13. Ozyris Brentley
It was the next morning when I walked into the kitchen, stretching my arms above my head. Before I could fully make it through the doorway, the smell of bacon, pancakes, and something buttery hit me all at once.
A nigga’s stomach growled damn near immediately.
Miss Carolyn turned around from the stove with a spatula in her hand and smiled.
“Good morning, suga. Did you wash up?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I glanced down at the clothes I had on. “And thanks for the extra clothes, wherever the hell you got this outfit from. Clearly, somebody saved this shit from the eighties.”
She threw her head back and laughed.
“Well, I think it looks nice on you.”
“Yeah, right.”
I looked down at myself again and shook my head.
The velour tracksuit was oversized as hell.
The pants bunched around my ankles, and the jacket hung off me like it had been made for somebody twice my size.
It looked like something a pimp would wear while stepping out of a Cadillac.
All I was missing was a fucking toothpick, some platform shoes, and a cane.
“But for real, thank you,” I said. “And for the rag, towel, extra toothbrush… all of that.”
“You’re welcome, baby. Noree will probably be getting up soon,” Miss Carolyn said as she turned back toward the stove. “That girl has always loved sleeping late.”
I laughed. “I’m sure.”
“Have a seat. I wanted to have a little one-on-one conversation with you.”
I paused.
There it was.
For a second, I was confused, but at the same time, I had figured this was coming.
I had shown up at her house out of nowhere, learned that I had a daughter, and then spent the night under her roof.
There was no way Noree’s mama was letting me leave without asking me a few questions.
And from what I could tell, she didn’t bite her tongue.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I walked over to the island and pulled out one of the stools. Once I sat down, Miss Carolyn grabbed a plate from beside the stove and brought it over to me.
The plate was loaded with pancakes, bacon, eggs, and two pieces of toast covered in jelly. My eyes widened as she placed it in front of me.
“Damn,” I said before I could stop myself. “This looks good.”
She smiled. “You want some grits?”
“Hell yeah.”
She laughed again as she turned around and grabbed a bowl from the cabinet. She went over to the stove, lifted the top from one of the pots, and scooped some grits into the bowl.
I reached for my fork while she brought them over and placed them beside my plate. There was a pitcher of orange juice on the island, so I helped myself, pouring a cup of it.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Instead of walking away, she stood on the other side of the island and faced me. She placed both hands flat against the counter and stared at me.
I looked up from my plate.
“What are your intentions?” she asked.
I lowered my fork. “Ma’am?”
“You heard me.” Her expression remained pleasant, but I could tell she was serious. “What are your intentions with my daughter and my granddaughter?”
“Well, I plan to be there for my baby.”
“How?”
I sat back slightly.
“Because being a father isn’t just about dishing out money,” she continued. “That baby is going to need your time. She doesn’t need a part-time father. She needs a full-time one.”
“I know that.”
“Do you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Because I know you’re rich and famous. You’re probably always getting pulled in different directions. Going to these fancy events, traveling out of state, traveling out of the country. How are you planning to transition into fatherhood?”
I didn’t answer immediately.
I picked up my knife and started cutting my pancakes while I thought about her question. I understood why she was asking. Anybody could promise they were going to be there, but actually showing up was different.
I took a bite of my pancakes, chewed, and swallowed before I finally answered her.
“Well, I know it’s going to be a lot different from my current lifestyle, but I’m up for the challenge. If I’m being honest, shit probably won’t be easy.”
“It won’t,” she said.
“And yes, you’re right. I am gone a lot, but she can be right there with me.”
Miss Carolyn tilted her head slightly, listening.
“And once she gets older, I want to make sure she has the proper education,” I continued. “So, if we have to have tutors, teachers, and whoever else on the tour bus, then I’ll make sure everything is taken care of.”
Miss Carolyn laughed.
“What?”
“You really think my daughter is about to let you take her baby on the road without her?”
I smiled and shook my head.
“Well, eventually, she’s going to have to let Oaklynn flap her wings and leave the nest without her. I know it’s going to take a lot of getting used to, but I’m her dad.”
Miss Carolyn’s smile slowly faded as she continued studying me.
“About that,” she said. “You’re planning on getting a DNA test, right? That’s what Noree told me.”
“Yeah.”
She remained quiet, waiting for me to explain.
“I mean, from what I can see, me and Oaklynn look identical. She has my whole face, and she looks just like I did as a baby. But just to be on the safe side, I want to get a DNA test.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “I understand. I can’t fault you for that.”
