Chapter 20
They Love Love
Iwent to bed feelin’ good, then woke up early as hell to bangin’ at my door.
I hopped outta bed and just as I was on my way to see who the fuck was beatin’ at my door, it opened, and my baby mama Jada walked in with my son. I tilted my head and looked at her crazy while my son ran to me.
“Wussup, Pops?” my son said as he dapped me up. I pulled the lil’ nigga in for a hug, then turned my attention to his mama, who was still standing in my doorway.
“You couldn’t wait for me to answer?” I asked her.
She dangled her keys. “For what, when I have this?”
I shook my head and walked to my kitchen.
“That is for our son; you don’t have access like that anymore.”
“And why don’t I?” she fired back.
I laughed as I said, “Because you decided to be a hoe.”
Her eyes shot to my couch, lookin’ at Amir before she hit me.
“Don’t talk like that around him.”
I shrugged. “I’m pretty sure he knows.”
Jada sucked her teeth like she was finna say somethin’ but stopped herself, and gave me a slight smile.
“Look, my loving baby daddy. I need some mon—”
“NO,” I said before she could even finish asking.
Her mouth dropped. I don’t know why; she already knew how I moved.
“Why the fuck won’t you help me? I carried your child, I loved you, I—”
“You also cheated, had niggas at more doors, stole enough money from me, and had me pay for an abortion that wasn’t even my baby.
” She opened her mouth, and I stopped her.
“Not to mention, I bought you and my son a house, gave you a G wagon, and I take care of all Amir’s needs.
I’m tryna see why the fuck you think you’re getting anything else outta me. ”
“Because that’s not right, Love. I thought we could maybe try again.”
I placed the cup I had in my hand down, walked around the island, grabbed Jada’s arm, and walked her to the front door.
“Girl, you outta your damn mind if you think I’ma run anything back with you.”
Jada snatched away from me. “Nigga, you know you can’t find anybody better than me.”
I laughed. “You think I can’t do better than a hoe?” I asked with a straight face. “You weren’t a hoe when I cuffed yo ass, but the money and the internet fame sure did turn you into one. Get the fuck outta my house.”
I opened the door for her and gently put her ass out.
“Fuck you, Love!” she yelled just as I was closing the door in her face.
I walked back to the kitchen, grabbed my drink, and went to the living room.
Amir was already on his game; he looked at me as I sat down.
“Ma trippin’?” he asked.
I laughed. “Man, I love you, son, more than anything. But ya mama… ya mama might be the reason I go back to jail.”
We laughed, and I hopped on the game with him for about an hour, then I got dressed to take Amir out.
I did this every other week, got my lil’ nigga lined up, haircut, new drip if he wanted it, and then stoppin’ by my store for him to cop some jewelry.
He liked choppin’ it up with my staff; they have known him since he was born. He told them about his last basketball game while I checked messages on my phone that I had ignored while spending time with him.
Some of my niggas were asking me if I was down for a poker game later, a few bitches were asking if I was going to pop up at the club.
I said yes to my niggas, ignored them bitches.
I was about to put my phone up when I got a message from Islah.
She sent me a picture of herself that put a smile on my face.
I texted back: I can’t wait to be the reason why you smile.
We texted back and forth for a minute while I sat in my office until my son came in.
“Dad, Mom said I had to come home.”
I smirked and put my phone in my pocket.
“Come on, I’ll take you to mad ass.”
Amir laughed, grabbed his shit, and we walked out to the car. He was on his phone most of the time; that shit was dinging more than mine.
“Who are you talkin’ to, lil’ nigga?”
He smirked. “My lil’ shorties.”
I laughed. “Shorties? With an s at the end? You are turnin’ into your daddy, boy.”
He went on to tell me the orders in which he liked them, how they were trying to rub his back and shit in school. Amir was just in middle school, but the way he talked, I knew by the time he got to high school, he was gonna be a monster.
When we pulled up to his house, Jada was already sittin’ on the porch, with a tall glass of wine in her hand. Amir looked at me, and we both shook our heads.
“Aye, listen, respect ya mama for me. I know she can be a lot, but it’s okay. And them lil’ girls at school, treat them right and respect them.”
He nodded. “I got you, Pops.”
We hopped out, and I hugged him. “Call me when you need me. I love you, boy.”
“I love you too, Dad,” he responded.
As he walked up the sidewalk, Jada stood up. “I love you too, Daddy.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Bitch… walk in traffic.”
I hopped in my car and pulled off quick. In my rearview mirror, I could still see Amir laughing.
I got to a stoplight and was planning my next move before I met up with my niggas. Then I got a text from Islah.
I leaned back in my seat a lil’, reading her message, then typed back without overthinking it.
“You busy?”
Straight up ignoring what she sent.
I let the phone sit after that, one hand on the wheel, the other resting low while I drove. A few minutes passed, then it buzzed.
She said she wasn’t doing anything. I pulled over and picked out a nice lil’ restaurant, nothing too much, since it was last minute, and sent her the pin.
“Meet me here,” not asking, telling.
I watched the typing dots pop up, then go away, then pop up, and go away again, before she agreed, and I headed there.
When I pulled up to the spot first and sat in the car for a second, just watchin’ the place through the windshield.
Not too loud. Not too flashy. Just right.
I checked my watch, then my phone, then leaned back in my seat like I had all the time in the world, even though I didn’t.
I saw her pull up, and I got out before she could even cut the engine.
