Chapter 19
I was so damn tired. After eating the soup and drinking a Sprite, I wanted to go and lie down, but Harlem was playing games. I wasn’t in the mood. He’d turned on some music, and he was dancing as I watched him. He was grinding his hips as he held his hands out like he was hitting it from the back. I supposed I looked unamused, because he stopped and chuckled.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m just trying to help you feel better. Let me help you to the bathroom, and then I’ll help you get in bed.”
I rolled my eyes and stood from the chair I was seated in. I felt somewhat dizzy, but I knew that was one of the side effects as well. That anxiety medicine was an entire headache. It was crazy that I didn’t feel any of this shit while I was at the psych ward. I didn’t start feeling these side effects until like three days ago.
When I got to the bathroom, Harlem handed me a box. I frowned slightly, trying to figure out what he was up to now. After looking at it, I realized it was a pregnancy test. My heart started beating fast as hell as my eyes widened. He grabbed my other hand and said, “Breathe. Slow deep breaths. I’ve been planting seeds in that garden for a month now, baby. It’s very possible you could be pregnant.”
I took deep breaths like he told me to, then said, “Harlem, wow. What if I am? What if I’m going to be a mother?”
“Only one way to find out, baby. That’s why I been pumping you up with water and Sprite so you can go to the bathroom.”
A huge smile spread across my face, and an excited giggle left me as I quickly went to the vanity to open the box. I’d forgotten all about being dizzy and queasy. None of that shit mattered anymore. Once I got it open, I yanked my pants down, nearly falling over, and sat on the toilet, ready to put the stick in my stream.
Harlem looked on with a big smile, slowly shaking his head. After pissing on it for a few seconds, I removed it and put the cap on it, then set it on the countertop. It seemed I couldn’t move fast enough. I was trying to pull my pants up and had missed the waistband twice. Harlem walked over and helped me pull my clothes up as he chuckled.
I washed my hands as he stared at the test. When he smiled bigger, I started screaming. “Harlem! Am I?”
“Yeah, baby. We’re gonna be parents.”
I hopped up and down as I continued to scream, tears falling down my cheeks. I fell into his arms, and he held me close, kissing my head repeatedly. It had never even crossed my mind that I could have been pregnant. I supposed with everything that had happened, I couldn’t even fathom that would have happened. I was surprised they didn’t say so while I was in the hospital. They’d dropped the ball on that for sure with all the blood work they’d done.
The fact remained that I was pregnant, and I was emotionally overwhelmed… in a good way. I cried until it felt like I had to throw up. I quickly composed myself as I pulled away from Harlem and began taking my clothes off.
“Damn, baby. What’chu doing? You want me to feed the baby?”
I frowned hard. “What?”
“Girl, that’s what the old people used to say.”
“Old people are nasty as fuck. I want you to make love to me though.”
“I thought you weren’t feeling good, Yunique.”
I put my hand on my hip and asked, “Are you gonna give me the dick or not, nigga?”
He chuckled as he pulled his shirt off and unbuttoned his jeans in record time. I smiled big as he turned the shower on. He knew I loved when he fucked me in the shower. Just the thought of it had me ready to juice without him. Pulling me to him, he lifted me, causing me to wrap my legs around his waist. As I glanced at the thickness in my abdomen the ten pounds I’d gained had added, I wondered if some of that weight gain was from the pregnancy.
Harlem gripped my ass cheeks as he slowly slid me down his dick. My head dropped back as I received him. A moan left my lips as he said, “I love you so much. We’re gonna be a family, Nique. You gon’ be my baby mama… the one I stay buried deep in all the damn time.”
“Harleeemmm… oh shit, baby.”
“Mm hmm. This pussy so fucking wet too.”
“It’s… oh, fuck! It’s… about to… get wetter. Shit!”
“Damn, girl! Fuck!” he yelled.
My pussy had sprayed him while he slowly stroked me. I loved when he did that shit in this position. It felt like his dick was massaging my G-spot. I began rolling my hips as he walked into the shower. When the water hit my back, it was like it ignited the passion brewing inside of me. I lowered my face to Harlem’s and slid my tongue to his then sucked his bottom lip slowly.
He put me against the wall of the shower and lifted my legs in the crooks of his arms and stared into my eyes as he stroked me. “Wife, listen to me. It has been nearly a week since I been in this shit. I need to be able to fuck some shit up.”
