Chapter 20 Dreaux Davis #2
On the outside, I appeared calm, but on the inside, I was boiling with rage.
Belleza crossed a line when she mentioned my daughter, because I knew it was her way of threatening me.
I wasn’t the type of nigga who took too kindly to threats or ultimatums. Unfortunately, I couldn’t react like I normally would because there were too many unknown variables.
Belleza could have her men trailing Peace, meaning my daughter and her were in danger.
“Belleza, we haven’t had any issues with our business relationship in the past, and I would like to keep it that way.
As far as my personal life, I’ve already made myself clear where I stand.
I don’t appreciate the passive aggression when it concerns my child, and I’m sure you can understand that.
The same way you would go to war behind yours, I would kill every man standing behind my little girl.
There are certain aspects of my life that are off-limits, and I expect you to respect my boundaries.
If not, I don’t believe we can continue this arrangement, and I would hate to lose you as my supplier.
” Belleza may have had the upper hand, but I was far from a bitch, and she wasn’t about to handle me.
“Oh, nonsense. Don’t be so sensitive, quapo.
I would never threaten an innocent child.
I don’t believe in having innocent blood on my hands.
I’m just really passionate about our arrangement, and I want to make sure things won’t be changing anytime soon,” she cooed into the phone.
It took everything in me not to cuss her out and tell her to suck my dick.
Instead, I tried to focus on the bigger picture.
My family’s safety was the most important thing to me, so if I needed to play nice until I came up with a plan, then that was what I would do.
“I respect your feelings, and I would never do anything to mess up our arrangement.”
Deep down, I was already plotting how I was gonna take her ass out.
I allowed a lot of shit to slide over the years, but her threatening the people I loved sealed the deal for me.
Belleza needed to go, but to ensure my plan went through seamlessly, I had to be careful with my next moves.
She needed to believe I was adhering to her demands.
I sent a message to Peace to let her know we needed to talk.
Of course, she left me on read, but I wasn’t tripping because she was giving me a taste of my own medicine.
Ever since my talk with Belleza, I made it a point to put distance between us.
I needed her to believe I was moving funny, so it would soften the blow when I broke the news to her.
Based on her change in demeanor, my plan was working.
I wasn’t the type to play with people’s feelings, but this situation wasn’t normal.
To protect the woman I loved, I had to let her go.
As much as it killed me to do it, there were no other options at the moment.
She and Promise were my life, and if something happened to them because I was careless, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
She still hadn’t responded, but that was okay. I knew exactly where to find her, and it was time for me to put my plan in motion. I hoped I would be able to make it up to her one day, but even if I couldn’t, I would make sure she was always safe.
"Daddy!” Promise squealed as she raced into my arms. My knees damn near buckled when I heard her call my name because I hadn’t expected it. When I glanced up, I noticed Peace standing in the kitchen cooking.
“She’s been wanting to call you that for a while, and I told her it was okay.” She answered my unspoken question as I carried my baby girl to the couch.
“What’s up, pretty? I missed you.” I kissed the top of my little girl’s head as she rambled about her day and the things she ate.
I tried to keep up as much as I could, but it didn’t matter to her.
She was content with me being there and listening to her.
Eventually, we went to her room and played with her toys until it was time for dinner.
After she ate, I let Peace give her a bath, and then I took over for bedtime.
Promise loved books, so I made sure she had her own little library.
She couldn’t read yet, but she recognized certain words and pictures in her books.
It seemed surreal to be reading a bedtime story to the little one I created, but it gave me a sense of pride I had never experienced before.
The only thing I wanted to do was to protect her in a way I had never been protected.
Promise passed out after the first story, so I tucked her in and kissed her forehead. I whispered a prayer for her before turning on her night light. I wasn’t sure if God answered the prayers of a thug, but I would take my chances if it meant protecting my daughter.
I watched her sleep for a few months, committing her perfect face to memory.
My friends used to talk about how deep the love for your child was, but I never understood what they meant until Promise came into my life.
She made me want to be a better person because I didn’t want to taint her with my darkness.
Since Peace was taking a shower, I decided to wait for her in her room.
I wrestled with what I wanted to say because I cared about her and her feelings.
It was new for me because I never cared about a woman’s feelings before.
Things were different with her because genuine feelings were involved, and because she was the mother of my child.
Her emotions would directly affect Promise, so I needed to handle her with care.
