Kay’s first stop was to see his barber. Then he went to see Jacob the jeweler to inspect Angel’s ring. It was tightjust
the way he wanted it, if not better a few more carats than Tasha’s. He jumped in the taxi and went home, where he showered and changed before getting back in his SUV with the cash for the ring.
When he walked into Angel’s office she was spinning around in her big, leather swivel chair talking to a client. When she looked up at him, the tears started rolling down her cheeks. He winked at her, mouthed, “Hey, beautiful,” and set two dozen roses down on her desk. He went over and kissed the tears off her face and then whispered into her ear, “Crybaby.” She punched his arm, then scribbled down some notes on her client. Kay went over to look out the window while she was handling her business.
As soon as she hung up the phone she jumped up, ran over to him, and hugged him. “You came for me!” She sobbed while holding him tight. “You look so good!” she said. “I miss you so much.”
“I don’t know why you’d think I wouldn’t come. Sounds like you’re still in love with me,” he said, looking into her teary eyes.
“Yes, even though you’ve been treating me like dirt these last couple of months.”
“I wasn’t treating you like dirt. You know what time it is.”
“Whatever, Kay. You treated me like dirt.” She laughed, hug
ging him and giving him a kiss. “So are you a free man?”
“It hasn’t hit me yet, but I’m free in every sense of the word.” Angel breathed a sigh of relief. They were quiet. “It’s gonna
be weird,” she said.
“Tell me about it. I’ve been slingin’ ever since I was fifteen.” “So what now?”
“Other than doing anything we want, we might as well get married.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah.”
“You got my ring?” she asked, laughing.
“Yup.”
“No you don’t. You liar. This is nothing to joke about Kaylin.” “Why do I have to be joking?”
“What did you do stop at a jeweler on your way over here?” She was being sarcastic as she went and pulled a gift box out of her purse.
“Basically, yeah.” He took a box out of the inside of his jacket and gave it to her while she went to hand him the box she was holding.
“Damn baby, I thought you were joking.” She held the box. “Are you going to open it, or what?”
“Open yours first,” she said, jumping from one foot to the other. He smiled at her. “Open it, baby,” she begged. He lifted the top and a beautiful stone stared him in the face. She lifted it out of the box and said, “Kaylin I love you more than anything. Will you be my husband?”
“Girl, how are you gonna flip the script?” He leaned over and tongued her down. “Whose money paid for this?” he teased. “Now open yours.”
She slowly unwrapped the box and then opened it. “Oh my God, baby!” She started crying. “This is beautiful.”
“So are you, crybaby,” Kay said, taking the box and putting
the ring on her finger. He kissed her forehead and gave her a bear hug. “I assume this means that you’ll be my wife.”
“And I assume this means that you’ll be my husband.” They kissed.
“A’ight, then we straight. C’mon, we gotta go.” Kay slapped her on the butt.
“Where are we going?”
“The limo will be at the house at 6:00 to take us to Philly for game four of the playoffs. You want to change, right?”
“Yeah, I need to change. I also need to see Iverson whip some ass. That’s my nigga.”
“You dreamin’, ma. Shaq gonna do the ass-whippin’. Philly ain’t got shit comin’.”
“You mean LA ain’t got shit comin’.” They argued as she cleaned off her desk and turned her computer off.
A yearand half later we find Marvin and Kyra moved to
California. Kyra is attending UCLA full-time, determined to become a psychologist. They got married when Aisha turned one. They had a small but elegant wedding. Marvin flew every-one out to Cali. He had a grip stashed while locked down and still has a couple of partners handling business matters, investing in real estate and stocks. They are happy with their little family.
Faheem and Jaz got married the month after Faheem’s dad was released from prison. Faheem sold all four of his businesses, and they are now living in Georgia, in a house in the same neighborhood in Fayette County as Evander Holyfield. Faheem is now a silent partner in a black-owned Atlanta bank.
Jaz beat her case. It was thrown out. She is now enrolled at Morehouse School of Medicine and one of the few women attending. They have a live-in nanny to watch the baby while she goes to school. Faheem was on the sneak tip, trying to get in an-other baby, but without success, Jaz being extra careful.
