Chapter 22
Love Don’t Play
Islah was starting to let a nigga in more and more, and I was taking advantage of it. I love seeing her smile, loved feeling her skin against mine.
She was the one for me, and I was gonna show her that tenfold.
I paid her to play hooky from work, and she came to the jewelry store with me. I was going over some inventory before they opened.
I watched her out of the side of my eye, her finger traced the counter, and she stopped at the necklaces, the rings, the anklets.
“How many of these have you designed?”
“About 85 percent through the whole store.”
She nodded. I stood up from my desk and walked over to her. “Do you see something that you like?”
She nodded, but didn’t respond.
“Point it out, girl,” I said, smiling at how shy she was trying to be.
Islah walked over to the bracelets and picked a gold diamond bracelet.
I pulled it out, reached for her wrist, and placed it there.
“Love…” she said.
I stopped her.
“My girl gets what she wants.”
“You’re claiming me already?” she asked as she leaned over the counter.
“Can I do that?”
Before Islah could respond, the door opened. I thought it was Keith, but it was somebody I damn sure didn’t want to see.
Jada.
She walked in slow with a smirk on her face, staring at Islah and me holding hands.
“Who the fuck is this?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about that. What the fuck do you want?” I asked her.
She stared Islah down.
“Is she gonna be around our son?” she asked, ignoring my question.
“Man, Jada,” I barked. “I don’t be worried about what you do, so don’t be worried about what the fuck I do. What do you want?” I asked again.
“I’ma go to your office,” Islah said softly.
“Iight, baby.”
“BABY! So that’s your girl?” Jada yelled.
I walked around the counter to grab Jada up, but she was backing away from me.
“You need to get the fuck outta here, Jada. You have no reason to be here, anyway.”
“I came here to talk ‘bout us.”
I yanked her up, finally. “Bitch, I told you, there’s no me and you, get the hell on!”
I dragged her to the door and put her outside.
“You really think that wig-wearing, light skin bitch is better than me?”
I laughed at her. “The fact that the only thing you can comment on is that she wears a wig—a good wig, better than your actual bald-headed ass; remember, I know you—and that she’s light-skinned is all the reason why she’s better than you.
You are a hookah-smoking, Instagram bad body-built fake ass model that thought it was cute to fumble the only nigga that gave your dumb ass a chance. Get the fuck on.”
Jada had tears coming down her face.
“I’ma see you,” she said as she walked off.
“Man, you gonna meet your maker, Jada, stop fuckin’ with me.”
I closed the door, and when I turned around, Islah was standing there laughing.
“Mannn, don’t say shit, players fuck up sometimes.”
She laughed even more, and I pulled her into my arms.
“Am I gonna have to worry about her?” Islah asked.
“Hell no, that bitch is all bark, with a cheap ass bite.”
After we waited for Keith to show up, I took Islah out for lunch and then took her shopping, then we went back to my place, cooked dinner together, and then cuddled up on the couch watching a movie as I held her in my arms.
“Stay with me tonight,” I asked softly.
She nodded. “Okay.”
Once the movie was over, Islah was knocked out. I picked her up and carried her to bed.
She woke up a lil’ and helped me change her clothes while kissing her in between. She pulled away from me for a second and looked into my eyes. To me, she looked a lil’ worried.
“I’m scared that I’m falling for you,” she voiced.
I smiled. “Good, I want you to.”
She kissed me. “Can you just hold me?”
“I can do whatever you need, mamas.”
We got into bed, found a movie, and drifted back to sleep. She was cuddled back in my arms.
I don’t know how long we were sleeping for, but woken up by Islah screaming, then I heard punches connecting. The room was dark as hell, but I knew where that Glock was, and I reached for it before I even reached for the light.
But when I did reach for the light, I saw Islah whooping Jada’s ass.
“Bitch, you thought shit was sweet with me?!” Islah yelled out, still punching my BM’s face in.
“FUCK HER UP, ISLAH!” I yelled back, as I made sure that no punches from Jada touched Islah, and they didn’t. Shorty knew that I knew she couldn’t fight.
Islah finished her off by holding my BM by her ponytail and taggin’ her face a few times until Jada fell back into the hallway.
I walked over to Islah.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I looked her over.
She nodded. “Yeah, what the fuck is wrong with her?”
We both looked at Jada on the floor, wiping her face and trying to get up.
