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 Published by A.J. Presents

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Synopsis:

Nayeli & Rule were High school sweethearts, who thought they would be
together forever, but outside forces were working to tear them apart.
Tens years have passed as Rule makes his return to his hometown. He has
made it in the big leagues of R&B now but something is missing in his life.
Unexpected discoveries are made and secrets are exposed that turn Rule’s
life upside down. Can the two find love again? Or will the secrets from their
past be too much to recover from?

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Rule Graham

“Suck this dick like a nasty bitch.” I held ol’ girl’s hair in my hands
as she made my dick disappear in her mouth.
“Ummm, no hands. Gimme that throat. Stop playin’ with me.” She
smirked then continued to suck me up.
I just finished my performance on stage, so I barely had any energy
left, but who am I to turn down some head? She was one of my background
dancers, so she was a familiar face. Even though I’ve never actually had a
real conversation with her. I’m gon’ have to have a talk with Roc about the
security team because ain’t no way it should have been this easy for her to
get in.
“Shhhiit! Eat that dick up!” I commanded. Lifting myself off the
seat, I fucked her face from underneath. I had shit to do, so I needed to
hurry this up. I picked up the pace until I felt my nut begin to rise.
“Shit, I’m ‘bout to cum!” I roared.
Within seconds, I released my seed down her throat. As soon as I
pulled out, I started cleaning myself up. I was already running behind
schedule, and this was not in my plans. I pulled my pants back up before
adjusting my clothes to make sure that I looked presentable for these
pictures. That's one thing I loved and hated about performing. I loved my
fans, but the last thing I wanted to do after a show was take pictures while I
was sweaty and tired. All I wanted to do was roll a blunt and unwind.
“So that’s it?” Dancer girl scoffed. I turned to look at her with my
face twisted in confusion.
“Whatchu’ mean?’ I asked.
“I just thought that I would at least be able to enjoy that dick. You’re
putting on your clothes. Ready to rush right out of here like it’s nothing,”
she ranted.
I chuckled at the frown on her face. She was gorgeous, no doubt, but
lil mama had life all messed up.
“Did I invite you to come in here, lil mama?” I inquired.
“No,” she huffed.
 “Did I ask you to suck my dick?”
“No, Rule. You didn’t,” she responded sarcastically.
“So why are you standing here looking at me crazy as if I led you on
about what was going down?” I chuckled again seeing her face turn bright
red. “I apologize if there may have been a misunderstanding on your part.
Your company was never wanted, nor was it requested. You brought yo’ ass
to my dressing room, uninvited and helped yourself to some dick. I just
wanted the head. Nothing more.
It was cool forreal, just a little less teeth next time. Now if you’ll
excuse me, I have some fans to greet. There’s some mouthwash in the
bathroom if you wanna take care of that.” I gestured to my kids on her
bottom lip before turning in the direction of the door. She dropped her head
in shame as she led the way out of the room.
“What’s up, Boss man. Are you ready to go?” Big Moe inquired. I
was tall, but I had nothing on Moe’s 6’8, 400lb stature. He made my 6’2
frame seem short.
“Why didn't you warn me that ol’ girl was in my room, G? Now I
gotta find a replacement dancer because I can tell by the look on her face
that she ain’t gon’ be able to be cool after this,” I complained.
“Well, the good thing is she’s already signed a NDA for working with
us, so you have nothing to worry about, Boss,” he reassured me, but that
was the last thing I was worried about. I kept those forms in my back
pocket just in case. This was a cold world we lived in, and I refused to let
anybody get over on me.
“Just don’t let it happen again, please. The last thing I need is to be on
a gossip blog for a random chick I don’t even know.” I wasn’t really big on
social media, but I have seen the effects of it. Positive and negative. Outside
of my music, I made sure to keep a low profile. I rarely posted anything on
my pages. When I did, it was usually of me in the studio or promo for a new
album or tour. Anything else was solely at the discretion of my publicist.
“You got it, Boss. No one comes into the dressing room without
clearance,” Big Moe recited.
I usually didn’t allow anyone in my dressing room because that was
my time to decompress. My energy is high from the time I enter the venue
until the moment my set is over. That’s usually the one place where I can
truly be alone with my thoughts. I could have easily kicked Dancer girl out,
but only a fool turned down some head. Things would have to change going
forward because I didn’t want these women to think it was okay to violate
my space like that.
“My bad, boss man. She said she had left something in there. After she
didn’t come right out, I checked in to make sure everything was okay, and
y’all looked pretty comfortable to me. I won’t let it happen again,” he
explained.
I trusted Big Moe with my life, so I know that his word was solid. It
was hard to trust people in this industry, so I valued the loyalty I received
from my team.
“Rule, you need to hurry up! Your fans have been waiting for over an
hour for this meet and greet. We need to be getting on the road soon. Time
is money, and right now, you’re wasting it!” Tondra screamed. This was
nothing new for me because she always seemed to be uptight about
something. She has been my publicist/assistant for twelve years, so you
would think she would know by now that I move on my own time.
“You gon’ raise your blood pressure doing all that yelling, T,” I joked,
but her deep frown was an indicator that she wasn’t in the mood to play
with me.
“Don’t think you’re slick, Rule. I just saw that hoochie leaving your
dressing room. I swear you just like to make my life difficult!” She spat.
“We aren’t even that bad. We’re young and wealthy. I’m just tryna
enjoy life while we still can.”
“You are so lucky I love you like I birthed you. Otherwise, I would
have quit on your ass a long time ago,” she spat, rolling her eyes.
She could be mean at times, but she was honestly like another mother
to me. Especially being on the road and away from my real mother. She
gave me tough love, but it was always coupled with wisdom. In this
industry, the last thing you needed was Yes men. Those people who will tell
you you’re right even when you’re dead ass wrong. No, I needed a solid
team that wasn’t afraid to put me in my place on behalf of my best interest.
This last decade had been filled with many ups and downs, so it was
imperative for me to only surround myself with loyal individuals.
“You seem a little tense, T. Why don’t you let me come fix that for
you?” Big Moe joked. I tried my best to contain my laughter, but the look
of pure disgust on her face was too much for me.
“I doubt your package matches the rest of you, so I’ll pass,” she
replied, quickly turning to walk away. “Hurry up, Rule! Three minutes!!”
She shouted with her back turned.
“Dayyummm!” I let out. “Why you let her play you like that, G?” It
was never a dull moment backstage, and this was no different.
“Mannnn, I’m not thinking about her.” He waved me off. “She gon’
find out why they call me Big Moe soon enough,” he responded.
“I heard you, Big Bro. Let’s head out. I already know she probably on
the phone with Alton telling him about how difficult we are.”
Alton was my manager. Normally, he would have tried to make my
show, but his wife had recently given birth, so he was taking some time off.
I was currently wrapping up a twelve month tour. Touring was
probably my favorite part of my career. Being in an arena with a bunch of
fans screaming your name was indescribable. This was what I had worked
for, and I was finally living my dream. All those nights recording myself
doing covers of my favorite songs had finally paid off. It wasn’t always
easy, but it was damn sure worth it.
“AHHHH! There he is!!!” The line of fans waiting outside was out of
this world.
“That’s my man!” One young girl shouted.
“Rule! I wanna have yo’ baby!!!!” I laughed at the last comment. The
fans were going crazy as usual. I dreamed of days like this, so I was happy
to see so many people gathered together just for me.
“Alright, we’re gonna have you over here. These fans have paid for the
VIP package, which gets them a picture and an autograph on whatever they
bought. We also have some merchandise they can buy and have signed as
well,” my tour coordinator informed me. I nodded my head because, after
almost a year of this, I was very clear on how this works.
After everything was settled, they started letting the fans in. I posed for
pictures and signed autographs for about two hours before it was time to
wrap up. I couldn’t have been happier because I was ready to hop in the
shower and play the game. Insomnia was my greatest companion because
sleep doesn't come easy for me. To be honest, I hadn’t had a good night's
rest in years, so I just adapted to only getting three to four hours a night.
“Another successful night,” Asa stated as we began loading the tour
bus. He was my best friend and assistant. He had been with me on every
tour so far, making sure I had everything I needed before my performances.
“Yea, man. On to the next city we go!” I hollered. I was so happy
the night was ending and even happier that this tour was coming to an end. I
was ready to take some time off to spend with my family. Since my career
had taken off, I hadn’t been home as often as I should have. Now that my
career was in a great space, it was time for me to make sure everything was
good on the home front. Plus. I was missin’ my favorite girl something
serious.
“I’m proud of you, Bro. You’re doing everything you said you would
when we were youngins,” he said. If no else was in my corner, I knew that
Asa was. He always encouraged me to go for my dreams. I never had to
worry about him stealing from me because whatever I had, he had. He
earned that.
“I appreciate you being here through it all. Everybody can’t take their
friends with them, but you’ve been holdin’ me down from the very
beginning. I’ll never take that for granted,” I replied. There were times in
my career when I wanted to give it all up, but Asa challenged me to keep
going. He reminded me of the nights we prayed for something like this.
God didn't answer your prayers, only for you to turn around and doubt his
blessings. He was my brother for life.
“‘Til the casket drops. I always got your back, Bro.” I nodded my head
at his words because I knew that he meant everything he said. We had been
like brothers since our mothers gave birth to us three weeks apart. They had
been best friends for years, so it was only right that they raised their sons
together.
I spent most of the night responding to comments from fans on my
social media pages. I tried not to spend too much time on it, but I tried
interacting with my fans as much as I could. My phone began to ring while
I was scrolling. Little Bro popped up on the Caller ID, so I immediately
picked it up.
“YOOOO! What’s up, Superstar?! I can’t believe you called little ol’
me after that W you just pulled out tonight.” I watched him cheesing on the
other end of our FaceTime call.
“Yooo! What’s going on wit’ you, Big Bro? I see you out there shutting
down arenas and selling out shows, Mr. Grammy Nominee.” He hyped me
up. Messiah Graham was my little brother but he was also one of my best
friends. Being born four years apart made no difference to us because we
had been joined at the hip the moment my parents brought him home. I was
his protector, and he was my confidant when I needed somebody to talk to.
 “I didn’t get a chance to watch the game, but I caught the highlights.
Forty-eight points in a game! I thought you were gonna go easier on them
tonight. You came through and showed out!” I gassed him up.
Messiah was a point guard for the Kentwood Kings. Coming from a
small town like Jonah Hill, we had both accomplished more than most
expected. Our family was notorious in the streets, but we had all made a
way for ourselves outside of that. I respected what my father had done to
provide for his family, but my dreams were bigger than that. I wanted to
leave a legacy for my children. One that they could be proud of.
“Yeah, man. I was pumped for this game. All that physical therapy I’ve
been doing is finally starting to pay off. I feel like I'm finally getting back to
the old Messiah, you know,” he confided. I knew that he was still pretty
hard on himself after his near-death experience.
Messiah had been involved in a drunk driving accident that left him
injured. Initially, it was tough on him mentally and physically, but he had
bounced back from it all. That’s what Graham Men did. We never allowed
our circumstances to overtake us. Every trial is a test for us to show the true
power of God’s strength.
“You're killing it out there, Messiah. Don’t you ever doubt that. I’m
proud of you, man. You bounced back stronger than ever, and now you’re
unstoppable. Keep applying that pressure, Lil Bro. That ring is coming,
believe that,” I expressed.
“Thanks, Bro. I appreciate you, forreal, being here for me through this.
I’m giving it all I've got, so I'm hoping it all pays off. I’m proud of you too,
Mr. Popstar. Packed arenas, sold-out shows! A couple of the fellas said their
girls have been begging to go to one of your shows. I told them they gotta
pay like everybody else. I’m the only one getting special treatment around
here” Messiah boasted.
“You already know I got you.” My family was my biggest support
team, so I always made sure to look out for them. They did the same thing
for me too.
“I didn’t want anything, forreal. I just wanted to check in with you. I’m
about to call Charity & Serenity so I can get on their nerves. I don’t know
why your sisters have to show their whole ass when they post a picture, but
I’m about to start embarrassing them. Honesty little ass is gone make me
catch a flight because she’s been dodging my calls for days.”
 “Mannnn, I just checked Honesty’s hot ass last month. When I sent her
money for a birthday outfit, I expected the shit to actually be an outfit. She
on IG posing in that colored mesh she called a dress. She’s lucky I had a
show because I promise I would have shown up and unraveled that shit
before I threw on one of Granny's house dresses. They gon’ get enough of
playing with us.” I shook my head just thinking about it. I loved my little
sisters, but I swear they raised my blood pressure more than a little bit.
“Mom said she’s been acting out lately. Lying, being disrespectful, and
not coming home at night. I know she’s eighteen. She’s starting to feel
herself but ain’t shit changed. She better get her act together or I’m taking
that car back,” he huffed.
Honesty was the youngest of the clan. There was a significant age gap
between us, so we looked at her like our child more than anything. We were
protective as brothers. That had always been a role that we took very
seriously. We made sure to spoil and show our sisters love. We gave them
the world so they wouldn’t be easily impressed by these chumps out here
selling a dream.
“I’ll be up there soon, so I'm gonna check her out.” We’ve all been
there, so I wasn’t too worried about it. She was young and still trying to
find herself. I had faith that she would be okay.
“Alright, bet. Let me know what’s going on. Kiss the family for me
when you touch down.” He paused for a moment.
“Miyana is blowing my phone up, so let me make sure she’s straight.
I'll hit you up tomorrow. I love you, Bro.” I shook my head because I could
hear the stress in his voice. I wanted to help, but this was something that he
would have to work through on his own.
“I love you too. Be safe,” I responded.
“Always.”

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 Nayeli Joseph
“Reign, don’t make me have to tell you again to get up!” I huffed. One
thing my child knew how to do was take her sweet time. I had to be at work
in forty-five minutes, and I still had to grab breakfast for us both before I
dropped her off to school.
“I'm coming, momma! Dang!” She shouted.
“Little girl, play with something safe. Now hurry up. I need my coffee
if I'm gonna survive this day.” My opener had just called me to let me know
that she would be running an hour late, which meant that I would have to
run the register by myself. It was occasionally busy in the morning, so that’s
why I always made sure there were two of us. I was the owner of Reign
Supreme, which was a clothing boutique. Our location was in a popular
strip mall, so it was imperative that we opened on time.
“Sorry, momma. Can you help me put my hair in a bun? Yours always
turns out better than mine.” She pouted. I laughed because she used this line
on me every time she needed my help with something. It was the oldest
trick in the book, but for her, I would do anything. My heart fluttered when
I looked at her sometimes. From her bushy eyebrows, and big brown eyes
down to the mole on her cheek, she was the exact replica of a past I had
tried so hard to forget.
“Come on, Reign. The sooner I finish, the sooner we can get something
to eat. Don’t forget you’ll be going to Auntie Audra’s house after school,” I
reminded her.
“Mom, it’s Monday, you don’t have to remind me. Nessa and I are
making cinnamon rolls tonight.” I chuckled as she did her little happy
dance. At nine years old, she was a lot more mature than I was at her age. I
didn’t have to remind her to brush her teeth, take a shower or clean her
room. She truly made life so easy for me.
Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, I worked ten hour shifts, so Reign
had to stay with my sister after she got out of school. I was so grateful for
my sister because she had been my rock since I moved back to Jonah Hills.
 Minister Jarrod Joseph and my evil stepmother, Eva, had made it clear
that my “bastard child” and I were not welcome into their home. My
biological mother had passed away giving birth to me, so Eva was the only
mother figure I knew. Being a pregnant teen was frowned upon, especially
when your father is a leader in the church. So he had no problem footing the
bills for my place as long as I stayed away.
The drama and stress surrounding my pregnancy was too much for me,
so I isolated myself from everyone, except for my sister. I had just
graduated from high school with plans of attending college out of state and
living my best young life. Clearly, God had a sense of humor. The
apartment he got me was forty five minutes away from everyone. I guess he
wanted to eliminate the possibility of me running into any of the saints
while grocery shopping. At first, I didn’t mind because I was able to avoid
the harsh whispers and judgmental stares. Then I started reflecting on
everything I had lost in the process. All to protect the name of people who
never seemed to care enough about my feelings.
Being pregnant at nineteen wasn’t exactly what I had planned for
myself either, but being young and in love had me thinking that I could
conquer the world. That is, until the real world quickly brought me back
down to reality. I thought that love was the answer for everything, but in the
end, I was left alone, pregnant, and in community college with no support. I
didn’t have any regrets because I loved my baby girl with all my heart, but
those were some of the hardest days of my life.
After a few years of being away from home, I finally made the decision
to move back. My sister suggested that I start my own business, and she
would be a silent partner. It wasn’t easy, and there were so many times that
I wanted to give up, but Audra was my rock through it all. She was the only
one who attended my graduation ceremonies for both my Masters and
Bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and Accounting.
My father didn’t exactly welcome me home with open arms, but he
loved my daughter to pieces. So much so that sometimes, I felt myself
getting jealous of their relationship because it was something I had wanted
for myself. Regardless, I was happy I had made the decision to return.
Business had been steady these last few years and Reign was thriving. That
was what mattered most.
“Your hair is so beautiful,” I complimented as I brushed Reign’s thick
mane. Her hair was wild but soft. I love playing in it, when she allows me
to.
“I think your hair is beautiful too, mommy. I can’t wait for my hair to be
long like yours.” We looked at each other in the mirror as she sat at her
vanity. She always complimented my natural coils no matter what style they
were in. Right now, they were styled in a pineapple updo because I didn’t
want my curly mane touching my face.
“All done!” I announced as I made sure that her bun was to her liking
with no flyaways. I watched as she examined herself in the mirror and
smiled. “You are so beautiful, do you know that?” I affirmed. Reign was the
prettiest little girl I had ever seen. Her father’s features were dominant, but
she had my milk chocolate complexion.
“Yessss, momma! You tell me every single day!” She giggled.
“I gotta make sure that you never forget, Sweets. Now hurry up. I need
a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant in my life asap!” I kissed her cheek
before she took off to get the rest of her things.
She was absolutely breathtaking, so I always made sure to remind her
of that. Kids in school can be so cruel, and it can have lasting damage on
your self-esteem. Being a black woman with a darker complexion was so
hard growing up. All the boys in school picked on me up until junior high
school, where I met HIM. I was called everything from monkey to midnight
by boys whose skin color matched mine.
I never understood until I became an adult and realized that was a form
of self-hatred. It took me years to see myself as beautiful. That was until I
met HIM. Rule Graham was Mr. Popular from elementary school on up.
Everyone wanted to be associated with the Grahams in some way, shape, or
form. They were practically famous in our little town.
I had the biggest crush on him, but some of his friends used to torment
me, so I just assumed he was like the rest of them. He quickly proved me
wrong though.
“Girl, it doesn’t make no sense for those boys to be that fine,” Mina
called out. I turned my head to look in the direction that she was looking in.
“Fine! I’ve been trying to shoot my shot at Amirr all year, but he keeps
swervin’ me like I’m not one of the finest girls at the school,” Denae
complained. Honestly, that was my biggest problem. She thought because
she was pretty that meant that every man wanted her. She hated not being
the center of attention wherever we went.
 “I see you over there drooling over Rule. You might as well keep
dreaming because he’s way out of your league. He would never be
interested in a girl like you,” Danae quipped.
“So, whose league is he in? Yours? And what exactly do you mean by
“girl like me?” I inquired. Normally, I was a passive person, but Denae is
that type of person who tries to cover up her shadiness with jokes. Usually,
I would just ignore her, but I was fed up today.
“Don’t go gettin’ all sensitive on me, friend. I’m just saying that Rule
likes a certain type of girl, and you’re just not that. You’re more of a plain
Jane. It’s nothing personal. It’s just facts.” She shrugged her shoulders as if
it was all supposed to make sense from that piss poor explanation.
“Oh, so you’re saying I’m not enough of a hoe for him?” I shot back,
crossing my arms. Everybody knew that Denae had a reputation, and it
wasn’t for her excellent math skills.
“Hey, y’all chill out. This is not us,” Mina called out.
“Oh, I see you’re in your feelings now?” She chuckled. “I’m just trying
to save you from embarrassment. You’re a cute girl; you're just not pretty
enough to be on the arms of someone like him. Maybe if you try to put on a
little makeup and do something with that hair of yours, you would stand a
chance. Anyways, I’ll catch you later. I have a meeting with Coach Jay to
talk about my grades.” She winked before trotting off.
The fourth period bell was about to ring, so I started to walk in the
direction of my next class. Choir.
“Well, well, well, it isn’t Blackula, darkening our hallways yet again,”
Delvin crooked. I swear this was a bitter baby momma in another life
because there was no way he was this miserable as a man.
“Listen, I don’t have time for this. I need to get to class.” I attempted to
step to the side of him.
“I don’t know what you’re rushin’ for. It’s not like the teacher is going
to notice the one random black speck in the back of the room.” His friends
cackled in the background. At this stage, I had grown numb to most of his
jokes. I was hoping he would get some new material before the next school
year started.
“Bitch over there looking like burnt toast. If you bleached yo’ skin, you
might be cute enough to hit,” Eric spat. He never really said much, so
words stung a little. I never went out of my way to talk to them, so I didn’t
understand why they had so much animosity towards me.
 “Where’s that thick light skinned girl you be hangin’ around? That’s
who I’m tryna kick it to. Every crew has to have an ugly friend. It just so
happens to be you,” Delvin chortled.
I scoffed, ready to cut this interaction short so that I could make it to
class. “I have to get to class. I don’t know why you felt the need to approach
me, but you need to move,” I asserted. I was growing angrier by the second.
I hated bullies, but especially brown boys who look like me. How can you
have some hatred for someone who has the same skin color as you and
probably even your mother? It never made any sense to me.
“Oooooohhh!” His Peanut gallery instigated. And at this point we had
a circle of people rallied around us.
“Who’s gonna make me, Darkie? You should be lucky to even have
somebody showing you any attention! You’re the type of creature that
niggas fuck at night but never tell anyone about,” he roared. I could tell he
was getting embarrassed because he wasn’t getting any reaction that he
was hoping for.
“Like you said, every crew has an ugly friend. I’m happy to know that
you’re not interested in me because I'm not interested in a boy who has
bigger titties than me.” I smirked. Delvin was about 5’10, 380-400 lbs easy.
There was nothing wrong with bigger boys, but he carried himself like a
complete slob. He thought that if he wore all name-brand clothes, it would
somehow hide the fact that his personality was trash and he was a D plus
student at best.
“Bitch! Are you crazy?!” He barely got it out as he lunged towards me.
Before I could register what was happening, HE had me pinned up against
a locker.
“Aye, D. What the hell is wrong with you?” Rule Graham stepped
between us before focusing his attention on Delvin.
“My fault, fam. This charcoal ass bitch has me acting out of character.
I just can’t stand no big mouth hoe,” Delvin griped. Half the crowd had
dispersed once Rule appeared. The other half remained in place.
“Being upset is one thing. Being disrespectful and putting your hands
on a woman, that’s a whole other subject. If somebody doesn't wanna talk to
you, you’re supposed to take that shit and move on. This ain’t a good look
for you at all, G,” Rule stated firmly.
“Come on, man. I was just playing. It’s not even that deep for me. I
would never in my life try to holla at her black ass in real life. She ain’t
even on my level,” Delvin spat, looking in my direction with an angry glare
before focusing his attention back on Rule.
“You damn sure are right about that.” My heart dropped as I waited
for him to finish his statement. “She's too damn beautiful for you to even be
trying to play her like that. She's out of your league, fasho. She don’t have
no interest in fucking with a nigga with food stains on his fake ass jersey.”
The crowd roared as Rule roasted Delvin.
Of course, no one bothered to intervene because of who he was. I never
moved from my position as I tried my best to hide the smile on my face. Rule
Graham had come to my defense and called me fine!
“Bruh, you my homie, but this ain’t even have shit to do with you. You’re
going a little too hard for a bitch you don’t even know,” Eric interjected.
“I don’t know your ashy back momma, but I’ma still show her respect
when she’s in my presence. Now, let this be the last time I see you in her
face. She clearly doesn’t want to be bothered. You standing around here
picking on girls? Do you know how weak and pathetic that makes you look?
Not to mention the fact that you were real quiet when that Defensive End
was whopping yo’ ass at the game last week. How come you didn’t have that
same energy for him that you have for lil baby? Huh?” Rule probed. I could
have literally died and gone to heaven at this very moment. Everybody had
their phones out recording, so I knew this was only the beginning.
“And just so we’re clear, we ain’t homies or none of that. I don’t
associate myself with niggas who feel comfortable tearing down a black
woman for her looks. Y’all be easy tho, pussies.” With that, Rule turned his
back towards Delvin and Eric as the crowd began to separate.
The bell was about to go off, so I knew that I needed to hurry up and
get to class, but for some reason my feet just wouldn’t move.
“Alright, Boo. We need to be heading to class ‘cause you know Mrs. G
loose neck self is gonna try and make an example out of us if we’re late. I
don’t have time to be playing with that lady,” Mina said. She was right
because Mrs. G got joy from embarrassing people. I’ll never understand it.
“You’re right. Let's go because the last thing I need today is a write
up,” I agreed. I adjusted my backpack on my shoulders then took a step
forward. Mina walked ahead before I was suddenly stopped.
“Aye, you good, lil baby?” Rule asked. His hand on my arm sent
shockwaves through my body. Turning to look in his direction, I could see
the sincerity in his eyes.
 “I'm fine. It’s nothing that I’m not used to.” I shrugged my shoulders. I
didn’t want him to see how much the situation really bothered me. I
appreciated his gesture, but I knew this probably wouldn’t be my last run-in
with them. At least I thought so.
“Don’t let that negativity get to you. Sometimes people will try to
project their own insecurities on you so that you don’t realize how powerful
you really are,” he spoke. “Don’t ever allow anyone to tell you that you
aren’t beautiful because that’s a damn lie. Do you understand me?” He
affirmed. I know that I was supposed to respond, but I was too caught up in
his words. His aura had me in a trance.
“You sure you okay, lil mama? You seem a little distracted.” He
smirked then stepped closer to me.
“Th-thank you for what you did. You didn’t have to stand up for
me.” I rocked back on the balls of my feet. He was making me so nervous I
couldn’t even look him in the eyes.
“You never have to thank me for doing what's right, lil baby. My
momma raised me better than that.” I nodded my head at his words as the
bell rang.
“Looks like we're late.” He chuckled. As I looked around, I realized
the hallways had cleared fairly quickly.
“Mrs. G is about to embarrass me, and my day is already going
bad.” I huffed, thinking out loud. That lady had a mouth on her. She was
lucky that I was a child because I had dreams of popping her one good
time. I was a Straight A student, yet she still found reasons to pick with me.
“Don’t even sweat it. Mrs. G loves me. I’ll walk you to class. I
promise she won’t give you any problems,” he assured me. His fingers
interlocked with mine as we began walking the halls. I wanted to scream
from excitement, but I kept it cool.
Rule was only a year older than me at fourteen, but I could tell just
by how he carried himself that he was mature for his age. I had no idea
what love was, but in that very moment, I knew that my heart would never
belong to just me again. Or at least that’s what I thought.

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Reign Graham
“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” My cousin Nessa asked.
She was two years older than me, but she was my best friend. My partner in
crime because we were always getting into something.
“I just want to get answers. I wanna know what happened and why
she never brings him up. I just want to know if he cares.” I pouted.
My mom and I were very close, but there were a lot of parts of her
that she kept to herself. We talked about almost everything except the one
thing I wanted to know more than anything. My Father. For some reason,
whenever the subject came up, she always managed to avoid it.
Now that I was getting older, the need to know more about him had
only gotten worse. The only thing she ever told me was that he wasn't able
to be around. She never went into detail about why, which always seemed
to leave more questions than answers.
My momma was one of my best friends. She took great care of me,
and reminded me daily that I was beautiful. There was nothing that she
wouldn’t do for me. I wanted to know who my father was. There was so
much mystery surrounding his identity, and it drove me crazy. Every time I
saw a random man out and about, I wondered if it could be him.
Momma never spoke badly about him, so that made me think that he
had to be a decent person. Still, I needed more. Did he love me? Did he
want me? Was there something that was stopping him from being in my
life? Those were the questions I asked myself daily.
“I’m down for whatever as long as we don't get caught,” Nessa
responded. I knew that she would have my back, that's why I included her
on this mission. My mom kept journals in this box that she kept stashed
away in her closet. I had been watching her write in them while trying to
secretly hide them since I was younger. Today was the day that I would
finally find out what was in them. In my mind there had to be some type of
clue in them that could give me some answers.
The most important thing to me is finding out who my father is. I’m
hoping I can find a note or even a picture to help me figure it out. Nessa
said I should just ask her, but I know my mom better than anyone. If she
had wanted me to know, she would have told me. That’s one of the reasons
why I was desperate for answers. There’s got to be some big secret or
reason behind her hiding it from me.
“Okay, I need you to be my lookout. If my mom even gets close to the
steps, call me, okay?” I ran down the plan to her. Mom and Auntie Audra
were drinking wine in the kitchen while playing music, so I knew this was
the perfect time to follow through with my plan.
“I got you! Now hurry up so we can get this over with,” Nessa pleaded. I
didn’t bother to respond to her as I crept towards her bedroom. My heart
was beating through my chest, but I was a girl on a mission as I gripped the
handle to her room closet. My nerves were high, so I took a deep breath
while giving myself a mini pep talk. You’ve come too far to turn back now,
Reign.
“Here goes nothing,” I whispered to myself as I pulled the handle back.
I wasn’t 100% sure where it was, but I knew that she always used a small
ladder to get to it. I shifted through her clothes until I got to the very back.
The ladder was folded and propped up against the wall. I opened it then sat
it under the light switch so that I could turn it on.
After I turned the light on, I moved the ladder close to the spot that I
last saw her. She kept everything in a medium brown box with a lid on the
top. When I was younger, I asked her about it, but she told me that it was
something I wouldn’t understand until I was older. I’m old enough to know
that there is so much that I don’t know.
“Got it!” I whispered to myself as I held the box in my hand. My
palms were sweaty because I was so anxious. As I climbed down from the
ladder with the box tucked in between my arms, I adjusted my phone just to
make sure Nessa hadn’t texted me.
Once I was sure that the coast was clear, I booked it back to my room. I
had to make this quick so that I could return the box back before Nessa and
Auntie Audra left. Nessa joined me as I sat on the floor of my room.
“Do you really think you’re gonna find what you’re looking for in
there?” Nessa asked.
“I hope so. I’ve been waiting so long. I just have to know something.”
I was determined to find some answers in this box, even if it was from her
journal itself. As I pulled the lid off, my anxiety grew because I could just
feel it in my heart that my life was about to change. Her journal was at the
very top of the pile, so that was the first thing that I removed.
 She had a couple of journals in her, so I was searching to see if they
were labeled. I flipped through one that was dated the year before I was
born. It was a pretty thick book. I had no clue where to even start, so I
figured the beginning would probably be the best.
Dear Diary,
I never knew what love was until I met Rule. I was worried in the
beginning because of how he is, but he reassures me every day that he loves
me and me only. Yesterday, he took me on a picnic date to the park. It was
so romantic even though it started to rain towards the end. He made the
sandwiches himself, which was thoughtful, but the bread was so soggy. He
let them sit in his car while he was at practice.
I was just happy to spend time with him. Now that his song is getting
more streams, his name is starting to get bigger and bigger. I’m so proud of
his accomplishments, but I won’t pretend that I’m not a little nervous about
what that means for our future. He says that fame won’t change anything,
but I beg to differ. The girls have always fallen over him, but now it is
getting even worse. Everyone knew that we were together, but that did not
change a thing because they would walk right up to him while I’m standing
there.
I can only imagine how it will be when he really makes it big. I have
never trusted anyone with my heart, so I only pray that he doesn’t make me
regret it. He is the best friend I never knew I needed, and I can only hope
that our relationship is strong enough to get through this.
Evil Eva said that it’s just puppy love and that I needed to focus on my
schooling and not boys. I’m young, but I know what I feel in my heart when
he looks at me. He motivates me when I am struggling. He tells me that I’m
beautiful every day, which is something my own father has never done. I
just wish they could see what I see instead of judging him because of his
family. Rule is a great guy. My future husband and my forever.
Rule. I said the name a couple times in my head before it registered to
me. There was only one person I knew with that name.
“No way!” I exclaimed. There was no way that she was talking about
the same person that I thought she was talking about. I sat the journal down
deciding to look for more clues to confirm my suspicions. As I sat the
journals to the side, I noticed what looked like cut out newspaper articles.
Local Teen sensation blows his competition out of the water during
regional talent shows. Rule Graham. My heart galloped as I held the
articles in my hand. There had to be at least fifteen to twenty of them. I still
was in disbelief, so I continued to go through the box. I noticed that there
were pictures sticking out of an envelope, so I grabbed it so that I could
take a peek inside. Prom night, the envelope read. My hands grew shaky as
I pulled the photos out.
I smiled instantly, spotting my momma in a long yellow ball gown.
Yellow is and has always been her favorite color. Her and Auntie Audra
were posing together, along with a few other ladies that I did not recognize.
“What is it? Don’t hold out on me now!” Nessa whispered
aggressively. I had almost forgotten that she was in the room because I was
so focused on what I was seeing. I honestly was overwhelmed because
while I wanted to know the truth, I didn’t believe it would be this easy. The
more I shifted through the information, the more questions I had.
It was clear that my mom had dated this man, but as I stared at the
picture of them two together, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that
he was my dad. My breath hitched as I examined every inch of his features.
My mother would often joke that the only thing I had of hers was my
beautiful cocoa skin, and she was not lying.
Our heads even held that same oval shape. So many of his features
were identical to mine, even down to his eyebrows and nose. I was in
complete awe. We were twins in every sense of the word. We have the same
mole on our left cheek.
Wow. My emotions were all over the place because I wasn’t sure what I
was going to do with this information. After a few more moments of
silence, I passed the photo to Nessa so that she could see what I was seeing.
“Oh my gawd! That’s Rule!” Her reaction mirrored mine. “Oh my god!
I never realized how much you two look alike. You are really his twin! But
wait. How is it possible for him to be your dad, and this is the first time
we’re hearing about it?” She questioned.
She was saying the very thing that was on my mind. Now that I had a
face and a name, I was even more confused. Did he not want me? Did he
not have enough time for me because of his career? So many questions
were running through my mind that it was hard for me to even focus.
“I-I don’t know. I didn't expect it to be someone I knew. Especially not
a celebrity like him.” I continued to clutch one of the photos of him in my
hands. R&B singer Rule was my father.
 “So, what’s next? I have access to my mom’s IG account, so we can
send him a message if you want,” Nessa pressed. I was stuck. I didn't have a
clue what to do with this information. What happens if I reach out to him
and he doesn’t want anything to do with me? Tears welled in my eyes just
thinking about the possibilities.
“I can tell by the look on your face that you’re scared. We don't have to
do anything right now if you want to think about it for a few days. The good
news is that you figured it out, so now it’s not a mystery anymore. I got
your back regardless, cousin,” Nessa reassured me. I smiled in her direction
even though my stomach felt like it was in my feet. My emotions were all
over the place, and it was hard to wrap my mind around them.
Pulling out my phone, I Googled him so that I could see a more recent
picture of him. The results came through instantly as I continued to analyze
his features. My auntie played his music all the time, so I was familiar with
it, but I had only seen pictures of him a handful of times. This was my first
time taking a real look at him. I ran my finger down the photos.
I was so conflicted internally. So many questions that I needed answers
to. At some point, my parents were together, and now they weren’t.
Whenever I used to ask her about my father, she always said that he was a
good man but that it just wasn’t their time. I never understood what she
meant by that, but obviously something had broken them apart. I couldn't
help but wonder if that reason was me.
“Listen, let's put all this stuff back, and then we can do some snooping.
You know my investigation skills are top tier.” I laughed because she was
not wrong. Nessa knew all the celebrity news like those gossip pages my
momma follows.
“Okay, I need you to look out for me again,” I replied as I stuffed
everything back into the box. Everything except for the picture of my mom
and Rule together. I almost said father, but I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to
call him that. I was hoping that I would get the answers I needed soon. My
momma did an amazing job raising me, but I still felt like a piece of me was
missing. I wanted a father.
I wanted to know what it was like to have him in my life. Most of my
friends had dads, and they always talked about how cool theirs was. How
they play with them and buy them whatever they want. How they love them
and spend time with them. I wanted that too. I wanted to know what it felt
like to have love from both parents and not just one.
 I quickly put the box back in its place before booking it out of her
room. I stashed the picture under my pillow so that I could look at it before
I went to bed. I really want to meet him. I just hope that he’s as nice as he
seems.

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Rule Graham

“Unnnh, it’s too deep!” the random fan screamed as I beat her pussy
from the back in my hotel bed.
“Naw, you said you wanted this dick, so shut that shit up and take it
like you said you could,” I gritted. My hand pressed down on her back as I
continued to stroke her senseless.
“Oooohh, yesss! Puhlease!” She begged as I poked at the gushy spot
that always got them going.
“Arch yo’ back and let me in. I thought you said you were a big
girl,” I teased.
“I am!” She yelled out as she came all over my dick. Even through
this Magnum, her shit was drowning me.
“Big girls take dick without runnin’. I don’t think you really want
this dick like you said you did.” I stood up on both feet in a squatting
position with both hands gripping her waist as I delivered straight dick to
her stomach.
“Ohh Gawd! Oohh, wait! I’m cummin’!!!” Her pussy was talking
loud, so I answered back, stroke after stroke. “I love this dick!” She
proclaimed. I smirked as I felt my nut rising. I picked up the pace as I rode
her back.
“Ummm, shit! Catch this nut!” I demanded as I pulled out, snatched
the condom off then unloaded down her throat. These swimmers were made
for throats only, nothing else.
She flopped on the bed in exhaustion as I walked in the bathroom to
dispose of the condom and hop in the shower. Tonight’s show was the last
one on our tour and I couldn't have been happy.
“Ahem.”
“Something wrong wit’ ya throat?” I inquired after shorty had made
the same irritating sound twice.
“I mean I was just trying to figure out what's going on? I thought we
were gonna hang out?” She pouted with her arms crossed. She was a pretty
woman, but the fact still remained that she wasn’t MY woman.
 “You said you wanted to show me what that mouth does; you did that.
You huffin’ and puffin’ like I led you on or something. Lil mama, you knew
what it was when you hopped in my ride,” I expressed. I was a little
irritated because she threw herself at me. Now she was trying to act as if I
had led her on.
“Yea, I just figured that since we had such a good time, maybe we
could get to know each other,” she replied, shrugging her shoulders.
“I’ll pass on all of that, lil mama. I’m sure you're a nice young lady, but
I'm not interested in anything but the physical. I can order you an uber or
something, if that’s what you need,” I offered.
“Wow! So you got what you wanted, and that’s it? You’re just
dismissing me?!” She shouted.
Knock. Knock.
“Aye, that’s my security team. I’m being nice and offering to secure
you a ride home, but I promise if I have to let them in here, you're going to
be sitting on the curb. It’s your choice,” I stated. My jaw flexed in
annoyance.
This was one reason why I wasn’t interested in dealing with women on
any level. They always made it seem like they were okay with the terms,
but then they get upset when you don’t offer more than what you discussed.
“You are so full of shit. I never should have come here,” she fussed. I
texted Big Moe to let him know to come in if she wasn’t out of here in the
next three minutes.
“You’re lucky the dick was good because you are a piece of shit!” She
scoffed as she squeezed back into that string contraption that she called a
dress. I didn’t bother to respond as I vibed out to SiR’s album on my phone.
Taking a few pulls from my blunt, I silently began reflecting on my
performance.
The door slammed, so I went ahead and turned my music up as the
strain of herb relaxed all of my thoughts. I checked my email just to see if
anything new had come up. My assistant handles most of this, but she’ll
send me brand deals to see if it’s something I would be interested in.
Jonah Hill Annual Festival and talent show was the subject of the first
email that caught my attention. It was an invitation for me to be on the
panel of judges for the talent show. I still kept in touch with a lot of people
from my hometown because that was where it all started. I had a lot of fans
and supporters there. I still had a house out there that I stayed at whenever I
visited.
My favorite girl had been fussing about me not coming for the holidays
for the last two years, but my album had dropped right before
Thanksgiving, so I had a lot of gigs lined up. My family was my heart, but
my career was also a major priority for me also. I was a young nigga, so it
was important for me to build my legacy, not only for myself but for my
future children.
After reviewing the email, I forwarded it to Alayna so that she could
add it to my schedule. The event was three weeks away. Now that my tour
is over, I will be taking some time off to spend time with my family.
I picked up the phone to call my favorite girl to let her know that I
would be coming to lay eyes on her soon.
“My baby!” Her bright smile instantly brought peace to my heart.
“You’re my favorite girllll!” I sang to her. My momma was my entire
world. Her presence alone had the power to make everything right in my
world. Even if it is only for that moment.
“I’m surprised to see your face since you’ve been acting like you don’t
have a momma.” Her face scrunched up, and couldn’t help but laugh. She
was a drama queen for sure, but I knew it was because she missed me.
“Don’t be like that, ma. I haven’t been that bad.” I tried to use the
puppy dog eyes on her, but my favorite girl was not falling for it.
“Son, I haven’t heard from you since Sunday, and it’s Friday. I
understand that you are a celebrity and all, but it wouldn’t take too much
time out of your day to shoot your momma a text to let her know that
you’re still breathing. I swear if I didn’t get updates from your sisters, I
wouldn’t even know what’s going on with my own sons,” she fussed. The
guilt cut me a little because I had been so preoccupied. In my mind, I
thought I was doing a good job.
“Now you got me over here feeling like a neglectful son,” I countered.
“Well, if the shoe fits.” She shrugged her shoulders. It was clear that
was what she was trying to say.
“Really, ma? That’s how you gon’ do ya first born?” I smiled at her. I
knew she was missing me and the feelings were mutual. I can’t remember
the last time I had a home cooked meal, so I was more than ready for this
upcoming visit.
 “Momma, I'm sorry you feel that way. I never want you to think that I
don’t care about you. You’re the most important woman in my life, so I
always want to make sure that you’re good. I’ve just been busy.” She wiped
her eyes, but the sadness was still evident.
“I know that you love me, son. I just wish that I could see you more.
All of my babies are off making lives for themselves, and I’m all alone.”
She pouted.
“You want me to buy you a puppy or something to keep you
company?” I joked because I knew how she felt about animals. She was
terrified of anything with fur.
“Boy please! You know better. Some grandbabies would be nice
though. I’m not getting any younger and neither are you.” My face twisted
up at her suggestion.
“I love you with all my heart, but you would be better off with the
puppy.” I quickly waved her off.
“When are you going to settle down, son? You’re in your 30s now.
Don’t you think it’s time to find someone that makes you happy?” She
inquired.
“Relationships aren’t for everybody. I know firsthand what they can do
to people, and to be honest, I’m not impressed. By no means am I saying
that I’ll never date someone, but it’s not a priority for me,” I explained.
“Don’t you want to have your own family? A wife and children to
come home at night? Life is more than music, world tours, and random
women, Rule. Your father and I had dreams of spoiling our grandbabies in
this big house. Don’t you wanna be a father one day?” She asked. To be
honest, this was something I never really thought about given the fact that I
was single. My father and I weren’t close, so I wasn’t sure if that was what I
wanted.
Growing up in a two parent home doesn’t always mean that both
parents are active. Financially, my father made sure that we had everything
that we needed. However, when it came down to being a father, he failed.
Oftentimes, I envied the way that my uncle Truth cared for his family. Both
brothers were heavy in the streets, but when Uncle Truth came home at
night he was a father. There were times we would spend the night, and he
would help us put our forts together. He loved our Aunt Ophelia more than
anything. There were no random women or secrets within their relationship,
as far as we knew. That only made me resent my father even more. He
always had a choice, but it was never us.
“I don’t know, ma. Maybe somewhere down the line, I might. It’s just
not something I'm interested in right now.”
“So I guess now wouldn’t be a good time to ask you to make me some
smothered chicken and gravy when I come home in a few weeks, huh?” Her
eyes lit up like a kid at Disney.
“Oohh, don’t play with my feelings, son.” Her hands were clasped
together.
“You know, I would never do that. I was planning to come visit after
the tour was complete. I just received an invitation to be a judge for the
annual talent show, so I figured I would come early and stay a little longer.”

“Oh my gosh I’m so excited! I’m gonna see what your brother's
schedule is like. I might actually have a chance to have all my babies under
one roof with me!” she squealed with excitement.
“Wait, so are you going to be staying with me or are you going to be
staying at your place here?”
“You know, I like my privacy, Ma. I am going to spend a few nights at
your place though. That way I don’t have to drive to your house for
breakfast.”
“Why does it sound like you’re using me?” She laughed.
“Listen, I have been waiting for this visit for months. I’ve been eating
fast food every single night. I’m ready for some “stick to your ribs”
cooking.” I licked my lips in anticipation of the meals I knew I was gonna
get when I touched down.
“You already know I’m going to make all your favorites. Granny Lula
already said that you looked like one of those crackheads on the street.
Between the two of us, you’re almost guaranteed to gain 20 pounds before
you leave again.” She cackled. My Granny Lu was my dad's mother, but she
treated my mom the same as if she had birthed her.
“ I can’t believe you and granny sitting around roastin’ me. It’s hard out
here for a young single black man. I gotta fend for myself.”
“Don’t even worry about it, we got you.”
“Oh, and can you ask Granny can make me some of those biscuits I
love? And a pound cake too.’
 “You are so spoiled. I need you to hurry up and find a wife,” she joked.
I already knew where this conversation was headed, so I immediately
changed the subject.
“So what’s going on with Honesty? I’ve been seeing a lot of stuff on
Instagram that I’m really not feeling.”
“Ugh.” She took a deep breath as she adjusted the phone camera. “I
don’t know what’s going on with your sister. It’s like the minute she turned
18, she lost her mind. She’s cutting class, coming in late or sometimes not
even at all. She has that phone glued to her hand like it’s a lifeline. I believe
she’s sneaking around with some boy, but I have no clue who it is. You guys
are all grown now, but I never had to deal with this with any of you.” Her
face was full of anger and worry. I knew right away that I would be having
a talk with Honesty while I was there.
“Don’t even stress out about it. I’m gonna sit down and have a talk
with her. If she’s not going to school, she needs to be doing something
productive for her future.”
“I try not to stress about it too much, but I pray that she doesn’t get in
something that she can’t get herself out of.”
“That’s natural because you’re a mom. You want the best for us, even
when we don’t want it for ourselves. I’m gonna make some phone calls and
see if anybody has been seeing her around. I don’t like the things that I’m
hearing, so it’s time to get some things straight.”
“I appreciate that. The most important thing is that you’re coming
home. Send me your flight details so I can meet you at the airport.” She did
a little happy dance.
“You don’t need to do all that, ma. I can take an Uber or something. I’ll
more than likely be there early in the morning, so I don’t want you to have
to go out of your way.”
“I don’t want to hear any of that. I’m coming to get my baby boy, and
that's final, so send the information like I asked.” Nobody argues with the
Queen, so I simply nodded my head.
“I’m so proud of you, Son. You’re everything I always knew you
would be.”
“Thank you, mama. I appreciate that.” She stared at me for a little
while in silence.
“You are worthy of love. Everything you desire is going to come to
you. Just have patience.” Sometimes I felt like she could see right through
me because she always seemed to know what was on my mind. Lately, my
past was starting to come back to haunt me. I didn’t know what it meant,
but I had been losing sleep for days. I hated being vulnerable, so needless to
say, it wasn’t something I talked to anyone about.
“I love you, mama.”
“I love you more. Take care of yourself, baby boy.”
“Always, Favorite girl.”
I took a couple more pulls from my blunt as my thoughts took over. My
gut was telling me that something was coming. What? I wasn't sure yet. I
just hoped that I was ready for whatever it was.

