10. Turk
Turk
“Daddy, I know what I want for my birthday.”
Deuce’s snaggle tooth smile fills the screen.
My son changes his mind every day about what he wants, but I let him rock and still get whatever he asks for.
Two weeks ago he wanted a go-kart, that’s in G-Pops’s garage right now.
Last week, he wanted Shad to build him a gaming station, which he’s supposed to be doing tomorrow.
“Lay it on me.”
“I want a sister. Is the baby in Mama Pay’s tummy a girl or a boy?”
“You crazy. Why you want a sister?”
Deuce shrugs, then shifts his phone so he can lay down.
Autumn’s mom called me up and asked to keep him for a week, so he’s at their place in Thunder Hills.
They’re shitty parents fasho, but they getting it right the second time with Deuce.
Truthfully, everyone loves my mini me. My boy been booked and busy since he came off the titty, between G-Pops, Autumn’s parents, and Nutty’s in-laws.
Sometimes I gotta fight for my boy to even spend time with me, but I always make sure to talk to him every day.
Quiet as it’s kept, I been enjoying him living with me.
I mean, I always had access to Autumn and him, even after she and Pay moved in together, but it’s nothing like waking up, knowing my boy’s under the same roof as me.
It’s nothing like cooking him breakfast, making sure his uniform right for school, checking on him at night.
“Well, I wanted a brother, but Melly and Denver both said having a little sister is cooler. So I changed my mind.”
“But what if Mama Pay has a boy?”
Deuce’s eyes damn near roll to the back of his head while he’s thinking.
Heels clicking cause me to look toward the back of the crib, and my dumb ass heart starts beating fast. Patience got this mini dress on that’s molded to her body, showing off her bump.
She look bloated more than anything, but still, I can’t take my eyes off it, especially when her hand comes up and caresses it.
When I lift my gaze to her face, all types of indecent thoughts start running through my mind. She’s literally glowing, and my chest puffs out because I know I’m the reason, even if she don’t wanna admit it still.
“Daddy? Are you listening?”
Patience comes and snatches my phone out my hand, smiling into the camera. “I miss you, Deucey. Are you being good?”
“Yes. I’m always good.”
“My good noodle,” she beams into my phone.
I can’t help staring as she talks to Deuce about any and everything.
From day one, she’s taken him on as her own.
The more serious her and Autumn got, the less help Autumn wanted from me, but Pay stepped up.
I used to joke about her being a stud daddy, but I couldn’t ask for a better bonus mom for my boy.
To know everyone in his life loves him unconditionally, something I didn’t have at his age, it fills me with joy.
I slide my forearm across Patience’s chest, bringing her into mine. She melts into the embrace as she tells Deuce goodnight.
“Ima call you tomorrow before bed, aight?” I tell my boy.
“Okay, Daddy,” he yawns back. “‘Night.”
“What are you doing?” Patience asks as soon as she ends the call.
I dip my head into the hollow of her neck and inhale. Her perfume makes my mouth water, especially since I know she tastes as good as she smells. I kiss her softly on her shoulder and step back.
“Just admiring what I see.”
She turns and avoids looking at me, but I see that blush creeping on her cheeks. “C’mon, nigga. We’re gonna be late.”
“Surprise!”
Brina had a private chef come and cater a dinner party at Nutty’s house for Set.
It’s their first birthday as an official couple, she said, so she planned this surprise dinner with Dal and Autumn.
To my nigga’s credit, he did act surprised when he and Nut walk in, but Brina sees right through that shit.
She turns to us, scowling, on the verge of tears. “Okay! Who couldn’t keep their mouths closed?!”
Set walks up to her, wrapping his arms around her until his hands rest on her stomach. “Thank you, B. You did your big one.” He kisses her cheek as he takes in the black, gold, and green theme Nutty’s living room is decorated in.
“I won’t be buttered up until I know who the Judas is that ruined the surprise!”
“Ay, you a real crybaby,” Nutty says. “Shit, I did the major work, getting the nigga back here. You don’t see me complaining that one of these airhead, dumb ass muthafuckas ruined our surprise for nothing.
” He scans the room, eyes twitching at everyone mingling before they settle on me.
He glances at Pay before looking me up and down again.
I smirk and slide next to Dal. “Yo nigga tripping again.”
She rolls her eyes. “When is he not? Aight y’all, let’s go sit and eat.”
She herds us all to the long dining table, and I make sure I sit Pay in between me and Shad, so she’s close. She rolls her eyes, and starts talking to him, but my hand clamping down on her exposed thigh makes her falter, so she can act like she ignoring me all she want.
