Chapter 5
I’d been at Keondra’s spot all damn day.
I knew I shouldn’t have brought my stupid ass over here after leaving my parents’ house last night.
I was supposed to make sure her and Amour got home safe, tuck my baby in, and that’s it, but here it was the next day, and I’d fixed the Wi-Fi, rebooted her router, and labeled the cords so she would stop unplugging the wrong one every time the signal blinked.
I swapped the AC filter in the AC return, cooked Amour breakfast and even had the maids come over to clean up so the house now smelled like Pine-Sol.
When it was time to bathe Amour for the night, bath time turned into a whole production because she is three and thinks she runs me.
I set out her little unicorn pajamas that she requested…
the purple ones with the glitter letters, and she said she wanted the pink ones with the hearts too, so I picked the pink ones for her to actually put on.
I sat on the footstool by the tub while she kicked water and narrated her whole day telling me everything she did today like I wasn’t here to see it.
I washed her up fast and let her pour water from the cup like she was the boss, then wrapped her in a hooded towel with bunny ears.
“Daddy, edges,” she said, tapping her forehead all serious.
“Girl, you three. You ain’t got no edges appointment,” I told her laughing actually enjoying this daddy shit.
It was new for me, but I didn’t want to be the daddy who just stopped by a few times a week for a few minutes to see his daughter.
Hell nah, not Dique ‘heavy dick’ Royal. I didn’t want a baby, but I was gon’ be here there for mine regardless of what Keondra had going on.
Keondra called me from the doorway. “Lay her hair down a little and put the little silk bonnet on. It be puffing up on the sides.” She had on biker shorts and a tank, with her medium length French tipped nails giving instructions like she ran a nigga.
I sat Amour on the couch and tried my best with her edges. She checked herself in the front camera like a diva and smiled showing all her tiny teeth. “Okay. Pretty.”
“Super pretty,” I said kissing her cheek.
She giggled and pushed my face away like I wasn’t supposed to do that.
I wasn’t lying when I said she didn’t look like me.
She still didn’t if you asked me, but she was a pretty little girl.
I kind of felt bad for clowning her lil ass when I met her.
It wasn’t really aimed at her, it was more-so aimed at Keondra’s ghetto ass.
I wanted her to leave me the fuck alone and stop telling everybody I was the daddy.
I got Amour’s teeth brushed while she sang the ABCs with the wrong letters in the middle and then we said our little prayer.
She climbed into her toddler bed with the princess comforter and a whole lineup of stuffed animals.
I tucked her in, and she grabbed my chain and whispered, “Don’t leave daddy. ”
“I’m chillin’ baby girl,” I replied tucking the blanket tight. “Go to sleep.”
“Okay night night,” she whispered, and then asked for water, a different stuffed animal, a second prayer, and one more story just so she can try to make me stay.
I gave her all of it anyway ‘cause fuckin’ with me she could have the world.
By the time I stepped back into the living room, the monitor showed her rolling around and talking to the stuffed unicorn like it was her friend.
Keondra was on the couch with her legs folded scrolling through her phone with the music low.
She started with the City Girls and then the next song was Jodeci.
I didn’t even know what kind of transition that was.
Her playlist had identity issues just like her ass.
My phone lit up on the coffee table with a text first and then a call that I ignored just for another one to come through.
This phone was a phone that only my hoes called.
The screen flashed Mya’s name with a kiss emoji next to it.
She was on the west coast and had been down with me for years.
Keondra side eyed it without looking up from her phone. “So, who the fuck is Mya kiss face?” she asked rolling her eyes.
“Don’t start,” I told her grabbing the phone and hitting silent. “It’s nobody you need to worry about. That’s my business.”
“I’m not worried, I’m just asking.” She replied with an attitude, finally looking up at me all bold ready to start some shit. “So, this is what family time gon’ be like? All yo hoes calling? Cause I can get my hoes on the line too if that’s the case.”
“We not a family, remember,” I said walking to the kitchen to take a shot of Henny.
She laughed and stood up like she had been waiting to argue all fucking day. “You wasn’t saying that last night when you was laid up in my bed talking about you forgot how good this pussy was…”
I pointed at the monitor. “Watch yo’ mouth girl. Amour still up.” I seized her up and down and licked my lips. “Shit that pussy still good, ion give a fuck I’ll say it again.” I laughed.