“Bitch, what the fuck are you doin’, coming into my house!”
“Fuck you, Love!” she shouted. “I told you what I wanted!”
I walked over to Jada and yanked her up against the wall.
“Bitch, we’ve been done for a minute. Why the fuck are you pressin’ me now? Because you see that I moved on?”
She shook her head. “Because you’re MY BABY DADDY! And if you are gonna act like this, I will put you on child support! Bitch ass nigga!”
I grabbed her by her neck, lifting her off the ground.
“Don’t make me get outta character, Jada! You know I can take Amir from you, and you will lose everything!”
Jada smiled at me. “Try me, nigga! You know I got niggas now.”
“You got niggas now, but you worried about who in my bed. Bitch, try me if you want to. You know I got lawyers like shooters, and shooters like lawyers. There is no way, shape, or form that you can ever beat me when it comes to my seed or life.”
Jada’s eyes were wide as I squeezed her neck tighter.
Finally, she nodded, and I let her drop to the ground. She gasped for air. I snatched my key outta her hand, and she looked up at me, crying.
“Now get the fuck outta my house.”
She ran out, and we heard the front door shut.
I then turned my attention to Islah.
“I’m so sorry, mamas,” I said as I tried to wrap her in my arms, but she pulled away from me.
“You told me she was nothing to worry about.”
“I know, baby, I’m sorry. That bitch ain’t ever act out like that.”
Islah shook her head. “I have enough on my plate. I damn sure don’t want to deal with a crazy baby mama, too.”
I agreed with her.
“I get that, mamas. I promise that nothing like that will ever happen again.”
Islah stared at me for a second, then grabbed her things.
“I think I’ma go home.”
I didn’t want to let her go, but I didn’t stop her. After she gathered her things, I walked her to the door, and she left without a hug, kiss, or anything. After I shut the door, I stood there pissed.
Jada was a piece of work that I had to deal with for a few more years, but I wanted Islah to be my future.
I looked at the clock and saw it was two in the morning. I didn’t care. I fixed myself a glass of Henny and sat on the couch, sipping and smoking until I fell back to sleep.
When I woke up, it was midday, and the sun was shining bright. I got up and went to my room, grabbing my phone, seeing if Islah texted. She didn’t, but Jada did.
I shook my head and called my lawyer.
“What you need, Love?” he asked after picking straight up.
“My baby mama,” was all I said.
He sucked his teeth and let out a deep breath.
“How you want it handled?”
I paused, thinking real quick. My son still needed his mama.”
“Outta court, make sure she knows I’m not playin’ with her. Any more issues I have with her, I’m taking Amir, make that shit clear!”
“I will get right on it.”
I hung up with my lawyer and tried to call Islah. The phone rang and rang, then went to voicemail.
“Don’t do me like this, boo,” I said after the beep. “I already took care of her.”
I thought she was gonna call me right back, but she didn’t. I let out a deep breath, about to send her a message, when my son called.
“Wussup, my boy?” I already knew what it was.
“Dad, Ma is trippin’.”
I nodded to myself. “I bet she came over here trippin’. My girl fucked her up.”
Amir laughed, but tried to cover it with a cough.
“Dad,” he said low. I could hear his mom going off in the background. “I don’t like the way Ma is moving. I asked her to leave you alone for me, and she cussed me out.”
Just from him sayin’ that, I wanted to go choke that bitch, but I controlled myself.
“Are you sure about that, Amir?”
“Yeah, she’s been doing too much. I want to live with you.”
I smiled. I always wanted the best for my son, and was gonna make sure he was happy.
“Let me handle shit the right way, son. It might take a lil’ time, and I want you to meet my girl, but you will be living with me soon. I put in a call to my lawyer.”
“Okay, Pop.” I could hear smiling in his voice. “I love you.”
I smiled. “I love you too, son.”
We hung up, and I called my lawyer back.
“Yo! I was about to make that call.”
“Pause on that, we gonna go a different direction. Amir wants to live with me, so file for full custody. That’s the best way to get that bitch off my tip.”
“It’s gonna take me a lil’ time, but I will start today.”
I nodded, a lil’ time was all I needed while he handled that. I could handle shit with Islah and have both of them straight.
“Cool, if she tries to challenge the shit, remind her who I am.”
“Will do, boss.”
I hopped off the phone and sat back. The family I always wanted was coming together right before my eyes. I just needed Islah to forgive me first.