7. Sawyer #3
“Who knows? Does Mama know yet? You said it’s a girl.
When is she due? I’ll need to take at least a month off to be here with you.
Do you have a name picked out yet? Oh my God, Sawyer!
I didn’t even know you were fucking on anybody new these days, bitch!
Who is he? Does he live out here? Is he supportive?
Shit, how are you feeling? Are your hormones in check?
” she rambled out breathlessly, still holding onto the baby booties.
Her brain was firing in a million different directions, and all I was trying to do was keep up.
“I think you’re stressing me out.”
“Shit. I’m sorry. Okay,okay, I’ll shut up.”
“Thank you. Mama doesn’t know yet. Yes, it’s a girl. She’s due at the end of March. There’s no name picked out yet, but I’ve been playing around with the idea of starting it with the letter K.”
“Why K?”
I paused. “Because . . . that’s what his name starts with.”
“And exactly who is he, Sawyer?”
“It’s a long, complicated story,” I answered.
Soleil gasped. “Oh shit, like a scandalous story? Is he already married? Famous? Your boss?”
I sucked my teeth. “None of the above, ho. Damn!”
“Then who is this mystery man, and why are you being so secretive about him like he’s the president?”
I huffed. “I’ll explain everything to you later. But you’ll actually get to meet him. He’s waiting back at my apartment with Butta,” I announced.
Soleil clutched her chest like Fred Sanford.
“Oh shit! Y’all are living together? How long has this been going on?
You really should’ve dropped a hint or two before I left North Carolina because I need to emotionally prepare myself.
Should I be the intimidating big sister or go easy on him?
Should we stop at the store and get some wine?
Shit—your ass can’t drink. What’s he look like? Is he tall? Is he fine ?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’ll find all that out when you see him. Just promise me you’ll be yourself . . . On second thought, scratch that. Don’t be yourself. Just take a fucking chill pill because if you come in firing off all those questions, you’re going to kill the vibe.”
She nodded. “Okay, okay. I got it. I’ll be on my best behavior, but I’m not promising to go easy on him. You know how scary I can get behind the people I love.”
I smirked. “Oh, I know.”
I pulled away from the airport with my heart thudding in my chest with a mix of excitement and apprehension. Once we got back to my apartment, the truth would come out, and I was willing to bet money that this Christmas would be one I’d never forget.
Half an hour later, I stepped inside my apartment with Soleil in tow.
She was cheesing, still riding the high of the news that she was going to be an auntie as she wheeled her suitcase inside.
Like clockwork, Butta came racing to the door, greeting me and sniffing around Soleil and her suitcase like a four-legged detective.
“Okay, where is he?” she whispered to me.
“Kareem?” I called out.
At the sound of his name, he came walking down the hall toward us. He sailed into the living room with ease, wearing a simple, crisp white T-shirt and black joggers.
He flashed a disarming smile. “You must be Soleil.”
“And you must be the mystery man who knocked up my baby sister,” she replied, eyeing him.
He dipped his chin while extending his hand. “Kareem,” he introduced himself. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Soleil smiled. “We’ll see if you still feel that way after a few hours. So that you know, I’m not the cute and friendly big sister. I’m the what the fuck did you say big sister. But I promise, I’m nicer than my face lets on.”
I interjected. “Can you not scare off my man with disclaimers in the first two minutes of meeting him?”
Kareem shook his head. “It’s cool. She warned me you’d come in hot. I can take the heat,” he told her.
Soleil smirked before pointing to Butta’s Christmas stocking. “Is that for the dog? The one she takes PTO for his birthday every year so that he can spend the day living his best life at the dog spa?”
Kareem chuckled. “It’s wild, right? The other day, she asked me to mount a small screen in his crate because he likes to watch SpongeBob while he eats, and we don’t always feel like changing the channel.”
“She’s going to dress the baby and the dog alike, just watch,” Soleil said straight-faced. “Probably get professional photos taken and everything.”
He nodded, feeding into her theory. “I think she’s secretly already got the date penciled in on her calendar.”
“Um, hello, I’m still standing here listening to y’all hating asses,” I interjected while folding my arms across my chest.
Soleil turned to me, laughing. “Sorry, Sawyer. I like him. So far so good, baby sis.”
Hearing her say those words, even if her feelings were preliminary, made me feel all warm and fuzzy deep inside my chest like a sense of perfection, of stability, of all the pieces to my crazy ass puzzle finally falling into the right place.
Later that night, Soleil and I were sitting cross-legged near the Christmas tree, surrounded by balled-up wrapping paper and a plate of half-eaten Snickerdoodles and Reese’s peanut butter cookies—our all-time favorites.
Butta was on the couch snoozing in those adorable reindeer antlers that he’d somehow come to tolerate.
Mariah Carey, the Queen of Christmas, was playing in the background through the Bluetooth speaker.
“It’s almost midnight, which means it’s almost time to open our gifts,” Soleil said.
I smiled. “I already know you won’t be able to top my gift, but I’m happy to receive it anyway,” I teased.
Then suddenly— BANG. BANG. BANG.
The front door shook under the force of whoever was on the other side, trying to get in. Butta jumped upright, barking and growling. I froze. Soleil jumped to her feet.
“Jacksonville PD! Open the door now!” the voice on the other side yelled.
“What the fuck?” Soleil trumpeted, visibly startled.
I twisted my neck toward the hall as Kareem raced toward me, eyes wide.
Before he could reach me, the front door burst open.
Over a dozen uniformed officers flooded my small apartment in seconds, shouting aggressive commands.
One grabbed Kareem and forced him to the ground, placing his hands behind his back.
“Kareem Dorsey, you’re under arrest for escaping federal custody. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
I watched them cuff him, standing frozen with my hand on my belly as my entire world felt like it had been shaken upside down like a snow globe.
Soleil protectively stepped in front of me, gripping my hand as we watched the mess unfold in front of our eyes.
Before I knew it, we were being led over to the couch and being detained.
“Excuse me.” She spoke to one of the nearby officers. “What is happening? It’s the middle of the night on Christmas. Why are you raiding my sister’s living room in the middle of the night and detaining us?”
“We received a tip that he was recently seen here. He’s a wanted prisoner,” the officer replied firmly.
Kareem and I exchanged silent glances as the officers led him out.
He mouthed the words it’s okay to me before the door slammed shut behind him.
The sound was final, setting off a visceral pain deep in my chest that I couldn’t shake.
My heart had been punctured, which made breathing the most agonizingthing to do.
Silence followed. The only sound was the softness of Mariah’s voice as she bellowed out “Oh Holy Night” from the speaker.
I sank to the floor, chest heaving as I breathed fast, and tears flowed down my face uncontrollably.
Soleil knelt beside me, enveloping me in her arms as the lights twinkled on.
“A long, complicated story, huh?” she inquired, voice wobbly.
I sniffled. “Yeah.”