Chapter 3

Rolling over to the sound of his phone, Jay groaned at the sun peeking through the floor-to-ceiling windows that he insisted on keeping uncovered. It was bright as hell and too early for his phone to be ringing.

"Yea?" he answered, crossing his free arm over his eyes.

"Son." Big Pete's hearty voice came through. "Early bird catches the worm. Why you still sleep? Don't shit come to sleepers but dreams."

"Man." Jay drug the word and rolled back over after he put the phone on speaker. "What time is it?"

"Six in the morning and time for you to get your light-skinned ass up."

Six in Alabama meant it was seven in Sapphire City. There was an hour time difference— and too damn early. "I look just like you, but what's up? What you need, Big Pete?"

All of Pete's kids called him by his name, apart from his only daughter. His baby girl had him wrapped around her finger and won him over every time she called him daddy. His two boys were dead set on simply calling him Big Pete and he was okay with that. He hadn't been the best father to either of his boys, so he never pressed them about tradition.

"Damn, nigga, I can't just call to check in on my baby boy?"

"Not when it"s seven in the morning."

Pete laughed at that. "Shit, I'm up, on my way to work, and wanted to shoot the shit with you. You ain"t been home in a while and your sister has been running herself ragged, jumping from her house to yours. I think you need to come check in on things and relieve her."

"I just talked to her the other day. Meechie ain't say shit about being tired of going to my house. Shit, I pay her good." Jay was confused by his father's claims.

He spoke with his sister at least once a day and she didn't sound tired, like she was being spread too thin. At only twenty-one, Jay was sure she didn't have many responsibilities. She still lived with her mother, and as far as he knew, she wasn't required to pay any bills.

As the only child to an only child, Jay inherited seventy acres of land from his granny on his mother's side and fifteen acres from his mother's father. The plots were both situated in his home state of Alabama. The fifteen acres he used to lease out to local farmers while the seventy acres had a grand, plantation-style home he'd recently renovated, adding a large privacy gate around it to hide his illegal marijuana farm.

Jay paid his baby sister to look after his home while he was in Sapphire City and she was a beast with the weed plants.

"Boy, just plan a trip to come down here to see 'bout your family. I heard about your breakup and want to lay my eyes on you. Your brother and sister miss you too," Pete finally confessed, pulling a laugh from his son.

Finally, Jay sat up since he was forced to get his day started earlier than he wanted. It was good his father called him since he needed to have someone tow Candi's car to the shop to get four new tires. "You could've just said that from the jump, Big Pete. As far as my breakup and shit, I'm good."

"You sure? 'Cause I know how much you loved that girl. I ain"t ever get to meet her, but I heard the syrup in your voice. You were sweet on Luna."

Running his hand down his face, Jay couldn't agree more. He was ready to be all in with Luna—he had proposed and was planning on filling her with his kids. Within the blink of an eye, it was all gone as if it was just a figment of his imagination. It still took some getting used to, but every day, his heart healed more and more.

"I promise fo' God, I'm good. Shit, I'm already interviewing a prospect." Jay thought about Candi. She was pretty and seemed to have a decent head on her shoulders, and he wanted to get to know her more.

"Just like your daddy. We some suckers for love." Heartbreak never lasted long for Big Pete. Before his heart healed from the last relationship, he was already falling for the next. "Jayshun?"

"Yea?"

"You know that girl still 'round here putting that baby on you. You sure there ain"t no chance it"s yours?" Big Pete inquired; the playful banter was gone.

There was no doubt in his mind that Nobi's baby wasn't his. After his split from Luna, he convinced her to drive to Sapphire City, where he gave her all the dick she could handle for a weekend. Throughout their time together, he made sure to use condoms and knew it was still intact every time he went to discard them. Jay was so certain the baby wasn't his that he didn't even pretend to assist financially. He was willing to bet his life on it. It pissed him off that she kept feeding his family the lie just to get things from them. They were good people, so most of them didn't hesitate to give her money and buy baby stuff as they waited for the arrival of the baby. It was absurd and he wanted to wring Nobi's neck every time someone brought her up.

Clearing his throat, Pete expressed his concerns before leaving the subject alone. "Maybe you don't need to be a hopeless romantic like your old man." The thought of his son creating babies with multiple women didn't sit right with him. It was what he had done. Three kids by three different women. Women he claimed to have loved when, in reality, he didn't. Big Pete confused love with lust, and he prayed the apple fell so far from the tree when it came to his children.

