Chapter Sixteen #2
Nivéa sighed at his mean ass, changing the subject. “Are you off for the day, or do you have to go back?” She asked as Crown took a seat behind the counter, off to the side.
“Off. I ended early to pull up on you.”
“Well, that is much appreciated.”
“I’m gon’ take you to get Ny and bring you both home. I wanna spend the night, then bring her back to daycare and you here in the morning. That’s cool wit’ you?”
“Of course. What about my car, though?”
“We gon’ leave it here. I’ll let Joe know to keep an eye on it.”
Nivéa nodded. “Sounds good.”
Crown watched her adjust the roses in the vase, his gaze slowly tracing her figure in the fitted tracksuit she wore. “You gaining weight, baby.” He noted.
Nivéa immediately grew self-conscious, her head jerking to the side. “Well, dang, nigga. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I mean, you have been feeding me like crazy, so it’s your fault.”
“You look good,” Crown quickly clarified, knowing she had that true Cancer energy. She was strong, but any little thing could sting her feelings.
“Mmkay. I’m happy you like it.” She blushed as she walked over and took the bag from his hand.
Inside, Nivéa found a stunning new Hermès Birkin bag. “Oh my god. This muthafucka is bad. Oooh, wait to Reesh sees this. I gotta take a pic.”
“Glad you like it.”
“Like it? I love it. It’s my very first one.”
Crown nodded, watching her pose with it in front of the mirror while snapping a photo. It made him feel good to see her happy. When she was done stunnin’, she headed back over and sat in his lap.
“Thank you, big daddy. Now, where are you taking me to show it off?”
“Funny you ask that. I have to go out of town soon, and wanted to see if you could ride out with me. My client’s wife is expanding and opening another location for her boutique. I need to meet up with him to view the site.”
“Oooh, I would’ve loved to. But I can’t leave Ny for long.”
“I would never ask you to leave her for long, ma. We’ll fly in that morning and be back the next day. I got a jet. We move on our own schedule.”
“A jet? You have a jet, baby?” she asked in disbelief.
“Yeah.”
Nivéa blinked repeatedly. “Get the fuck out of here.”
“I’m serious. I got one my fourth year at my firm. I’ve worked with quite a few people out of town. It was needed.”
“Jesus. Well, okay then.” She smiled, thinking it over. “I would love to go as long as Reesh or her mom is available to watch Ny for me.”
“If they aren’t available, my mama can watch her. She would love that.”
Nivéa hesitated, and Crown could see it all over her face as she diverted her gaze, staring down at her purse. She had her people she was familiar with when it came to her baby girl. She knew Kerri was a good person; it would just take some getting used to.
“It’s just a suggestion, baby. But y’all are family, so I want you to get comfortable. Mama gon’ take care of her fasho. You know that shit.”
She nodded, knowing firsthand how loving Kerri could be.
“We will see, handsome. Come to the back with me. I want you to see the shirts. I printed a few just to see how they would look.” She kissed his cheek and stood.
Head over heels, Crown trailed behind her like a happy puppy following its owner.
They spent about thirty minutes in the back going over the shirts.
He gave her more ideas to expand her designs, telling her to add caps and handbags with slogans.
Eventually, she got another customer for her sale, and he stepped back, watching her with pride as she made things happen.
For the life of him, he couldn’t understand how niggas didn’t want to see their woman happy or with the finer shit in life. He wanted nothing but the best for his.
When six o’clock came, they headed to his truck to pick Nyla up from daycare.
“Oh, you’re getting out, baby?” Nivéa asked, surprised as she realized he had hopped out too.
“Hell yeah. They need to know who I am.” Crown replied.
“I hear that.” She laughed as they walked inside.
Nivéa introduced Crown to both directors, then signed Nyla out while he grabbed her carrier from the designated area up front. He took Nyla from her arms once they brought her out, holding her for a moment before placing her in her seat.
It was a little after eight when they finally made it to Nivéa's house after stopping to grab dinner.
As usual, when he was around, Crown effortlessly slipped into daddy mode, and Nivéa loved it.
It made things so much easier for her. After she bathed Nyla and fed her, Crown held her and talked to her while they ate.
Nyla was growing, and the bigger she got, the longer she would stay up.
Once she was done cleaning the plates they’d used, Nivéa pried Nyla from Crown’s arms and held her tight, kissing her forehead. Nyla squealed, almost as if she was uncomfortable, frowning at the sudden shift.
“Girlll, don’t you dare,” Nivéa said, playfully side-eyeing her with a smirk. “I’m yo’ mama. Don’t play.”
Crown chuckled. “I don’t know why you bother her. She ain’t checkin’ for you when I’m around.”
“Shut up, I miss her.” Nivéa laughed.
Wrapping Nyla in a blanket, she popped a pacifier into her mouth to soothe her.
As she rocked her gently, Nivéa rested her head against Crown’s chest while he turned on his favorite TV show.
He shook his head, placing his arm around her shoulder.
Nivéa thought she was slick, but he was on to her game.
The real reason she wanted to get Nyla from him was so she could snuggle into his arms instead.
Fifteen minutes later, Nivéa’s eyes fluttered shut just as Nyla’s did, but Crown gently woke her, urging her to put the baby in the crib. He was ready for some adult time after days of being swamped with his busy schedule and wanted to make up for lost time.
Feeling the same way, Nivéa didn’t argue.
She placed Nyla in the nursery and tidied up a few things downstairs.
By the time she entered the bedroom, Crown was already in the shower, waiting for her.
She quickly grabbed a gown and lace panties from the dresser, wrapped her hair, and joined him in the steam.
