Chapter 5
Back to Business
The smell of bacon woke me up before my alarm did.
I cracked one eye open and reached my arm across the bed to pull Islah in, but felt the sheets instead.
I sat up slow, rubbing my beard while looking around the room. The TV was still on, low from the night before. I could hear Islah and Amir laughing and talking, and it brought a smile to my face.
I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and saw a few missed calls and texts.
My nigga was having fun with my game, sending me pictures of hotels they saw or thought they saw him at, stores, and gas stations. I looked at a few, then locked my phone and got outta bed.
I threw on my sweatpants from the night before and slipped into my Gucci slippers as I walked outta the room and down the hallway.
I focused my eyes on Islah in the distance.
The morning sun was hitting her just right while she stood behind the stove in a silk nightgown with a robe to match.
Her hair was messy, but a cute messy. Her deep waves looked natural with her baby hairs sticking out.
I would marry her just like that.
Actually…
I would marry her right there in the kitchen if she wanted me to.
I leaned against the wall for a second, just watching her. My fiancée was at peace with a smile on her face, and I was gonna make sure she stayed that way.
Amir was sitting at the island, eating some strawberries and bacon while talking her head off.
“Nahh, but listen,” he said dramatically. “When I move in, I need a bigger TV in my room.”
Islah laughed while flipping pancakes. “Boy, why are you talking to me about this?”
“Because you bout to be stepmoms, and Dad might listen to you because I’ve been tryna get a bigger one in there.”
She stopped messing with the pancakes, looked at him, and laughed.
I even laughed under my breath, and both of them looked over at me.
“Good morning, my luv,” Islah said.
“Morning, Wifey,” I said as I walked into the kitchen.
I walked over and dapped Amir up, then behind the island, I wrapped Islah in my arms, kissing her slowly while she smiled against my lips, trying to slide pancakes onto the plate.
“Bruhh!” Amir groaned dramatically behind us. “Y’all always kissing.”
I pulled away from Islah and looked over at him. “You just ain’t ever seen your dad love someone. Don’t worry, you gonna be like this over some lil’ girl one day.”
Islah laughed while Amir looked at me in disbelief.
“Nahhh, big dawg. I’m not goin’ out sad like you.”
Me and Islah both laughed.
“Out sad?” I repeated, shaking my head while walking around the island to take a seat next to him. “Lil’ nigga, this is what happiness looks like.”
Amir made a fake, disgusted face. “Eww.”
Breakfast moved easy, we passed plates around and cups of juice with small laughs in between bites.
Amir stayed talking most of it, and Islah answered him with that calm tone she had when she was focused but still listening. I stayed in my space, watching them create a bond that I would want my wife to have with my son, but I never knew my heart needed it for real.
They were my peace without even trying to be.
After eating, we moved like a unit without needing to say much. Plates got cleared, the kitchen was put back into order, then we each moved to our rooms to get dressed.
I showered with Islah, the water running steady while steam filled the bathroom and softened everything around us. No rush in her movement, no rush in mine. Just us in the shower, holding each other, like we had nowhere to be.
When we stepped out, with towels wrapped around us, I turned on some music while we got dressed and vibed with each other.
On the bed, my phone was still lighting up with calls and messages. I ignored them and gave Islah all my attention, not wanting her to worry about what was going on.
She was in front of the mirror, towel still wrapped around her, while she did her hair and makeup with a smile on her face. I put on my silk dress shirt and some dress pants, brushed my beard, and sprayed my cologne when I saw my phone light up again with a call, letting it go to voicemail.
“Why didn’t you pick it up?” Islah asked.
“Because this time with you is more important.”
She smiled and dropped her towel. I watch as she oiled up her body, slid into her matching bra and pantie set, some fitted jeans, and a crop top. She then sprayed some perfume and packed her scrubs into her Croc tote bag, along with some other things, before she stopped and looked at me.
“Why are you staring at me?”
“Because,” I said, walking over to her. “I’ma lucky ass man to have a lady like you.”
She kissed me while cuffing my face, the cold metal from her ring resting on my cheek.
“I love you,” she said softly.
“I’ma show you I love you more,” I said, gripping her ass. “More ways than one.”
Islah’s phone went off in her pocket. She slipped it out, looked at the screen, and back at me. “Shit, I’ma be late fooling around with you.”