The truth was the truth, and all Jay could do was agree. They joked on the phone a little longer before Big Pete pulled up to his job. With promises of Jay visiting soon, they ended their morning banter. I love yous weren't exchanged because they knew they loved one another.

Jay finally lifted out of bed to get his day started. Besides getting Candi's car looked at, he needed to get a haircut, check on his workers, do a little shopping, and pick his mama up so she could get her car from the body shop.

It seemed Big Pete calling him so early in the morning was just what he needed.

"Yea,it's over on Duffy, parked at the old Title place." Jay's phone rested on his ear as the clippers buzzed in his ear.

He was in the shop and it was buzzing with people trying to get right for the weekend. Sapphire City wasn't booming with daily events, but on the first weekend of the summer, everyone went to the park and hung out. During the day, families had picnics and fired up the stationary grills. When the sun set, the grown-ups pulled up in their best clothes and cleanest cars to see what they could see.

"Yea, just do what you need to do and send me the bill," he said before hanging up the phone to respect his barber's time.

Mack had been cutting his hair since he moved to Sapphire City as a young and wild thirteen-year-old. "Little nigga come up in here conducting business, reminding me he ain't a little grasshopper anymore." Mack chuckled.

A sly smirk danced on Jay's face. Most people who had watched him grow up didn't come to the conclusion that he had aged until they got to witness him handling business. As a teen, he was well-mannered and respectful.

Any little thing Jay could do to make money, he was with it. He was a little man who pulled on the hearts of all those who got to experience him. Jolene had done a beautiful job of raising him. Big Pete played a part too. A small role but significant.

His mama didn't come from money so he was always looking for ways to help out. Jolene's family had land, but without the knowledge of turning it into a profit, they struggled when it came to money. All that changed when Jay figured out how to grow a hemp plant when he was about fifteen.

"You know me, Mack." Jay spread his arms, emphasizing who he was.

"You hear this shit, Bull?" Mack looked over to his colleague.

Bull had been cutting hair in the small shop just as long as Mack. "I hear his ass. You weren't all that when that girl left yo' ass at the altar," he exaggerated, knowing Luna and Jay never made it to the altar.

Laughter filled the shop. Everyone who knew Jay had heard about his ex running off with the man of her dreams. Today seemed like the day everyone wanted to bring up his failed relationship, which he wasn't too fond of. It had been over a year and the masses still wanted to pick his brain on how he fumbled a Grammy winner like Luna. They didn't understand that the loss had been hers. Jay wasn't cocky in a mean or nasty way—he was sure of himself. He had been raised right and any woman who could hold the amount of love he had to give would be deemed lucky.

"Y'all on one today, ain"t it?" He shook his head at the chatter that filled the shop at his expense.

"I'm just saying, my boy. How you let a woman like that slip through your fingers?" the guy in Bull's chair asked. He looked to be about the same age as Jay, but not as fly. Jay knew that to be true because a nigga on the same level as him wouldn't even ask no shit like that.

Kissing his teeth, Jay didn't want to respond but loved any opportunity to school a man on matters of the heart. "First, you don't know me to be speaking on me or questioning me. Don't let the actions of my OGs misconstrue your perception of the type of man I am. But I'm in a good mood, so I won't do you how I normally do niggas that forget to mind their own fuckin' business." Jay winced a little when Mack wiped his lineup with astringent before he stood and wiped his shirt off. "To answer your question, I ain't let shit slip through my fingers. She wasn't made for me. Niggas gotta know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. I got what I needed to get from that situation and now I'm moving on. Ain't no love lost and I damn sure ain't crying 'bout it. Now, before I leave, I'll leave you with this little piece of advice. When someone is for you, nothing on earth could keep y'all apart."

Jay slapped hands with Bull and Mack once he'd paid his tab. "Y'all be easy, and remember, never mind another nigga's business," he directed at the man who could only sit there with a dumb look on his face.

As confident as he'd always been, Jay walked out with his shoulders squared and his head held high. It was strange to him how people were so wrapped up in his past relationship. He understood the fascination with it since Luna was an award-winning singer and songwriter who had been secretly married to a two-time Super Bowl winner. From the outside looking in, he was the one who missed out on something special just based on what people knew to be in her bank account. What they didn't understand was, he was a self-made man with his own money. Of course, Luna knew that, but people outside of his family and friend group had no idea what he was worth. It could stay that way for all he cared.

The day was bright and beautiful, adding to his already blossoming mood. Since he'd inhaled Candi's sultry scent, she'd been on his mind heavy. Jay wasn't pressed to push up on her but knew if he had it his way, she'd at least take the time to get to know him. Whether she wanted to give him the time of day or not, he was going to be a stand-up guy and get her tire fixed. Jolene had raised him that way.

