Chapter 23 #2
“He’s been cool. Spending a lot of time there, but everything is good.
The business was his idea in the first place.
To run it and officially be the sole owner was something he’s happy about.
Aside from Dennis’s shortcomings, he took care of the upkeep of the store and made sure all federal rules and guidelines were followed.
But that’s where the appreciation ends. I’ll never look at that nigga the same. ”
“It seems like disloyalty runs on their end of the family. Dennis betrayed your dad and Deontay betrayed you. I never would’ve thought Mia got an abortion because she was really pregnant by him. Another man, maybe, but not him,” Celeste responded.
“Me either. I knew there was a reason, but I didn’t think of that shit either. The two of them did a good ass job keeping the shit from me. I’m just glad I walked away in the first place. I couldn’t imagine giving her ass a second chance just to find out the truth later down the line.”
When Deontay confessed to being Mia’s side nigga, I took all my anger out on him.
All the anger I had for Mia, him, and Dennis came out on his face.
Had it not been for Celeste crying out to me, I would’ve kept beating his ass.
The nigga was the replica of his daddy when it came to that hating ass spirit.
The parking lot of the studio only had one car parked there when we arrived.
When we made it inside, the lights shone brightly on the first background we’d be posing in front of.
Aaron was the photographer’s name and I’d gone through his social media pages when Celeste let me know she’d booked with him.
I wanted to see his work and I had to admit he had an eye.
We were now posing for the last background and Celeste looked so damn good.
She’d done her makeup before we left the house and her hair was in a sew-in with big, jet-black curls.
The puffy white dress she wore fit her perfectly.
I stood behind her shirtless, with my arms wrapped around her belly.
In the midst of flashes, I turned my head and kissed her neck and cheek.
“I love you, girl.”
“I love you more.”
“That’s a wrap. I got everything,” Aaron said as he lowered his camera.
“How long will it take to get the proofs?” I questioned as I released Celeste from my hold.
“As of right now, I’m looking at about a week or so. It’s still wedding season so I’m just a little backed up.”
I opened my mouth to respond but sudden movement from Celeste pulled my attention her way.
“What’s wrong? You good?”
“I just had a sharp pain. Maybe I’m doing too much moving.”
Celeste’s eyes shot down her body, making me do the same. When I noticed clear liquid coming down her leg, I knew her water had broken.
“Shane, call the ambulance. I need to get to the hospital.”
“I’ll drive you. We’re less than ten minutes away.”
Doing my best to remain calm, I put my shirt back on and gathered our things.
Once I had everything in the truck, I pulled closer to the door and grabbed Celeste.
Aaron helped me get her down the flight of stairs before wishing her a safe delivery.
Honestly, I thought she’d be freaking out at this point, but she wasn’t.
She focused on her breathing while I placed a call to my mother.
“Hey, son. How are you?”
“Hey, Momma, I’m good. I need you to come to the hospital. Celeste’s water just broke and we’re on the way now,” I informed her.
“Robert, baby, we gotta go to the hospital. Celeste’s water broke,” she repeated to my father.
We ended the call after she let me know they were leaving the house.
Silently, I said a prayer for all of this to go smoothly.
I didn’t know much about pregnancy, but I knew Black women were more at risk for shit to go left during or after childbirth.
I’d turn that damn hospital upside down if I felt Celeste was neglected or getting mediocre care.
“Talk to me, baby. How you feelin’ over there?” I asked with my eyes still on the road.
“I’m okay. Having frequent contractions. I’m mad as hell I won’t be able to get any JJ’s.”
“Girl, I’m trying to keep our son from being born on the side of the road and all your ass can think about is a chicken and fish dinner.”
“I know but I’m serious. I was looking forward to it.”
“I’ll get it for you once you have the baby. If the doctor says it’s okay, I’ll get whatever you want.”
Pulling into the emergency department, I parked at the entrance and ran inside.
“My wife is in labor. She’s right outside,” I yelled to anyone who would listen.
Thankfully, two nurses sprinted into action.
