3. Makari #2
I just stared at him and he chuckled arrogantly before saying, “Super Bowl weekend would mean she’s three or four months. Looks about right.”
“You’re a baby expert now?” I narrowed my eyes.
“Shouldn’t I be since she’s mine.”
“She’s not…” The look he delivered had me slamming my mouth shut. Okay, I couldn’t win this. I would have to negotiate. “What do you want?”
He laughed dryly. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that shit? This is wild as fuck.”
Omiri shook his head like he couldn’t believe this was happening.
Right there with you, buddy…
“Why didn’t you tell me?” His tone was so hard and unforgiving I actually might’ve believed that he cared that I hadn’t told him.
“How was I supposed to do that? It’s not like you’re easily accessible.”
“My dick accessibly joined with your pussy to make a kid. You should have found a way to tell me.”
“We had sex, it was a one night stand.”
“That made a gotdamn kid, Makari. Why the fuck wouldn’t you have told me that?”
“I had my reasons,” I defended.
“Then run that shit down because it seems to me like you deliberately kept my kid from me for damn near a year.” He leaned back with his eyes locked on Avi. As angry as he was, none of that was directed at our daughter. Our…
“She’s four months.”
“And you were pregnant for nine. That’s over a year that I missed. Did I get to experience any of that?”
“Would you have wanted to?”
“Is. She. Mine?”
I opened my mouth to say no again but decided it was pointless. For whatever reason, he really wanted to know the truth. So I’d give it to him then pray like hell the truth was all he wanted.
“Yes, she’s yours.”
“Then yeah, I would have wanted to experience that shit. Why the fuck didn’t you tell me, Makari?”
“We had sex, that was it. I didn’t know you. Sex doesn’t grant you access to my life.”
“It does when sex ends up with a gotdamn kid. My kid,” He growled. “You’re not her only fucking parent.”
“Actually, I am. Kids need stability, security, and parents they can count on. You can’t give that.”
His jaw ticked. “How the fuck you know what I can give?”
“Are you seriously asking me that right now? Do you remember what I do for a living or do you only remember your dick commingling with my pussy? Every stupid ass decision you’ve made over the past year is all over every blog and social media. You’re not parent material, Omiri.”
“Bruh, you sound crazy as fuck. You don’t get to decide what I can be to my own kid.”
“Why don’t I? I have seen all the stories. The parties. The women, the DUI you managed to escape without consequence. Your life is not what I want for my daughter.”
“ Our daughter,” he growled, locking me into a heated stare.
When Avi startled from the bass in his voice, I tightened my hold around her tiny body and began gently bouncing her in my lap. At least the asshole had the decency to notice her mood change because he relaxed his tone.
“I don’t want to argue with you, Makari. She’s mine and I want to figure this out.”
“What the hell does figure this out mean? She’s not a hobby you can pick up and put down when having a kid doesn’t align with your mood or lifestyle. I’m sure you feel like you can slide in and be father of the year…”
“I don’t know what type of father I’m gonna be but you damn sure are not going to get in the way of me finding out. I have rights and she has the right to know me. Your ass is out here playing judge and jury with no fucking thought to how that affects us.”
I cringed at the venom in his voice. I wasn’t sure if he was angry because I made the decision or because he truly felt slighted about missing out, but still, Avi was the one who would be affected if this went left.
“It’s not that simple…” I argued.
“Yeah the fuck it is.” He removed his phone and pulled up something before he looked at me. “I have a private DNA test scheduled. My lawyer set it up and they’re going to come to my place to keep the shit from leaking to the media.”
I blinked several times, caught off guard but not surprised in the least that he was pushing so hard for this. “You already have a lawyer? You’re not taking her from me, so I hope like hell that’s not how you think this is going down.”
“Look how you handled things. Did you really expect me to not be prepared? Once we have all this in writing proving she’s mine…”
“I just told you she was and you can look at her and see she is,” I defended and he glared at me with arrogance.
“I know she’s mine. Them damn eyes are proof enough, but I also don’t trust you to handle this maturely. So I want the proof documented. Once we have that, we can work out a custody arrangement.”
