“Fa sho. Tell Dinny we said what up,” Killa said. I nodded and ended the call. I continued to look out at the ocean's beautiful blue water and reveled in it. I’d always had dreams of visiting exotic places to escape what had become my reality.
Being a descendant of Yarina and Landon Sullivan, I was born to hustle. My pops always taught me never to be lazy and showed me how to build shit and make money to get the things I wanted in life.
Before I met Jordin and my brothers in junior high, my parents and I lived well.
Pops worked for the city, and Mom owned a bar calledTaste. They brought in a lot of money that allowed us to live comfortably.
It wasn’t until Pops lost his gig working for the city that shit changed drastically.
I was in my sophomore year at Henry Ford High School when my people sat me down and told me Pops had lost his job, and Ma had to sell her bar. From that point on, shit just went downhill. Pops got on drugs, and Ma followed.
All throughout my junior year, I had to endure them selling all of our shit out of the house until, eventually, we were homeless. I refused to live that way, so I linked up with a dude named Drip, and he put me on as his runner. I made just enough to feed and clothe myself while staying with Kasey and his mom.
Dinny was my escape. The love she gave me during my trials and tribulations made me fall deeply in love with her. She listened, she cared, and she encouraged me when I had no one who gave a damn about me.
No family was ever around, so there was no one else I could run to, to find solace. Dinny and I started off as best friends until that senior year when I asked her to the prom. From then on, we had been inseparable.
Unfortunately, Yarina and Landon both died of an overdose, and since I was eighteen at the time, I was able to cop myself a studio apartment in the Westfield Projects. It wasn’t in the best of neighborhoods, but I kept my shit tight, and the homies looked out for me while I did the same for them.
Jordin wanted me to continue my education and go to college with her, but I had moved up in the streets, and the streets were what provided me with the means to live comfortably.
She never left my side, though, even when I knew she didn’t approve of my lifestyle.
By the age of twenty-one, I was on kingpin status, copped us a luxury apartment in Sterling Heights, bought her a whip, and gave her anything she ever wanted from me.
Her parents and sisters loved me, and I loved her. I kept the hood happy and made moves to ensure I wouldn’t sell drugs forever because even when she didn’t say it, I knew Jordin worried.
That night that fuck nigga tried to rob her was the night I regretted not listening to her when she asked me to stop. The very thought of someone bringing her harm made me blackout, and I made a bad decision that took me away from her prematurely. Now, I had plans to do all I could to get her to fall in love with me all over again.
“Good morning.” The sweet voice behind me caused me to smile, and I turned to greet her.
She had on one of my shirts and pajama pants that swallowed her slim-thick frame. Her morning face was fresh and looked even more beautiful in the daylight.
“Good morning, beautiful. Did you sleep good?” I asked. I stood and pulled her into my arms, dropping a kiss on her lips.
“I did. I see you ordered a chef. I could have made us breakfast.”
“Nah. We’re relaxing this week. I’m a free man and have the love of my life here with me. No interruptions and no manual labor.”
“I have to call my parents, Zi. I know they’re worried.”
“Why would they be worried? They know who you’re with.”
She tittered lightly. “You know damn well how Jasmine and Carlos are. Even at my big age, they want me to check in.”
I smiled. “You’re right.”
“I’ll call them after breakfast.”
“It should be done in a minute.” I guided her to the table, pulled out her chair, and took a seat beside her. Al brought out a tray with mimosas and fruit, setting it in front of us.
“So what are the plans for today?” she asked.
“I thought we’d do a little bit of shopping and probably go sightseeing.”
“That sounds fun. What made you choose to whisk me off to a private island?”
“I knew when I made the decision to crash the bullshit wedding, it was going to be a little chaotic. So, before I even left that house, I made arrangements to take you where you always wanted to go so we could start over.”