Page 97 of Kissed By the Trillest Thug 2

“You made your choice.”

I just have to make mine.

TRIGGA

The Brownes’ backyard looked like something straight out of a magazine. Cream, tan, and white balloons framed the back patio while oversized teddy bears sat in every corner of the yard. A wooden sign near the dessert table read: We Can Bearly Wait. Everything matched. Even the guests. Everybody had shown up dressed in white just like Mrs. Browne had asked.

Music floated through the backyard while kids darted between the tables, laughing and chasing one another with little plastic bubbles. I smiled to myself. This was nice, real nice. It wasn’t over the top, and it wasn’t trying to impress anybody. It was simply a family coming together to celebrate the newest addition before anybody else in the backyard even knew whether Baby Browne was a little boy or a little girl. For a moment, I just stood there taking it all in. Maliah slipped her fingers between mine as we walked farther into the backyard.

“You made it.”

I looked down at her.

“You invited me,” I said with a smile.

She bumped my shoulder with hers playfully.

“I wouldn’t have missed it,” I added.

She smiled before Maylee came rushing over and immediately pulled her away to show her something on one of the gift tables. I laughed to myself and let my eyes wander around the yard. Sha stood near the grill with a drink in his hand, laughing at something his wife had just said before she playfully nudged him with her shoulder.

Their kids were running circles around the backyard with the rest of the little ones, completely ignoring every adult who told them to slow down. Then the sliding doors that led to the backyard opened. A brown-skinned man with tattoos stepped through first. He was holding the door open for the dark-skinned woman with striking green eyes who now walked beside him. Before I could wonder who they were, Mr. Browne spotted them.

“Nigga you said you couldn’t come to the States,” he said with a bright smile.

The man grinned.

“You know I be lying and shit,” he said as they embraced each other.

Everybody around them laughed. Suddenly, Maliah found her way back to my side.

“That’s my Uncle Ty and my aunt Toya. They live in the Dominican Republic,” she said in a whisper.

Watching them joke around should’ve made me smile. It was a moment of what seemed to be brothers being reunited. Yet my chest tightened. I couldn’t stop thinking about Ghost.

About all the years we’d called each other brothers without knowing we actually were. The memories are different now. Every single one of them.

“You good?”

Maliah’s voice pulled me back. I looked at her before forcing a small smile.

“Yeah.”

She studied me for a second like she knew I was lying, then she gently squeezed my hand. I squeezed it back. But my eyes drifted toward Mr. Browne and her Uncle Ty again. Watching them laugh together only reminded me of one thing. Some brothers spent their whole lives knowing exactly who they were to each other. Ghost and I never had that luxury. I felt Maliahgently squeezing my hand again before I could drift any deeper into my own head.

“Tahari.”

I blinked.

“Hm?”

“They’re about to do the reveal.”

I looked up.

Her parents were standing together in front of a large black cauldron sitting on a wooden stand in the middle of the backyard. Everybody slowly gathered around them. Phones were already in the air, ready to record. Maylee bounced excitedly beside her parents while MJ stood off to the side with the biggest grin on his face.

“Aight, everybody,” Mr. Browne called, rubbing his hands together. “Y’all ready?”