The bonnet didn’t faze Crown. He still found her to be the sexiest woman alive.
He swore no bitch could fuck with his, not even on her worst day.
No words were exchanged as he pulled her into his arms and hugged her.
He missed the shit out of her. He didn’t even give a fuck if she gave him pussy that night or not; just being in her presence was enough.
“Baby,” Nivéa whispered, cradling his head against her shoulder.
“Yeah, baby?” Crown breathed slowly in her ear.
His Satin Hills accent was heavy and intoxicating, weighing down Nivéa’s eyelids.
She hugged him back tightly as the water ran over them.
Afraid that if she let go, he would disappear again.
His mother was right. Being with Crown Knight wasn’t for the weak.
Though he pampered her endlessly, Nivéa couldn’t shake the sadness that came with knowing his time was so limited.
“Two things.” She said.
“I’m listenin’, woman.”
“I want you to go with me to visit my mother’s gravesite soon. She would’ve loved you.”
Crown nodded, loving that idea. “I got you. Just let me know when, and I’ll carve out the time. We can go to hers, and then I’ll take you to my people’s.”
“Okay, and I want to go with you on your trip. I’m done thinking about it. We can ask your mama.”
Crown chuckled, knowing she wanted to say yes at first. He couldn’t understand why she was so determined to be cautious with him.
“Don’t laugh at me.” Nivéa pouted.
He gripped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. “You gotta stop that cautious shit wit’ me, ma. I ain’t one of ‘em. I’mma do you good forever. My people will, too.”
Nivéa smiled, her red nails tracing over his pendant. “I hear you,”
“But do you believe me?”
“I believe anything you tell me when you naked, nigga.”
They laughed in unison as Crown stared her in the eyes.
By the time they finished in the shower, Crown was hungry again.
Nivéa prepared him a big plate of leftovers from a meal she had made the other day.
Her nigga was big and liked to eat. And she had no problem with keeping him fed.
They settled on the couch, relaxing and listening to music at a low volume as he ate.
She watched him while her song played, eager to learn more about him.
It was still so crazy to her. She loved him even before she fully understood why.
“What’s your favorite color? I’m assuming black or red.” She asked quietly, thinking of the colors of his bikes and helmet.
His brows raised at the question. “Both.”
She nodded; that made sense.
“Yours is pink, right?” He asked.
“Mauve pink,” she corrected.
“That’s different as hell, ma.”
“Yeah, everyone says that.” She shrugged with a grin. “It’s just something about it. It’s soft but still stands out.”
Crown looked down at her, as if trying to grasp more than just her favorite color. A comfortable silence followed, and she hummed along to the lyrics.
“Why you ask me that?”
“Because I want to know more about the man I love. We fell hard, and there’s still so much I don’t know. That’s crazy, baby.”
He chuckled but nodded in agreement.
“What was it like growing up for you?” Nivéa eventually asked.
Crown sighed and set his plate down.
“It was structured. We lived in the hood, but we made our lives look decent. The club wasn’t always financially stable like it is now.
My parents were a team and made it work until my pops figured out more ways to generate income through the club.
Mama gave us love. She stayed home and was hands-on with everything.
Pops was strict. He was deep in the streets, so his love came tough. He made sure we knew he cared, but he didn’t play. If we wanted something, we had to grind for it. No excuses. Nobody handed us shit. D and I had to earn our place just like everybody else in the club.”
He paused and glanced over at her.
“I was close to my grandparents. My grandmother, especially. She was the first person I told about my drawings and the dreams I had to do something with that gift.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Was she supportive?”
“Hell yeah. She told me if I ever followed that dream, I should use her maiden name for the company. Said she’d cover for me if Pops didn’t like it.”
“That’s so sweet,” Nivéa said with a small laugh. Then her expression shifted. “When you have kids, do you want them to be part of that life one day?”
“Nah,” Crown answered without hesitation.
Her brows lifted in shock. “Really?”
“Yeah. If they want to, cool. But being in the club isn’t something I’d force on them like it was put on me. I love it, don’t get me wrong. But if I’d had a real choice back then, I would’ve focused on my firm and just ridden on my downtime.”
“Wow. That’s crazy to hear because you’re such a good leader from what I’ve seen. You make it look easy. I would’ve never known you felt like that.”
“I appreciate it,” he then gave her a serious look. “But don’t ever repeat that, ma. To anyone. This is how my life turned out. It’s Knights over everything.”
“I would never tell anyone what you tell me.”
He studied her for a second, then nodded. He believed her.
“You trust me, baby?” she asked softly.
“Hell yeah.”
“Good. Your secrets are safe with me.”
Crown leaned in and kissed her, slow and sure. When he pulled back, his thumb traced over her lips.
“What about you? What was it like growing up?”
Nivéa shifted slightly, pulling the blanket higher against her chest as she curled up on the couch.
“My mama worked all the time, juggling multiple jobs. I hated seeing how tired she looked when she got home. We didn’t have much, not even family.
As you know, my father was murdered. And she lost both her parents before I was born.
But like your people, she always made it work.
” She smiled faintly, reminiscing about those memories.
“That’s why you move the way you do. You’re built from resilience, ma.” Crown told her.
She looked up at him. “I guess so, huh?”
“I wish I could’ve met you a few years sooner. I would’ve taken some of that weight off you, baby. Helped out.” He reached over and tapped her thigh.
Nivéa blushed so hard as she pressed closer to him. Crown gently positioned her head against his chest, where his heartbeat steadied beneath her ear. He made her feel incredibly happy…he was her safe space, too. And she prayed it would always be this way between them.