Chapter Three

"You got that everything that I want. You got that everything that I need." – Lyrica Anderson

Jazmine loved her grandmother.

She loved her cooking, her love of all things game shows, her funny facial expressions when something puzzled her, her love of the British Royal Family, her catalogue magazine ordered outfits that spent more time in the cleaners than they did on her body.

But she needed to get out of this house.

"I'm headed to the store," Jazmine headed towards the couch where Lydia was sitting, "Figured I would actually get some salad mix in this house. All of those carbs can not be healthy for either of us."

"Girl, please," Lydia waved her tiny, wrinkled arm, not able to hide her faint smile, "I've been maintaining this figure for years, honey," She got up and whirled around. You need a little meat on those slender bones!"

"Uh huh," Jazmine laughed, "Sure. I have some greens, some smoked turkey-"

"Girl if you don't get some ham hocks!"

"Smoked turkey is pushing it," Jazmine narrowed her eyes, "You keep it up and I'll be using some low sodium turkey bacon in those greens."

"You young thangs just swear that kinda cooking is bad," Lydia shook her head, "Well it kept me and mine fed for a long time."

"Turkey baconnnn," Jazmine took out her pen and pretended to write the item into the list she was still carrying, "Low sodium."

"And pick up my vitamins too," Lydia snapped as the thought came to her, "I'm starting to run low."

"Vitamins," Jazmine scrawled it in before tapping the pen to the paper and grabbing her keys, "Anything else?"

"Girl, go ahead," Lydia playfully rolled her eyes, "Interrupting my shows."

She didn't have to tell Jazmine twice.

"Okay, grammy," She waved eagerly before heading to the front door and leaping into her car.

Freedom.

How the mighty had fallen. Almost a decade ago, she totally would have ditched her grandmother to find the nearest bar. Now, she was excited to go to the grocery store for about an hour. See how Oklahoma grocery stores compared to the ones in California.

Okay, maybe not so much that last part.

Aging did that sort of thing.

"Jazmine!" A familiar voice made her look over from the exterior of her grandmother's house and two doors down.

"Cairo?" Jazmine raised a brow, "Didn't your stand-in daddy warn you about talking to me?" She teased him before leaning back to admire his tall, lean form in the daylight. His V-neck top allowed her to glance over at the veins coming out of his beautifully sculpted wrists, "Aren't you all a little old to have that sort of dynamic?"

"Aren't you too old to be living in house with your grandmother?" Cairo retorted as he yanked his shirt down and slightly leaned away from Jazmine's vehicle. His eyes looking down at her in a way that made Jazmine suddenly feel smaller than she thought possible.

Ouch.

"You're right," Jazmine looked up at Cairo, suddenly more irritated with the smug look on his face than she should have been. It felt so familiar to the vibe that she had been trying to get away from, "It's just that you don't really strike me as somebody who," She fidgeted when that same look only worsened. The frown etching even deeper into his face, "Never mind. I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm sorry."

He nodded again as if satisfied with her response.

"So where you headed?" He leaned forward, his elbows directly on top of the rolled down window, "The grocery store?"

"What makes you think I'm headed to the grocery store?" Jazmine gave him a quick glance of her own before sighing. It's not like there were so many other places to be this early in the morning, "And why do you want to know?"

"Well," Cairo glanced down at her, "I have to go there myself," He looked the opposite direction to the left, "We have a youth outreach program at the ranch, and it's my turn to pick the goods for the children. I was wondering if you would be to set against riding with me."

She wasn't really sure about him.

"Seriously, Jazmine," Cairo casually raised his right hand and placed it behind his head, causing his bicep to put on a show of its own, "It's not too far down the way, and I'll give you a tour of the town," He suddenly gave her a puppy dog face, "Cmon, I don't bite unless you ask."

"Lay off the flirting, and I'm in," Jazmine snatched her keys out of the ignition, and stood next to Cairo, hardening her stance and making it a point to become a stone unmoved. Her green eyes focused on his light brown ones, hardened and serious.

"Alright, damn," Cairo grumbled before heading towards the house not too far from her grandmother's, "Come on woman. Acting like somebody's momma already. You'll fit right in around here."

Jazmine smirked behind him as she relished in the feel of the sun on her skin.

