Chapter 19 Ghana
Some Months Later . . .
The months rolled by quickly, and shit between Autumn and me had progressed rapidly. I mean, the shit was already moving fast when I first laid eyes on her, but now it was to the point I stayed at her house more than at the loft. It made me feel like this was our norm, and I had no complaints.
Now, it was a week before Kenzi and Ruger’s wedding, and she and the girls were heading to Chicago to some spa retreat—a part of Kenzi’s pre-wedding party.
I pulled up to my spot and got out of my truck.
Autumn asked me to grab her bag that she’d left at my loft a few days ago.
I didn’t want her ass to leave me and would attempt to convince her ass to stay.
They could have booked a spa day at Above All, but Kenzi’s big-head ass wanted to be fucking extra.
Yeah, I was geeking over my girl not staying here with me, a way different contrast than the way I felt about Nich.
“Ghana!”
I put my hand on my hip near my gun, hearing the unfamiliar voice calling my name.
When I looked back to see who it was, I was surprised to see Kaylani standing on the sidewalk.
Although caught off guard by her presence, I still had no idea why she was here in the first place.
When I saw Nichelle’s other cousin, Bre, step out of the driver’s seat of the Ford Explorer truck, I knew some bullshit was about to go down.
Not dangerous bullshit, but some bullshit, nonetheless.
“What you doing here, Kay? If y’all here to talk to me about y’all cousin, y’all may as well get y’all ass back in that truck, and go back to where y’all came from,” I told them.
“She’s gone, Ghana. She went missing three months ago and left a letter for us to find you and bring you your baby.”
My frown deepened, and I looked at her like she had four heads and eight fucking arms. “Bring me my what?”
“Your baby.” She reached inside her purse, took out some papers, and handed them to me. I snatched them from her hand, looking over them.
“I don’t know what the fuck this is.”
“It’s the DNA results. After that stuff went down at the hospital, she made them do a DNA test on her, the baby, and Nico. He’s not the father.”
My heart dropped, and I looked off. How could this shit be true? Unless Nich was fucking somebody else, it was impossible that the baby belonged to me.
Kenzi confirmed the baby wasn’t mine.
“And you want me to believe this shit?”
“It’s true, Ghana. I was there when they got tested. You’re the only other person she’s been with,” Bre said.
I shook my head while pulling out my phone. I hurried and dialed Autumn’s number because I could feel myself about to lose it.
The phone rang twice before she picked up.
“Hey, baby. Did you get it?”
“Ros . . .” My voice trailed off as I felt heat creep up the back of my neck. Somebody was playing silly-ass games, and the idea that she ran off and left her baby behind was bringing back memories I tried every day to forget.
“What’s wrong? Talk to me,” Autumn said, alarm now in her tone.
“I need you, Ros. You and Kenz need to get to my loft as soon as possible.”
“Say less, baby. We’re on the way. Kenzi, we have to get to your brother now.” I heard her tell my sister. “Ghana?”
“Yeah?”
“Please, stay calm for me, baby. Please?”
“I need to see you. That’s the only way I’m going to stay calm.”
“Answer your FaceTime.”
I pulled the phone away from my ear and answered the FaceTime. She and Kenzi got inside the car.
“Hey, handsome. Can you tell me who made you mad?”
“We didn’t come to cause any trouble—”
“Aye, be quiet, Kaylani. It’s best that you just stand there and be seen and not fucking heard,” I sneered.
“Who is Kaylani?” Autumn asked.
“Kaylani? What is she doing there?” Kenzi asked in the background.
“You’ll find out when y’all get here. This shit is fucking wild, man,” I said, pacing the sidewalk.
“We’re ten minutes away, babe. Just breathe in and out.
Whatever it is, you got this. You’re strong, you’re amazing, you are calm, and no weapon that is formed against you will prosper.
You’re a king, and you can overcome any situation that may come your way with a clear mind and a calm heart. You hear me?”
I nodded. “I hear you, mama. I love the fuck out of you.”
“I love you more, big man. Just hold tight for me.”
I closed my eyes and did the breathing exercises she told me to do.
I thought of a good place just to keep calm.
I wanted to ask questions, but I feared I’d end up choking one of them if I did.
They stood by the truck, talking amongst themselves, and in my mind, I felt like they were plotting against me.
“Stop fucking whispering!” I yelled at them.
“Ghana, you are trippin’. You need to calm down!” Bre yelled.
“Hey! Don’t talk to him! Don’t say anything else to him!” Autumn yelled through the phone. “We’re pulling up now, baby. Stay calm.”
Three minutes later, Kenzi’s car double-parked in front of me, and she and Autumn emerged. Autumn came straight to me, tossing her arms around me. I held her tightly while Kenzi walked over to Bre and Kaylani.
“Now, what is happening? Why are y’all here?” Kenzi asked.
Kaylani rolled her eyes slightly and looked at Kenz.
“Nichelle ran off somewhere three months ago, and we can’t locate her.
She got a DNA test done on Nizara, and it turned out that Nico wasn’t the father.
She left a letter telling us to bring the baby to Ghana.
At first, I wasn’t going to do it, but my aunt can’t take care of her, and I’m still in school and can’t take her.
“There is no one else in the family willing to take her in, so I brought her up to her father.”
“She’s not his, so why would you even do that?” Kenzi asked.
“Ghana is the only other man she’s been with besides Nico. And that nigga been missing since he found out the results.”