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 Nayeli Joseph
“We need to talk about Reign,” Audra stated. We were out having
appetizers and drinks at our favorite taco spot Mamacita’s.
“What do you mean? Is something going on with her?” My daughter
was my pride and joy, so naturally I was ready to go to war behind her.
“I think it may be time,” Audra muttered. She was speaking in riddles,
which was starting to piss me off.
“Audra, is something wrong with my child? What’s going on ?” My
heart rate sped up as I waited for her to continue.
“Yesterday, when she came over, she asked me about her dad.” My
drink went down the wrong windpipe, which caused me to choke. Audra
rushed over, giving me a couple of good pats on the back.
“I always said you were the drama queen of the family, but damn,”
Audra fussed from behind me. Not only was I trying to catch my breath, but
I was having a whole panic attack. Realistically, I knew this day would
come, but I just wasn’t sure I was ready. The last thing I wanted was for my
daughter to resent me for the choices I had made.
“Wh-what happened? She seemed fine when I picked her up last
night.” My mind was replaying the events from last night to recall if her
energy was off. She was quieter than usual, but I just attributed that to the
fact that I had picked her up later than usual.
“She asked me if I knew him. Of course, I couldn’t lie, so I told her that
we all went to school together.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “She
wanted to know why he had never come around. If he was a good person. I
told her that he was a nice guy as far as I remember. The look she gave me
let me know that she wasn’t buying it.” Audra looked just as stressed as me.
I felt bad for even putting her in the middle of my mess.
“What do I even tell her?” My head rested in my hands as my mind
tried to come to terms with the situation in front of him.
“Tell her the truth. Hell, tell him the truth! I love you to death, but this
has gone on long enough. I know you feel like you did the right thing, but
it’s been years. He has a right to know that he has a daughter out there.
Especially now that she’s old enough to start asking questions. I mean, let's
be honest, she has his face. You’ve been lucky enough not to run into any of
his family members since you’ve been back, but how long do you think that
will last?” Audra pressed.
She was right. I made it a point to shop on the outskirts of town, but
how long would that last? In my heart I knew it was time, but I hated to
think about what the fallout from all this would be. Reign had been my
priority through all of this, so the last thing I wanted to do was let her down.
“She’s gonna hate me,” I surmised. Reign had been my priority through
all of this, so the last thing I wanted to do was let her down. At the time, I
made the decision that I thought was best. It was never my intention to hurt
anyone.
“Reign loves you. She just wants to know the truth. She may be upset,
but she’ll never stop loving you.” She placed her hand on top of mine for
reassurance.
“I’m gonna tell her after the talent show tomorrow. The last thing I want
is for her to be unfocused. I know how much this means to her,” I
concluded. Ironically, Reign had a natural talent for singing. Even at her
young age, her voice sounded as if she was a seasoned artist who had been
through the storms of life. Whenever she would sing at my grandfather’s
church, the crowd would be moved to tears as she belted out songs of
Praise. She was truly gifted.
“I can’t wait to see her perform. I just know she’s gonna kill it,” Audra
spoke excitedly.
“I know I'm probably going to be a blubbering mess. I’m just so proud of
her,” I exclaimed. My baby girl was not afraid of anything. She never
allowed anything to hold her back from what she wanted in life.
“Who knows, she may end up being a famous singer like her father,”
Audra jested. My smile instantly faded. Rule Graham was a sore spot for
me. At one point in my life, he was my everything. The person I thought I
would be with for the rest of my life. I never imagined that I would be
watching his success from a tv screen.
“You still love him, don’t you?” That question was easy and difficult at
the same time. No one really knows the truth about what happened besides
the people involved.
“I never stopped.” Rule would probably always have a place in my
heart. Not only did he teach me what love was, but he gave me love in
human form. Even though we were no longer together, I followed his career
over the years. As much as I could stand without completely breaking
down. There were no words to describe how proud I was of him. My love
for him was the reason that we were in this situation to begin with.
Although, I was sure when the truth came out, he wouldn’t see it that way.
“I don't know how this is going to turn out, but what I do know is that
you did what you thought was best for the both of you. You’ve done an
amazing job raising my niece, even when you didn’t have the support you
needed. You stayed in school with a newborn, got your degree, and now you
have your own boutique. Reign is an amazing child, and he is going to love
her.” Her words touched me.
“I know you’re right, Audra. I have no doubt that he’ll love her. It’s
just-” I paused to get my emotions under control. I felt like I was reliving
one of the most painful times in my life all over again.
“It hurts, but I know it's time. Reign deserves to know the truth. They
both do.” I wiped the tears from my eyes. It was time for me to put on my
big girl panties and face the music.
“I know you’re worried, but I promise you won’t have to do this alone.
We’re gonna get through this together,” Audra promised me. I was a
nervous wreck, but knowing that she was standing with me made me feel a
little better.

“Hey, Sweets! How are you feeling about tomorrow?” My nerves were
so bad, and I wasn’t even the one that would be singing. Not only was I
nervous about the performance, but I was anxious about our talk.
“I’m a little nervous, but my whole class is coming to cheer me on, so
I'm excited. Miss Chassilyn said that there’s gonna be a celebrity judge
there too. Nessa thinks it's Rihanna, but I told she’s out of her mind. Riri is
not coming to our little town” Her facial expressions were too much for me
to handle as I roared with laughter.
“I mean, you never know,” I teased.
“Mom, please!” She giggled. Her beautiful smile could light up a room.
My heart was so full of pride watching her grow into this fearless young
girl. She was everything I wished I was at her age. Her confidence was
unmatched.
 “I’m so proud of you. I can’t wait to see you up there doing your thing.
I already know you’re going to do great,” I assured her.
“Thank you, mom. I really want to win, but I'm just so happy to be
doing it.” My heart. She was so mature for her age.
“What do you want for dinner, Sweets? I’m thinking of loaded steak
potatoes,” I asked. She wasn’t a picky eater at all, which made it so much
easier to cook.
“Oooh yes! Can we have shrimp too? With extra cheese and ranch?”
She pleaded.
“It’s a deal. Now go wash your hands so that you can help me cook,” I
instructed her. Reign loved helping me in the kitchen. This was where we
did most of our bonding. Feeding people has always been a secondary love
language for me. My grandmother on my father’s side always kept me in
the kitchen with her. Grandma Meda taught me how to make everything
from homemade biscuits to seafood gumbo. She passed away when I was
fifteen, but she left me all of her recipe books. It was an honor to be able to
pass down what I had learned to my daughter.
Reign got up to wash her hands before standing next to me. First, we
washed the potatoes before we oiled and seasoned them. The potatoes were
going to take at least an hour, so that would give plenty of time to prepare
our toppings.
“Mom, can I ask you a question?” My palms grew sweaty as I turned in
her direction.
“What’s up, Sweets?” I was trying my best to maintain my composure.
“Why did you and my dad break up?” To say that I was speechless
would have been an understatement. She had never asked me anything like
this before. After my talk with Audra, I should have known this was
coming.
“Was it because of me?” She probed. My hands were shaking as I was
holding the knife to cut the vegetables so I put it down.
“No. No, not in the way that you think,” I paused. In my mind I
thought I had more time for this conversation, but apparently my time was
up.
“Your dad and I were really young when I got pregnant with you. He
loved me very much, and I loved him.” My eyes began to water as I
swallowed hard. Just thinking about the way he loved me had my heart
beating fast. There were not enough words to describe just how pure his
love for me was.
“So then what happened? Why are you not together anymore?” She
pressed. It was clear that she wasn’t giving up until she got the answers she
needed.
“Where is all this coming from, Sweets?” I asked her.
“Can I tell you the truth without you getting upset?” My body froze.
No parent wanted to hear a phrase like that because nine times out of ten, I
was going to be upset.
“Talk to me, Reign. What’s on your mind?” My hands were unsteady
as I chopped up the broccoli for our potatoes. It was clear that there was
something on her mind. We’ve always been close, so I wanted her to feel
comfortable telling me anything.
“I went through your box,” she whispered. Initially, I was confused
until I processed her words more in depth.
“H-How did you find it?” I had kept a memory box since I was in high
school so that I could one day share it with my children when they got
older. It was where I kept all of my journals as well as old pictures,
newspaper clipping, as well as many other trinkets of important memories
in my life. There were even some photos of my mother in there from before
I was born.
“I saw you writing in your journal a few times. When you were done, I
would watch you put it in that box then hide it in the closet,” she explained.
My child was observant like her father, for sure. He never missed anything,
even if he chose not to speak on it. It was a trait that I loved and hated.
“I saw him,” she said in a low tone. It didn’t take much for me to
realize who the “him” was that she was referring to. He was a major part of
my past, so I saved as many memories of us as I could. The years that we
spent together were some of the happiest times of my life. I never wanted to
forget those times.
“Why isn’t he here? Did he not want me?” I turned to face her so that
she could see the seriousness on my face. My hand lifted her chin as I spoke
to her.
“Don’t even think for one second that you weren’t wanted. Look, your
father and I were teenagers when we got together. He had big dreams to
become a singer one day, and I wanted to make sure that he didn’t give up
on those dreams.” I was afraid of her reaction, but she needed to know that
her father hadn’t abandoned her.
“Your dad loved me, and I knew that he would love you too. He would
have given up on his dreams to be with us. So I left without telling him
about you. At the time, I thought I was doing what was best for all of us.”
Her face frowned up, so I knew that she was upset. She may have been
mature for her age, but that didn’t change the fact that she was still nine
years old. She took a step back as she tried to process what I had told her.
“So he doesn’t know I exist?” Reign asked with sadness in her voice.
“No, Sweets. He doesn’t. I thought that I was protecting everybody. I
still feel that way, but I think it’s time we told him. Are you okay with
that?” I wanted her to have a voice in this situation, regardless of how
things played out.
She nodded her head yes. “Do you think he’ll be happy?” She looked at
me for reassurance.
“He’s gonna love you, I promise.” It was me he was going to hate.

OceanofPDF.com
Rule Graham
“Thank you so much for coming!” Miss Chassilyn stated as she shook my
hand. I had just arrived at the festival as they were still preparing for the
day's events.
“It’s no problem. This is where I got my start as a young boy. I used to love
coming to this festival every year,” I spoke as I looked around the grounds.
When I was younger, this place seemed so big to me. All the memories I
shared with my brother and sisters came rushing back to me.
“Okay, so here is the game plan.” She went on to explain the way the
show was going to go. I was currently rocking a hat and shades to disguise
myself. The performers knew that there would be a few celebrity judges,
but they didn't know who. I couldn’t wait to see how everything played out.
“Do you have any questions about how any of this is going to work?”
She asked for clarification. I was ready to get things started. She had told
me that they had a few young performers, which had me super hype. I
entered my first talent show when I was right. I sang “Who’s Loving you"
by The Jackson 5 and had the crowd jumping. I didn’t win the first year, but
you better I came back the next year and blew those judges away.
“No ma’am. Did my manager get in touch with you about the prize for
the winner?” Normally, the winner wins a $100 cash prize and a trophy, but
I wanted to do something special this year. The winner would have an
opportunity to come to my next show when I go back on tour. They would
get backstage passes and an opportunity to sing with me on stage.
“Yes, he did. Rule, I cannot thank you enough for this. Your presence
was more than enough, so the fact that you are doing this is incredible,” she
replied. I was blessed with this life, so I wanted to be a blessing to others.
“This is my hometown. The place that helped put me on the map. I’ll
always do what I can to help support my community,” I expressed. I would
forever be a Jonah Hill native, so there was nothing I wouldn’t do to show
love to my people.
 “Okay, we’re gonna get started soon, so I’m gonna go check on a few
things, and then I'll come get you. If you need anything, just let me know.”
She shook my hand one last time before walking out. We were inside this
building at the fairgrounds. It was something like a makeshift office space.
They had set aside some refreshments for us while we waited. Nothing too
fancy, but I appreciated the gesture.
“You know the crowd is going to be out of control today. I don’t know
why you insisted on not having backup security,” Big Moe complained.
“Big Moe, we go through this every time. This is my home. No one
ever bothers me when I’m in town. Even if something was to pop off, I’m
always strapped. Once this is over, I’m gonna take a few pics, grab me a
couple funnel cakes, then we’re out. My momma got a whole spread
waiting for ya boy, so I have no intentions on being out here long,” I
reassured him.
Jonah Hill was a small town with substantially low crime rates, so I
wasn’t worried about anyone bothering me. I’m sure I had tons of haters,
but none of them were stupid enough to mess with our family. The last
name Graham held a lot of weight in this community due to our family
history as well as the businesses and charities we had established here. Our
fathers were in the streets heavy, but they didn’t want that for us.
We own laundromats, convenience stores, and community centers in
our names. While a few of my family members were still involved in arms
dealing, our family was wealthy just off the legal businesses alone. Our
fathers believed in creating generational wealth. As a result, they created a
large percentage of job opportunities for many. The people of Jonah Hill
loved us, so there was never a reason to be afraid when I came to town.
Everyone always treated me like family here.
“Just know when Tee is getting my ass for having to shoot civilians,
that’s on you,” he let me know.
“Bro, you wildin’. I promise there's not going to be any need for all of
that. I don’t want to hear her mouth any more than you do.” We both
smirked. Tee had been harassing me about being on my best behavior since
I landed when it was obvious who the problem was.
About an hour later, Miss Chassilyn came to get me, so that she could
escort me to my seat. I knew that it would be packed, so it was no surprise
when I saw the crowds of people surrounding the stage. They had a closed-
off section off to the side for us to sit. I walked over to introduce myself to
everyone before we got started.
It took no time for the show to start, so I was happy about that. The
first performer was an older lady wearing a mini skirt and those stockings
with the holes in them. I won’t even lie; she had me looking at Mrs.
Chassilyn with a side-eye. When she started singing Giving Him Something
He Can Feel by En Vogue, I wanted to run and hide. Usually, they had a
screening process to see who would be the top ten contestants to actually
perform. I really wanted to know how this even happened because ain’t no
way in hell this was the only talent they could find.
“What the hell was that?” One of the judges on the right of me blurted
out. I tried my hardest to have an unbothered look on my face as I tried to
stifle my laughter.
“I hope this was for comic relief because ain’t no way they thought this
was talent.” Jervaun, my high school classmate, complained. He was
another judge on the panel as well as a well-known local chef.
“Bruh, I'm surprised. They used to have a better selection than this. I
can’t believe this,” I said as I waited for the next person to take the stage.
We had the numbers for the performers so that we could rate them from 1-
10 next to their number.
By the time we got the contestants six and seven, I was pretty sure I
knew who would be the winner. Outside of geriatric Geraldine, there was a
lot of talent present on the stage. As the last contestant made her way to the
stage, I had pulled out my phone to see if dinner was ready. I meant what I
said when I told Big Moe that I wouldn’t be here long. I loved my
community, but that smothered chicken, pinto beans, and cornbread were
calling my name.
The music started as I placed my phone back in my pocket. I looked
down at my paper to make sure that I was satisfied with my ranking. Today
was a success and I was happy to be a part of it. Then I heard it. This tiny
sultry voice that sounded unlike anything I had ever heard before. My head
shot up so quickly because I had to see who this voice was coming from.
When I looked at the little girl on stage, I was in awe. How was it even
possible that she sang Greatest Love of All by the late Whitney Houston as
if she could feel every emotion? When she turned in our direction, my heart
stopped.
 “Damn, little mama is the truth!” Jervaun exclaimed. The judges sitting
on the side of him nodded their heads in agreement. I felt like I couldn’t
breathe, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
“She kind of favors you. Are you sure that's not your daughter?”
Jervaun joked around. I was speechless. Obviously, she wasn’t my daughter
because I had no children. However, her resemblance to me was uncanny.
She looked like she could have been a part of my family. My immediate
family at that.
“She definitely has talent.” That was all I could manage to say. My
phone was going off like crazy in my pocket, but I couldn’t take my eyes
off her. I was entranced by her vocal range as well as the unfamiliar pull I
felt in my chest. Who was she? They didn’t give the contestants names until
the end, so I had no clue what her name was to even determine who her
parents might be.
“Wow, she’s an angel,” one of the female judges called out. By the time
she finished her last note, the crowd was going crazy. My initial first pick
had been completely crossed out and replaced with her. Talent like that
could not be overlooked.
“Thank you so much to all of the nominees again. We’re going to take
a brief intermission to give our judges some time to deliberate. We’ll be
back momentarily,” Miss Chassilyn announced.
“I don’t really think there’s much to decide on,” Jervaun spoke out.
Him and the other judges began talking about the contestants as I tried to
gather my thoughts. My phone was still vibrating in my pocket. The group
chat between my siblings and I was going off like crazy.
Ren (My Headache): Do you have something you need to tell us?
Charity (Twin): Why does this little girl have your whole face? Let me
find out that I have a niece I know nothing about!
Ren (My Headache): I’m not even joking. She even has your mole!
What is going on?!!
Charity (Twin): I was just playing, but now you got me worried.
Ren (My Headache): Omg, her voice! I’m in tears!
Messiah (Baby Bro): What y’all talkin’ about?
Ren (My Headache): Bro, Look! I’m sending the video now.
Messiah (Baby Bro): WTF??! Little mama can blow. Wait, why does
she look like Rule?
 Charity (My Twin): Maybe we’re overreacting. I mean, she does favor
him, but we know Rule doesn’t have any kids. I think.
Messiah (Baby Bro): Hit me up when you find out more. Little mama
has a voice on her! I hope she wins. Love y’all
Charity (Twin): Luh you too, Brudder
Ren (My Headache): I hope she does too. I wish your apple-headed
brother would respond to us! Love you more
I didn’t even bother to respond. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I was
even supposed to respond. This could’ve easily been a coincidence, but the
feeling in my stomach had me thinking there was more to it than that.
I checked my other messages and noticed that I had one from Asa as
well.
A-1: Are you seeing this?? (Attachment)
He had sent me a picture of the little girl zoomed in. I dragged my hand
across my face as I examined the photo.
“Did you hear what I said? Rule?” Jevaun was looking at me with a
concerned expression on his face.
“Aye, you good? You’ve been zoned out for a minute now,” he asked.
“My bad. Just tired from being on the road all week. Did y’all make a
decision yet?” I inquired.
“Hell yea. The votes were basically unanimous. Number 10 is the
winner,” he informed me. The little girl. I nodded my head, doing my best
to keep my emotions in check. I wasn’t the type of person to overreact until
I had all the facts. However, seeing the way my siblings were reacting, only
confirmed that this was different.
Time started to move in slow motion for me as they announced the
winner. I didn’t hear anything until my name was called.
“Rule, can you come up here please?” Miss Chassilyn requested. This
was to be expected, given the fact the winner would be coming to one of
my shows. We had already discussed that I would be coming on stage to
greet the winner personally. What I couldn’t figure out was why I was so
nervous.
I pushed my seat back before standing up. The distance between our
tables and the stage seemed like it was a mile long. The crowd was going
crazy as Big Moe trailed me up to the stage. My heart was beating in my
ears and my hands started to sweat once I reached the last step.
 Once I got close enough, Mrs. Chassilyn passed me the mic so that I
could announce the prize. I took a deep breath before I turned to the crowd.
“Thank you so much for having me. I got my start right here on this
very stage, so it was only right that I came back to be a blessing to someone
else. Not only will today’s winner receive a cash prize, but they will also
have the opportunity to attend one of my shows as well as the chance to
sing with me on stage. With her parents' permission, of course.” I could
barely finish my speech as the crowd roared loudly with excitement.
Miss Chassilyn took the mic to thank all the participants and close out
the show. The little girl was standing on the right side of me with a few
others, but I didn’t recognize anyone. Once Miss Chassilyn was done, she
grabbed a little girl’s hand, then proceeded to introduce us.
“Rule, meet our winner! You did such an amazing job, Baby Girl! I’m
so proud of you,” Miss Chassilyn congratulated her then gave her a hug.
“Thank you, Miss Chassilyn. I was so nervous at first. Then it just went
away when I started singing,” she told her.
“You have an incredible voice. What's your name, pretty girl?” I
inquired. She didn’t seem as nervous as I thought she would be. It seemed
as if she was observing me just as much as I was observing her.
“Reign,” she mumbled. My heart fluttered. My hands were shoved into
my pockets as they were still sweating. This wasn’t like me at all.
“What's your full name?” We were having somewhat of a staring
contest. She was not backing down at all. Her personality was shining
through.
“Reign Graham.” This time she spoke with confidence. My feet felt
like they were glued to the stage.
“What’s your mom’s name?” Her chocolate face twisted up as if she
was thinking about it.
“Nayeli Joseph.” The air that I had in my lungs disappeared in a matter
of seconds. No Way. Please tell me she didn’t do this to me. I thought in my
mind.
“Do you know who I am?” I asked. She quickly nodded her head yes.
“Who am I ?” The question was simple enough, but her response left
me speechless.
“Rule Graham…My Dad.” She sounded nervous as she whispered the
last part. My Dad. It sounded like the sweetest melody while slicing through
my heart like the sharpest knife. My Dad. But how?
 “Umm, do I need to call Tee?” Big Moe asked. Before I could respond,
I heard a familiar voice followed by an even more familiar voice.
“You make sure you tell your sister that is on sight when I see her!” My
sister, Serenity, screamed. There was so much chaos around me that I had
forgotten my sisters were here.
“Reign, come here! It's time to go!” Audra called out. I hadn’t seen her
in over a decade, but she still looked the same. The little girl that was
standing next to her ran over to hug Reign as they both squealed with
excitement. Reign turned to look in my direction as I watched the two of
them together.
So many questions were flooding my mind right now. The only
problem is the person I needed to ask, was nowhere in sight. There was no
way that Nayeli would miss something like this, so when I didn’t see her, I
started wondering if she was still alive. Hell, that would be the only thing
that would make sense to me as to why I was unaware I had fathered a
child.
“Where is she?!” I demanded. My emotions were all over the place, but
the one that was undeniable was anger.
“Look. I know that you’re upset. Trust me, you have every right to feel
how you’re feeling. All I’m asking is that you hear her out first before you
react too harshly. You don’t know the whole story.” My face immediately
twisted up at her words.
“Don’t you think it’s a little too late for that?!” I shouted. We both
whipped our heads in Reign's direction. I could see the worry all over her
face. She was innocent in all of this. I didn’t want her to think that I was
upset with her. It was her mother whose neck I wanted to wring.
I gripped the back of my neck and took a deep breath. Tears welled in
my eyes as I tried my hardest to stay calm. Why would she do something
like this? Is this the real reason why she left all those years ago? Why
would she keep this from me? I crossed both my arms over the top of my
head in an attempt to control my breathing.
“You alright, Boss man?” Big Moe pressed.
“I gotta get out of here. I don’t want to draw any more attention than
we already have,” I informed Big Moe. All I wanted was my mom at this
moment. She was my voice of reason. Right now, I need her to talk me off
of this ledge. All I saw was red, and no one was safe when I got like this.
“Sayless. Asa’s bringing the car around,” he confirmed.
 “Reign, Nessa! Let’s go!” Audra yelled. She glanced over at me with
sympathy in her eyes.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re over there looking sad for. Like
your sister didn’t hide a whole child from my brother,” Serenity spoke in a
hushed voice. Everyone around us seemed to be completely oblivious as to
what was going on. I was grateful for that. The last thing I wanted was for
us to be in the tabloids.
“You’re just gonna let her leave?” Charity questioned me. She was
visibly upset, which was rare for her. Charity was always the levelheaded
one out of all of us. I honestly didn’t know what I was supposed to do. A
part of me was afraid to let her leave, but what could I do? I didn’t wanna
freak her out.
“Reign, come here for a second,” I beckoned. She looked at her aunt
for permission. Audra nodded her head yes.
I kneeled down so that I was eye level with her. “You did amazing out
there. I’m really proud of you. Listen, I know you probably have a lot of
questions. I have a few myself. This isn’t really the place to answer them,
but I'm gonna get with your momma, so we can spend some time together.
Is that okay?” Staring into her mirrored almond-shaped eyes made my heart
swell. My baby girl was absolutely perfect in every way. She had a nigga’s
heart already.
“Are you mad at me?” She whispered while playing with her trophy.
The tears that I had been holding in began to betray me. I hurriedly wiped
them away as I put my head down. My family and team were surrounding
me, so I knew no one could really see much. However, being out in the
open like this had me paranoid. As I disappeared into my thoughts, I felt a
set of small hands cup my face. Reign was looking at me with a look of
concern.
“It’s okay to cry. My momma says it’s healing for the soul.” Reign used
her hand to wipe my tears then pulled out some candy from her pocket. “I
didn’t mean to make you sad,” she expressed.
“Here, these always make me feel better,” she offered the warm,
smushed tootsie rolls.
“Thank you, baby girl. I appreciate that.” I chuckled as I accepted her
offering.
“Do you wanna come with me?” I inquired. I didn’t know the first
thing about being a parent, but I knew that I didn't want her out of my sight.
 “Where are we going?!” She asked excitedly.
“My mom- your grandmother is cooking for me, so we’re having a
family dinner,” I explained.
“I have a grandma! This is so cool! Can my cousin Nessa come with
us?” She inquired.
“I’m not sure-”
“I’ll ask Aunt Audra. I’ll be right back,” she cut me off before running
towards Audra. I shook my head in frustration. You could have never told
me that this is how my day would go. My feelings were all over the place.
On one hand, I was happy to have such a beautiful little girl in my life, but
on the other hand, I was angry. Nayeli was the love of my life until she left
me. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why she would do something
like this. I never cheated on her, never lied to her, or disrespected her. Why
would she want to hurt me like this? Why would she keep my child from
me?
“You can’t keep her from us!” Serenity’s voice sounded off. I got
myself together before walking up on them.
“What’s the problem?” I questioned, attempting to diffuse this situation
before we ended up on some gossip site.
“She’s trying to tell her that she can’t come with us!” Charity informed
me. I could tell in her eyes that she was ready for war.
“Who?” I probed. I assumed that they were talking about Reign’s
cousin.
“Reign! Audra told her that she can’t let her go with strangers. Bitch,
we wouldn’t be strangers if it wasn’t for your raggedy sister!” Serenity
shouted. I pinched the bridge of my nose. This situation was getting out of
hand. Serenity was a fighter, so I knew that I needed to do everything I
could to avoid that from happening.
“Ren, I know you're upset, but please respect the fact that my daughter
is right here,” I reasoned. Daughter. I never thought I would be saying those
words.
“Look, I’m not trying to be difficult, but she came with me. She is my
responsibility, so I'm not just going to leave her with people she doesn’t
know,” Audra explained.
My jaw flexed as I processed her words. Like Serenity said, it was not
our fault that we didn’t know her. Looking down at Reign, my heart
fluttered. It’s crazy how quickly my feelings had grown for the tiny
stranger. I wanted to love her and protect her from anything that could
cause her harm. I wanted to be her hero, her safety net. As much as I didn’t
want to, I had to agree with Audra. This was a lot to spring on her all at
once. Not to mention the fact that I hadn’t even gotten a chance to process
this myself.
“Do you have a phone, Pretty girl?” I spoke directly to Reign, ignoring
everyone else around us.
“Yes. My mom bought me an iPhone for my birthday,” she stated,
holding it up for me to see. A pang hit me in the chest because I had no clue
when she was even born. The guilt was heavy, even though I knew this was
out of my control. There was so much about her that I needed to know.
“I’ll let you spend the day with your family, and then I’ll come get you
as soon as I can. Is that okay?” I bargained. My first thought was to say
fuck how anyone felt, but I wanted to do what was right for Reign.
“You sure you aren’t mad at me?” Her eyes bore into mine. It was
crazy looking into the face of someone and seeing yourself in them.
“I could never be mad at you, pretty girl,” I assured her.
“You promise?” She probed and I chuckled.
“I pinky promise,” I reaffirmed, while holding my pinky finger out to
her. Reign smiled brightly before connecting her finger with mine.
“I’m gonna call you tonight before you go to bed, okay?” She nodded
her head in agreement. I was still tripping about this whole thing. Just
looking into her pretty brown eyes, I knew that I would tear the world up
about her. This felt so out of body for me. I really had a daughter.
I bent down to hug her one more time before it was time for me to
leave. Nayeli was gonna have to see me before the week was up because
there was no way I was going any longer without having my daughter with
me. I shook my head trying to rid myself of the ill thoughts flowing through
my heart. We hugged each other before she rejoined Audra. A fake smile
was plastered on my face as I did my best to hold it together.
“I’m so sorry,” Audra expressed with sadness in her eyes. None of this
was her fault, so I wasn’t going to hold this against her. When it comes to
my siblings, we always held each other down, so I would expect nothing
less from her. We had always had a good relationship, so there was no doubt
in my mind that she was being sincere. It did nothing to make the situation
better, but my heart told me that her intentions were not malicious.
 “You ready to head out, Boss man?” Big Moe inquired. All I could do
was nod my head as I watched Reign disappear into the crowd. My sisters
stood on each side of me, lost in their own thoughts as well. We usually
picked up on each other's emotions, so I knew that they were just as
frustrated about this situation as I was.
The walk to the van was quiet. Big Moe and Asa talked quietly while I
sat in the back looking out the window. Serenity and Charity were trailing
us to my mother’s house. My phone was still going off, but I was not in the
right headspace to be replying to anyone. All I wanted was my Favorite girl.
Elantra Graham was the only person that could make this hole in my chest
feel better. The twenty minute ride felt like an hour as we pulled into my
Favorite Girl’s driveway. My leg shook as I waited for us to come to a
complete stop.
I needed to see my mom’s face to keep me grounded because the anger
and betrayal I felt brewing inside of me was beginning to consume me. I
wasn’t perfect. Shit, I had made my fair share of mistakes, but nothing I've
ever done could warrant this kind of karma. I had given Nayeli my whole
heart, and in return, she had destroyed it twice. When she left all those years
ago, I thought that there was no way I would ever experience pain like that
again. I was wrong. She had single-handedly shattered whatever pieces
were left.
Once we pulled into the driveway, everything seemed to be moving in
slow motion. Big Moe attempted to open my door, but I was already
pushing it open. It took me no time to reach her door. My momma must
have known something was up because she pulled the door with her arms
outstretched. Her presence always helped keep me calm. Everything in me
wanted to find Nayeli and let my sisters whoop her ass, but I knew that I
would only make things worse. One, because she was still Reign’s mother.
The other reason, I was ashamed to even acknowledge. How could I even
have love for a person who would do something like this?
My favorite girl embraced me for a little while longer before she pulled
back to give me a full exam.
“Are you okay, son?” She probed as she held my face in her hands. Her
question was loaded. There were so many thoughts in my head. So many
different emotions bottled up inside of me.
“Why would she do some foul shit like this?” My voice cracked. That
was a question that continued to plague me.
 “Language, Rule!” She chastised.
“Sorry, momma. You know I would never purposely disrespect you. All
of this just came at me out of nowhere. On one hand, I'm happy because my
little girl is perfect, but just thinking about the fact that I've missed so much
time with her pisses me off,” I vented.
“You have every right to feel everything that you are feeling. No one
can take that away from you. Whatever happens next, just know that you
are not alone. The main focus right now is getting to know your daughter.
Everything else is secondary,” she affirmed. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss
my cheek then ushered me into the kitchen.
“This won’t take away your pain, but it’s guaranteed to put a smile on
your face.” She did a little dance as she handed me my plate. Shortly after,
my sisters walked into the kitchen to join us.
“I see you made his plate. We’re just the bald-headed step-children,
huh ma?” Serenity complained. We had been having this debate about who
my mother’s favorite child was for years. Of course, she always shut us
down, swearing that we all got on her nerves equally.
“Serenity Anise, don’t you start with me today.” Momma waved her off
as she poured me a glass of her famous peach iced tea.
“Look at you! Are you gonna put a bib on him next?” Ren continued to
fuss. She was technically the middle child, even though she was the first
daughter. Even though she had her own business as a makeup artist and
influencer, she was still a spoiled princess.
“Hush up, girl. Your brother has had a rough day, so he needs a little
extra love. Plus, I'm not fixing you a damn thing when you haven’t bothered
to come see me in two weeks. You live twelve minutes away,” Momma
countered. Even though she said it in a teasing manner, I could sense that
she was hurt by it. We’ve always been a tight-knit family, but after my
father passed things had subtly changed over time.
“I’m sorry, Mommy. I’ve just been so busy that it slipped my mind.”
Ren’s tone changed quickly, which let me know that she felt it too.
“Too busy to check on the woman who almost died giving birth to you?
Wow,” Momma scoffed.
“Don’t be like that,” Serenity whined. “You know I love you more than
anything.” She put on her best droopy face.
“I’ve accepted the fact that my children have their own lives. Just don’t
forget about your momma is all I'm saying,” she pleaded. She shrugged her
shoulders before taking her seat. It felt so good being able to sit down with
my people. I’ve been blessed to travel all over the world in my career but
there was nothing like being home.
“I’m whopping Yeli's ass when I see her. Matter of fact, I’ma find out
where she works and pay that bitch a visit,” Ren blurted out.
“Serenity! Language!” Momma shrieked.
“You know I'm usually not the one to choose violence, but she’s gotta
answer for this. A part of me wants to give her the benefit of the doubt
because we were close at one point, but this is too much,” Charity
expressed.
“As pissed as I am about the situation, she’s still the mother of my
child. I can’t let y’all fight simply because it would hurt Reign. We’re in the
beginning stages of our relationship, so I can’t afford to screw this up.” My
head was hurting just thinking about the days ahead.
While I meant everything I said to my family, the idea of seeing Nayeli
again had me conflicted. Ten years was a long time. A part of me wondered
if she still looked the same. If she still smelled like vanilla and cocoa butter.
Then there was the other part of me that wanted to make her suffer for what
she had done. A part of me wishes I could have been a fly on the wall once
she found out about what happened today. I wondered if she was upset
about Reign and I meeting. Usually, I wasn’t the type to dwell on a
situation, but this whole thing was driving me crazy.
“The blessing in all this is that we know now. I can’t believe I have a
grandbaby!” Momma clapped her hands in excitement. She had been
begging for one of us to have a child, so I guess this was her getting her
wish.
“I’m still pissed, but I can’t wait to spoil her rotten! I finally get to be
the rich auntie I was destined to be,” Serenity boasted as she flipped her
hair. I smiled just thinking about it. All of the women in my family had
shopping problems. My little girl wouldn’t want a single thing.
“I always imagined that y'all would get married one day and have
children. This wasn’t exactly what any of us imagined, but we got your
back, Bro,” Charity assured as she gripped my hand.
Nayeli was the only girl I ever brought home to meet my family, so
naturally, they had built a bond with her just like I did. She was the only
woman who could ever say they had my heart.
 When she randomly broke up with me in a letter then disappeared, we
were all hurt. My chest was tight as flashbacks of my first heartbreak
flooded my memory.
“Nigga, you have a hit on yo’ hands with this one,” my Producer,
Lucky, praised me. We had been working on this song for hours and it
finally felt right. My smile was wide as we listened to the
playback.
“This is a number one hit fasho! Your vocals just get better and better,”
my best friend, Asa, hyped me up.
“I'll clean it up some more and then that’s it. Once this single drops,
you better get ready. The hoes are on you now. Just wait,” Lucky spoke.
“I ain’t worried about all of that as long as the outcome is income.
That’s all I’m chasin’ after,” I replied. Being a male artist, I was already
used to getting a lot of attention from women. They made up the majority of
my fan base. It never bothers me. My fans made me who I am, so I didn’t
mind.
“Shhiidd, you a better one than me because I would be running
through them hoes like those coins on Sonic the Hedgehog,” Spook jested.
He was the engineer that helped Lucky with the tracks. He was a cool older
cat. His talent was unmatched.
Me: On my way
I sent a text to my lil baby, so she knew to get ready. We had been in the
studio for almost ten hours, so I was anxious to lay up with my girl.
“This man ain’t hearing nothing y’all are talkin’ bout. My nigga
practically married out here. He ain’t thinking about nobody, but his
Dove,” Asa mocked the nickname that I called my girl.
She was smooth, rich, and chocolate just like the candy. Call me
cheesy, but I was sprung off my baby. Matter of fact, I was waiting for her
to text me that she was ready, so that I could scoop her from her sister’s
house and bring her to mine. She knew I hated sleeping alone, so I prayed
she was ready because she was coming regardless.
“Man, fuck all of y’all. I’m about to head out though. These last few
sessions got me tired as hell. I’ll get up with y’all on Monday,” I said my
goodbyes then headed out the door. Asa trailed behind me even though we
drove separately.
“Where’ you headed?” I asked as Asa smiled at his phone for the third
time. He was a certified playboy, so this piqued my interest.
 “‘Bout to link up with this shorty that I’ve been chillin’ wit. Nothing
major.” He shrugged his shoulders. We had known each other all our lives,
so I could tell by his body language that he was lying. Clearly, this mystery
woman meant more to him than he was ready to admit, so I left it alone.
“Alright, fam. I’m about to pick up my lady and head to the crib,” I let
him know.
“Fasho. I’ll catch up wit’ you tomorrow. If you ain’t still booed up with
Dove.” He smirked.
“You got jokes. You already know what it is,” I countered. We did our
special handshake then saluted each other as we did every time we left each
other's presence.
The ride to Audra’s house was quicker than normal. As I pulled out my
phone to send my baby a text, she was already closing her sister’s door.
When she entered the car, I instantly picked on the energy she was carrying.
Normally, she would greet me by planting kisses all over my face or
jumping in my lap. Instead, she frantically texted on her phone as if I were
her chauffeur.
“Damn, is that how you greet ya man? You ain’t miss me or
something?” I spoke out. I probably sounded like a bitch right now, but she
had me feeling a way.
“Sorry. Today has been a crazy day. I didn’t mean to ignore you.” She
gave me a half smile that didn’t reach her eyes. My anxiety spiked because
it was clear that something was wrong.
“You good? I’ve barely heard from you all day. Then you get in my car
with the cold shoulder. Did I do something wrong?” Her face flashed an
emotion that confused me. Guilt. My mind went into overdrive because I
was automatically thinking the worst.
“I’m really sorry, baby. I got into a really bad fight with my parents. I
guess I’m still trying to recover from it.” This wasn’t the first time that she
had gotten into it with her parents, so I wasn’t surprised. For them to be
people of God, they seem to be very miserable and judgmental.
“Do you wanna talk about it? You know I don’t like you stressing out
about anything. You don’t have to hide anything for me. That’s what I’m
here for.” She bit her bottom lip as if she was contemplating what to say
next. Everything about her behavior was odd to me.
“I’m okay, baby. I just wanna eat and lay down, that's all,” she replied.
 “Where did you want to eat?” Knowing that food always cheered her
up. She may have been slim, but Baby girl could eat.
“We can just grab some wings from Ms. Lucy’s.” I smirked because
that was her favorite spot. Hopefully, this would put a smile on her face.
She called in our order as we drove to the spot. Her eyes were still glued to
her phone, but I tried my best not to let it get to me. We had never had any
issues in our relationship, so I wasn’t worried on that end. My concern was
about her demeanor. Nayeli was very talkative, so the deafening silence was
a red flag. Whatever issues she had with her parents must have been really
bad because she had never shut down like this before.
Ms. Lucy’s was busy, but we were able to get out food quicker than I
anticipated. Once we got to the crib, she seemed to open up a little more.
She told me a little about her day then asked me questions about mine. We
ate then took a shower together. This was a normal routine for us when she
was here with me. My lovesick ass would live in her skin if I could.
As I sat on the edge of the bed, she straddled my lap. We were both butt
ass naked, so it took no time for my body to react. I could feel the heat from
her love box, which had my mouth watering. I was never big on eating
pussy, but she was different. The way that she tasted had me addicted. Her
scent was embedded into my memory banks.
“Baby, can you make love to me?” She requested. The look of sadness
she once had was now replaced with desire. She needed me.
My head nodded in response as my lips crashed against hers. Nayeli
sucked on my bottom lip. She knew that was my weakest. It was something
about her biting and sucking my lips that sent shockwaves right to my
manhood. I was hard as a brick as she grabbed the back of my dick. Our
tongues intertwined while she moaned in my mouth. Her essence started
dripping down my leg as I rubbed her clit with my fingers. My middle and
index fingers gently stroked her walls.
“Baby!” She cried as she rode my fingers to ecstasy. “Ohhh, yes!”
Nayeli gripped my shoulders as her climax took over.
“Yeah, lil mama. Wet me up,” I coached. With her head thrown back,
she came all over my fingers and thighs.
The look on her face as she came undone was so fucking sexy to me. I
had fucked my fair share of women, but the intimacy from being with
someone you love was on another level.
 “Damn,” I called out as I pulled my hand from underneath her. It was
covered in her creamy goodness. Being the nasty ass nigga that I am, I
sucked my fingers clean. Then, I stuck my tongue in her mouth so she could
taste that shit too. She was my addiction. I could never get enough of her.
“Baby, I need you inside me right now,” she pleaded. Her eyes held a
look of lust, but there was something else there that I could decipher.
“You know you’on ever have to beg for this dick, Love. It’s yours, no
questions asked.” She held onto me as I picked her up. A part of me wanted
to fuck her just like this, but she wanted to make love, so that’s what I was
gonna do. Nayeli opened her legs as soon as I laid her on the bed. Just
seeing how wet she was had me stroking my dick in anticipation.
“Damn.” I admire the beauty in front of me as I climb into bed with
her. Nayeli didn’t even understand the power she had over me. Even at
nineteen, I was ready to shut the world out for her. She was my daily
reminder that there was still some good in this world. I watched as she
rubbed her clit before dipping her fingers in my favorite place. The pleasure
on her face had me jealous because I’m the only person that’s supposed to
make her feel this way.
“Unt, Unt, move yo’ fuckin’ hands. That’s my job.” With one hand on
each of her thighs, I pushed them both back. She bit her bottom lip in
anticipation. My tongue swirled around her clit before taking it into my
mouth.
“Ohh, Baby! Ummm!” She stroked my locs as I ate her pussy like a
starving animal. Her pussy deserved an award because it was better than
any dessert I've ever tasted. I French kissed her lower lips then slid my
tongue down the center. Her screams filled the room as I brought her to
another climax.
“Babbbbyy!” She begged. My kisses trailed up her body until I reached
her other set of lips. Before she could fully recover from her orgasm, I
plunged deep into her walls.
“Shit! This is what you wanted, my baby?” I smirked as her head went
back into the pillow. She spread her legs wider, allowing me to go deeper.
Nayeli’s pussy was always tight, but tonight that shit had me in a chokehold.
My strokes got deeper and faster as she moaned in my ear. The sounds she
made as I pleased her body were always my favorite melody.
“I love you so much, baby.” We talked a lot during sex, but it was
something about her declaration that felt different than normal. I pulled
back to look into her face for a moment. We stared into each other’s eyes as
I slowed the pace of my strokes.
“You love me, Dove?” She wrapped her legs around me while nodding
her head.
“You promise?” I grunted out as my dick rubbed up against her g-spot.
My focus wavered as I felt her pussy getting wet.
“Ummm! Shit, baby. Tell me you love me again, ” I commanded. My
nut rose as I continued to drill that soft spot inside her. I changed positions,
throwing her legs over my shoulder. I wanted to go as deep as her body.
“I love you!” She squealed as we both came together. We were both
covered in sweat. Most times we would just hop in the shower again, but I
was spent. My body flopped down on the other side of her. Even the sheen of
sweat on her face could diminish her beauty.
“Why do you always stare at me like that?” Nayeli turned her head in
my direction. Her wild hair was draped over the pillow. She hated her thick,
long mane, but I loved running my fingers through it.
“I can see my future when I look at you. It’s a beautiful sight to see.” I
smirked as she smiled awkwardly. She had a hard time receiving
compliments, which only fueled me to give them more often. Everything
about her was perfectly crafted by the man upstairs. From her almond-
shaped eyes to her pretty ass toes. Her eyelids were getting heavy, so I knew
that she would be asleep soon. Her mood seemed to have turned around, so
I was happy about that. She knew I would turn up about her, so I hope
whatever it was didn’t last too long. Her parents and I had a strained
relationship as it is, but I had no problem putting them in their place when
it came to her.
“You know I love you, right?” Nayeli asked. Her tired eyes bore into
mine as she waited for my response.
“Yea, I know that. Why you sound like them niggas on Maury before
they tell their girl they’ve been cheating on them with her momma?” I
teased her. My heart fluttered a little. For some reason, I just couldn’t shake
this uneasy feeling in the pit of my gut.
“Babe, I’m being serious!” She whined. Her pouty lips were hard to
resist as I pulled her close. I pecked her lips repeatedly until she broke out
in a fit of giggles. Her laugh was always the remedy to my weary heart.
“I know you love me, silly girl. I love you too. You’re my heart forever,
lil baby.” My lips graced the top of her forehead as I drifted off to sleep.
When I woke up from my sleep the next morning, her side of the bed was
empty. My Dove was an earlier riser, so I wasn’t alarmed until I noticed a
folded up piece of paper with what looked to be my spare key in it.
Anger surged through before I could even read the contents.

Dear Rule,
I took the coward's way out by writing this letter. I knew you wouldn’t
let me go any other way. I’m gonna keep this short. Quite frankly, I don’t
even know what to say. We just don’t fit into each other's worlds anymore.
You taught me what it meant to love someone so much that you’ll
sacrifice everything for them. That’s what I'm attempting to do now. I know
none of this is making any sense to you. It’s probably a stretch to ask you
not to hate me after this. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you.
I pray that life treats you well. Your future's so bright. I know you’re
gonna be great. You deserve every single opportunity coming your way. I’ll
always be your biggest cheerleader, even though I won’t be there in person.
I love you forever and even after that.
-Your Dove

That night my heart closed to love forever. No other woman had ever
been able to get close to me on any other level besides the physical. That
was all I was willing to offer after what I had been through. Nayeli took my
heart and crushed that shit. Nobody would ever have that chance again.

