16. Malik
Me: Mane, meet me in the bathroom. Please.
Baby: No, you heard your mama.
Me: So she run you?
Baby: Yeah, and I run you. NO!
Me: I didn’t hear you saying that shit last night, LT.
I rubbed the back of my neck, smirking at my own reply even though the situation wasn’t funny.
My mama was on big bullshit—had Sametra sleeping in the other room like I was still in high school.
I was a grown-ass man with grown-ass needs, and last night only made shit worse.
Her legs around my waist, perfect titties bouncing in the air.
I gripped my phone tighter as visions of her playing with herself were about to send me in a spiral.
Yeah, nah. I needed to be in that every night like clockwork.
I slipped my phone in my pocket right before it started ringing. Timing was trash, but I answered anyway, already agitated.
“Tell me something,” I said, my voice tight.
“Your boy got put in the hospital when he made it back home. That’s why you ain’t heard from him, mouth wired shut.”
“That’s what I like to hear. I’m trying to move forward with my woman and don’t have time to be looking over my shoulder. I’ll body his ass before I pay the fee. Who the fuck he think he is?” I asked Rex.
I walked further down the hallway toward the back of the house, making sure I was far enough from everyone that Sametra, Samaj, and Mama couldn’t hear this conversation.
The last thing I needed was for this Ashe bullshit to ruin the perfect weekend we’d been having.
This was my first time bringing someone home, and it was important for this to go right for me, for us.
Mama had already fallen in love with Sametra and seeing them together in the kitchen earlier had damn near brought tears to my eyes. Two strong women who’d both sacrificed everything for their kids, bonding over cooking and shared experiences.
“The creditor he owed caught up with him in Atlanta,” Rex continued, his voice casual like he was talking about the weather.
“Apparently, your woman’s ex owed some dude named Mario more than thirty grand.
They broke his jaw, a couple of ribs, and left him a message about paying up.
I’ve had my ear to the streets since you asked me to keep tabs on him. ”
I could hear Sametra’s laugh echoing from the kitchen, and I leaned up to see her head tossed back, laughing at something my mom said.
She unlocked a love and protectiveness that now could never be turned off; it was powered by her love, smile, and giggles.
This was what I wanted for the rest of my life: this peace, this family, this love.
The sound of her happiness in my mama’s home, the way Mama’s eyes lit up when she looked at her, the ease with which Samaj had claimed his place at our table.
And I’d be damned if some desperate, broke-ass bum was going to threaten even a second of it.
“He still in Atlanta?”
“Far as I know. Hospital discharged him yesterday, but from what I’m hearing, he’s laying low. Scared to show his face around town because this Mario cat is still looking for his money.”
“Good. His ass need to stay where he at.” I leaned against the wall, processing this information. “Rex, I need you to do me another favor.”
“What you need?”
“I’m about to propose to this woman. Soon. And I can’t have this nigga popping up trying to ruin that moment or anything that comes after.” I paused, choosing my words carefully.
Rex was quiet for a moment. “That sounds like you want a permanent solution, bro.”
“A permanent problem needs a permanent solution, those are the rules.”
“What about the kid? Your girl? What they gonna think about him just... disappearing?”
I brushed my hand down my face because I felt like I was being selfish, trying to spare my own peace by ending someone’s life.
That wasn’t who I wanted to be, especially not for Sametra and Samaj.
But that nigga Ashe was a waste of space and energy.
He was the enemy, and my girl and Samaj didn’t need anything from him but to be left the fuck alone.
I had them. They’d never have to want for anything.
I wanted him to come to this conclusion on his own, but he was having a hard time grasping that I wasn’t playing games.
Sametra and Samaj were off limits. No bullshit allowed. However, you wanted to say it.
“The nigga been absent for seventeen years. I don’t know that I care.”
“I ain’t ask that bruh.”
Would she be upset if I did this? Would Samaj look at me differently?
And was it really that deep? I could take shit to the underbelly of hell if I was pushed, and he’d pushed me over the edge with those images of Sametra.
The violation of her privacy, extortion, and the threat to what we had going on crossed a line, and I couldn’t let that slide.
