And don’t let Solomon get in your head. That’s what he wants. Now get out of here. Wheel of Fortune is about to come on.”
I kissed the top of his head and let myself out.
Me and the boys had been coming to a member’s only cigar lounge in Harlem called The Sanctuary for years. It was rare for the four of us to get together outside of work shit. I wanted the opportunity to just chill with my brothers.
Priest’s feet were kicked up on the low table. He smoked a Cuban and bopped along to the A Tribe Called Quest song that was playing. Yomi was across from him, drinking a glass of whiskey, neat. Marco was beside me on the leather sofa, his own cigar going, while he scrolled on his phone.
“You having a bachelor party?” Priest asked out of nowhere.
I looked at him. “Why would I have a bachelor party?”
“Because you’re getting married.” He pointed the cigar at me. “Plus, Marco says you and Belle are all lovey dovey now. That requires a celebration of its own.”
“I’m not tryna go to the titty bar, nigga.”
“Who said anything about the strip club?” He looked around at the others. “Did y’all hear me say that?”
“I think it’s implied,” Marco said without looking up from his phone.
“I said we need to celebrate. What that looks like is to be determined.” Priest settled back into his chair. “I’m just saying. It’s less than a month away and we should do something.”
“I agree,” Yomi said.
I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t even be outside like that.”
“I’d come out for that.”
Celebrating a situation I’d engineered as punishment that had turned into an actual relationship was not where I’d thought I’d be three weeks before my wedding but here we were.
“I’ll think about it,” I said.
Yomi smiled.
“Just make sure Tariq knows.” I added. “I think he’s still pissed ‘cause I didn’t tell him about the engagement.”
“What’s up with you and Jody?” I asked Marco, trying to take the focus off this hypothetical bachelor party.
He looked up. “Whatchu mean what’s up with her?”
“You was looking real comfortable in her crib.”
Priest sat up. “Wait. You’re fucking Belle’s cousin? How’d you manage that?”
Marco pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. “I felt bad about how the whole thing went down. So I took it upon myself to check on her.”
“You took it upon yourself,” I echoed. “Right. So, you checked on her and now y’all fucking?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then what’s it like?”
He shrugged. “She’s cool. Fine as hell, and I like her.”
