Chapter 1 #3
A moment of silence passed between them, and she sensed her body working to bring this little baby into the world.
Stomach tightening, she gripped the bar on the side of the bed and grimaced.
Drenched in sweat, breathing like a dragon, and cursing every life decision that led her here, Coast forced herself to sit up.
Mozzi leaned in, voice low and serious, while examining her face.
“You got this. You’re doing good. She’s almost here.” His forehead rested against hers.
“You sure you’re ready for this?” Coast asked.
Not long ago, he was pacing. It wasn’t casual or cool like usual.
He paced like an anxious man, pensive. Thoughts going a thousand miles per minute.
Could he be a father? What if he messed up?
What if something happened to him or Coast?
When this little girl entered the world, it would no longer be about just them.
Now the two of them were also responsible for a whole human life, and sometimes, Mozzi felt like he still needed fucking supervision.
“We in this shit, Trouble. Me and you,” he vowed, leaning in to press his lips against hers.
Heart thudding, tears misting her eyes, Coast pulled back and searched his.
When Mozzi looked at her, she knew he loved her.
He didn’t have to utter a word. The way his hands brushed over her and he held her in his arms was something she couldn’t articulate if she tried.
She just knew he was hers. A perfect fit.
The next few moments were chaotic. Lots of voices from Dr. Thorne’s staff in the room. She threw out instructions to Coast to push one last time with everything she had.
Pain ripped through her womb. Life-changing.
A moment and feeling she was sure to never forget.
Mozzi held her tight, giving her the will to push through.
He didn’t let go of her once. Then, suddenly, a sharp cry filled the room.
When everything stopped, and Coast heard that sweet sound, her head fell back against the pillows.
Exhaustion wasn’t the word as she fought to catch her breath.
“Say hello to your baby girl,” Dr. Thorne cooed, lifting Iara with her umbilical cord still attached so Coast and Mozzi could see her.
Even covered in amniotic fluid and blood, she was the cutest thing either of them had ever seen.
Suddenly the world got a little brighter.
Her cries grew stronger, and Dr. Thorne moved to place her in Coast’s arms. So tiny, and perfect.
Mozzi smiled through glistening eyes, a calm warmth spreading through his chest. This was something else. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“Oh,” Coast whispered, eyes filling instantly. “She’s so small.”
“That’s crazy considering how big your stomach was.”
Coast cut her eyes at him, and Mozzi knelt to get a closer look at their little girl.
“I’m just fucking witchu. You the baddest, Trouble. In every way.” He kissed her cheek and stared down at the beautiful bundle in her arms.
She seemed to settle at the sound of their voices, and little coos followed as her tiny fingers curled. Mozzi reached out, letting her wrap her miniature hand around his index finger. His heart thudded anxiously, the kind of love he never knew in every beat.
“Yeah… I’m not going nowhere.”
Lifting her head, Coast looked at him, really looked at him. For the first time all night, she wasn’t scared or overwhelmed. Mozzi admired her with their baby in her arms.
“Hey… you did good, too,” she told him, nudging him with her shoulder.
“I ain’t do shit.” Mozzi perched himself on the edge of the bed.
“You stayed.” She smiled faintly and that got his attention.
Coast was the meanest, sweetest, sexiest woman he’d ever met. She had the kind of beauty that surpassed her looks. There were gorgeous women everywhere, but if their heart wasn’t right, them bitches looked like demons.
“What is baby girl’s name?” Dr. Thorne asked, hands resting on her waist while watching them bask in the moment.
She was proud of them as well, having watched their growth all these months as Coast got further along.
It was honestly rare to see men so supportive during a woman’s pregnancy.
She knew because she’d been doing this a long time.
Most husbands made an appointment or two in the early months and kept it moving. Mozzi hadn’t missed one.
“Iara… Hale,” Coast voiced, looking at Mozzi and watching his brows lift.
He was adopted and became Moses Blackmoor, but Hale was the name he was born with.
“For real?”
“Yeah.” Coast nodded. “Iara Hale Blackmoor.”
“You hear that? Iara Hale. My little Rara.” Mozzi gushed over her and swung her hand back and forth as she moved her little lips like she was starving.
“She’s gorgeous you two. You did amazing. I’ll give you a minute, but we need to get her weighed. Mozzi, would you like to cut the umbilical cord?”