“Custody.” I choked on the word. This felt too real, too damn fast.
“You do realize that’s how this works. She has two capable parents and I’m not trying to take her from you unless you push me. Truthfully, I should, because you owe me the year you stole.”
I grilled the hell out of him, not having any argument to present. Was his reaction because he genuinely wanted to be a father to Avi or was he simply flexing because of his position and privilege?
“Kids are exhausting, demanding, and nonstop with commitment. Avi is not going to give a damn if you have games, a press run, or hangover from partying too much. She’s solely dependent on me and, if you decide that you want to do this, on you .”
“You’re saying that like you don’t think I can handle it.”
“Can you?”
His expression shifted and turned dark. “You don’t know shit about me.”
“I know enough and after all the media posts slow down and she’s no longer serving your purpose, then I’m left trying to fix the fall out of Avi wondering where her father is.”
“Bruh, I’m not about to argue with you over what I can or can’t handle. I’m a grown ass man…”
“Who lives like a privileged NFL quarterback and has no accountability for his actions.”
“Don’t you do this shit for a living? You of all people should know what’s out there is not who most people truly are.”
“Actually, because I do this for a living, I know it is.” I looked him right in the eyes. The stories about his life weren’t fake; he was reckless as hell.
“People change.”
“Sometimes but is that what you want? You willing to walk away from partying without consequences, random women, and doing whatever the hell else you want whenever the mood hits? Because that’s what parenting looks like, prioritizing your kid over the things you want.”
He laughed dryly. “How the fuck are you giving parenting lessons and you hid my kid from me for a gotdamn year?” His voice came out in an angry growl that had Avi whining and fidgeting from the tension between us. I lifted and began moving around, rubbing my hand over her back to calm her down.
“We’re already at odds and this isn’t good for her.”
His eyes followed my movement but they were fixated on my little muffin.
After a minute, he relaxed again. “Yo, keeping it one hundred, I’m not trying to piss you off or upset baby girl.
I get why you’re worried. I’m man enough to admit that my reputation is pretty fucked up but this is about family.
She’s my family and family is important to me.
Regardless of what you think, know that I don’t fucking play about mine. ”
“I really hope you mean that.”
Things got awkwardly quiet but Omiri stared at Avi and she smiled at him, seemingly fascinated. My baby locked in on her father and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
“Okay, so with the DNA test, I’m not going to fight that but I want your word about some things first.”
“I’m listening…” His arrogance was so damn loud. It basically said “I’m listening, but if I don’t agree then you’re shit out of luck.”
“I want all this in writing, no media or announcements about Avi being yours until we discuss what this looks like, and pending the results…”
He arched his brow and smiled cockily. “You really on that ‘she might not be mine’ shit again?”
“No, but the point is, I want Avi protected from your world. My daughter will not be a headline just for a little press.”
“Aight, you got all that. I’ll have my lawyer put together a confidentiality agreement that covers all three of us.”
“I also want it referenced that I’m her primary caregiver…”
“Nah, fuck that. We share this equally.”
“I’m not trying to keep her from you…”
His eyes were on me again and I sighed. “What I mean is, she’s still young. I’m breastfeeding. She doesn’t know you. We have to work you into her life. It can’t just be you grab her and go, playing father of the year.”
He snorted. “We’ll discuss custody and visitation after we get confirmation from the test.”
I nodded. “And I need to know you’re truly in this. There’s no point in disrupting her world if your only goal is to throw money at us or show up when it’s convenient for you. Avi is not an afterthought. If you plan on disappearing, then we can kill all this now and…”
“She’s mine, Makari. I’m not going anywhere. My father was in and out of my life, so I know what that shit feels like. The only time he’s around is when he wants my money or connections. I wouldn’t dare do that to my own child.”
I was surprised that he felt open enough to share something so personal.
“I’ll trust your word.”
He nodded stiffly, staring at Avi in a way that felt weighted. “I damn sure won’t be perfect but I’ll show up and I’ll make her a priority. I’m giving you my word on that.”