While one grabbed a wheelchair, the other asked me to take her to my truck.
As soon as we had Celeste transferred into the wheelchair, they whisked her off so fast I wanted to say something but decided against it.
It felt like it took forever to find a parking spot in the garage.
By the time I made it back to the entrance, my parents were walking up as well.
“Shane, what’s going on? Is everything okay?” my dad questioned as we stepped inside.
“I just came from parking the truck. She was doing fine when they got her.”
It took us about five minutes to get checked in and to the maternity floor.
Once we made it up, my dad opted to sit in the waiting room while my mother followed me to find Celeste.
She let us know she was four centimeters dilated.
I had no idea what the hell that meant, but my mother simplified it when she told me Celeste could start pushing once she was at ten centimeters.
Moments later, she was offered an epidural and didn’t hesitate to take it.
Six hours later, Jade, my mother, and me watched as Celeste delivered our baby boy.
It fucked me up to see her in so much pain, unable to do anything.
The last time I shed a tear was when the judge sent my dad away.
Now, here I was with fresh tears rolling down my cheeks after laying eyes on my son.
At first glance, I knew his ass was going to be a problem.
He had my light brown eyes with a head full of jet-black hair.
His button nose came straight from his momma and he was so alert.
After being checked by the doctor and measured by the nurses, they laid him on Celeste’s bare chest for skin-to-skin contact.
“Hey, Onyx. It’s nice to finally meet you,” Celeste said as she looked down at our son.
Onyx Jamal Scott was the name we decided on and it fit him perfectly. I ran my hand down his head and stared in awe. I couldn’t believe I had a mini-me in this world. I’d created a person and the shit hadn’t set in yet.
“I love you, baby. You did so good,” I said to Celeste before kissing her forehead.
“I love you more. I can’t believe he’s really here.”
“Shit, me either. Felt like you were pregnant for years,” I laughed.
“Imagine how I felt. I was the one pregnant. I’m glad Phillip decided to come tonight. He couldn’t have been more on the money.”
“Is he almost here?”
“He texted Jade that they just got the rental from the airport. They should be here in about thirty minutes.”
“Cool. Tripp will be here around that time as well,” I informed her.
As the evening went on, our friends and parents came and went.
Everyone of importance laid eyes on our new addition.
No one wanted to leave, but the nurses let us know visiting hours were over.
With everyone promising to come back in the morning, they said their goodbyes and gave hugs before leaving.
“Mrs. Scott, do you want us to take the baby so you can rest or would you like to keep him?”
Hearing Celeste referred to as Mrs. Scott would never get old to me.
With Cora passing and Celeste finding out about her pregnancy, the wedding planning had been nonexistent.
A few months back, I told her I wanted us to be married before the baby came.
Going to the courthouse wasn’t in my plan, but I wanted a wife more than a wedding.
As of right now, we planned to have a destination ceremony next summer.
Neither of us had a lot of friends or family to invite, so it would work out perfectly.
Right now, the only thing important to me was that everyone under our roof had the same last name.
“I’ll keep him, thank you.”
“I’m glad you said that. I wanted to speak up for you, but I don’t need these white people thinking you aren’t safe at home.”
“Please. I was keeping my baby regardless. The only person who can watch him without me supervising is his nana.”
“For real. You can sleep though, bae. I got him.”
“You sure? I just need a few hours.”
“I got him. I’ll wake you up when we need a titty,” I joked.
As Celeste made herself comfortable, I rolled the bassinet over to the chair and picked my son up before sitting down. I kissed his little hand when his eyes popped open.
“What’s up, son? You know my voice, huh? I started talking to you the minute I found out about you.”
I didn’t know if it was a coincidence or if he understood what I was saying, but a big smile took over his face before a small yawn.
“Man, how you yawnin’ and shit when you just got here? You’ve been resting for almost ten months, my boy.”
For about two hours, I held my boy in my arms and talked to him like he could respond. I took so many pictures and videos so it would be impossible for me to forget this moment. My life felt complete the day my father came home. Holding Onyx right now made me feel like my heart was truly full.