I Need It (The Henderson Family Saga #21)

Chapter 1

CHRISTIAN

“How much did he weigh?” Uncle Storm asked.

“Eight pounds and three ounces. He’s twenty-three inches long. I don’t know how Angel carried him. Hell, he almost bigger than her,” Uncle Jasper said.

I slowly shook my head. I was tired as hell. Rylan and Angel had gotten back from their honeymoon around a month ago, and Angel had been threatening to go into labor ever since. She was on bed rest, but she remained in good spirits. She loved my lil brother so damn much. I truly believed she would go to hell and fight the devil for that nigga.

I took a deep breath as I stretched my legs out. As soon as my mama and Tyeis came out of there, we would be able to go in. Once I offered my congratulations, gave him a cigar, and laid eyes on the baby, I would be out of here. Those two A/C repairs I had scheduled tomorrow morning wouldn’t give a damn about me being sleepy, especially the one at Uncle Storm’s house. I was dreading that shit.

I knew he was going to give me a hard time. It wouldn’t be him if he didn’t. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be there, and I only had to deal with Aunt Aspen. With the way I was feeling now, I knew I wouldn’t be in the mood for his bullshit. “Yo, you good?”

I glanced over at KJ. “Yeah, man. I’m tired.”

“Yeah, you worked all day, huh?”

“Yeah. That sun ain’t playing with nobody.”

“Tell me about it. I was practicing in it. Guess who I ran into though?”

I turned to him, intrigued by the smile I heard in his voice. “Who?”

“Cassie.”

I frowned slightly, trying to figure out who in the hell he was talking about. “Nigga, who?”

“Cassie. Uncle Price’s daughter. My dad’s friend that did all the dirt work for our shit. The one who got the contract, not too long ago, to haul our shit to grocery stores.”

“Oh, damn! She used to chill with us and play video games when we were younger. What she up to?”

Cassie was somewhat of a tomboy growing up. She would hang with us all the time when we were kids. Most times, she was with her dad when he came to Nome. She wasn’t an only child, but she was so much older than her siblings. Her being with him on jobs was her escape from them. However, by the time we were like sixteen or so and she was able to drive, she stopped coming.

“She’s a professor at Lamar, teaching an elementary education class. I don’t remember what exactly. I just remember it has to do with that. I supposed she wanted to take after her stepmom with that.”

I frowned at him slightly. He was feeling her. I could tell by the way he was avoiding my eyes. He and Cassie were closer than she was to Rylan and me because we weren’t always there when she was. Whereas I would sometimes tease her about her braces, KJ would always take up for her. I used to think he liked her back then, but he would always deny it.

“Well, did you get her number?”

He frowned as he stared at me. “Naw. She’s engaged. She ain’t no tomboy no more, man. I mean… fine as fuck.”

I gave him a slight smile, just knowing he was going to try to keep that tidbit to himself. “I thought you were crushing on her when we were younger.”

“I was. I should’ve shot my shot back then.” He slid his hand down his face. “I was too worried about what y’all would think. It was the immaturity in me. I missed her when she stopped coming around. I eventually forgot about her.”

“Was she feeling you back then?”

“When we were around fifteen, she asked me if I was feeling her one evening when she was at the house. Me, like a big dummy, told her no and that we were just friends.”

“What made her ask that? Were y’all having sex?”

“Naw, nothing like that. She was in her feelings, talking about her biological mother, and I hugged her, trying to comfort her. We ended up kissing. It wasn’t all involved, but it had a lil heat behind it. That was it.”

I nodded, and before I could say anything else, I saw my mama come out of the room with a big ass smile on her face, happy about her second grandbaby. As she got closer, I stood from my seat and stretched. “Y’all can go in now. They’ve gotten her all cleaned up and situated. Angel did so good, and I’m so proud of Rylan and how he helped her through it.”

“A’ight, a’ight. How many of us can go in at once?” Uncle Storm interrupted.

