Chapter 12 #2
Three trips, a million boxes, about three hours of bitching from Reminisce, and a few grunts from G, mine and my baby’s things were at Rennix’s place.
I didn’t leave my place empty, because my sister would still be living there, but I grabbed mostly clothes and knickknacks, leaving room for her to decorate as she saw fit.
I also intended to pay half of the rent as long as she needed, because the last thing I wanted was for her to end up in a situation or worse, struggling when she didn’t have to.
I called myself putting things together in Adonis’s room when I got a call from my sister. She was excited about having her own place, and even though my mother wasn’t on board at first, I couldn’t be more thrilled for her while also lecturing her about responsibilities.
“Tell my brother-in-law thank you for paying up the rent for a year.”
“Doing what?” I asked, majorly confused.
“Yes. He paid up the rent for a year. They told me he did when I asked.” She sounded happy and I was trying to figure out just when he had the time to do that between loading trucks and breathing all down my back.
“Wow.”
“He really loves you and I love that for you. You deserve it, even though I know you be giving that man hell.” She laughed into the phone.
“I do not. I’m jus?—”
“Holding on to the fear of being hurt for trauma-based reasons you have yet to let go. I know.” Cylah finished my sentence for me. Sometimes I hated that psychology degree she was getting, because it made her young ass an expert on reading people and situations at certain times.
“Well. Can you blame me? But before you answer that, be aware that I am actually letting go. Can you tell by the way I just allowed him and his brothers to move me out of the house?”
“I can, but something tells me you didn’t have much of a choice. As a matter of fact, not something, the burn marks and my knowledge of him telling you he’d burn this motherfucker down if you didn’t have your shit packed told me.”
I laughed. “He’s gonna get that fixed too.”
She joined in on the laughter just as the doorbell rang. “Anyway, I was just calling to say thank you and make sure you’re settled in. I’ll see you at the pool party.”
“Mhmm. If you show up. Love you, be safe, and don’t get anything on you.”
“Ew! Why would you say that? And I love you too.”
We hung up and I moved toward the door, my house shoes making that sliding noise against the marble floor.
This was something new I’d definitely have to get used to.
My place had carpet in the majority of the house, but this had carpet only in the bedrooms and marble flooring I knew would need to be mopped often in the living and front room.
When I reached the door, I saw it was Rennix’s sister and Beyah. By his door being semi-frosted glass, you could see through it without opening the door.
I opened the door and they were immediately all smiles. Both of them were extremely pleasant the last time I’d seen them, so this time was no different. I led them into the living room where we took a seat on the sofa.
“Well, I brought this to you as a kind of welcome to the family gift.” Jade handed me the basket she walked in with.
I smiled, not knowing exactly what to say.
“Bitch, I didn’t get a basket.” Beyah crossed her arms.
“In my defense, I told you not to date him. But now I’m glad you didn’t listen to me. He’s happy, you’re happy, and I have two adorable little humans who light up my entire world.” She leaned over and pulled Beyah into a side hug.
“Yeah, whatever. I thought that basket was for the baby.”
That immediately made me tilt my head to the side. “What baby?”
Beyah immediately busted up laughing. “So, wait, you’re not pregnant? Rennix called my husband this morning and told him he needed help moving his baby mama into his crib.” She tried to sound like Rennix with the last part of her statement.
“Sounds about right. First he starts a fire in my living room with the intent to start more, now he’s out here manifesting a baby while I’m still on birth control.
” As soon as I said that it hit me like a ton of bricks.
I hadn’t seen my birth control and I couldn’t remember the last time I heard my alarms for me to take them.
Both Jade and Beyah were cracking up like I told a joke while I was internally panicking because I didn’t even remember packing it. Everything had been moving so fast, I hadn’t much thought about it.
“He’s a fucking nut.” Jade cackled even harder.
“I’m still stuck on the fires in your living room.” Beyah held her stomach with tears in her eyes.
“Yes, that man is y’all’s people.”
“But he’s your man and he loves you just that much.” Jade smiled. “Now, shall we pop open this bottle of wine since we know none of us in this room are pregnant.”
Beyah turned up her face. “Uh, I’m a lightweight and I drove here. Count me out.”
Jade looked at me and I shook my head, only for her to smile. “Is there some truth to his statements?”
My hands went to my face. “Shit, I don’t know. On the topic of this conversation I just realized I haven’t seen my birth control or heard the alarm that tells me to take it in God knows how long. I’ve been so stressed about this move and work that it completely slipped my mind.”
“Oh shit. So my brother is stealing birth control too?”
Beyah was tickled. “Now that’s my kind of carrying on.”