OceanofPDF.com
Rule Graham

My mind had been all over the place for the last week as I tried to wrap
my mind around the fact that I was now a father. Reign and I had been
talking for the last few days just so that I could get to know her. The idea
that I had to get to know my daughter left me with mixed feelings. We
facetimed every single night, and whenever Nayeli would walk past the
camera, I found myself biting my tongue.
The fact that she still hadn’t bothered to reach out to me even now
really left a bad taste in my mouth when it came to her. This wasn’t the
person I fell in love with when I was younger. Hell, I was starting to think
that maybe I didn’t know her the way that I thought I did after all. My
family had been surrounding me like hounds, but I just wanted to be left
alone. The anger that was inside of me wasn’t good for anyone.
Through all the bullshit, I was feeling blessed. My Pretty girl was so
smart and talented. She had a goofy personality like myself, so it was like
looking at a mini version of myself. We talked about school, singing, her
friends, and anything else she wanted to talk about. Even when I was
frustrated, her little face always seemed to make me feel better.
She was honestly the only light at the end of all of this. I just needed to
figure out how her mother and I were going to coexist. The idea of having
to be around her made me feel anxious. There were so many different
emotions bottled up that I just couldn’t figure out how to work through
them. An apology didn’t seem like it would even begin to resolve our
issues, but it was still something I felt I deserved. All these deadbeats out
here in this world, and she purposely chose to keep me away from my kid.
The shit just didn't make sense to me.
I wanted answers even though I knew that no answer would be enough
to satisfy me. There was no excuse that would have satisfied me. My mind
kept trying to go back to our last moments to see where I was messing up.
That’s what was really bothering me because I treated Nayeli like a queen.
Or at least I thought I did. Now I was sitting questioning where I was the
man to her that I prided myself on being. Even mentally, I was trying to
convince myself that I had to have done something wrong because the
person I gave my heart to would never do something to maliciously hurt
me.
I was driving myself crazy to rationalize some shit that didn’t make any
sense. My favorite girl kept telling me that I just needed to sit down with
her, but I had been putting it off. Reign was asking when she would get a
chance to see me, so I knew I could not avoid this for much longer. My plan
was to get her for the weekend so that she could officially meet the family.
Charity suggested that I meet up with Nayeli in public just to clear the air.
She felt like we should have a sit down prior to me picking up Reign that
way it wouldn’t be so tense. It was a good idea in theory, but actually
following through with it was where I was struggling.
My phone rang, showing that Messiah was calling, so I hit the button to
accept his Facetime call.
“YOOOOOOOO! What’s good, Big Bro?” Messiah probed.
“What’s up wit’ up, Lil Bro?” His energy was noticeably higher than
mine, and I could tell the exact moment when he noticed.
“What’s on your mind? You over there lookin’ like you just lost your
best friend, so don’t tell me it’s nothing.
“Mannnnnn, this shit is really buggin’ me out. I’m not even gonna
pretend like I’m doing okay because I’m not. I’m angry as fuck.” Dragging
my hand down my face, I tried my best to center myself. I hadn’t meditated
since I’d been home, and it was damn sure needed.
“Listen, you have every right to feel everything that you’re feeling
right now. To be honest, you’re handling this better than most men would if
they were in your situation. That alone just shows that you really care about
Reign. You’re doing everything you can to make sure that your daughter is
not affected by what’s going on around her. That’s what a good parent is
supposed to do,” he assured me.
“I’m so fucking angry, Messiah. I swear this made me feel like a
bitch!” My head was down as my eyes started watering. Being emotional
had never been me, but this situation was different and caused for a
different side of me. As someone who is used to having things under
control, I was feeling helpless right now. Reign was nine years old. Nine.
There were so many milestones and accomplishments that I had missed in
her life.
Her birth, her first words. Hell, her first day of school. All that shit had
been stripped from me, and I was just supposed to deal with that shit. I feel
like an outsider in my own daughter’s life! In nine more years, she’s gonna
be damn near grown! This shit is messed up, man. Reign seems to be taking
all this well, but I know she probably thinks that I abandoned her. I would
never do no shit like that.”
The thought alone was driving me crazy. I loved my daughter so much,
even in the short time we’ve known each other. I would have been there for
her had I been given the opportunity.
“Bro, I know this shit is eating you up inside. It’s all over your face.
The reality is that you didn’t know. You can’t hold yourself accountable for
something you had no knowledge of. That guilt that you carry on your
shoulders isn’t yours to bear. Stop that shit. Your daughter is just happy that
she has you now. She could care less about the how’s and the why’s. All she
wants is you. Focus on that.” His words were what I needed.
He was right because I had been feeling so much guilt in my heart.
Growing up with a father like Knowledge, I knew what it was like to be let
down by a parent. The idea that my daughter at any point felt abandoned by
me crushed my soul. One thing I always promised myself was that if I ever
became a parent, I would be there for every single moment of their lives.
Even if that meant hopping on planes to make it to a ballet recital or a
basketball game. Logically, I knew that this wasn’t my fault, but it did
nothing to lessen the pain.
“How’s my niece doing anyways? Charity said she was going to be
coming to mama’s house this weekend.” Just the thought of my little mini
me brought a smile to my face.
“Look at yo’ ass.” Messiah smirked. “Lil mama got you wrapped
around her finger already,” he pointed out. There was no lie told because
she had completely taken over my heart in a way I never knew was
possible.
“Yea, man. That’s my heart right there. Shit so crazy. Never in my life
did I think it was possible to love someone as much as I love her. Like I
already feel protective over her little self. I wanna protect her from anything
that could ever bring her harm. She’s so special to me, Bro. Honestly, that’s
why it’s taken me so long to sit down with Nayeli. I gotta make sure I have
my emotions in check when I face her. The last thing I wanna do is spazz
out while my baby is around,” I explained. When we were at the fair, she
was worried that I was upset with her. It pissed me off because of all
people, she was the last person that should have been feeling any type of
way.
“Damn, that’s crazy. Has Nayeli even reached out to you since
everything went down? I know she probably felt like shit about y'all
meeting like that,” he asked.
“Naw, she hasn’t. She sees me on the phone with Reign, but she
doesn’t even bat an eye. It’s like she doesn’t feel anything about this
situation. That’s what’s so crazy to me. I just knew she was gonna be
blowing my phone down trying to explain herself. I don’t know if she’s
waiting for me to reach out or what, but it’s really fuckin’ with me,” I
expressed.
When the first few days passed and she still hadn’t reached out, I was
confused. Reign had my number, so I guess I assumed that she would at
least make the effort to talk to me but my phone was still dry, which only
fueled my anger towards her.
“That’s crazy, I’m not even gonna lie. I figured that she may wait a few
days until you got a chance to cool down, but I never imagined that she
would just flat out not contact you at all. I’m proud of you for sure because
the way my maturity is set up, she would have had to call the cops on a
nigga. I would have been knocking on her door at three in the morning on
some bullshit.” He chuckled. Messiah was definitely the more toxic one out
of the two of us.
“Reign is the only thing keeping me sane right now. I don’t want her
afraid of me nor do I want her to be upset with her momma. I want a
relationship with my daughter, but not at the cost of her relationship with
her mother.”
Reign was innocent in all of this, so I never wanted her to feel like she
had to choose between the two of us. Nayeli may have done me dirty, but
based on what I've seen, she’s an amazing mother. I would never want to do
anything to discredit that.
“Yea, you are my idol, fasho. It all worked out in the end though. You
got your daughter in your life now so that’s what really matters. Use this
time to bond with your baby girl and maybe even slide in those cheeks, for
old times sakes. Nayeli was a baddie back in the day, so I already know
she’s fine as hell now.” He wasn’t lying. Nayeli was even finer with age.
“Mannn, get out of here. So what’s been going on in your world?” I
asked. We usually talked to each other a couple of days of the week, but this
last week had knocked me off my square.
“Everything is everything. You know where my focus is right now.
Coach said I'm looking good out there. The team is definitely getting the
job done, so I'm happy. I want that ring as bad as ever,” he expressed.
The passion behind his words was felt. I personally knew how down he
was when they missed out on the championship two years back. Messiah
and some of his teammates were hit by a drunk driver killing his best friend,
Tray. They had three more games in the season, but sadly losing their two
best players led to them losing the last few games.
Needless to say, Messiah was devastated. Not only had he lost his best
friend since elementary school, their dream of winning a championship was
snatched from them. It took months of physical therapy for him to even be
able to walk properly, so playing was undoubtedly out of the question.
“You don't even have to worry about that. The team is solid, and they
have their best point guard back on the court. That ring is just as good as
yours. I can’t wait to pull up on you in those court-side seats. It’s gonna be
lit! I might have to really put that shit on so I can give the paparazzi
something to talk about. Cause I’ma be talk shit the whole game.” There
was no doubt in my mind that he was going to make his dream come true
this year. I couldn’t wait to see it.
“I’m praying we can pull it off. I’ve never wanted something so bad in
my life. Tray and I sat up all night talking about what we were gonna do
when we won. A part of me feels like I gotta win this for the both of us. My
nigga should be here celebrating and getting hype right along with me.” His
tone had turned somber, but that was to be expected. I knew for a fact that
Messiah hadn’t had the opportunity to truly grieve, not to mention the
complicated situation that he was currently dealing with.
“You gon’ bring that trophy home for the both of y’all.” Messiah was
his own worst critic, but his talent was unmatched.
“Daddyyyy! My juice!” A little voice sounded in the background.”
Anywhere Messiah was, you could guarantee that Deuce wasn’t too far
behind. We teased him all the time because he swore he was never having
children, but you couldn’t tell that Deuce was not his.
“No more juice, lil man. After we eat, you can have some water,
okay?” Watching him negotiate with a toddler was surreal to watch. The
relationship these two had was everything I imagined I would have with my
children.
 “Otay,” Deuce replied with a solemn look on his face. I had a feeling
he would be getting his juice after all.
“Where yo’ bald-headed momma at?” He panned the camera over to
where Deuce was standing.
“I dunno where her bald head is.” He shrugged his little shoulders
before handing Messiah his cup then taking off out of the room. I chuckled
because Messiah was the reason Deuce’s mouth was so unfiltered.
“Mommmmmyyy, where you at, bald head?!” I damn near choked
when he said that shit. Messiah just let anything come out his mouth.
“Ohhh, shit! He’s about to have me sleeping outside tonight.” Messiah
chuckled as Deuce continued to call his momma bald headed. All I could do
was shake my head because I already knew Miyana was going to get them
both.
“Speaking of sleeping arrangements, what’s going on with that
situation? When they first moved in, you said it was only gonna be until she
got on her feet. Now little man is calling you Daddy, so I'm assuming she
isn’t leaving anytime soon,” I inquired. We told each other everything, but
Messiah had been unusually tight-lipped about this situation. One thing we
didn’t do was judge, so I don’t know why he felt the need to be so secretive.
“She can leave whenever she wants to, but lil man ain’t going
anywhere.” He frowned. Miyana was Tray’s baby momma and girlfriend.
They all had grown up together with us in the Hills. Miyana had given birth
to their son two months before he was killed, which took a huge toll on her
mentally. Her family wasn’t very supportive unless money was involved, so
when she needed a place to stay, they all turned their backs on her. Messiah
had taken her in temporarily, but it seemed like the dynamics were
changing.
“You sound crazy. How you gon’ keep her child but put her out?”
“Shhhiid, I’m tryna keep both of them, but he’s the less stressful one of
the two. I grew up with women, so that’s not the issue. Miyana is very
emotional, which is something I'm not used to. You know our parents raised
some savages, so being around all that crying and throwing fits is new for
me. One minute she’s cool, and we're on the same page. Then the next
minute, she’s crying and confused,” he huffed. It was clear in his voice that
he was frustrated by her indecisiveness.
Both of them had experienced a great loss, so I could imagine that
came with some obstacles. Not to mention all the drama that followed after
Tray’s death. Tray’s funeral was a media circus leading to even more
trauma for Miyana. I’m sure combining that with motherhood was
challenging.
“Can you really blame her though?” Neither Messiah nor Miyana had
been forthcoming about what was going on with them, but we were family,
so we could feel the energy had changed.
“That’s just it though. I could understand if this was something that she
was going through by herself, Bro. We’re grieving together. Hell, I'm just as
lost and conflicted as she is, but I just decided to live my life. People are
gonna have an option no matter what I do in life, so I at least owe it to
myself to be happy. Fuck what anyone else has to say,” he reasoned.
That was something I was in agreement with. I spent most of my
childhood trying to live for others. Nowadays, my only goal is doing things
that genuinely make me happy. To hell with what anyone else thought about
it.
“Yea, I understand exactly where you’re coming from. We all gon’ die
leaving here one day. I don’t want to have any regrets before it’s my time.
Just be patient with her. It’s easier for us as men to say forget other people’s
opinions, but women are built differently. They care about their image and
how people view them even when it doesn’t make sense.” I reasoned. I’m
sure she would probably receive more backlash simply because society
judged women more harshly when it came to matters of the heart. Given
their history, I was certain the public wouldn’t be so understanding.
“You’re probably right because nobody tells me how to run my life. I
don’t care about what a blog has to say about me. That shit doesn’t pay my
bills. An opinion never produced any cash flow for me, so I could never
allow people to dictate what I do. They can choke on this dick.” He grunted
before taking a drink from his water bottle. Messiah was right about all of
that.
It was something I had been thinking about myself because of my new
reality. My life was fairly private for the most part, but it was impossible for
me to keep my daughter a secret. That was something that would never
happen. I was proud to be a father. There were going to be plenty of
pictures with us making memories. To be real, this would probably be the
only time I would be inclined to actually post on social media.
Reign loved music almost as much as I did. Sometimes we would even
sing on the phone together. My mind was already thinking about creating a
song for fathers and daughters, featuring Reign. My lil’ baby was special, so
I had every intention of showing her off to the world. I was already
anticipating that reaction from my fans and followers. For the most part, I
knew that they would love her. However, her just popping up would lead to
a lot of questions and speculations.
When you don’t have a family, you don’t have to be as cautious, but
being in this industry puts you under a microscope. Everything that you do
is overanalyzed and exploited. That was the part that I didn’t want Reign to
be introduced to. At least not until she was at an age where she was ready
for it. She wants to be a singer like me. She had my support one hundred
percent, but I was still going to protect her from everything within my
power. I just know that I'll go to jail about mine, so I prayed everything
went well..
“You’re speaking all facts, Bro. Y'all will be just fine though. Just go
easy on her and stop calling her bald head in front of that bad ass baby.” I
chuckled. His face frowned as soon as I said what I said.
“Aye, my little man ain’t bad. He just doesn’t hold his tongue for
anybody. As long as he’s speaking facts, I don’t see the problem. His mama
is bald headed. I don’t care how many wigs she slays for the gram. Naw, but
I really love them with everything in me. There isn’t a single thing that her
spoiled ass can’t get from me. I just hope that we can find a way through
this grief shit and start living again. I miss Tray every single day but I can’t
let that keep me from living. As fucked up as things might seem, I have to
do what feels right to me.” I nodded my head in agreement. Nobody can tell
you how to handle a situation they’ve never been through.
“Messiah!!! Did you tell my son to call me bald headed?! You better be
lucky I actually love your mama, so I can’t even play with her like that. You
have a lot of nerve to talk about me when you’re over there looking like
Shemar Moore’s character in that Tyler Perry movie, with your crusty ass
braids,” Miyana fumed as she walked up on him and mushed him in the
head. I roared with laughter because these two were going at it like an old
married couple.
“You play too much. The only reason my hair looks rough is because
yo’ little ass is being petty. Now if I book an appointment with someone
else, you'll be mad. You got me out here looking crazy just to prove what?
I’m still fine as fuck, fuzzy braids and all. So you gone get me together? Or
do I need to book with somebody else?”
 “Messiah, play with something safe. I would hate to tear up that poor
girl's shop because you wanted to test me. I’ll braid your hair when I come
back tonight.” Miyana flipped her hair then waved in my direction.
“Hey, Rule! How are you?” She asked while snatching the phone from
my brother’s hands.
“What’s good, Yana? I’ve been doing okay. Enjoying this little break
before I have to get back to work,” I informed her. Being home gave me a
sense of peace that I wasn’t used to in Cali.
“I bet. Mama Elantra has been sending pictures of all the food she’s
been cooking. She’s been begging to see this little troublemaker,” she
stated, picking Deuce up while showering him with kisses.
“We miss little man, so hurry up and make that trip. Plus, Reign needs
another kid around, even if he is pint sized.” I instigated.
“She’s gorgeous, by the way. I can’t wait to meet her,” she replied.
Nayeli didn’t have a big family like mine, not to mention we were a very
close-knit family. I was excited about introducing her to everyone.
“Thank you, Yana. I appreciate it.” I nodded my head as she passed the
phone back to Messiah.
“I’m out of here. Make sure Deuce is in bed by eight. I’m trying to get
him adjusted to having a set schedule, so no more all-nighters,” she warned.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Messiah didn’t even attempt to
hide his jealousy as he examined her outfit.
“With Joneisha to have drinks. You and your little best friend wanted to
call me bald, so now I’m about to be on my bald head hoe shit,” she teased,
sticking her tongue at him. As soon as she started twerking, he turned the
camera back on himself.
“Baby girl, I pray that little wig you have on is not synthetic because
once I take this match to it, you gon’ be looking like Little Bill by the head.
And you bet not leave out of here without giving me a kiss,” he griped.
Messiah could talk all he wanted to, but he was a softy when he came to
Miyana. It had been that way since we were younger.
“Whatever, big head. I’m out of here. I love y’all,” she expressed
before kissing them both on the cheeks. Based on the look on his face,
Messiah wasn’t feeling that at all.
“What was that? You giving me church mother kisses like I don’t have
my face all in yo-”
 “Siah!!” Miyana’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she shoved him
away. “You’re actin’ a fool like your brother isn’t on the phone,” she
complained.
“I’m not tryna hear any of that. Don’t treat me differently when people
are around ‘cause if I gave you the same treatment in front of your friends,
you would be hot. I’m not playing these games with you. Now bring yo’
little ass over here and give me a real kiss.” I smirked at their interaction.
No one could truly understand what they had gone through, but seeing a
genuine smile on my brother’s face made me happy.
“Alright, Bro. I’ma get off this phone. I’ll get at you later this week. I
love you,” I said.
“That’s cool. I love you, man. Tell my niece I said hi. Be safe.”
“Always.”
Watching the two of them together had me reliving old times. My mind
was imagining what it would have been like raising Reign in the same home
as Nayeli. What it would have been like to be an actual family. Those were
the thoughts that had been keeping me up at night—the “what ifs” and
missed opportunities.
Reign was a sweet little girl, so I knew that she had a great upbringing.
It was the fact that I played no role in it that bothered me. When I pictured
myself having children, it was also my desire to be in a committed
relationship. While my parents didn’t have the healthiest relationship, we
never had to worry about things like custody or visitation. That’s what I
wanted for my children. There was no point in dwelling on it though. My
only goal now was to make sure that I was the best father I could be to my
little girl.

463-746-4221: Can we talk?

The message popped up on my phone from an unknown number, but I
had a feeling I knew exactly who it was.
Me: Who is this?
The fact that I was getting nervous bothered me more than I cared to
admit. The fact that she brought out this kind of reaction from me was
crazy. It’s like my mind, and my heart refused to be on the same page.
463-746-4221: Nayeli Joseph. Reign’s mother.
I could tell by her response that I had gotten under her skin.
Me: What did you need to talk to me about?
 463-746-4221: Listen, I understand that you are upset with me. We
need to sit down to discuss Reign and what the future looks like for her. She
wants to spend time with you, so we need to come to an agreement on a
schedule for visitation.
Something about the word “visitation” pissed me off. It felt like a
restriction and I wasn’t the type of person that likes to be put in a box.
Me: When and Where?
My attitude was starting to take over. It was mainly because she was
being so formal about this whole thing. Like there was not an ounce of
remorse in her interaction at all. It felt like I was one of those absent fathers
who was finally starting to do right by their child. Maybe I was
overthinking, but given the situation, it was almost impossible for me not
to. There were so many questions flooding my mind.
463-746-4221: Jenny’s Diner, Tomorrow at 9 a.m.?
That used to be our favorite breakfast spot. It was one of those hole-in-
the-wall spots downtown, but it had some of the best food. I had taken her
there too many times to count. Just thinking about it had memories from the
past taking over my thoughts.
Me: Bet
A public place was definitely for the best because at least I know that I
would be on my best behavior. Not that I would ever hurt her, but the way
my anger was set up, I wanted to avoid the risks of me exploding.
Laying there with my phone in my hand I knew that I wouldn’t be getting
much sleep tonight. I couldn’t wait to see my Pretty girl again but knowing
that I had to go through her mother made me feel some type of way.
Pretty Girl: Are you busy?
A smile immediately came to my face seeing Reign’s number pop up
on my screen. This little girl had really come in and snatched my heart from
me.
Me: I’m never too busy for you, Pretty. How was your day?
Pretty Girl: It was good. I had a lot of fun at school. I got an A+ on
my spelling test.
She sent me a picture of her test. It was something about seeing her
name on paper that really just hit home for me. Reign Graham. I was happy
to know that she carried my name. Hell, I would have made her momma
change it if she hadn’t. It was still a surreal feeling for me, but I had no
regrets. She was perfect and I was happy to be her father.
 Me: That’s so amazing, Baby girl. I’m so proud of you!
My heart swelled because she was really mine. The fact that she
wanted to share her successes with me meant so much to me.
Pretty Girl: Thank you. Can I ask you a question?
My hands started to sweat. Kids are known for not having filters, so I
had no clue what was gonna come out of her mouth.
Pretty Girl: What am I supposed to call you?
It seemed like a simple enough answer, but I honestly had to think
about it. For me, it was a no-brainer that I wanted to be called Dad. After
all, I was her father. The fact that this was even a conversation that we had
to have really ate me up. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable because
we were still getting to know each other. This was all based on her comfort
level. For all I know, she may already have a father figure in her life, so I
wanted her to be able to make those decisions for herself.
Me: What do you want to call me?
It took her longer to respond than all the other times, which made me
nervous. This whole thing was nerve-wracking to me, and the only person I
had to blame was Nayeli. The bubbles popped back up, indicating that she
was typing again. Then they suddenly stopped. A part of me wanted to call
her so that we could talk about it. I didn’t want her to feel obligated to do
anything.
Pretty Girl: Can I call you Dad?
The air finally went back into my body. Instantly, I breathed a sigh of
relief because I wasn’t sure what she was going to say. My smile finally
returned back as I looked at her message again. She wanted to call me Dad.
That shit had me feeling hella soft, but in a good way.
Me: If that’s what you want to call me. That’s okay with me.
Pretty Girl: Okay, Daddy.
My heart damn near leaped out of my chest seeing those words on
the screen. This little girl had taken over my heart something serious, and
she didn't even understand it.
Me: Did you say your prayers?
Pretty Girl: Yes sir. I brushed my teeth and flossed too.
Me: Okay, Pretty. I love you, Baby Girl. Have a goodnight. Don’t
forget to call me when you wake up in the morning.
Pretty Girl: I will! I love you too, Daddy. Good night
 Swiping my hand down my face, I said a silent prayer to the Man
upstairs. I was praying this meetup went well because I didn’t want
anything getting in the way of my relationship with Reign.

As I sat in the parking lot of the diner, I tried to get my thoughts in

order. It had been so many years since I had laid eyes on Nayeli. My mind
wondered what the years had done for her. Has she gained weight? Did she
still have her thick curly hair? There was no doubt in my mind that she was
still beautiful. That natural beauty could never dissipate, but I was anxious
to put my eyes on her. My mind was going down a rabbit hole of irrelevant
thoughts. I shouldn’t give a damn about any of that shit given the situation,
but I couldn’t help myself.
Reign’s mom: I’m here.
My hands started to sweat as I sat up in my seat. Grabbing my keys and
wallet, I proceeded to open my car door so that I could head into the
restaurant. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten since
seven yesterday evening.
As soon as I exited the car, I immediately started looking around to see
where she was parked. My nerves were working against me as I did a
double take to make sure I was straight. I kept it simple with a black and
white graphic Tee, some black Givenchy jeans, and my black and white
Givenchy sneakers. It didn’t take long for Nayeli to emerge from her
vehicle.
Damn. She was even more gorgeous than I remembered. Yellow had
always been her favorite color, and it appeared not much had changed. She
was wearing the hell out of the yellow, white, and pink striped maxi dress.
Her body had definitely changed because lil mama was thick as fuck.
Her titties were still on the small side, but they were big enough to fit
in my hands. The rest of her body had changed drastically. Her curves were
out of this word as she gracefully strutted towards the door. Shit. Focus
nigga. Already, I was getting off track just by looking at her. I needed to
hurry up and get this shit over with so we could go our separate ways. The
sooner we had this talk, the sooner I could see my princess.
I watched her as she made it to the entrance of the restaurant. She
looked around briefly until her eyes locked with mine. We had a minor
stare-off before I began walking in her direction. She wiped her hands on
the side of her dress, letting me know that she was nervous about this
meetup as well.
“Hey,” she spoke up as I approached her. She was beautiful, no
doubt, but something about seeing her so happy and cheerful pissed me off.
Just that quickly, my mood shifted.
“Sup’.’ Looking past her, I opened the door of the diner. This was one
of those seat yourself spots, so I grabbed the first booth I saw by the
window. It was pretty empty in her, which I appreciated. That meant that the
likelihood of a fan noticing me was slim. We took our seats then grabbed
the menus sitting on the table. It was pointless because I already knew what
I was getting, so I was really just biding my time.
“Hi, My name is Peyton, and I’ll be your waitress today. May I start
you off with something to drink?” After she took our drink orders, we both
went ahead and ordered our food too. Nothing on the menu had changed, so
we knew what we wanted.
The silence was awkward. I was hungry as fuck, so I really wasn’t
trying to get into anything deep until I ate first. Nayeli played on her phone
until the waitress came back to bring out drinks.
“Ahem. So how’ve you been?” She whispered. Looking up at her, I
could tell that she was uncomfortable. To be honest, that made me feel
better. Wasn’t shit pleasant about the situation we were in.
“Straight.” My response was short because I hated small talk, and she
knew that. She looked like she wanted to say something but instead decided
against it. She sent a couple more texts on her phone while we waited for
our food.
“Here you go! If you all need anything else, just wave me down,” the
waitress stated as she handed us our plates. The smell of the food made my
stomach growl even more. For a while the only thing you could hear was
the chatter of the other customers and the sounds of our forks scraping
across our plates. The food was bussin’, so that made this a little more
bearable. Back in the day we used to come here every Friday after a home
game. Football or basketball, it didn’t matter. The whole crew used to be
here talkin’ shit and just enjoying each other’s company. It’s crazy how
things change.
Back then, I couldn’t wait to grow up so I could see what the world had
to offer. Now I'm reminiscing about the times when life made sense, and the
most stressful thing on my plate was passing Algebra two. At Seventeen, I
had my whole life played out in my mind. I was gonna make it big then put
my whole family on. Nayeli and I were gonna get married, cop us a big ass
crib, and fill it with a bunch of babies. Life was gonna be sweet.
You could have never convinced me that life wouldn’t be that simple.
The heat from her gaze was intense. She tried her best to act unbothered,
but I could tell that she was ready to address the elephant in the room. One
thing about Nayeli is that she was very vocal when something was
bothering her. That was another reason why I was confused about how we
even got here. Anytime I ever did something that she did not agree with, she
never failed to speak her mind about it. The fact that she just up and left
without speaking her peace was out of character for her.
She put her folk down then folded her hands under her chin.
“Look, I know you probably have a lot that you want to get off of your
chest. I want to do everything that I can to make sure that Reign has a
healthy, happy relationship with both of her parents. I’m sure I'm not your
favorite person, but as long as we can respect one another, then I know that
we can make this work.”
My jaw flexed because she was coming at me as if I was hard to deal
with or some shit. It pissed me off because the first thing her ass owed me
was a damn explanation.
“Haha, wow.” I chuckled angrily. My appetite was gone after that
bullshit she let come out of her mouth.
“Did I say something wrong?” She questioned. The look on her face
showed just how oblivious she really was with life. We used to be so
connected that she knew when my moods changed and why. The fact that
she could not feel this tension made me feel like we were more like
strangers than anything.
“You are unbelievable.” I sat up in my seat then rested my forearms on
the table.
“I thought we were here to discuss how we’re going to co-parent
Reign,” she replied after I failed to respond. This shit was really blowing
me because she was sitting here acting like this was a normal meeting
amongst parents.
“I’m all for discussing our plans for Reign, but it seems to me like
you’ve forgotten a couple of steps. Like, why the fuck am I just now finding
out that I have a damn nine year old child?!” My fist hit the table, causing
her to jump.
 “Rule, I-”
“It’s been more than a week since I found out about Reign, and this is
the first time you’ve even bothered to reach out to me. I just knew yo’ ass
was gonna have the decency to at least offer up an explanation, an apology,
or something! You don’t think you owe me that?!” My body was hot as my
anger boiled.
I was always a quiet laidback type of nigga, so this wasn’t even my
style for real, but when people tried to play with my intelligence it irritated
me.
“You’re not even trying to listen to-” I cut her off once again.
“What the fuck am I listening to, huh?! You started this bullshit ass
conversation off completely wrong. You actin’ like you didn’t hide my child
from me. As if you can’t understand why the hell I’m pissed off. How about
you start by taking some accountability for how we got here in the first
place? That sounds like a good start to me,” I huffed. The sympathetic
expression on her face made things so much worse. She could keep that
shit. She wasn’t sad when she made this selfish ass decision.
“You’re upset and I get it,” she spoke calmly with her hands cupped
together. My leg shook as I observed her body language.
“Do you?! “ I yelled out. I had to remind myself who she was to me.
Regardless of the situation, Iwanted to us to be on the same page. Her lips
quivered like a child being chastised. Nayeli hated for people to be upset
with her. I used to call her my spoiled crybaby because whenever I got in
her ass about something, she would cry. It never failed. Usually it would
break me down, but I was unfazed at this moment. Hell, if anyone should be
upset, it should have been me.
“Those tears aren’t gonna move me one way or the other. You brought
me here to talk, so talk.” I’m not sure if I was trying to convince her or
myself. I sat back in my seat as she silently cried into her hands. My jaw
flexed in annoyance. She knew that I hated seeing her cry. It was one of my
weaknesses. Right now, the last thing I wanted to feel towards her was
sympathy. At the end of the day, this was about Reign, so we’re gonna have
to figure this out.
“Look, I didn’t come here to argue with you. Reign is the most
important factor in all of this. However, I don’t like anyone trying to play in
my face. You hid my child from me for years, so I have a reason to be
upset,” I spoke through gritted teeth. “If you thought for one second that
I’m just gonna sit in your face like everything is all good, then you don’t
know me at all.”
She wiped her face with the napkins on the table. I sat back to give her
a moment to get her emotions in check. This meeting had taken a turn that I
wasn’t anticipating. My patience is low when it comes to bullshit, and right
now, lil mama had me fucked up.
“It was never my intention to make you feel any type of way.” My face
twisted quick as fuck. She really was just digging herself into a deeper hole
with me.
“Hold on. Your face tells me that I’m making things worse. Truthfully,
there is no excuse I could give that will ever make any of this better. All I
can say is that I did what I thought was best for the both of us. Wait!” She
shouted because she could see me getting angrier by the second. All I was
waiting for was a “I’m sorry, I fucked up,” but instead, it seemed like she
was trying to feed me a bunch of excuses.
“Just let me get this out please. Look, we were both young. The last
thing that either of us was expecting was to become parents. At the time that
I found out, your career was taking off. That was your main priority. I was
trying to go to college so that I could get my business degree, so I knew that
I would have to make some adjustments. My parents made me an offer to
take care of all of my financial burdens while I finished school, so I took
them up on the offer.
“That sounds all good and dandy, but what you’re not explaining is
why the fuck I wasn’t consulted during this decision-making period. You
had it all thought out, but you forgot one important detail. It wasn’t your
parents’ responsibility to take care of MY child! You cut me out of the shit
like I didn't even matter.” My nostrils flared in frustration. Nothing that she
was saying was making me feel any better about the decision that she had
made.
More than anything, I was upset because of the fact she went to her
father instead of me. The person she confided everything to. Since the day I
met her, she had made it clear that their connection was nothing reminiscent
of what a father-daughter relationship should be. Whenever she needed help
with something, I was always the person she ran to. My mind couldn’t
understand why that moment was any different.
“You have every right to be upset. I can give you a million reasons as
to why I thought I was doing the right thing, but that won’t take your hurt
away. I know you won’t believe me, but I never did this to cause you pain.
Leaving you was the hardest thing I ever had to do. That was the worst time
of my life, but I wanted you to have a good life without distractions.” I
scoffed at her admission.
“That’s bullshit! You’re sitting here in my face trying to make it seem
like it was so hard for you. Even if you felt like it was the best choice at the
time, never once in all these years did you think to tell me? Come on, man!
You were really gonna keep this secret until it blew up in your face!” Her
eyes teared up once again, causing me to pause. Nayeli was used to the
softer side of me when it came to her. I always carried her like precious
China because I wanted her to always feel safe with me.
She had always been my soft spot, and I treated her as such. Taking a
few deep breaths, I attempted to recenter myself. When it was said and
done, we had to figure out a way to work past this.
“Rule, I’m so sorry! I wa-wasn’t trying to h-hurt yoouuu!” She sobbed
as she tried to get her words out. My heart sank as my natural instincts to
comfort her began creeping in. Mentally, It was fuck her and her feelings. It
was this damn heart of mine that was refusing to be on the same page.
Dragging my hand down my face, I waited for her to finish before I
interjected. On the outside, I presented an unbothered expression, but I was
reeling inside. I prided myself on not allowing people to get under my skin,
so the fact that her presence was causing so much discourse internally, was
really getting to me.
It took a couple of minutes before she finally calmed down. A headache
was beginning to settle in, so I knew we needed to wrap this up.
“Look, there ain’t shit that we can do about the past. You did what you
did, and no matter how much it hurts, there’s nothing I can do to change it.
My daughter is here now, so my only concern is making sure that I don’t
miss any more time than I already have. We can work out visitation and
support whenever you’re ready. For now, I’ll be introducing her to my
family this weekend. If she feels comfortable, I would like her to stay the
weekend with me. Unless you have some objections to that,” I stated.
“Umm okay, I’m perfectly okay with that.” She sniffled, using the
napkins on the table to dry her eyes. “Reign’s been begging to spend the
night at your house. She said she even has her own room. I think that’s
really cool. I can drop her off after I pick her up from school Friday night or
Saturday morning. Whichever works best. Then I can pick her up on
Sunday afternoon. ” A smirk crossed my face because it seemed like she
was trying to avoid me coming to her house. She should know me well
enough to know that wasn’t gonna happen.
As soon as I found out that my baby girl existed, I had my tech buddy
pull all of her information including her address, birth certificate, as well as
both of their medical records. Now that I knew about Reign, it was my
business to know where she was at all times.
“Alright, bet. I’ll send you my address so you can drop her off. You
don’t need to pack a bag for her though. I’ll have everything that she needs
at my house. Just bring my baby to me.” The waitress had sat the check on
the table while we were talking. My attention turned towards Nayeli as she
reached into her purse to take out her wallet.
Gripping the back of my neck, all I could do was observe. She had
never had to pay for a single thing while we were together. Not to say that
she hadn’t tried, but I didn’t play that. If Knowledge didn’t teach us shit
else, he drilled in us the importance of providing for your family. At first, I
was gonna check her about it, but I just decided to let her rock. If she felt
like she wanted to pay for our meal, who was I to stop her? She seemed to
be good at making decisions on her own. Once the check was settled,
Nayeli began to grab her belongings.
It was obvious that she had a bit of an attitude. I found humor in it
because she was still the same spoiled brat that she had always been. I
decided to fuck with her even more after she started to rearrange the table.
She always felt the need to clean up the tables when we used to go out to
eat. It made absolutely no sense to me, because I was under the impression
that it was the waitress’ job.
“Aye, I’m about to head out. You got enough to leave her a tip?” It took
everything in me to hold my composure. She rolled her eyes as the waitress
had her sign the receipt. The look she gave me was damn near deadly, so I
knew she was probably cussing me out in her head. She tilted her head in
disbelief before reaching back into her purse, throwing a ten dollar bill on
the table before placing her shades on her face.
“‘Preciate it, lil mama. Thanks for lunch.” I smirked. “Tell my Pretty
girl I love her. Be easy.” She huffed then stormed away, which had me
cracking up. Getting under her skin had never given me so much joy. It
wasn’t going to make the situation any better, but it felt good. Being back
around Nayeli was going to be a challenge, but I would do anything for my
daughter. All I could do was hope for the best.

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 Reign Graham
Two weeks later
“Ask him. I’m sure he’ll say yes,” Nessa pleaded. It was Friday night,
and we wanted to go to the skating rink with some of our friends from
school. My mom and auntie Audra were having their weekly girls' night at
our house, but we didn’t want to stay inside. I asked my mom to take us, but
she said no because she doesn’t like the neighborhood. Now we were sitting
here bored, playing on our phones.
“Come on, Reign. If you don’t ask, then we’ll be stuck here all night
listening to our mothers sing like dying cats,” she pressed. She had been
trying to convince me to call my dad and ask him to take us. I smiled, just
thinking about the fact that I have a real dad now. I asked him if it was okay
to call him that, and he said yes. Since the talent show, we talked on the
phone every day. He always calls me in the morning and before it’s time for
bed. I had gotten to meet my family as well. Everybody was so cool. My
grandma and my aunties bought me so many new toys and clothes. It all felt
like a dream, but I’m happy that I have more people that love me.
“I don’t want to bother him. He’s probably really busy.” I admit that I
was scared. I had never asked him for anything before now. It had only
been a few weeks since we found each other. I didn’t want to get on his
nerves this soon. What if he got tired of me?
“Reign, you are being ridiculous. He’s your parent just like Auntie Yeli.
The worst thing he can do is say no,” Nessa reasoned.
“Fine. I’ll do it,” I conceded. The phone barely rang before his face
appeared on the screen. He always had the biggest smile whenever I called.
“What’s up, Pretty girl? How was your day?” He asked. His nickname
for me always made me smile. Both of my parents made sure I knew how
beautiful I was. Based on his surroundings, it was clear that he was not at
home, so I instantly grew nervous. There was a group of people in his
background, which meant that he was probably busy.
“It was good. We watched a movie at school and had a pizza party,” I
replied. “How was your day?” I asked. We told each other about our days
every night, so this was nothing new for us. He always made me feel like
the events of my day were way cooler than his. No way that was possible.
“That sounds dope! I loved watching movies in school. My day was
boring for the most part,” he responded. “What’s on your mind, Pretty? I
can see that brain of yours thinking from here.” He chuckled. I wanted to
chicken out, but Nessa was throwing all types of hand signals for me to
keep going.
“I-I was gonna ask you something, but you’re busy, so it's okay,” I
rushed out. My nerves were getting the best of me. Nessa palmed her
forehead in frustration.
“Naw, don’t do that. What do you need? You know you can ask me for
anything,” he assured me. His eyes stared at me through the screen. He
waited a few moments until I finally found my words.
“Ummm, Nessa and I really want to go skating tonight. My mom said
no because there’s nobody to watch us, and she doesn’t think it’s safe. All of
our friends are going and I-ummm was wondering if you could take us.”
My eyes peered down at the floor, so I couldn’t see his face.
“Are you talking about the big skating rink on Randall?” My eyes shot
up because for some reason I didn’t think he knew about the place.
Sometimes, I forget that he grew up here.
“Yes, that's the one. It's kids night, and everyone is gonna be there,” I
whined. We went a few times with my aunt Audra. She wasn't nearly as
overprotective as my mother was.
“What time do you need to be there?” My eyes grew wide because I
wasn’t expecting him to say that.
“Umm, it's from six to ten-thirty.” My hands were sweaty as I waited
for his next response.
“Alright, let me wrap up what I'm doing and I'll be on my way. Give
me like thirty minutes,” he informed me. Nessa was doing the happy dance
in front of me.
“Do you need the address?” I asked because he hadn’t been to my
house before.
“Naw, Pretty. I know exactly where you are. See you in a few. I love
you,” he declared.
“I love you too, Daddy. I’m gonna get dressed now. Thank you!” I
shouted into the phone before we hung up. Nessa and I both squealed with
excitement.
 “I told you!” Nessa boasted. We both jumped around for a bit before a
thought came.
“How are we going to get our moms to let us go?” I voiced. My mom
was very stubborn, so I was sure she would still find an issue with this.
“Auntie Yeli said no because there would be no one to watch us. Your
dad’s going to watch us. Problem solved.” Nessa shrugged her shoulders,
but I was still a little nervous. My parents hadn’t been around each other
much since everything came out, so I was worried. My mom knew that I
talked to him every day, but she never really said much about it. We talked
about him when I got home from the talent show, but that was about it. She
told me that my daddy was a good man. When we had that talk in the
kitchen, it helped me understand her better. She wanted my daddy to chase
his dreams. Of course, I was sad that I missed time with my dad, but my
mom gave me a great life. Now that I had both of them, I felt complete.
I knew that they had met up to talk about me because I overheard her
crying to Aunt Audra about how cold he was. A part of me felt bad because
I knew that it was because of me, so I talked to him about it. He apologized
and promised to be nicer, at least for me. Outside of my mom dropping me
off to my grandmother’s house, they had not been around each other much.
“You worry too much. Everything will be fine. Mariah and Jacey just
texted me that they are on their way to the rink now. I’m so excited!” Nessa
squealed.
After I put on my favorite princess bracelets, Nessa and I headed
downstairs. My momma and Auntie had their old school music blaring
through the whole house. I took a deep breath, praying that this didn’t ruin
her mood. As I entered the kitchen, I saw my momma dancing in her
sweats. She was smiling, which always made me happy to see. She worked
so much, and she never did anything for herself.
“What’s up, Gorgeous?” She cheesed while taking a sip from her glass.
Nessa told me it was wine, but I didn’t know what that meant.
“Ummm-”
“Oop, she’s getting ready to beg, Sis. She has the sweet innocent face
on and everything. Look at her accomplice standing behind her looking
guilty as sin,” Auntie Audra joked with us.
“Spit it out, Reign. Unless it’s about the skating rink. I’ve been
working at the boutique all week, and I just don’t feel like going anywhere
t-”
 “My dad said that he would take us.” The words rushed out of my
mouth. At first I thought maybe she hadn’t heard me, but the stunned look
on her face let me know that she did indeed hear what I said.
“Y-you asked your dad?” Her tone let me know that she was still
processing my statement. A simple head nod was my only response.
“Dropping you off is not enough, Reign. I don’t want you there with no
adult supervision.” She sighed.
“He’s gonna stay with us. He knows you don’t want us there alone,” I
confirmed. The music helped to fill the silence in the room.
“Are you okay with this?” My mom asked my auntie.
“I’ve known that man since he was a child. He’s not going to let
anything happen to those girls. If he wants to spend his Friday night with a
bunch of loud kids, let him.” Aunt Audra shrugged before taking another sip
from her glass.
“I know that. It’s just-” My momma paused her statement. The two of them
seemed to be communicating silently. This was something Nessa, and I did
because we were so close.
“Y'all can’t avoid each other no matter how much you may want to. At
some point, you're going to have to face him again. It looks like tonight is
the night,” Auntie Audra teased.
Ding Dong.
The doorbell sounded off, which ended all conversation. My mom
usually answered the door, but she seemed to be frozen in place.
“Do you want me to get it?” I asked. My mom was my hero because
she was always so fearless. Right now, she looked like she was ready to run
and hide.
I raced to the door because I was excited to see my dad. It has been a
whole week since the last time I've seen him. When I opened the door, he
greeted me with a smile on his face. He immediately pulled me into a hug
before twirling me around in the air.
“I missed you, Pretty girl,” he expressed. I smiled brightly at his
admission. He had only been in my life for a short time, but he always made
sure I knew he cared about me. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, I just have to grab my jacket. Come on in.” The smile on his face
dropped. He hesitated for a moment, but I grabbed his hand. There was a lot
I didn’t know about my parents, but what I did know was that I wanted
them to get along. With our hands linked together, I dragged him into the
kitchen where mom and Aunt Audra were. The music had been turned down
as they appeared to be in deep conversation with one another.
“Hey, mom. Look who’s here,” I announced. The two of them stared at
each other for a few moments before my mom finally spoke.
“Rule, it’s nice to see you. How’ve you been?” She inquired. The
shakiness in her voice was a clear indication that she was nervous.
Something I never thought was possible. My dad didn’t reply right away, so
I gently squeezed his fingers.
“I’ll have them back by ten,” he replied. “You cool with your little girl
going with me, Audra? Since I’m a stranger and all.” Aunt Audra looked at
him with sadness in her eyes. I assumed it was because of how cold he was
towards them. His smile was long gone. In its place was a deep frown.
“Rule, I’m so sorry. I was just trying to-” He raised his hand up.
“Naw, it’s all good. No need to explain,” he cut her off. The tension in
the room was thick. “Go get your jacket so that we can head out, Pretty.” I
looked between both of my parents, and I felt so bad. My mom had an
unreadable look on her face. My dad looked like he’d rather be anywhere
but here. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea.

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 Nayeli Joseph
He hates me. I watched as Rule tried his best to maintain his
composure for the sake of Reign. I knew him though. Ten years may have
passed, but his ticks were still the same. Whenever he was trying to calm
himself down, his jaw would clench. He wasn’t the violent type, so I wasn’t
worried at all. This was how he expressed his hurt. He probably thought I
was the worst human in the world. I had no one to really blame but myself
because of how I chose to handle things.
After our meetup, things had been at a standstill. Outside of pickups
and dropoffs, we hadn’t been in each other’s presence much. A part of me
was grateful for the minimal interactions because being around him drove
me crazy. All those feelings I had for him came back tenfold, and I had no
clue what to do with him. His blatant discomfort towards me wasn’t even
enough to dissolve my feelings. The truth is that I love this man. This was
something I had come to accept would never change.
Damn, he was fine. Even with the mean mug plastered across his face,
he had my panties soaking wet. I should have been embarrassed for even
thinking about him in this way, but it was the truth. His light colored skin
was covered in more tattoos than I once remembered. All they did was
increase his already mesmerizing sex appeal.
He wore his locs in a bun on top of his head. My mind was imagining
myself running my fingers through them as he feasted on my pussy. His big
juicy looks had me ready to take them into my mouth and suck on them like
old times. Reel it in, girl. This is what I meant when I said this man drives
me crazy. One minute, I want to cry. The next minute, I wanted to ride him
slowly on my couch.
How was it possible for my body to be aching for something I hadn’t
had in years? I squirmed in my seat as his eyes locked with mine. My
nerves were going into overdrive under his stare. His gaze held a mixture of
anger and lust. He wanted me just as bad as I wanted him, but I knew he
wouldn’t act on it. Forgiveness wasn’t something that Rule did very often.
He was a ‘one strike and you’re out’ type of guy. Although he didn’t know
the full story, I doubted that it would change anything.
 I always hoped that I would see him again. The only thing I couldn’t
predict was how things would go. Leaving him was the hardest thing I’d
ever done, but every time I saw him perform or received an award, I smiled.
A part of me felt like I played a small part in that. He was living that dream
that we always talked about. That’s all I ever wanted for him.
“They need to eat before you bring them home,” I blurted out. Clearly,
it was the wrong thing to say because he looked at me as if I had spit on
him. I wasn’t used to being on his bad side, and quite frankly, it was not a
position I enjoyed.
“You think I don’t know that my daughter has to eat before she goes to
bed?” He let out an irritated chuckle. There goes that jaw.
“I may not have as much experience with this parenting thing, but I
know the basics. ‘Preciate yo’ concern. A few years too late though,” he
spat. That last part stung, but I knew that was his intention. He was still
working through his anger, and unfortunately, I was on the receiving end of
it.
“Nessa, come here so I can give you some money,” Audra called out.
Rule sucked his teeth, which caused my eyes to turn back to him.
“Ya’ll really trying me like I’m some lame ass nigga. Why would she
need money when she’s with me?” He expressed.
“I wasn’t trying to do that. I just didn’t want you to feel like you had to
look out for her,” Audra replied.
“You say that like I didn’t look out for y'all when we were coming up.
When have you ever had to use your money around me? Ain’t shit about me
changed. Y'all the ones that switched up,” he uttered as Reign walked into
the room with her jacket.
“I’m ready, Daddy.” She smiled brightly. His smile mirrored hers,
which caused my heart to flutter. He fixed the bow in her hair before
grabbing her hand.
“Alright, let’s go so we can show these people how the real skating
experts do it.” Nessa and Reign laughed hysterically as he mimicked his
special moves in the kitchen. It appeared as if he was going skiing rather
than skating from the way his arms went back. This was the side of him I
missed the most. He was so funny and carefree when we were together.
Rule’s smile was so infectious. It would instantly brighten my day the same
way Reign does now. Seeing my little girl so happy left me with mixed
feelings.
 She had been denied this opportunity because of me. Just watching
their interaction filled me with guilt. Every little girl deserves to know what
their fathers' love feels like. This is coming from someone who grew up
with a father but without the love. I knew firsthand what it felt like to go
without it. It was so important, and I had taken that away from her.
“Bye, Mommy! I love you.” Reign raced over to me for one last hug.
Then she quickly jetted off back to her father. Our eyes connected one last
time as Rule peered at me with an unreadable expression. A few more
moments passed and then they were out the door.
“Sis, what are you gonna do?! That man is hurting, and you’re the only
person who has the answers he needs,” Audra exclaimed.
“I don’t know! This is all just too much for me.” My head was in my
hands as I tried my best to pull myself together.
“It's clear that he’s upset, and he has every right to be. Just not at you,”
Audra uttered.
“Don’t start,” I warned her.
“What do you mean don’t start?! It’s bad enough that this even
happened, but this has gone too far. You mean to tell me that you’re just
gonna stand around and allow him to continue to think the worst of you?”
She fussed. She’s one of the few people that knew the truth about what
really happened all those years ago.
Honestly, the pain was so crushing that I tried my best not to think
about it. What’s done has already been done. There was no point in
dwelling on it. Even though I have some regrets, I said would change our
reality.
“I don’t know, Sis. I just feel like dredging up all that stuff from the
past would only cause more harm than good. He’s going to be hurt either
way, so why drag all of us through all of that.” I tried to reason with her.
My big sister has always been my protector. That would never change.
“I don’t care about all that shit. I care about you getting what’s
rightfully yours,” she expressed.
“And what’s that exactly?” I asked curiously.
“The man you love.”
“Audra, I-” She held her hands up to silence me.
“You can’t even sit here and tell me that you don’t love him anymore
because I could see it all over your face. His too. All these years have
passed by, yet the love that you have in your heart for each other is evident.
It’s not fair that you had to make so many sacrifices at such a young age.
It’s even more unfair to have the man you love hate you over a choice you
did not make all on your own,” she recounted.
She was right, but all of this was starting to become overwhelming for
me. The past that I thought was behind me was coming back to haunt me. I
was happy that Rule and Reign now had each other, but the potential fallout
behind this had me on edge.
“I just wasn’t expecting all these feelings to come rushing back, you
know? I’ve been burying myself in work and being a mother for so long
that I completely ignored the fact that I’ve never truly healed from my
past,” I admitted.
When I got pregnant with Reign, all I could think about was the fact
that I needed to be the best mother I could be. It was bad enough that she
would be growing up without a father. I needed to make sure that I was able
to give her the best version of myself.
“Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but your past isn’t going
anywhere any time soon. So you might want to start dealing with the
feelings that you have. Let’s start by telling that man the truth. You know
that I'm gonna support you one hundred percent, but you shouldn’t have to
keep carrying this. To be honest, I feel like there was a lot of shadiness
going on with the whole thing. You didn’t deserve what you went through.
I’ll keep saying it until I’m blue in the face,” she vented.
A part of me agreed with what she was saying, but my daughter was
my main concern. Reign’s happiness was the only thing I was focused on
right now. I would deal with everything else when the time was right.
We ended the night earlier than usual because Audra decided to head
home early so that my baby daddy and I could talk. Her words not mine. I
texted his number to let him know that he could drop both of the girls over
here, but he never texted me back.
My feelings were hurt, although I tried my best not to let it get to me. It
was so hard having someone that you once loved more than anything treat
you like you never meant anything to them. There was once a time in my
life where I thought it was impossible for anyone to be able to love me the
way that he did. Honestly, I still felt that way. The several failed attempts to
date had proven that. Nothing ever panned out, no matter how nice the men
were. It was like I was searching for him in every man that I met. None of
them fit the mold that I needed. His shoes were hard to fill.
 Rule’s heart was one of the first things that made me fall in love with
him. He always went out of his way for the people he loved, including me.
If I was lacking in any area, I knew that I could go to him. He was the first
man to ever make me feel like I was enough. A lot of girls have daddy
issues, but it was crazy to experience something like that when you actually
had a father in the home. Rule reminded me every day that I was beautiful
and worthy of love. He was barely a man himself at the time, but he knew
the value of uplifting the people he loved.
My father never once gave me a compliment unless it was something
involving the ministry. Even then, it was hard to come by. As a young girl
who was bullied in school, I went through a lot of struggles. My smooth
cocoa skin was not always seen as attractive based on the opinions of my
peers. It led me to have very low self-esteem. Whenever I would tell my
father about it, he simply told me that my focus should be on the opinion of
Christ, not a man.
It wasn’t until I met Rule that I experienced a man affirming my
beauty. He made sure to tell me how gorgeous I was every single day. In the
beginning, it was difficult to adjust to because it was foreign to me. My
stepmother used to buy bleaching cream because she said that it would help
get some of the black off.
When I mentioned it to Rule one day, he completely spazzed out. It
took everything in me to convince him not to confront her because he was
ready to give her a piece of his mind. Rule said that God didn’t make
mistakes and that he took extra time with me because I was special. Every
day he would tell me a new thing about me that he felt was beautiful until
he had named just about every part of me.
I watched him do the same thing with Reign since they’ve been in each
other’s lives. He had been calling her his Pretty girl from day one. It melted
my heart because he was everything that a father should be. He reaffirmed
her daily that she was worthy, loved, and beautiful.
Anything she needed, he made sure that she had it, no matter how
small. Even the things she didn’t need. I loved a man who wasn’t afraid to
show his true feelings. Rule had always been that man for me. On the
outside, he was quiet, reserved, and kept to himself, but when it came to the
people he loved, he gave everything that he had.
There was a part of me that wanted that back—needed it back.
 Once you’ve experienced a love like that, it is impossible to settle for
anything less. The tabloids painted him out to be a careless playboy, but I
knew the real him. Rule was private, so I knew that if he was in a
relationship, no one would know about it outside of his family.
In my mind, I wondered if he had ever loved anyone the way he loved
me. Did he spoil her? Rub her feet when she was tired? Send her random
messages to let her know he was thinking about her? Did he make love to
her with the same passion he gave to me? God, my mind couldn’t even
fathom that being possible.