Faheem also starts a clothing line: Jazheem Wear. Lots of rap-pers and sports players are rocking his label. Jaz finally buys her parents that house down South, moving them out of New Jersey. She is still working on building and setting up a home for children who roam the streets. Faheem sets up a non-profit organization to assist her in the venture.
Trae and Tasha move to Cali before the twins Kareem and Shaheem are born, buying a home in Brentwood, OJ’s old neighborhood. Trae starts a black entertainment magazine called Black Interview. It is on newsstands next to Vibe, XXL, and The Source and doing well. He is a silent partner with a celebrity; they owned a restaurant. And he, Marvin, and Stephon, Tasha’s cousin, open up a club in LA.
Tasha sets up her physical therapy office. Her clientele includes major sports stars as well as college and high school players. She has more clients than she can handle. Money is definitely not an issue in the Macklin household.
Kaylin and Angel remain in New York. Angel continued to hone her skills as a corporate/entertainment attorney with the law firm that she interned with.
Kay has to restart his recycling business. His main business, though, is his record label. He has four artists. New Day, featuring Muqa, is blowing up. He also has talks on the table with some big names on setting up the first black distribution company. Angel is handling and overseeing all the legal aspects of the label. They are both very busy.
In a month, they are getting married. Marv and Kyra will be flying in, and Faheem and Jaz, too. Trae and Tasha will come and stay for two weeks. They will use this as a vacation, wanting to get their party on New York style and visit some folks.
Other than the Cali crew no one has seen each other in almost a year. Not only is there going to be a wedding, but it will also be like a family reunion. Everyone’s lives seem to be moving at a nice smooth pace. But the drama isn’t quite done yet.
It was finally Kay’s and Angel’s wedding day at the Hyatt Regency in New York, no less. Folks were taking pictures of it. There were a hundred and fifty guests and celebs in attendance, including all the niggas Kay and Trae used to ball with. Kay’s parents, brothers, sisters, and some relatives flown in from Puerto
Rico were there. Angel’s mother, aunts, uncles, and relatives were present. Trae’s parents were also present as well as Tasha’s sister, Trina and brother, Kevin.
They even had Mary J. Blige in to sing I’m in Love for the bride and groom. That was the tune they slow-danced to the first night they made love.
The ceremony was still an hour and a half away. Two wedding consultants and a caterer had been hired to make sure everything ran smoothly. Kay’s groomsmen were his brother Kajuan from Puerto Rico, Trae, Omar, Faheem, Bo, Marvin, and Angel’s brother, Mark. Angel’s bridesmaids were Tasha, Jaz, Kyra, Sanette, Mecca, Shanna, and Tamara. Everyone looked fabulous, dressed to kill in Armani and Vera Wang.
The men were waiting around getting ready to take their places. The groom and his men were all kicking it in two suites, the bridesmaids in three suites. Angel had one that she shared with her mom and sister. The men were sitting around getting blunted out and talking shit, most of them hung over from the previous night’s bachelor’s party. They were ready to get it over with. The women, on the other hand, were an entirely different story.
Baby Kareem was crying, and Tasha decided to take him down the hall to Trae. She knocked on the suite door.
“Come in if you’re a man. Wait right there if you’re a woman!” somebody yelled out. Tasha opened the door and went in.
“Trae,” Kay yelled, “somebody’s here to see you.” He looked at the baby. “What’s up Kareem?” Kareem cried even louder.
“Hush that noise Kareem. Or is it you Shaheem? I still can’t tell y’all apart,” Omar told him. All the men laughed.
Trae was coming out of the bathroom and drying his hands. When he looked up and saw Tasha and Kareem, he smiled. “What’s the matter with my little soldier?”
“Da, Da,” Kareem cried out, extending his arms.
“Why isn’t he with the nanny?”
“He doesn’t want to be with her. He keeps cryin’ for you. He won’t be still with me, either. He’s dry and he’s not hungry.” Tasha was clearly frustrated.
Trae took off his jacket. “C’mere, man.” He took Kareem from Tasha. “What are these women doin’ to my little soldier?” Kareem stopped crying and smiled at his daddy.
