Chapter 14
Oden
A Week Later
From the moment we walked in the door, Harlem had kidnapped my baby, keeping her in the room with the women while the men occupied the garage.
As always, my brother had one of his old schools out, hood up, staring down into it.
He wasn’t crazy enough to do any work on it because Harlem let him know in the door there was no working on cars tonight.
“You went and seen your daddy yet?” Kinga asked while it was just him and me in the garage.
“Nah, have you?”
He shook his head and drank from the beer. “I told you I wasn’t. I’ma let you handle that.”
I waved him off. “You want to know, but you on some dramatic shit. It’s cool though, I’ma get around to it. That ain’t at the top of my list right now.”
“Ain’t at the top of your list. Then what is?’
“Catching up to this IT nigga who’s stalking Jade.”
Kinga’s expression went serious. “Stalking Jade?” His repetition of my words had me nodding.
“Yeah, stalking. I’m waiting on information from Lois, but as soon as I get it I’ma go see him.” The moment I finished my statement, Rennix was reentering the garage.
Kinga laughed. “Yeah, you done definitely fell in love ’cause since when you start pulling up on niggas?”
“When my sister is involved nigga, what the fuck is you talking about?” Rennix asked.
Kinga laughed. “I see, got my brother out here on some hood shit. Let me know when you’re ready to pull up, I’ll drive. Can’t have you pulling up in your real whip with the plates all out.”
Rennix laughed.
I shook my head. That was how quickly my brother thought things out. The way he said that let me know he had murder on his mental, when I had every intention of fucking ol’ boy up, just not a funeral because of me.
“Aight.”
Rennix changed the subject. “Where the twins run in y’all’s family? ’Cause how you get twins, G get twins, and I didn’t get mine? I’m a whole fucking twin.”
Kinga chuckled. “’Cause I got that shit in me, but I promise I was thanking the Lord’s lucky stars when that doctor said one baby in there.
Then, when Junior was born, I was kissing my chain.
Twins are double the fucking trouble. Even though they’re polar fucking opposites, they get on the same timing and it’s like chasing two lil Tasmanian devils around the house. ”
Both Rennix and I laughed.
“Y’all laughing but I promise you one day Harlem left me home with the twins and the dogs.
Why the fuck I look up and Kysler had two of the puppies in the toilet while Brooklyn guarded the door?
Shit had me baffled as fuck. So, like I said, be careful what you wish for, because on my mama, twins will have you somewhere tryna pull your fucking eyelashes out. ”
I shook my head. “Lowkey that sounds like Aja by herself when she was a baby. Used to drive me up the wall.”
We talked for a while longer, switching subjects, never staying on the same one until Aja came out asking her uncle about cake.
“How do you know it’s cake, lil ma?” he asked, leading the way into the kitchen.
“Because you’re a baker. You bake cakes, Uncle, especially for Tete. She loves your cakes.” Aja shrugged.
“Damn you know me like that?”
She nodded. “And Tete said we’re going to get breakfast in the morning.”
“You staying at my house? I thought I had too many kids for you, Aja?” Kinga asked, just to mess with her.
In true Aja fashion she didn’t back down. “You kinda do and you have a lot of dogs, but sometimes that’s okay. Others I want to stay with my daddy and Ms. Jade. It’s quiet at home and it’s just me.”
Kinga looked at her then me before shaking his head. “You know what? I get that but take your dog with you. Don’t be leaving me extra shit to pick up.”
She laughed. “Fine, when I go back with my daddy, I’ll take Blue with me.”
That had me looking at her and Kinga sideways, ’cause when the fuck did I give an okay to a dog? “Yo, uhm, that wasn’t run by me.”
“We’re a package deal, Dad.” With that couple words, her ass walked out of the kitchen, leaving both Kinga and Rennix laughing.
“She checking shit in here, huh?” Rennix asked with a cup to his lips.
“Territory of having a daughter. You just let shit roll off your back. With sons... I hear them niggas steal your woman,” I responded.
More laughter ensued as my brother finally came out of the refrigerator with a cake. Well, a couple of cakes, it looked like he had gone on a baking spree.
“Before y’all get on that judgmental shit. My baby was still pregnant when I asked her what cake she wanted, so I made that. And I special ordered dog candles because she didn’t want basic candles.”
“Yo, you’re a fucking sap. Special ordering French bulldog candles and shit. Nigga is you cool?” Rennix asked.
