“Bruh, what?” he griped, sitting up straight. “Getting married for what? Lo it’s too many hoes out here for you to be locking yourself down. No, bruh, don’t do it.”
“I think this is a wonderful thing to do,” Maddy gushed with her hands on her cheeks. “I’ve prayed for you to find a woman who you can trust and grow old with. Who is she?”
Lo smirked. “I don’t know her.”
“See.” Durand flailed his arms. “This nigga just doing anything.”
“Boy, getting married ain’t just doing anything,” Maddy fussed. “Now getting married and not knowing your wife is pure insanity. Can I ask you why you don’t know her yet?”
“Her pops is trying to get into The Mob. The only way in is through marriage or a buy-in. He chose to give me his daughter’s hand in marriage, so yeah.” Lo rubbed his beard. “I’m ‘bout to be a husband.”
“This don’t make no sense,” Durand hissed, shaking his head. “What if she’s ugly or her teeth fucked up? What if she’s heartless like you?” He tipped his head back and chortled.
“Fuck you, bitch!”
Maddy’s eyes seared into Lo. “If I have to tell your ass one more time about that cussin’, this house shoe gon’ be across your head.”
“Nah, Mama, let him live. I was provoking him.”
Lo peeled his eyes away from Durand and retreated to his thoughts. Many assumed he was heartless. That fact was true, but he hadn’t always been that way. His heart had been mangled in the past. Compassion, grace, and understanding had fled from Lo’s character years ago. He didn’t even attempt to find them. Instead, he embraced the coldness that was ushered into his life when he was thirteen years old.
“So, you just gon’ meet her at the altar? What kinda bullsh—I mean, what kinda mess is that?” Durand interrogated him.
Lo looked at the time on his phone then answered, “Her pops set up a meeting for us.”
“What if she’s ugly?”
“She’s not.”
Durand twisted his lips. “Man, how you know she ain’t a bussdown?”
“‘Cause I’ve seen her before.”
Maddy’s brows lowered. “Really? Where have you seen her?”
Lo had seen all three of Harvey’s daughters at a New Year’s Eve celebration two years back. He didn’t pay them too much mind, but he was certain that neither of them were ugly. In fact, they were beautiful and the woman he was set to marry was the best looking of them all.
“I saw her at a party, but I don’t feel like getting into that. Her pops told me he wanna throw a wedding so, y’all should be there.”
“Wait, where is it going to be?” Maddy asked.
Lo shrugged, prompting her to laugh.
“How are you getting married and don’t know a damn thing? You know not to come to me giving me half the information.”
Lo smirked at her. “I got you when I get the details.”
Durand rubbed his hands together. “I know I’m the best man, right?”
Shaking his head, Lo confirmed, “Over my brothers? Yeah, right.”
The smile Durand possessed thawed off his lips. “But I’m your brother, too. Why wasn’t I a candidate?”
“You are like a brother to me, but I wouldn’t put you over my actual brothers, especially my twin.”
Durand smacked his lips before shaking his head. There was this tensed animosity between Durand and Meco that Lo hated being in the middle of. They were both important people to him. His bond with each man was sacred. Like a blood in, blood out type of deal but if he had to choose between the two, Meco would always prevail.
“Real talk, me and you closer than you and Meco. I should’ve been the best man.”