“I told you,” Tasha said. She went into the bathroom and wet a face cloth to wipe the baby’s face and hands.
“Damn, baby. Did I tell you that you’re killin’ that dress?” “About three or four times.”
“Give Mommy a kiss, Kareem,” Trae told him. Kareem grabbed his mommy’s head and kissed her on the cheek. “Tell Mommy you love her.”
“Love Mommy,” he said.
“Tell Mommy to kiss Daddy.”
Kareem grabbed Tasha’s neck and kissed her again. Then he said, “Kiss Daddy.”
Trae started laughing. “You heard my lil’ man. Kiss Daddy and love Daddy,” Trae said, palming Tasha’s butt and pulling her to him.
“Daddy done spoiled this lil’ man,” she said while Trae was trying to tongue her down. He was caressing her butt and press-ing her against him. Kareem stopped the action by slapping them both in the face. Tasha leaned over and kissed Kareem again.
“Kareem, you can’t be hatin’ on your pops. You supposed to have my back.” Tasha turned around to leave. He noticed she had a little attitude. “Where you goin’, ma?” he asked, still hold-ing onto her hand. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her go.
“I have to check on Angel, Trae.”
When they walked into the main room, he put Kareem down to let him walk.
“Kareem, show these niggas how you s’posed to wear an Armani suit,” Trae said, still holding Tasha’s hand. Kareem took off running to Malik, who was now almost four. He was playing with toys.
“Don’t tell me this nigga done bought the baby an Armani,” Kajuan said.
“Yeah, he did. Malik got one on, too,” Bo said. They all burst out laughing.
“Malik, tell these niggas to stop hatin’ on a playa,” Kay said. Malik turned around and told them just that.
“Yo, keep an eye on Kareem for me,” Trae said, pulling Tasha toward the front door.
“We got him, man,” Omar said.
When they got outside the door, Trae leaned up against the wall and put his arms around Tasha. “What’s up, ma? Usually when you kiss me my dick gets hard. What’s the matter?”
“You don’t miss shit, do you?”
“No, I usually don’t. Not when it comes to my woman, my shorties, and my paper. What’s up?”
“Not now Trae. We can talk about it tonight. It can wait.” He noticed the many passion marks on her neck, chest, and shoulders when she tried to break away from him.
“Damn! I did all that?” he asked, pulling her back toward him. “Yes, you did. You’ve been going crazy lately. What’s up with that?”
“The twins need a little sister.”
She punched him in the arm. “Damn you Trae! I knew you did this on purpose. Just ‘fuck what Tasha want,’” she cried. Trae looked surprised. “What I do?”
“I’m pregnant, Trae,” she said, trying to tone down.
Trae was quiet for a minute. “Damn! I thought so. The pussy
been feelin’ real good lately. That’s why I’ve been goin’ crazy.
Why you so mad?”
“Trae,” she stood back and looked at him, “we discussed this. And we agreed that we would at least wait until the twins turned two,” she said, punching him in the arm.
“It’s not all my fault. I can’t help it if them sorry-ass birth con-trol pills don’t work.”
“You could have helped by wearing a condom when I asked you to. You could have helped when you said you would pull out but instead went in deeper. You could have helped by allowing me to get that birth control patch thing in my arm.”
“I don’t want my wife to be walkin’ around with no fuckin’ chip in her arm.”
“Kyra and Sanette both got one. They haven’t had any problems. And it’s a patch, not a chip.”
“Come here baby.” He held her tight. “Calm down, baby.” “I’m not calming down. I told you to wait until tonight, but you didn’t want to. So don’t tell me to calm down. I’m pissed off
at you Trae.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “You know I can’t have my wife mad at me.” He kissed her again. “Right?” He pulled out his handkerchief and wiped her face. “So what do you want to do?”
“What kind of question is that? What do you mean, what do I want to do? It’s nothing I can do. It’s already done.”
“My point exactly. So, we might as well make the best of it. Your husband is very happy about it. And he loves you more than anything. You yourself said you wanted a little girl and ‘there is too much testosterone in the house.’ Aren’t those your exact words?”
“Not now Trae. This is too soon.”
