6. Asher
Asher
A Short Time Later…
I ran around my house making sure I had everything childproof and my son’s play area and room was straight. It was crazy that as many times as I’ve had my son, he had never been to my place alone. I always had him at my sister’s place or parents after they found out about him. I never really had him out in the streets because I wasn’t ready for the paparazzi to get wind of him just yet. My lawyer had the day care workers sign NDAs once paternity of Ashtan was confirmed.
Kat called me earlier to ask if I could watch my baby overnight because one of her doula patients went into labor. Of course, I told her yes. I told her to bring him here early so that she could get some rest. She texted me and told me that she was about to get on the elevator. My baby’s birthday was creeping up on us. Katniss didn’t want to do anything big, so we were going to have a party at my mama’s house.
When the doorbell rang then I heard a little bang, I knew that was my boy. I opened the door, looked down at my lil boy, and smiled. He reached his hand up to me. “Dada!”
“What up withcha, baby boy?” I picked him up and kissed him all over his face. His laughs always energized me. The first time he called me Dada was a little over a week ago. He was crying because his mama popped him, and he called out for me. My heart felt like it stopped.
I moved to the side to let in a smiling Katniss. My eyes immediately when to her ass when she walked by. My baby mama was fat up like hell. She placed a bag on the couch. “I got him some clothes, snacks, his bath stuff, and everything in here.”
I glanced at her sideways. “I ain’t need dat lil bag. I got all my boy shit in here.”
Surprise rose on her face. I told her to follow me. We walked to the back. When I opened the door to my son’s room, her mouth dropped. My boy’s room was official with a big boy bed and all. His closet door was open to show a closet that was organized with shelves and racks filled with shoes and clothes. “Wow, you really do have everything you need!”
“Why you thought I wouldn’t?” I questioned. “Katniss, don’t play me like I ain’t ga step bout my boy. This lil boy already got mo money sittin in his account than company CEOs. We ain’t ga have to do dat bringin clothes back and forth. Come on.”
Next, I took her to the hallway bathroom where I planned to give him baths and potty train his lil ass. Since he can walk, he can piss in the pot.
“Okay, baby daddy, I see you.” We walked back to the front. “I really appreciate you babysitting.”
See, she had me fucked up again. “Kat, how da fuck I babysit my own fuckin chap? Stop playin wit me,” I said with my head tilted. “You ain’t gotta thank me for havin my son. I e daddy.”
She held her hand up in surrender. “I got you, Asher. I won’t make that mistake again.” She moved into my space. “Ashtan, give Mommy a kiss bye.”
He leaned over and gave his mama a kiss. “Bye.” He waved.
“Dang, my baby don’t even care that I’m leaving.” When she gave a cute pout, I burst into laughter. Ashtan didn’t understand what was funny, but he laughed with me.
I wrapped my arm around her waist. “Aww, it’s okay, lil one. He still loves you.” Without thinking, I smacked her on the ass.
Our eyes met, but she didn’t say anything. “Let me go. I’ll call you when I get off.” She kissed Ashtan again, then rushed her fat up ass to the door.
I had to shake my head at her scary ass. I put Ashtan down. “Come on, Son, let’s eat.” I walked toward the kitchen, and he followed behind me chanting eat, eat, eat!
It was safe to say that my boy loved neckbones. My momma sent me home with some yesterday, so that’s what we ate. Now he got me running around here playing hide and seek. Ashtan was not a good hider at all. My boy stood behind the leg of my chair that was at my kitchen island. He really thought that he did something, too, so I acted like I couldn’t find him. When I did, he laughed until he fell on the floor.
“Ashtan, where you at?” I moved around the condo to find him although he was under the living room table and laughing loudly. “Ashtan, I ga find you.”
“No!” Ashtan yelled out from his hiding spot. This little boy was a mess. “No!”
Before I could go grab him up, my doorbell rang. Who the fuck is this? If Kat popped her ass back over here during a break or some shit, I was going to cuss her out. She had texted and called more than she should have. I told her ass that I was going to temporarily block her.
I moved to the door, then opened it. When I saw who it was, I closed the gap in my door. “Why da fuck you poppin up at my house like I ain’t tell you we wasn’t mixin no more?” I asked Penny’s stupid ass.
She looked down, untied the belt on the coat she wore, then opened it to show her naked body. “I thought we could have some fun,” she answered. “I know you miss me.”