“Why are you in my room?” Peace scoffed the moment she stepped into the room, but I didn’t take offense. She had every right to be upset with me.
“I told you we needed to talk.”
“Well, I don’t have anything to say to you.” Her arms were folded across her chest, and I found myself having a flashback of us making love. A part of me wanted to make love to her one more time, but it would have been selfish of me to do so.
“Okay, well then you can listen. Look, I don’t want to make this a long and drawn-out conversation. You and Promise mean a lot to me, and it’s been that way since we ran into each other at the store. I know you’ve been through a lot of shit, and I won’t add my baggage on top of it.”
“What does that mean?” She whispered as her voice cracked.
“I want to focus my attention on being the best father I can to Promise and co-parent to you. I won’t pretend I don’t have feelings for you because I do. The truth is, I’ve never felt this way about another woman before, and in a perfect world, I would be able to offer you more than a friendship.”
“Wow. I’ve never been played by two men in the same family. This has got to be a new record for me.” Peace spat with sarcasm dripping from her lips.
“Peace, I would never play you. I don’t want you to look at it like I’m—”
“Like you’re what? Feeding me a bunch of bullshit?
Oh, trust me, I know. You think I’m stupid, but I’m not.
I picked up on your energy weeks ago, which is why I’ve been keeping my distance.
I knew you would end up hurting me, and that’s why I tried so hard not to take it there with you.
” Tears fell from her pretty face, but she brushed them away as quickly as they came.
“Peace, I—”
“Don’t. Contrary to what you might believe, I’m a strong woman.
I don’t need you to hold my hand and let me down gently.
You don’t need to handle me with kid gloves because if I’ve learned nothing else in life, it’s that people are always gonna do what’s best for them, no matter who it hurts.
I’m not upset with you; I’m mad at myself because I knew you were gonna hurt me, but I still held out hope that you would prove me wrong.
Look, I’ll make this easy for you. You let me know your schedule, and we can work out an appropriate one for Promise.
I’ll coordinate pick-ups and drop-offs with your sisters, or we can meet at a public location of your choice. ”
“Wait, what do you mean? Why would we need to switch off at a public place? What’s wrong with the way we’ve been doing things?” The coldness in her tone caught me off guard, and I could feel the shift in the room.
“I think it’s best if we keep our distance from one another for the time being. We both agree the focus needs to be on Promise, so I want to avoid any lines being crossed as we navigate this new normal.”
“What about her bedtime stories? We have a routine.”
“I would suggest you find a way to adjust your routine. Dana will still be watching her until I find a suitable daycare, so maybe you can do your routine while she’s there or figure out a way to do it over the phone.
Either way, this will be your last time coming inside my home without an invitation.
Please make sure you leave your spare key here, or I can have someone change the locks. ”
“You do know I own this building. By law, I have to have access to every unit in this complex.” I challenged.
“As my property manager, you have rights, but even those come with boundaries. You have to give notice before you enter my place, and even then, you need a valid reason. There will be no more coming in and out of my place, as if you live here. And don’t bother with giving me the ‘I pay bills’ speech because I no longer need your money.
I would assume you would continue helping out for the sake of Promise, but I have no issues providing for us. ”
A part of me was proud of her for standing on business, even though it was towards me. She had every right to protect her peace, and I couldn’t be upset because I asked for it.
“I’ll still cover the bills here. I already have an account set up for Promise, but I’ll set up another one for child support.
The money will be sent to you monthly. If she needs anything else, let me know.
I’m gonna head out of here so I can get some things in order.
” I stepped closer to her, but she backed away from me.
Once I got to her bedroom door, I turned to look at her one more time.
Everything about Peace was perfect, and it killed me to disappoint her.
“I know you think I’m doing this to hurt you, but it’s the opposite.
I’ve got some shit I need to work on within myself before I can be the kind of man you deserve.
Instead of stringing you along until I get my shit together, I would rather you live the life you and I both know you deserve.
Regardless of anything, I’ll always be here for you and my daughter.
That’s one thing you never have to worry about.
” There were so many other things I wanted to say, but I decided to leave things where they were for now.
I peeked in on my baby girl one last time before leaving their place. As I headed to my whip, I hoped I was doing the right thing. I lived most of my life with no regrets, but for the first time, I questioned whether I made the right decision. I guess only time would tell.