Chapter 18
Chapter
Eighteen
Indiri
Three Months Later
From the moment I heard my child’s heartbeat, nothing else mattered besides his or her life and getting in this fucking ring. After that, the media circus would find something else to focus on other than my life and who was in it.
“You know not responding to him pissed him off even more.” Jordyn laughed as we were seated in the back seat of the suburban leaving the underground parking garage of The Oak.
We had yet another press conference and I was over this.
It was like all ol’ boy did was talk. On my life I was gonna be mighty fucking pissed if he got in the ring and bitched out after all this.
“I’ma respond, just not in the way he wants.”
Jordyn laughed. “Oh, I know?”
“Indi, Duke said she’s still at the shop. You wanna slide by there?”
I sucked my teeth. “Yeah, she was supposed to be at the house. You wanna drop Jordyn off at her spot before we hea—”
“Um, no. She’s been promising me pastries for months now. I’m going with you and I’m leaving there with something.”
I shook my head. “Aight then, let’s go. Which location is she at?”
“The main one.”
I sat back in the seat and closed my eyes. My mind went back to the press conference and the fact that ol’ boy was nowhere near focused on the fight. He kept finding ways to bring up Selah.
“I mean you gotta wanna be me right? You was dating my ex.”
“How is that by the way?”
“Champ ain’t focused on the fight. He’s too busy tryna be me.”
“What? She left you like she left me. Niggas got something to prove?”
He needed a rise out of me, but he didn’t get it.
He’d done what everybody in the media did, assumed Selah and I weren’t together anymore because our shit wasn’t all in everybody’s face.
There was the picture in the beginning, but that was it.
Not a soul knew shit because we had other things on the line instead of putting on for people we didn’t know on fucking apps.
“People really think you and Selah broke up,” Jordyn said. It was like she had read my mind. “This was brilliant. What did Drake say? I wasn’t hiding my kid from the world, I was hiding the world from my kid.”
I laughed at her reciting the lyric word for word. “Ain’t hiding it. These people just don’t need to know.”
“Exactly. But when she starts to really show, what is the plan?”
I shrugged. “Shit, that’s on you, boss. I have no clue. You and her cooked this shit up. I’m just rolling with it.”
Jordyn laughed. “Of course you are, and for that, I am grateful. All I want to do is keep you both safe and ou—”
“No need to explain. I know you got us, Jordyn. And for that, I am grateful. I trust your direction, no matter how crazy that shit sounds at the moment.”
She laughed as we pulled up to the bakery. I got out first, holding my arm out for Jordyn who was known to take a tumble or two over her own feet from heights.
We entered the bakery seconds after Duke opened the door. It was seven in the evening, two hours after close, so of course the door was locked.
“She’s back there. She said she had one more batch to ice and we’d be gone.” Duke looked from the back hall to me.
I laughed. “Yeah aight, that’s the okeydokey.”
While Jordyn stopped to check in with Duke, I walked to the back in search of Selah. When I turned the corner she was working hard to manipulate the white icing on top of the cake. She glanced up and we locked eyes before her attention went back to the task at hand.
“I was on my way. I just wanted to get this laid before I left. I promise I would have met you there.”
I leaned against the doorway, taking her in.
Selah was so fucking beautiful to me, the type of beauty that often had me just staring at her.
Then my eyes went from her face to the easily missed belly she now sported.
Her body was changing daily and I noticed everything, finding myself mildly obsessed with her and my child.
“It was sexy watching you ignore him even though at every turn he was trying to pull you out of character,” she said out of nowhere, snapping my thoughts from her midsection to her voice and what she said.
“You watched?”
“Yeah.” She threw her head in the direction of the massive tablet propped up against the dark gray backsplash below her cabinets.
“Thought you didn’t watch sports?” I said, just to fuck with her.
“I don’t, but I’m kind of obsessed with a certain boxer.” She grinned, looking up from the icing to me before getting back to it.
“Yo, for real?” I asked, playing around.
“Yeah, so obsessed in fact I’ve been tuning into a few conferences just to see him.” She finally got the icing on evenly and stepped back.
I laughed, pulling her body against mine, my hand landing on her stomach.
“What do you think? How does it look?” she asked as I ducked my head to kiss her neck.
“Like a cake, baby. What’s it supposed to look like?”
“Like an evenly layered cake. That way tomorrow I can put the color layer on and the designs. Let me put it in the fridge and we can head out.”
I let her go and watched her work. It was covered and placed in the massive industrial fridge about two minutes later.
Within the next two minutes, Jordyn joined us in the kitchen on some straight begging shit, and in true Selah fashion, she packed her several pastries in a few to-go containers before we finally left the shop.
It took us about an hour and a half to make it to the house.
Though it was later in the evening, we had to drop Jordyn at her spot, then we caught a little traffic leaving the city.
It was Friday, so that was to be expected.
When we got there, Selah was asleep and I lowkey didn’t want to bother her.
“Selah baby, we’re home. It’s time to go in.”
She was never in a deep sleep, so her eyes popped open. “We’re here already?”
I nodded. “Yeah, you fell asleep about five minutes into the damn ride. You were laid all out over me and Jordyn.”
She laughed. “Oh shit, tell her I’m sorry.”
“She’ll be aight. Now, you want me to carry you in or can you walk?”
“I’m not handicapped. I can walk. Now if you want to carry me, just say that.”
I was about to respond, but Bigs spoke. “Look, y’all got it and all, but I've been with you since five. I’m tryna get in the house and warm up my donuts, so I can call my shorty.”
I laughed. “My bad, bro, I got you.”
When we finally made it into the house, Selah’s first stop was the couch, giving me enough time to grab the bag I had Bigs pick up earlier from the jewelry store.
I was on some corny, spur of the moment shit when I had custom pendants made for me and Selah.
I was wearing mine, a gold S with a small chef’s hat and whisk attached.
Hers was designed with an uppercase I and boxing gloves attached.
“And that is?” Selah asked as I reentered the living room with the small, white shopping bag.
“Got something for you.” I dropped the bag on the couch and went to pull my hoodie off. When I had it over my head, I tossed it onto the other side of the couch and took a seat next to her. It didn’t take long for her to notice the S on my chest.
A massive smile appeared on her face. You’re wearing my initial.”
“Yeah, since you weren't with me at the press conference physically. You were still there with me, baby.”
She was smiling so fucking hard I knew her cheeks had to be hurting. “You’re so sweet.”
“Nah, I’m not. I’ma real nigga and I’m mad obsessed with you. Now open the bag.” I set the bag in her lap.
There was something about watching her open something I’d bought her. She lit up when she had the small, black, velvet box in her hand. Then she opened it and that started the waterworks.
“Baby,” she whined. “You say real nigga and I say sweet. Either way. Thank you and I love you.” She leaned over and hugged me.
“Damn, lil thug. Are you crying on me?”
She laughed through tears. “Shut up and put it on me please.” She moved so fast, in my lap, facing me.
Once I had the necklace secured around her neck, she turned and straddled my lap, her delicate fingers caressing the I.
“Thank you, baby.” Her hands were at the hem of my T-shirt seconds later.
She leaned forward, pressing her lips against mine.
“I. Love. You. So. Much,” she said between pecks as she ground against me.