It felt good to be home.

Michael Caesar smirked at the sudden surge of energy running through his best friend. As they had made their way through all of the livestock areas, he had fed and watered them in record time, repaired the fences that the cows seemed to have destroyed, inspected and cleaned the equipment, and updated the inventory records in all five warehouses.

All before noon.

He watched on, half horrified, and half amazed, as his friend took a small sip of water before calling one of the Border Collies, Sheryl Lee, to come and herd the cattle. The brown and white dog was happy to be acknowledged. Her tail wagging furiously as she shot from literally one mile over towards the sound of Huey's voice,

"Sheryl," He yelled as the dog found a quick detour, chasing some wandering geese near, "Sheryl come on. We've got work to do!"

Sheryl Lee Freeman ignored his calls. Clearly happy to get out and roam free, she instead began to chase her tail, barking and roaming the very sniffable grass. Anything, to avoid Huey Freeman's clear agenda to put her to work.

Smart dog.

"You know what you have to do," Caesar shot him a glance, squaring his hips, and nodding.

"Man, hell nah," Huey rolled his eyes, "She knows who I'm talking to," He cupped his hands over his lips and aclled her again, "Sheryl!"

"Say her name, Huey!" Caesar gave him a smirk, "Say it!"

"No!"

"Say her nameee," Caesar prodded again.

"Alright, shit," Huey whistled, causing the dog's ears to rise and her body to pause, "Sheryl Lee, come here!"

The dog stopped what she was doing immediately, hopped over the gate, and headed straight towards Huey toward the field of cattle. Happily trotting beside both men before hopping over and gathering the cattle and herding them to the grazing field.

"You know you have to call her name, Huey," Caesar chuckled as they both watched Sheryl from afar, "Why'd your Aunt Cookie name her that?"

"Man, she's crazy," Huey snorted before taking a sip of water, "She loves Sheryl Lee Ralph and swore that she was actually supposed to be in Dreamgirls with her instead of Jennifer Holliday."

"That's probably true," Caesar cut in before both men laughed.

"So," Caesar continued. The air shifting from playful to serious, "Jazmine…"

"What about her?" Huey turned around, staring at his friend before continuing, "I think that she's a recovering spoiled brat who came down here to lick her wounds, and she's using Lydia to do it."

"Well damn!"

"You asked," Huey got up again before turning his back to watch a few people drive up to the barn, no doubt coming to speak to his aunt, "For what it's worth, I think being here will be good for her."

"You do," Caesar leaned back. Gazing at him.

"Well, yeah," Huey said, "Some people need a place to figure it out," He paused for a long time before taking a look at Caesar, "What did you think of her?"

"She's a gorgeous woman for sure," Caesar watched as Huey nodded in agreement, "I just wonder," He drew his hand to a chin, "I wonder how long she's gonna stick around."

"Why?" Huey retorted in a tone much harsher than he intended. The growl in his voice sending tremors through Caesar's own spine. He hadn't seen this side of Huey since they were teenagers. When they'd both had crushes on the same girl. Back when things were much simpler than they were now.

"Relax," Caesar shot him a warning glance, "Some of us have actually touched a woman in the last decade," He turned back to the cattle before continuing, "I'm just saying. Maybe she'll miss California. Maybe she'll head back to Woodcrest. Or to live in the actual city of Chicago."

Huey stayed silent, but Caesar could tell that he was realizing that the thought of her leaving bothered him.

"I'm just saying," Caesar wagged an eyebrow at his friend, "Don't wait until it's too late," He patted him on the shoulder, "Because Cairo ain't waiting for shit."

As if on cue, they both turned and watched as Cairo slowly extended his hand to Jazmine. Her long hair out and wild, in her jeans and t-shirt and cowboy boots, she threw her own head back and laughed. She looked happy. Like she'd been here with them from the beginning.

"You're not going to break her, man," Caesar said. Their eyes watching as Jazmine and Cairo settled into the seat of a tractor. She was very comfortable. Nuzzling her face into the crook of their friend's neck.

Cairo whispered something to her, and she nodded, wrapping her arms around his waist before they drove off in the opposite direction.

