Our search for a new house in Baton Rouge didn’t take long. Lula and Dillon had a long list of expectations for the agent, and only five houses in the entire county fit the bill.
Nova didn’t like one of the houses, claiming it had bad mojo. I suspected the place reminded her of our second stepfather’s home.
Another house was structured wrong for our family, with the girls’ rooms set up far from where Nova would be. The third house was a possibility, but it would be tighter than we might like without building out. The fourth house was sized right, and the layout worked, but it needed updates.
“I can do them,” Nova insisted.
Lula sensed my unease with my sister taking on another big project. Before I could say anything, she spoke up to remind Nova, “But we’ll mostly visit Baton Rouge for weekends and holidays. You won’t have time to fix up the house if you’re building a new life in Little Memphis. I think finding something more move-in-ready would be best.”
“But I don’t want a house that feels like it belongs to someone else.”
“That’s what paint colors and décor are for,” Lula replied and smiled warmly at my pouty sister. “Plus, the yard will need our personality. Those are things you can do during our visits to Baton Rouge without feeling overwhelmed.”
We settled on the fifth house, an updated place with six bedrooms and an in-law suite for when Lula’s parents or siblings visited. The four-car garage offered room for everyone’s vehicles, and the fenced, landscaped yard offered plenty of space and privacy for the kids and dogs. There was even a gated pool.
Lula and Nova worked together to give the house and yard their personal touches. The girls decorated their shared bedroom pink and filled it with their many toys. Dillon’s bedroom was an upstairs attic-style suite, where she could study and enjoy quiet from Skylar and Lyric.
As much as we loved the Baton Rouge house, I preferred staying at Lula’s slick house in Little Memphis. The Sleepy Eye Community was filled with people I trusted. If I were away from home in Baton Rouge, I would find myself worrying about Lula, Nova, and the girls. If I were away from home in Little Memphis, I knew my people were safe.
That first month was wild, leaving me torn between my growing family and the loyalty I felt to the Black Rainbow. I struggled to keep in touch using video calls and texts. Zodiac preferred to talk on the phone rather than texting, but then lost interest in conversations halfway through his point and hung up.
By early summer, we spent more time in Baton Rouge while Dillon was out of school. Lula worked on getting her license in Louisiana so she could assist the Black Rainbow with legal issues. Nova painted a spare room near the one I shared with Lula.
“This room will be a perfect nursery for that little baby you’re bound to make with all your bedroom time,” Nova said, choosing a soft blue color. “I dreamed you would have a boy with a giant head. I’m sure that monster noggin thing was just weird dream stuff, but the boy part felt right.”
Back in Little Memphis, Nova attended her first party at the Sorority House, where so many of the female Crimson Guard members called home.
Though watching a stoned Nova awkwardly flirt with Rock nearly drove me to madness, I was happy my sister was making friends. Besides, the Crimson Guard’s VP made clear to me that he wasn’t interested in Nova.
“I like to fuck women and then never talk to them again,” Rock announced, winning eye rolls from Sabrina and her girlfriends. “Your sister isn’t the kind of woman I can ghost, so I will refrain from acknowledging her flirting.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, Rock,” Sabrina muttered. “Nova was flirting with Rowdy before you. She also tried to hump me at one point. I think that girl’s just horny.”
When I frowned darkly at the laughing women, Vanessa said sympathetically, “We’ll buy your sister a supercharged vibrator, so she’ll stop flinging her hot body at guys and foxes so much.”
With my sister settling into her new life, I decided to make a big move and propose to Lula. Dillon helped me pick the engagement ring. Having seen the peanut shells given to Bebe and Lula when Pax proposed, I bought Dillon a ring similar to Lula’s.
“You’re going to be my daughter,” I said as the jeweler showed her the ring. “You might notneedtwo dads, but you’regettingtwo dads.”
Dillon hugged me and held on. Every once in a while, she would simply grip me as if only I could save her from the danger.
For my proposal, I took Lula to the Japanese steakhouse where we had our first date. She looked gorgeous as usual, wearing a red blouse and black slacks. Her eyes literally glowed when I opened the ring box and asked her to be my wife.
Her answer was never in doubt, yet I felt tremendous relief when she said yes. Our situation had felt precarious since we met. I still suffered fears of losing her.
After dinner, we headed to her parents’ house to share the news. Pax looked over Lula and Dillon’s matching rings and shrugged.
“Not as nice as peanut shells, but it’ll do,” Pax said while a teary-eyed Lula hugged him.
I shared a smile with Lula’s dad. We were still getting to know each other. He’d brought me to the batting cages to talk business and babies.
“Bebe wants more grandkids,” he said after swinging his bat and making contact. “Preferably, a grandson. Then, I’ll have one of each while Ford just has his weird, genius grandson.”
Pax and Bebe’s desire for another grandchild hit another level after a Sunday party at Ford and Shay’s house.
Skylar and Lyric were following the four dogs—Xena, Ramen, Clint’s dog Hanzee, and Elle’s dog Hobbs—around the yard. Dillon and Sutter were reading on their phones while Jenan and Elijah played games on theirs.
Pax and Ford drank beers on the deck steps. Their wives were inside talking about people they didn’t like.