I lifted my lower legs in the air, then rested them on his shoulders as he looked down at the action. “I’m gonna assume that was a greenlight.”
He pushed inside of me with more force and increased his pace as my pussy unleashed like an open faucet. I closed my eyes, as I absorbed his power and passion, until I felt him penetrate my asshole with his finger. My juices had made sure it was good and lubed up. The dual stimulation was about to do me in, but when his mouth touched my nipple, that was it.
The way he had my body orgasming back-to-back and bucking all over the place was threatening to take me out the game. “Damn, Nique. I love how sensitive this body is. The way your walls gripping me about to take me down.”
He continued fucking my world up as cries of passion left me. My emotions were so heightened tears were falling down my cheeks. I needed every bit of this. “Nique, I love you, baby.”
“I… love you… too.”
With that, he released inside of me as his body trembled and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. This passion between us was everything I’d ever hoped for, and I couldn’t get enough. When he released my legs, I slid to a standing position and nearly fell to the floor. Just when I thought we were about to wash up, he gently bent me over and slid right back inside my warmth.
“I know you didn’t think this was over, did you?”
“I diiiiid, but I’m glad it’s not.”
He smacked my ass as he began hitting it harder but maintaining the same slow pace. He grabbed the puff ball at the top of my head, pulling me straight up. I lifted my hand and gripped the back of his neck as he lowered his head and licked mine. When his hand made its way to my stomach, he gently laid it flat and said in my ear, “I’m so blessed. God chose me to marry an angel, then He allowed me to participate in creating one.”
His words pulled the orgasm right out of me. My body trembled, and my knees buckled. Harlem held me tightly at my hips as he emptied his seed inside of me once again. He wrapped both arms around me tightly and kissed the back of my neck. I was so spent I could lay down and go straight to sleep. I already knew I would have sweet dreams when I did.
“Let’s get cleaned up, baby. We have a lot of people to call.”
I giggled, quickly forgetting how tired I was. Turning to him, I wrapped my arms around his neck. “That we do, daddy.”
He licked his lips then slowly licked mine, causing a tremble to course through me. “Keep on calling me daddy, and we gon’ be at it again.”
“You promise… daddy?”
All the noise was driving me insane. Harlem was more excited than I was. He already had people in here remodeling one of the bedrooms for the baby. We’d only found out I was pregnant two weeks ago. When one of the guys in the room turned on some music, I knew I had to get the fuck out of here. Music along with all the banging, loud talking, and drilling noises? I couldn’t deal.
When I got to the kitchen and had grabbed my keys from the hook, his arms circled my waist from behind. “You was just gon’ leave and not say nothing to me, Big Nique?”
I rolled my eyes before turning to face him. He’d started calling me Big Nique because he said I was bossy. So, since I was a boss, he started calling me Big Nique, not the lil one. My hormones were going crazy because some days, I thought the shit was funny, and other days, it worked my last nerve.
“I can’t take all the various noises. I’m going to Giselle’s.”
He slid his hands to my stomach and said, “Okay. I’m gonna make it up to you. I’m just excited about having a family and people to spend money on.”
I gave him a soft smile. He’d been extremely busy. He was drawing up plans for the master bathroom as well. “I’m sorry, Harlem. I know you’re excited, but the baby has a while before he or she will get here.”
“I know. I just… I don’t know. I can’t help myself.”
“Well, I can’t wait until our appointment tomorrow. We will find out exactly how much longer you have to wait before our bundle of joy arrives.”
“I can’t wait either, gorgeous. Kiss Akia for me.”
“I will.”
As I turned to leave, he smacked my ass. I loved when he did that just as much as he loved doing it. When I got in my car, I couldn’t help but smile. Things were finally going right in my world. I had been progressing well mentally. I’d been journaling every day, and that seemed to help. Sometimes, I had thoughts that I didn’t necessarily want to share, to avoid sounding like a broken record, but I knew I needed to get them out.
Harlem and I had even discussed me changing my last name. I brought up the subject, and he seemed stunned that I said I would be okay with it. For business purposes, I would still go by Yunique Mott. I went to the social security administration building to put in for a name change. While there, I decided to hyphenate it with my last name. I would officially be Yunique Mott-Moore.