Kinga waved him off just as the women joined us in the kitchen one by one.
Harlem being last, holding Kysler in her arms. My eyes stayed on Jade though.
She was holding the baby and enjoying it.
Not to be on any chauvinistic shit, but she looked good with a baby in her arms. Of course it was my nephew, but I couldn’t help but wonder how it would be if she was holding my child…
ours. With Jade, I could see a future. I envisioned a life that I hadn’t seen with my wife.
Not to compare the two, but facts were facts.
With Jade I saw and did things I didn’t do with Ashley.
In so many words, different people got different versions of you.
With Ashley I didn’t quite know who I was or what I even wanted out of life, but it didn’t matter.
With her everything was materialistic and tangible.
With Jade I knew who I was and what I might offer, Jade didn’t care about none of that.
She didn’t give a shit about what I had or could provide, all she wanted was me.
She loved me in a way I didn’t realize existed until she was in my life.
My baby. We established a whole code word for when I needed to go dark or create some space, yet I hadn’t used it nor felt the need.
We sang happy birthday to Harlem and kicked it for a while longer before I was dragging Jade out of the door and telling my child to call me when she was ready to come home. Knowing her little fickle ass, that could mean tomorrow or next week, but I knew she’d call.
The moment we walked out of the door I had Jade’s hand in mine, nearly dragging her toward the car. When I got her there, I sandwiched her between it and my body before my free hand had her face tilted up.
She gazed into my eyes before she spoke. “I missed you today.”
“Good, because I missed your ass too and I intend to show you just how much when we get to the crib.” I ducked my head and pecked her lips.
“You could have fooled me. ’Cause I swear you were trying to get something started right here in your brother’s driveway.”
I laughed then stepped back and opened the door.
I then helped her into the car before closing the door. Once I got in on the driver side, I started the car, ready to pull off. I felt her eyes, but she didn’t speak until we were a few minutes into the ride.
“I’m happy with you. Like really happy.”
“Are you surprised?” My hand went from the steering wheel to her thigh.
“Yes, but not by you. By the way, it feels like everything with us is easy and it fits.”
“That’s because what doesn’t fit isn’t supposed to happen. What’s meant is happening, love, let it.”
“Okay, but um, can you stop over there and get me a milkshake?” Her hand met mine on her thigh.
I nodded and merged into the other lane to get her milkshake.
“On another note, though… Do you see yourself ever getting married again?”
That question had my chest tightening at the thought, but almost instantly a small voice in my mind reminded me that she wasn’t Ashley.
“I don’t know. You wanna marry me, Jade?” I cut my eyes between hers and the road before I pulled into the drive-thru of the Wisconsin based establishment she wanted her milkshake from.
“I didn’t say th?—”
The intercom interrupted her speaking. “Welcome to Culvers, may I take your order?”
“Yeah, lemme get a large vanilla milkshake with caramel sauce around the cup,” she ordered, then looked at me to ask if I wanted something without speaking.
I shook my head. I wasn’t too big on sweets, but Jade had a sweet tooth out of this world.
The intercom was loud once again. “Will that be all?”
“Yes, thank you,” she answered before I could.
“Pull around.”
I reached in my pocket, pulling out my wallet as I pulled around. By the time the person in the window opened it, I was holding out my card and waiting for an answer.
Jade had since picked her phone up and began tapping away.
“I said do you want to marry me, Jade?”
She dropped her phone, eyes trained on me. That smile was fucking contagious. She was so nervous; you would’ve thought I was asking her to marry me right now. “I didn’t ask you that for you to answer a question with a question, Oden. Yes or no, it’s that simple.”
After I had her milkshake and my card from ol’ girl, I pulled out of the drive-thru.
“Nah, it’s not that simple. What would make it simple depends on your answer. So, I’ma ask you again, Jade. You tryna marry me or something?”
She laughed. “You are so difficult. Maybe, Oden. Now can you answer my question?” She jabbed her straw into the milkshake.
“Yeah, but only if it’s to your maybe slanging ass. But I ain’t in no rush and neither are you. We straight in here. When the time comes, I’ll be ready to memorize your ring size and greet you on one knee.” I meant every word I said too.
She grew quiet, slurping from the cup of thick ass milk, cream, and ice. A few seconds later, I felt her eyes.
“That answer work for you?”
“Yup, and for your memory, my ring size is a six.” She had to be snarky.