“Tash, look at it like this. You’re getting the kids out the way. We said we were goin’ to have five, now we’ll only have three more to go.”
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Funny! We said three Trae, not five.”
“Well, now you only got two more to go, right?”
“This is still too soon.”
“You gots to admit, we do make beautiful babies.”
“Trae, it’s too soon. I got a business to run. I just really got my shape how I want it.”
“Yeah, you are fine as hell. Your figure is bangin’. But, you look good as hell pregnant, if not better.”
“That comment does not make me feel any better.”
“I’m sorry ma. I can’t have you mad at me. Everything will work out. We’ll enjoy this pregnancy even more than the last one. You can keep doin’ what you’re doin’.”
“Only for a few more months Trae.”
“You got more than a few more months.”
“Whatever Trae, this is all your fault.”
“I’m sorry, baby.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I promise, after this one we’ll look into that patch thing.” “Listen to you ‘look into it.’ You can’t even say we’ll definitely get it.”
Trae started laughing and picked her up into the air. “Put me down Trae.”
“Tell me you’re not mad at me.”
“In your dreams. I’m fucking pissed! I bet it won’t happen again.”
He put her down. “Give me a kiss,” he said, sliding his hand up her dress. “Make my dick hard.” He moved her thong to the side and played with her clit.
“This is why I’m pregnant now,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and tonguing him down.
“That’s the shit I’m talkin’ ’bout,” Trae moaned. “Let’s go to our room real quick.” Trae pressed while squeezing her ass. “Trae hold up. I need to go get Shaheem.”
“Then meet me up there.”
“Give me a few minutes.”
He watched Tasha walk away, swaying those sexy, baby mak¬ing hips. Damm! I’m a lucky nigga!
Tasha found Aunt Marva who reluctantly gave up Shaheem. She had gotten too attached to her child. On her way down the hall with Shaheem on her hip, she ran into her brother Kevin. He reached for Shaheem who started crying.
“See he doesn’t know you Kevin. Shaheem this is Uncle Kevin.”
“Shaheem man, come to your Uncle Kev.”
Shaheem held on even tighter to his mother.
“He has to get used to you. You gotta come around more. I miss you, you little punk.”
“I miss you too, you big punk.” He looked at his sister in admiration.
“I worry about you all of the time Kevin.”
“Don’t do that ’cause what’s gonna happen is gonna happen.” As soon as Kevin pressed the up button the elevator doors opened and their eyes went to Trae lying on the floor bleeding.
Kevin mumbled. “What the fuck?”
Shanna came knocking on the door to the men’s suite. “Who is it?” yelled Kay.
Shanna opened the door, stuck her head in, and waved at Kay to come out in the hall.
“We got a situation, my brotha.”
“What are you talkin’ about?”
“Your wife said the wedding is off.”
“What?”
“She said that the wedding dress doesn’t fit right and it’s messed up.”
“How did she mess it up? What the fuck are you talkin’ about?”
“Don’t start me to lyin’. She won’t let nobody in the room. She only wants to see you. She told the wedding consultants to bring you to her, and they told her the custom is for the groom not to see the bride until they walk down the aisle. She went off on them, cursing them out and firing them.”
“Aw, damn!” Kay said, taking off his tuxedo jacket. He opened the door to the suite. “Can you tell the consultants I need to see them? What was she doin’ when you last saw her?”
“Crying.”
Kay had the key to Angel’s suite. When he stepped inside, her wedding gown was on the floor, and she had no stockings on, just a slip and camisole. She was coming out the bathroom, blowing her nose.
“Baby, what’s the matter? You’re supposed to be dressed.” She ran to him, crying. He hugged her and rocked her back and forth. “What’s the matter?” he asked again.
“I messed up my dress,” she wailed.
“What do you mean you messed it up?”
“It’s too tight around my waist, and I threw up all over it.” Kay started laughing. “Damn baby, you that nervous, you’re throwing up?”
“I’m pregnant, Kay. I was gonna wait and surprise you tonight on our honeymoon, but I messed up my gown. I look horrible. It’s not supposed to go like this, Kay.” She was crying uncontrol-lably, her face buried into his chest.