She sat there for a second, hands still on the wheel, like she was debating if she really wanted to step into whatever this was.
I walked over and opened her door.
She looked up at me before she got out, eyes searching mine like she was tryna read something I damn sure wasn’t giving.
I reached out my hand, and she took it. Her skin was soft as hell, and she smelled so damn good. I wanted to pull her in for a hug, but that might have scared her away.
I closed the door behind her, letting that lil’ silence sit between us for a second.
“I’m glad you was able to make it,” I said.
She let out a small breath. “You told me to.”
I smirked a lil’. “And you listened.”
She didn’t respond to that, just looked past me toward the restaurant, then back at me like she was still deciding.
I didn’t rush her; I just took her hand and started walking toward the door, and she came.
Once we got in and got seated, she still didn’t relax. I laughed a lil’ bit, hoping that she didn’t notice, but she was watching me, like she was waiting to see what I was gonna do.
I leaned back, got comfortable.
Opposite energy type shit.
“You always quiet?” I asked.
“I’m…thinking,” she said softly.
“About what?”
“If I should be here.”
I nodded once. I respected it.
“That’s fair.”
She raised her eyebrow, like what I said threw her off.
The waiter came, I ordered our drinks and food, didn’t ask her what she wanted, liked, nothing.
She caught it immediately.
“You just ordered for me?”
I looked dead into her eyes.
“I did…problem?”
She smirked. “I’m not used to a nigga like you.”
“No offense, mamas, but I could tell.” I could tell she didn’t like that comment. “But you gonna get used to me, different is good.”
The food and drinks came out at the same time, and we picked off all the plates I bought. I made sure she was straight and liked everything before I started eating, and finally got a smile out of her.
I leaned back, taking bites, watching her eat, eyes closing as she took bites.
“Can I get a lil’ bit of your trust now?”
She laughed. “I can trust you with food. This pasta and this steak is hittin’.”
We laughed, her eyes softened up enough for me to see the sun at the top of the wall she had built.
“So…” she said between bites. “Tell me about you.”
I took a sip of my drink. “I’ma Zone 6 nigga, East Atlanta.”
Before I could even finish my “That nigga” speech, she cut me off.
“Another street nigga, I swear I can’t get away from y’all,” she stated.
I sat up and leaned on the table. “Don’t compare me to ya last, mama, I’m not him, but I’m him.”
She smirked. “And tell me how you are different.”
I smirked back at her, rubbin’ my tongue across my teeth.
“I bet ya ex was a loud ass nigga, thought he move smart, thought he was respected, but really, he wasn’t really hittin’ on nothin’…
” She didn’t respond, just took a sip of her drink, but I took that as a yes and continued.
“I’m the complete opposite. Back when I was a YN, I ran Zone 6, robberies left and right…
abducted a few niggas. When niggas need that white girl, they came to me.
I was the nigga in the kitchen and on the block.
All my jail time was lil’ shit, my hands are vicious.
But then I had my son Amir, he’s eleven.
I took the money from the block, went to school for business and jewelry design.
Now them niggas I used to serve, most of them rappers now, they shop with me—still.
The goal in the streets is always to get out with your money and your life, and remain up. ”
She didn’t respond. I leaned back up.
“I don’t chase, I don’t beg, and I damn sure don’t double back, ask my mad ass BM.
If I step to you, it’s because I already know what you’re supposed to be to me, and when I saw you walking around that art exhibit like you didn’t see all those niggas staring at you, it was that you were gonna be my wife. And I stand ten toes down on that.”
“This is our first time linking,” she finally said.
I shook my head. “I don’t care, I know what I want. I can handle whatever you need to heal from if you let me.”
We finished our food, and I had them fix her some fresh plates to take home. I walked her to her car and finally got my hug.
“I’ma see you soon,” I said into her neck.
She smirked as she pulled away from me. “You sure about that?”
I lifted her chin with my finger and kissed her cheek. “I know so.”
I opened her door, helped her in, and stood to the side watching her pull off with a smile on her face.
My mission was complete; I was the reason why she smiled.
I walked over to my car, and as soon as I hopped in, I heard my phone going off. I forgot all about the poker game.
I rushed over to my nigga Max’s crib. His wife left me in, I spoke to his kids, and made it down to the basement to his man cave.
“I’m sorry nigga, I got caught up,” I said, pulling up my chair.
“This nigga,” Max said. “Always got an excuse.”
The whole table laughed, but I agreed with them.
“Man, this time it was some real shit. I had dinner with my wife.”
“THIS NIGGA!” all of them said, laughing at me like I was bullshittin’.
“Man, you said after Jada, you weren’t getting serious with another bitch again,” Thug said.
“I did, but Joc invited me to his girl’s single night event, and I popped up, not thinking nothing of it, for real, but then this girl walked in. Five foot three, hair was that blonde color, tight black and cheetah-print dress. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.”
“The girl you brought to the party last night?” Keith asked.
“Yeah, her.”
He nodded. “She was bad.”
I nodded. “Yeahhh… I’ma have to lock in with her. I can see it.”
Them niggas laughed again.
“You really think your baby mama is gonna let that happen?”
“Mannn… fuck that bitch. She gonna learn her place. She keep forgetting I’m not the nigga to play with. I will take Amir from her and be good.”
Max lifted his glass. “Well, I salute you, nigga. I hope it works out for you.”
I laughed. “Nigga, everything I want works out for me…”