Knock. Knock. Knock

I must have dozed off because when I looked at the time on the clock,
it said eleven-thirty. My phone showed that I had two missed calls from
Rule, so I knew that was him at the door. As I rushed to the door, I took a
moment to look at myself in my phone camera to make sure I wasn’t
looking crazy. Not that he would even notice, but still, he wasn’t gonna
catch me slipping.
His sexy scowl was the first thing that greeted me as I opened the door.
Clearly, I couldn’t stop messing up to save my life when it came to him.
“Why you ain’t answer the phone when I called? Anything could have
happened while I’m sitting here tryna reach you,” he gritted. He didn’t even
give me a chance to answer as he turned to walk back to his car. There was
another man in the driver’s seat, but I couldn’t quite make out who he was.
He was a large man, that's all I could make out from the darkness.
Rule carried out a sleeping Nessa draped across his shoulders. He
walked right past me to walk up the stairs. He didn’t ask me where Reign’s
room was, so I assumed he was just going to figure it out himself. Within
seconds, he was jogging back down the stairs and out of the door. Reign
was next as she laid her head in the crook of her father’s neck. My heart
skipped a beat as she squeezed him tightly.
He did the same as before, only this time, it took him a while longer. I
figured he was getting them settled, so I closed the door and took my seat
on the couch. I felt like an idiot because I had no clue what to do as I waited
for him to come back down. It was obvious that he was not in the mood to
talk, so I was not even going to attempt that tonight. Plus, I knew that I
would only end up clamming up. He had that effect on me, especially now.
A few minutes passed before he finally resurfaced. When he walked in
my direction, I got excited for a moment, thinking that maybe he did want
to talk after all. That notion was quickly dispelled when he reached into his
pocket to pull out a wad of cash.
“This is for Reign. If she needs anything, I don’t want you paying for
it. She’s my responsibility, so use this money for whatever she needs, and
you can use your money to take care of yourself. If it’s not enough, just let
me know. I'm getting with my accountant this week so that I can set up an
account to pay you monthly. I’ll have them reach out to you for your
banking information,” he informed me.
There was no emotion in his tone at all. It felt more like a business
transaction which had me feeling low. Yes, It was my fault, but that didn’t
make it hurt any less.
“The girls are in bed. I didn’t undress them or anything like that, but I
hung their coats up, took their shoes off, said a quick prayer, and kissed my
baby girl goodnight. Tell her little ass to call me in the morning,” he
requested. There was so much I wanted to say, but I was afraid to say the
wrong thing. Clearly, I was making a habit of it.
“Thank you for taking them. They must have had a ball because those
two usually stay up late on weekends.”
“It ain’t no problem. I’m glad she called me. I don’t ever want her to
feel like she can’t ask me for something. There isn’t anything that she wants
that she can’t have. I may not have been here this whole time, but I’m here
now. That ain’t no shade to you. I just want to make that clear. I got her for
whatever. You have a goodnight, though.” With that, he was out of the door.
The money he gave me was sitting on the table. It was nice to have
because being a single mother wasn’t easy. Rule was already making my
life easier just by being active. As I sat down, it dawned on me that I hadn’t
thanked him for it, so I pulled out my phone to text him. He probably
wouldn’t respond, but I guess I had to be okay with that.
Me: Thank you for the money. It’s way more than I need, but I appreciate it. I know I probably
don’t have a right to say this but thank you for loving Reign like you do. You probably hate me and I
understand, but she’s the happiest she’s ever been. Thank you.
My body was so exhausted from working, so I decided to get up and
head upstairs. A hot shower and some aromatherapy candles was just what
the doctor ordered. My Apple Music station was playing Tink on rotation.
My girl had me all in my feelings as “I Need Ur Love” flowed through my
speakers. Forty-five minutes later, I was feeling like a brand new woman.
Once I was completely dried off, I lotioned up then climbed in the bed. I
rarely wore clothes to bed, so I snuggled into my cold sheets naked as the
day I was born.
My phone was charging on the nightstand on the bed. Since I had the
girls tonight, Audra had agreed to open the boutique for me in the morning.
Which means I’ll get a chance to sleep in tomorrow. My employees were
already in place, so I wouldn’t have to come in until later on. My alarm was
set to wake me up at six in the morning, so I needed to change that. If I was
lucky, my body would let me sleep in until at least eight-thirty. My phone
showed that I had a text notification from forty minutes ago. When I saw
his name on it, my heart rate immediately sped up. It took me a minute to
work up enough nerve to read it because I was afraid of what it might say.
Rule: There’s no such thing as too much when it comes to my little girl. Loving her comes easy.
She makes my life better.
Rule: I could never hate you. Trust me, I’ve tried, but the shit doesn’t work. You gon’ forever be
a part of my life. I may not understand you, but I’ll always respect you. GN
Tears welled in my eyes because I needed that. I said a silent prayer as
I drifted off to sleep. Everything happens for a reason. I just need to be
patient in order to see this through.

OceanofPDF.com
Nayeli
Three weeks later

“So what am I supposed to do now?” I shrieked as the officers took

pictures of the damages. Apparently, there had been a string of robberies
last night by a bunch of teenagers. Both the businesses on each side of me
had been hit as well as the taco place a few stores down. To say that I was
devastated would have been an understatement. My phone was on DND last
night, so I didn't get the messages until early this morning.
“File a claim with your insurance company. They should be able to
cover the cost of the damages. Just make sure that you keep a record of
everything you lost. Again, ma’am, I'm sorry this happened. I would get
your own personal security system so that you can get alerts like this
quicker in the future,” the officer advised.
I knew that he was just doing his job. but the anger that was coursing
through my veins had me feeling like he was an enemy as well.
“Yea, thanks for nothing.” I stomped away as he attempted to hand me
his business card. What good was that going to do for me now? As I paced
the floor, I pulled out my phone so that I could let Audra know what was
going on. She was going to blow a gasket because she had been telling me
to get someone out here to give us a quote on a security system. It kept
slipping my mind, and now this seemed like my punishment.
My phone buzzed as her call came through. My hands were still
shaking, so I took a deep breath so that I could calm myself down.
“Sissy! What the hell do you mean that someone broke in?! Are you
okay? Were you hurt? Where are the police right now?! Answer me!” She
yelled frantically. Based on the sounds in her background, I could tell that
she was getting ready to get in her car.
“It happened last night. Some dumb teenagers decided that they were
going to go on a robbery binge. They hit five stores before the police were
notified. My notifications were off last night, so I didn't get the voicemail
until this morning. I ended up calling them back up when I got here.” My
emotions were all over the place. So many thoughts were flooding my mind
at one time.
“Okay, okay. I’m happy that you weren't hurt. I know that you’re
frustrated. You have every right to be, but don’t let this stress you out too
much. Yes, I realize that's easier said than done, but I promise you are not
alone. We’re going to get through this like we always do,” she assured me.
There were no doubts in my mind about that. My big sister had always been
my protector, so I knew this would be no different.
“What’s the damage looking like?” She inquired. My eyes didn’t even
want to look at the damage that had been done to my store. This was my
baby, so I took great pride in every single piece and decoration that was in
here. To know that someone could just come in here and tear up everything
that I had worked so hard for was heartbreaking.
“They completely destroyed everything. There’s glass, vases, and
clothes scattered everywhere. They completely rip this place apart.” My
eyes were watering just thinking about what had taken.
“Don’t worry about it, love. I'm on my way to grab us some cleaning
supplies and a Bluetooth speaker so that we can jam out to some good
music. We're gonna get this place back like new in no time.” Audra was
really a lifeline. She always came through for me when I needed her.
“I love you so much. I was over here about to have a nervous
breakdown,” I expressed. My stress levels are already high, but this just
really put me over the edge. Reign was at school, but she was supposed to
be getting out early today. There was no way that I would be able to pick
her up from school, so Rule was my next best option.
“You already know how I’m coming when it comes to you. I don't play
about my baby sis. Now let me get off the phone before I crash. These folks
don’t know how to drive out here as it is. I’ma mess around and run
somebody granny off the road,” she fussed.
“Okay, be safe. I’ll see you when you get here. I love you.” We
disconnected the call after that.
I twirled my phone in my hands debating on if I should call this man or
not. This was about Reign, so I knew that he would have no issues picking
her up. The problem was that I was going to have to put on my big girl
panties and reach out first. A text seemed like the best option because I
knew that hearing his voice was going to make me nervous.
 Me: Hey, do you think you would be able to pick up Reign from school
today?
It didn't take long for him to respond back. My nerves were bad once I
heard the notification sounding off.
Rule: What time do I need to be there?
Rule: You good?
I read the message twice to make sure that I read it correctly. He had
been cordial but distant when it came to me, so I wasn't expecting him to
ask too many questions.
Me: 1:00 p.m.
Rule: I’ll be there.
Me: Thank you .
Rule: You good?
Rule: Don’t make me ask you again, woman!
My fingers hesitated over the keyboard as I thought about my response.
The last thing I wanted was for him to worry about whether Reign was
safe with me because of this. Granted, I knew that this was not my fault, but
I was overthinking when it came to a lot of things lately.
Rule: ???
Me: My store was robbed last night, so I won’t be able to bring her
here like I normally would.
The bubbles immediately popped up indicating that he was typing a
response. It lasted for a few more moments then stopped completely. A few
more minutes passed, but he still never replied. My feelings were a little
hurt because I assumed he would at least acknowledge what I had said. I
guess he really didn’t care about me after all.
I decided to go ahead and get started with picking things up while I
waited for Audra to come with the cleaning supplies. My phone went on the
charger since Rule had already agreed to keep Reign for me. Her little self
would be calling me as soon as she realized I was not the one picking her
up.
There was a knock at the door about twenty minutes later that caught
me off guard. Why the heck is she knocking when she had a key? I thought
to myself. Audra being a silent partner meant that she had access to
everything that I did. Including the keys to the building. It was probably just
a customer. There was a sign on the door that stated that we were closed but
of course there would be someone who would still try to come in.
 The knocks sounded off again, only this time they were stronger. I
checked my phone to see if I had missed a call from Audra, but there was
nothing. Whoever was at the door was persistent, so I just decided to go out
to see what was going on. My jaw dropped in shock at the big burly man
that was standing at the door with a big bag in his arms. He didn’t seem
familiar to me at all, which had me slightly alarmed. That was until I saw a
frustrated Rule appear on the other side of him.
What is he doing here? How does he even know where I work? My
mind was swirling with all types of questions until my phone started going
off in my hand. Rule’s contact name flashed across the screen. Of course, he
was calling because he was waiting for me to open the door for him. My
feet finally started moving towards the door.
“Why the hell did it take you so long to answer the door? You had me
ready to break this shit in even more. I thought something had happened to
you,” he vented. The look of worry was displayed all over his chiseled face.
“I-I’m sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone to be here besides Audra. She
has a key, so I just figured you were probably just a customer,” I tried to
explain. Rule was still the sexiest man I had ever encountered. Grumpy or
not, time had definitely done him some good.
“Is that how you treat yo’ customers, lil baby?” His eyebrow rose in
judgment. I chuckled because his question caught me off guard.
“No, however, there’s clearly a sign that says that we're closed. Not to
mention the obvious shattered glass.” I shrugged my shoulders as I stepped
back to allow them to come in. The big man nodded his head before he set
his items down on the counter. Next Asa walked in, another familiar face I
was not expecting.
“What’s up, Sis?” He pulled me into a hug then stepped back to look
me over. “Bro told me about what happened, so you know I had to come
check on you. You okay? You look fine as hell, girl,” he complimented.
Rule burned a hole into the side of his face with the way he was staring at
him.
“Are you done droolin’, bruh?” There was an obvious hint of
annoyance in his voice. It was cute because he was clearly bothered by the
compliment. Maybe he didn't hate me entirely.
“You got a broom around here?” Rule questioned.
“I have a couple of them in the utility closet. I’ll go grab them.” As I
turned to walk away, I heard a whistle from behind me.
 “Got damn! Sis still got that wagon on her!”Asa called out.
“You're really about to make me forget that you’ my boy, forreal!” Rule
exclaimed. My feet picked up speed because I didn't want them to see me
laughing at their interaction. Rule was in rare form today, but I won’t lie
and say that I wasn’t enjoying this change. It was better than the silent
treatment and blank looks that I had been getting the last few times he was
in my presence.
The brooms and dustpans were exactly where I thought they would be,
so I went ahead and grabbed everything. The brooms were large, so I
figured I may have to make multiple trips.
“Let me get that for you,” A deep voice sounded from behind me.
“Shit!!” I screamed as I dropped everything that was in my arms. “You
scared me! You could have warned me before sneaking up on me like that.”
I laughed. My hand was on my chest as I attempted to catch my breath.
“My apologies, Miss lady. Boss man told me to come back to help you
carry the things we needed,” he explained. My eyes peered up at the gentle
giant in amazement. How was someone as tall and thick as him able to
move so quietly? Let’s not forget the fact that the giant was very easy on the
eyes. I couldn't even imagine a woman being able to take all of what he had
to offer, but I bet it was a wild ride.
“Ahem.” He cleared his throat, waiting for me to hand over the items.
Girl, get it together. I bent over to pick up the things that I had dropped on
the ground.
“I got it. Just tell me what you need and I can get it for you.” He was
very polite while I instructed him on what I needed. Since he had a height
advantage, I decided to have him grab a couple of cleaning items that I had
on the top shelf. This eliminated me having to use my ladder later on.
“Thank you for all of your help. It pays to have a tall person around.” I
waved my hand down, gesturing towards my short frame. He chuckled at
me before allowing me space
to exit out the closet first.
“What took you so long? All you were supposed to be getting were the
brooms. That doesn’t take five minutes,” Rule questioned. I couldn’t
believe that he was really acting like this.
“Bruh, you really tripping, G. How you gon’ ask us to come help then
get upset at us for doing our job?” Asa called him out. My hand covered my
mouth as I giggled. I hadn’t seen this side of Rule in a really long time. He
used to be so protective over me when we were younger.
“You don’t have anything to worry about, Young Blood. I like
everything I eat to be well-aged. If you know what I mean,” the giant
applied.
“Okay, if you guys could help me get this glass cleaned up, that would
be such a big help to me. I really appreciate y'all for even coming out to
help me. You really didn't have to.”
“It’s no problem, sis. Anything I can do to help, I’ma do it no questions
asked,” Asa replied.
“Bitch, whose big ass truck is parked in my spot!” Audra vented as she
attempted to carry six bags in her hand.
“Aye, let me get that for you, lil mama. You’re about to cut off the
circulation to your arm trying to avoid making a second trip,” Asa chuckled.
“And it would have been worth the risk,” she countered. They paused
to give each other the onceover. My sister was very bold, so this was
normal for her.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Audra fired off. Asa
looked her up and down, obviously enjoying the view.
“My name is Asa, Asa Harris,” he introduced himself as he extended
his hand for her to shake.
She looked at it for a few seconds before returning the gesture. “I'm
Audra, Nayeli’s big sister. I don’t believe I've ever seen you around before.
You still never answered my other question.” She probed. She turned his
hand over, appearing to be examining it. “No ring print. That's a good
thing.” She pointed out as she dropped his hand.
Asa wasn’t used to someone like her. It was clear based on the
bewildered expression on his face.
“I’m here because my bro said Nayeli needed help. She’s like family to
me, so I had to come through to make sure that she was straight. Is that
okay with you, lil mama? Any more questions you tryna ask a nigga or we
good now?” He smiled brightly as my big sister was left stumped. That was
a rarity because Audra Joseph always had something to say.
She flipped her hair over her shoulders before she finally
acknowledged me. “I'm gonna help you clean up then I’m gonna have to
stop so I can go pick up Nessa. Did you need me to pick up Reign as well?”
She asked.
 “Naw, I’ll be going to get her after I finish up here,” Rule interjected.
“I asked him to pick Reign up because I knew that I was going to be
here longer than I expected. She doesn’t need to be around any of this,” I
informed her.
Reign was a worrier just like her mama. The last thing I wanted was for
her to be freaking out when I was still trying to process everything myself.
“If you want, I can go pick up Nessa too. Maybe take them out to eat
and for some ice cream so they can stay out of your hair while y’all sort
everything out,” Rule suggested.
This is what I meant about his heart. Nessa was an extension of Reign,
so he automatically wanted to look out for her. Truthfully, he had her almost
as spoiled as Reign because they were always together. When he bought
Reign something, he would make a habit of throwing in something for
Nessa. Audra had tried to get him to stop, but of course it fell on deaf ears.
As far as he was concerned, she was his niece, and he did whatever he
wanted to do.
“Are you sure you don’t mind? I have no problem dropping her off to
her dad for a little bit,” Audra asked.
“I wouldn’t have suggested it if it was. Just make sure you let the
school know that I’m coming, so they don’t be looking at me like a
kidnapper,” he joked. This was the first time that I had seen him smile
today. It was beautiful. That sounded really corny in my head, but the way
this man affected me was pathetic.
“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I can give you some mon-”
Rule quickly raised his hand to cut her off. “I promise if you reach into that
flea market purse to try and hand me some money, we're gonna have a
problem. I’m not gon’ keep having this conversation with you every week. I
don’t know what type of niggas you’re used to having around you, but you
know better.
You don’t ever have to worry about giving me a dime when Nessa is
with me. That’s my daughter’s cousin, which means she’s family. Let this
be the last time we have this conversation.” He set her straight before
walking over to Asa, who had already started sweeping up the glass.
“He didn't have to get me together like that. I was just trying to be
nice.” She playfully frowned. I laughed because that’s how they’ve always
been. “He doesn't have to worry about it because I won’t offer him another
red cent. He could pick her up every day if he’s feelin’ that generous.” She
fake pouted.
“Sis, you are clearly off your game today. How did you let not one but
two men have you speechless in one day?” I teased her. Audra loved to
argue with people. She really should’ve been a lawyer with the way that she
goes back-and-forth with people.
“I’m blaming this all on you! You made me so nervous this morning,
and I didn’t even get a chance to smoke my morning blunt. Matter of fact,
let me go ahead and do that now since it seems like your baby daddy and
his crew have it handled.” She poked fun at me. Honestly, I was grateful to
have them here. This was going to make things so much easier for me.
The men were moving fast to get the floor cleaned up, so I decided to
start with the countertop and cash register. I had already gone to the bank
with our deposits yesterday, so they didn't even get any money from us.
That irritated me even more.
From what I could see, they had taken a few pairs of shoes from the
men's sections, some dresses and jeans. This neighborhood was very
popular, so it was normal to have a steady flow of traffic. However, it
wasn’t a high-crime area. That was one of the deciding factors when I was
choosing my location for the boutique.
When you work hard for something, the last thing you want is for
someone to come in to try and take it away from you. The good thing is that
my insurance would cover the majority of the damage, so I would not have
to stress about it. Of course, I would probably have to close down for a few
days so that I could have the glass replaced as well as everything cleaned up
on the inside.
We had a new shipment of inventory that was coming tomorrow, so we
would have no issues replacing anything that may have been torn during the
break-in. It was an inconvenience, but I have to look at it from a positive
standpoint. If I had been in my store at the time of the break-in, who knows
what could have happened. Reign could have easily lost a mother, so for
that, I was grateful.
“Have you eaten yet?” My body jumped from shock. His voice always
did something to me.
“What is with y’all sneaking up on folks? My nerves are already bad
today,” I whined.
 “Have you eaten yet?” He repeated his question once more. He was
trying so hard to make sure his face was void of any emotions.
“Ummm, no not yet. Honestly, I don’t even really have an appetite
right now. My main focus is to get everything straightened out here.” I let
him know. He stared at me for a moment. Probably thinking about how he
wanted to cuss me out.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” he said with a stoic expression on his face.
That was his only response before he walked out. It was so hard to
understand him because one moment he was hot then the next minute he
was cold. It was impossible to predict his mood on any given day. At one
point, Rule was the man that I was sure I would marry. Being around him
like this was a constant reminder of everything that I had sacrificed. It
wasn’t a good feeling.
Thirty minutes had passed before I heard a knock at my door. I was still
going over inventory as well as filing a claim with the insurance company.
They had been giving me the run around for the better part of an hour. I had
never been placed on hold so many times in my life. My patience was
getting thinner and thinner by the minute.
None of the representatives seemed to know what they were doing. I
had answered the same questions over and over again. My phone was
currently on speaker as I waited for yet another rep to look into my account.
Thoughts of hanging up and trying again tomorrow were heavy on my
mind. This was doing nothing to calm my anxiety.
“Come in,” I stated when I heard a light knock on my door. Rule
appeared in the doorway with his locs now hanging freely over his
shoulders. In his hand was a bag and a cup container that appeared to have a
variety of drinks in it.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked to drink, so I just had the lady make one
of each of her most popular drinks. I got you a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel
with grape jelly in the bag. I had them cut it in half because I know your
little ass won’t finish the whole thing right now.” We had a bit of a stare-off
as I was momentarily rendered speechless by his actions.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to get me anything.” He walked over to
bring me my food. Starbucks was one of my favorite places, and I could tell
just by the label that he had gotten one of my favorites. The caramel ribbon
crunch frappe was one of my weaknesses. I had the straw opened and was
taking a sip before I could even take it out of the holder.
 Rule let out a low chuckle as he watched me. “I take it that she must
have gotten one of your favorites.” There was that smile again. Rule always
had the prettiest smile. He also had a dimple on his right side. God really
did his best work when he made him. My eyes looked up at him when I
realized that he was still in my office.
“What’s wrong?” I questioned. He wasn’t saying much, but I could tell
that he was thinking hard about something.
“You sure you’re okay?” My mind took a moment to process his
question. Honestly, I think I was running off of adrenaline right now. I
couldn’t allow myself to stop because If I did, I knew I would probably
break down. The words weren’t there, so I simply nodded my head at him.
“I know this shit got you shook, but it’s all gone be handled. My friend
is on his way to do some measurements for your new security system. Then
I have a crew coming to get these windows in the front replaced. I’ll let you
know when the security guy gets here because he’s gonna show you how to
work everything before you leave here. I’ll probably be gone by the time he
arrives, but he knows to call me before he leaves so I can make sure
everything is straight.” He gave me the complete rundown. He didn’t give
me a chance to respond before he walked out of the room.
My thoughts were in overdrive because I was still trying to sort out all
of the emotions from today. Rule had come through and really showed up
for me. It was so unexpected, but the gratitude that I felt in my heart was
overwhelming. Tears started streaming down my face because I was just so
overwhelmed. I was happy that everything was being taken care of, but it
was still a lot to take in. I gave myself a few more moments to get my
feelings out before I went to the bathroom to clean my face. My prayer was
that I could get past everyone without them even noticing me.
Once I made it towards the backroom, I thought I was in the clear until
I heard his voice call out to me.
“Come here.” Rule turned me around as he peered into my tear-stained
face.
“Wipe those tears, you hear me?” He embraced me. My face rested on
his chest as he tightened his grip on me. Just this interaction alone had me
breaking down yet again. My tears were for a multitude of reasons, but the
main one was regret. It seemed like the minute Rule had walked back into
our lives all of these old feelings had resurfaced. I thought that I had finally
healed from everything that I went through, but that was all proving to be
false.
“Let it out, Dove. I got you.” His words only triggered more tears. That
nickname was one that I hadn’t heard in so long. It came from a place of
Love, which was something I needed now more than ever.
In my mind, I felt like I was unworthy of the kindness that he was
showing me. He had every reason to hate me, but here he was putting my
needs first. Something he had been doing since the very first time he
walked into my life. My body melted into his embrace as I released all the
hurt that I had been holding inside for the last few weeks. Whenever I was
going through something, I would just sweep it under the rug until it no
longer bothered me. Today, I could no longer pretend like I had it all
together because that was the furthest thing from the truth.
It probably wasn’t the healthiest method when it came to healing, but it
had gotten me through the last decade of my life. My emotions were all
over the place during my pregnancy with Reign, but I quickly learned to
push it back. My child needed me to be strong, so there was no room for
tears or grief. I had to do everything I could to make sure that she had a
strong momma to bring her up.
All these years, I’ve always had to figure it out on my own. Audra was
a huge support system, but she had her own child to raise. It was amazing to
me that Rule had just come back, and he was already removing burdens
from my shoulders. The guilt of the decisions I had made was beginning to
eat me alive because I realized just how much we really needed him.
Rule continued to hold me while he rubbed my back for comfort. I
didn’t want to break away from him because I felt so comfortable, but I
knew that I needed to get it together. Slowly, I raised my head from his
chest and took a step back. Rule cupped both sides of my face in his hands
as he held me hostage with his gaze.
“I don’t know why you even bother trying to lie to me. Time hasn’t
changed a thing. I know you better than you know yourself at times. You
always tryna be strong, but that’s not your job when I’m around. Trust me,
I'm strong enough to carry your problems and mine too,” he expressed. My
heart fluttered in my chest as I tried my best to get my feelings in check.
His words had stirred something in my soul.
“Thank you. I really can’t even express it enough. You don’t owe me
anything at all. I really appreciate it. I’m gonna go to the bathroom so that I
can get cleaned up. I’m sure my sandwich is getting cold.” He nodded his
head without saying anything. Rule was an observer, so when he was quiet,
it was because he was taking it all in.
I turned to walk to the bathroom, although I could still feel his eyes
watching me. When I got to the bathroom, I simply closed the door with my
back pressed up against it. Today had been an emotional day, but I knew in
my heart that things were only going to get better.
The rest of the day sped by pretty quickly. As Rule promised, the
security crew, as well as the window repair men, had shown up around the
same time. The men refused to allow us to touch anything, so Audra and I
sorted through the clothing they had boxed up for us and finished all the
admin work we have for the week. Even though the store was almost back
to its original state, I decided that I was still going to take a few days off. I
had already texted my employees to let them know what was going on. Of
course, I was still going to pay them while we were closed.
“So, how are you really feeling? I saw that little moment between you
and Rule. Something tells me that it was more than just the break-in that
had you so emotional. You know you don’t have to bottle everything up all
the time. That’s what family is for. Since the talent show, you have been on
go mode. You’re trying to put on this façade as if this whole thing isn’t
affecting you, but I can tell that it is.
The way that you two look at each other, it's clear that there are a lot of
unresolved issues that need to be addressed. You two need to sit down and
really talk it all out. Reign is happy, but at some point, she is going to notice
that her parents are avoiding each other. That little girl is smart, so I'm sure
she notices the awkward energy between you too. Hell, a big part of the
reason that all of this even happened was because of lack of
communication. It's time to put it all on the table,” Audra expressed.
She was completely right because I knew that it was beyond time for
me to have that conversation. Rule had left to pick up the girls, and since
the men were finished quicker than expected, we decided to grab a drink
before heading home. Lord knows that I needed something strong after the
day that I had.
By the time I had gotten home, Reign had texted me to let me know
that they were at Scoops getting ice cream. She had sent a couple pictures
of her and Nessa as well as a few with her father included. It really didn’t
make any sense how much the two of them looked alike.
 Just seeing them together made me smile. Their relationship was so
beautiful to watch unfold. Rule was everything I imagined a father was
supposed to be and then some. Anything she needed, he made sure she had
with no hesitation. Reign was so in love with him, it made my heart swell.
She would go on and on about the things they did together. I didn’t mind
listening because I was living vicariously through her.
He had gone to her school for Donuts With Dad and had the whole
school in an uproar. Reign had quickly forgotten just how famous her father
was until that day. By the time the school day had ended, all the kids
wanted to be her friend. She didn’t care about any of that. Reign was just so
happy that he showed up for her. He always showed up for her. For us.
Today was just another reminder of how amazing he truly was.
My phone dinged in my hands. As soon as I picked up the phone, my
sister started up with her mess.
“Did you give your baby daddy some “Thank you for saving the day”
coochie yet? If so, I hope you made it extra nasty because he deserves it.
Give him some on my behalf as well,” she snickered.
“Audra! What in the world is wrong with you?” She always kept me
laughing, but lately she was in rare form.
“What do you mean? Girl, if today wasn’t a reason to bring that cat out
of retirement, then I don’t know what is. That man saved us thousands of
dollars, hours of manual labor, and let’s not forget the new high tech
security system that he had installed for us.” She was right. Rule had really
been a godsend because we would have been at the store all night just
trying to clean everything up.
“I know. When he texted me asking if I was okay, I never expected him
to actually show up,” I admitted. The most I was expecting from him was a
“Sorry to hear that’ text. He had really come through for me. I had no idea
how I would even begin to repay him. The security system alone was over
four thousand dollars. When I asked the man for the price, he informed me
that Rule had already taken care of it. I wasn’t used to people going out of
their way for me.
“Of course he showed up. That man still loves you,” Audra pressed.
“You think so? I don't know about all that. If anything, he probably felt
bad for me because I’m the mother of his child.” That’s what I was telling
myself because I didn’t even want to get my hopes up thinking that it was
anything more than that. Granted, he had been talking to me a lot more than
usual. I refused to read too much into his kindness.
“Nayeli, you are crazy if you don’t see it. Yes, he loves Reign with his
whole heart, but I know that I’m not wrong. Rule still loves you. I could tell
even from the first interaction when he came to pick the girls up to take
them skating. He may have been hurt, but the love he holds in his heart for
you cannot be hidden.” She had no idea how badly I wanted that to be true.
Even if I didn't deserve it, I wanted it. Rule had been the only man I have
ever loved. To have him in my presence but not in my life was torture.
“This whole thing is stressing me out so badly. Don’t get me wrong,
I’m glad that the truth is out. Reign is over the moon right now. Rule seems
to be happy as well. It’s just hard watching them be a family without me,
you know? It feels like I'm an outsider. The person that kept them away
from each other all this time,” I admitted. Overthinking was one of my
greatest downfalls because in my heart, I knew that was not how they
viewed me. It was just hard to accept the fact that this was our reality.
“You sound like a broken record at this point, my love. Reign loves you
just as much as she always has. She’s just excited to finally have her father
in her life. As she should be. You’re allowing misplaced guilt to get the best
of you. You are not a damn outsider. You’re choosing to be because you’re
too afraid to be honest with him.
We keep having this same conversation with no resolution in sight.
You’re either gonna put it all out on the table or stand by and watch him
create a family with somebody else.” Her words were like a dagger to the
heart just thinking about it.
“Please don’t even play like that. It would completely crush my soul if
I had to watch him loving someone else. You’re right. Being around that
man like this has my mind all over the place. I swear it feels like he gets
finer and finer every time I see him.” My mind instantly flashed to how
good he smelled when he was holding me earlier.
“Well, you better figure out how you’re gonna get your man back
before you have to buy your daughter a flower girl dress for a wedding you
can’t attend.”
“Audra, why would you say something like that?” This girl didn’t give
a damn about my poor little feelings at all.
“I’m not about to play these games with you, sis. Somebody has to put
the battery in your back. I guess it’s gonna have to be me,” she replied. “I
might need to see if I can come to the wedding because I need to see if I can
find one of those Graham men to take home with me,” she taunted. At this
point, I was ready to hang up on her because she plays too much.
“You’re really doing the most right now. There is not going to be a
wedding!” I snapped then thought over her words before adding, “They are
fine though,” I recounted.
“That’s what your mouth is saying, but if you keep playing, it’s gonna
be your reality,” Audra reiterated.
“That whole family is fine, even down to the uncles. It really makes no
damn sense. His little friend he brought to the shop was cute too.” I smiled
because she had slid that in there like it was no big deal.
“Unt unh, sis. Don’t try to play my bro. Ain’t nothing small about that
man. Put some respect on his name.” I poked at her. It was obvious that
they were feeling each other, but I know how guarded my sister can be.
“I mean, he was easy on the eyes for sure. Shout out to his momma
because she did her thing with that creation. Anyways, he all but forced me
to take his phone number before we left. According to him, we have a date
on Friday,” she mentioned so casually. This is what I was talking about. She
always tried to downplay any man who was interested in her.
“Ooohhh okay! Bro is tryna apply that pressure. So what are you
wearing? You gone let me style you?” I pressed. I loved getting other
people dressed. That was another one of my hidden talents.
“Ummm, when did you hear me say that I was going? I said he told me
we were going, I never said I agreed,” she shot back. My eyes rolled so
quickly because I already knew she was about to make up some lame
excuse as to why she shouldn’t go.
“Audra, give me one good reason why you’re even considering not
going on this date?” This girl was going to give me gray hairs, and she was
supposed to be the big sister.
“Hello, I’m celibate! I don’t have time to chase any man. Not to
mention, messing up my PH balance for a man who can’t keep his pants
zipped. I’ve been there, done that, and got the pamphlet. I’ll pass,” she
explained.
“You are being ridiculous. Now I’m all for celibacy because I’m right
there with you. I still don’t understand what that has to do with you going
on a date with the man. You’re acting like you guys are going to be walking
down the aisle next week. This is simply just an opportunity for you to get
to know someone new. What’s the harm in that?” I reasoned. Audra had
been single since Nessa was two years old. She was eleven now.
“Listen, I hear everything you’re saying, but I just don’t know if I have
it in me. I’m so tired of having my time wasted by men who aren’t ready for
what I'm ready for. I’m too old to be “hanging out. The dating pool is full of
urine, cow manure, and bad smelling cologne.” She snickered.
She was not lying about that at all. I had attempted to date a few times,
but it never worked out. It seemed like most of these men had no interest in
building a foundation within a relationship. They wanted to jump right to
the physical part of it. No chemistry. No courting. No real effort.
Even as a teenager, Rule always went out of his way to take me on
dates. Now it was almost impossible to find someone who wanted to build a
life together. Asa was different though. Or at least the Asa that I knew from
ten years ago was. Him and Rule were best friends for a reason. They were
both laidback , loyal and hard-working. When it came to the people they
loved, there was no limit to what they would do for them.
“Just give him a chance, sis. What’s the worst that could happen? You
might actually have a lot in common,” I pleaded. At least one of us had the
potential to be happy.
“Ugh, you are really pushing this thing. I’m gonna see how his vibe is
leading up to Friday. If all goes well, then I’ll go. He seems like a nice guy,
but they all do in the beginning. Being a single mom means that I have to
look out for my best interest as well as Nessa’s. She already has one man in
her life that she can’t count on, you know?” Audra was the type of person
who used humor to mask her true emotions at times. Her relationship with
Nessa’s father had really done a number on her.
“Well, based on the pictures Reign sent me earlier, Nessa seemed to
love him.” I tossed it out there to see how she would react. Asa was in a
good portion of the pictures that Reign had sent earlier. I never thought
twice about it until now when she mentioned him.
“I didn’t even think about that when Rule said he was taking the girls
out. How the hell does my daughter get a date with my man before I do?”
She huffed.
“The good thing is that she can tell you all the good things about him.
Today was my first time seeing him, but Reign adores him the same way
she does her father. Every time I turn around, that man is giving my baby
money.” I pretended to pout. Between her swear jar and the men in her life
spoiling her rotten, she had stacked up a nice little savings. We recently
bought her one of those piggy banks that were set up like an ATM machine.
In this month alone, she saved over three hundred dollars.
“Nessa’s little tail was acting like a bougie baddie when we went out to
eat last week. She was trying to order everything off the damn menu. When
we got home, she pulled out a wad of money that she got from her “Uncle
Rule.” If I had known she was getting money like that, I would have let her
pay for my king crab. Momma is tired of being the breadwinner!”
“Whatever, girl. Let me get off this phone so that I can make dinner,” I
told her. My body was still exhausted, so I wanted to get that out of the way
before it got too late.
“Make me a plate! I’ll be over there tomorrow to get it,” she replied.
“Alright, boo. I love you.”
“I love you more. Give that man some pussy!” She yelled before she
disconnected the call. My head shook as I chuckled. Reign loved tacos, so I
decided to make some chicken fajitas. Something that would be quick to
make but delicious. It felt so weird spending so much time away from her
because when I was not at work, we were joined at the hip. She had sent me
another picture of her at the trampoline park, so I already knew she was
having the time of her life.
It took less than thirty minutes to get everything together. After that, I
went ahead and changed into my silk pajama shorts set. I only had a handful
of breasts, so I let them hang freely in my cami. After I fixed my plate, I
grabbed myself a glass of wine then turned on Netflix to find a good series
to start. By the time eight-thirty rolled around, Reign was finally making
her way back home. When I heard the knocks at the door, I instantly
jumped up. This reminded me that I needed to get Reign a key made, so I
didn’t have to keep running to the door.
Rule actually had a smile on his face instead of his usual frown when I
opened the door. Him and Reign were talking about something funny until
he looked up at me. The look in his eyes turned from humor to lust as he
looked me up and down. At first, I was confused until I realized what I had
on. My cami was thin, so you could see my hardened nipples through. I’m
sure he probably thought I had done it intentionally, but that wasn’t the
case.
“Do you normally answer the door with no clothes on?” He grunted as
they stepped inside. He looked at me, waiting for an answer.
 “I mean, I don’t get too many visitors at night, so I’m gonna say yes.”
He licked his lips as he stared into my soul. His gaze made me nervous, so I
turned to the left so that I could focus my attention on Reign.
“Did you have fun today, Sweets?” She had three bags in her hand, so I
already knew they had been to some type of store.
“Yes! We had some much fun, Momma. I’m gonna go put my stuff
away then I’ll come back down so I can tell you about it.” She beamed. She
took off up the stairs until she realized she had forgotten something. Reign
dropped her bags then ran right into her daddy’s arms.
“Dang, Pretty. I thought you were gonna leave without even showing
me no love,” he teased as he hugged her tightly.
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I got a little too excited, but I love you. Thank you
for everything.” She hugged him one last time then kissed him on the
cheek.
“I love you more, Pretty. Don’t forget to call me before you go to bed.”
With that, he kissed her forehead then let her go. She grabbed her things
and raced upstairs to her room. There was an awkward silence between the
two of us as I waited to see if he was going to say anything else. The
intensity of his gaze had me squirming.
“You sure you're alright?” He asked.
“I’m better. Today was a long day, but everything worked out thanks to
you. You really did-” Rule cut me off.
“I see I’ma have to give you the same talk that I gave yo’ sister earlier.
Ain’t shit about me changed, Dove. When it comes to my daughter, I’m
gonna always make sure she’s straight. If her momma isn’t good, then she
isn’t good. I can’t have that.” That kind of stung a little. Obviously, that’s
the same thing I had told Audra, but I guess a part of me was holding out
hope that it was more to it than that.
“Oh, okay. Well, thanks again.” Another awkward silence. My feelings
were crushed even though I had no right to feel anything. A part of me
wanted to believe that he still loved me. In his mind, I was just his child’s
mother, and it hurt more than it should.
“I’ma head out. If y’all need something, just hit me up,” he stated as he
turned and walked away. My head was down as I closed the door. I don’t
know why I was even torturing myself this way. That man had made it
abundantly clear that he was here for Reign and Reign only. Maybe I was
overthinking things as usual.
 “Aye!!!” He called from a distance.
My head whipped around to see what he needed.
“Don’t bring yo’ pretty ass to the door dressed like that no more! You
got me fucked up!” He smirked, his words giving me hope that some of
what we had was still there beneath all the hurt. There was no doubt in my
mind that this man was my soulmate. In my heart, I hoped that we would be
able to find our way back to love. No other man on this Earth could set my
soul on fire quite like him. There was a reason he had been brought back
into our lives. I couldn’t lose faith in us just yet.

