24. Kayori
Chapter Twenty-Four
KAYORI
“Praise is helping with the whole Airbnb thing. I told him how serious I am on becoming an author and being self-employed, especially before our baby gets here.”
I smiled and relaxed as the masseuse did a wonderful job on my neck, shoulders and back.
Praise and Stone paid for an all-day spa for me and Meshalay to get pampered and catered to all day.
For Lay it was a push gift. Her beautiful baby boy was born last month, and I simply couldn’t get enough of his cute self. I was head over hills for my god baby.
“I heard the fuck out of that. I can’t wait to get back in the shop. Stone is making sure I stay home the first six months. I ain’t complaining, I’m just used of having something to do.”
I could agree like hell, if I wasn’t at work, I was with Praise and Mattea eighty percent of the time.
I loved how things had been going, my only complaint was how overly protective Praise became over me.
I was three months pregnant, and he acted like I was already eight.
After getting into a big argument last month when we both found out how far along that I was, I gave up with debating with him on how I wasn’t handicap just because I was pregnant.
I wanted to curse my damn doctor out for telling him because of my weight and the metal that I had in my hip put me at high risk.
I was already scared to death because they also told us I had to have a caesarian.
They didn’t want to risk me pushing the baby out and accidently pushing my hip back out of socket.
We had to take precautions which was fine.
Saying something like that in front of Praise put him in overdrive.
It gave him every excuse to have me stay with him and more of a push to go to my job and demand Brian to put me on light duty and part time.
I was now only working four hours, less than four or three days out the week. That shit pissed me off, but with time I dealt with it. I had to accept the fact that Praise cared for me and his baby well-being, he wanted the best and for things to go well.
“How have y’all been doing with therapy?” she asked as I sighed.
“Good, I guess. Beast is still in control most of the time. Like I was telling you, I’m starting to think Beast is the real Praise.
Praise is just the sweet and vulnerable side to Beast, who thinks properly before acting out.
Beast refuses to take those pills, but when Praise is in the forefront, he takes them.
Girl, the other day Beast told me that I had better crush the pills and secretly put them in his drink for him to take them, since I wanted to drug him up so bad. ”
Rolling my eyes, I laughed lightly thinking about how much Beast was trying to work with me when it came to taking his meds.
“I’ve been considering it, that’s who need the meds the most. Beast can be extremely rude and hard to manage at times.”
I chuckled at that, lately it had been hard to tell when Praise turned into Beast, I didn’t know if that was because they both were in love with me and was calmer because of the baby.
We still had arguments, but they were less aggressive, and he stayed in control.
Some nights I would catch him out in his back yard, yelling and upset.
He would pace back and forth for hours, looking lost and talking to himself until he was tired.
When he had those type of moments, I would worry for him and worry for his well-being, I made sure to give him his space, but I would be lying if I said that it didn’t make me sad.
Most of the time when he had those type of episodes, I could see the battle in him throughout the day.
It’s like he would wait until Mattea, and I was asleep to go outside and let it all out.
My heart deeply went out to that man because while therapy was actually helping me in so many ways, it seemed to be keeping him stagnant.
I didn’t see too much change in him. He kept it together from having a constant fear of losing me or Mattea due to his mental state and I hated that.
I wanted to reassure Praise that I would be here for him no matter what even if him and I didn’t work out in the long term.
I went to therapy twice a week. Last month, Praise start taking me to go visit my mother and brother.
The gesture was kind of him, and he told me I should at least go once a month.
Praise was so attentive to me, I appreciated him in so many ways.
There wasn’t one day that went by the both of us, without him reassuring me how beautiful I was.
He kissed me on each scar night and day, always asking questions, trying to open my mind more.
He would make me hot baths with tea tree oil inside for me to soak in, it helped with my arthritis.
I wouldn’t limp as much, he stayed massaging my body and making sure I was okay physically and mentally.
I just hoped I was doing the same for him, I gave it my all, he gave me his all.
It was a love I never had, I never thought in a million years that I would be head over heels for a man like Praise.