Mama rolled her eyes as Aunt Tiff pushed him. She didn’t bother responding to him. She grabbed Dad’s hand, and I followed behind them to the room. Jakari and Yendi were right behind me. I assumed they would let all of us go in first, because when I glanced back, I didn’t see anyone else behind us, except Decaurey. He left his twins with Uncle WJ and Aunt Liv. When we walked inside, Rylan had his long ass in the bed with Angel and the baby.

Angel looked tired as hell, but she still smiled at us. “He’s perfect,” she said.

I walked closer and kissed her forehead then shook Rylan’s hand. I handed him the cigar and took a peek at the baby. She was right. He was perfect. He looked just like Rylan. “To say he’s a newborn, he looks a month old already,” I said with a chuckle.

Angel giggled. “You wanna hold him, Christian?”

When I looked into her hopeful eyes, I couldn’t say no. I went and sanitized my hands then went back to them and extended my arms. I wasn’t a big fan of holding babies. They were way too little. I didn’t hold Jakari’s son. Noticing him give me the side-eye, I pulled the baby to my chest, holding him tightly. “What’s his name?” I asked.

“Renzo Aaron Douglas,” Rylan said.

I smiled slightly as I glanced at him. His eyes were on his son for a moment, then he pulled Angel to him and kissed her head. I took a deep breath then looked down at the baby to see he was staring at me. His eyes looked gray or something, kind of how Uncle Storm’s twins’ eyes looked when they were young.

I lightly slid my finger over his head, wishing that I would have been in this position. Janay and I fought to maintain for nearly a year. It was just so hard. She was way in Washington, D.C. I made a few trips there, and she made a few trips to Nome, but it just wasn’t enough. I loved her, but still…

It was my first attempt at a long-distance relationship, and I quickly learned I wasn’t cut out for that shit. We talked every day and got to know each other extremely well, but not having her here was taking a serious toll on me. She had a son she had to consider, along with his father, and couldn’t just uproot them to move to Nome. I surely wasn’t about to leave my home either. I had too much going on here to leave and start all over.

Our breakup was long overdue. It was emotional as hell too. I had to come clean and let her know that I’d cheated. I could’ve kept that shit to myself, but the guilt of it was tearing me apart. I wasn’t a ho, but I had surely become one to distract me from the heartbreak of losing Janay. She admitted that she’d gone out with another nigga as well. Neither of us wanted to cheat. It was the distance. It was a huge barrier for us.

I thought she would have been cool with moving to Nome since Yendi was here. Yendi was her big sister and the closest to her. Their other sister was living somewhere else, and she wasn’t as close to her brother. I didn’t take her ex-husband into account, especially since he wasn’t as involved with their son. During our relationship, he decided to be a father and was doing well by their son.

She cried on the phone during our last conversation and had me on the verge of doing so as well. It had been months… nearly a year since we’d broken up, and I was still trying to get over it. Janay was so perfect for me, but I had to let go. Despite our feelings for each other, what we had was toxic at best.

When Yendi stood close to me, I knew she wanted to hold the baby. She was upset with me for a little while after Janay and I broke up, but she cooled off after a couple of weeks and understood what had happened. She apologized for giving me the cold shoulder, and we moved on from it. I extended the baby to her as I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was damn near two in the morning.

Once she took him and cooed, I turned to Rylan. “Bruh, I gotta go get some rest. Your rowdy ass uncle is my first appointment in the morning. If I don’t get some sleep, me and that nigga gon’ lock up like two Brummer bulls if he say something smart.”

Rylan chuckled. “We don’t need that. Thanks for coming, bruh. Be careful.”

I nodded and kissed Angel goodbye and congratulated her again. “You know we want you to be the godfather, right?”

My face heated up as I smiled slightly. “I’d be honored, sis.”

She smiled big. I went to my mama and hugged her. “See you tomorrow for lunch, Mama.”

“Okay, baby. Please be safe on the road.”

I nodded as she wiped her lipstick off my cheek. After slapping Pop’s hand, I headed to the door and nearly walked right into Avery, my biological father. He nodded and extended his hand. “Hello, Christian.”

I shook it and said, “What’s up?”