OceanofPDF.com
Rule Graham
Several weeks had passed by and I still hadn’t returned to Cali yet.
Instead, I was just hopping on flights anytime I had an interview or
appearance scheduled. Tee was irritated by it, but I let her know that I
needed to be with my family. I was still taking care of my obligations, so
there really wasn’t much that she could say.
A part of me felt like I should mention Reign, but for some reason, I
chose not to. Tee was very opinionated when it came to how I lived my life,
but this was one area where her opinion was not needed. Obviously, it was a
topic we would have to address eventually, but I wanted to enjoy this time
for the moment. Being in my hometown was a lot more peaceful than
Hollywood life. Being able to move around the city without a whole bunch
of cameras in my face was a luxury that I was enjoying more than I thought
possible.
Big Moe had finallygone back home to visit with his family. I kept
telling him that I didn’t need a bodyguard, but he wasn’t trying to hear me.
Asa had decided to hang around as well. His mom had recently had a
stroke, so he was using his time to spend with her and his family. The way I
was feeling, I didn’t care if I ever went back. My heart was in Jonah Hills,
so that’s where I wanted to be.
“Alright Pretty, what are we doing tonight?” My lil’ baby was
spending the weekend with me and I was geeked. My family had been
hogging her time on the weekends, but now it was just us.
“Movie night! I get to pick the movies though!” She informed me. She
knew that I never told her no.
“You got it, Boss!” She already knew how to get to the movie
selection, so I went into the kitchen to make the popcorn. It was probably
gonna be a pizza and wing night for us since we were watching movies.
“Daddy, can we have those ice cream sandwiches that you got us last
time?” I smirked at her request. She already knew that I bought some
specifically for her because she loved them so much.
My lil’ baby was already spoiled, and not just by me. My family had
her so rotten and her momma could stand it. I mean, there was no sense in
both of us being the bad guy. Honesty, I just loved seeing my baby girl
happy. Her happiness meant more to me than anything in this world. It was
my job to be her provider and protector. I wanted her to know that she could
always count on me no matter what.
“Yeah, Pretty. After we eat,” I told her. She had a bad habit of trying to
eat dessert before dinner. That's one thing I did not play about.
“Fine.” She pouted slightly, but she already knew the rules. She was so
much like Dove when it came to her personality. She was assertive yet
sweet at the same time. There were a lot of hints of me in there as well
because she was very observant. She was well-behaved and very respectful.
Reign wasn’t a fighter, but she didn’t play about the people she cared about.
I called her my little mini-me because she had some of my
mannerisms. When she was upset, she got really quiet. Almost as if she was
processing her emotions before she actually reacted. She liked to sleep with
one leg hanging out of the covers, which cracked me up the first time I saw
her do it. Dove used to get so mad at me because she said it didn’t make
sense. “You’re either hot or you’re cold” was what she always told me.
Reign had an ear for music just like I did as a child. Since I was taking
a break from touring, I had been spending more time in the studio. Reign
had asked to accompany me a few times, so I let her tag along. Just seeing
her in her element as she vibed to the music was surreal to me.
I remember being her age with that same passion. I loved everything
about music. The way it had the power to change your whole mood around.
How the right melody with the right set of lyrics could transport you to
another world in your mind. I remember listening to my father play Al
Green and Earth, Wind and Fire. He made sure we have a variety of genres
on his playlist. From Jazz, to Classical and even country music.
He told me that he used to play in a band when he was in school. They
had wanted to put together a group so they could be the next Jackson 5, but
my grandfather said no. Their loyalty was supposed to be with the family
business and the family business only.
I think that was one of the reasons why I went so hard when it came to
my music. My father and I always had a strained relationship, but this was
the one area where I knew we connected. He may not have been as active as
I would have liked him to be, but he always made sure to tell me how proud
he was of me. When he was sober, that is.
 With Reign, I wanted to give her everything that I never got from my
father. I wanted her to know that she could chase her dreams and I would
back her one hundred percent. She would never have to wonder if I loved
her or not because I made it my mission to make sure that she always felt it.
Even the moments when words failed me, I would show her with my
actions.
“Okay, I got our movies picked out,” she shouted from the living room.
I ordered the food from my phone, then grabbed the popcorn and drinks.
“Alright, Lil mama, let’s see what you got.” I took a seat next to her
before passing her the popcorn bowl.
“Okay first, we’re watching Princess and the frog.” She beamed. We
hadn’t watched that one together, but I had a feeling this was not a new
movie for her. That was another thing we had in common. I loved
rewatching my favorite movies. I couldn’t tell you how many times I had
watched Dead Presidents or Shottas. Those would forever be classics to me.
“Alright, Pretty, let's get this movie night poppin’. We have our snacks,
drinks, and our pjs. The food is on the way, so I think we’re good.” As soon
as I started the movie, she snuggled up next to me. These were the moments
that meant everything to me. There were really no words that I could use to
explain just how amazing fatherhood was. To know that I was someone’s
hero for the rest of their lives was crazy to me. She was the blessing that I
would forever cherish.
Thirty minutes into the movie, our food finally arrived. We paused the
movie so that we wouldn’t miss anything while getting our plates ready.
Reign had an appetite like her mother used to, so she was ready to dig in. It
only took a few moments to get out food together then it was time to start
the movie back up. I looked in Reign’s direction to see her taking a picture
of her plate.
“Pretty, what are you doing?” I chuckled. She had taken at least four
pictures until she got one that she liked. Just like a woman. I thought to
myself.
“Oh, I’m taking pictures of my food so that I can send it to mommy
while she’s on her date.” My face frowned instantly. The way those words
sounded to me was foreign. The emotions that followed were foreign as
well. Jealousy was never something I had to deal with because I never took
these women seriously.
 “Oh, okay, so your mom and Aunt Audra are having a girls’ night?” I
probed. She was so engrossed in her food that she missed the look of panic
on my face. Things with Nayeli and I had been cordial but still awkward
lately. A large part of that was because I was still trying to rationalize my
feelings for her. It was like as soon as I was in her presence, all I wanted to
do was love her. Then I had to remind myself that wasn’t my role anymore.
The constant war between my heart and my mind had me completely off
my square.
“No, silly. She went on a date with a man.” She shrugged her shoulders
as if she hadn’t just dropped a bomb on a nigga. I had picked her up from
school, so I had never gotten to see Nayeli today. We talked to each other
through text, but for the most part, we kept it casual. After the night I
helped clean her boutique, she had been making it a point to distance
herself from me. I guess I understood it because I was confused myself.
Since the day I saw her for the first time, all of these feelings had come
rushing back that I had tried so hard to push away.
In my heart, she was mine, but my mind just would not allow me to
move on from the past. I had spent years trying to push that pain to the
deepest parts of my mind, but that was harder now that she was right in
front of me. She was the first person to ever have my heart, but she was also
the first person to shatter that shit. I wanted to say fuck it and claim what
was mine, but could I trust her with my heart again? She kept my baby from
me and caused me to miss so many important milestones in her life that I
could never get back. Was it possible for us to come back from that? Those
were the questions that had me losing sleep.
The idea of her being with another man had me sick to my stomach. As
far as I was concerned, there wasn't another man out there that was good
enough for her. Not to mention my baby girl. There was no way in the
world I was going to allow someone else to come and play daddy to her. I
was all that she would ever need.
“Did mommy tell you where she was going?” I continued to probe. My
mind was already plotting because now there was no way I was gonna be
able to enjoy my night knowing that Dove was somewhere being wooed by
a lame.
“No. I overheard her talking to Aunty Audra, but she didn’t say where
she was going. Aunt Audra said that he was fine, paid, and had BDE,”
Reign repeated casually. My heart damn near leaped from my chest.
 “Daddy, what does BDE mean?” Reign looked into my eyes with the
most innocent look on her face.
“Big damn ears.” Was the first thing that came to mind, but I went on
to say, “ You can’t say that though.”
Reign went into a fit of giggles, meanwhile I was sweating bullets.
Audra was on her way back on my shit list soon. She was not supposed to
be encouraging this shit.
“Daddy, you’re silly. There’s a boy at my school that always calls me
beautiful, but he doesn’t have BDE. His ears are regular sized like mine,”
she stated matter of factly. The idea of some little musty boy liking my baby
girl mixed with her momma going on this date was starting to get to me.
“Well, you make sure to tell him that you already know that you’re
beautiful. Your daddy tells you that every day. Oh, and you’re not allowed
to date until you’re forty-seven, so he might want to find someone else to
compliment.”
“Daddyy! He’s just being nice. Don’t you want people to be nice to
me?” She smirked. Her laughter filled the air as the frown on my face
remained present.
“What time did your mom say she was coming home from her date?” I
inquired. It was still pretty early in the night, so she might have just gotten
to her date. Not that it mattered because I had already set a plan in motion.
“Daddy, are you jealous?” Reign asked. The smug look on her face
irritated me because it felt like she could see right through me. It was one
thing to have these feelings, but it was another thing to actually
acknowledge them.
“Why would you say that, Pretty?” I tried to play dumb. When she
folded her arms and gave me that “Negro please” look, I figured that I was
not as convincing as I thought I was. “It’s okay if you are. I know you still
love her.” Her statement piqued my interest. We never really discussed her
mother or our history together.
“How do you know that?” I turned in her direction because I was
invested at this point.
“I see the way that you look at her. It’s the same way that Prince
Naveen looks at Princess Tiana,” she explained. “She loves you too. She
tells Auntie Audra all the time.” She revealed.
My head nodded as I processed her words.
 “What do you think I should do?” My curiosity had already gotten me
this far, so I wanted to know what else was in that little brain of hers.
“In all the movies that I watch, the man always tells the woman how he
feels or does something to show her that he loves her. I think that's what
you should do if you want mommy to be your girlfriend. Do something
romantic,” she reasoned. In her mind, it was just that simple.
My mind was saying the complete opposite. Even if I was to confess
my love to her, what then? Would I really be able to move on from
everything that happened so that we could start over? Hell, I still didn't even
know what really happened. All I know is that I don’t want to be without
her. Ten years was bad enough. I needed my heart back.
“I got an idea. You gone help your daddy out?” I smirked as I set my
plan in motion.
“Let’s do this.” My lil’ baby was a rider because she didn’t even know
what we were about to do, but she was down to ride with her pops. I ran to
the bathroom to see some things in motion. I ran the thermometer under the
hot water until it got to a good temperature. The plan was for Nayeli to
think that Reign was sick so that she would rush over here. Was it wrong?
Probably. We didn’t care though. Operation Rescue Momma From a Lame
was in full swing.
Reign got into the bed as I dabbed her face with some water to make it
look like she was sweating. Once I snapped a few good pictures, she
quickly hopped out of the bed. Baby Girl was an A1 actress because she had
her face looking so pitiful in the pictures. This little girl was really my heart
foreal.
“Can I have my ice cream sandwich now?” I pleaded.
“Yea, Pretty. I’m about to send these pics to your momma. Remember,
you have to play sick when she gets here. Once we get her inside, then we
can tell her,” I explained.
“Daddy, this isn’t my first time faking sick. I got this.” She patted
me on the arm before running out of the room. She was definitely my twin
for sure. Everyone always thought Messiah was the wild child because I
was the quiet one. Little did they know, I was usually the ring leader of all
that mess that we got into.
My phone rang in my hands. My smile was hard to hide, but I knew I
needed to make this sound convincing so that she would actually come.
 “Rule! What's going on? Is she okay? Have you given her any
medicine? She was just fine when I dropped her off at school this morning.
Did she eat something abnormal?” She fired off question after question. The
worry in her voice was evident, which had me convinced that our plan was
for sure gonna work. One thing I know for sure is that Dove doesn’t play
about our daughter.
“Umm, I don't have any medicine here. You know I'm still adjusting to
having kids in my home. Her stomach is really upset, so I think she needs
some Tums orsomething.”
She huffed in dissatisfaction. “Rule, you’re supposed to be prepared for
things like this. You never know what could happen. You should always be
prepared no matter what,” she lectured. My medicine cabinet was filled
with all types of medicine, but she didn’t need to know that. As soon as we
found out about Reign, everyone in my family made sure that we had the
basic necessities just in case. One thing I would never play about is my
daughters well being.
“Okay, for now, the main focus is getting her temperature down. I can
order some medicine and have it DoorDashed to your house.” That was not
the response that I was expecting. In my mind, she was supposed to freak
out and rush over here in a panic. My plan seemed like it was already about
to backfire on me. That was unacceptable for me, so I had to come up with
something.
“Listen, I don’t know anything about giving medicine to anyone. This
is my first time taking care of her while she’s sick. What if I fuck around
and give her too much? The least you could do would be to show me what
to do.” I was laying it on thick.
“Ummm, shit. Okay, just give me like 30 minutes, and I’m on the way.
Try to keep our child alive until I get there please.” She fussed. Silently,
Idid a happy dance.
“I got you! See you soon.” She disconnected the call. For a minute
there, I didn’t think my plan would work. Now, I just had to figure out what
I was gonna do when she got here. Talking about my feelings was
something I hadn’t done in years.
“Is she coming?” Reign peaked around the corner with her ice cream
sandwich in hand.
I smirked at her as she devoured that ice cream sandwich like it was the
best thing she had ever tasted.
 “Yeah, Pretty. She’s on her way right now. We might as well finish the
movie while we wait.” I rubbed my hands together like Birdman. My only
prayer was that it didn’t blow up in my face.

OceanofPDF.com
Nayeli
“You told him what?!” Audra shouted through the phone. Her voice
echoed through the stall in the bathroom, reminding me that she was not
someone you could call on speakerphone. Ten minutes had passed since I
hung up from Rule, and I was still trying to figure out my next move. Once
he let me know that Reign was sick, I knew there was a chance I would
have to cut my date short. Guilt was settling in because he was a really nice
guy, and I would hate to leave a bad impression on the first date.
Reign hardly ever got sick, so I knew it had to be something serious.
On one hand, I felt like this was something that Rule could handle. Then
there was the other part of me that felt like a terrible mother for even
considering not going.
“What was I supposed to do, Audra? I can’t just leave my baby there
sick with someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing,” I explained to
her.
“He's her father! I’m not saying that you can’t go, I'm just saying that it
can wait. If she’s sick now, she’s still gonna be sick after your date is over,”
she rationalized. Of course, I knew that. However, Rule sounded really
nervous on the phone. He didn’t have a whole lot of experience with
children, so I knew this was probably a lot on him.
“I know! I tried to tell him what he needed to do, but he made me feel
so guilty. She looks so terrible in the picture he sent me.” I attempted to
reason with her. Audra had been trying to convince me to go on this date for
weeks. Hassan was a really nice guy that I had met while I was grabbing
coffee a few weeks back. We bumped into each other, causing me to spill
my coffee on his shirt. When I asked how I could repay him, he requested a
date. It took me a while to say yes, but Audra reminded me that I was never
going to get over Rule, if I didn't at least try to date other men.
“At this rate, there is absolutely no hope for you,” she blurted out.
“Don’t be like that. You’re acting like I want to leave this date. I’m
actually having a great time with Hassan. He’s a complete gentleman and
we have a really good conversation,” I informed her. Honestly, this was one
of the best dates I had been on in a while.
“So explain to me why you’re on my line right now instead of eating
steak with Mr. Perfect?” She asked boldly. I loved my sister, but she got on
my nerves sometimes.
“I really cannot deal with you. I called you because I wanted to make
sure that I was making the right choice.” I never wanna feel like I’m
choosing between Reign and a man. Nobody comes before her. The only
reason why I’m even conflicted with this is because she’s with her dad. It’s
a parent’s job to figure it out. My thoughts were all over the place, so I
needed her to be my voice of reason.
“Listen, it’s not my job to tell you whether you’re right or wrong.
Personally, I think that you should wait until after your date is over. It’s
taken you years to finally start dating again. This is a huge accomplishment
right now. However, from one mother to another, I understand your
concerns. If it were Nessa, I would be on the first thing smokin’.”
As a mother worrying is something like a superpower. We have this
innate urge to always wanna save the day or make them feel better. There’s
absolutely nothing wrong with this. What I will say is that you have to
make the choice of what feels best for you,” she advised me. One thing I
knew was that Audra always had my best interest at heart. Even when we
didn’t always agree.
“Okay, I'm gonna break the news to Hassen. Maybe he’ll be willing to
take a raincheck. As much as I want to stay, I know that I won’t even be
able to focus knowing that Reign is sick,” I told her. It was no exaggeration
because I know how I am. I’m a fixer. As soon as Rule told me she was
sick, I was already thinking about home remedies based on her symptoms.
There was nothing worse than seeing your baby sick and not being able to
fix it.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever, sis. I have a feeling that Reign won’t be the
only Graham that you’ll be nursing back to health this week,” she
responded snidely.
“Hmmm no, ma’am. You’re not about to keep throwing shots at me.
This is not even about Rule. This is about my baby girl being sick,” I
shrieked.
“Girl, I don’t even know who I think you’re fooling at this point.
Everyone can feel the heat radiating off you two whenever you guys are in
the same room. You can brush it off all you want to sis, but we all see it,”
she expressed.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I attempted to play dumb,
although I knew she wouldn’t fall for it. It was hard accepting the fact that I
was in love with this man. Even when I tried to move on, he was still
lingering in the shadows.
“You owe it to yourself and him, to be honest. I know you don’t wanna
stir up any more trouble, but he deserves to know the truth. You’re torturing
yourself for no damn reason.” My heart was beating in my chest as I
thought over her words. Deep down, I knew that she was right. I was just
afraid of it making things worse for us. The last thing I wanted was for Rule
to hate me all over again. We were finally getting to a good place in our
coparenting relationship, so I honestly felt like it was better this way.
“I know. I keep saying that I’m gonna tell him, but then every time we
get around each other, I freeze up. It just feels like we’re finally getting
along, and that’s what I need more than anything,” I admitted.
Yes, I love Rule. I don’t think I'll ever stop loving him. However, the
whole reason I'm even trying this whole dating thing out is because I’m
tired of being sad when he leaves. They don’t tell you how ghetto
coparenting is when you are in love with the other parent. It’s definitely a
zero out of ten.
“It’s not just about that. He needs to know the truth about the people in
his circle, but I’m not even about to get into that with you tonight. I think
you knew the answers to your questions before you even called me. You
just wanted to waste my time. Go ahead and tend to your little family. Call
me when you make it to the house, so I know that you got home safely.” I
chuckled at her “little family” comment. With that, we said our goodbyes
before disconnecting the call.
After I washed my hands in the sink, I took one last look at myself in
the mirror. I remember there was a time when I didn’t love myself. Now,
when I look in the mirror, I see all those things that Rule spoke into me
when we were young. My chocolate skin was beautiful and blemish free.
Reign had given me more hips and ass, which I loved.
You got this. Taking one last look in the mirror then smoothed my dress
down.
As I exited the bathroom, I gave myself a pep talk. It was never my
intention to hurt anyone or lead anyone on. In my mind, I truly wanted to be
in a relationship. I just wasn’t sure if I would be able to give anyone a heart
that wasn’t mine to give.
“Hey, is everything okay?” Concern flashed across Hassan’s handsome
face. I could tell by his facial expressions that he was genuinely worried.
That made me feel even worse. Granted, I couldn’t control the fact that my
daughter was sick. Reign was my priority. It wouldn’t matter if she had an
earache, the flu or a splinter. When it came to Reign, I would drop anything
for her.
“I’m so sorry. That was my daughter’s father calling to let me know
that my daughter is really sick. I’m gonna have to end our date early,” I
informed him. Based on his body language, I knew that he was upset. It was
understandable, so I didn’t take offense to it initially.
“Is he not able to take care of her himself?” my head shot up to look
into his eyes. I wanted to look at him to make sure that he was being
serious.
“Of course, he can take care of her, but it’s my job as well.” I’m sure he
was not intentionally trying to be rude, but it was a sensitive topic.
“I’m just saying that it doesn’t make sense for you to have to leave to
take care of her if he’s there,” he voiced. My irritation was getting the best
of me the more he spoke.
“I certainly appreciate your concern, but even if he didn’t need my
help, I would still go. When it’s all said and done, she is my child. I have to
know that she’s alright at all times. I’m sorry if you don’t understand that,”
I snapped.
“Look, I’m sorry I’m not trying to come off like an asshole. I was just
really enjoying my time with you and I don’t want it to end,” he expressed.
“I really enjoyed myself as well. I promise if you give me the
opportunity, I would love to make this up to you.” A part of me was ready
to block his number from my phone completely after his comments. Then I
had to realize that he was justified in his feelings. We had been planning
this day for weeks, so I knew that he was very excited. As was I.
“No worries, love. I knew going into this that you were a package deal,
and that’s not a problem for me. You take care of your daughter and then hit
me up when you’re ready for a do-over,” he stated as he called a waiter over
for a check.
I immediately reached into my purse to grab some cash.
“What are you doing?” He asked. His face was twisted up in confusion.
 “I was just trying to leave a tip since I knew that you were taking care
of the bill. Just trying to do my part, that's all,” I explained.
“Listen, I don’t know what happened or who you’re used to dating, but
I’m not one of them.” The line he used was very cliché, but it was cute at
the same time.
“Are you sure?” I replied.
“If you don’t get out of here, woman. Text me tonight or tomorrow to
let me know how things went. If you need anything from me, just call me,
and I got you." He really was a sweetheart. I wasn’t quite sure if he was the
one for me, but he was definitely a good catch.
“Thank you so much for a great night. Again, I’m so sorry that we had
to end things early,” I apologized.
“No worries, beautiful. Let me know when you make it home.” He
gave me a hug and a quick peck on the cheeks. He was such a gentleman,
which was a major turn-on for me.
Once I got in the car, I immediately put my GPS on for the nearest
CVS. I had plenty of medicine at the house, but Rule’s home was further
out. I didn’t feel like driving back and forth. I still can’t believe that my
baby girl is sick.
When I dropped her off earlier, she was perfectly fine. I couldn’t
imagine what could've happened within those last few hours. Hopefully, a
trip to the ER would not be needed.
It took me no time to gather everything I needed from CVS. As I pulled
up to Rule’s house, my nerves began to kick in. It was so crazy to me that
he still had such a hold over my emotions. Every time I was in his presence,
it made me nervous.
The sexual tension between us was always thick, but we were both so
awkward when we were around each other. That's another thing that really
gets to me. When he was in my presence, it was like my body was ready to
surrender everything over to him. My body craved his touch and the way he
used to hold me. Even his scent haunted me in my dreams. I didn't trust
myself when I was around him because if he even gave me the inkling that
he wanted to take it there, I would.
It was easier to ignore my feelings when he was living his life in
another state. Now it was almost impossible to ignore, especially with him
spending so much time with Reign. I loved the fact that they were bonding,
but being in his aura week after week reminded me of how I fell so hard for
him in the beginning. He invaded my dreams often. Flashbacks of the way
he used to handle my body flooded my memory. Sometimes it felt so real I
would wake up covered in sweat. My pussy thumped from just the thought
of the damage he would do to my insides.
My mind wanted to go back to a happier part of my life, but some
issues still had yet to be resolved. Audra’s words came to my mind. I know
that I should have told him everything the minute he came back into our
lives. Now it just felt like there would never truly be a perfect time to talk
about it. Once the secrets were out in the open, there would be no way to
undo it. My prayer was that when the dust settled, this wouldn’t destroy us
all. Rule deserves to know the truth about everything. I just feared it would
completely erase any chances of us ever getting back together.
Getting out of the car, I took a deep breath as I ascended up the
driveway. All my bags were in hand as I made my way to the door. I
knocked on the door ready to step right into mommy mode. Once Rule
pulled the door open, I was given the shock of my life. On the couch was
Reign cuddled up eating what appeared to be popcorn and pizza.
Reign looked up at me with a smile on her face. “Hi, mommy! You
came,” she called out, adding a cough on the end for dramatics. My
intuition was telling me that something was going on, but it wasn’t any
sickness. I decided to play their game to figure out what the real motive
was.
“Ummm, hey, Sweets. How are you feeling?” I walked over to her in
order to feel her temperature. From what Rule had sent me, it was a little
over 102° less than an hour ago. My face scrunched up when I did not even
feel a hint of a temperature.
“I feel much better. Daddy took great care of me. He gave me some
food and some ice cream. I’m as good as new.” She batted her little
eyelashes, trying her best to distract me. My eyebrow raised as I looked
down at her.
“Ummm, you don’t look very sick to me, young lady.” The look on my
daughter’s face told me that I had been duped. Reign looked perfectly
healthy as she sat there with a mouth full of popcorn. She had a look of
guilt, while her father had a smug look on his face. Reign was a terrible liar,
so I could already pinpoint the fact she was faking it from the very
beginning. What I failed to understand was why she had done it.
 “Rule, what the hell is going on? You made it seem like the girl was
damn near on her last leg, but she appears to be miraculously healed since
we got off the phone with each other.” His calm demeanor only infuriated
me more.
“What can I say? Won’t he do it!” He smirked, throwing his hands in
the air like the saints at my grandfather's church. Right now, I was feeling
everything but godly because I wanted to wring this man’s neck. I couldn’t
believe that they had lied to me like this. This meant that I had canceled my
date with Hassan for nothing. Audra’s voice was ringing loudly in my head.
“You are so annoying! Why did you do that?!” I screamed. These two
had tricked me, and now they were both sitting here as if nothing was
wrong.
“I was trying to do you a favor. Lil baby said you were on a date with a
lame, so I decided to help you out. You’re welcome.” Rule sat back on the
couch with his hands behind his head. His legs were gaped open, which
distracted me for a moment. This man was fine for no reason at all. The
hold he had on me was sickening because just that quick, my anger was
gone. Our eyes locked as he bit his bottom lip. Then he began examining
me from head to toe.
“Damn, baby mama. You did all that for Braxton P. Hartnabrig? Let me
find out you actually like this lame.” He grimaced. A smile graced my face
because I could see the hint of jealousy that he was attempting to mask with
humor. Rule was still very attracted to me physically. That was something
he never tried to hide. The problem was that was where it all seemed to end.
“You make it sound like I don’t look nice all the time.” I pretended to
pout as if I was offended.
“Naw, I ain’t saying anything like that. You always look fine as fuck. I
guess I’m just not used to you getting dressed up for someone else.” He
grunted. His true feelings were starting to show.
“Daddy, language!” Reign fussed while holding out her hand. I covered
my mouth to hold in my laughter. Rule had agreed to pay her $5 for every
time he said a cuss word. One thing my baby girl did not play about was her
money, so he should have never challenged her. It had been a month, and
she had already saved so much money.
“Listen, Pretty. We’re gonna have to renegotiate the terms of this
arrangement. You’re taking all your daddy’s money.”
 “Daddy, please. You and I both know that you are loaded.” We all burst
out laughing because she was so serious.
“What do you know about someone being loaded? Why are you
watching my pockets, Pretty? I could be faking like I got money,” he egged
her on.
This was another thing that I loved the most about them. Since the day
Rule found out about her, he made it his business to be here. They had
grown so close in such a short time period. It was beautiful to watch. They
understood each other's sense of humor. There were even times where they
would finish each other's sentences.
“Daddy, your money is my money, so I have to make sure it's right.”
She shrugged her shoulders then took a sip of her juice. Reign was a grown
woman trapped in a nine year old body. You never knew what was gonna
come out of her mouth sometimes.
“You got a point there, shorty.” He turned his attention back to me.
“You might as well take off that coat and come watch this movie with us.
We even got the lemon pepper wings you love just in case little man didn’t
put enough meat in ya belly.” He smirked as he patted the seat on the other
side of him. Once again biting those juicy ass lips of his. God help me.
“Yeah, momma. We’re almost done with the Princess and The Frog.
Next, we’re watching Moana.” Reign smiled brightly. The thought of
watching that movie for the thousandth time had me rolling my eyes. Of
course, her daddy was letting her get away with it. He was creating a
monster and he did not care at all.
“Fine. It’s not like I have anything else to do.” He chuckled at my
statement. All I could do was roll my eyes because he had won this battle.
“You're welcome, love.” Rule was going to be the death of me. He
drove me absolutely crazy. I kicked my heels off then pulled my hair into a
ponytail. As I walked in their direction, I could feel Rule’s eyes on me. As
much as I tried to avoid it, my body was already reacting to him.
“Here, Momma! I made space so you can sit between daddy and me.” I
gulped. There was no reason I should be this nervous. My hands were
sweating as I squeezed in between them. His cologne had me in a frenzy. I
always loved the way certain scents smelled on him. It wasn’t until I sat
down that I realized they were both in pajamas. Reign had on unicorn
pajamas while Rule rocked some black and white pajama bottoms with a
white shirt.
 “It looks like I'm a little overdressed for this party,” I joked. My body
grew hot as I felt the blazing heat from his gaze as I plopped down on the
couch.
“I’m sure you’ll be out of that dress before the night is over,” he
whispered in my ear. The seat of my panties was ruined. A part of me was
afraid of getting the cushion wet underneath me. The husky tone of his
voice was laced with lust. His words had my nipples hard as they pressed
against the fabric of my dress.
“Pretty, you ain’t gone offer your momma none of your candy?” Rule
asked Reign. Baby girl was in her own little world with her drink, popcorn,
and candy surrounding her. The face she gave him was a clear indication
that sharing was the furthest thing from her mind.
“Mom doesn’t eat after seven. She’s watching her figure,” she quipped.
I chuckled as he sucked his teeth. She acted so much like him it was
ridiculous.
“You are something else, Pretty.” He shook his head then got up to turn
off the lights. Rule loved cold temperatures, so I was not surprised that it
felt like a winter storm in here. Reign had her unicorn blanket, but it was
too small for both of us. I needed my own.
“While you’re up, can you grab me a blanket?” I requested.
“Ain’t nobody tell you to walk out the house half naked, Dove. Now
look at you,” he teased me. “You know, I'm just playin’.” Rule grabbed me
a fluffy black throw blanket from his hall closet. It was a little on the heavy
side, so I assumed it was a weighted blanket.
“Ohhh, this feels good,” I moaned, taking a big whiff of it because it
smelled like laundry detergent.
“I see you still like to sniff things like a little creep,” he said as he
watched me.
“Yes sir. I’m surprised you remembered that,” I replied.
Rule would always make fun of me because I would randomly smell
him as well as his things. It was a habit for me. I couldn't help it. After the
first couple years of us dating, he just learned to embrace my little quirks.
“There isn’t a single thing that I could ever forget about you.” My
breath hitched.
Rule’s words always had a way of stirring emotions inside of me. I
didn't want to read too much into it, but we seemed to be making some
progress in our relationship. He was expressing himself more, which gave
me hope that he was regaining trust in me. That in itself had me leaping for
joy. Rule was the type to hold grudges, so I knew I had to be patient with
him. We still haven't sat down and talked through our issues. My nerves
were always standing in the way.
Silence fell over us. Both Rule and Reign were completely engrossed
in the movie until Reign’s phone rang. She immediately jumped to answer
it. Once she hit the FaceTime button to join the call, it was nothing but
screams and squeals.
“Hold on, guys. I’m watching movies with my parents. I'm gonna go
upstairs to my room,” she informed us before blazing her way out of the
room. Before long, her screams and squeals matched theirs.
“You see how quickly your child abandoned us for her little friends,” I
jested.
“Naw, that's YOUR child. She gets that flighty shit from you,” he
countered. My face instantly dropped into a pout. Welp, there goes family
night.
“Your little ass is still just as spoiled as you’ve always been. I ain’t
mean no harm. The facts are the facts, though.” He shrugged his shoulders
then grabbed the remote to change the movie.
I was not the least bit shocked when Dead Presidents popped up on the
scream. That had always been one of his favorite movies. The arm that he
originally had resting behind me moved a little closer. Being this close to
Rule brought back so many memories for me. It was just something about
being in his presence that always made me feel so safe. We may have been
young, but those were some of the best days of my life.
“Remember when we’re watching movies in your basement, and yo’
pops came down there with his bible preaching to us about abstinence?” He
chuckled. The memory was hardly as funny as he was making it seem. For a
teenage girl, I was beyond mortified when good ole Pastor Joseph decided
to interrupt our private time to quote scriptures. Most people would say it
was just a father showing love, but I knew better. The only thing my father
cared about was his image.
“Little did he know, I was already writing my name all over that pussy.
Poor Pastah.” He busted out laughing while I rolled my eyes at him.
“That was one of the most embarrassing days of my life. I was so
humiliated. I just knew you were going to end up breaking up with me.”
 “I don’t know what you were embarrassed for. I was already obsessed
with yo’ pretty ass, so there wasn’t a damn thing he could have said to run
me off,” he admitted. His face was completely calm, as if he wasn't the least
bit fazed by his statement.
“You play too much. You were not obsessed with me,” I retorted. I was
playing it cool on the outside, but on the inside, I was freaking out. Rule
loving me had never been in question, but it had been a long time since he’s
expressed himself like this.
“You know lying ain’t even in my DNA. I was willing to die about my
Dove back then. You couldn’t tell me that we wouldn’t be married with a
gang of kids by now.” He sat back as he reminisced about his plans for us.
My stomach was in knots because I had those same dreams in my head
back then. I felt so cheated at times. Everyone else got to move on with
their lives as if nothing happened. Meanwhile, I was stuck trying to figure
out where my life was even going.
An awkward silence lingered between the two of us before we focused
our attention back on the movie. Our bodies were so close together that I
attempted to scoot over, thinking he might want space from me. “Where the
hell you think you're going?” He asked.
“I was just trying to give you some space,” I mumbled, still in my
feelings about our past.
“If I want space, I know how to ask for it. Bring yo’ fine ass back over
here.” He gently pulled my body back into his. We fit perfectly together. I
tried my hardest not to overthink, but I was feeling so many different
emotions.
“I can hear yo’ ass thinking from over here, Dove. Just relax,” he called
out. His voice once again left me squirming.
I snuggled in his arms as we watched the movie together. We made it
halfway through the movie when I realized that Reign still hadn’t returned.
I decided to get up to check on her just to make sure she was okay.
“I’ll be right back,” I informed Rule. He adjusted his body while
nodding his head. As I traveled up the stairs, I couldn’t help but look
around. This was my first time being in his home. It was simple yet fitting.
Rule wasn’t the flashy type, so he didn’t care to have an over-the-top
mansion. Don’t get me wrong, his house was absolutely gorgeous, with a
huge backyard that included an in-ground pool. It was simple though.
Something that was perfect for a small family.
 My chest grew tight just thinking about what he said about us being
married with kids. I tried not to let it get to me, but I wanted the same thing.
It broke my heart to come to terms with the fact that we may never have
that. As I took a peek into Reign’s room, I smiled at the decor. It had an
African theme with paintings of black princesses adorning the walls.
She had a little sheer covering going over her bed. It looked like
something from royalty. Her bed was high up and also included little steps
on the side of it. This man was insane. There was no way she needed a bed
this damn big. Reign barely weighed eighty pounds soaking wet. I pulled
back the little curtain to find our baby girl knocked out with her phone in
her hand. It was still lit up, so I grabbed it to make sure it was not running
her battery down. Low and behold, she was still on FaceTime with Nessa,
who is also passed out in her bed.
You would think that these two were siblings from the way that they
behaved. They were almost as bad as Audra, and I was growing up. We
were joined at the hip from the moment I came home from the hospital.
Nothing had changed. Now our little girls were growing up just as tight as
we were. I put her phone on the charger so that at least her battery would be
full by the time she woke up.
Reign slept like her daddy with half her body covered and the other
half hanging out of the blanket, so I didn't even bother to fix it. A simple
kiss was placed on her forehead before I stepped out. I lingered for a few
moments before I decided to head back downstairs. In my mind, I was
debating if I should go home since Reign was now asleep. Lord knows
being left alone with this man would lead to nothing but trouble.
“My baby sleepin’, ain’t she?” Rule inquired as I reclaimed my seat
next to him.
“You know it. She was knocked out, sleeping in the center of the bed
with her leg hanging out,” I teased.
“You sound like a true hater. Don’t be jealous because my baby girl and
I get premium sleep while you’re over there sweating, fighting those
demons.” We both burst into laughter as I threw a pillow at him.
“I can’t believe you! You get on my nerves!” He wrapped his arms
around me, holding me close. My body shivered but not due to the
temperature.
“Umm, let’s get back to the movie.” I turned my body around to create
some space. He gave off a low chuckle before resuming the movie. This
man had me ready to straddle his lap and take him for a ride. It had been so
long since my body had been pleased the way I needed. Being around Rule
had me feenin’ for the passion we once shared. Rule was a master when it
came to pleasing me back then, so I could only imagine what he was like as
a lover now.
A few moments into the movie, I felt Rule’s hand traveling its way up
my thigh. My body stiffened in anticipation of his next move.
“Remember when we used to go to the movies, and we placed bets on
how long you could be quiet while I made you cum?” He questioned. His
hands traveled up until he reached my panties.
“Damn. Why you so wet, Dove?” He probed. He used his thumb to run
circles around my clit. My legs spread wider as he slipped two fingers
inside of me.
“Ahhh!” I cried out, grabbing a hold of his hand while he continued to
push in and out of my honey pot.
“Unt unh, Dove. You're supposed to be quiet, remember?” Rule
whispered in my ear as his fingers stroked me in a “Come here” motion. I
could hear the gushy sounds of my essence every time he pushed inside me.
My mind could only focus on the pleasure that was building up within.
My grip on his arm tightened as that tingling sensation began to stir in
the lower part of my belly. My attempts to push him away were futile as he
increased his speed while applying more pressure.
“Don’t hold back from me, Dove. Let that shit go.” His wish was my
command. My head flew back as my body shook with convulsions.
“That’s it, mama. Cum all over my fingers.” He kissed my neck while
he stimulated my clit with his fingers. Once again, I tried to pull his hand
away because the sensation was overwhelming.
“Rulleeeee!” The way he was sucking on my neck had my pussy
throbbing. My body was exhausted yet craving his next touch at the same
time.
“Let me get you out of this dress. A nigga hungry, and I don’t need
anything getting in my way.” Those damn lips. His words were clear, but I
was too focused on his mouth to pay attention to the words coming out of it.
He took matters into his own hands when he pulled my dress over my head.
“Lay down so I can see if you still taste like My Dove,” he demanded.
“What if Reign wakes up?” I asked, knowing damn well our daughter
slept like the dead. Waking her up in the morning was always a pain.
 “She’s good, love. You don't have any reason to be scared. I’m
gon’take care of that pussy like old times. Don’t be scared.” He laid me
back on the couch before pulling off his shirt. Rule had always been fine,
but age had done him well. He had gained some weight over the years, and
it went to all the right places. His six pack was well defined as his muscles
flexed. My mind was imagining all the ways that he was about to have his
way with me. I wanted everything he had to offer.
Rule wasted no time diving face-first into my love canal. My back
arched in response to the way he was devouring me.
“Ruullee! OHHH GAWD!” He laid flat on his stomach with my legs
positioned over his shoulders. I tried my hardest to keep my screams down,
but he was unrelenting. He licked and slurped every inch of my pussy with
precision. The way he was making my body feel should be a crime, and I
hadn’t even gotten to the best part. After the third orgasm took over me, I
wasn't sure there would be any energy left for sex. He gave me a moment to
catch my breath before picking me up and wrapping my legs across his
waist.
“Where are we going?” I probed. I just knew I was about to ride him on
this couch.
“To my room. I haven’t been inside this pussy in years. I’m tryna go as
deep as I can tonight. I need to reclaim my possession over that pussy.
Make she still remembers who Daddy is.No restrictions.” He turned the tv
off, then carried me all the way to his room. Luckily for me, Reign’s room
was further down the hall than his. I still planned to have him turn on some
music, just in case. Once Rule entered me, I knew there was no way I
would be able to control what came out of my mouth.
Gently, he placed me on the bed before lighting a couple of candles and
hooking up his Alexa. The 90’s classics were flowing through the room as I
watched him move around the room. Everything in his room was decorated
in black, including his comforter and sheets. Once he had everything set up,
he pulled off his pajamas along with his boxers. His long, thick dick sprung
out hitting his stomach in the process. I didn’t know much about dicks, but
there was no way this was the same dick I was taking at seventeen.
It was huge with a slight curve to it. I’ll never understand how a man so
skinny could carry around something so heavy. He smirked at me then
shook his head. Clearly, he had caught me admiring that beautiful,
terrifying creation between his legs.
 “It's too late to be afraid now.” He licked his lips again. He had me so
turned on I was beside myself. As I waited for him to join me, I laid back in
the center of the bed with my legs gapped open. My pussy was still aching
with need, so I tried my best to relieve some of the tension by stroking my
clit. This was out of character for me, but it felt right. My pussy was
soaking wet as I felt my juices dripping down the crack of my ass.
Rule’s eyes locked with mine as I continued to stir my honey pot. His
dick was sticking straight up as he watched from a short distance. His eyes
were low and filled with desire. Rule gripped the base of his shaft then
began to stroke it up and down. I sped up the pace, which caused him to
speed up as well. Within moments, we were both climaxing together.
“Fucckk!” He called out as his nut poured out on the floor. After he
cleaned up the mess he had made, he finally joined me in the bed.
“You ready for me, Dove?”

OceanofPDF.com
 Rule Graham
“You ready for me, Dove?” I asked as she laid before me looking sexy as
hell. The thousands of women that I encountered on the daily could never
hold a candle to the beauty before me. Her smooth chocolate skin was good
enough to eat, and I had plans on tasting every inch of her before the night
was over. She nodded her head in response.
“You know I don’t like that nodding shit. Tell how much you want this dick,
Dove.” I called her by the nickname I had made for her all those years ago.
“I need to feel you, baby. Pleaseee give it to me!” She squeezed her
breasts while pinching her nipples. That shit had my dick so hard.
“I’ma give yo’ body everything it’s been missing.” That was a promise I
had every intention of fulfilling. Her legs wrapped around my waist as I
bent down to kiss her lips. A couple pecks quickly turned into a full
makeout session. The taste of her lips had me wanting to taste the rest of
her. It’s crazy that one person could have such a hold on you. Every single
thing about Nayeli turned me on.
When it came to my sex game, I never had to second-guess myself.
Fucking came easy, but tonight, I was on something different. I wanted her
to feel me in every way possible. It was hard for me to tell her everything
that was in my heart, so I wanted to make sure she felt it. In every kiss, in
every lick, and within every stroke I delivered to her body. Tonight, I was
staking my claim on her heart, mind, and pussy. It all belonged to me.
“Damn,Baby. Why you so fuckin’ sexy? Huh?” Her body was a work
of art. One that I wanted to take my time exploring. She was squeezing her
legs together in anticipation, but her natural scent had my mouth watering. I
was feening for another taste of her.
“Open up for me, Dove. Let me see that pretty pussy,” I commanded.
She obliged with no hesitation. She wanted me just as badly as I wanted
her.
My hands grabbed both of her thighs as I dragged her to the middle of
the bed. Spreading her legs, I dived headfirst into her treasure. My tongue
flicked over her clit. She arched her back from the bed before I could go
any further. She ran her hands through my locs as I pushed her body back
down on the bed.
“Ain’t no runnin’, baby. Lay back and let me eat my pussy.” There was
no time to wait for her response. I continued to lick and suck her honey pot
until she came all over my face and chin.
Normally, I would take my time with her, but I had been away for that
pussy long enough.
“Baby, pleassee!” She whined. Hearing her voice calling out for me was so
fuckin’ sexy.
“This still my pussy, Dove?” I asked, her legs wrapped around my waist as
I entered her. Her pussy was gripping me so tightly I could barely think
straight. Dove’s pussy was the closest thing to heaven on earth. Each stroke
felt better and better as her screams rang out like the perfect melody in my
ear.
“Gawtdamn, baby. I missed this pussy. You missed me, Dove?” Her nails
were digging into my back as I continued to deep stroke her.
“Yessss, baby! I missed you so much! Unnnnhh!” Her head went back as
the walls of her pussy began to close in around me. I used her headboard for
leverage as I tried my best to go as deep in that pussy as she could take.
“Come sit on it!” I demanded. We switched positions as she straddled my
lap. She stroked my dick in her hands before taking me into her mouth. Her
head went all the way down to the base a few times before coming back up.
I wasn’t ashamed to admit that she had my toes curling as she swallowed
me whole.
Dove had been more comfortable in her skin. That shit was so fucking
sexy to me. She straddled me, lifting her body up before she slid down on
my dick. “Fuckkk!”
Dove planted her hands on my chest as she rode me slowly. The way
that she felt on top of me, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I came. The
eye contact had me in a trance as she rolled her hips. It was taking
everything in me to focus on what was going on. When she leaned forward
and started twerking on my dick, I started imagining what our son would
look like. Dove had me ready to risk it all.
“Baby, I’m cummin’ again!” She cried out. The sound of her reaching her
climax triggered mine as I stroked up from the bottom.
“Me too, baby. Let it go!” My hands gripped her waist as we came
together. Rather than falling to the bed, she laid her head on my chest. I
wrapped my arms around her as silence surrounded us.
Being this close to her brought me so much peace. Like she was what
had been missing for so long. My lips pressed against her forehead as I
listened to the sounds of her snoring. I smirked because she always used to
swear that she didn’t. I was preparing for the usual bout of insomnia that I
had grown accustomed to, but my body had other plans. For the first time in
years, sleep came easy to me.

