15. Turk #2
I take some more cocoa butter and start rubbing on her calves.
“For a long time, I didn’t go back. Not after Set’s Pops got killed.
G-Pops couldn’t take Set in because of his security clearance, but once he got settled with the bitch who raised him, they worked it out so that he still came with us every other weekend.
It wasn’t until I was like thirteen that I went back to the Birch, after Nut ran away from his foster home and moved in with Set and his uncle.
First thing he did when he got his hands on a car was come get me from school. I got put on that afternoon.”
“At thirteen?” She doesn’t sound surprised or even disgusted.
“Yup. Them niggas beat the shit out of me. Nut had got put on when he was in juvie, and Set was put on at like ten so I was last one.”
We switch so that she’s laying between my legs and I start massaging her shoulders. These rub downs got her loose as hell, and the last time we took her blood pressure it was down, so fuck it, if I’m her masseuse for the next five months so be it.
“What about Shad?”
“By the time Shad started living with Set, we was over the BBs, so Set ain’t make him get jumped in. He just had to go through Tryouts.”
“Tryouts?”
I smirk, thinking about the cyclone that is Nut’s mind. Bro should have been a drill sergeant.
I work out a small knot in her neck that makes my honey crisp moan and change the subject. “Tell me about your dad. Are you a daddy’s girl?”
“Yeah, I was.” Pay shifts a little before sighing. “My father was my superhero, and I was his pride and joy, being his oldest.”
“I thought you said your mom couldn’t have any more kids after you?”
“She couldn’t.”
Her implications sit heavy in the room. I kiss her crown and hug her from the back. She threads her fingers through mine on her stomach.
“My parents were barely eighteen when they got married and had me. My dad… he always wanted a lot of kids, being an only child and having his parents die young. He didn’t let a little thing like my mother’s condition stop him from his dream.”
Patience laughs sardonically before shifting to her side. I scoot down and keep my hold tight on her. All the tension I massaged away is back full force.
“I’m sorry, Pay.”
“Don’t be. Men cheat, right? Especially when they’re young.”
“Nah. That’s bullshit. I had a girlfriend around that age and I wasn’t cheating on her. Shit, she cheated on me.”
She turns in my arms and looks at me like she doesn't believe me. “You? Had a girlfriend? I thought you and Autumn never dated.”
“We didn’t. I cuffed someone else. Her name was Kimora. Fine ass bitch from Parkside.”
That earns me a scoff. “Figures you like a female gang member.”
“Auty really is my best friend, Paypay. She dubbed me hella times so I got a girlfriend. Lasted maybe three hours before Auty whooped her ass. Turns out Kimora already had a nigga. So I guess I was the other man in this.”
“So you didn't even have time to cheat on her?”
“Don’t matter. When I make someone mine, I’m not in that shit just to give my time, attention, or dick to someone else. That don’t even make sense. Even when Auty was pregnant with Deuce, I wasn’t fucking nobody but her. Shit, I didn’t start fucking someone else until Auty met yo mean ass.”
That earns me a smile. “She was on it from day one.”
“Don’t remind me.” I roll my eyes and kiss her forehead.
“Point is, cheating is a choice. It don’t matter about how old or young you are, if you like the muthafucka or not, if the bitch or nigga is going or not.
It’s up to you to have self control, and a lot of muthafuckas don’t have that.
Your dad, and whoever made you think that shit is inevitable, made a choice to step out.
A choice that ain’t even in my character, so you got nothing to worry about with me, honey crisp. ”
Something shines in her eyes as them dimples start making holes in her cheeks. “It’s bad enough you got me having your baby. You’re trying to take me from Auty, too?”
“Nah, shorty. It’s enough for us all to share.”
She combs her top row over that plump bottom lip and snuggles into me. “You are something else.”
And because I’m feeling her too damn hard, I wait until I hear those little snores before I get up to turn off the light, because unlike her psychopathic ass, I can’t go to sleep with all the lights on.
In another life Nut would have went to the league. The nigga is just a naturally talented hooper, and quiet as its kept, a basketball fanatic. That’s why somehow he ended up a whole coach for the annual celebrity basketball game they hold at the Riverwalk Outdoor Center.
This nigga not even a celebrity.
Nigga even got on a tailored suit like he’s getting paid for this.
With a clipboard in his hands, he’s really directing these niggas.
Somehow, he got Rico and Ty on his team, and then the rest of it consists of the morning news anchors, a couple football players from the Kenton Eagles, and the saxophonist from the Kenton Philharmonic.
They scoring buckets though, so I guess.