Giselle was the first person I called to tell about my pregnancy. I had to thank her for having the courage to go to Arranged Hearts, because it gave me the courage to try them too. I also told her that she had better not tell Keke I called her first. We’d laughed about that for minutes, mimicking Keke’s voice and how she would cuss me out if she ever found out.
Keke was the very next person though. She called Sasha, and Sasha called Mama. We were on the phone for nearly an hour. Mama’s words to me moved me to tears. It was the words she’d been holding since my wedding day that she didn’t get a chance to tell me.
“Your father would be so proud of the woman you’ve become. You are a true reflection of everything he dreamed you would be. You were already his pride and joy… his smart girl. He loved you so much. I’m beyond proud of you as well. Watching you become a woman and navigate life through the trauma I allowed is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Beautiful because you survived and got through it, but heartbreaking because what I allowed nearly killed you.
“To know you’re having a baby, starting a family of your own with the man of your dreams, is beautiful to watch. I’m so happy that you’ve allowed me to remain a constant in your life after all the bullshit. I know you will be a better mother than I ever was. Your mental is so much stronger, and I have Harlem and Doctor King to thank for that. I love you so much, baby, and I’m so happy to have another grandbaby coming into this world.”
As I thought about her words, I could feel the moisture filling my eye ducts. I smiled and quickly wiped my face as I turned in Giselle and Gentry’s driveway. The minute I did, the door opened, and Princess Tiana ran out of the door with Dakota following behind her. I got out of my car and said, “Hey, Princess Tiana!”
She frowned slightly. “I’m Kizzie. Princess Tiana is for babies.”
My eyebrows lifted slightly. God, what was happening? She was growing up right before my eyes. “I’m so sorry, Kizzie. How are you?”
She giggled. “I’m fine. How are you, Auntie Nique?”
“I’m good. Where are y’all going?”
“My daddy is coming to pick us up for ice cream. There he is!”
I spun around to see Clayton turning in the driveway. A slight smile made its way to my lips as I thought about Vegas fucking him up. I hadn’t seen the man since the night Akia was born, but I still couldn’t stop thinking about that shit. Every time his name came up in conversation, I would chuckle, especially when I thought about Keke saying how Vegas made a special trip to Florida, specifically for that shit.
We laughed about that shit the entire day. “Hey, Y-Yunique.”
I smiled as I chuckled softly. “Hey, Clayton. How are you?”
“I’m good. Just coming to get my b-babies.”
I nodded and quickly turned to go inside before I had to explain to him why I was laughing. When I walked inside, Giselle was coming to the door to see the kids off. She smiled big and said, “Hey, girl! I know you’re here to see your baby. She’s in the family room with her shadow.”
I kissed G’s cheek and continued through the house to find Gentry. I knew that was who she was referring to. When I entered the room, he rolled his eyes. “Baby, girl, you don’t have to go to her if you don’t want to.”
My eyebrows lifted as he chuckled. “Really, Gentry? She’s barely three months old, and you have her so spoiled. G told me how she had a whole fit at day care. She should have made you take her to work with you.”
“First of all, that would have been my pleasure, but G didn’t want her baby close to all the animals that come through there.”
“Lawd, have mercy,” I said as I reached for her.
That nigga literally frowned as he passed her to me. I chuckled and said, “Nigga, if you don’t fix your damn face!”
He laughed as Akia stared at me with her big, beautiful eyes. The moment I pulled her close to me, that lil diva started screaming at the top of her damn lungs. I quickly handed her back to her father as I rolled my eyes. I took my phone from my pocket and snapped a picture of Gentry rocking Akia. Then I hit the record button as he said, “That’s daddy’s baby. I knew you didn’t wanna be bothered with her. Good job, sweetness.”
I sent the video to Harlem with the caption, you better not turn into this. Within seconds, he sent back the laughing emojis, then a message.
Get yo’ mind right, Big Nique. If we have a daughter, that’s gon’ be us times ten.
I rolled my eyes as I slowly shook my head. The smile that appeared right after was one of true happiness and love. The trauma, tribulation, and misery had all led to this… a beautiful relationship and family I loved deeply. I slid my hand to my belly and said, “You betta not turn against me when you get here for a nigga that didn’t endure these nine months of hormonal imbalances.”