Waking up next to Dove had my feelings all over the place. It had
been so long since I’d had her body next to mine. As I watched her sleep, a
sense of calmness came over me.
Ever since I learned about Reign, I have been conflicted about how to
respond. I wanted to confront Dove about what happened, but I knew that I
couldn't come at her the wrong way. Upset or not, she was still the mother
of my child. I never wanted my daughter to see me disrespecting her
mother. We were so young back then so I understood that she might have
been afraid. My biggest issue was that I thought that I was her safe space.
Whenever she had an issue, she would come to me no matter how big
or how small. It just didn’t make sense to me that she would hide something
so important from me. It made me feel like she didn’t have as much faith in
me as I thought she did. Maybe she didn't trust that I could be the man she
needed. Honestly, that's what hurt the most. She decided that I was not
needed in my daughter's life or hers for that matter.
She was still just as beautiful as she had always been. That was one
thing that hadn’t changed one bit. She was breathtaking without even
putting forth any real effort. All I wanted to do was love all over her while
she rested beside me. Sleep had never come so easily for me as it did last
night. In a way, it confirmed for me that she was my peace. There were still
some things that we needed to work through, but I was ready to move
forward. I was tired of living without my heart.
The idea of her entertaining another man made me anxious, so I
devised that crazy plan last night. Even Reign could see that we still had
love for one another. We had lost enough time, and while I was still hurt,
losing her again just wasn’t an option for me. Yes, I had everything a man
could need when it came to my finances and my career, but what did all that
really mean without my heart? When women would call me heartless, I
always used to laugh it off. The reality was that I couldn’t offer them
something that was never mine to give.
Nayeli had stolen my heart the moment I saw her pretty ass in that
hallway standing up for herself. I was tired of the constant battle I was
facing internally. In my heart, I was ready to put all the bullshit aside so we
could work through our issues. I needed my heart back and I was willing to
fight for it.
I turned to look at my clock to see that it was barely eight in the
morning. Normally, I was up at five thirty every morning, but having Reign
and Dove here had completely thrown off my schedule. Just thinking about
the fact that my baby girl was under the same roof as me made me smile. I
had never really considered what my life would be like with children. Now
that I had her, it was impossible to picture my life any other way.
Reign and I talked on the phone daily. She struggled to sleep unless I
sang to her some nights. Reign completed me in a way I never imagined
was possible. My family was smitten with the tiny beauty, which was no
surprise because she was mine. Who wouldn't love us? She made me feel
like I was the greatest dad ever, even though I knew that I was far from
perfect. There was so much I didn’t know. So much we still had to learn
about one another.
All I knew was that I didn't want to ever hurt her or cause her any pain.
My favorite girl said that I was being ridiculous, but it's how I felt. I had no
clue what it was like to have a father's love. Hell, neither Dove nor I had
ever really experienced it. The last thing I ever wanted was for Reign to
grow up resenting me for any reason.Originally, I was only supposed to be
visiting for three weeks, but now I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able
to leave this place. Reign was in school, so it’s not like I could take her with
me. It was too early for me to even think about leaving her because I just
found her. For now, I had just decided to catch flights back and forth to Cali
whenever I needed to go somewhere. It wasn’t ideal, but it would have to
work.
That was another issue that needed to be addressed. The public still was
not aware that I had a child. The last thing I wanted was for my life to be
plastered all over the media, but I know that it was only a matter of time
before the story was leaked. Especially now that we had been out in public
together. At some point I needed to sit down with Tee to see how we would
be able to spin this in a positive light. Regardless of Dove’s reasoning, I
never wanted to give anyone the opportunity to make her look bad.
The internet could be a cruel place. She wasn't ready for that. Not to
mention she had her own business. That was negative attention she didn't
need.
Together or not, Dove was family. My Family. Which means that it was my
job to protect her.
My issue was the fallout of it all. If I took the heat off of her, I ran the risk
of people looking at me like a deadbeat father. Granted, I could care less
about the opinions of strangers. I also didn't want anyone to think that I
would ever abandon a child.
I decided to shake those thoughts off for now. I at least needed to get
my daily workout in. Dove’s lips were calling out to me as I leaned over to
kiss her. As much as I tried to deny my feelings for her, she still held my
heart in her hands. I got dressed in my closet so that I didn't disturb her
sleep. Then I headed to my gym in my basement. Protein shakes were cool,
but I couldn’t diet for shit, so I made sure to keep a tight workout schedule.
My workout lasted for about an hour and a half, which was standard for
me. My mom’s contact popped up on my phone while I was doing my cool
down exercises.
“You’re my favoritteee giirlllll! What’s up, momma?” I greeted her.
“Hey, Sonshine. How are you? I haven’t talked to you in a couple days,
so you know I have to run down on you. Ain't that what the young people
are saying nowadays?” We both laughed. Clearly, she had been spending
way too much time with the kids at the after-school program.
“I was gonna call you today anyways. Your grandbaby was asking
about you, so I was gonna bring her over to see you later on,” I informed
her.
“Oh, you’re going to pick her up?” She inquired.
“She spent the night with me last night.” I kept it short because I knew
that my nosy momma would ask more questions.
“Oh, that's great, son. I’m so proud of the way that you have stepped up
for her. I know that this was not what you were expecting, but you have
never once complained. You jumped straight into action. It’s beautiful to
see,” she praised me. I didn't really feel like I was doing anything special.
She was mine, so it was my job to be there for her as much as I could.
 “That's my baby girl.” My smile could never be contained when I
thought about that little girl upstairs.
“So, where was her mom? Did she have somewhere to be?” Nosy.
Every woman in my family was nosy. They just couldn’t help themselves.
You could never just give them a straight answer without them trying to dig
for more information.
“We agreed that I would get her on the weekends until it’s time for me
to leave. Then we’ll have to figure out some type of schedule for her.”
“Oh okay. Has she called to check on her? I know she was probably
nervous being away from her.” A low chuckle left my mouth before I could
stop it.
“What's so funny? I was just asking. I was always nervous about you
guys spending the night away from home. Your Aunt Ophelia was the only
person that I felt comfortable with when it came to that. Just go easy on her.
This is all an adjustment for everyone.” I smirked. She was adjusting just
fine, I thought.
“She trusts me. I think we both have a mutual understanding. I love my
little girl, so she has nothing to worry about. Anyways, what are you
cooking tonight?” It was imperative that I changed the subject before she
could dig any further.
“Honesty wanted to have roast, macaroni and cheese, and greens, so
I’m getting my stuff prepped now.”
“Oh, then we’re definitely gonna be stopping by. So the prodigal child
has finally decided to return home, huh?” The sarcasm was evident in my
voice. I couldn't wait to get to the house because my baby sister and I
definitely had some things that we needed to discuss. I respected the fact
that she was an adult, but this world was too crazy not to let people know
where you are.
“Don't you start, Rule. Your brother already let her have it on the
phone. She’s just dealing with a lot right now. She needs our love, not our
judgment.” Her statement sent off all types of flags. It seemed like there
was more to the story than she was telling. That only solidified my decision
to pop up on them today.
“Listen, I was her age, so I get it. All I want is for her to let someone
know that she is safe. Charity and Serenity still share their location with me
when they are going somewhere that's out of the normal. They're always
gonna be my babies.” My momma knew how I was when it came to my
sisters. One of my homies from back in the day went to prison for
murdering the man who assaulted his sister. When it came to those three, I
would do a bid, no question. Now that I had my little girl, it only intensified
those feelings.
“You’ve always been their protector, so I expect no less. All I’m asking
is that you have some compassion towards her. She has really been having a
hard time.” Again, my antennas were up because this was the second time
that she mentioned this. My family was very close knit, so we didn’t believe
in keeping secrets. A part of me wondered if my sisters knew anything, but I
knew they would have called me. The same way they did when we found
out about Reign.
“Now you got me feeling like I need to bring my Glock to the family
dinner,” I replied. A part of me was serious because by the way she was
talking, I had a feeling that I would be ready to put my hands on someone.
“Ruleee!”
“See, now I know something is up because you never call me by my
name. Let me call my brother because it sounds like I might need backup.”
My ears grew hot because I didn't like people messing with my family. As
far as I was concerned they were my responsibility.
“No, no, that's not the answer to fix anything. Like I said, all she needs
right now is our love and support. All that other stuff is unnecessary,” she
replied. Her voice was growing frustrated, so I decided to let it go for now.
“I’ll take your word for it. For now. I can't make you any promises
because I need to know what I'm dealing with first.” My momma knew me
better than anyone. I was not the type of person to react on impulse unless
you really took me there. That was rare because I never allowed people to
get that close to me. My family and Dove have been the only people that
can get a rise out of me. Which is still rare.
“That’s all I ask. I'm gonna get started on dinner. Since you’re coming,
I'm gonna see if your sisters want to come too. Your Granny Lula is
supposed to be coming by. Loyal is bringing her,” she let me know.
Loyal was my cousin on my Dad’s side. Granny Lula was my dad’s
mom and my favorite member of the family outside of my Favorite Girl.
This was one thing that I missed the most.Spending time with my family all
at once. It was something I didn’t even realize I needed until now. I wasn’t
sure how I was going to make this work in the future, but I knew that I had
to make more time for my family.
Mean Tee: We need to talk.
Mean Tee: This is not optional, Rule! You have been dodging me for two
weeks. I'll hop on a flight and come to your mother’s house if I need to. Call
me!
Me: Sorry, Tee. I'm not trying to ignore you. I've just been enjoying my time
with my family.
Mean Tee: We need to have a meeting ASAP! You need to be on a plane to
Cali within the week. Either you book the ticket or I will.
Me: Alright, I’ll see you soon.
I rolled my eyes because I had a feeling I already knew what she
wanted to talk to me about. I still haven't gotten a chance to sit down and
talk to Dove about how we wanted to put this out or if we wanted to. Reign
was the most important person to me, so I wanted to do whatever was in her
best interest. Except to deny her. That was the last thing I would ever do.
Walking up the stairs, I was dripping in sweat, so a shower was my
next stop. As I got to the top, I smelled something coming from the kitchen.
I wasn't much of a cook, but I always made sure to keep my fridge stocked
just in case Reign was here or one of my sisters stopped by.
As I walked into the kitchen, the answer to my questions was standing
at the stove looking like something else I wanted to eat.
“I see you’ve made yourself comfortable, huh lil baby?” My lips
were like a magnet as I kissed all over her neck. “That dick must have been
hitting for you to be cooking a nigga breakfast.” I smirked as she turned to
peck my lips. My dick got hard as a brick just feeling her lips on mine.
“I didn't know where you were at first. I thought I had been ghosted
until I realized I was in your house and not mine,” she admitted bashfully.
Her nervous energy was radiating off her. It was evident on her face and her
demeanor. She was scared. For what reason, I wasn’t sure. I was
momentarily taken aback by her beauty. She was gorgeous without even
trying.
“Naw, I don't have any plans on going anywhere any time soon. I’m
not the one who likes to run.” Her body stiffened at my comment. I held her
in my arms as we rocked back and forth in front of the stove. Her eyes were
looking for something, so I stared back at her so that she could get the
answer to the questions she was too afraid to ask.
 “I figured you and your greedy daughter would be hungry,” she
quipped. One thing Dove was great at was deflecting on major issues. It
was something that drove me crazy because she had no reason to hold back
from me.
“What can I say? My baby girl has a big appetite like her daddy. We
love to clean our plates.” Her eyes mirrored mine as she reached her hand in
my hoop shorts and grabbed my dick.
“What are you gonna do with that?” My eyes were low as she stroked
me slowly, paying extra attention to the head.
“I have a few ideas in mind. You wanna see?” Her eyes lit up as my
mouth hung open. The sensation of her gripping the base of my dick while
twisting it in the palm of her hands had me going crazy
“Shit! Ummm, why are you playing with me, Dove?” I wanted to pick
her ass up and fuck her right where she stood. It was crazy how addicting
she was to me. Even after being separated for so long. It felt like I couldn’t
get enough of her even if I tried. Dove’s pussy was my personal slice of
peace. Now that I had been reintroduced to her body, there was no way that
I was going to give that up.
“I'm not playing, baby. I'm showing you exactly what type of time I’m
on. Now, are you gonna give me what I want?” The seductive tone in her
voice was making it even worse. At this point, I had to have her.
“This yo dick, Dove?” Her eyes looked up at me in curiosity.
“Yes,” she whispered confidently.
“Then what the fuck you waiting for?” I questioned. Her nipples were
hard as they peaked through her my t-shirt. I could already taste them as my
mouth began to water. Dove dropped down to her knees before taking my
dick to the back of her throat.
“Gawd damn, baby.” I didn't want to be too rough with her because it
had been a while since we were together. Dove brought out a softer side of
me that I could barely even recognize. When it came to sex, I liked it rough
and nasty, but with her, I wanted to take my time. Savor every piece and
part of her body. Commit her moans and sex faces to memory.
The gagging sounds that she was making on my dick had me ready to
stand on my tiptoes. Lil baby was going crazy on the dick. Had me ready to
pull her ass off and ask her who the hell had taught her this shit. I wanted to
thank that nigga and beat his ass at the same time.
 “Shiiiiittt! Suck this dick like you missed it!” I commanded. Her eyes
locked with mine as she opened her mouth wider. She pulled my dick out
while making a popping sound. She was trying to drive a nigga crazy. As
she looked into my eyes, she spit on the tip a few times then swallowed me
whole. It may sound cliché, but it wasn't too many women who were able to
take all of me in their mouths. It used to be a time when even Dove was
scared, but things had changed. My lil’ baby had me touching her tonsils.
My mind was thinking about all the different ways I could propose to
her as she grabbed my thighs for leverage as she slurped up and down on
my dick.
“Ummmm, fucckkk!” The feeling that she was giving me was out of
this world. She pulled me back out and began jacking my shit.
“Is it nasty enough for you, baby?” Dove was not playing fair at all.
Even if I wanted to respond, she was alternating between my tip and my
shaft. Her lips were sucking the tip like a lollipop, and I was trying my
hardest not to nut.
“Fuck is you doing to me, Dove?” She popped my dick from between
her lips.
“I just want to remind you of what you've been missing, baby. This
dick gon’ always belong to me, right?” Her assertiveness was turning me on
in the worst way. Dove was usually very reserved and laid back. Not to say
that she isn't adventurous in the bedroom, but this was a side of her I had
never seen before. It only made me want her even more.
“Hell yeah, this yo’ dick. Get yo’ ass up and assume the position,” I
commanded. She got up from her knees and then walked over to the
counter. I walked up behind her, spreading her legs apart.
“Tell me how bad you want this dick?” My hand gripped her neck from
behind as I shoved my tongue in her mouth. She kissed me back with just as
much passion as I was giving her.
“I need it bad. Don't make me wait, pleaseeeee!” Her please was drawn
out. She knew I loved when she begged for it. My dick found its rightful
place in no time. A chill ran down my back as her pussy gripped the life out
of me. I pounded into her from behind as she clutched the countertop. We
had to make this quick because our baby girl would be walking down the
stairs at any minute.
Her juices were pouring out onto the floor as I fucked her senseless.
“Shit, so fuckin’ good it don’t make no sense,” I growled as I smacked her
on the ass. Dove had always been slim-thick, but it was clear that my baby
girl had thickened her up just right.
“Unnnhh, babyyy!” She moaned .
“I know, baby. Give it to me.” Her muscles were clenching, so I knew
she was ready. I was right behind as I came deep inside her. My body was
already weak from the workout. Now I was ready to take another nap
before we went to my mom’s house.

“Are you sure it's okay if I come with y’all?’ Dove asked. My eyes
peered over at her in the passenger seat.
“What do you mean by that? Why wouldn't it be okay?” I asked in
confusion.
“I mean, I'm sure your family isn't exactly my biggest fans with
everything that has happened. I just don't want to intrude on family time.”
Nayeli looked on nervously.
“Let me explain something to you. You are my family, regardless of
whether we're together or not. Yes, they did feel some type of way, but
when it's all said and done, we got Reign. There’s still a lot that we need to
really sit down and hash out, but you already know I would never put you
in a position to be hurt. I love you. That’s one thing that will never change.
There’s no need for you to be in your head trying to figure out what
this is. I’m making myself very clear. There ain’t another man alive that can
love you the way that I can. The way that I always have. Those women out
there can’t hold a candle to what you give me just by being here.
Last night wasn’t just about me wanting to have sex. I want a real shot
at making this work between us. We have our issues, and that’s cool for
now. Tee has been blowing my phone up, soI have to make a trip to Cali
tomorrow, but once I get back, we’re gonna get everything figured out.”
Her hand reached across to grab mine. She needed reassurance, so I
was gonna give her that. My sisters had already been warned to be on their
best behavior. Dove thought that she was showing up without their
knowledge, but I knew better than to do that. Serenity was a wild card so I
had to make sure I put her up on game. My family loved me above all, so
they respected my choices whether they agreed with them or not.
There were three other cars in the driveway, so I knew that my sisters
had beat me here. I went ahead and parked on the street because if I had to
move my car, I wouldn't be coming back in.
“You ready?” Her grip on my hand grew tighter. My heart was full just
looking between her and my beautiful princess. A nigga really had a
daughter. It was still amazing to me at times. I was in awe of the tiny human
we had created with my matching features.
“Come on, Pretty. We’re gonna have to drag ya momma in this house,”
I joked, but the look on Nayeli’s face told me I might be right.
“It's okay, Momma. I won't let Auntie Serenity beat you up. I promise.”
I damn near choked on my own spit when she said that shit. Dove didn't
look nearly as amused by her statement as I was.
“Gee, thanks, Sweets,” Dove responded with sarcasm as she slowly
ambled out of the car.
“Come on, girl. You're playing around and I’m tryna eat,” I grumbled.
She was worried for no reason. My momma’s food was calling me and I
was not about to sit in this car with her.
“Yooooooo!” I yelled as I entered the house. This was something all of
the younger men in our family did for some reason. My granny Lula
couldn't stand it. Speaking of which, her face was the first one I saw when I
stepped into the house.
“What’s up, Granny?!” I greeted her with a hug then a kiss on the
cheek. She looked behind me, examining both Reign and Dove.
“So your momma wasn't lying when she said that you had a damn
twin? Rule, it doesn’t look like this poor girl had anything to do with
helping you make this child. She looks just like you and your apple headed
daddy.”
“Granny, really? How you gon’ talk about the dead like that?”
“What? That's my son! Shoot, I'm the one that had to push that cranium
3000 from my cooter cat. That man had a head on him. Thank God you got
yours from ya momma,” Granny paused before directing her attention to
Nayeli. “Now I don't know why you're standing over there like you weren't
over my house damn near every day in the summertime when y'all were
coming up. Come over here and give me some love, girl,” she beckoned.
Nayeli looked over at me for reassurance. I shrugged my shoulders
because whatever Granny Lula said was what it was. Granny walked closer
to her then squeezed her tight. The hug lasted longer than I expected, but I
could see that she was saying something to her as well.
 Granny Lula had the magic touch. We always joked about it because
she always had a way of seeing what was inside of a person, even when
they tried to hide it.
“It’s good to see you. I see you brought us a special guest. What is your
name, beautiful?” She asked, looking down at Reign.
“Reign,” she whispered softly. Reign was shy when it came to meeting
new people. It takes her a while to warm up to you, but when she got to
know you, she was a completely different person. She was the same way
when she first met my mom and sisters. Now you couldn’t get her to stop
talking. She called them almost every day the same way that she did with
me.
“Well, that’s a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl. Do you know
who I am?” Granny inquired. She still hadn’t met a great portion of our
family. There was no reason in particular. I guess I was just being selfish
with my time. Now that I had them, I wanted to spend as much time with
them as I possibly could.
“I am your great grandma Lula Jewel. You can call me Nana or Granny
Lulu. I’m so happy to finally meet you. Your daddy has been keeping you
all to himself. Hogging you from the rest of the family.” Granny turned in
my direction and rolled her eyes.
“Now come on in here so we can eat. Your momma threw down in the
kitchen. It’s nice to be able to come to someone else’s house to eat for a
change.” My momma spent many years in the kitchen with my
grandmother, so she knew firsthand what she could do. Although no one
could make a pound cake like Lulu Jewel, my favorite girl held her own in
the kitchen.
“Brother!” Serenity screamed out when she saw me. She leaped into
my arms like she used to do when we were kids.
“What’s up, Ren Baby? Why yo’ big head ass didn’t call me back
yesterday? Who were you laid up with?” She gave me a sheepish grin.
“When are you going back to Cali? I need you out of my business
immediately, sir.” We both laughed. I have been on my sister’s neck since
I've been home. That’s what a big brother is supposed to do.
“It doesn’t matter where I am, Love. I’m gon’ always be in yo’
business.” Serenity gave me another hug.
“No forreal. I’m gonna be so sad when you leave. I love having you
home. Plus, your momma seems to be cooking a lot more often now. She
swears she doesn’t have a favorite though.” Ren rolled her eyes jokingly. As
she pulled back, I watched her eyes as they looked behind me.
“So that’s your girl now?” Ren teased me. We had already talked about
my feelings about Nayeli on the phone, so she knew what it was.
“You know what it is.” She paused to look into my eyes.
“I’m not gonna lie and say that I understand, but I can see it in your
eyes that you’re happy. It's been a long time since I’ve seen you smile like
this. That’s what hurt me the most. When she left, you turned into a
different person. Your smile wasn’t as bright. All I want is for you to be
happy and loved. If she does that for you, then I’m all for it. Just know that
if she plays with you or my niece, it’s up. There won’t be anything you can
do to save her.” She didn’t have anything to worry about because Nayeli
wasn’t going anywhere.
“Her ass ain’t going nowhere.” I smirked as her face twisted up.
“Your lovesick ass. You and Messiah have some nerve to talk about us.
Both of y'all are sprung,” she fussed. I couldn’t speak on my brother’s
situation, but I was definitely sprung, and I wasn’t afraid to admit it. Nayeli
had my head gone; it had always been this way.
Dinner was great. We didn’t have any children outside of Reign, but
she didn’t seem to mind all the attention being on her. The smile on my face
was damn near stuck from all the laughing I was doing. My family was my
happy place. Being with them has really given me more motivation in my
life. They were the reason I worked so hard.
“Nayeli remember when that girl was picking on you, so he paid
Serenity to snatch her wig off during the track meet?” Charity said. “Coach
Jackson was pissed the whole bus ride back home. He was really a menace
behind you.” We all laughed, but I really didn’t care back then. You messing
with her was like messing with me. Either way, it was going to end badly
for you.
“No. How about when Devon called her a monkey? Rule made that
nigga give up his shoes, beat his ass then made him walk home barefoot.
Homie missed the rest of that school week,” Serenity blurted out. Honestly,
I had forgotten how crazy I was back then. All I knew was that she was my
girl, and no one was going to mess with her.
“He was a terror. The principal had my number on speed dial. Then, I
would get there, and Rule wouldn’t have an ounce of remorse on his face. I
would call your dad thinking that he was going to have my back but nope.
All he would say was, “That’s my son. He’s doing what he’s supposed to
do. It burned me up so bad, but at the same time, I admired it. Rule was
crazy about his Dove.” Looking in Nayeli’s direction, I could tell that she
was lost in her thoughts.
“What are you over there thinking about?” My lips pressed against her
temple. For some reason, I had to touch her in some way when she was
around me.
“You really loved me.” It was more of a statement than a question. It
was almost like she was processing it in her mind.
“There’s nothin’ past tense about it. I’m still coming the same way
behind you now. Ain’t shit changed.” She leaned over to kiss me. My hand
gripped the back of her neck as I deepened the kiss. Her juicy lips had me
ready to bend her over this table. I damn near forgot where I was until
Granny Lula spoke out.
“Hell, we might as well prepare for a baby shower, if they kissin’ like
that. Grandson, does she have any face left?!” Granny Lula yelled out.
Nayeli covered her face in embarrassment while I squeezed her thigh.
“My bad, Granny. I got a little carried away.”
“Look at my grandson over there cheesin’ like a Cheshire cat. You done
let that girl put that snappa’ on ya. Now you've got stars in ya’ eyes all over
again.” The table roared with laughter while Nayeli looked like she wanted
to sink into the floor.
“Granny! Puhlease! I don’t want to hear about any of this. They may be
grown, but they're still my babies,” my momma fussed. Her face was beet
red.
These were the moments I would cherish for a lifetime because they
meant everything to me. We laughed and joked for hours. Reminiscing
about the good ol’ days. At some point, I noticed that my sisters had pulled
Nayeli to the side. When they finally emerged, they were all whispering and
giggling. It made me happy because my family meant everything to me. It
was imperative that everyone was on the same page.
Honesty had dipped out early before I could even talk to her. There
used to be a time when she followed me around like a shadow. Now, it felt
like I was an outsider in her life. My sisters knew that I was protective, but
it was only because I’ve seen the way men treat women. My father
included. I wanted to save them from as much pain as I could. It was
unrealistic to think that I could save them from experiencing heartbreak. I
just wanted to make sure they knew that I was always here to help bail them
out of any situation.
My Favorite girl was in the kitchen washing dishes when I hugged her
from behind.
“Boy! You scared me!” She hollered, whacking me with her dry towel.
“We’re getting ready to head home, so I wanted to give you one last
hug. I’ll be headed to Cali tomorrow to take care of some business for a few
days,” I informed her.
“I’ll be praying for you. I’m so proud of you, Rule. You are an amazing
father to Reign.”
“Thank you, momma. I’m just doing what I feel is right. Reign makes
me a better person. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be her dad.”
“When you and Nayeli were younger, I used to get so upset because of
the way you fawned over that girl. In my mind, you were too young to be in
love. I wanted you to grow and experience your life before settling down so
soon. God’s plans are not our plans, but I believe that you two have been
brought back together for more than just Reign. The love that you share for
one another is something that not everyone gets to experience. There’s no
such thing as the perfect relationship. It’s about finding that person that’s
worth going through all the changes.” She cupped my face in her warm
hands.
“I love you, momma,” I replied, placing a kiss on her cheek. Elantra
Graham was my everything. She held my hand through all of the good and
bad times in my life. She taught me how to love, honor, and respect the
people in my life. She was the reason I’m the man I am today.
“I love you more, son. Happiness looks good on you. Don’t ever let
anyone take that away from you again.” With that, we said our last
goodbyes then headed home. I was hopeful that these next few weeks were
gonna be the beginning of something great for me. My money was great,
my career was expanding, and now I had my little family back together.
Life couldn’t get any better than this.

OceanofPDF.com
Rule Graham
The plane ride back to Cali was cool, but I was already missing home.
These last two months that I had been home and I had changed so much for
me. Never had I ever considered moving back home until now. Reign had
quickly become my whole world, so the idea of having to be away from her
just wasn’t sitting right for me.
Then there was Nayeli—my Dove. Our relationship was growing into
something that I was not expecting, but it was something that I knew I
didn't want to lose. It was crazy because in my mind, I knew that I was
supposed to hate her for what she had done, but I couldn't. My heart
wouldn't allow me to do that. Since we had been reunited, everything just
felt right.
My sleep was better. My creativity was flowing like crazy not to
mention the fact that I was surrounded by love daily. It was something I
wasn't sure if I could give up. The uber to Alton’s office was about twenty
minutes, but the way homie was driving, we were there in less than fifteen.
“‘Preciate you, G.” My bags had been dropped out at my home out
here because I had a feeling this was going to be a long one. There was no
doubt in my mind that Tee was going to be ready to blow a gasket, so I was
already mentally preparing myself for this interaction. I hadn’t told anyone I
was coming because I figured they’d go easier on me if they didn’t have
time to prepare. Alton practically lived in his office. so I knew that I would
be able to find him there.
The secretary immediately greeted me as soon as I came through the
door.
“Aye, I'm here to see Alton. He told me to come right up.” It was a
small white lie, but I knew he wouldn’t mind. After all, I was his top-paying
client.
“Okay, did you want me to call him to let him know you’re coming?”
She asked.
“No thank you, love. I appreciate the offer, beautiful. Enjoy your day.”
I winked at her. She wanted the kid, but I wasn't interested in the least bit.
However, it didn’t hurt to have her in my back pocket in case I needed to
smooth things over with Alton in the future. As I got off the elevator, I
noticed that the place was empty. I'm sure it had a lot to do with the time of
day because most of these folks probably worked a regular nine to five.
“This is all your fault! I trusted you to take care of this! I promise if
this comes back to bite me in the ass it's over for everyone! I've worked too
hard to get where I am to have it all thrown away because of this shit!”
Alton screamed. He was a short, frail-looking man, so it was rare that I had
ever seen him so aggressive. That was usually Tee’s job.
“Listen, I'm just as upset as you are. Eva assured me that she had her
stepdaughter under control. She said that they had convinced her to stay
away. I mean, if it hadn't been for that damn talent show, he would have
never even found out about the little bastard.” My jaw clenched as I tried
my best to control my temper. The only reason why I hadn't burst in there to
do damage was because I had a feeling that all of my questions would
finally be answered.
“Speaking of that, we gave them a lot of money to keep that whore of a
daughter out of the picture. I find it funny that they never once mentioned
that she had moved back into the city. We had a damn deal. Those
motherfuckers did not hold up their end of the deal, so where is the rest of
the money?” Alton ranted.
There was silence for a moment before I heard a phone ringing .
“Yes, sister of mine. To what do I owe the pleasure.” A female's voice
sounded off on the other end of the phone. At first, I couldn’t make out if I
knew them or not.
“What the hell is going on with Nayeli?! The last time we spoke, you
assured me that she was still in Natesville, so why the hell am I finding out
that not only has she moved back in town, but Rule knows about her little
secret!” Tee hollered out.
“I-I. I wanted to tell you, but Jarrod was worried about this affecting
our agreement. He’s still trying to build a relationship with the little bitch,”
she stuttered. It was then that I realized who it was on the other line. Mrs.
Joseph. Nayeli’s stepmother.
“You should have told me when she came back! We had a deal, and
you didn’t even think it was necessary to keep me updated about what was
going on?!” Tee roared into the phone. From a distance, I could see their
silhouettes pacing the office.
 “Listen, I didn’t find out right away. She moved back without telling
her father. The money he was giving her was still going into her account
monthly so I didn’t think anything of it. It wasn’t until his other brat spilled
the news that we found out,” she pleaded. My mind was racing when she
mentioned money because I didn’t want to think for one second that Nayeli
had left me for some money. Now I was even more confused. I decided to
keep listening because it was obviously information I needed.
“That doesn’t do shit to help me right now! The deal was that I gave
you the money to save your little church from bankruptcy, and in exchange
you were supposed to either convince her to kill that little bastard or leave
town and never come back,” Tee huffed in frustration. Truth be told, the
news I was hearing was devastating to my soul. This whole time I thought
that Nayeli had just run off because she didn’t want me around. Never did
imagine it was anything as sinister as this.
“I mean, I still don’t see what the big deal is. You had been looking for
a way to break them up and you succeeded. With my help, of course,” Mrs.
Joseph boasted proudly. My momma raised me to respect my elders, but
that lady had better hope the good Lord could save her after I got my sisters
to beat her ass.
“Wrong! The tail I have on Rule has confirmed that not only have the
two of them interacted, but she was seen leaving his house. This shit has
gotten out of hand, and I need you to get that slut daughter of yours under
control!” Alton shouted. There was a crashing sound that came from the
office, so I assumed that he had thrown something.
“What do you want me to do? I mean, he knows about her now, so it's
not like you can keep him from being around his child. Besides, those
bastard children don’t belong to me. If I had my way, they would have been
in foster care as soon as their mother died. It’s bad enough I had to watch
him grieve that woman as if he wasn’t in my bed every chance he got,” she
revealed. I assumed she was talking about Nayeli’s mother. Her father really
wasn’t shit if what she was saying was true. How could you bring your
mistress in to raise your wife’s children?
“We don’t have any solid proof that little bitch is actually his,” Tee
spat. My nostrils flared because she had disrespected my daughter one too
many times, and I was ready to explode.
“Listen, as much as I hate that girl, I can guarantee she isn’t lying about
that. She loved that boy’s dirty socks, so there's no doubt that he’s Reign's
father,” Mrs. Joseph responded.
“Well, what if we did a DNA test?” Alton pitched. I was confused as to
how this was going to solve their problem, but I decided to wait to hear
more.
“How the hell is that supposed to help, Alton? If the child is his, that
does nothing to help us,” Tee fussed.
“Don’t you still have that doctor friend from back in the day? The one
you used when we needed a few drug tests altered for ol’ boy in the NFL?
Can she help us out with something like this?” Alton inquired. It was
becoming harder and harder to stand here and listen to this, but I needed all
the information I could get.
“You mean have someone alter the DNA test?” The excitement in Tee’s
voice didn’t go unnoticed. “That might work. If I can convince him to do
the test, then we can have her switch the results to show he is not the father.
Then he’ll definitely walk away from that skeezer.”
“I think you two are forgetting one minor detail in all of this. Reign is
the spitting image of her father. How exactly do you think this is going to
work out?” Mrs. Joseph reasoned. Her reply was met with silence. It was
crazy that she was the voice of reason in all of this.
“Well, either you come up with a better plan or I need my thirty
thousand back. You assured me that this plan would go through without a
hitch, and clearly that's not the case. I have too much riding on this,” Tee
threatened. I paid Tee well, but there was no way that she had used that
much of her own money to pay these people off.
“I still don’t understand what the big deal is when it comes to them. I
mean, it's been ten years. Surely them being together shouldn’t be an issue.”
Pastor Joseph’s voice sounded through the speakerphone. My nostrils flared
because he had really played with our lives.
“Look at you. It almost sounds like you actually care about your
daughter,” Tee snickered sinisterly.
“W-what do you mean by that? Of course, I care about her. She’s my
child,” he replied. Honestly, I agreed with Tee on this one. After everything
he had done to hurt Nayeli, there was no way anyone would come to the
conclusion that she was loved.
“Oh, cut the bullshit. You were in on this just as much as we were. I bet
your precious daughter would love to know that you’ve been using the
money that her mother left for her to fund your church's expenses,” Tee
called out. “My dear old sister tells me everything. The two of you are
living lavishly off the money that you tricked her into signing over. That
church isn’t built on anything, but lies and greed, so don’t come over here
trying to act holy with me.
“You have always had an evil soul ever since we were kids, Tondra. I
don’t have to sit on this phone while you try to expose us to make yourself
feel better. When that boy finds out the truth about what y'all have been
doing with his money you’ll be in the fire right along with us. You’re gonna
get all the karma you deserve.” Silence again. I assumed that they must
have disconnected the call.
“Listen, I’m not worried about Rule finding out about the money. I'm
more worried about the truth coming out about our role in this child
situation. Who’s to say that she won’t tell him what we said to her? Then
what? This is just too risky. We have to figure out a way to keep them apart
or at least keep her quiet. Maybe we can have someone rough her up or
burn her little shop down. ” My first mind said to go in there guns blazing. I
wasn’t a killer by nature, but my father made sure he showed us how to
shoot. I had to play this smart though. I had a family now, and there was no
way I would ever risk being away from them. However, my family was still
connected, so I had options. This shit was crazy to me. All these years, I had
trusted them with damn near my whole life, and it was all a lie.
“I can’t believe this is even happening. You should have never let him
go to that talent show to begin with,” Alton spat.
“Me! You’re really blaming me for what happened? How was I
supposed to know that this would happen?!”
“You should have been with him! At least then we would have had
some type of heads up,” he grunted.
“Wow! You are unbelievable. After everything I've done for you, this is
how you repay me? By blaming me for this shit falling apart! You’re the
one who said this whole thing was foolproof. I guess you were wrong.” Her
voice cracked. In all the years of knowing Tondra, she had never been the
emotional type, so this was odd to me.
“Look, I’m sorry, baby.” My eyes bulged because why the hell was he
calling her that? “I'm just under a lot of pressure. I don’t want you to think
that I’m taking it out on you because that's not at all what I’m trying to do.”
What the hell was really going on here? How did I miss all of this going on
around me?
 “Come here, let me make it up to you.” There was no response on her
end, but after a few moments of silence, it didn’t take long to realize what
was happening.
“Oh, baby! Right there!” Tee moaned. My stomach was sick. I took this
as my opportunity to leave. As I looked down at my phone, I double
checked to make sure the recording was saved properly. I wasn’t sure what I
was going to do with all this information, but I knew exactly who I was
going to call.
I backed out slowly, making sure that the coast was clear. Every
emotion imaginable was surging through me, but I had to get out of there.
As I walked past the secretary's desk, I put on my best act.
“Hey, gorgeous. Can you do me a favor?” I requested. She looked
surprised, but there was also a hint of desire in her eyes.
“Anything for you, handsome,” she purred. At this point, I was grateful
I hadn’t eaten yet because my stomach was fucked up.
“Don’t tell anyone I was here.” I handed her a stack of bills in
exchange for her silence.
“Umm, is something wrong?” She inquired. I wasn't sure whether she
knew about Alton’s dirty deeds or not, but I wasn't about to take any
chances.
“Not at all, sweetheart. Everything is just as it should be. You have a
nice night, sexy.” With that, I winked at her before heading towards the
door . The uber I ordered was meeting me down the street, so I started
walking in that direction. With my phone in my hand, I called the one
person I knew that could offer me some type of advice about how to deal
with this situation.
“Ayyye, I need you now! I’m on my way back home.”

OceanofPDF.com
Nayeli Joseph
My body jerked as I felt the other side of the bed dip. Fear came over-
me but was instantly extinguished once I realized who it was. From his
silhouette, I could tell that his back was towards me. He wasn’t supposed be
home for another day, so I was confused as to what had happened.
“Baby, is everything okay? Why didn’t you tell me that you were
coming home early? Reign and I would have stayed up for you.” I started as
a yawn slipped from my lips. The boutique was extremely busy today, so I
was exhausted. Reign must have been tired too because we both ended up
in the bed around the same time.
“Baby?” I called out to him again when he failed to respond to me the
first time. It looked like he was taking his shoes off on the side of the bed,
but I was starting to grow worried. I reached out to hit the light switch so
that I could actually see him. Something wasn’t right. I could feel it. I
crawled over from where I was at and wrapped my arms around him. His
body froze then slowly began to relax.
“Rule baby, you’re scaring me. Please, tell me what’s wrong,” I
begged.
My head laid across his back as his chest rose and fell. He didn’t
appear to be hurt. At least not physically.
His body began to shake, and that's when I realized that he was crying.
My body immediately sprang into action as I moved off the bed so that I
was standing in front of him. No words were spoken as I cradled his head in
my chest. The guttural cry he released sounded as if he had been holding it
in for a while. My anxiety was getting the best of me as I tried to think of
what could have possibly happened that would cause him to react this way.
Of course, the most horrendous scenarios came to mind because
overthinking was something I did for a living. He wasn’t hurt, and from
what I could see, there were no other traces of blood, so that was
comforting. However, I knew that whatever it was had to have been bad
because Rule has never broken down like this before. Granted, it had been
many years in between, but his character hadn’t changed. Only so many
people in the world could garner this type of response from him.
My mind went to his family because outside of Reign and I, they were
the only people that had the power to break him. I immediately went into
prayer, hoping that whatever it was could be fixed. We had finally gotten to
a place of peace in our lives, and I selfishly did not want that to end. My
hand stroked the back of his neck while I continued to pray.
“Whatever it is, I promise we’re going to get through this together. I
love you so much.” Before I knew it, ten minutes had gone by as we rocked
back and forth. When he began to pull back, I held his face in my hands so
that I could look into his eyes. My heart was crushed when I saw how
broken he looked. Rule was always the strong one in our lives. The person
we went to when things weren’t going right. To see him in this condition
tore me up inside.
Rule never uttered a single word as I stripped him of his clothes.
Normally, we took showers together at night, so I decided to start the
shower so that I could take care of him. If nothing else, he needed a shower
and a good night’s rest. Whatever problems he had would still be there in
the morning.
After I removed his clothes as well as mine, I held his hand as we
walked into the bathroom. It took no time for the steam to fill the bathroom
once I turned the water on. Both of us loved hot water, so that was one thing
we never had to argue about. As I turned to face him, it looked as if he was
starting to get some life back in his eyes. I stood up on my tip toes as I
always did when I wanted a kiss. He obliged, pecking my lips a few times
before he stood back.
I grabbed his hand as I led him into the shower. He was in the front
while I stood in the back. My hope was that the water would soothe him so
that he could begin to relax. My aromatherapy candles were lit throughout
the bathroom. The smell of vanilla and lavender permeated the air.
I decided not to turn on any music like we normally did because it
seemed like he needed some quiet time to process whatever was going on.
We usually washed each other up, so I grabbed his cloth and lathered it up.
He stepped to the back of the shower so that the water was no longer
pouring down on him. My hands glided up his body as I began to bathe
him. Normally, we used this time to talk about all the minor and
insignificant parts of our day. His silence was louder than any words he
could have spoken. Rule was hurting and I just wanted to take that pain
away from him.
Hurt was evident on his chiseled face. His long, pretty eyelashes
looked heavy. My baby was hurting, and all I wanted to do was hold him
and tell him that everything would be alright. After I washed us both up, I
tried to turn the water off, but Rule grabbed me from behind. He held my
body from behind as we both watched the water stream from the shower
head. He still hadn’t spoken a single word as he tightened his grip on me.
My hand reached up to caress his face while I laid against his chest.
He looked down at me, then kissed my lips tenderly. Whenever he
kissed me, it always made me feel tingly inside. I pray that feeling never
went away. He slowly fed me his tongue as he deepened the kiss. My hand
was still resting on the back of his head as we kissed. His hard dick was
pressed between my butt as he rubbed my breast in his hands. For a
moment, he kneaded them like a baker kneaded dough. He was rough but
gentle in his own way.
My nipples were already hard as he started rolling them between his
two fingers. My back arched from the sensation it was bringing me. He
changed our position as he pressed my body up against the shower wall. His
aggression was turning me on. His tongue had a mind of its own as he
licked and sucked all over my neck and breasts. My body was craving him
in the worst way. His hands gripped my waist as he picked me up in the air
before setting me on his dick. My head fell back against the shower wall as
he entered me. The connection between us was always electric, and tonight
was no different. Rule had a tight grip on my waist as he bounced me up
and down on his dick.
“Unnnnhhhh, yesss!” His strokes were long, deep, and powerful. My
hands gripped his shoulders for leverage as he pounded into me. He needed
to release whatever was plaguing him. I didn’t mind allowing him to take
his frustrations out on me in this way.
“Shiiiiittttt! Wait! Ohhhh, ohhhh, babbyy!” Rule had tunnel vision as
he fucked me deep. He bent his knees then locked down on my waist again.
Tears sprang from my eyes as my body released all over his. My body grew
weak, but he held me up. After a few more deep strokes, he stood me up
then turned the water off.
He held my hand as we exited the shower. Our towels were on the
counter, so we grabbed them and started drying off. There was still a distant
look on his face, but he leaned over to kiss me. His dick was damn near
touching his belly button, so I had a feeling he wasn’t done with me. My
suspicions were confirmed when he picked me up and led me to the
bedroom.
Rule fucked me like a pornstar then made love to my body as if he
needed me to survive. He buried my face into the pillow while he beat my
pussy from the back. My hands gripped the sheets as I tried to contain my
screams. It was damn near impossible as he drove my body crazy. The
sheets underneath us were soaking wet as I squirted all over them and us.
“Ahhhhh, ssssssss! Baby, I love you so much!” I cried out. At this
point, I would have to tell him anything he wanted to hear. I loved when he
was gentle with me, but this side of him had my head gone. The only
sounds he made were guttural growls and grunts as he pushed back into my
pussy. The squishy sounds my pussy was making as he pummeled me
relentlessly was turning me on even more.
Before I knew it I was cumming for the fourth time. My body was
completely drained. I prayed that he was close to his release because I
didn’t know how much more I could take. He pressed down my back,
signaling that my arch wasn’t where he needed it to be. I adjusted my body
so that my ass was high in the air while my arms were outstretched.
It was obvious that he was pleased with the change as he grunted lowly.
The speed of his strokes picked up, so I knew that he was close to cummin’.
To speed up the process, I started twerking my ass on him. For a moment
we were matching each other until he stopped to let me do all the work. A
hard smack came across my ass as he leaned back.
My pussy was getting wetter by the second because I loved when he
got aggressive in it. His hands spread my cheeks apart, his grip was tight,
but it felt so good. The tip of his dick had found its way back to its favorite
spot as he pressed on my g-spot in short, quick strokes. The stirring in the
belly let me know that I was about to come again.
“Baby, I can’t take it anymore!” I cried out as I squirted again. There
was no way there was anymore liquid left in my body after this. I was
gonna need a damn IV the way this man had turned me out. He gripped my
neck as I threw it back on him. He was riding my back with his other hand
still pressed against it to keep my arch intact. His dick had me completely
filled to the brim. He pounded me hard until his dick jerked inside of me.
We stayed in that position as he released all of his seeds inside of me.
 As soon as he pulled out, my body dropped from exhaustion. Normally,
I would get up to change the sheets, but there was no way I was getting up.
My body was limp as I laid on the bed. The sounds of Rule moving around
were not even enough for me to get up. My eyelids were heavy, so I knew
sleep would find me soon enough. The sound of the water running in the
sink let me know that he was in the bathroom. I took that opportunity to rest
my eyes while I waited for him to join me in bed.
I must have dozed off for a moment because the next thing I felt was
the warmth of a wet rag as Rule did his best to clean me up. He gently
moved me over then put a dry towel underneath me. My eyes were barely
open while this was happening. I was too weak to respond so much so that I
laid there while he took care of me. Before I knew it, the lights were turned
off, and he was climbing into bed. He grabbed me from behind, bringing me
closer to him.
The warmth of his body felt just right against my back. It didn’t matter
how hot I got at night. I loved being up under him. Being in his arms was
the safest place to be. Sleep started to take over me. His chin rested in the
crook of my neck as his breathing started to match mine. I said a silent
prayer that he would be able to sleep peacefully tonight.
“I love you, baby. I can’t live this life without you ever again,” He
spoke. His snores shortly followed.
When morning arrived, we were still locked in the same position as last
night. Usually I tossed and turned in my sleep, but I was physically spent,
so I had no energy to move. It had been so long since I'd slept that hard. It
was something I didn't even know my body needed, but I felt so rested.
Rule’s soft snores actually made me smile. Being able to wake up to him
every day was a blessing I would never take for granted again. He was
everything I needed in this life. He was the greatest prayer God ever
answered for me. Just knowing that this was where he found his peace
made me so happy. It was something that I always wanted to provide for
him.
My bladder was full, but I didn’t want to run the risk of waking him up.
Last night had been a rough one for him, so I wanted him to take advantage
of his rest while he could. I had a feeling whatever was happening was just
getting started.
 “Tell me what happened.” His voice sounded from behind me. I had just
stepped out of the bathroom after taking my shower. He had been sleeping
so hard I assumed he wouldn’t be up until later.
“We’ve been beating around this subject for too long. I want to know
everything.” His tone was even, but not in a way that would intimidate me.
Of course, I knew exactly what he was talking about. He told no lies when
he said it was something we should have discussed a long time ago. It was a
part of my life I had attempted to bury, but now it was time to face the
music. I grabbed my t-shirt before pulling it over my head. Taking a deep
breath, I started from the beginning.
“When I found out that I was pregnant, I told my Dad and Audra. My
father was really upset, but he told me that we would figure it out as a
family. I had planned on telling you, but he told me to wait until we came
up with a plan. Naturally, I followed his lead because I trusted him to have
my back. When I came home from work a few days later, Alton and Tee
were in the living room with my dad and Eva.
They showed me a bunch of paperwork that showed all the endorsements
that you were being offered. Based on what they should be, you were in a
position to make millions over a two year period. They explained to me that
a lot of those endorsements were being given because you were looked at as
a role model for young men,” I paused again because reliving those
moments was so hard for me.
“Th-they told me that being a teen father would ruin your brand as a
role model for young boys. Once the sponsors found out about the baby,
they would pull all of their funding from you. Which would take away any
chances of you being considered for any major brand deals or sponsorships
in the future. They explained to me about all the money you would lose and
how this would ultimately shatter your career. I couldn’t let that happen.”
Rule used the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe the tears from my face, but it
was useless. The pain felt so fresh. Like it was happening all over again.
“Baby, calm down please,” he pleaded. He attempted to hug me, but I
knew that would only make me cry even harder.
“You were so excited when you found out about Kellogg’s wanting to
put you on a cereal box.” I chuckled through my tears. “I didn’t want to
take that away from you. It wasn’t fair. You were always taking care of me.
There was no way that I could allow everything you worked so hard for to
be taken from you. I didn’t want you to have to choose between us and your
career,” I explained.
“There would have never been a choice to make. It would have always
been y'all. No questions asked,” he interjected.
“And that was the problem! I knew that you would give up everything
for us. Even when my father said that you would leave us once your career
took off, I knew better. You would have given up your dream for us. Then
what? What would have happened years later when you were stuck working
a dead end job to provide for us? Or when you had to watch the people you
came up with living your dream? Would you still have loved us then?” She
asked rhetorically.
“Alton basically explained that you would lose everything. Not only
that, you would have to pay back the money that had already been invested
into you. So not only would you lose your career, you would be in debt. I
knew there was no way I could let that happen, so I told them that I would
terminate the pregnancy.” Rule’s jaw flexed as I continued to explain my
story. My nerves were getting the best of me, but I had come too far to turn
back now.
“When I told you I was going on that girl’s trip with Audra, that’s what
it was for. She was taking me out of state for the procedure. When we got to
the doctor’s office, I had a panic attack because I was having so many
regrets. They had given me money to take care of everything, so I knew that
I could not go back on my word. When we got in the office, they had me
give an ultrasound to see how far along I was. I thought that I could handle
it, but I was wrong.
The minute that her heartbeat sounded on that machine I broke down
completely. She had my heart the moment I heard that beautiful sound
flowing through that machine. The tech didn’t even bother to ask me if I
wanted to continue. She printed off the pictures then called the doctor in. I
couldn’t get out of that place quick enough as I sped walked out of that
building. I cried the whole way home because I was so afraid of what would
happen.
When I got home, I had to break the news to my father that I was not
able to go through with the procedure. He told me that he understood but
that I wasn’t going to be able to live with them because they couldn’t allow
the church to find out about my pregnancy. He told me that the church
needed funding, and they could not afford any scandals to get in the way of
their eligibility. My pregnancy would bring shame on the church and make
them look bad as leaders.
The plan was for me to move outside city limits to eliminate the risks
of anyone we knew seeing me in public. He agreed to pay all of my bills so
that the only thing I had to focus on was taking care of the baby. At the
time, it sounded like the perfect plan. You wouldn’t have to lose your
career, and my dad would be able to save my grandfather’s church. I was so
devastated, but there really wasn’t much that I could do.”
Rule dragged his hand down his face. “This shit is so fucked up. I ain’t
never wished death on anyone until now.” My heart dropped. Oh no, he
hates me. My ears grew hot as my stomach dropped.
“Those motherfuckers really played with our lives! All over some
fuckin’ money!” He shouted as he began pacing the floor. My face was
scrunched in confusion.
“Wait. What do you mean by that? Who are you talking about?”
“When I went up to meet with Tee and Alton, I overheard a
conversation I wasn’t supposed to.” He pulled out his phone and set it on
the dresser. Initially, I was lost until I heard voices start talking. For fifteen
minutes, I stood there crying as the truth was revealed. Anger coursed
through me as I heard Eva’s sneaky voice chime in on my misfortune. My
father had sold me out for a paycheck and had conspired against me.
Hurt didn’t even begin to describe how I was feeling at this moment.
Everything I was told had been a lie. My life had been turned upside down
because of greed. My body shook with a level of anger I never knew was
possible. I was never a fan of people using violence to get their revenge on
someone, but in this moment, I was seeing blood. Those bastards had taken
years from me that I could never get back. They had stolen time from my
daughter with her father, all so that they could make sure their cash cow
didn’t lose focus.
Listening to them on that recording was absolutely disgusting. There
was not a single ounce of regret for tearing our lives apart. All they cared
about were themselves. Even now, they were still trying to figure out how
to split us apart. Fresh hot tears streamed down my face as my mind plotted
how I could get away with murder. Nothing else seemed like it would be
enough. The fact that my own father would agree to something like this was
like a knife in my heart.
 To know that I had done everything that he had asked of me only for it
to all be a lie hurt me. This only solidified the fact that he never loved me.
Reign was my entire world. I would lay out anyone who ever tried to hurt
her. That’s what a parent was supposed to do.
“Wh-why would they do something like that?” My heart was
completely shattered. The shock from it all had me sick to my stomach. I
felt so helpless as I tried to wrap my mind around all of this.
“I won’t even lie; I was fucked up when I came home last night. This is
really messin’ with my mental because I never saw it coming. This whole
time I thought these people had my best interest at heart, but they were
robbing me blind. I know it’s not your fault, but damn, I wish you would
have just talked to me,” he vented as he paced the floor.
“I’m so sorrrrry!” The tears just wouldn’t stop falling. The sadness and
regret I was feeling in my heart was unexplainable. I really thought that I
was helping him, but instead, I helped them tear us apart.
“Baby, listen to me. I’m not angry at you anymore. We were both lied
to. We were young as fuck. You thought that you were doing what was best
for me. Yes, it hurts, but I know that you didn’t mean for it to turn out like
this.” He held my face in his hands.
“I just feel so stupid! We lost so much time that we can never get
back.” Rule held me as I cried into his chest.
“I’m not gonna sit here and try to tell you how to feel because I went
through these exact same emotions. We can’t ever get that time back, but I
promise we’re gonna make the best of the life we have now. I love you, and
I’ll never allow anything to tear us apart again.” He was right, but it did
nothing to make this situation better. I couldn’t shake the sadness and guilt
that I felt in my heart.
“Now get dressed because I’m taking y’all with me for the day.” He
leaned down to kiss me before disappearing into his closet. Reign and I had
practically moved in with him since they tricked me into leaving my date
early that night. Rule made sure to text poor Hassan that I was no longer
available. I felt so bad because he was a nice guy, but there was no better
feeling than having my family together under one roof.
“Where are you taking us? I need to know how to dress,” I probed.
Rule knew how much I hated surprises, so I was hoping he would at least
give me a hint. He peeked his head out of the closet then smiled at me.
“Casual. We’re in the streets today, lil baby.” I rolled my eyes before
walking towards my designated dresser space. I decided to wear a pink
graphic tee with a black Barbie on it with some black biker shorts, and my
all pink Nike dunks. Charity had hooked me up with her hairstylist and I
was loving the way these soft locs looked on me.
I lotioned up before putting my clothes on and spraying my favorite
Dior perfume. Looking at the clock, it was already ten thirty, so I was
hoping Reign was already awake. Luckily for me, Rule had her closet filled
to the brim with brand new clothes, so I would have no issues finding her
something to wear. Reign was a girlie girl like me, so she loved all things
colorful, bright, and sparkly.
As soon as I stepped into her room, I was shocked to see that she was
not only awake but fully dressed.
“Good morning, Sweets. How did you manage to get dressed before
me?” Walking over to her, I placed kisses all over her face as she squealed
with laughter.
“Mom, puhlease!” Her laughter could brighten any bad day of mine.
“I usually have to threaten you to get out of the bed on the weekends.
How long have you been up?” She was sitting on the end of her bed playing
on her phone. She had gotten her hair braided as well. The little hearts on
both sides of her head were so cute. My little girl was growing up so fast.
“Daddy came and woke me up while you were in the shower. He said
today was family day and to get dressed.”
Her outfit was similar to mine with her rainbow tie-dye shirt and biker
shorts. She was sporting her new Pandora bracelets and matching headband.
She checked the time on her Apple watch before she put her phone in her
fanny pack. Rule had really created a monster because whatever she
wanted, he made sure she had it. At this point, I kept my mouth shut
because it was his money, so when anything ended up lost or broken, that
would be on him.
“I wonder if “family day” involves food because your momma is
starving.” I plopped down next to her on the bed, laying my head on her
shoulder.
“If he doesn’t feed us, he’s not going to enjoy his day very much.” We
both laughed because Rule always made sure to have snacks in the car
whenever he went places with us. Food was key to our hearts, and he
picked on that very quickly.
 We took a few pictures on Reign’s phone before Rule finally called for
us.
“Come on, ladies. Let's get some food in those bellies before we start
our day. I don’t want any problems out of y'all today.” He pulled Reign into
a hug before placing a kiss on her forehead. It was something so simple to
most people, but these were the moments I lived for.
“Look at my Pretty Girl. You both look great. Now let’s head out. I
have a couple places I’m trying to get to before we get to the real stuff.” My
eyebrow lifted because I still had no clue what he had in store for us.
“Don’t even give me that look. All you gotta do is ride and look pretty
today. You do that with ease any day.” It should be a crime how much this
man makes me smile on a daily basis. We weren’t perfect by any stretch of
the imagination, but this man was just…everything.
“You get no complaints from me, sir. As long as I get something good
to put in my stomach. Don’t even say it.” He smirked as our eyes
connected. I already knew what he was thinking, and we had no time for
that. Plus, the way he handled my body last night, I don’t think I could
handle anything else he had to give.
The ride to Waffle Palace was a quick one. I was actually pretty excited
because this was a new breakfast spot I had heard people talking about. Not
only did they have chicken and waffles, but they served mimosas. I would
for sure be taking advantage of that. The service in the restaurant was
amazing. We ate until our bellies were full, and after two mimosas, I was
feeling really good. I ended up getting the chicken and waffles with a red
velvet waffle. I don’t know what those cooks put in that food, but it was the
most amazing thing I’ve ever tasted. I was already making a mental note to
bring Audra and Charity here for a girl’s day. It had a nice vibe, and the
music was smooth and relaxing.
One of the waitresses had politely asked Rule for his autograph, which
later led to the owners coming out to introduce themselves. Rule was a very
humble person, but seeing him taking pictures with fans was an experience.
He was so welcoming and friendly. I smiled in my seat just watching him in
his element. One couldn’t even begin to describe how proud I was of him.
He had worked so hard to get to this place. Now he was living out those
dreams that he spoke about in the basement of his Granny’s house.
“Thank you so much for the autograph. I hope you have enjoyed your
experience here. If there’s anything else we can do, just let us know. Enjoy
the rest of your day,” the owner spoke while shaking Rule’s hand. My
cashier Cassie had told me that it was a black-owned restaurant, which was
another reason I wanted to try it out. The owners were a married couple
who had been together for over twenty years. This was their first restaurant
and they were doing their thing.
I smiled watching them hug each other as they greeted the other
patrons. Growing up, I wasn’t used to seeing black love displayed like that.
I didn’t grow up around healthy marriages and relationships. It was such a
beautiful thing to witness. There was no doubt in my mind that Rule was
my person. I was excited to grow old with him, spoiling our future
grandchildren rotten while their parents fussed at us for doing too much.
“What are you over there smiling about?” Rule asked. His gaze was
always so intense whenever he looked at me.
“They’re so cute.” Nodding my head in the direction of the owners,
who were holding hands. “Yea, they seem like cool people. This is a nice
place, and it’s in the perfect place for traffic. It’s right in the center of the
two strip malls on the busiest side of town.” He continued to eat his food as
I took a couple more sips of my drink.
“Pretty, I thought you were gonna be playing around with your food,
but I see you gets down like yo’ momma. We’re gonna have to add this to
our daddy-daughter day rotation.” That was another thing that they did
together every other Saturday when Rule was not out of town. They would
get dressed up and go out on the town together. I never felt left out because
they always brought me food back and a gift.
“Yes, Daddy. These chicken tenders are bussin’, bussin’. Nessa sent me
a sad face because she’s stuck with her dad for the weekend, and his
momma can’t cook. She said the eggs are crunchy.”
It took everything in me to hold that laugh. Audra had told me plenty of
horror stories about her awful cooking, but it had to have been terrible if
Nessa didn’t even want to eat it.
“Tell baby girl she can come with us next time. We can sneak her some
food on the way home if she needs it.” Rule chuckled as he finished up his
food. I sent Audra a text to go save my niece. My poor baby was gonna
starve over there.
The rest of the day was pretty laid back. Rule took us to the mall,
where he spared no expense on “his girls.” Reign of course ended up with
more bags than anyone else, but that was to be expected. After shopping ‘til
we dropped, he treated us to ice cream before we went to watch a movie at
the theater. It was a cute little kids movie that Reign had been begging to go
see.
We stopped by Granny Lula’s house briefly so that Rule could bring
her some things for the house. She made sure to mention that my hips
looked like they were spreading. She was staring at me a little too much for
my liking, so I was happy when we finally got back into the car.
“This is gonna be our last stop for the night. There’s something I wanna
show you.” He peered over at me before focusing his attention back on the
road. I decided to go with the flow, but I couldn’t wait to see what this
surprise was. Reign was dozing off in the backseat, so I knew that it was
going to be an early night for her. After about thirty minutes, we were
pulling up to this building that I had never seen before.
“Ohh, Daddy! Are we gonna record another song?!” Reign popped her
head up in excitement as if she wasn’t just drooling a moment ago.
“You’ll see, Pretty. Now let’s get up in here and see what magic Doc is
cooking up.” Rule held my hand as we entered the building. The studio had
always been his sacred place within our relationship. Even as teenagers, he
rarely brought me to his sessions. I never asked either because I wanted him
to be completely focused. This was actually a special moment for me
because he was including me in his process.
“What’s good, Fam? I see you brought the family witchu. Wassup,
baby songbird? You ready to lay down a track tonight?” The tall, lanky man
spoke to Reign. Obviously, he was familiar with her, which wasn’t
surprising because she had mentioned watching her dad make music on one
of their dates.
“I hope so! My fans need more material from me.” We all burst into
laughter. Reign was a whole character, but I loved the fact that she had such
a bubbly personality. “How are you doing, Miss Lady? My name is Luxe.
I’m the man who makes your man sound good.” I chuckled at his comment
before taking his outstretched hand.
“I’m Nayeli. It’s nice to meet you,” I replied.
“Mannn, fuck outta here. These vocals don’t need any enhancements,
G. This is all natural right here.” Rule and Reign had already taken their
seats while I was still checking out the room. All of the equipment looked
high tech and very expensive.
 “Come’re,” Rule called out to me as I was taking my own little tour.
Slowly, I made my way over to him. I moved towards the seat on the other
side of him, but he quickly pulled me into his lap. He nestled into my neck
as I watched Luxe move some keys around on what I believe was some
type of soundboard.
“I got something I want you to hear. Let me know what you think about
it.” His voice vibrated against my body.
“You want my opinion on your music?” My body turned slightly so
that I could look into his eyes. The way he looked at me sent a chill down
my spine. It was incredible because I could literally see the love that he had
for me in his orbs. If he never uttered it verbally, his eyes told me
everything I needed to know.
“Yeah, it’s something special I’ve been working on. It took me a
minute to get it right, but I think I finally got it. I wanna hear your thoughts.
You cool with that?” His soft lips lightly grazed that piece of flesh right
under my ear. My head went back as my body responded to his touch.
“Hummm unnh. I can do that.” My voice was barely a whisper because
that was all I could muster up. My legs were crossed as he tightened his
hold on me.
“You lucky our princess is here. You know better than to moan like that
in my presence,” he whispered back in my ear. I squirmed in between his
legs as I tried to regain focus.
“You can play the track, G. I think she’s ready.” Rule smirked.
“Ain’t gon’ be no fuckin’ in my studio. Y'all take that shit to the crib,”
Luxe joked as he cued up the music. The melody that flowed through the
speakers was smooth. Rule’s music was often upbeat or sensual, but this
was different. Once his voice pierced through, the melody had my heart
pounding . His voice had a raspy, soulful element to it. It drove the women
crazy, but this was speaking to a different part of me.
“Listen to the lyrics,” he spoke into my ear.
Back to me, Baby, come back to me
My heart ain’t been right since you left
You’re the missin’ piece,
The happy ending to every dream
I could make a thousand wishes but,
The only one I need
Is for you to come back to me.
 The song went on for another minute or so as I allowed the words to
settle into my heart. The pain in his voice pierced through me like the
sharpest nice. We made a vow to always love and protect each other’s
hearts. Rule had kept his end of the deal, but at this moment, I felt like a
failure. There was no way that I was deserving of a love this deep.
“I knew yo’ little ass was gonna be cryin’. This isn’t a sad song, Baby. I
promise we’re gonna get our happy ending. That’s on my life.” He kissed
my temple and held me as I wept. They weren’t all tears of sadness. Rule
made me feel this level of security that I had never experienced with anyone
else. When he made me a promise, I knew that it was going to happen. He
always came through for me. My heart was safe with him.