“See, dis why I shoulda neva had you at my shit,” I blurted. I can’t believe this bitch popped up at my fuckin shit. “Get da fuck away from my doe.”
Her eyes bucked like they had a damn right. Before she could say anything, I felt my boy trying to pull the door back wit his nosy ass. “Dada!”
Penny tried to look around me to see Ashtan. I blocked her view while Ashtan still tried to pull the door open. “Asher, who is that? When I didn’t answer her, she yelled, “Who the fuck is that!”
I let the door go and rushed toward her. She quickly backed up. “Girl, if you don’t get from round my door wit that yellin shit.” I felt Ashtan’s hand on my leg, so I leaned down to pick him up. My boy wore the same mean mug that I did.
Penny looked between me and my son. In a lower more acceptable tone, she asked, “Asher, wh-when did you have a baby? Who is his mother?”
“Dat ain’t none of ya fuckin business,” I told her. “I’ma say dis shit once and one time only. Don’t pop up at my shit or I ga call dem boys.” I stared at her with tight eyes. “Don’t make me ack a donkey cause you ain’t know how ta follow instruction.” I pointed at my son, then said, “Yeah, dis my boy, and if he feel threaten, I feel threaten. Penny, threatenin people get murdered.”
Her gasp was loud. I’d never gotten live with her like this, but this shit right here was a no-go. “Asher, how could you have a baby on me?”
“Bitch, get yo fool ass out my face and from my doe. I’m not about to play wit you.” I turned on my heel to walk back into my condo. Just as I was about to close the door, Ashtan turned his head toward Penny and told her bye. This is definitely my boy.
Tiara was bent over laughing. I thought she would fall on the floor. “My nephew tol dat bitch bye.” She looked at Ashtan who was in his play area. “Dat’s right, nephew. Let des hos know we not ta be played wit.” My nephew Ashan was in the area as well in his bouncer seat playing with his toes that he recently became obsessed with.
Like he knew she was talking to him, he gave his auntie a big ass smile. I loved that lil boy more than I ever thought I could love a person. I breathed and moved just to ensure that he could without worry. The same way my daddy did and does for me. I understood, as an adult, the struggles my parents went through to make sure me and my sister could do what our hearts desired. I didn’t understand that shit when I was a lil jit because they never let us see them sweat.
When I made it to the league, I promised to retire them. My mama had no problem with it, but my daddy said he’d retire when he was ready. Yes, I bought their house, but he paid all the bills in it. He told me that it was a man thing.
“Sis, when dat bitch ask how I had a baby on her, I almost choked dat bitch out,” I said. I blocked her ass from calling me, so she slid in my inbox. When I blocked her on social media, her ass made a fake page. Last week my lawyer reached out to her to inform her that a restraining order and harassment charge was in the future if her ass didn’t chill. I hadn’t heard from her since.
Tiara shook her head before her expression got serious. “Bubba, on some serious shit doe, don’t make me have ta beat da girl ass. I play all day, but not when e come to you, Mama, Daddy, and my nephew. Ion got no funnies in me.”
She didn’t have to say anything else because I knew she meant what she said. When we were younger, baby sis had went to plenty of bitches’ asses. She could be a hot head, but she was light work compared to our mother. “I know, Sis. Dat bitch dumb but she ain’t crazy.”
She kissed her teeth, then said, “I hear ya, bubba. Jus remember: dumb and crazy ain’t too far apart. Neitha is assault and murda.”
Penny had my mind blown with that bullshit she was talking. How the fuck can a man have a baby on someone that he was never in a relationship with? I knew I was right when I stopped that shit with her the last time we smashed. When she left after her lil pop up and tried to pop up again, I called down to the building attendant to take her off my authorized list. I meant to take her ass off after I told her I didn’t want to ride her ass no more.
My sister moved to my son and sat down to play with him. Me and his mother had been working on words, colors, and all kinds of things with him. By the time my boy was two, he would be talking in complete sentences getting on everyone’s nerves. Katniss and I talked more as the weeks went on.
Me: Baby Mama, what you doing?
I smirked when I immediately saw the bubbles indicating that she was typing. She had betta answer me immediately. I laid my head back on the couch with my eyes on my sis and baby boy. She was showing him cards and coaxing him to repeat after her. He tried but his laughter stopped him. I loved that he was a happy baby. I wanted to make sure that happiness carried over through his childhood and adulthood.