“Okay.” I had to give something or risk him bulldozing his way into our lives and taking over. “What time is the test?”
“Let me know what works for you and I’ll make it happen, but today. I’ve already missed enough time.” He lifted his eyes from Avi and glared at me.
He stood and removed his phone. “Let me get your number…”
You don’t already have it was at the tip of my tongue but I pulled back because pushing this man wasn’t going to get me anywhere.
I had to think about my daughter. I called out my number then heard my phone vibrating on the table near me.
“Save my shit and let me know what time. Don’t keep me waiting all day either or I’ll pull up and don’t fucking run.
I promise you don’t want to piss me off any more than you already have. ”
“You’re pissed about me doing you a favor?” I shot back and he frowned hard.
“How the fuck is keeping my kid from me doing me a favor?”
“You don’t want kids, Omiri. I’m not even sure you want Avi but I know I can’t stop you from doing this.”
He snorted. “Nah, you can’t.”
I noticed he didn’t disagree about the not wanting kids statement and that annoyed me. Wanting to be in her life and wanting a child were two very different lanes. “I’m about to head out. Let me know as soon as you figure your shit out.”
He crossed the living room and the door slammed behind him when he left. I kissed Avi’s head, grabbed my phone, and sank onto the sofa. “Well fuck, muffin. I really messed this up.”
She smiled up at me and reached for my face so I leaned in closer, giving her more access and stole a kiss. “That was your daddy with all that damn arrogance and anger. You cool with letting him into our little world?”
My baby girl grinned and grabbed my nose. I balanced Avi, slid down off the sofa, and dialed Tiana, rushing out my concern and frustration as soon as she answered.
“Hey, boo thang.”
“He came to my house.”
“Shit, when?”
“Just left and he’s demanding a DNA test. I have to tell him when.”
“Damn, that was fast, but does he really need that? She has his eyes and pretty much his whole face.”
“She does not. Well… his eyes, yeah, but not his face. Avi looks like me,” I argued and Tiana laughed.
“No, baby. I know you want to believe she’s all you but aside from a few small things, Avi is her father through and through .”
It was true, but…
“Now is not the time to push that narrative. Will you come with me? I don’t want to do this by myself. He already has a lawyer and God knows who else on his side. It’s just me.”
“Aww babe, you know I’m there for you.”
“Thank you. You work today?”
“Yes, at seven, so can we do it before then?”
“Yes, he told me to set the time. I’m sure he’ll just snap his fingers and everyone will jump in unison to make this happen.”
I rolled my eyes picturing how much pull this man had.
“Was he pissed?”
“Very but it wasn’t terrible because he was a lot calmer than I expected him to be.”
“He has the right to be pissed.”
I looked down at Avi who was occupying her time grabbing at air.
“I know he does but this man has literally made multiple statements about not wanting kids. He’s even addressed pregnancy scares with his whole chest saying ‘just tell me where to send the check for the woman to get rid of it’.
How the hell can he blame me for not suffering through the embarrassment of being treated like that? ”
“Did you explain that to him?”
“No.”
She sighed. “Give him a chance, Kari. It’s not really about you at this point. This is about Avi. If he’s truly willing to step up, then she deserves to have him in her life.”
“And if he drops the ball and flakes…”
“You’ll handle it the same as you’ve been handling this but you can’t keep making decisions for him without giving the man a chance to prove he can do this.”
She was right. No matter how much I wanted to protect Avi, I had to give him a chance to step up or fail. The worst part was that I feared both because what would my life look like if he was actually an amazing father? And how would I make things right for my baby girl if he tanked?
“Let me text him a time. Can you be ready in an hour?”
“Yeah, I can. I’ll meet you at your place but we both can drive just in case you need to stay and I have to get to work.”
I frowned hard. “I’m not staying.”
“Mhm. I’m about to drag my ass out of bed and get dressed. I’ll see you in a bit.”
She hung up and I dropped my head back and closed my eyes before I found the call he made to my phone and tapped the number to send a text.
I guess this was really happening…