Trekking forward, a familiar face, out of the corner of his eye, got his attention. Honey-hued skin and a short pixie cut never looked better on anyone. Solar rolled her neck and shifted the weight of her body while she spoke to the Hispanic guy who seemed to be clueless as to what she was saying.

Jay pivoted to cross the street. They were in downtown Sapphire City and not far from his house. If he wanted to, he could walk to the barbershop. Cars honked as he dashed through them while keeping his eyes on the man because his hands had gone up in the air.

"I know you understand me, nigga!" Solar fussed.

Jay walked up, looking between the two of them. "What"s up, Solar?"

Seeing it was Jay, she smiled. "Hey, Jay," she greeted, reaching in for a hug. She liked him. He had done right by her sister, Luna. "This man pretending he doesn't understand me. Something is wrong with the toilet and the landlord sent his ass out here the other day to fix it. I come in today and the toilet still doesn't flush, so I called his ass back out here."

Jay looked at the red man. Before he could say anything, the plumber had his hands in the air.

"I fix it now, my friend. Okay?" His broken English would've been funny, had he not just tried to play with Solar.

Her mouth hung open. "I know this man ain't talking English? Wow!" She nodded as she ran her fingers through her short hair, which had started to sweat from standing in the sweltering heat.

The man smirked. "I go get started, okay, my friend?" His eyes went to Jay for permission to walk away. When it was granted, the short, stubby man shuffled back into the warehouse space Solar used to house some of her inventory.

She was in the process of moving to a bigger building in Emerald City but hadn't officially done so. At just twenty years old, she was a boss and was rich off hair. Her journey had been a tough one because of her questionable choices, but she was better now, bossed up with two kids and a man who loved her to the moon.

"If I would've known he would get some act right when a man was around, I would've called French." Solar laughed.

"Shit, you should've done that, anyway. I don't know why women be trying to handle shit when they got a man," Jay teased her. Her big sister Luna had been the same way when she belonged to him. Just from her social media pages, he could tell she'd let that independent, self-sufficient woman bullshit go.

Pursing her lips together, Solar rolled her eyes. "I haven't seen you in a while. You look good though. How you been?"

"I've been around." His eyes veered down the sidewalk before they landed back on Solar. "Just out here living and shit. What about yourself?"

"I can't complain. Um…" Solar chewed her lip, searching for the right words. "You, uh… You seen Drew?"

His eyes doubled in size. The last thing he expected to come out of her mouth was questions about Drew. That was a touchy situation, and he knew her nigga wouldn't take too kindly to her asking about another man. "Don't even do that, Solar. If you good, be good, and don't worry about shit your nigga already took care of."

"You right." She looked at the ground, ashamed.

He tilted her head up with his index finger. "Don't do that. You good and we all have a shift in judgment. Yours is safe with me."

"That's why I always liked you, Jay," Solar jested like she usually did.

He had to admit, he did miss the wild and crazy family. He'd watched Solar grow up and was so proud of how she pushed through. He was proud of all of them, especially his Luna—well, Javen's Luna now. That realization panged his heart. The happy glow in his eyes turned sad. Solar saw it.

"Hey, you know she did love you, right?" Solar's fun and animated tone switched to a serious one.

Forcing a smile on his face, Jay said, "It don't matter no more, ain't it? You be easy though, Solar, and tell everybody I said what's up." He turned to fight his way back across the street to his car.

"Luna too?" she called out.

"Stop being messy, but especially her!" he yelled back, picking up his pace when a car came down the street, going a little too fast.

Solar cupped her hands around her mouth to push her voice across the semi-busy street. "I'm gon' tell her you was looking good and smelling good too."

Jay laughed at that before dipping into his car. His head hit the headrest and his eyes closed. He was completely over Luna, but he'd never pretend that he didn't sometimes miss her. His time with Luna showed him what he wanted. Having someone to come home to, someone to listen to, someone to give love and receive love—he missed all that. So much so, that he was ready to find his person. Jay had a big heart and felt someone somewhere deserved to experience love in its massive state because his shit was massive.

Everything about him was massive.

Full pockets.

Full heart.

Full, thick dick.

He was ready to fill someone up the best way he knew how.

His phone vibrating caught his attention. It was a text from his mechanic letting him know Candi's car was ready. He responded with her address and told them to just drop it off to her.

Finally cranking his car up, he pulled off into traffic with thoughts of her on his mind. Something told him she was the one. Only time would tell though.