Keondra sucked her teeth and dropped her voice a little bit. “I said what I said. You been over here all-day fixin’ stuff, bathin’ my baby, eatin’ my food and then you wanna play single when yo’ phone ring.”
I took another shot of Henny and grinned because she made a nigga wanna laugh and cuss her ass out at the same time. “Yo’ baby is my baby, and I fixed the Wi-Fi ‘cause you keep callin’ me like I’m muhfuckin’ Xfinity customer service.”
“That’s cause you are my customer service nigga,” she shot back stepping closer. “You do everything in here like it’s a job, including me.” She rolled her eyes with one of her hands propped on her hips.
“It is a job man. Dealin’ with yo’ ass is a full-time assignment,” I said walking past her to check the thermostat just to be petty.
She followed behind me. “You love it here Dique. Be real! You like this family energy. You like when I cook. You like when I talk my shit to yo’ ass. You like when I put it on you too.”
I smirked and kept my eyes on the thermostat. “You delusional as fuck, but you not wrong.”
She tried not to smile but she did anyway. “Exactly.”
My phone lit up again and she snatched it fast and read the screen with a brow lifted. “So, we answering or we blocking.”
“Give me my phone,” I gritted. Now had it been any other phone, I would break her fuckin’ fingers, but because it was the hoe phone, I wasn’t tripping like that.
“We together in this house. I told you I’m working on being better outside,” she said, putting a hand on her other hip. “But in here I’m still me and I don’t like groupies on my man line. You got that Byreeeeennnnnnnn.” She laughed.
I eased closer and took the phone from her without breaking eye contact. “Aye, I ain’t yo’ fuckin’ man, and I damn sho’ ain’t that nigga Byran either. He should’ve killed her ass for doin’ the most.”
She blinked slowly. “You was my man last night.”
I glanced at the monitor to see Amour sat up with her little bonnet still on, staring straight at the little camera. “Lay down, mama,” I called toward the bedroom. She dramatically laid back and pulled the blanket over her head.
I kept my voice low after that ‘cause it made me feel like her little ass was listening to everything. “Keondra, stop playin’ with me. I want to be here for my daughter. I ain’t arguing in front of her.
You want me around or not ‘cause if you keep this up, I can just ‘off’ you and have my daughter all to myself. It’s plenty bitches would love to be her step mama. ”
She rolled her eyes real hard like she was thinking. “I want you around, but I am not sharing you with the city if you still fuckin’ me so figure it out.”
I laughed again. “You asking for exclusivity that come with a bunch of muhfuckin’ chaos man gone on.”
She pressed her pointer finger into my chest. “Say that again and I can bet you don’t get none of this good cat again.”
“We’ll see,” I replied ‘cause we both knew I could get that whenever I wanted it.
She shook her head and turned toward the kitchen. “You hungry? I got leftover mac and the rest of that chicken.”
“Bring it,” I told her dropping onto the couch and checking the monitor again.
Amour was back under the blanket but doing everything but sleeping like she was supposed to.
I watched her little feet kick and felt something in my chest. I had never in my life felt this soft about nobody until finding out that she was mine.
I then checked the shadows outside to make sure all security was still in place.
Keondra came back with two plates and set them on the table and then stood there with her arms crossed like she still had some closing statements she needed to proceed with. “So, you stayin’ or you leavin’ when she finally knock out?”
I took the plate. “I’m staying till she sleep, after that we’ll see.”
She smirked. “We’ll see means yes.”
“It means we’ll see. I got other shit to do and a whole life outside the luxury you livin’ in right now.”
She sat down once again, tucking her legs underneath her and grabbed the remote. “Don’t be havin’ no phone ringin’ all night. I will embarrass you. I can’t wait either.”
I grinned and shook my head. “You already embarrass me girl what you talkin’ ‘bout? On God you bet not touch my phone again though Keondra. You got a pass tonight.”
She laughed and then nudged my arm with her knee like this conversation never happened, she was just happy as hell to finally have a baby daddy. The TV was on, and my phone stayed face down. I ate my plate and tried not to think about how easy this felt when it was supposed to be hard as fuck.