“Shit, baby, you can quit if you want to, and I will pay you your salary,” I responded as we walked out the door.
In the hallway, we could hear Amir rapping along to his music, loud as hell, and both shook our heads.
“You ready for this twenty-four-seven?” I asked playfully.
She nodded. “Of course, and maybe some crying too.”
I bit my bottom lip as she continued up the hallway. She just didn’t know how I would put my kid in here in that very moment, but we had too much shit that needed to be settled first.
I knocked on Amir’s door, and the music got turned down.
“I hope you almost ready?”
The door swung open.
“I’ve been waitin’ on you, old man, you move slow,” Amir responded.
“Old man?! Lil’ nigga, I can still show you a thing or two.”
Amir laughed, picked his book bag up off his desk, and closed his door behind him.
As we rounded the corner, we saw Islah waiting for us. She opened the door, and we walked out as a family. Amir walked ahead of us, still rapping the song he was listening to in his room, while Islah and I walked behind him, holding hands.
Once we got in the elevator, Amir reminded me about picking him up for basketball practice, while Islah reminded me that she was staying with her girls for the night since I had been keeping her all to myself.
As we walked through the lobby, people passed with smiles, giving us slight nods as we made our way outside. We walked Islah to her car, Amir hugged her tight, while I kissed her and helped her in.
Then we hopped in mine and pulled off. Amir was quiet on the ride. Every glance I took at him, he was nodding his head to the music and looking out the window. That gave me time to check some of the text I got, deleting the message where niggas thought it was Gio and it wasn’t.
We were about halfway to Amir’s school when he cleared his throat.
“Dad, I want to move with y’all, like, now! Mom be trippin’ too much, and I really like Islah, and she can cook.”
I smirked at his last reason.
“I told you I was working on it, son. I need to talk to my lawyer. Your mom wouldn’t take the easy route.”
Amir nodded, already knowing how his mom was.
“Well, I wish they hurry up. I want to move with y’all before the wedding so I can help.”
That brought a smile to my face. I pulled up to Amir’s school, and as he gathered his things, I stopped him.
“Amir, I ever made a promise to you that I didn’t keep?”
He shook his head. “You always keep your promises, Pops.”
“I will have you settled in our home before the wedding, I promise.”
Amir smiled, leaned over, and hugged me. “Thanks, Dad.”
I watched as Amir closed my car door and headed inside his school, and when I pulled off, I got to work.
I made a call to my lawyer first and waited for him to answer, but when I looked at the time, I figured it would go to voicemail. I left the nigga a quick message, letting him know we needed to move fast on my BM. I didn’t care what we needed to do to speed shit up, and he knew what I meant.
I made my way to the store while still getting messages spotting Gio. The nigga was all over town and dolo.
That was the wrong thing to do in my city. I could have easily had one of them niggas pop him for me, save me some gas, and some same time. But how the pictures looked, that nigga was worried, his head was on a swivel as it should have been.
Fear looked good on him.
I pulled up to the store, parked in front, and sat there for a second when one of my niggas sent me a video of Gio.
He was at another gas station, standing in line with some water, a beer, and some other shit I couldn’t make out. He stayed looking around like on some crackhead shit, like he felt death breathing down his neck.
Good.
I locked my phone and hopped outta my whip.
As soon as I walked inside the store, all eyes went to me. Employees speaking, customers nodding, chains clinking while music played through the speakers.
It seems like the store was the only thing that was normal in my life for the moment.
My phone rang again while I was speaking to customers. I thought it was another sighting, but it was Islah, letting me know she made it to work safely.
Once I was done talking, I walked into my office and sat at my desk.
I had work to get done, custom pieces to work on, but my mind was stuck on other things.
I rolled up and tried to push that shit to the side, letting the smoke fill my office and put me in that creative mode that I loved to be in, but had to take a back seat.
The weed in my music put me in my zone for about an hour or two before I heard a knock at my door and had to look up.
“Wussup menace?” Keith muttered as he walked in, closing the door behind him.
I laughed under my breath. “Shut yo’ ass up!”
“Nigga, you been in this office for hours, you look too calm.”
“That’s because I am.”
“I know,” Keith said low. “That’s the scary part.”
I smirked. “That nigga been moving around town, the boys is loving the hunt.”
“When are you gonna make a move?” Keith asked.
I sat back in my chair, my mind flooding with when and how I was gonna handle that nigga.