“All of this sounds like some bullshit,” I said. Why would that ho-ass nigga risk his life, coming for me, if he already knew the baby didn’t belong to him?
I didn’t ask the shit out loud, because it didn’t even matter anymore. The nigga was worm food, but it just wouldn’t make sense for him to do some stupid shit like that for a seed that wasn’t even his.
“Where is the baby?” Kenzi asked.
“In the back, sleeping.”
Kenzi went to the back and opened the door. She stood there for over twenty seconds, just staring inside. When I saw a tear slide down her cheek, right then I knew, the shit had to be true.
“Ghana . . .” she called out to me. I drew in a deep breath, then begrudgingly made my way over to the truck with Autumn holding on to my arm. When I peered inside, my heart fell to my stomach, and I swallowed the lump in my throat.
She looked just like me. The eyebrows, the shape of her face, the shape of her lips, and the roundness of her snout were 100 percent me. I couldn’t see her eyes, but I didn’t need to, to know that she belonged to me.
I never got a chance to see her in the hospital because I was filled with so much rage, but I believed my sister when she said she didn’t belong to me.
“I was wrong, Ghana. We never gave her features time to come in before I concluded she didn’t look like you. All I saw was Nichelle’s betrayal, and I’m sorry,” Kenz said.
“I still want a DNA test,” I said. “I’ll get y’all a room, and first thing in the morning, I’m calling my doctor to come administer it. Until then, keep her until it’s time, and send me your CashApp.” I walked away and headed inside the building. I needed to fucking smoke.
Kenzi and Autumn followed close behind as we took the elevator up to the loft. The first thing I did when we got inside was grab my cigar box and take out a blunt. I lit it and paced the floor, trying to wrap my head around what the fuck was happening.
“This is absurd. Like, I can’t even believe any of this. When I saw her, I was only looking for the birthmark. I really am sorry, Brother.”
“You ain’t got shit to be sorry for, Sis. Too much shit was happening at the time, so even if I did see her, I wouldn’t have thought she was mine anyway.”
“But you’ve missed six months of her life—”
“It don’t matter, Kenz. I was already struggling with being a father at the time, so the shit don’t bother me.
What bothers me is her leaving her, reminding me of these trash-ass mothers who run away from their responsibilities, .
. . reminding me of Ashanti. What if I’m not the father? What am I supposed to do with her?”
“Keep her,” Autumn spoke.
I looked at her and shook my head. “You can’t be serious, Ros. Why would I keep a baby that don’t belong to me?”
“Can you direct that same question to Ms. Betty and Mr. Trent?”
“That was different. We weren’t six months old.”
“You all were still kids, though, babe. I just want you to look at the bigger picture here. Clearly, none of the family wants her or can take care of her. Hell, her own mother disowned her. Think about what you’re going through and how Ashanti's leaving still affects you to this very day. She’s just a baby and don’t know what is going on around her.
You had a relationship with that woman, and even though you may feel a way about her, you can’t deny that you were preparing yourself to be a father to that little girl. ”
I inhaled smoke in my lungs and continued to shake my head. My pacing started again because this shit was overwhelming. Being around Taylor had eased some of my doubts and worries. She was literally another light that brightened up my days, aside from Autumn.
When I was with her, I felt like I could be a good father with my condition, but I was skeptical about Nichelle’s baby. Too much shit happened between Nichelle and me that looking at her every day would bring up the betrayal that brought us here.
I would never hurt an innocent baby, but I was scared I wouldn’t be receptive to her presence in my life because of her trashy-ass mother.
“I’m scared, man,” I admitted. “Kids and babies deserve love. They didn’t ask to be here. I’m scared I might not give her the love she deserves because of her mother. I don’t want to hurt her in that way. That shit is a stain I can’t seem to wash off my life, no matter what I do.”
“We’re going to West Africa after the wedding,” Kenzi said.
I looked at her while she stared at me. We were silent for a moment before she spoke again.
“For our honeymoon. I know that’s where Ashanti is.
Mama Betty told me she’d been sending us postcards over the years of the different places she’d been traveling to.
She wrote on one of them that Merrick passed away, and now she’s living in her hometown.
I never told you because fuck her, but I do want to know why she did what she did.
I just need closure. I think you should come with us so you can get closure too. ”
Autumn stood and came to me. She placed her palms on my face as she often did to keep me calm. “And I’ll be right by your side to see you through. I think addressing your past is the only way to release you from the pain of your past.”
I closed my eyes and sighed deeply. “Let’s just get through one thing at a time. I need to go for a ride.”
Kenzi stood. “I’m going to cancel the spa trip.”
“You ain’t—” I started, but she tossed her hand up to silence me.
“You’re my brother, and at the end of the day, I’m going to always be by your side. Too much is happening right now. I can reschedule for another date. Right now, I’m more concerned about you.”
I didn’t say shit as she walked over to me and kissed my cheek. “Go take your ride and clear your head. The girls and I are going to go out for drinks, and tomorrow, we’re going to get this situation sorted out. I love you.”
“Love you too, Sis.” I turned to Autumn and kissed her lips gently. “I was trying to figure out a way to stop you from going to Chicago . . . God works in mysterious ways, don’t He?”
She laughed and mushed me. “You are a mess. You were going to miss me?”
“Always.”
“Shame,” Kenzi said, shaking her head.
Autumn smiled and kissed me again before leaving with Kenzi. I walked them down, then went into the parking structure, hopping on my bike and heading to the clubhouse to vent and clear my head.
Life was truly a motherfucka.