OceanofPDF.com
 Rule Graham
We played a couple more songs from my upcoming album, including
the bonus track I had recorded with Reign called, Always There. That was
the song we were going to perform together when I went on tour. My little
girl was really talented, and it was crazy to watch her in her element.
Luxe let her get in the booth to re-record a part of her chorus while we
were here. I knew that she wanted her mom to see what she had been
working on, so I was happy that she was getting her chance. When it came
to the music, Reign was a damn perfectionist. She would record a part a
thousand times until it felt right to her. That’s how I knew that she would do
well in this industry. Even at her age, she was hungry for growth and
knowledge. She wanted to learn breathing techniques and vocal ranges. I
was already making plans to hire a vocal coach for her, but I wanted to
discuss it with Dove first.
Reign was still very young, so I wanted to ease her into this world. She
was my baby girl, after all, so it was my job to protect her for as long as I
could. A lot of child stars tend to burn out quickly or feel a lot of pressure.
Reign’s only job right now was to be a kid and enjoy life. My goal was to
keep it that way for as long as I could. She could do a couple songs here
and there but nothing too serious. As passionate as she was, there was no
doubt in my mind that she was gonna be a force to be reckoned with out
there.
“In a few years, we’re gonna be able to kick back and let Reign take
care of us. Ain’t that right, Pretty?” I kidded. Her little face scrunched up in
disagreement.
“Umm, no, Dad. Your money will still be OUR money, and my money
will be for shopping,” she stated matter of factly. Dove looked up at me
with a smirk on her face.
“Don’t even say it.” I held her body close to mine as Luxe did his
magic.
“I don’t have to because you already know. Your cute little Princess is
going to give you hell in a few more years. Just watch,” she warned.
 “Don’t be speaking that negativity over my baby. She’s going to be the
perfect angel she already is now.”
“Hmmmph, delusion is really cute on you, Sir. Now take me home
because I’m ready to take a hot shower and get one of those massages with
a happy ending.” This woman was something else. I thought my sex drive
was high, but Dove had me beat. She had been insatiable these last few
weeks, but there were no complaints on my end.
“Keep it up, and you’re little butt gone be pregnant, if you aren’t
already. That ass gettin’ fatter, that pussy gettin’ juicier, and your fast tail
can’t stay off this dick to save your life. I think my son gon’ be here within
the year.” A part of me was joking, but we weren’t using any forms of
protection, so anything was possible.
“Matter of fact, you can keep the happy ending. I’ll just take the
massage.”
“Don’t be scared now, Miss “Don’t Pull Out,” just remember you asked
for it.” The look of fear on her face was hilarious. I won’t lie and say that I
wasn’t looking forward to expanding our family in the future. I was already
in contact with my jeweler because I knew there was no one else for me.
When I told Nayeli that we would get our happy ending, I meant that.

We had been home for a few hours now, and I was finally winding
down. My back was propped up against the headboard as I smoked on the
new strand of herbs Asa had dropped off.
Dove had gotten her “massage” and was currently in the shower belting
out “Drunk in Love” by Beyonce. Since being home, I had found a new
level of peace and happiness I never thought possible. Don’t get me wrong,
I loved the screaming fans and the sold-out shows, but this was different.
There was something about being able to sit back and really just enjoy life
that I hadn’t experienced until now.
“Baby, did you hear me?” Obviously, I had gotten lost in my thoughts
because Nayeli was sitting in front of me completely dressed in her two
piece nightgown. “Is something wrong?” She pressed. The look of worry
could not be missed.
“I’m good, Baby. Just sittin’ here reflectin’, nothing major. How was
your shower?” She examined me for a moment longer before straddling my
lap.
 “It was good; it would have been better with you in it,” she admitted.
We normally took our showers together, but since we had already taken one
beforehand, I let her go solo.
“Naw, because I would have gotten you dirty all over again,” I replied,
taking another pull of the blunt before blowing the smoke in her direction.
Nayeli didn’t smoke, but she enjoyed the occasional contact high.
“Did you have a good time rollin’ with me today?” I inquired. She had
been oddly quiet since we’d made it home. Outside of her screams of
pleasure, she hadn’t voiced her opinion on too much else.
“I always have a good time when I’m with you,” she professed. She
leaned down to kiss me. I closed my eyes for a moment, giving myself an
internal pep talk to remain calm. My dick was already brick hard just from
the kiss alone.
“What did you think about the songs? I wanted you to be the first
person to hear them before my listening party. I put a lot more emotion into
this album than all the other ones, but I’m happy with the way it sounds.
What do you think?” Observing people was second nature to me. Usually, I
could pick up on a person’s emotions or lack thereof based on their body
language. Dove was nervous for some reason, so it piqued my interest.
“The songs were beautiful. There was a lot of your signature sound in
there, but those elements of raw emotions made it more powerful. It was
almost like I was experiencing the emotions right there with you.” I nodded
my head at her response, but I still wasn't quite satisfied.
“What’s on your mind, baby? Tell me the truth,” I pressed. Nayeli
knew beating around the bush with me was the quickest way to turn me off.
Say how you feel and stand on it, was always my motto in life.
“I guess I’m still processing everything from earlier. I know you say
that it’s not my fault, but that does nothing to take the guilt away. When I
was listening to you sing all these love songs about this amazing love that
you lost, it made me feel unworthy.” My jaw twitched as I listened to her
response.
“Before you trip, just hear me out. Since you’ve come back, you have
been everything we needed. Even when you were upset with me, you still
looked out for me. The way that you love me is something that I’m grateful
for, but sometimes I feel like I’m not pulling my weight in this relationship.
You do all these things for me, but what is it that I do for you? What makes
me worthy of your love?”
 Her questions were valid, although I hated that she felt the need to even
ask me that. I took one last pull before leaning over to putout my blunt
completely. I wanted to make sure that she had my full attention so that we
never had to revisit this conversation again.
“You don’t have to do a damn thing to be worthy of love. You do that
shit just by breathin’. To be honest, I’m not sure there are enough hours in a
day to describe the peace that you bring me. What I said in that song was
exactly how I felt. When you left me, my whole world crashed. I was hurt,
lost, and angry. Angry at you, God, and the world. It took a long time for
me to even admit that I was hurting because being vulnerable was a
weakness. That’s the way I was raised.
The first time I saw you again, I was so messed up because my mind
was harboring all that past hurt, but my heart was ready to love you like
nothing ever happened. As if ten years hadn’t passed us by. I haven't had a
full night's rest since that day I woke up with that note on your pillow. It
didn’t matter how many specialists I saw, or vitamins I took. My body was
restless for years because I wasn’t whole,” I paused to gauge her reaction.
She had tears streaming down her face, but this needed to be said.
“That first night you fell asleep in my arms was the first time I had
slept more than five hours at a time. I was so used to going without it that I
had no clue how to act when it finally happened. You do that for me. You
bring me peace in my mind. You shine a light on the darkest parts of my
soul. Without you and Reign, I was simply existing in this cold ass world.
You give me purpose. You challenge me to be a better father and man
because I know that I have something worth holding on to. I’m happy,
genuinely, completely happy. I wouldn’t have been able to say that a year
ago or even three months ago. When I was a young nigga, I remember
telling you that I could see my future when I looked at you, and that shit is
still just as bright and clear as it was back then.
You gon’ be my wife one day. The person who carries my legacy. The
glue that holds our family together. I want you to accomplish every dream
you have for yourself, but if all you ever do is wake every day and just
exist, that would be more than enough for me. There’s nothing that you
could do to earn my heart, because it doesn't belong to me. It never has.”
Her hands were covering her face as she cried. She needed to know that she
made me whole again. Her and our baby girl.
“Did that answer your question?”
 She nodded her head yes before burying her face in my chest. The feel
of her chest rising and falling was beginning to pull me under. This was
what I meant when I said she brought me peace. It was barely eleven
o’clock, and I was already falling asleep. A few months ago, I would have
been up until five in the morning battling another night of insomnia. She
was my cure. The remedy to everything going wrong in my world. She was
my sacred place where I could run and hide when the noise of the world
was too loud and distracting. She was my Dove. That’s what she would
forever be.

OceanofPDF.com
 Nayeli Joseph
Rule: How are you and my Pretty girl doing?
Me: She’s with your momma being spoiled per usual.
Rule: How’s my lil baby doing?
Me: I’m out having drinks with Audra.
*attachments sent*
Rule: Damn, my lil baby fine as hell. I can’t wait to touch down so I
can touch you.
Rule: Yo’ ass better be drinking water! You owe me a baby and I’m
collecting on that shit!
The smile on my face was instant. God, I love this man. Rule owned
every piece of my heart. Here I was smiling like a schoolgirl, and all he did
was ask me how I was doing.
“Look at your fake ass over there cheesin’. That must be your baby
daddy on the phone,” Audra voiced. We were currently having our weekly
drinks at Tacos and Tequila. I was starving and needed to update my sister
on everything that’s been going on.
“Why do I have to be all that? I thought you loved me?” My hands
formed together to make a heart.
“Yea, yea. I’m just playing. I love seeing that smile on your face. You
deserve this, Nayeli. You have been through so much, and it's finally time
for you to be happy,” she expressed. I promised myself I would not cry
today because I was already an emotional mess since Rule had been gone.
“Audra, I’ve never felt so complete in my life. Just being around him
makes my whole day better. I’ve loved that man for so many years. When I
think about everything that we’ve been through, it just reaffirms to me that
we were meant to be.”
“I love this for you, Sissy. Rule is an amazing man. Seeing the way that
he loves on you, Reign, and even Nessa just really solidifies everything for
me. I know that you are still blaming yourself for what happened. You’re
wrong. The adults in your life did not protect you the way that they were
supposed to. That's not on you. “ Her words were comforting, but this was
something that I would probably always carry with me. If I had just told
Rule what was going on, things would have played out so much differently.
“It just hurts, you know. Rule and I both have been missing a part of
ourselves for years while the people we trusted took advantage of us. Rule
won’t allow me to beat myself up about it, so I'm working on that,” I
admitted. It made me feel better to know that he didn’t blame me for all of
this. I still battled with the guilt of it all, but I knew it wasn’t completely my
fault.
“You know that man does not play about you. He never has,” she
pointed out. It was true. Rule had always had my back through anything. He
was the person that I leaned on when the world was tearing me apart. He
held my hand through every storm with no judgment. To some degree, I felt
like I didn’t deserve him. He was something so special in this world filled
with darkness.
I chuckled as I looked down at my phone.
Rule: Make sure you feed my son. He doesn’t want any of that healthy
shit either.
Rule swore that our next baby was going to be a boy, but I had no plans
on having another baby any time soon. If it happened, I would be happy, but
I was just enjoying having him back in our lives. To be loved by him was an
honor that I never thought I would have again. Reign was loving every
minute of it, and I was just happy that our family was back together.
“Let's get out of here. We still need to find you an outfit to wear to this
game. After all, it is your big reveal,” Audra said with a smirk on her face.
Rule had spoken to Serenity, and everyone agreed that it was time for
us to make a public appearance. My stomach nearly dropped to my feet
when they suggested it because I was terrified. Social media has the power
to make or break you. The last thing I wanted was to be hated by millions
based on the things that happened in my past. Rule assured me that he
would not allow any negativity to come to me behind this. That made me
feel better because I knew that he would protect me with his life.
“Don’t even remind me. My stomach has been in knots since we talked
about it,” I admitted.
“You have nothing to worry about. Our biggest worry is making sure
that you look fly as hell ‘cause those paparazzi are going to be snapping
photos of you left and right. You need your hair and makeup done. You
needed a mani & pedi. I hope you know that you’ll be wearing heels to this,
so have to make sure those bunions are in tip top shape,” Audra quipped.
“You tried it. You know good and well my feet are perfect,” I huffed,
trying to hide my smile.
“I'm thinking of some cute leather pants and a colorful top. Your body
is to die for, so there's so many things that we can do. I'm thinking
something sexy yet sophisticated. We need something that screams “That
Bitch” so there’s no confusion.” This woman was really sitting there taking
notes on her iPad that she had pulled out of her purse.
“Well, hair and makeup has already been secured. Serenity said that she
would get me right.”
“Serenity, as in ‘when I see your sister it's on sight’? That Serenity?”
She questioned. Trust me, I understood exactly where she was coming
from.
“Yes, the one and only.”
“Unt Unt, you can’t just throw that out there and not spill the tea. Are
you guys okay now? Because you know these hands have no respect for
people. I let her slide at the talent show because I understood the emotions,
but that's the only pass,” Audra advised.
“We talked the last time I was at their mom’s house for dinner. We have
an understanding now. At the time, they had every right to be upset, so I
can’t hold that against them, you know. They look out for their siblings the
same way that we look out for each other. I’m not upset about that. Now
that everything is out, things have been even better.” I was glad that we had
all been able to finally clear the air because I missed Charity’s friendship as
much as I missed Rule. She had been a best friend to me in those crucial
years, so I was grateful we were rebuilding.
“Oh, I’ma still bring my blade just in case someone is feeling froggy. I
have trust issues,” she said as she sipped. All I could do was shake my head
because my sister was a complete nutcase.
“Enough about my life, what’s going on with you? Nessa’s been
spending more time with her dad lately. How’s that going?” The deep frown
on her face pretty much answered my question. Nessa’s father was Audra’s
first love and greatest mistake.
“Girl, him and his mustache-having hunchback momma can really go
to the nearest hell,” she expressed. I took a sip of my drink because I just
knew that this was going to be interesting.
 “Girl, if you don’t stop talking about that man's momma like that.
She is a Bishop’s wife.” I clutched my invisible pearls.
“Somebody got to say something. She should be ashamed of herself for
raising a bitch.” She scoffed. She took another sip of her drink because she
continued.
“This man really wants me to take him off child support because he
says that he doesn’t have enough money to pay his bills. What bills do you
have when you live with your parents?” Now it was my turn to scoff. I’ll
never understand how a man could sleep at night knowing they are not
taking care of their children.
“Here’s the kicker. He had his loose wig, kitten heel-wearing momma
call me to plead in his defense. That lady knows I don’t like her. I’m not
even sure why she would even try me like that,” Audra vented. “The man
only pays me $25 dollars a week, Sis! $25! That’s $100 measly dollars a
month. Meanwhile, my rent alone is $1575, and that doesn’t include
utilities.” She huffed. His parents owned a mega church, so how they
managed to raise a bum like that, I'll never understand.
“So what the heck does he think he’s going to be able to do with that
anyways?” My mind was completely blown.
“Apparently, he has another baby on the way, and the money that he is
providing me is getting in the way of him providing for his new arrival. I
promise if there was a way to refund a baby daddy, I would be in that line
with my slippers on smoking a cigarette. It’s so ghetto here. I really wish I
could ask the devil for a refund. He promised me good dick and good times.
I never received either.” The laugh I tried to hold in was unsuccessful.
“Sis, please go to hell. What does the devil have to do with any of
this?” I snickered.
“Girl, you and I both know that God didn’t have anything to do with
making that man. Nathan was bred right from the pits of hell. My silly ass
fell for that cheap cologne and those fake wads of money. Now, look at me.
Co-parenting with a crackhead.” I lost it. The whole restaurant was
probably looking at us crazy as I hollered loudly. My sister was a fool, but
this took the cake for me.
“Audra, I swear something is truly wrong with you. Why do you call
that man a crackhead?” I picked up the napkins in an attempt to clean off
the drink that I had spit all over my side of the table.
 “‘Cause what else do you call a man who works a full time job with no
house, no car, no bills, but he never has any money? Where else is his
money going ? Huh? Exactly. He’s at the crack house. His momma
probably be droppin’ him off when she goes to bible study.”
“Audra, please!” My stomach was hurting from laughing so hard.
“I just want to know who in their right mind gets pregnant by a man
with no car, who lives with his momma? You over there throwing it in a
circle in his mom’s prayer closet.”
“Check, please! See, I’m not about to deal with you. I swear you need a
check because something is not right with you.” My eyes had tears in them.
I needed this laugh more than I knew.
“Girl, you’re the one that asked about my life. I told you it was ghetto
here. The only good thing is that my baby loves them. His momma may
smell like Bengay and broken dreams, but she loves my child.”
“I'm seriously going to say a prayer for you. You know you are so wrong,” I
told her.
“The Lord made me this way, so what can I say? Next time I date, I
need to make sure that I do thorough research. One crackhead is enough for
me.” The waitress brought our check, so I handed her the money.
“On a serious note. Are you interested in dating? I know you’ve been
sneaking around with Asa, but do you want to get married again?”
“Aht, Aht, don’t try to play me like we weren’t two single hens
together for the last few years. You’ve got your man back, and now you’re
giving me the sympathy face. I'm good on love for now. Asa and I are
having fun, and that’s all I’m looking for right now. Maybe Rule will have
some fine celebrities at your wedding that I could choose from,” she stated.
“Umm, pump your brakes on that. It will probably be a while before
we are ready to talk about marriage. We just got back together, that’s the
last thing on our minds right now. Plus, you’re crazy if you think a man like
Asa is gonna watch you drool after another man,” I reasoned.
There was no hurry in our relationship as far as I was concerned. All I
wanted was for us to continue to rebuild our relationship and enjoy our little
family. All that other stuff could wait.
“Girl, you must not see those stars that are in that man’s eyes when he
looks at you. I'm sure he’s already planning a destination wedding as we
speak,” Audra joked.
 “I wouldn’t say all of that. We’re in a really great space, and I'm happy
with the way things are going. When it’s time for us to take that next stage
in our relationship, I'll be ready and willing. For now, I’m just relishing in
the fine ass man that God created just for me.” Just reflecting on these last
two months brought a smile to my face.
The feeling of being genuinely happy was something that I would
never take for granted because I knew what it was like to live without it.
“Y'all are so cute it's sickening. I’m serious about the celebrities
though. Tell him to make sure that my husband, Mario, is in attendance. I'm
tryna be more than friends, you feel me.” Audra raised her glass for us to
cheers to. This was her third margarita, and it would definitely be her last.
“I’ll see what I can do. Now, come on. The sooner we find this outfit,
the less I’ll have to stress about.”
“You have nothing to worry about, baby sister. We actually just got a
few custom pieces sent to us from a couple of vendors wanting to sell
products at the boutique, so that’s where we can start.”
“I appreciate you so much. You’ve had my back from the beginning. I
could never truly repay you for that. I love you so much.” I wasn’t trying to
make this an emotional moment, but I was so grateful.
Being a young mom was not easy, but having my sister’s love and
support made things easier. Even when I tried to push her away, she still
forced her way into my life. She helped me during those sleepless nights
and encouraged me on those days when I felt like I just wasn’t doing
enough.
“There will never be a time when I'm not in your corner, Nayeli. It
doesn’t matter what it is. If you need me, then I’m there. You can definitely
repay me by having your man fund our next shopping trip though. I’ll
accept my appreciation in the form of Cash, Cash App or PayPal. Amen,”
she cackled.
Rule: Where y’all going after you leave from there?
Me: She’s taking me shopping so I can find something cute to wear to
the game on Friday.
*Bank Alert*
My bank sent me an alert that a transaction had occurred. I was
surprised because I paid for our lunch with cash. The answer to my question
came as soon as I pulled up my banking app and saw that a $10,000 deposit
had been made.
 Rule: Tell my sis in-law to get herself something nice and a new wig.
We gotta represent as a unit. I’m tryna set her up with somebody with
money so my niece can get the pony she wants like her cousin.
Me: You’re crazy. And our daughter is NOT getting a pony!
Rule: Just pretend like you don’t see it then.

This man was absolutely crazy! First of all, I really want to know
where he even intends to put a pony in his yard. The only thing that I could
do was laugh and shake my head because when he came to his pretty girl,
there was nothing that I could do.
I didn’t even want to imagine how crazy he would be if we had more
children. Reign had quickly become a spoiled princess when it came to her
father. She didn’t even bother to ask me for anything anymore because she
already knew my answer.
“Well, it looks like you got your wish. Your “brother-in-law” just sent
me some money for us to go shopping. He said to buy yourself a new wig
because the ballers are going to be out there.” I snickered. Their relationship
had always been hilarious. They argue like brother and sister. They love
each other though. She was the main one who advocated for me to tell Rule
the truth about everything.
“Say less! And tell him that Bundles by Bianca is running a two for
one sale. I’ma go ahead and grab two of ‘em. One for me and one for his
mammy,” she replied.
“Aht, Aht, don’t you talk about my future mother in-law,” I warned her.
“I ain’t even saying anything bad. I’m just saying that mom is single,
so she might need a baller too. Lord knows, Mr. Knowledge down there
mackin’ on all them crispy hoes in Hell.” Lord, please get her!
“Look at you over there laughing. You know I’m telling the truth. Pants
on fire, and he still can’t keep them up. Bless him, Lord.” She clasped her
hands together in prayer.
“AUDRA!!!! I am not supposed to be laughing at this! That man was
my daughter's grandfather,” I whined as I wiped the new set of tears that
had gathered from laughing at this fool.
“I’m just speaking facts.” She shrugged her shoulders as we cleaned off
our table.
“Girl, let’s hurry up and go so we can find these clothes. We have
exactly two days to pull this together.” We grabbed our purses and headed
out of the restaurant.
“World, prepare to meet Nayeli Joseph!”

OceanofPDF.com
 Rule Graham
“Give it to me straight, cuz. What's the damage?” I sat in my cousin's
accounting office as he went over my finances. The emotionless expression
on his face had me nervous as hell. Hearing how far Alton and T were
willing to go to keep me from my family had left me feeling uneasy. All
these years, I thought I was surrounded by people who genuinely loved me.
Instead, I found out that I was surrounded by a bunch of crooks who were
only out for themselves. How they managed to pull the wool over my eyes
for so long, I’ll never know. I guess my trust in them was so solid it never
dawned on me to check behind them.
Alton had been a friend of my father’s for years. He had never shown
me any signs of being a snake. It had me rethinking my judgment on
everybody. My family was everything to me, so the fact that someone had
tried to keep them from me had me ready for war. My cousin Justice was an
accounting specialist who knew his way around money, both legal and
illegal. He handled all of my family's financial portfolios, including my
father’s when he was alive.
I had someone who was hired by Alton, so I never thought twice about
it until now. Recently, I had hired a lawyer and requested copies of all of
my financial records since my career started. That included all of my brand
deals down to my payroll. Alton and Tondra had been blowing up my phone
but they would be hearing from me soon enough once they were served.
Right now, my focus is on my family.
“Mannn, cuz. I hate that I even have to be the one to tell you this.
Those people were robbing you blind!” He huffed. His face was red, which
means that he was pissed off. Justice usually kept a cool demeanor, but like
me, he didn’t play about our family.
“Let me hear it. Based on what I overheard, this has been going on for
years. I just want to know what I'm working with and what I can do.”
Justice and my attorney had been working closely with each other to make
sure that everyone involved got what they deserved.
 “This is the portfolio I have prepared for Daxton. These folks are really
some scammers. Almost every single brand deal that you have signed over
the last few years was more than what they presented you with. Which
means when you thought you were singing for a $500,000 brand deal, it
was actually $750k-1million. They were pocketing the rest of the money
and only paying you half. You trusted them to make good decisions for you,
and because you were still getting a decent amount of money, nothing
brought any red flags.
“Damn, that's crazy. I'm assuming the accountant had to be in on it
because there was no way that he didn’t know about this.”
“You’re exactly right. When I tracked when the actual checks were
being cashed, you could see where the full checks were being deposited.
Then someone was splitting the payments in half. One was getting
deposited into your account and then there was another account that was
getting the other half. We have records that trace all the way back to when
you signed that brand deal with Kellogg’s. Unfortunately, this appears to
have been going on for the majority of your career.” My elbows rested on
my knees as I put my head down.
“Listen, don’t spend too much time beating yourself up about it. You
had no way of knowing what to expect.”
I heard what he was saying, but that didn’t make me feel any better. It was a
violation, no matter how you tried to look at it.
“I’ll tell you one thing, with the amount of money that they stole from
you, they're definitely looking at federal charges. I already talked to Daxton
about it. Him and his partner are excited to take on this case because it's
definitely going to be very high profile. Just make sure that you prepare
everyone because the paparazzi are going to go crazy over this,” he advised.
“Don’t talk to them under any circumstances. If the contact you, keep the
records.”
All I could think about was these people taking what belonged to me.
That money was for my family to live off of. A part of me didn't even want
to take them to court. I wanted to get it back in blood, but then I thought
about Reign having to visit me in prison and knew I couldn’t let my anger
get the best of me.
“I appreciate you looking into this for me. It means a lot to me. I knew
if I couldn't trust anyone else, I could always trust my family.”
 “You already know what it is. We look out for our own. We’re gonna
get this shit straightened out for you. Then we’ll focus on getting you a new
manager and publicist. It's all gonna work out in the end. You don’t have to
worry about that. Now, I need a favor from you.” My ears perked up when I
saw the smile on his face.
“Name it and it's yours.” When he told me what he needed, I couldn’t
help but smile. It seemed like love was in the air for all the Graham men.
We went over a few more things before I headed out to meet up with
my little family before the big game. I hadn’t seen them in a couple of days
because I was in Cali to get some things in order with my place. Dove had
agreed to move to Cali with me but to be honest, I wasn’t sure if that was
what I wanted anymore. One thing I knew for sure was that I would be
selling my condo.
The next place I lived in was going to be a house for my family. We
were going to sit down over the next few days and make a decision as to
where we would be living.

“Why are you so nervous? You don’t want your side niggas to know
you’re taken?” I picked on her. Dove had been a nervous wreck since we
got in the car this afternoon. She had no reason to be nervous. Especially
because my whole family was there. This was the playoffs, and since
Messiah’s team had made it, we were showing up in droves. I was so proud
of my baby brother.
“You wish. I already put them all in a group chat and let them know
that Daddy’s home now.” Her little ass smirked. I swear she was another
version of me. Our poor daughter didn’t stand a chance.
“Don’t like these notes and runs fool you. I’ll kill all them niggas then
sing “Amazing Grace” at their funeral. You got the right one, lil baby.”
“You are crazy!” She giggled. It was a sound that I had grown to love
more and more. Her happiness was my priority above everything else.
There was no way I could make up for lost time, but I was gonna try my
hardest to fill every void that my absence had caused. In both my girls'
lives.
“You already know how I'm coming behind you. Can’t nobody ever
take you away from me again and live to talk about it. I meant that.” We
were using a car service so we were sitting next to each other. Reign
decided to ride with my mom, and Honesty. Apparently, they were going
shopping and to some place where you could have your own tea party. No
one could ever claim that I was the problem. Pretty had the whole family in
a chokehold.
“I love you so much.” Dove leaned over and kissed me on the lips. A
couple pecks had turned into more as she straddled my lap.
“Woman, what are you doing to me? My lil baby has turned into a
freak.” I gestured as I playfully humped her from underneath.
“Only for you, baby. Now the GPS says that we have about twenty
minutes before we get to the arena . I’m tryna be on my Beyonce, with the
Partitions,” she stated as she began undoing my belt. This side of Dove was
something that I loved the most. She already had me wrapped around her
finger already, but now I was willing to do time for that pussy. I ain’t have
no shame at all. She pulled off her pants, tossing them to the side.
“Shiiiittt! Baby, it’s too big!” She whined. My head was back as I tried
to think of anything to keep me from busting too early.
“Fuck, Dove! Stop playing around, baby. Sit on that shit,” I coached.
Damn, this girl. It didn’t matter how many times I entered into my favorite
place it always had a nigga ready to act up. She gripped my shoulders to
give her leverage as she bounced on my dick.
“Mmmmmm, when you gone marry a nigga and stop playing?” Call
me a simp ‘cause I promise not even the man upstairs could make me leave
this woman alone.
“Unhh, babbyy! Hmmmmm!” The nectar from her pussy was
drowning my dick. At this point, I knew I would have to change because
my boxers were wet as hell. Lil baby had that super soaker, and I didn’t care
whether I drowned or not. I needed all of it.
“Give me what I need, Dove. Can you do that for me?” Her head
dropped back as another orgasm took over her body. Her sex faces made me
want to go even harder. The way that she moaned my name as she climaxed
was the sexiest shit I had ever seen. She was my favorite type of drug. I
ain’t have any intentions of ever getting clean.
Her eyes fluttered in exhaustion. Dove talked all that big shit, and now
my lil baby was tryna tap out on me.
“I know you got another one in you, Love. Let me get that.” I gripped
her hips and stroked her deep. The gushy sounds her pussy was making had
me imagining what my son was going to look like because there was no
way I was pulling out.
“You heard that pussy talkin’, lil baby? Tell me what she’s saying?”
“OOhhhh, ba-oohhhh yessss!” She held me tight as I bounced her on
my dick even faster. The sensation had my whole body shivering.
“Talk to me, baby. Tell me what you need from me. You want me to go
deeper? Huh?”
“Fuck me! Ahhhh, yesss!” I flipped her ass over so that her back was
on the seat with her legs on my shoulders. That pussy needed to be fucked
properly, so that’s exactly was I was about to do.
“Aahhhhh! Unh, Rullllleeee!” She tried to push me away with her
hands on my stomach.
“Unt unhhh, baby. You asked for this dick. So take that shit like a big
girl!”
“Ohhhh, Okayyy! Ohhh gawd! Baby, I’m cummin’!” She screamed as
she squirted all over my shirt.
“Damnn, I’m ‘bout to nut. Tell me where you want it?” I bent her legs
back as I pounded her pussy. “Shitttttt!”
“Cum in me!” She screamed out. Of course I was ready to oblige her
request.
She dug into her purse and handed me a wipe as she cleaned herself. I
licked my lips just thinking about that treasure she carried between her legs.
“Damn Dove, you look fine as hell. Maybe we can just skip the game,
and I'll just make my little post on IG and be done with it,” I suggested. I
was just playing. Although being laid up with my baby would always be my
favorite thing to do.
“No, sir. My nerves have been bad for the last few days; we're going.
We need a break anyway. I’m already about to be going in here trying to
hide this limp. Let’s go. Charity just texted me to let me know that they are
all in the lobby waiting on us.”
“Why did she text you and not me?” I pretended to pout. Ever since
they made up, it was like they had never been apart.
“Baby, I know good and well you aren’t jealous?” Nayeli smirked. In
reality, I loved the fact that everyone had made amends. My family meant
everything to me, so it was important that everyone got along.
“Naw, not at all. I love it. Just make sure you know that you can’t do
what they do.”
 She chuckled, “And what exactly is it that I can’t do?”
“Bald headed hoe shit or whatever they call it. Yo’ ass is not single, so
you can’t participate in single activities.”
“You’re sounding real controlling over there, Mr. Graham.” Nayeli got
on her tiptoes to kiss me. This was something I could never grow tired of. I
never knew I could crave affection so much.
“The only things I want control over is yo’ heart and that pussy.” My
lips pressed against hers as she opened her mouth wide. My tongue took
hold of hers as I kissed her passionately. My dick started to get hard, so I
knew it was time for me to wrap this up before our family started blowing
us up.
As soon I pulled away, I wanted to return right back. I had no shame in
admitting that I wanted to live in her skin if I could. She didn’t know it yet,
but she and Reign were coming with me on my next tour. There was no way
I was going months without seeing them. Not this soon, at least.
“You aren’t slick, sir. Now I gotta go change my panties because these
ones are soaked. Do you know how long it took me to put these leather
pants on!” My mind was completely distracted as she removed her shoes
then her pants. I wasn’t paying attention to anything that she was saying.
“Lay back for a minute.” Just looking at the wet spot in her panties had
me feening for a taste.
“Unt unhh, baby. We really don’t have time for that,” she whined. “I
promise I’ll take care of you when we come back. Reign already texted me
to let me know that her and Nessa were having a sleepover in your mom’s
room. Now go ahead and head to the door, I’m right behind you.”
“Mannnn, let’s go.” I adjusted myself because the paparazzi were
heavy out here, so I wasn’t trying to give them any more ammunition that
they were already getting tonight.
“Awwww, don’t be over there pouting. I promise I got you.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Nayeli Joseph