Baby Mama Fat-Fat: Gettin dressed. What you doing?
I paused for a moment to pull my phone screen down to see what time it was. My boy was spending the night and I knew that she wasn’t working tonight either. Where the fuck she going?
Me: Oh they call you into work?
Baby Mama Fat-Fat: No… I have a date.
“The fuck!” I blurted not realizing it was out loud and not in my mind. My back lifted from the couch. When my sister asked me what was wrong, I had to tell her nothing in a convincing tone. Her ass stayed ready to go.
Me: Fat-fat who da fuck you going on a date with? We ain’t discuss dat shit.
I felt some kind of way. I wasn’t sure why I felt some kind of way, but the fact was that I did. Hell, she was my baby mama, not no other nigga’s. I waited to see those typing bubbles, but they were not popping up fast enough. I swear if dis girl don’t answer me.
Baby Mama Fat-Fat: lol Asher Kane why would I discuss my dating life with you? Did I miss something?
Da fuck she mean, did she miss something? Yeah, she gonna have me out here tripping on her. Nah, we weren’t in a relationship, but still. She’s Asher Kane Wilson’s baby mama. People may not know that shit now, but they eventually will.
Me: You musta miss that you my baby mama Fat-fat. Don’t get these niggas out her fucked up behind you.
“It’s a damn shame you on dat girl ass like she ya lil one.” My sister’s voice startled me. When the hell did she move from the play area? She stood directly behind me with Ashtan on her hip looking over my shoulder. My head snapped over to the play area. Ashan’s ass was knocked out in his bouncer seat. What made me chuckle was Ashtan on his auntie’s hip not making a peep like he was her assist on her nosy covert mission.
“Son, you just ga let ya auntie run up on me like dat?” I jokingly asked my baby boy. When his head dropped on his auntie’s shoulder and he gave me those what you thought eyes, I knew it was above me. “I see how you do, Son.”
My sister walked around the couch. “If ya ass wasn’t so caught up in wha ya baby mama had goin on, you woulda heard me runnin up.” She plopped down on the couch beside me. “Dat girl can date who she wanna date. You not her man.”
“Damn, how long you been behind me ta know she goin on a date?” My sister was nosy as fuck. Hell, my whole family was nosy as fuck. That was why when Katniss brought my son to the cookout everyone was in my face. “She ga date all she want to and I ca knock niggas out all I want to.”
Tiara laughed, causing Ashtan to laugh at the unknown. “Okay, Mister Pro-baller. Get ya ass lock up so Mama and Daddy ca box you off for free.” She shook her head before she side-eyed me. “If you don’t wanna ta date den you date ha ass.”
Baby Mama Fat-Fat: Whatever, Asher. When you become my man then you can tell me what to do.
My brow rose as a smirk came to my lips. She said when. Yeah, that made me feel good that she didn’t say if. It let a young, rich, dapper man like me know there was a chance. Whether she knew it or not, I would come for her.
A Little While Later…
“So, y’all just bookin rooms and fuckin on a regula now?” I questioned Zane. We was chilling at a local lounge shooting the breeze. He’d just finished telling me about his many trysts with Daisy.
We were best friends, but there were times when we got into our own shit that made us unavailable to just chill outside of our places sometimes. It was easy for me to go down a floor to his spot or him to come up to mine. When we went out to chill, it was a different vibe.
Zane took a sip of his drink, then set it down. “Man, I guess that’s what we’re doing. At first it was like once, then twice. Now it’s like every other day I’m in her inbox or she’s in mine.”
“Well, shit my boy, if e like that why you don’t save da fetty and bring her to da crib? It’s not like she ain’t know where you lay ya head, bubba,” I told him. “Face it, she my son god-mama and you his god-daddy so y’all always ga be round each otha.”
He sat there for a minute not speaking. After he took another sip of his drink, he spoke. “Shit, after that Penny pop up, I don’t want to test it.” He laughed at his own whack ass joke.
“Oh, I see you got jokes,” I responded with a titter. “Based on what you done told me, you ga be da one to pop up on her ass. Dat gal only want ya dick not ya time or none of dat shit.” Now it was my turn to laugh.
The fact that Daisy didn’t give a bit of a fuck about Zane Hershel Anderson being this rich ass, professional football player nicked his ego bad as fuck. He was used to everyone being on his ass, especially females. To meet a female not on that shit seemed to intrigue him.
