She would wave at him, rings sparkling on each of her dainty fingers as she drove down the block. She had been young, too young, and Ahmeek knew Ethic was sending trespassers to early graves behind Morgan Atkins, so he kept it respectful because he knew hood niggas weren’t fitting for the likes of her. She was a goddess, and Ahmeek was merely a mortal, so he never made his move. Never took his shot. Then he watched Messiah sweep Morgan off her feet. He witnessed him give the least to earn the most of her, and he couldn’t do anything but suffer through it because Messiah had approached her first. When he had seen the intensity that they shared, Ahmeek knew that Messiah needed Morgan in his life. Whatever he had felt no longer mattered. Everything he saw in her, the things he admired, the ways she made him feel were null and void once Messiah claimed her for himself.

Then tragedy transformed all of their lives. Death—or what they had thought had been such—made them appreciate the borrowed breaths that God had given them. When Morgan and Ahmeek had crossed paths again, this time, he couldn’t let her pass him by. This time, he allowed her to sneak past his stoic nature, she peeled back all his layers, and now he was exposed, and it hurt like a motherfucker. Morgan gave love like a river flowed. Strong and loud. Snaking through the caverns of his soul, pouring into his heart, submerging him in a feeling so good that he couldn’t let go. Even when they weren’t speaking, she spoke to him. Her face was always in his head. Mind occupied. Heart occupied. Taken. A girl who no one possessed somehow had established residency in his life. He couldn’t be mad at Morgan for wanting her family to work. He loved her enough to know she deserved whatever her heart desired. He wanted her happy, even if it meant he didn’t come out of their experience the same. He didn’t realize where he was until he parked the car. Messiah’s place. The place he thought was low-key, but Ahmeek had known where to find him all along. He and Messiah had been many things to each other over the years—at the moment, they were enemies—but beyond it all they were brothers. Despite the rift in their bond, Ahmeek felt obligated to pull up on Messiah. He knew the emotional challenges that Messiah had. Knowing he now had two children had to be taking an emotional toll on him. Ahmeek was aware that he was the last person Messiah would want to see, yet still, he stepped out of the car.