I nodded too; glad she understood where I was coming from.
“My daughter wouldn’t lie about that, and I’m good at reading people.
You and Oaklynn are practically the same person in different fonts.
I’m confident she’s yours. But like I said, I need you to understand what you’re stepping into and make sure you’re ready to be all the way in,” she continued.
“Being a parent isn’t always a walk in the park.
You’re going to feel exhausted, confused, upset, happy, and worried, sometimes all at the same damn time. ”
I placed another piece of bacon into my mouth as I listened.
“Kids need a lot of attention,” she said.
“They’re constantly growing out of their clothes.
Then, once they start school, that’s a whole different ball game.
You have to get them to and from school, extracurricular activities, sports, and all that good stuff on time.
You’ll be waking up early in the morning and staying up late at night, helping with schoolwork and science projects. ”
She paused and gave me another look.
“So, keep all of that in mind when you say you’re ready to be a full-time father.”
I sat there for a moment, taking in everything she had said. None of it scared me away… but now that I knew about her, I planned to be present.
“Trust me, I get it,” I said. “And I understand why you wanted to have this conversation because, for the past year and some change, it’s just been Noree by herself.”
Miss Carolyn nodded slowly.
“But I’m here now,” I continued. “And if y’all let me show you how good of a dad I can be, I promise y’all won’t be disappointed.”
A soft smile appeared on her face.
“I’m sure I won’t be, suga. Now…you’ve told me what you plan to do for Oaklynn, but you still haven’t answered my question about Noree.”
Before I could respond, I heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. I turned around as Noree walked in carrying Oaklynn against her chest.
Both of them looked half asleep.
Noree’s eyes were barely open as she rubbed one of them with her free hand and yawned. Oaklynn’s cheek was pressed against her shoulder, and she was rubbing her little eyes too.
Seeing them together had me smiling before I even realized I was doing it.
Noree looked between her mama and me.
“Ma, are you in here grilling him?”
Miss Carolyn laughed. “Yep. Like a grilled cheese.”
All three of us laughed.
Noree walked over to the island, and out of instinct, she placed Oaklynn right into my arms.
The second I had her, my smile grew wider.
“Good morning, my pretty baby.”
I kissed her cheek, and she looked up at me with sleepy eyes. When I lightly tickled her side, she squirmed in my arms and smiled.
“There go that pretty smile,” I said in a softer voice. “You sleep good? Hmm? Did my baby sleep good?”
Oaklynn stared at me while I continued talking to her.
Noree stood there watching us for a second before she smiled.
“I’m going to go freshen up and get myself together,” she said.
“Aight.”
She turned and walked back out of the kitchen, leaving Oaklynn with me.
I looked down at my daughter as she grabbed one of the strings hanging from the ugly-ass velour jacket I had on and wrapped her tiny fingers around it. I smiled and gently bounced her in my arms.
All I could do was smile because something told me it was going to be a good morning and an even better day.
“Here, I made her some mini pancakes, and she loves grits. You can place her in her highchair. Her greedy self gone clean the plate. Watch and see.”
Miss Carolyn laughed, and I got up, lifting the highchair with one arm and pulling it closer to me while I held Oaklynn securely against my chest.
I then placed Oaklynn into the seat and snapped her in.
She seemed to perk up almost immediately after seeing me walk over with her food on a pink kiddy plate with a spoon.
I scooped up some of the grits for her, and out of instinct, I blew on them a few times and made an airplane noise before feeding her, causing her to giggle.
Noree then walked back into the kitchen and said, “Aww, you’re a natural.”
The rest of the morning went smoothly until Derez started blowing my phone up.
I opened our message thread to text him and let him know I was busy, but he sent me a link to a blog. There was a picture of Ginger as the thumbnail, and the headline said, “Ozy Love Isn’t Who You Think He Is. He Cheated on Me and Stood by Watching His New Girl Jump on Me for No Reason.”
I clicked the video, and she cried into the camera, making my blood boil.
“Look at my face. I look horrible, and he just stood there and laughed. Ladies…” She sniffled. “Never love a man more than he loves you. Oh… and he had a baby on me. He’ll be announcing it soon, but I’m sure he won’t tell the whole story. His baby is one. We were together when she was conceived.”
I shut my phone quick, then looked up at Noree. She looked pissed.
“What the hell?”