Chapter 24 Toni Roc
Today, me and Kay’Lo was headin’ to Port Laurent, and I ain’t even gon’ lie, I been ready for this trip the second everything got cleared and we could finally breathe without feelin’ like somethin’ was hangin’ over us.
It felt good just knowin’ we was about to leave all that behind, get on that jet, and go somewhere that ain’t have nothin’ to do with courtrooms, lawyers, or nobody tryna take my man from me.
But sittin’ in the passenger seat, watchin’ Kay’Lo drive, I could tell he wasn’t all the way in it like I was.
That man kept lookin’ in the rearview mirror like every five seconds, checkin’ on My’Love like she wasn’t right there behind us, sleepin’ peacefully in her car seat.
“My baby,” he murmured, his voice low and soft in a way that made me smile even though I was tryin’ not to laugh. “You gon’ be good for grandma and grandpa, a’ight? Don’t be actin’ up.”
I turned my head and looked at him, already knowin’ where this was goin’. “Kay’Lo… she sleep.”
“I know she sleep,” he said, but that ain’t stop him from talkin’. “I’m just sayin’, I want her to hear me.”
“She four months,” I said, smirkin’. “What she hearin’?”
He sucked his teeth, but he still glanced back again. “Man, she know my voice.”
That had me laughin’ low, shakin’ my head while I reached over and rubbed my hand across his back slow. “She gon’ be fine. You the one I’m worried about.”
That made him cut his eyes at me. “What you mean?”
“I mean you actin’ like you droppin’ her off for the rest of her life,” I said, still rubbin’ his back. “It’s one week.”
He tightened his grip on the wheel. “I ain’t never said I was okay with this shit.”
“I know you didn’t,” I said soft, lettin’ my hand rest on him for a second longer. “But she with yo’ mama and daddy. Ain’t nobody better than them.”
He ain’t argue with that, ’cause he knew it was true, but I could still see it all over him. That man loved his daughter different and leavin’ her for even a couple days was somethin’ he had to push himself through.
By the time we pulled up to his parents’ place, he ain’t say much else. He just put the code in and let the gate open so we could drive through. That mansion always had this calm feel to it, like everything inside was already handled before you even stepped foot in there.
Kay’Lo parked, then got out quick, and before I could even open my door, he was already here, pullin’ it open for me.
Soon as I stepped out, he grabbed me and pushed me back against the car like he forgot we was here for a reason.
I looked up at him, already blushin’, and slid my hand down his chest slow, lettin’ my fingers drag before I dipped lower and grabbed his dick through his pants just enough to make him react.
His head dropped forward, and he bit his bottom lip before leanin’ close to my ear. “You better chill,” he murmured.
I smirked and tightened my grip just a lil’. “You the one that came up on me.”
Before he could even come back with somethin’ slick, I heard Treasure’s voice behind us.
“Well… I was coming out to greet you, but it looks like I walked into something else entirely.”
I covered my mouth, laughin’ while I eased back from Kay’Lo, and he just shook his head like he already knew we was caught.
“We was comin’ in,” I said, still smilin’.
“I’m sure you were, sweetheart,” she replied, her eyes flickin’ down for just a second before she looked back at me. “But the way you had my son by his balls, I wasn’t convinced you were in any kind of rush.”
That had me laughin’ harder, and I stepped fully away this time while Kay’Lo ran his hand over his face like he was tryin’ not to laugh himself.
He walked to the backseat and opened the door, grabbin’ the diaper bag first before carefully liftin’ My’Love out in her car seat.
She ain’t move at all. She just laid there sleepin’ peaceful like nothin’ around her could touch her, and for a second I just stood there lookin’ at her, takin’ that in.
We walked inside together, and Kwame was already standin’ by the door waitin’.
He pulled me into a hug first, warm and solid, and then his whole attention shifted straight to his granddaughter.
He took the car seat from Kay’Lo, set it down, and gently lifted My’Love into his arms like she was made outta glass. The way he softened right there in that moment made me pause without even thinkin’ about it.
He always carried himself strong, and serious, like nothin’ really moved him, but with her, it was different. His whole face changed, his hands was careful and his attention locked in like she was the only thing that mattered.
I stood there watchin’ that for a second, takin’ it in, ’cause it was one of them moments you don’t really forget.