Coast nuzzled her daughter’s nose and couldn’t contain her smile. This was the happiest she’d ever been in her life. She only prayed it wasn’t short-lived. Her biggest fear now was losing everything she didn’t know she wanted.
The familiar tone of her iPhone ringing stirred Inari from her drunken sleep.
Swiping drool from the corner of her mouth, she slowly peeled her eyes open one by one.
She could still taste the tequila on her tongue.
A familiar bookshelf was straight ahead.
This was her home. Eyes shifting around, she sensed another presence nearby and heard the shuffling as her phone continued to go off nearby.
When she shot up, a sharp pain fired through her temples.
Yeah, she was damn sure hung the hell over.
“Agh!” Wincing, she brought two fingers from each hand to her temples and rubbed them in slow circular motions.
Kong stirred from being stretched out on her couch behind her; the bottle of tequila still rested in his hands.
He’d faced a few blunts and started drinking from the bottle after Inari passed out.
She saw that she had several missed calls and messages, but the one that stood out was the voicemail from a local number that wasn’t saved.
She did business with a lot of people in town, so she didn’t always save numbers, but this one left a message, so she tapped to play it.
It was the medical examiner asking for a call back.
She hit redial, and someone picked up on the second ring.
“Medical examiner’s office,” a monotone woman’s voice answered.
“Hi.” Inari cleared her froggy throat. “This is Inari Jacobs. I received a call.”
“Yes, Ms. Jacobs. Very sorry to bother you. Condolences to you and your family. The ME wanted me to give you a call to see if you could come down and pick up a few items along with the autopsy report. Should I tell him to expect you?”
“Um…” Inari rubbed the back of her neck, and tears filled her eyes.
Yesterday wasn’t a nightmare. This was real. Her sister was dead.
“Yeah, I can do that. Let me get dressed, and I’ll be right there.”
“I will let him know. Thank you so much, and again, so sorry for your loss.”
Staring at the phone when the call ended, Inari’s hands shook.
“Who was that?” Kong asked, turning his legs and placing his feet on the carpet.
He was still fully dressed, although wrinkled, as he pinched sleep from his eyes.
“The medical examiner. I have to pick up a few things, and they want to deliver the autopsy report.”
“You ready for that?” Kong asked, and Inari’s head swung in his direction.
She hesitated before bowing her head.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head.
“You want me to go with you?” Kong offered.
“Can you?” Inari peered up at him helplessly.
As much as she hated it, she wanted Moose to be there.
He’d become her safe space until he wasn’t.
Now, all she could think about was his face behind that mask and the robbery.
How could he do that to her? How could he sit in her face lying all this time on top of that?
Nothing felt real between them after knowing that.
Kong cared for her sister, regardless of anything else, and the baby she carried was his. In a weird way, he was kind of family now, even if they were no longer here. Inari had to take comfort in that since she didn’t have anyone else.
“Yeah,” he agreed, nodding.
She showered for ten minutes before she hopped out, brushed her teeth, and flossed.
Quickly washing her face, she chose a burnt orange two-piece jogger set with a pair of matching Chanel sneakers to change into before leaving the house.
Kong drove, and the ride was quiet. Nearly an hour after the call, he whipped his truck into the parking lot of the examiner’s office and parked.
Inari trembled, staring at the building.
She damn sure wasn’t ready for this. Kong had indulged her with a smoke session on the drive, but instead of calming her down like it normally would, it only made her more anxious.
Stepping out of the car, they approached the building together, and he held the main entrance door open for her.
The cold draft from the air conditioning smacked them in the face upon entry.
Antiseptic and the smell of paper lingered in the air.
Everything was wiped down. Clean. Too damn clean and quiet.
“Can I help you?” The receptionist behind the entry desk popped her gum, eyes gamboling from Inari to Kong.
She had the nerve to let them linger over him and appraise his handsome physique very obviously. With a short, blunt cut bob in a fiery red and a septum piercing in her nose, her slanted jet-black eyes pierced Inari, and she popped her gum again.
“I’m here to…” Inari struggled to get the words out.
Clearing her throat, she tried again.
“My name is Inari Jacobs.”
“Oh, Ms. Jacobs!” The girl recognized her, and suddenly, her voice sounded familiar.