The rational part of me knew there had to be another way. But the protective part of me didn’t give a damn about rationality. Some men you could reason with. Others you had to eliminate before they eliminated you. And Ashe had already shown me which type he was.
“Fuck, man. Let me think about it. At least he’s back in his own city dealing with his own problems. What else you got on him?”
“He got four more kids after Samaj. Three baby mama’s total. Besides, the debt from party promoting, gambling, and shit. Nothing good to report, bro. I’ll be honest with you this is a money grab. He got a track record of lawsuits and shit. Your girl dodged a bullet.”
“The hell?”
How the fuck do you abandon your firstborn and then go on to have four more kids? That was some certified bozo behavior. This nigga had completely written off Samaj, his first child, while playing daddy to four others. The disrespect was unreal.
“So he’s really been living his life like Samaj doesn’t exist while raising other kids?” I asked, my voice tight with anger. I was supposed to be being rational, but his logic had me losing my shit.
Some of it was probably my own unresolved daddy issues.
My father had run off before I was born, like a coward, disappearing into thin air.
Left my mama to raise me alone, struggling to make ends meet while he was out there, probably starting new families like I never existed.
If I ever ran into that man, he’d remember me by the ass whooping I gave him.
Samaj would get to that point one day too.
He wasn’t at the age of full understanding yet.
He hadn’t had to be an adult or make real sacrifices to understand the ones his mama had made, and I bet there were a lot she’d never share with him.
Being a father was supposed to be a blessing, the one thing you didn’t fumble.
The fact that Ashe had a son like Samaj, smart, respectful, everything a man should be proud of—and chose to throw that away while investing in other kids?
That hit too close to home. It was like watching my own story play out, except this time I had the power to do something about it.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. I could never play with my seeds like that. Serene would have my head, rightfully so.”
“Facts. I ain’t even there yet, but I feel that about Samaj. Don’t move yet. I’ll be in touch.”
After hanging up, I stood in the hallway for a few more minutes, listening to the sounds of my future coming from the kitchen.
This weekend showed me everything I needed to know.
I felt this sense of completeness; I’d never experienced before with this woman.
That confirmed what I already knew. She was it for me.
They both were. They were a package deal, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I was going to protect what we had, one way or another.
I just hoped she didn’t hate me if it came down to me crossing the line.
When I walked back into the kitchen, Sametra watched me come in making my heart skip a beat. She came up to me and touched the side of my face. I kissed her on the lips and pulled her close.
“Can I make something clear in case I haven’t already?” she looked up at me and gave me those eyes, that would always make me take shit too far. “You’re my peace. And I protect my peace. Always.”
“Is everything okay, baby?” Confusion was written on her face, but even if Ashe wasn’t on bullshit, I wanted her to know that.
“Perfect,” I said, turning her around to let her back rest against my chest. I pressed a kiss to her neck. “Everything’s perfect.”
And it would stay that way.
“Okay, you act like nothing bothers you. I wanna be there for you too.”
“I know but let me do the worrying, you just sit looking pretty. I’m going to shower and check on Samaj. You need me for anything?” I asked, walking backwards to head upstairs.
“No, go ahead. I’m good.”
“You ain’t gotta shower or nothing,” I winked.
“Malik, you better get your butt on, harassing this woman. Have some manners,” my mama fussed, turning around while I pretended to slow grind, making Sametra blush and laugh.
“Go on somewhere,” Sametra said, swatting at me playfully then whispering, “You’re tempting me. I could run last night back.”
I bit my lip because I hadn’t considered this when I asked her to come visit. Had I known I wouldn’t be able to get between some cheeks when I wanted, we would’ve turned and burned or got an Airbnb.
“Go.”
I headed upstairs, but as I reached the landing, I could hear their voices and jokes drifting up from the kitchen. Something in their tone made me pause and listen.
“You know, baby girl,” I heard Mama say, “I can see why my son is so taken with you. But I can also see you’re fighting it a little.”
There was a pause before Sametra responded, her voice softer than usual. “I’m not trying to. And it’s not because I don’t love him.”
“Oh, honey, you’re scared, not crazy. I can tell you love my son.”