"I know but," Huey nodded and then as if rejecting his initial thought, shook his head, "Let's get to wo-"

They looked on as Cairo was pushing the small tractor like it was a racecar. He was coming close to the curve, and they knew instantly what would happen if he kept going,

"They're going to flip," Caesar realized, turning to Huey, who had already hopped on his horse speeding towards them.

"Aghhhhhhh," Jazmine screamed in horror as she found herself being lifted from the seat and into the air, "Get off! What the hell is wrong with –"

"Cairo, jump!" Huey commanded as he gently set Jazmine atop the black and white horse. Cairo fell and rolled away just in time before the machine toppled over, barely missing him.

"What were you two idiots thinking?" Huey hopped off the horse and rushed toward Cairo his stance wide and strong, "You could've killed her! You are too old for this."

Cairo looked back and forth from Huey to Jazmine and back to Huey before breaking into a dark chuckle of his own, "Oh, I see."

"See what?" Huey spat back as Cairo just shook his head.

"You want her all to yourself," Cairo folded his arms, "And because I didn't ask for your permission, now you have to put on this whole knight in shining armor act," He narrowed his eyes, "Huey Freeman, King of Us All, wants to protect little grown ass Jazmine from big, bad, grown ass Cairo until he can get the balls to talk to her without insulting her background."

"Man, shut up," Huey snapped back. His tone growing impatient, "This isn't about your womanizing ways," He gestured towards a visibly flustered Jazmine, who was, surprisingly, sitting on the horse quite comfortably, adding to his frustration, "This is about you putting people in danger to make yourself seem larger than what you are!"

Cairo must have noticed, "Oh yeah," He cocked his head back, his eyes darting in between them, "Because I'm the bad guy," His eyes darted over to Caesar and then back to Jazmine, "Y'know how would she feel if she knew what kind of person you really are?"

Whoa.

Jazmine looked up. Huey looked as if he had seen a ghost.

"Cairo," She finally spoke. Her calm voice trying to get his attention, "It's fine. Really. He was just worried about us. I don't think he means any harm-"

"Stay out of it," He snapped coldly, causing Jazmine to fall silent, "You haven't seen how he gets. I've dealt with this shit for twenty years," Cairo took his hands out of his pockets before circling around Huey, "And I've seen what happens to the people who love Huey-"

"Cairo, stop," Jazmine didn't like where this was headed at all. She didn't have to know either man to know that this argument was on the verge of exploding into something that neither one of them could come back from.

"Well, let's see," Cairo folded his hands, "Your Granddad, who you never see, what did he get from taking you in," Cairo outstretched his palm and tapped one of his fingers, "He got a major hospital bill because your younger brother got shot,"

"Cairo-"

"And another bill because he had to go to court," Cairo was turning red, "Court, Huey! He'd just had to go to court to testify after what happened with your parents," Cairo slammed his finger into Huey's chest, obviously relishing in the fact that he was succeeding in making him feel so small, "And you wanna make fun of her for being from Woodcrest, just because your dumbass ran from it! Not to mention your Granddad almost lost the house after paying the legal fees."

Jazmine wasn't sure how much Huey could take. She definitely didn't want to physically put herself between them, but if it came to that, she absolutely would. She didn't want them to fight each other. Even if whatever beef they had obviously spanned over a time period that was long before she arrived.

"Huey wants to hotwire a car to go to Chicago," Cairo spat angrily, "We do it, 'Yeah, Huey', 'We gotchu Huey', 'Of course Huey'" He shoved Huey, hard, "Huey wants to evade the police, "We fucking do it,"

"Cairo," Jazmine cautioned, "Please-"

"He needs to hear it," Cairo scoffed, "His brother shot at the police-"

"That wasn't my call, and you know it," Huey slammed his hands outwards, roughly shoving Cairo back.

"You for damn sure didn't stop him!" Cairo glanced at Huey who was staring over at Jazmine, "Oh what? Don't want Sam's granddaughter to see this, Huey? Don't want her to see what he never could?"

"Man, get off me," Huey walked towards Jazmine, who was still slightly frozen, obviously still stuck between intrigue and fear, "She doesn't need this."

"Oh because you know what everybody needs," Cairo let out a menacing laugh, "Tell me again," He slammed his hand on his shoulder and leaned into Huey's ear, saying it loud enough for all three of them to hear, "How's that working out for Caesar? Because last I checked he still hasn't recovered from your little suggestions."

