Chapter 2 #2
I chuckled because she said this every time we visited Lolita’s, and she was no closer to knowing Lo’s secret recipes.
The doors of the hotel slid open, but we didn’t even get the chance to step inside before Connor came rushing over to us.
He was a flamboyant white boy whom I only tolerated because of Grai.
I wasn’t homophobic or anything, but I hated when gay niggas liked to think they were going to flip somebody to the dark side.
This was not that type of party, and no matter how many times I told Connor, he kept trying.
I was starting to feel like I was gonna have to break his jaw for him to understand what the fuck I was saying.
His eyes flicked to me, and he pouted. “Not y’all went to get ice cream without me.”
I frowned as my fist pumped in anticipation, but Grai stepped in. “I was on my break, crazy boots, but anyways, what’s up? Why did you come racing over here like that?”
In an instant, his posture and facial expression both became serious. “Girl, you know I don’t like to be messy, but I gotta tell you this.” He stepped closer and gulped dramatically. “While you were gone, Dre checked into a room with a very pregnant woman hanging off his arm.”
Grai’s eyes flooded with unshed tears as she nodded her head slowly.
Without another word, she jolted forward and made her way toward the back office.
I glanced at Connor, knowing messiness was right up his fucking alley, and he had no idea what he’d done.
The look in her eyes before she walked away told me the storm brewing within her broken spirit had officially become a catastrophic category five hurricane.
There would be no undoing the damage that would be done.
I turned to toss my unfinished ice cream in the trash. My appetite was ruined, knowing Grai was in pain. By the time I turned around, Bubbles stood there with a maniacal look on her face. She tried to move around me, but I blocked her path to the elevators. “Which room, Connor?”
I knew she was serious by the vein running down the middle of her forehead. I had to let this play out now. Connor lit the match; the bomb was going to detonate one way or another. By the look on his face, I could tell he was regretting his decision to share what he saw with her.
“Room three eighty-eight,” he mumbled.
Instead of responding, Grai took off for the elevator, but I was right on her heels. She pressed the button for the third floor without acknowledging me. Her tapping foot was the only sound other than the elevator itself. When the doors sprang open, she jerked forward like she was on autopilot.
When we made it to the room number Connor told her, she stared at the door with an emotionless expression. I thought she was going to beat on it with her fist, but instead, she pulled out a set of keys from her pocket. I shook my head, knowing that shit was an abuse of her power.
She eased the door open. The suite was dark in the living room area, but light floated from the bedroom.
There was also the rumble of a television.
I followed behind Grai on her stroll over to the open door.
The lights were on, so we could see everything in high definition.
She got ready to push it open wider when Drey’s voice paused her.
“I can’t believe you finally let me put a baby in you,” he said in admiration. Even I could pick up on the joy in his tone. “It’s been a long time coming. The day our daughter is born will be the best day of my life.”
I glanced down at Grai the same time a shudder went through her body.
I was glad I couldn’t see her facial expression because I’d walk straight in the room and kill that nigga if I had to look at the pain I knew was painted there.
I always had a feeling the nigga was cheating, but I was not expecting us to stumble onto all of this.
I was afraid Grai wouldn’t be able to handle it all.
He was saying some slimy shit that was probably already eating her up inside.
But at the same time, if this was how the nigga really felt, she needed to know.
Whoever he was with was leaning against the headboard. Drey was lying beside her swollen belly, rubbing it lovingly. They didn’t look like strangers but lovers. The way they both were relaxed in each other’s presence was enough proof of their familiarity.
“You say that now, but you’re going to leave me in the morning to go home to your real family.”
He sat up quickly. When he spoke again, his voice was stern.
“Don’t start with that shit, Dai. You and my baby girl are my real family.
I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell her about us.
It’s not like she gon’ give a fuck anyway.
I’ll make sure my sons are straight, but she can finally have who she wants, and I’ma do the same. ”
Grai forcefully pushed the door all the way open. They both jumped when it slammed against the wall. Drey looked like he’d seen a ghost when he saw us standing there. “G-Grai, what are you doing here?” He stuttered.
She folded her arms over her chest. “Apparently, I’m finding out how you really feel about me.
Ten years! Ten years of my fucking life, I gave you all of me, and you never even loved me.
” Hearing her voice crack felt like a gut punch.
She dropped her arms quickly. “What was the fucking point? Why waste our time if that’s who you wanted all along?
” She pointed to the girl on the bed, who I realized was someone we both knew.
It was his high school sweetheart, Brandaisha.
“It’s not like that. We ran into each other, and all the old feelings came back. I couldn’t control the shit.”
“Maybe not, but you could control not being a bitch ass nigga! I knew you were moving differently, but you really sat there and convinced me that I was tripping.” I wanted to wrap her in my arms and get her far away from this moment.
I could tell it was ripping her apart. “I can forgive a lot of shit, but saying the birth of your daughter will be the best day of your life, like we don’t have two beautiful sons at home that you abandoned tonight to be laid up with this bitch, .
. . that fucking hurts.” Her last few words came out hoarse with pain.
This nigga had the nerve to defend old girl. “Aye, she not no bitch.”
“Yes, the fuck she is! She’s a fugly, big-backed, cock-eyed, and cock-sucking bitch!
Blue bitch! Red bitch! Sloppy ass stupid, desperate bitch!
Fuck you, and fuck that bitch, bitch!” She hopped up and down on her toes.
“Ohhh. You better be lucky you pregnant, bitch, but don’t worry.
I'ma give this bitch the ass whooping you both deserve.”
Grai took off like lightning as she attacked Drey.
She was beating him all in the head, and he lifted his hand like he was going to slap her.
I had that nigga pinned up against the wall so fast he looked confused how he went from being on his feet to up in the air.
“I wish the fuck you would.” My voice was deathly low.
Grai was still behind me, trying to fuck him up. “Chill, Bubbles. He not worth it.”
Drey laughed. “Bubbles, . . . Yeah, I ain’t worth it. I don’t know what the fuck you so mad for. We all know you want this nigga anyway.”
“Don’t use the way I show up for her as a reason to abandon your family.
If you focused on your responsibilities instead of trying to start a whole new family elsewhere, you’d see what the fuck you have in front of you.
The day you have your daughter might be the best day of your life, but the days Grai gave birth to my boys were the best days of my life.
None of them need shit from you. They gon’ be good, and I put that on my fucking life.
” Turning to look at his one true love, I said, “I hope you know this nigga don’t got no damn money.
You gon’ be working like a slave to keep you, him, and that baby fed. ”
I stepped away, allowing him to fall to the floor like the bitch he was.
Grai still wanted to get active, but it was useless.
The hurt was there and would remain like a boulder on her heart in the future to come.
It was time for healing to begin, and that wouldn’t be possible in the room where her pain was born.
I tossed her over my shoulder, despite her kicking, screaming, and crying, and left the room.
There were patrons in the hallway because of all the commotion.
I bumped people out of the way as I headed to the elevator.
The second we stepped on, I lowered Grai to her feet, and she collapsed into my arms. I held her close to my body.
My fingers rubbed her scalp while I placed soft kisses on her forehead.
“I got you, Bubbles. I promise I got you.”