“How did Nut get this gig again?” I lean over and ask Dal. Set walked Brina and Pay to the restroom a couple minutes ago, since they both be having to pee every hour on the hour.
She swings her head to me and rolls her eyes. “Apparently if you donate a big enough check they’ll let you do whatever, including live out your basketball coach dreams.”
I cackle and turn toward the game. He even has Denver down there playing waterboy.
The others come back and Pay passes me some popcorn for us to share.
“Deucey would have loved this.”
“Please. They having a blast at the Center with Ms. Ayesha. Be ready for that sugar crash tonight.” Dal chuckles to herself before stealing some of our popcorn.
“Reem gone make it?” I ask Set.
He nods and checks his burner phone. “Bro should be on the way.”
“Bae, Dal and I are about to dip out of here.”
Set’s hand goes straight to her small bump. “You ready to go? You straight?”
Brina simpers and kisses Set. “I’m good. You stay here and watch P live out his Phil Jackson dreams. You can tell me all about it later.”
“Aight, mama.” This nigga tongues her down in broad daylight and I’m glad it’s no kids around us.
They get up and make their way to Nut, since we have courtside seats. Nut ain’t no better, gripping Dal’s ass, then slapping it as they walk off.
“You guys are both animals,” Pay chuckles.
Set leans over me and grins at her. “I’m sure you did worse to get like that.”
Pay scoffs and rolls her eyes. “I’m a saint, you heathen.” She flips him off and prances onto the court herself to sit next to Denver.
Her hair’s back straight in a bob and she has on a black long sleeve full bodysuit and some vans. The bodysuit outlines her growing bump perfectly, and my baby girl is sitting high in her torso.
“Never thought I’d see the day you look at a female like that and her name wasn’t Autumn.”
I turn to my best bro and his grin is full of mischief.
“You gone spill the beans or be tightlipped as usual?”
I just shrug, and turn back to Pay. She’s tickling Denver, making his laugh travel all the way back to us.
“What you wanna know?”
“You fucking with Pay behind Autumn’s back foreal?”
“Nah, Dub,” I chuckle. “I’d never do that to Autumn… I love her ass, you know that. But Pay… seeing her every morning and coming home to her every night feels right, too.”
I cut my eyes to my bro and his grin is even wider. He holds out his fist and I dap him up.
“Nigga finna fuck around and be on his throuple shit. I respect it. This a good look. Seems like yesterday you were calling Patience a stud daddy.”
“Yeah,” I sigh. Pay turns around and winks at me before going with Denver to pass out waters to the players.
I take my wallet out and show Set the new photo I carry around. Nigga start cheesing foreal now.
“I fucking knew it! I knew you knocked her ass up… So y’all been–”
“Chill, chill. This the first and last time I’m clueing yo ass in… no, we ain’t been sneaking around all this time. All this shit is new, and we ain’t figured shit out yet, so don’t go flapping yo gums. I’m only telling you this because I ain’t tapped in in a while… it’s a girl though.”
“Another girl in the group… congrats my nigga, foreal.”
“You think you finna have girls?”
“I just want two healthy babies, Dub. Don’t matter the gender. Brina wants boys, though.”
The buzzer sounds, indicating halftime, and Pay comes back to sit next to me. She pulls my arm around her shoulders so I pull her in close, kissing her temple. “Yo ass had fun being assistant coach?”
Denver comes and takes Brina’s empty seat and daps Set up. “I’m the assistant coach. TT Pay is my assistant.”
“ANHT, wrong. Both y’all waterboys. I’m the one man show working these muthafuckas.”
Nut comes up and pulls on his hidden suspenders. Denver rolls his eyes before pulling out his phone.
“You delusional.”
“Spell delusional, lil nigga. Quickly!”
“Nutty! Be nice,” Pay admonishes.
“Yeah, Nutty, be nice.” Denver sticks his tongue out and they start bickering like siblings making us all laugh. If Pay weren’t here, Denver would be cussing up a storm, but the lil nigga already smooth, putting on an act for the ladies.
“P muthafuckin’ Nutty.”
Patience freezes in my arm. She’s so tense, it feels like I’m holding a rock. When I look at her, her eyes are unfocused, staring straight ahead.
Rico notices and sits next to her, sliding his backpack over his lap.
I look up and it’s all them Get Money niggas approaching us. I lock eyes with Cochise, and his jaw is tight, eyes unreadable as he scans everyone around us.
That nigga Grimey is heading the group, cheesing, arms in the air as he approaches. Cochise, the two Native niggas, and the big ass dark skinned nigga from that day at the restaurant stay a few ways back.