“Nigga, fuck you,” Zane said with a turned-up lip. “In due time! She’s gonna be on my ass.”
I didn’t bother to say anything because I knew better. My boy Zane had some scars that needed to be treated and healed. Did I think him and Daisy would get for real boo’d up? I don’t know. Crazier shit had happened.
Zane and I sat at the bar chilling. Every once in a while, we took a picture and signed an autograph for a fan. That was a part of this life. I never minded as long as they were respectful when they approached.
When Zane’s phone dinged, he picked it up. I continued to eat the wings that I ordered earlier until he muttered an oh shit. Without words, I peeked over to him with a wing partially in my mouth. Zane’s eyes were shifty as hell, making me put the wing on the plate. He shook his head, then handed me his phone.
I took the phone confused at what I was looking at. When the reality of what I was reading hit me, I felt my blood boiling and my eyes redden. “Oh yeah, dis bitch bout to see me.” I threw money on the bar for me and Zane’s shit. “Let’s go.”
I didn’t wait for his ass to say shit to me, but I felt him on my heel. When we got into my whip, Zane’s body turned toward me. “Look, bro! Calm the hell down. I know you’re mad, but you don’t even know who—”
“I know exactly who ran their fuckin mout,” I said as I waved his ass off. I was breaking traffic laws to get out to Quail Hollow to see a bitch about some shit. People wanted to play so I would play with them.
It normally would have taken me almost thirty minutes to get to where I was going from where I was at. Today, I made it there in about fifteen. Before I pulled into the driveway, I had Zane reach into my glove box to hand me the pink envelope that was in it. When he asked me what it was, I didn’t respond. As soon as I pulled into the driveway of the home, I took the garage remote out and clicked it to open the garage.
I was happy I never threw this bullshit away. I forgot I had it until about five minutes ago. “Nigga, you got another house or some shit?” Zane asked perplexed. His eyes bounced around the three-car garage that now held my car, a luxury sedan, and a golf cart.
Once the garage door was down, I got out of my whip and walked toward the door. I knew it would be unlocked because it was never locked. As soon as I walked through the door, I heard cackles.
“Yes, bitch! You’re damn right I did that shit. He wants to have a baby on me and with a fat bitch at that, then the world needs to know,” Penny said into her phone.
See I knew it was Penny who sold the story to the blogs because this particular blog was messy as fuck. She never revealed direct sources, but if you were the one who the gossip was about, she dropped subtle hints that you should be able to pick up on. This time the blogger ended the article with the sentence penny for your thoughts.
Penny was so into her little phone conversation that she didn’t hear when me and Zane came into her house. Zane’s eye bucked out as we quietly listened to this bitch tell whoever she spoke to on the phone about my baby mama. She was having a good, loud conversation. I was tired of the wait, so I went to her fridge, grabbed two bottles of water, then walked over to her.
“Oh my God!” She dropped her phone on the ground. I noticed it hung up because the screen completely shattered. What kinda stupid bitch don’t put a phone protector on an iPhone?
“I thought you might wanna wata since ya ass so thirsty and shit.” I set the bottled water down on the table beside her. While she was stuck on shocked, I sat on the loveseat across from her.
She shifted in her seat. “Asher, wh-what are you doing here?” She looked like a straight ass bobblehead the way her head went between me and Zane. “Please don’t hurt me.”
“Bitch, don’t play da don’t hurt me shit,” I said with a chuckle. “Now, should I hurt you? Fuck yeah.” I leaned forward with my forearms on my thighs. “You thought e been a smart idea to blast my business to the blogs, ho? That’s what you thought, huh?”
She sat there for a moment, then relaxed. “Whatever, Asher. You act like no one would find out. Hell, I just moved the reveal date up. Figured I could make some money from it.” She snatched the water off the side table. With shrugged shoulders, she mumbled, “Shouldn’t have had a baby on me.”
My stare on this ditzy bitch was deep. With a skyward brow, I sloped my head to the left. My eyes tightened at the corners. “Tell me this, how would your husband feel about all this dumb shit?”
Yahtzee! Her lashes flipped full-open. Yeah, her ho ass didn’t know that I knew she was married. She had flexibility to let that loose pussy roam because her husband spent a majority of the year out the country. “How…How did you know I was married?”