“Mommy, why are there so many people taking pictures of us?” Reign
asked. Momma and Elantra, and the family were waiting as soon as we
stepped out of the car. Of course, like we predicted, the whole place was
swarming with paparazzi. Rule’s security team was here with us as well, so
that made things so much easier. I had gotten to know Big Moe very well
since Rule had been home, so that made me feel safer.
“Because your daddy and uncle are famous, Sweets. Plus, you look
gorgeous tonight, so of course they want a picture,” I assured my baby.
My only prayer through all of this was that she be protected from any
bullshit that came from this. Charity and Serenity had already prepared me
for the upcoming flux of friend requests that I would be getting after my
identity was revealed. People were going to want to know more about the
mystery woman that was on Rule’s arm.
When he first started his career, there was paparazzi here and there, but
it was still early in his career. Now that he was a household name, the desire
to know everything about him had significantly increased. It was something
I was uncomfortable with, but it came with the territory.
“Should I pose for the cameras then?” I giggled as she put her hands on
her hips.
“Damn right, Pretty girl. Show them what you workin’ with,” Rule
egged her on. Both her and Nessa began posing for the various cameras
flashing.
“That’s right, niecy pooh. Give their nosey asses something to talk
about. The Grahams only make fine ass kids,” Serenity chimed in. Reign
immediately stopped what she was doing to turn to her.
“Ummm, Aunt Ren, you owe me $10, and daddy, you owe me $10 too
because I know you probably cussed in the car on the way here.” She held
her hand out to collect.
 “Ooop, it really is your own family. We’re definitely starting a business
for your little ass with the way you like to extort people for money. Here’s
$50 because I'll be cussin’ all night. Now gone on.” Serenity huffed as she
handed over the money. Reign smiled brightly as she pocketed the money.
“Pleasure doing business with you, Auntie.” She blew her a kiss. The
whole section roared with laughter.
“That’s right, grandbaby. I keep telling these kids of mine to watch
their mouths, so now they gotta pay up,” Ms. Elantra spoke up. She was
gonna defend her baby until the end anyways.
“That’s what I’m talking about! Do yo’ shit, Bro!” Rule jumped up as
Messiah shot his first three pointer of the night.
“Daddy!” Reign chastised. Her little hand extended. I snickered
because my baby girl was not playing around with them tonight
“Pretty, I’ma just pay you at the end of the game. Uncle Messiah is
about to win this game, and I'm excited, so I might slip up. I’m sorry,” he
explained to her. The fact that he was dead serious made this even funnier.
“Okay, Daddy. I’ll give you your total at the end of the game.” She
shrugged her shoulders then went back to playing with Nessa. Audra was
sitting with Miyana. She was one of her old friends from school. I was
surprised to see her here, especially after what happened to her boyfriend.
From my understanding, he was Messiah’s best friend, but he died in a
car accident a couple of years ago. They were players on the same
basketball team, so I was shocked she would even want to be here for this. I
remember her from when I was growing up because she used to hang out
with the crew. Her little boy was her twin with his cute self. She was a
gorgeous brown skinned beauty with a modelesque frame. She was pretty in
school, but she was drop dead gorgeous now.
“Okay, Messiah! Show out then!” Rule cheered. The sheer joy on his
face was everything. Everyone including Mama Elantra was standing up
cheering every time Messiah made a shot. It was such a beautiful sight to
see. Sadly this was my first introduction to what a real family looked like.
Right or wrong, they stood down for one another. Just knowing that my
baby was going to experience that made me so happy.
“Go! Da Da! Go, Da Da!” I heard a little voice squeal. Looking down
the section it was Miyana’s little boy that was standing on her lap cheering
proudly. I looked over at Rule to see if he noticed, but he was so enthralled
by the game I doubt he even caught it. I didn’t have any room to pass
judgment, so I smiled and went back to watching the game.
The paparazzi had slowed down on the pictures, so I’m sure they were
preparing the story for the tabloids. Rule had hired a new PR rep, and she
had advised us to be ourselves. We were naturally affectionate, so I’m sure
they had probably caught us kissing or holding hands. My main concern
would be how they would portray Reign in the media. Rule said that a
statement had already been created and approved by him. He wouldn’t tell
me what it said, but I knew that he would make sure she was protected as
best as he could.
The buzzer sounded off, which indicated that it was half-time. I
immediately jumped from my seat because I had been holding my pee for
the longest.
“Where are you going, baby?” Rule held my arm to stop me from
moving past him.
“I have to pee!” I told him while doing my little dance to further
indicate that I could barely hold it.
“Alright, let me get Big Moe real quick,” he suggested.
“Baby, I don’t need a bodyguard to go to the bath-” The look on his
face told me that this was nonnegotiable. “Fine. Tell him to hurry up
because you have to deal with the tabloids saying “Grammy Singer’s
Girlfriend pees on herself during the playoffs”
He chuckled. “If you piss on yourself, I can't claim you, baby.” Rule
chortled.
“Oh, that's fine. I'm sure someone will take my pissy self right off your
hands,” I responded, sticking my tongue.
“And I hope they enjoy those last moments of life. You still gon’ be
mine forever , Pissy Patricia,” he joked. Big Moe made his appearance and
I couldn't have been happier.
“Sis, are you going to the concession stands?” Audra asked. She had
gotten out of her seat as well.
“No, I'm going to the bathroom, but I'll probably swing by there to grab
something for us. You wanna come?”
“I can't believe you really thought you were going alone. You know we
don't even play that. There are too many crazy people out here for that.”
She huffed as she gathered her purse.
 “Nessa, did you want something from the concession stands? Speak
now because I'm not sharing my food when you suddenly decide that you
are hungry.” Nessa twirled her hair around as she thought about it long and
hard.
“Umm, can I get some Nachos, a pretzel with cheese, and a blue
slushy? If they don’t have blue, I'll take any color.” I cracked up because
my niece had an appetite just like me. We loved to eat.
“Reign, did you want something?” I went ahead and asked even though
I knew she would end up texting me before I made it back anyways.
“Yes, I wanted a slice of pizza, a pretzel, and I'll take a slushy too,
momma. A big one,” she called out.
“You ain’t gone ask me what I want?” Rule pretended to pout.
“I’m sorry baby, what can I get you to eat?’ I smirked because his face
instantly lit up. Nasty ass.
“I have a separate list for that, but for now, I'll take a burger with some
fries and water. Don't even think you’re about to be carrying all that shit
either. That's what Big Moe and his crew are here for. Be careful of your
surroundings at all times. If anything looks suspicious to you, call me
immediately. Do you understand?” Rule instructed. This was probably not
the place or the time, but I couldn’t help but be turned on by his
protectiveness.
“Yes, baby, I hear you. Now can I go?!”
He stopped me once more as he reached into his pocket to pull out
some money
“Baby, I don't need you to pay for the food,” I whined. Even though I
knew this was a pointless battle.
“I didn’t ask you what you needed. What I look like making you pay
for your own snacks, woman.” God, I loved this man so much.
“We’ll be right back,” I promised.
“Oh, I know. If y’all ain’t back by the time halftime is over, I'm coming
to find yo’ ass. I'll turn this place upside down behind you,” he spat. I knew
that he meant everything that he said.
“Come on, Yana,” Audra called out behind her. She quickly stood up
with her bags in her hand. She grabbed her son's hand but was quickly
stopped by Mama E.
“Gimme my baby, girl.” She pulled him into her arms before
smothering him with kisses. “Your momma hasn’t brought you to see Nana
in forever, Deuce! What's up with that?” She asked the little boy. He
shrugged his shoulders before he started talking baby talk.
“She told you,” Serenity instigated as we all headed out.
We headed towards the bathroom, and I wanted to cry because the line
was so long. By the looks of it, it was moving quickly, but I had to go so
bad. They don’t tell you about how weak your bladder becomes after you
have children. It was no joke.
“How are you doing, Nayeli? I was telling your sister that it’s been
forever, but y’all haven’t changed a bit. Still as gorgeous as I remember,”
Miyana complimented.
“Thank you, girl. I feel the same way about you. Hell, you don't even
look like you've pushed out a baby. Your body is sick!” Miyana was
absolutely gorgeous to me.
“Trust me, that's a pain I'll never forget. Thank you though. Messiah
makes me get up with him to work out every day since I started
complaining about having a gut. That man works out a minimum of two
times a day,” she vented.
“Wait, you and Messiah live together? Why do I feel like there are so
many pieces of this puzzle that I knew nothing about?” Audra questioned.
“Girl, it's been crazy, honestly. All I can say is that Messiah has been
my rock through everything. When I lost Tray, I thought my world was
coming to an end. Especially with me giving birth to Deuce two months
prior to that. Messiah has really been our saving grace. He helped me
through my depression, even going as far as taking Deuce to his checkups
when I couldn't even move from the bed. Everybody judges us for what it
looks like, but they don’t know the hell we’ve pulled each other out of.”
The emotions behind her words had me tearing up. Although Rule
wasn't dead, I completely understood what it felt like to be a mother raising
your baby without the person you love. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
“That's beautiful. I always knew that Messiah had a good heart, and
I’m glad you didn’t have to go through that alone.” I told her. “Nobody has
the right to tell you how to grieve, heal or love.”
“Y'all got me feeling like I need to join the family too!” Audra jested. I
agree that the Graham men were truly one of a kind. When it comes to the
people they love, they showed up for them without question. Both of them
were dealing with grief in their own way, but he was stepping up in a major
way for both her and her son.
 “Is that why Deuce calls him Daddy?” Audra inquired. I was glad she
said something because I was curious about it myself.
“Yes, it is. For all of his life, Messiah was all he knew outside of me.
Tray was still doing his thing when I first gave birth, so there were a lot of
times when I needed things, and Messiah was the one to make sure I had it.
Then after Tray was killed, I went through a period when I couldn't even
look at my son without crying. Messiah never once judged me. He
reassured me that what I was going through was normal. He helped me
bathe on the days that I couldn’t find the strength. He attached my pumps so
that I could still produce milk for Deuce even though I couldn’t bear to feed
him myself. That man has been there for every milestone in Deuce's life.
Even the ones that I missed.” My heart was leaping out of my chest. Their
story was incredible and this was only the beginning.
It wasn't hard to recognize the feelings that she had as she spoke about
Messiah. The way her eyes lit up when she spoke about him was the same
way mine did when I talked about Rule. Love and Admiration. It’s
something about being loved by a man who only has good intentions for
you that just hits different.
“Wow, that's really the definition of love. I'm so sorry that you had to
experience that, but I’m happy that you didn’t have to go through it alone.
You deserve to be happy too,” I spoke. We weren’t super close, but from
what I remember, she was always a sweet girl. Tragedy can sometimes
bring out the worst in people, so I’m happy to see that things were turning
around for her. The whole city was devastated when Tray was killed, but
there's a difference when you’re the one experiencing the loss.
“Thank you, girl. I can’t believe our asses are sitting here crying in the
women’s bathroom. I appreciate your kind words. Trust me, lately I haven’t
heard very many from the outside world, so that means a lot to me.”
“What do you mean by that? Who got something negative to say about
you, Yana? ‘Cause you already know how I give it up. They might want to
mind their mammy’s bald spot instead of worrying about what you have
going on in your personal life,” Audra ranted.
My sister was trained to go when it came to anyone that she loved. It
was one of the many things I loved about her the most. We finally made it
to the front of the line, and I was so grateful. We were able to make it to the
bathroom and grab all of our food before halftime ended.
 “Let me get one of your nachos, Pretty,” Rule requested. Reign looked
down at her container then back up at him before she spoke.
“Umm, Daddy, why didn't you get nachos when momma asked what
you wanted?” The way his jaw hit the floor was priceless. That’s what he
gets because she acts just like him.
“That’s how you gon’ do me, Pretty? I thought I was your best friend.”
He grabbed his chest for dramatic effect.``
“Daddy, I already have a best friend, but you’re the best daddy ever, so
don't feel bad.” She blew him a kiss before she continued to eat her nachos.
“Can you believe her? She gets that stingy shit from you,” he
grumbled. He glanced over at her one last time. Baby girl was in her own
little world, doing the happy dance as she smashed her food.
“That's a lie. I’m only stingy when you tell me that you don't like
something then you wanna take a big bite when I get it.”
“It's okay. I’ma remember this the next time you wanna go to Scoops,”
he teased Reign. “I'll just take my friend, Nessa. Ain’t that right?” He teased
her. He was trying his hardest to get a rise out of Reign.
“Uncle Rule, I love you, but if my bestie isn't going, then I can't go.
Sorry.” She shrugged her shoulders then both girls slapped hands. My poor
baby had been played by two little girls.
“So, all the girls in my life are just turning on me?” He pouted. This
man was so damn fine to me. This was probably an inappropriate time to
speak on it, but I couldn't help it.
“I’ll get ice cream with you, baby,” I chimed in. His eyes instantly
filled with lust as he peered into my soul with his big brown eyes.
“I’d rather eat my ice cream at home. That way I can lick it clean when
I’m done. You good with that?” And there goes another pair of panties
because of him.
“You can do whatever you want as long as you eat it all.” I leaned over
to kiss him on the lips. Completely forgetting where we were as I got
caught up in the moment.
“You already know I have a big appetite, baby. I always eat it ‘til it’s all
gone.” He gripped my chin then deepened the kiss. His tongue had me
dizzy as I imagined it on the other set of lips. I couldn't wait for this game
to be over so that I could keep that promise I made him earlier.
“Ahem, y’all do know this is a family event, right?” Momma Elantra’s
voice brought me back to reality. I was so embarrassed because this was the
second time I had been caught kissing him like that in front of her.
“Momma, you have five kids. I know you were doing a lot more than
that with pops,” Serenity interjected.
“Little girl, what I did or didn’t do with your father is none of your
business. I hope y’all enjoyed that tongue down because it’s gonna be all
over the news by tomorrow.” She pointed up, so I looked in that direction
and saw a big screen that read “Kiss Cam”’ I was instantly embarrassed
because I was not expecting hundreds of thousands of people to see me
making out with my man.
“Sis, you’re about to be really famous now!” Audra joked around.
Everybody was laughing, but I was a ball of nervousness.
“Stop all that worrying, baby. It doesn’t matter what anyone else in this
world thinks about our love. It's not for them to understand. As long as they
respect it.” He pecked my lips until I broke out into a smile. He really made
this thing called life so much better. It didn’t matter what I had to face in
this life because I knew that he was standing right beside me. Ready to take
it on right along with me.
“I guess you better hit up all your hoes and tell ‘em you’re officially off
the market,” I said, using his words from earlier against him.
“See, that’s where you’re mistaken. There has never been a woman that
came before you, and there will never be one after you. This heart won’t
ever beat for anyone else if it ain’t you.” I sat there in complete awe. A lot
of men had difficulty expressing their emotions, but the way that Rule
explained his love for me was something out of a fairytale. I never knew it
was possible for a man to love a woman the way that he loved me. Even
with everything that we had been through. It made me want to work even
harder to make sure that I was worthy of all the love he was pouring into
me.
“If you wanted a baby, all you had to do was say that.” I stroked the
back of his neck as we continued to watch the game.
“I want all that shit forreal. The house, marriage, and a gang of kids
running around. Trust me, we gon’ have all of that and then some. Just keep
loving me. There will never be a single desire that I won’t make happen for
you.” I swallowed my tears as he spoke. My grandpa always said that
sometimes God removes things in your life because you’re not at the stage
in life where you can truly appreciate it. That's how I felt about Rule.
 Us being separated was painful, but it also made us both stronger. Who
knows what would have happened if it had gone a different way. We may
not have even lasted this long. All I knew was that I was grateful for my life
and all the lessons that came with it.
“Let’s go, Messiah!!!! That ring is almost yours, Bro!” Everyone was
cheering loudly as Messiah made another basket. His team did not come to
play because they were already holding a nine point lead with only ten more
minutes left in the game. By the time we woke up tomorrow, all of our
voices would probably be gone, but I loved every minute of it. The girls
were holding up signs that said, “Congratulations, Uncle Messiah.” Reign
said that she wanted to be the first one to congratulate him because she
knew he was gonna win.
“Come on, Messiah! Let's go!” Mama Elantra screamed as we came up on
the last few minutes of the game. The other team had gotten a three pointer
that had put up the score closer. We were on pins and needles because the
game was getting closer and closer.
“You got this, Siah!” Miyana cheered him on as well. Little Deuce was
cheering loudly as he waved his banner.
“Let’s go!!!” We were all on our feet as Messiah’s team took
possession of the ball. There was one minute left in the game, so we were
screaming loudly. Messiah hadn’t looked in our direction most of the game,
but you could tell that he was focused.
“Come on, Siah!!!!!!! let’s go!” The crowd was going wild as the
countdown began. Messiah’s teammate pushed to the half court before he
passed him the ball.
“Shoot yo’ shot!”
My heart was racing as we watched everything go down. Messiah had
the ball in his possession as he pushed his way down the court. There were
two players guarding him, but you could tell that he was built for this. He
paused, briefly looking to see whether or not he would be able to take the
shot or pass it. I was basically holding my breath in anticipation.
9..8..7..6..5..4..3
Messiah took a couple steps back before he released the ball into the air.
Everything happened in slow motion as we waited to see what the ball was
going to do.
“Come on, come on!” Rule was squeezing my hand as we waited to see
the outcome. Then it happened. The basketball went into the net smooth as
butter, and the stadium went wild.
“Yesssssss!” We were all hugging and crying as the Kingston Knights
won their first championship.
“We won! We won! We won!” Reign and Nessa jumped up and down,
screaming. Messiah’s team was gathered together in the middle of the court
celebrating the victory. The family was waiting patiently for the crowd to
disperse.
Miyana and Deuce had decided to run on the court to greet him, and it
was the cutest thing ever. I wasn’t sure about the dynamics of the
relationship, but you could tell that they had a genuine love for one another.
As soon as Messiah saw them, he stopped mid-conversation with his
teammates to race over to them. Deuce had his arms out, ready to leap into
his arms immediately. He hugged them tightly, rocking back and forth.
They were his family. The same as Reign and I were Rule’s family.
We waited for Messiah for forty minutes before we finally decided where
we wanted to eat. It felt good to be out with everyone. I think we all needed
this trip more than we thought we did.
“Looks like you already made it to the blogs, Sis! These pics have you
looking extra sexy!” Audra boasted. I was more concerned about what they
were saying about me.

R&B Singer Rule Graham spotted with Gorgeous

Mystery woman and child.
Singing sensation Rule Graham was spotted at the New Haven Stadium
with a chocolate bombshell. Fans are going crazy as it appears that not
only is the sexy singer seemingly in a relationship, but it looks as though he
may also be a father. The tiny beauty seen on his lap shares a striking
resemblance to the artist that cannot be denied. Do you think Rule has been
keeping his family a secret from his fans? Check out these pics and let us
know what you think in the comments. @TeaSpilledHot

I grabbed the phone then showed it to Rule. He smiled at the post

then passed it back to me.
“That’s it? You’re not going to say anything?” My nerves were so
bad there was no way I would be able to read the comments.
 “I mean, what do you want me to say, baby? This is what we
planned for. It’s all good. Plus, the commenters are saying you’re a baddie,
and they love my Pretty girl. That’s all that matters to me.” He shrugged his
shoulders. “Relax, I promise I have this all under control. I love yo’ pretty
ass, so fuck everybody else.”

OceanofPDF.com
Rule Graham
I had forgotten that I was scheduled to do a photo spread for Come Up
Magazine, so I had to catch a flight early this morning. We had wrapped up
the shoot around five this evening, which was way longer than I expected. I
was exhausted from the early morning flight, so I decided to go to the hotel
to take a nap for a few hours. Dove had texted me while I was there, so I
was just now getting a chance to respond.

Dove: Did you see this? *attachment*

Me: My future wife is fine as hell. At least the paparazzi know how to catch
those angels. That ass is sittin’ heavy.
Dove: I do look good, don’t I? I miss you!
Me: I miss you too, baby. You eat today?
Dove: No, I’ve been sick all day.
Me: Yo’ ass pregnant
Dove: Lies!
Me: We gon’ see real soon. I’m about to take a nap. I love you, Dove.
Dove: I love you more. Call me later.
Me: No doubt

Ever since the story broke about our relationship a few weeks ago, the
media was in a frenzy. Everyone wanted to know why the mystery woman
was in my life. My PR team had put out a statement to address the
speculations concerning Reign. It basically confirmed that she was my
daughter and that Nayeli was her mother. The details surrounding their
appearance was vague, simply stating that I wanted this part of my life to be
separated from the media for their protection.

We decided that the truth was just too much to put out there. It was still too
hard to wrap my mind around it myself, so I doubted anyone would really
understand. So far, the media has been respectful of both my girls. Nayeli
had gained one thousand followers on her social media pages and her
boutique was getting flooded with business. She had to hire two new girls
to help with the surplus of business. There was a security detail hired to
keep eyes on her and my princess at all times, so it made things easier.
Overall, I was just happy that things were falling into place for us.
Reign and I had started posting videos of us doing covers of popular songs
from the nineties, and the fans were eating it up. My Pretty girl had already
established her own little following that was monitored by myself and my
team. Reign Graham was going to be a household name one day. It scared
me a little because she was growing up so fast. However, I was behind her
every step of the way, so I knew that she was going to be great.
My one hour power nap had turned into a three hour sleep session. The
only reason I woke up was because my phone kept going off back to back.
My phone was on Do Not Disturb except for a few people, so I knew it was
somebody important. The caller ID read Justice, so I knew it had to be
important.
“Yo! What’s the word, Cuz?” My voice was a little groggy from me just
waking up.
“Aye, Turn on the news. Channel five right now.” Grabbing the remote,
I followed his instructions. There was no need in asking too many questions
because I assumed the answers I was looking for on this channel.
“Breaking News just came in that Alton Jefferson and Tondra Wright
have been arrested on charges of Fraud, Tampering with financial records,
and Embezzlement this afternoon. According the records, both were
arrested today in Mr. Jefferson’s, San Antonio residence. For those of you
who are not familiar with them, Alton was a high-ranking manager to stars
such as Luna Star, Blaze J, and Rule Graham. Tondra is also the former
publicist for R&B sensation, Rule Graham, who is one of the plaintiffs in
this upcoming federal case.
An creditable source stated that an investigation was conducted after a
suspicion of theft turned up multiple records dating back two decades.
Allegedly, these two individuals have been stealing money from their
clients, as well as failing to disclose the full amounts of their clients'
sponsorships.
More celebrities are being added to the case, and it’s not looking to go
for these two. Right now, it is being speculated that they have stolen an
upwards of $17 million from their clients over the years. They will be
indicted as early as Monday morning, and tried in federal court. Our
thoughts and prayers go out to all the artists who have been affected by
this.” The news anchor gave her overview on the matter.
“Damn, this is crazy.” On the edge of the bed, I watched as they played
a clip of them being arrested. It was surreal watching two people I trusted
being transported in handcuffs. It was still hard to wrap my mind around the
fact that all this had taken place. Nayeli had asked me if I planned to
confront them about what they had done, but there really was no point.
There was no explanation that they could give me that would make up
for anything that they had done to me or my family. Greed was all it boiled
down to. Even the anchorwoman had mentioned that I wasn’t the first or
only person they had done this to.
Justice had told me that there was a possibility because there was no
way this had been a one time thing. The situation was disheartening for me
because they played such a major role in my life since the beginning of my
career. It really just showed that you didn’t always know people as much as
you thought. In my case, there was never any suspicion because my money
was always on time. Whenever I asked for my records, they made certain
that I had what I needed.
“So what’s next?” I inquired. My main concern was what was expected
of me.
“Right now, they are still processing and collecting evidence. We sent
over all of your files, but because there are others being added, it will
probably be a while before they start issuing subpoenas. Just be ready. We
have everything covered, so don’t worry about it too much. They’re gonna
get everything they deserve,” Justice assured me. I was going to take his
advice because I wanted to move from all of this.
“I appreciate you, cousin. You really came through for me,” I thanked
him. He was thorough at his job and I was grateful. None of this was easy,
but I had complete confidence that I would get a little justice for what they
had done.
“Always. Hit me up if you have any questions or need me to look at
anything for you. I’m proud of you, man. I saw your videos with baby girl
going viral. She’s gonna be a superstar just like her pops,” he commented.
“She is gonna be way better than me, if I can help it. Thank you again,
man. If you ever need me for anything, just let me know,” I offered. He had
really saved me in a major way.
 “My girl is already requesting for you to sing at our wedding in the
future. We got a few years before that happens though.” He chuckled. I
smiled because the way he talked about his lady, it probably wouldn’t be as
far away as he thought.
“Tell her I’ll be there with my good suit on. I’ll hit you up later this
week.”
“Alright, fam. Be safe,” he replied.
“Always.”

OceanofPDF.com
Nayeli Joseph
Audra had picked the girls up for church and she had invited me to my
father’s house for Sunday dinner. She was still really close to him, so she
cooked for him often. She still didn’t know everything because I wasn’t
sure how she would react. My plan was to tell her after I confronted him.
Normally, I declined the offer, but I had some things I needed to get off my
chest.
My hands were starting to hurt from the way that I was gripping the
steering wheel because my anger was at an all-time high. The fact that my
father had allowed money to come in between my relationship with Rule
was sickening, but that wasn’t the part that hurt the most. He sat in my face
all these years as if the reason for our failed relationship was all my fault
when in reality, he had completely altered the course of my life.
Not once did he ever consider how this would hurt me. All he cared
about was himself. I regretted that I had ever confided in him when I found
out about my pregnancy. It was a time in my life that I was most vulnerable,
so I felt like I should have been able to trust him, but clearly that was not
the case. The good Pastor has betrayed me in the most unimaginable way,
and I needed answers.
Tears streamed down my face as I sat in front of my childhood home. It
was times like this when I questioned why God took my mother away from
me. Why would he allow me to grow up with people who would do
something like this? Sunday after Sunday, they preached about being kind
and teaching people the way Christ would treat us, but it was obvious that
my father wasn’t living the words that he so eloquently professed over that
pulpit.
My emotions were a mixture of hurt, anger, and disappointment. Even
though we had never had a close relationship, there was a part of me that
wanted to believe that he still had my best interest at heart. He willingly
participated in destroying my life. And for what? A quick dollar?
 I said a quick prayer as I exited the car because I knew that I needed
some type of restraint to stop me from going to jail. It had been a while
since I had stepped foot in this place because it didn’t exactly hold the
fondest of memories. Their house was completely spotless, like one of those
home decorating magazines. Image was more important than anything else
to them. We could barely play in the house once Eva moved in because she
wanted everything to be blemish free. Cleanliness was next to Godliness. I
guess having a dirty heart didn’t fall under that category.
I decided to just walk in. After today I’m sure I wouldn’t be invited
back here again. I was completely okay with that. My father was sitting in
his usual spot in the kitchen. He dropped his newspaper on his lap before
addressing me.
“I’m surprised to see you here. You haven’t been coming to church for the
last few months. God honors those who are faithful to his work,” Minister
preached.
“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” I dryly replied. I had no intentions
on carrying on a conversation with my father because it always ended with
me being the villain.
“Well, the least you could do is make sure Reign’s at church every
week. Just because you choose to be a backslider doesn’t mean that she has
to suffer,” he chastised me.
This was nothing new because it seemed as if I could never do
anything right in his eyes. It was really the hypocrisy of it all that got me.
Here he was judging me for not attending church on a regular basis when he
was completely comfortable getting up in front of God’s people while
hiding who he really was.
“You’re more than welcome to pick her up if that's what you want to
do. I'm not stopping her from going to church,” I countered. I could tell that
he was getting frustrated because he began loosening the tie around his
collar. My father dressed in a suit every single day. Not only was he the
Pastor of my Grandfather’s church, but he was also a high school
administrator. It was clear that he cared about his appearance more than he
cared about his rotten insides.
“I just don’t understand where I went wrong with you. I sent you to the
best school, provided a good stable home for you, only for you to turn out
to be a-”
 “A what?! A teen mother and disappointment? Well I'm sorry that I let
you down but I wouldn’t necessarily call the home you brought me up in as
“stable.
“Holding in all that anger isn’t healthy nor is it God’s way,” he replied.
His condescending tone sent me over the edge.
“It seems like you only acknowledge imperfections when it comes to
other people but never yourself. You’ve always made it a point to let me
know how much of a disappointment I am to you. However, you seem to
have forgotten some very important facts about me. This failure of a
daughter has not one but two degrees that I earned while raising my child
alone with no support. I have my own house that I paid for myself. I'm a
successful business owner of six years.
“Nayel-
“No! Do you know how it feels to be around the person that’s supposed
to love you, knowing that you’ll never be good enough for them? It doesn’t
matter what I do or what great things I accomplish, it’s never going to be
good enough for you! Yes, I made a mistake, but that same mistake that you
keep holding over my head brought you the one person in this world that
you actually seem to care about. I needed my father to love me, correct me
and tell me that everything was gonna be okay. Instead, I’ve gotten Pastor
Joseph, the flawless saint.”
“Nayeli, I do love you. I know that I can be hard on you, but that’s only
because I wanted better for you. Your mother and I had you when we were
young. We hadn’t gotten a chance to even figure life out. I didn’t want that
for you. I can admit that I was hard on you at times, but it wasn’t because I
didn’t love you.”
“It's crazy that you sit here with your nose turnt up at me as if you're a
perfect example. I’m sure taking money in exchange for sabotaging your
daughter’s life. It has to be a sin somewhere in the good Lord’s book.
Wouldn’t you agree, Pastor?” He froze at my revelation but quickly
gathered himself.
“I don’t know what you're talking about, young lady. Clearly, the Devil
has gotten into your mind for you to be throwing out such false
accusations.”
“Rule is back. We know about the deal that you made with his
manager. We know all about the money they gave you as well as the money
you took from me.” I scoffed in disgust just looking at the dumbfounded
expression on his face.
“When I came to you about my pregnancy, I knew that you would be
upset. When you offered to help me, I figured that I should just take it
because I was young and had no income. I figured if anyone had my best
interest at heart, it was you. I was wrong though. You made me feel like I
was a blemish in your perfect little family. You hid me from the world so
that you wouldn't look bad, when all along you were playing with my life.
“I can explain-”
“Explain what?! How you lied and manipulated me for a check? How
you stole my inheritance to fund you and your wife’s lifestyle! Or how
about how you watched me suffer for years and said nothing!” I vented. He
sat there with his head hanging down in shame. It was crazy how people
only feel guilt when they’ve been caught but not while they’re doing the
actual crime.
“I don’t have any excuse for what I did, Nayeli. I was selfish during
that time in my life. I was finally making a name for myself, and I didn’t
want anything to ruin that for me. It was wrong. My image was more
important to me than my own child.
I’m so sorry, Nayeli. The fact that you think that I never loved you breaks
my heart completely. I promise there isn’t a single thing on this earth that I
wouldn’t do for you and that little girl. I failed you as a father, and I have to
own that. My only prayer is that you find it in your heart to forgive me. I
love you so much.”
Tears poured from my eyes because I couldn’t tell you the last time he
had told me he loved me. It was something that I had craved for so many
years. Now sitting here at this moment, it meant absolutely nothing to me.
My heart was so guarded because of the things that he allowed to happen in
my life that I don’t think I would ever be able to believe another word he
said.
“You d-didn’t protect me.” That was all I managed to get out through
my tears. I felt like that teenage girl again who wanted her father to see her.
To tell me that I was more than enough.
“I know, baby. I'm so sorry for that. I’ll forever have to live with that.
You deserved more than what I showed you. I owe Rule an apology as well.
I figured that he was just some knucklehead that was going to end up
running off when his career took off.
 When my father passed the church over to me, all I could think about
was making it bigger and better than it was. I quickly found myself in a
debt I couldn’t get myself out of, so when they presented me with the
money, I took it without a second thought.” Just hearing him speak about
that situation left a bad taste in my mouth.
“Listen, I know there’s nothing that I say to make up for what I did, but
I just don’t want to lose out on a relationship with you. I love you and my
grandbaby. Please don’t take that away from me.”
“Right now, I don’t think I’m ready to even go down that road with
you. I have a lot of healing to do, and being around you is not what’s best
for me. Where is Reign? We need to get out of here.”
“She’s probably in her room with Nessa. She can stay if you like. I’ll
bring her home.” I wanted to get as far away from this place as possible.
The food wasn’t even worth it.
As I entered the hallway leading the bathroom, I heard faint voices in
the distance. At first, I wasn’t sure who the voices were until that familiar
nasally voice sounded off.
“You would be such a pretty girl if your skin wasn’t so dark. Your
mother used to be the same way. It’s really such a shame,” I said a silent
prayer because it was obvious the Lord hadn’t gotten the first one.
“I’m already beautiful. My mom and dad tell me every day. My black
is beautiful.” Reign's voice was strong and bold while I, on the other hand,
was about to go through the roof. This woman had tried me for the last
time.
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. There’s nothing pretty about being dark. It
looks dirty. Your mother is only saying that because she doesn't know any
better. I have some cream that will help clear all this up. I’ve been using it
for years and you see how pretty my color is,” Eva pressed.
“Actually, you kind of look old. Your skin is really wrinkly and pale.
You should think about wearing sunscreen. My grandma Elantra said that
black people need sunscreen too.”
“You little bit-” All you could hear were the screams of both Eva and
Reign as I pushed through the door. My fist connected to Eva's face before I
could even process what was going on. She immediately fell into the wall
of the bathroom.
“Mommy!” Reign cried out. From my peripheral vision I could see
Nessa hugging her. A part of me felt bad because I never wanted to
traumatize her, but this was long overdue. Eva had been a thorn in my side
since the day she walked into my father’s house all those years ago. Her
insults were always subtle yet hurtful. To know that she was trying to push
that same narrative on my child enraged me in a way I never imagined. My
father never protected me, but I would be damned if I allowed her to bully
my child into believing that she was anything less than perfect.
“Girls, please go to your playroom!” I yelled out.
This woman had played a major role in tearing my whole world apart,
and my father was too stupid to see that she was playing him. Eva didn’t
care about the church and its finances. When my father took over my
grandfather’s church, she threw a complete fit. She wanted the notoriety of
being the upper echelon of the church, but she never wanted the
responsibility that came with being a first lady. She wanted to hurt me, and
that’s all it really boiled down to.
“You hit me!!!” Eva screeched.
“You better be lucky that I didn’t do more to you, you grimey bitch!” I
did something I swore I would never do and spit on her. She was the
definition of scum.
“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to, you ungrateful rat!” Eva
lunged for me, but I pushed her back. She was going to get what she was
looking for today. Years of pain and suffering had been bottled inside of me.
All I could hear was the sound of bones cracking as I punched her in the
nose.
“Hey! What is going on in here?” My father finally made his
appearance upstairs.
“This ungrateful bitch just hit me!” Eva wailed as she held her hands
over her nose. Blood was pouring out onto the floor.
“Nayeli, what the hell has gotten into you? Why would you hit your
mother like that?”
“That bitch is no mother of mine!” I spat. All I saw was red as I looked
my father in his eyes. He had the nerve to look appalled, as if he couldn’t
believe that I would stoop so low. Hate was a strong word, but as I looked
at the man who was supposed to love me, that was all I felt. I thought that I
had done this in order to help my family, but they had been playing me this
whole time.
“Why would you spew such venomous rhetoric towards your family
like this? I understand you being a little upset but you are taking this too
far?” He held Eva in his arms as she put on her best theatrical act.
“What kind of family is this? The kind that lies, schemes, and steals?
You’re sitting here with these horrified looks on your face as if you’ve done
nothing to deserve this!” I ranted.
“This behavior is not becoming of you. You may be hurt, but I will not
allow you to disrespect me or my wife in my home. You can come back and
talk to us when you have gotten your emotions in check.”
“You are dead to me. Don’t call me. Don’t come by my house. Don’t
even ask about me because I am not your concern. It’s clear that I never was
anyways. There’s a nice seat in hell for the both of you. I hope you're
dressed for the occasion.” With that, I stormed out of the house with both of
the girls with me. Audra had texted me that she had gotten stuck in traffic,
so I quickly let her know that she could pick Nessa up from my house. I
wasn’t leaving my niece with them.
When I pulled into the driveway, Rule was getting ready to head out.
Sundays were used for his recording days, so I was sure that was where he
was headed. I expected him to get right in his car, but instead he waited for
us to get out. My smile was fake, but I tried to make it seem real for him.
Obviously, I was not very convincing because he immediately wrapped me
in his arms. No words were spoken as I cried into his chest. He whispered
that he loved me as he held me tighter. His arms were where I felt the safest
so I was grateful that he was here.
By the time I got my emotions together, I was completely drained. Rule
carried me into the house and up to our room. He ran back downstairs to get
the girls settled before focusing his attention on me.
“I’ll take care of you,” he whispered in my ear as he peeled my clothes
off me. His word was bond because he did just that. Rule had run me a
bubble bath then proceeded to bathe me, lotion me up, and tuck me in. Rule
kissed me on my forehead, told me he loved me then left out of the room.
There was no fight left in me as my head hit the pillow. I would grieve
tonight, but tomorrow, I was letting it all go. They had taken enough from
me. It was time for me to reclaim my life back.

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Nayeli Joseph
Two months later
“So how are you feeling about telling him today?” Charity clasped her
hands together in excitement. It had been so hard to keep this secret from
Rule because I swear nothing gets passed that man. It was definitely a
family trait because Charity & Serenity had both called me telling about the
dreams they were having about fish.
“I’m so excited! I’m tired of having to sneak and throw up. This baby
has been kicking my ass and Rule has been living his best life. I’m ready to
take my rightful place as the spoiled, pampered princess,” I replied.
“Girl! You tried it. You are already a spoiled, whiny ass princess,”
Serenity interjected. These two had been such a godsend to me since we had
our little heart-to-heart months back. It felt good to be surrounded by love
and support all the time. Especially with Rule finishing up his new album.
He was still a doting father and man, but we missed him a lot more. I
worked most of the day, and he recorded at night, so the only real time we
had been getting lately was when he woke me up with his face in between
my thighs. That was how we got into this situation in the first place.
Rule had been joking for months saying that I was pregnant. Of course,
I was still in denial until my period never showed up. As soon as I peed on
that stick, it didn’t even take but a few seconds for those lines to pop up.
Rule said that he wanted a baby, and he was not playing around. At first I
was nervous, but the excitement was far greater.
“I can’t believe y’all are really treating me like this!” My arms were
folded as I laid it on thick. Between them and Audra, I know they were all
probably ready to block me because I had been stressing them out so badly.
From cravings to stomach flutters. I was calling them for every little thing
since I couldn’t bother Rule.
“Yeli, I promise once you drop my nephew, I’m changing my number.
I’m coming to see my babies, and that’s it. You got me over here losing the
few little edges I got,” Serenity vented. I laughed so hard because I knew
that she was not lying. No matter how many times I called, they always
answered.
“I love you, though! I really do appreciate y’all so much. These last
few months have been so crazy, but I feel like I finally have my family
back,” My eyes started tearing up. This baby was wreaking havoc on my
emotions, but I really did miss them. When I started dating Rule, they
immediately brought me into the family. When I left, I didn’t just lose the
love of my life. I lost my family as well.
“Somebody please get lil baby a Snickers because I’ve worked too hard
on this makeup for you to be slobbering and crying. Family or not, I’m
charging a few for any touchups. Now come here, you big crybaby. You
know we love you, even though I did threaten you a little bit. You’re our
sister for life,” Serenity assured me.
We got into the car to head to the venue and I was so excited. Charity
had sent me the pictures, but this would be my first time seeing the finished
product. Rule had texted me a few hours ago letting me know that his plane
had landed. Messiah was in town for the announcement as well, but Rule
didn’t know that.
I’m not sure what story Charity told him, but she assured me that they
would make sure that he was at the venue when he was supposed to be.
Reign was with Mama Elantra, along with Nessa. They would all be there
for the pregnancy announcement as well. Charity told everyone to arrive
fifteen minutes early so that we could have everything in place to surprise
him
I was only ten weeks pregnant, so it was too early to tell what we were
having. We were all hoping for a boy, but I knew that we’d be happy with
either. Let Rule tell it, he was the best girl dad that ever lived. I had to
agree. He was an incredible father, which made me so ready for this new
edition. This pregnancy was so important because Rule had missed
everything with Reign. This time he would be able to go to the doctor's
visits, feel our baby’s little kicks, and be there to hold my hand during labor.
This meant so much to the both of us.
“How come there are no cars out here yet?” My anxiety was beginning
to rise because I knew that Rule would be arriving shortly.
“Oh, umm, we had everyone park in the back so that he wouldn’t be
too suspicious. I told him that my friend was having a charity banquet,” she
replied. That made me feel better, so I was able to relax.
 As I stepped out of the car, I made sure to pull the bottom of my
dress down. It was a short Royal blue dress because that was Rule’s favorite
color. Personally, I thought the dress was a bit much for a pregnancy reveal,
but Serenity assured me that it was perfect. My stomach was still pretty flat,
but my hips had spread even more. Rule couldn’t keep his hands off me,
claiming that he was the reason for the changes in my body. I mean,
typically he was right about that. Because of him, this little person was
invading my space and making me eat everything in sight.
“Relax, mama. Everything is going to be perfect, so stop stressing.”
Audra grabbed my hand in hers. There was no way I could even begin to
thank her for being my rock from day one. Being able to share these
moments with her has been so special. Especially, since she was the main
one advocating for Rule and I.
“Is it that obvious?” She chuckled at the look on my face. I was so
excited, but of course, there were so many nerves with this new journey.
Our little family was growing. I was hopeful that a wedding would be in the
future, but I was in no hurry. Just having my family together and healthy
meant more to me than anything.
“Girl, your hands are dripping wet. I need you to chill immediately
before you stress my niece or nephew out. You deserve every good thing
that is happening in your life right now. Don’t ever forget that, okay? Now
come on. My little boo is probably waiting on me.” She snickered.
“Speaking of which. You’ve been real tight-lipped about what’s going
on with you and Asa.” I knew they had gone on a few dates. She had even
mentioned that they had been intimate a few times, but she left out any real
details.
“Girl, I don’t know why you’re acting like we don’t talk almost
every day. There really isn’t much to tell. He’s a really great guy, and Nessa
loves him,” she stated. I knew that she could tell by the look on my face
that I was annoyed.
“And?!! What kind of explanation is that? Do you even like the man
because, based on what you just said, I’m not convinced.” My eyes rolled
as we continued to make our way to the building.
“What do you want me to say? That he’s the most incredible man I’ve
ever met, but I can’t allow myself to be all in with him because my
crackhead ex traumatized me from relationships? ‘Cause that’s all I got for
you.” My face softened as her words settled in.
 She was scared. Honestly, I couldn’t judge her because a lot of women
experience this. My situation was not even close to this, but I knew what it
felt like to be closed off. Love was such a scary thing. Especially, when you
find yourself giving your heart to someone who doesn’t deserve it.
“You’ll never know how good things could be if you don't open your
heart up to love.” I knew first hand what it felt like to be loved completely.
It was something I wanted everyone around me to experience. Rule built
my faith in humanity. The fact that Reign was going to grow up with him as
an example was a blessing. She was seeing firsthand how a real man was
supposed to love his woman and his children. That was all I could ever
want for her.
“Enough about me. We can save that for another day. Today is all about
you and this new journey you’re taking. I’m so happy for you. Now let’s get
in here.”

Rule Graham
“Charity just texted me to let me know they just pulled in. It’s
showtime!” Messiah called out. Everything was already set up. All I needed
was my Dove to come through the door.
“Are you ready for this, bro?” Asa asked. I didn’t even need a
minute to think about it because the answer would now and forever be yes.
My hands fidgeted with the ring in my pocket as I watched everyone get
into place.
“I've never been more sure about anything in my life.” My Favorite
girl was right when she said that God had put us back together for a reason.
Nayeli was my person. The only woman on this earth that understood the
depths of me. In society, it’s so hard for a man to find a woman they feel
safe with. She was that for me. She was the missing piece to the part of my
heart I thought I had lost forever.
Charity had done a great job with the decorations as expected. I
never even bothered to hire anyone for things like this because my sister
was truly the goat. She had a trail of rose petals from the door, leading up to
a giant setup that said “Marry Me” surrounded by candles. She had hired a
photographer to capture everything for us. It was important for me to
capture all of our big moments together because we had missed out on so
much.
“Here they come,” Messiah whispered. He was just as excited about
this as I was. After all, he was going to be the best man. To be honest, I
would be perfectly fine with a courthouse wedding, but I was going to give
my girl whatever she desired.
“I can’t wait to see the look on Rule’s fa-” Our eyes met as everyone
turned in her direction. The room was full of close family and friends
because I wanted to be as intimate as possible.
“Wait, wait! I- what is this?” She whispered as she started walking
towards me. “This is why I love you” by MAJOR was playing in the
background. The lyrics just fit perfectly for what I was feeling here at this
moment. Even now watching her cry as she made her way to me just
reaffirmed why I loved her. She was worthy of everything she wanted in
this life, and I wanted to be the one to give her that.
By the time she made it to me, she was sobbing uncontrollably. My
chocolate beauty looked fine as fuck in her blue dress. No matter how much
her body changed, it was still perfect to me. Lately, her glow was even more
radiant than before. I could barely keep my hands off her most of the time.
“Babbyyy, how did you do this?” She said as she attempted to wipe
her face as more tears followed. I took her hand in mine as I stared into the
eyes of my future.
“In my head, I had this big speech planned out. I was going to tell you
all the ways that you’ve changed my life and all the many reasons I love
you. I was going to tell you how miserable my life was without you in it,
and how you’ve made every single day brighter since you came back into
my life,” I paused for a moment.
“You and Reign give my life purpose. The love that you give me every
day makes me want to be a better man. I don't know how many more days
I’m promised on this earth, but I know that I want to spend every last one of
them with you.” I pulled out the ring, then dropped on one knee.
“Nayeli Danae Joseph, will you marry me?” She leapt into my arms
while I was still on the ground. We rocked back-and-forth as she cried tears
of joy.
Our family and friends gathered around us in celebration as I slid the
ring on her finger. Reign ran over and jumped on us both, causing me to fall
over with Nayeli in my lap. As I sat with both my girls in my arms, I felt
blessed. This was everything I needed in this life.
“I’m so happy! My momma and daddy are getting married, and I get to
be the flower girl!” Reign squealed as she gave us both kisses.
“Momma, did you already give daddy his surprise?” Now it was my
turn to be confused. Nayeli wiped her face then pulled herself up from the
ground.
“Not yet. Do you think I should give it to him now, Sweets?” She
asked. Reign quickly shook her head yes. She waved Charity over, who was
carrying some type of gift in her hands. It was flat and square like it could
be a portrait or something.
“What’s going on?” I asked. This was all supposed to be a surprise for
her, so I was confused as to why she had brought me a gift.
“Well, apparently your family was playing double agent because I
thought we were coming here to surprise YOU! Ummm, I got you a gift
that I pray you love as much as I do.” Nayeli handed over the gift. It had a
bit of weight to it, which made me even more curious. As I pulled back the
wrapping paper, it revealed a plaque like the ones you get when your song
hits platinum or gold. My face frowned in confusion because I hadn’t
received anything about me hitting platinum on any charts recently.
“Just look at it!” Charity yelled out. Everyone was now watching me as
I opened my gift. The photographer was still taking pictures of us as well.
What is this? I thought to myself.
My eyes scaled the plaque to see what was so special about it. It only
took me a few seconds to see a picture of my Pretty girl. Naturally, I smiled
looking at my twin. She was the apple of my eye. That’s when I finally saw
it. In the middle of the plaque, it said “You have been promoted to Platinum
Dad Status. New recording artist is coming soon.”
“Yooooooooo! Are you serious?!” There was an ultrasound photo
across from baby girl’s picture. The happiness I was feeling in my heart was
unexplainable. Nayeli and Reign were right back in my arms as tears welled
in my eyes. I really had a family of my own. Every time I thought about it, I
couldn’t help but feel blessed. The man above had given them back to me,
plus more. I was damn sure gonna do my best to prove that I deserved them.
“We have been trying to hold this in for weeks! You have made my life
so much better, and I’m so happy to be able to do this thing called life with
you. Thank you for being our rock and taking care of us the way you do. I
love you so much.” Nayeli kissed me as the cameras around us continued to
flash. You couldn’t put a price on something like this.

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Rule Graham
A few months later.
Interview

“Today on our show, we have Grammy award winner, Rule Graham

on the show with us today to talk about his new album titled, Back To Me,
that just dropped last month. With his hit single, Made For You, still sitting
at number two on the charts. How are you feeling today, Rule? I know it's
probably been a busy week for you.” Tracy from somewhere asked. This
was my first interview in months, so I will admit I was a little nervous.
“I’m feeling really blessed, Tracy. I can’t complain. As you said, my
new album is out now, and I’m very proud of this project,” I responded. I
was pretty comfortable with interviews, but Tiff had warned me to try and
keep my responses short.
“You certainly are. We’re all very proud of you. You’ve come a long
way in your career. You have become an inspiration to so many people who
have aspirations to be in the music industry. What piece of advice would
you give them?” She asked. There were so many life lessons that I had
learned along my journey, it was almost hard to pick just one.
“Well, Tracy, I would say don’t give up. Never stop believing in
yourself. Even when you feel like you’re not being noticed. When I got my
first big break, I was a junior in high school recording myself singing to my
favorite artists songs. YouTube completely changed my life, but it wasn’t an
overnight process. I worked tirelessly to build my following up. There were
times when I wanted to give up, but then I reminded myself that I had come
too far. If you put in the work, then your time will come,” I expressed what
was in my heart.
“Wow, that is so powerful. Now you know I have to ask because it has
been all over the news stations for months now. How are you feeling about
your manager and publisher being convicted for embezzlement? I know you
probably can’t speak on the case too much, but do you have any last
thoughts about what transpired? How has this affected your ability to
produce during this process?”
 There was no surprise that she was asking this question because it was
all over the blogs and news stations since their initial arrests. This would be
my first time publicly addressing it because it just wasn’t something I felt
belonged on social media.
“To be honest with you, it hasn’t affected me at all when it comes to
my music. Music is in my heart, so regardless of what I may go through,
that will always remain the same. As far as my feelings on the situation. I’m
truly grateful to the courts for all of their hard work in bringing justice to
my family and I,” I replied.
Both Alton and Tee had gotten sentenced to twenty-one years in prison
for their charges. In total, they had stolen over eighteen million dollars from
me and their other clients over the course of sixteen years. That shit had me
sick to my stomach when I first heard it. Then I was quickly reminded that I
was still blessed. My bank account was still overflowing, so there was a
need to cry about something I never missed. In the end, I was gonna get that
back, plus more.
“You are absolutely incredible. I’m glad that you have such a positive
outlook on the situation. Justice was definitely served. Moving back to your
music, your hit single, Made for You, has gone viral on all social media
platforms and streaming services. Can you tell us what the inspiration
behind your album is?” Tracy asked. A smile graced my face as I looked out
into the crowd to see my two heartbeats sitting in the front row.
“This album was all about redemption, restoration, and the true power
of love. All of those songs were inspired by real situations that were very
personal for me. The song, Back to Me, is very near and dear to my heart
because it’s a direct reflection of how I feel today. I was blessed to meet the
love of my life at an early age, but unfortunately, we were pulled apart.”
The audience's “Awwws” filled the room.
“I promise it gets better, y’all.” I chuckled.
“After a trip back home, I was reunited with the only woman who has
ever had my heart. It has been a journey getting back to us, which is why I
named that the title of the album. Every song is dedicated to our journey in
finding our way back to love. I can honestly say that there isn’t a single
person out there that could fill my heart the way that she does. She was
made for me in God’s own image.”
“Someone please bring me some tissues. It’s rare that men are open
enough to express their emotions, so that is so beautiful to hear. How did
you realize that she was your person? You mentioned that you have spent
many years apart, what made her different from anyone else?” Her question
caught me off guard but not in a bad way. Just thinking about the many
reasons why I loved Nayeli had me ready to marry her beautiful ass all over
again.
“When I lost her, I knew that I never wanted to give my heart to
another person. For years, the media deemed me as a playboy, but really I
was just guarding what already belonged to someone else. The power that
she had over my heart was something I never wanted to give another person
access to,” I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts together.
“You asked what makes her so special, but I don’t even think I could even
begin to cover it all. Her heart is what attracted me the most. She’s loyal to
everyone that she loves and will sacrifice anything to make sure that they’re
happy. When we were younger, she had to make a very difficult choice, and
she chose me. She was willing to sacrifice her own happiness to make sure
that I was able to live out my dreams. I’ll never be able to repay her for that.
Her beauty is limitless. There are a lot of beautiful women in this
world, but I would choose her every time. I can be myself when I'm with
her. Sometimes it feels like everyone in the world wants something from me
but not her. She doesn't care about my superstar status when there’s dishes
in the sink or I forget to put the toilet seat back down.” The crowd laughed.
“She’s my safe place. The place that I escape to when I need to be
refilled. She speaks life into me when I don’t have enough in me to do it for
myself. She prays for me when I’m sleeping at night and speaks words of
affirmations to me when I wake up.” I chuckled, reflecting on that silly
facial routine that she makes me sit through at night.
“She takes care of every part of me: mind, body, and soul. There isn’t a
woman alive that can bring me the peace that she does. Just having her
around me brings instant calmness to my soul. She’s everything I never
knew that I could have. She’s my everything.” Tracy was dabbing her eye,
so I didn't even bother to look out into the crowd because my Dove had
become a little crybaby lately.
“I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that, we all hope to
experience a love like the one you’ve described. Now we’ve recently
discovered that you have a little girl as well. Your daddy-daughter singing
videos have been flooding the internet for months and I love to see them.
Everyone is completely in love with Rule & Reign. What has fatherhood
been like for you?” I looked over into the audience to see Reign's face. She
was smiling back at me, which had a real nigga ready to tear up.
“Whew, that’s my heart in human form. Growing up, I never thought
that I would be a father. Of course, it was always in plans, but I wasn't sure
if it would actually happen for me. She stole my heart the minute I laid eyes
on her, and I don’t even want it back. Being a father is the greatest role I’ll
ever play outside of being a husband. Reign gives my life purpose
everyday. She’s the reason that I thank God extra hard during my prayers.
She changed me in a way I never even knew I needed to be changed. She’s
my whole world.” Reign had her hands in the form of a heart as she
mouthed, “I love you.” That little girl would always be my weakness.
“And there you have it, folks. Rule, thank you so much for sitting down
with us. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we are all so incredibly
proud of you. You have grown into such an incredible artist, and now seeing
you as a family man just makes it so much sweeter. We wish you much
success in your journey.”
“Thank you so much for having me, Tracy. I truly appreciate the
opportunity. Thank you all for showing me so much love and support.” We
shook hands as we both stood from our seats. From my peripherals, I could
see my wife and daughter making their way over to me.
“You did such a great job, baby. I’m so proud of you. I love you so
much.” Nayeli poked her lips out for a kiss.
“Thank you, Dove. I love you too. How are y'all feelin’ today?” I
asked, rubbing her pregnant belly.
“Your son is crowding my space, but it’s okay because he’ll be getting
his eviction notice soon enough, ” she vented. Our son was still baking, but
we couldn’t wait to meet him. My family was almost complete, and I
couldn’t have been more grateful.
“What you said up there was really beautiful. You always make me feel
like I'm the prettiest girl in the world.”
“I’m only calling it like I see it. You’re the prettiest girl in MY world.
I’m glad you brought yo’ pretty ass back to me. Ain’t no Rule without his
Dove.”

The End
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