Chapter Eight
Thanks to Nivéa on the phone, Crown woke up the next morning before the sun fully hit the windows.
She and Caresha, on speaker, served as his alarm.
He lifted his head to check the time and saw he still had ten minutes before his phone was set to go off, but he wasn’t trippin’.
He rolled out of bed, headed to the restroom to take care of his hygiene before putting on his clothes.
Crown slipped on a pair of dark jeans, a black fitted tee, work boots, and a lightweight jacket that allowed him to move freely. He had a site walk planned along with some other tasks, so comfort was key.
By the time he stepped into the hallway, Nyla's cries replaced the women’s chatter.
He followed the sound all the way to his office.
As he walked in, he took in his new reality.
His home had never been this busy or noisy, but surprisingly, he loved it.
Nivéa was off the phone and fully in work mode at his computer, answering emails and making a list of everything she needed to fulfill orders in between.
“Hey, you. Good morning,” she said, glancing up from the screen. “No suit today?”
“Nah, not today. Gotta walk a site.” Crown replied, turning his attention to Nyla, who was fussing in her bouncer. Her tiny fists were curled, and her face scrunched up as if she was already fed up with the world.
“Lord, this girl.” Nivéa sighed and stood from her chair to reach for her.
“Let me help, ma. Give her to me.” Crown offered.
Nivéa snickered as if he were playing. She unbuckled Nyla and lifted her to her chest, gently patting her back for comfort instead. Then, she walked over and kissed Crown on the lips.
“You look handsome, baby. Be safe, okay? I’ll text you the list as soon as I’m done.”
“Appreciate you, baby. Will do.”
Smiling, Nivéa started to turn away to sit with Nyla, but Crown gently stopped her.
“What I say? Let me help. Let me hold her.” He said.
Nivéa hesitated, bouncing Nyla lightly in her arms. “You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” He nodded toward the computer. “You’re busy. Let me help while I can. I’ve got about thirty minutes to spare. Go finish that list for me.”
Nivéa paused for a moment longer, looking up at him.
“What? You don’t feel comfortable with me holding her? If not, I’ll fall back. I understand.” Crown said, lifting his hands.
“I feel very comfortable with you. Just don’t get nervous and drop my baby, big man.” Nivéa half-joked.
“Never that. You should know better. Protect y’all with my life.”
Carefully, Crown took Nyla, adjusting his hold with one arm beneath her and the other steadying her back. Nyla fussed once, then settled, blinking up at him like she was trying to figure him out. That look stole Crown's heart instantly.
“Uh-uh, not her getting quiet.” Nivéa playfully narrowed her eyes.
“See? Baby girl knows what it is. She knows I got her.” He winked.
They laughed together, the sound warming the moment as Crown took a seat in the chair across from the desk. “You loud like your mama already. That’s cool. I can handle loud.” He joked with Nyla.
Nivéa laughed as she sat down in his chair. “Shut up. I am not loud.”
“You and your homegirl definitely loud. Heard y’all all the way from the bedroom.”
“I’m sorry. We woke you?” She poked out her bottom lip.
“Don’t be sorry. It’s all good. I’m just messing with you.”
“Speaking of my girl, she wants to come visit.”
Crown tensed up, hoping it didn’t show. He didn’t mean any harm; he just had certain rules. A man of his status preferred to keep his address private…too many enemies.
“It’s okay if you’re not fine with it. I understand. I’ll just have her meet us at the shop when I drop off the orders. She ain’t gon’ let up, and I don’t blame her. I’d be the same way. We don’t go a day without talking or seeing each other.”
Crown nodded, understanding that. He and Smoky were the same way. “Nah, it’s cool. I get it. She’s welcome to come anytime.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, baby.”
“Okay.” Nivéa smiled as she directed her attention back to the computer and her notes.
“How did it go with my mama yesterday? Forgot to ask.” Crown questioned.
“Yeah, ‘cause you too busy tryna get coochie.”
“Facts,”
Nivéa snickered. “Great. She’s so sweet. She made dinner for us. I ended up eating mine before I fell asleep. It was so good that I almost ate yours, too. But I left it in the refrigerator, trying to be nice.”
Crown chuckled. “Yeah, mama can cook her ass off. I’mma take mine for lunch.”
“She held Ny the entire time she was here, too. They bonded really well.”
“I’m not surprised. She’s ready for grandbabies.”