“Just make sure you stay on top of his ass. Do you still want to do the gender reveal on his birthday? If so, you need to let me know the theme and colors which should be, baby blue and pink.”
“Lay, I told you I don’t want no typical shit. Praise is a Scorpio and ain’t nothing typical about my man. So, the colors will be green and lavender,” I said with pride as Meshalay stopped the masseuse from doing her job. She sat up and looked at me like I was crazy, with her brows bunched up.
“Bitch please! That’s ugly as fuck, miss me with the typical bullshit!”
“How you gon’ ask me the colors and yo ass ain’t down for what I want? Green is my man’s favorite color and I love the color lavender hoe!”
Rolling my eyes, she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Like I said that’s ugly as fuck! You ain’t finna embarrass me, heffa. Now, I will try to add y’all little colors, but I’m not making the whole party green and lavender. That baby got yo ass on some other shit. Looking like you’re ‘bout to cry right now.”
She laughed as my phone started ringing, it was my man facetiming me. Praise hardly ever called me regular. He had to always facetime me especially if I wasn’t at home.
“Hey baby!” I sang happily as I looked into his relaxed gray eyes.
He looked so damn handsome; his deep dimples sunk into his cheeks as he smiled back at me licking his lips.
I squeezed my thighs together my sex was craving him.
He held his god son Zion up to the phone, he looked clueless as I talked my baby talk to his cute self.
“When y’all coming back this way?”
The men were probably stressed out, this was Stone’s first time being alone with his first born.
On top of that, they had Mattea busy body self.
I could hear her singing her favorite Cocomelon song “Wheels on the bus”.
I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from laughing.
They told us to go and run up a bag, let our hair down yet we haven’t even been out for a full three hours, and he was calling looking like he was stressed out.
“The massage is almost done, next we got to shower then get our mani’s and pedi’s… is everything okay? Do you want us to cut our time here?”
He looked like he was tempted to say yes, I was playing games trying to see if he would give in, until Lay spoke up.
“Hell naw, we not cutting nothing short!”
Praise rubbed his massive hand down his waves, he did that out of annoyance, him and Lay would go back and forth like Pam and Martin at times. He was trying his hardest to play it smooth, but I could tell my baby wanted me to hurry back.
“Nah babe you good, we good… I guess I’m gone see if uber eats can bring Mattea some ice-cream to get her ass to chill out.”
I heard something falling in the background, he put the phone down and started getting on Mattea case, then he told Stone he would buy him another vase.
“Sit yo lil ass down Tea! You gone make me spank yo lil ass.”
Rolling my eyes, that’s exactly what she needed.
Praise would threaten her all day and do no type of discipline.
He just would pacify her with something she liked to make her act right and be a relief to him.
When he came back to the phone, he had Zion tiny figure propped up on his shoulder.
I imagined him with our baby once it got here and smiled.
“You keep giving her sugar and that don’t make it no better Praise… sugar is like crack to kids Mattea age.”
“You tryna say I’m drugging my baby?”
He glared at me; it was time for me to end this call. Couldn’t tell his rock head ass shit when it came to his parenting skills.
“We are doing fine, babe. I’ll call you later.”
I attempted to rush him off the phone, by changing the subject, he wasn’t having it.
“Don’t get fucked up, Yori. Who massaging y’all? A woman or a nigga?”
His gray eyes left mine so he could try to see who was behind or around me. I kept my face primarily in the camera view.
“Really Praise?”
He gave me that charming panty wetting smile. I offered the roll of my eyes.
“You keep rolling them bitches they gon’ get stuck, baby.”
“Bitches! Bitches! Bitches!” Mattea mocked him as Praise face tightened.
“Tea! Don’t say that shit! I’ma pop yo ass!” He tried to sound serious, but that shit didn’t faze her.
“Otayyyy bitches!” She giggled hard. He told me that he loved me and hung up before I could say it back. Shaking my head, I looked at Lay and we both fell out laughing as we stood to make our way to the locker room to take our showers and get ready to get our nails and feet done.
“That’s yo bad ass step baby, you need to start popping her lil ass.”