Jade laughed. “Not you encouraging this shenanigans when you were just on my phone panicking because my other brother wanted another baby.”
“Um yes. Because I had twins, that shit was and is no joke. Both bad as hell at the same time while their father says, boys will be boys. That statement is bullshit in itself.” Beyah rolled her eyes.
Jade shrugged. “Look, I’m the rich, fine ass auntie.
Y’all give me the babies and I spoil them, occasionally babysit, and go home.
So yes, if you’re pregnant, Caya, the more the merrier.
If you could find a way to get me a niece that would be great, considering I now have three nephews and not one niece. ”
Beyah sucked her teeth. “Hell no. I have a collection due in December and I gave you what I got. What you got, Caya? Don’t say Adonis, because he’s counted in the three nephews. You’re up, sis.”
I threw my hands up in surrender. “We’re still new.
We don’t need a baby.” I used an excuse that wouldn’t even hold up in a courtroom full of my peers.
Then, to be honest, I needed to be going through the bathroom boxes looking for my birth control.
It couldn’t have disappeared into thin air, and for some reason, I didn’t think Rennix was crazy enough to steal them…
or was he? After all, he did set fire to my living room.
“Anyway, I also came by to let you know the people will arrive for the pool party setup and rental furniture around five-thirty in the morning.”
I nodded. “I’m pretty sure your brother will be up. So besides your boutiques, do you do party planning?” I was genuinely curious.
Jade shook her head quickly. “Honestly, it’s a hobby of mine, but not something I do for anybody. I don’t think I could deal with the public like that in the party planning realm, as I don’t much like budgets.”
I giggled and so did Beyah.
“Which is why my very beautiful sister in-law right here allowed my egghead brother to whisk her away to some beautiful island for her birthday instead of the party I had in mind.”
Beyah waved Jade off.
“What about you? When is your birthday? Do you have something you’d like planned?”
“June twenty-first. Catch me next year and I don’t know yet. Adonis’s birthday is in December.”
“Yes! I’ll definitely plan my nephew’s party. And um, you said the twenty-first. That’s the same day as Rem and Rennix’s. I think we should do a family vacation.”
“And she’s about to plan a family vacation in five days.” Beyah laughed and so did I because from the look on Jade’s face her wheels were definitely turning.
“Baby, pass me a big towel.” Rennix’s voice interrupted me from my nightly facial routine. Not long after the ladies left, he pulled up with Reminisce and Adonis, claiming they had gone to get popcorn after returning the moving van to the rental company.
I set the hydrating cream on the white quartz counter and moved toward the towel closet. Once I had the towel in my hand, I headed to the glass shower room to hand it to him. I held it out for him to grab.
I was going back to where I was when a thought floated into my mind. “Rennix.”
“Yeah, baby mama,” he called out sorta delayed, but he was under water so that was to be expected.
I shook my head because he insisted on calling me baby mama when there was no baby… Not that I knew of.
“Have you seen my birth control?” I knew I was going out on a limb asking him, but I still had to ask.
“Nah, not since I rinsed them down the sink. What? You went and got some more?” The water cut off and he stepped out of the shower.
My fucking jaw dropped because he said that so nonchalantly, like he was admitting to throwing a piece of paper away and not my birth control. “Rennix. Are you serious?” My eyes landed on him through the mirror as he entered the part of the bathroom where I was.
“Yeah. I told you I wanted a baby and you tried to stack the chips on me. I leveled the pla?—”
“Why would you do that? I told you that I’m not ready.”
“Nah you didn’t. But you not being ready didn’t have shit to do with me or you, but everything to do with that bitch ass nigga who did you wrong when it came to Lil G.
I told you from jump I wasn’t nothing like any nigga you ever fucked with and I meant that.
I told you I was ten down with you and I’m here for you, him, and the child we create out of love.
Fuck all that overthinking anxiety you keep letting try to cripple us.
We good and we gonna be good. Now come get in this bed and go the fuck to sleep unless you need some help with that. ”
My jaw felt like it was still on the floor, especially when I watched him march his big dicked, towel wrapped ass out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom.
I didn’t even know how to respond to that because the nigga literally said what he said on some law type shit and left me no room for rebuttal. Shit, did I even want to rebut?
By the time I was done with my facial routine, he was in bed.
I cut the lights out and went to lay down.
I was only a few centimeters away from him for all of five seconds before he forcefully pulled my body into his.
He kissed my forehead while his hands moved to my neck and he mashed his lips against mine like he hadn’t just checked my entire being in the bathroom.
Yep, he had me, ’cause for once and for this man, I shut the fuck up and melted into his embrace.