Crown’s eyes drifted from Nyla up to hers, and Nivéa blushed.
They stared at each other until his gaze shifted, and he brought Nyla closer.
He swayed her gently, mimicking what he’d seen Nivéa do, and she stared up at him for almost ten minutes before the pacifier fell from her lips, her eyes shutting.
She let out a soft little burp and went limp against him, fast asleep.
He chuckled. “Damn, she’s out already. Seems like all she does is sleep.”
“That’s what they do when they’re fresh out of the womb.
She has her moments, though. She’s been up since five this morning, so she’s exhausted.
I just fed her not too long ago. Her tummy must’ve been hurting.
I thought I burped her enough, but I guess not.
You can put her in the crib, so I don’t wake her with this music. ”
Then, softer and more serious, she added, “Lay her on her back, baby. Please.”
“Aight.” Crown stood and headed down the hall.
Nivéa watched on the monitor as he gently lowered Nyla into the crib, making sure she was snug. He pulled the blanket up, then stepped back softly, trying not to stir her.
When he returned, Crown strolled over to Nivéa, draping his arm around her neck from behind and tucking his head into the curve of it. She closed her eyes, savoring the warmth of his presence as she swayed her head to SZA oozing from the computer speakers.
“Spent your life bein' hopeless.
Chokin' on insecurity.
I know all this is bad.
But please, put a leash on me anyway.”
Nivéa felt every lyric inside her chest. “I love this song, baby.” She expressed.
“I see. You love you some SZA, Tink, and Adele.” Crown told her.
“How you figure?”
“The couple of times I came by your shop, that's who you were playin’.” He kissed the side of her face. “And you begged me to fuck you to Tink.”
She cracked up, recalling the first time she visited his home. “And did,”
“You see how relaxed you are today?” Crown acknowledged, strumming her right dimple. “This how I always want you to be, aight? It looks good on you, ma. Let me do the worrying. Let me do the figuring out.”
Nivéa turned to look up at him as she stood from the chair, her eyes filled with emotion. He had no idea how much she adored him.
“Okay.”
As Crown’s body towered over hers, their lips connected, and their tongues mingled in a slow kiss. He began exploring her body, squeezing her hips, ass, and thighs. He couldn’t wait to make it back home to her.
“I’mma make it back home to y’all, aight?” He promised.
All Nivéa could do was smile as she gazed up at him. “Alright, I’ll be waiting with open arms.”
∞∞∞
The cemetery was quiet. Dew clung to the grass, soaking into the knees of Crown’s dark jeans as he knelt.
The sun hadn’t fully risen yet; only a faint stretch of light slipped across the headstones as morning slowly approached.
Crown touched his forehead, then his chest, making the sign of the cross as he paid his respects.
Four headstones sat in front of him: his grandmother, his grandfather, and his father. Just beside them was a fourth, a newer one.
Moesha “Lil Mo” Renee Jackson-Knight
Fresh flowers surrounded her headstone. Crown knew Danger had been bringing them every day since they laid her to rest a few weeks ago. They never had time to wilt or look forgotten. His brother wouldn’t allow it, and neither would he.
Crown paused, placing his own bouquet gently in front of her stone. The loss still didn’t sit right with him. Lil Mo had been young and full of life; she shouldn’t have been buried among their elders. His eyes watered all over again at the sudden tragedy.
This was his routine.
Once a week, Crown visited his loved ones before work, before the city woke up, before his phone started ringing, and problems had to be solved.
No matter how late the night before had been or how heavy things felt, this was his first stop.
Here, he grounded himself, remembered where he came from, and reminded himself who he was still doing all of this for.
For a while, Crown spoke to them as the morning air moved around him.
He talked about the club and the architecture business, the pressure of being the one everybody looked to, and the decisions nobody else could make but him.
He spoke about Nivéa and the baby too, about how he was trying to build with her while still carrying the weight of everything else on his back.
Crown didn’t bother asking for answers; he never did.
He just spoke, believing they were listening and guiding him in ways he could not always see.
He talked to his grandmother the longest. That was his rock…
his first best friend. He could still hear her voice clear as day, always preaching.
He remembered one conversation they’d had, her warning him to be careful about what he labeled himself as.
She told him that names carried energy and had a way of attaching themselves to your spirit.
And damn, had she been right, he thought.
Every single day he felt every ounce of what Crown meant.
The authority, the expectations, the climb to victory that never really ended.