Kay’Lo stepped closer after that, lookin’ down at his baby like he was tryna memorize her all over again before he left.
He reached for her, and when he got her back in his arms, he started kissin’ all over her face, her cheeks, her lips, under her neck, like he needed one more moment before lettin’ her go.
“My baby,” he murmured again, softer this time.
I leaned in and kissed her forehead, smilin’ at how she ain’t wake up through none of it.
Eventually, he handed her over to his mama, even though I could tell he ain’t want to.
Treasure took her easy. “You two go enjoy yourselves,” she said, lookin’ at both of us. “We’ve got her.”
“I got two weeks worth of milk in the bag,” I added, noddin’ toward it. “Most of it frozen, so just put it back until she need it.”
Treasure nodded once. “We’ll handle everything.”
And I believed that without a doubt.
We ain’t drag the moment out. It was just one last look, one last kiss, and then we turned and headed back outside.
Soon as we got back in the car, Kay’Lo sat there for a second before pullin’ off, and I could feel it sittin’ on him even though he ain’t say nothin’ right away.
I reached over and rested my hand on his thigh, givin’ it a light squeeze. “She good,” I said.
“I know,” he replied, his voice low.
“And we good too,” I added.
That made him glance at me, and this time his expression changed just enough.
“Yeah,” he said. “We good.”
As he drove toward where the jet was waitin’, I leaned back in my seat and let everything settle the way it was supposed to.
For the first time in a long time, we wasn’t dealin’ with no stress, no court dates or no bullshit tryna break us apart.
We had space. We had time, and most importantly, I had my man.
I looked over at him, takin’ in the way his hand sat on the wheel, the way his jaw was set and the way he still carried that weight even when shit was finally over, and I knew one thing for sure.
This trip wasn’t just about gettin’ away. It was about us gettin’ back to us.
And I was more than ready for that…
Port Laurent
Me and ’Lo had already been in Port Laurent for five days, and I swear it felt like time slowed down just so we could enjoy every second of it.
From the moment we touched down, everything about this island hit different.
The water looked unreal, clear and blue like you could see straight through it, and the air felt warm in a way that made you relax without even tryin’.
It ain’t take long for me to realize this wasn’t just a trip for Kay’Lo.
This was him makin’ sure I felt every bit of love he had for me without anything in the way.
And he ain’t play about it either.
Every day we woke up, he was already on me, kissin’ all over my face and neck like he had been waitin’ on me to open my eyes.
He would pull me into him, hold me close, and just look at me for a second like he still couldn’t believe I was right here with him.
That alone would have me smilin’ before I even got out the bed.
We had been eatin’ like royalty the whole time we been out here.
One night he took me to this spot right on the water where the candles was lit low and the ocean was sittin’ right behind us, and I had the best grilled lobster I ever tasted, soaked in butter and garlic, with some lemon squeezed over it that made the flavor hit even harder.
He had me tryin’ seared tuna that melted in my mouth, coconut rice that was soft and sweet, and these roasted vegetables that had so much flavor I ain’t even know what to do with it.
Another night we was on a rooftop restaurant lookin’ out over the whole island while the lights flickered below us, and he was feedin’ me straight from his fork like I ain’t have hands of my own.
Every time I leaned in to take a bite, he would smirk at me like he knew exactly what he was doin’, then lean in and kiss me slow like he wanted to taste it too.
This man had been spoilin’ me in every way he knew how.
We had been out on the water jet skiin’, ridin’ across the waves with the wind hittin’ our faces while I held onto him tight, laughin’ every time he sped up like he was tryna throw me off.
We went parasailin’ one day, way up in the air with the ocean stretched out under us, and I ain’t even gon’ lie, I was scared at first, but the way he kept talkin’ to me, and keepin’ me calm, had me relaxin’ into it like I trusted him with everything.
We even spent a whole day just layin’ out on the beach, drinkin’ and talkin’, not worried about nothin’, but just enjoyin’ each other like we had all the time in the world.
And when it came to bein’ alone…Yeah.
That part right there had been different too.
Back home, we always had to be mindful, always listenin’ for My’Love, makin’ sure she was good, makin’ sure we wasn’t doin’ too much, but out here, it was just us. We ain’t have no interruptions, no pauses, no holdin’ back, and that freedom had him all over me in a way I felt deep.