“Go down there with the ladies, Pay, witcho disappearing ass.”
I turn and see Nut sliding Pay’s chair back, making me let go of her leg. She gets up in a huff to go sit next to Dal, Wyn, and Brina at the other end of the table. Before I can tell her lil ass to sit down, Nut’s in her chair, scooting in, grinning at me.
“Please, keep whatever bullshit in yo head until October, Dub.”
Dumbass holds both hands up in surrender. “All I was gone say is y’all cute as fuck matching and shit. Can’t wait until Autumn come and see this.”
“She not coming,” Rico says, taking the cover off his plate.
“Wait!” Brina stands, holding what’s probably apple cider in a champagne flute.
“Before y’all hungry asses eat, I wanna toast my baby daddy.
Casey, I know how big twenty-eight is for you, which is why I wanted you to bring in your birthday with those closest to you.
You’re an amazing man, as loyal as they come.
Thank you for everything you do for me, for us.
” She rubs her tummy and winks, before lifting her glass higher.
“Salúd, baby.”
We cheers the homie and knock back our drinks. Wynter grabs Brina into a bear hug, squealing congratulations so loud we all hear it. Shad and Rico scoff, while Ty snorts.
“Wyn gone suffocate ya girl, bro.”
I dig into my lamb chops, trying not to make it obvious I’m eavesdropping on Pay’s conversation with Dal. She’s asking her about her morning sickness, and if she thought of names yet. I’m just tryna figure out how no one has asked her who the daddy is yet.
“Autumn called me earlier. We chopped it up for a cool lil minute.”
“Oh yeah?” I look up to find Set already staring at me. “What about?”
He glances down the table before coming back to me. Based off the loud cackle, I figure he’s talking about Wyn.
Shad’s sitting on the other side of Nut, and they’re knee deep in some conversation about basketball stats, but that shit don’t fool me.
Wynter’s been avoiding that nigga like the plague, in the bathroom or up under Brina right until Set and Nut came in.
I’m sure he only held his composure because he thinks no one knows the real reason he’s beefing with Cochise.
So I just nod, letting Set know I know he’s talking about Wynter.
“Everybody got cider?”
“Nah, my shit champagne. Only muthafuckas not drinking is Brina and Pay.”
Set puts his silverware down and nods. Sighing, he rubs on his waves. “She going out sad. I think this beef shit getting too stressful.”
I furrow my brows, glancing at Wynter again. She’s topping off her champagne, clinking glasses with Dal before sipping some.
“She just celebrating though.”
“Nah. Muthafuckas shouldn’t be doing none of that foreal.”
“Aight, well… she among family right now. And it’s yo day. I’ll keep an eye on her, and if we gotta make shit shake, we will. Now eat yo food, nigga, before yo girl beat all our asses.”
“The fuck y’all two whispering about?” Nut booms, getting all in my grill like I got some food in my teeth.
“Niggas be Rosy the nosy neighbor foreal,” Rico mumbles, making us all laugh. We laugh harder when Nutty drags his thumb across his neck at hi.
We all fall into a roasting session. Brina ends up convincing Set to let her go out, and we take the sprinter to Mile High, a new rooftop lounge on the building across from Set’s crib downtown.
I know he only said yes so they can go right home after, but shit, we still rolled up twenty deep, and called the other Foes up there too.
With our gang taking up most of the spot, I didn’t mind letting loose.
Pay was tucked in the corner with the girls away from the weed and liquor.
Every so often I look her way, and she'd be looking right at me, showing them deep ass dimples, lust and something else clouding her vision. Shorty is so damn fine, and of course, as soon as I’m lit, I realize I ain’t had no pussy in eighty-four years.
Ima call Naomi after I get Pay home.
Speaking of her fine ass, I look over again, but I stop short when I see she’s not there.
I’m six feet, but I’m not that tall to where I can see over muthafuckas heads, so I start making my way back to the girls, before spotting Wyn and Pay by the elevators.
Wynter’s talking hella animated, leaning on Pay, who’s just nodding, almost fidgeting.
When the door opens, they both step on. I make it at the last moment, sliding in as the doors close. Pay jumps at the intrusion, but Wynter just smiles. Her eyes glassy as shit, and her pupils are dilated. “Hey, Turkey. Pay’s just walking me outside to my ride.”
“Alone?” I direct my question to Pay, who won’t answer, or look at me.
“Who yo ride, Wyn?”
“Coach, silly,” she giggles.
I grunt, shoving my hands in my pockets, waiting for the elevator to reach the first floor. Pay’s ass ain’t fucking slick. She was finna link up with that nigga alone for God knows what.
Not on my fucking watch.