I continued right by him. I wasn’t all that interested in having a relationship with him. Whenever I saw him, I spoke, but not like a son would speak to his father. I changed my last name from Bolton to Henderson. He was dead to me after what he did. My attitude had only changed once he came and talked to us. He was no longer dead to me, but I treated him like an acquaintance. I didn’t have room in my life for that nigga.

When I walked out, there was a woman leaning against the wall with an IV pole, right next to Angel’s room. Her eyes were closed, and she looked to be in pain. “Ma’am, are you okay?”

She opened her eyes and responded. “I am. I’m just tired. I walked too far. Thanks.”

Shit. She was beautiful. Those slanted eyes, thick ass lips, and high cheek bones had a nigga stuck for a minute. I stared at her for a moment then grabbed her hand. “Let me help you back to your room. Why you walking this time of morning?”

“I couldn’t sleep. I figured if I wore myself out, that would help.”

I glanced over at her as she took slow steps. She wore a bonnet, pajamas, and a housecoat, but none of that shit diminished her beauty. “Did you have surgery?” I asked.

She glanced at me as she continued holding my hand tightly. “Yeah, earlier. I guess you could say yesterday morning, since it’s the next day. It doesn’t feel like it though.”

“Tell me about it. My sister-in-law went into labor, so I haven’t slept yet.”

“What did she have?”

“A little boy. He’s over eight pounds and twenty-three inches long.”

“Damn!” she said then pulled her hand from mine and covered her mouth.

I chuckled as I pulled her hand from her face. “He’s a big baby, that’s for sure.”

“Well, height must run in your family.”

“Mm hmm. My brother, the baby’s father, is six six. I’m six five. My older brother is six three, I think. My parents, uncles, and aunts are all tall as well.”

“There was an extremely tall man in the waiting area.”

“Yeah, my uncle and my cousin’s husband are both six eight.”

“Whew, chile!”

I chuckled as she glanced up at me. I could imagine what her thoughts were. “So why did you have surgery?”

She licked her lips but remained quiet. If she was on this floor, she either had a baby or female trouble. Apparently, she didn’t feel comfortable sharing. “My bad. I didn’t mean to get all in your business like that. What’s your name?”

“Mya. Yours?”

“Christian.”

“Well, thank you, Christian, for helping me to my room. It’s straight ahead.”

“You’re welcome.”

I had to try to shoot my shot. I could not allow this woman out of my presence without doing so. Who was to say I would ever see her again? I pushed the slightly ajar door open. “Mya? I know this may seem awkward, but is there a way I can contact you? You seem cool, and I would like to get to know you.”

She frowned slightly. “You wanna get to know me? You might run in the opposite direction if you do.”

I bit my bottom lip, subduing a smile. She gave me a smirk. “Those pink lips are sexy though. Give me your phone.”

I pulled it from my pocket, unlocked the screen, and handed it to her. She smiled and began saving her number in it. “I put my last name as hospital, because I have a feeling you have a roster. That ain’t meant to be an insult. You’re a very handsome man.”

“Thank you. You’re a very beautiful woman. I like how upfront you are.”

“Oh, you don’t know the half. I’ll probably be getting discharged today or tomorrow since I’m doing well. Be careful going home though.”

I smiled at her and watched her get to her bed. When she took off her housecoat and sat on the bed, I said, “Get some rest, beautiful.”

She smiled, and I left her room. When I got close to the elevators, nosy ass Uncle Storm was standing there. “How you flirt with a woman in the hospital? Yo’ ho ass knows no bounds.”

“Keep on and I won’t show up to your house. Y’all will pass out from heat stroke before I get there.”

He frowned as I chuckled. That nigga could always dish it better than he could take it. He pointed at me. “I will hunt your ass down like you be hunting them rabbits and put a bullet in your ass. Fuck with me if you want to.”

He shoved me in the head as a smirk appeared on his lips. “Be careful going home, nigga.”

“A’ight. See you later.”

KJ gave me a head nod from the waiting area, and I chunked him the deuce then got on the elevator.