Hos were bold as fuck. This woman had me in this house that was her matrimonial home, but she’d offered me a key and clearly the garage opener. I never accepted either. The only reason I had the garage shit was because she put it in my glove box, and I forgot to take it out. “You need to be more careful. You forgot to take a picture down of you and hubby one time that you had me over here.”
Zane’s laughter sprinkled the air. “Damn, please don’t tell me this bitch takes down pictures to make you think she’s not married? Say it ain’t so!”
“Dats exactly what dis ho do. See, I got suspicious when she would randomly tell me that she would be out of town during certain times as if I was her employer and she needed me to approve da shit.” I rested my eyes on her. “Dat shit ain’t sit right wit me cause what da fuck? Lo and behold, I come through one day and I spied a picta on da hallway bathroom wall. She musta ain’t had time to take em all down since I popped up on her ass.”
Her chest puffed out with a deep inhale before she shook it off. Her attitude came back to the forefront. “My marriage has nothing to do with you, Asher. You’re just a fun time.”
“I a fun time that you feel had a baby on you?” I retrieved my phone from my cargo pocket, dialed a number, then put it on speakerphone. Zane and Penny gave a bewildered expression.
“Mr. George Pages, how may I help you?” Penny’s chest caved in with her eyeballs about to pop out. “Hello?”
I cleared my throat before I code switched to my Sports Network vernacular “Oh, yes, Mr. Pages, I’m so sorry to bother you. I wanted to have a conversation about your loose pussy wife.”
There was some movement on the other end before I heard him tell someone that he needed to take this call in private. Silent tears rolled down Penny’s cheeks. “Yes, now can you please repeat yourself, and who is this?”
“Who I am is not germane to the conversation at hand. Just know that I have had every hole of your wife’s on my dick,” I answered. “My boy, if she sucks your dick and swallow nut for you the way she does me then I see why you married this ho,” I venomously said.
Penny’s hands went into a praying position. “Please don’t do this,” she begged just above a whisper. That pleading in her eyes would have fucked with me, but nah. You fuck with mine, I’m going to fuck with yours.
George questioned who was there with me. “Oh, I’m so rude,” I responded. “I’m at your home where I’ve also dicked down Mrs. Pages. Let’s get back to the topic at hand. The reason for the call is that your wife has seemingly forgotten that she is married and should not be concerned with the matters of a man that she’s just fucking.”
Silence was on the other end before George broke it. “Penny, what is this man talking about?” he asked his wife. “Are you being a whore again?”
“Oh, again? Penny, is this a pattern?” That was a damn shame. It was like he was more surprised that I called than that she was out here flinging pussy cakes at niggas.
Penny was a beautiful, well-kept woman who also could do for herself. I never knew if it was daddy issues, some kind of past sexual trauma, low self-esteem, or if she simply was just a whore. There were some women who just liked a variety of dicks and it had nothing to do with traumas or issues from their past.
“George, your wife has released information about me that could potentially put my family in danger. Also just to let you know, I discontinued this fuck situation a while ago, so I’m no longer whoring with her,” I disclosed. “What I need from you is to wrangle this ho and remind her that your dick activities should be the only one that she is concerned with.”
Penny’s tears drenched her face at this point. “Ge-George, he’s lying. He’s crazy!”
“If I were lying, would I know about the tattoos under the cuff of your ass cheeks that say clap clap? ” I paused after my question. “By the way, that shit is ghetto as hell. Sexy, but ghetto.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” George mumbled on the other end. “Whoever this is, please leave my home. Thank you for the information. This will be handled accordingly.”
My head tilted in a yes. “You got that. Thank you for your collaboration.” I disconnected the line while my legs lifted me to stand.
“Why would you do that?” Penny’s voice boomed throughout the room. When she jumped into my face, I took a step back.
“Look na, I don’t put my hands on females, but I know a bitch or two dat would love to get dat cardio in by whuppin yo ass,” I said repulsed. “Don’t get fuck up.” There was nothing more for me to do here, so I started my trek back to where I came from.
When we got in my whip, Zane cranked his head in my direction. “Boy, you’re hell. You probably just ruined that girl’s entire marriage.”
My chin jerked back. I stopped the reverse of my car just outside of the garage. “Nigga, do you know how dis shit bout to set me back with Fat-fat when she finds out!”