"Man, fuck you!" Huey shook him off, shoving him to the ground before Cairo lifted.

"Stop," Jazmine shook her head, leaping off of Midnight and in between the men, "Guys, seriously, just stop-"

But Cairo couldn't stop, "He damn near killed him, Jaz," He looked at her, "He almost killed Caesar. He and his thieving ass brother got connected to a string of robberies in Chicago," He kept going, "All that goddamn blood, plastered everywhere, all over Chicago. One of the largest cases in history. The only reason that Riley came out fairly decent is because he was only twelve when we got caught-"

"We didn't steal anything," Huey snapped. His eyes bulging out of his head, "We didn't, and you know it! You know what those cops were on when they saw us that night!"

"Cairo," Jazmine reached out for him, "Stop, you're gonna say something that you're going to regret. Just come on. It's not that serious-"

Cairo snatched his arm away from Jazmine as if she were poisonous, "I should've known you'd take his side," He narrowed his eyes at her, speaking in that same smug voice again, "Everybody only cares about him," He got in Huey's face, "But I don't give a shit! It's his fault," His voice wavered, "We never got to go to college, we never went to prom, they tried to give us 3-5 years, they made sure our records were never expunged. We had to leave town."

He took a deep breath, staring at Huey, "That's why he won't say shit," He got in his face again, "Because he knows what he did," He looked back at Jazmine, "He told you to stay away from me, but trust me, he's the real bad guy," He grabbed the key that had fallen on the ground before looking at her, the warning in his eyes clear, "He's decided that he wants you, and we should all just bend to his whim."

"I'm not a trophy, Cairo," Jazmine countered, suddenly annoyed as it dawned on her that she was a small part of why they were fighting,"Neither of you own me."

She was shocked when Cairo, the same funny, sweet guy who had been with her all morning, shot her a cold look.

"Whatever," He bumped her out of his way, "Don't come crying to me when he hurts you," He started back at her, then at Huey, an evil gleam in his eyes, "It's only a matter of time."

Huey didn't say anything for a moment. He just watched as Cairo trudged down the dirt road before grabbing Midnight's reigns.

"Huey-" Jazmine didn't really understand why she felt so compelled to be nice to him, to show him that nothing that Cairo said mattered to her, but it did, "I hope you don't think I'm going to judge you for that. Because I'm not going to. I'm not like that," She found herself grabbing his hands and gazing into his eyes, "I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose."

He suddenly snatched his hands away, not wanting whatever this was. The feeling of her hands on him. Even with a touch as innocent as this was making him feel things he shouldn't. Want things he shouldn't.

"Don't let our attraction to one another confuse you," He pulled away from her and walked down the dirt road.

"Our attraction," Jazmine repeated as she raised a brow, "Attraction! Huey, I just met you. I've never been attracted to you a day in my-"

Huey suddenly grabbed her hand and gingerly pinned her between the gate and his rock-hard abs, his lips just a whisper away.

Fuck.

"You sure about that?" He chuckled before releasing her waist and taking a few steps back, "I'm a man, Jazmine. I know when women want me," He shook his head, "And I respect your grandfather way too much to do anything about it. I promise to be respectful."

"What if," Jazmine mused aloud, "What if a time came where I didn't want you to be?"

Huey let his gaze fall down her neck, to her wonderfully sized breasts, to her thighs, her butt, and the juncture between her legs, and he sighed longingly before responding.

"That won't happen."

She wanted to ask how he could be so sure. She could still smell his scent. Feel his hands. Feel that spark surging within her body. He couldn't just awaken something like that and then walk away.

"He's wrong, Huey," She said quietly as he turned around, no longer looking at her, "You're not to blame for everybody's misery."

He sighed.

If only she were right.

Author's Note:

I know I haven't updated this one in a minute, but I wanted to give a special shoutout to Chels29.

My girl has been commenting on every chapter, and I just couldn't leave her hanging.

Thank you to Juey as well. I spent yesterday engrossed in one of her stories, and I'm excited to start another one when I get the chance.

And to those of you, favoriting my stories, following them, I appreciate you!

I hope you're enjoying it.

Until next time.

-MissAceThankYou