Chapter 5 #5
Alba tucked her arms across her chest. She was one for reading people, and her suspicious gaze fixed on me first. I’d been keeping a lot of late nights with Harmonie.
We were fucking up headboards just about anywhere we could the last few months, and Alba and I still hadn’t touched one another since she had Auri.
“Is that right?” Alba questioned.
“Yeah, you know people kind of bond over things.” Harmonie scoped out the house, and both of my eyes narrowed in warning.
She didn’t seem to be catching my drift, so I stood with my daughter in my arms, and she hawked my every move.
“Hmm, yeah, I guess they do.” Alba cut her eyes in my direction. “Why don’t you tell me all about it? I just made lunch; you care to join me?”
“That would be great. It smells good in here.” She took off her jacket, and Alba led her through the living room and back to the kitchen.
A nigga felt like he was about to shit a brick watching them walk off together.
The last thing I needed was these two talking.
Harmonie was becoming like another nagging ass woman in my life, and that shit was rubbing me wrong.
I didn’t know what the hell I was thinking carrying on with her the way that I was.
The laughter and chatter coming from them left me on edge, like a nigga was dangling off a cliff while I thought of ways to get rid of her ass.
After about an hour and a half, I had my daughter down for a nap, and Alba was leading Harmonie back to the living room.
“Oh, look at her. Out like a light. Daddy has the best touch,” Alba cooed, coming to grab Auri from me.
“Hmm, I bet he does.” I caught the seduction lingering in Harmonie’s words, but Alba seemed to be oblivious as she scooped up our little girl and kissed her chubby cheeks.
“I am going to take her up to her room,” she concluded. “It was cool catching up with you, Harmonie,” she said, stepping slowly out of the room.
Once I was sure she was out of earshot, I turned my wrath on Harmonie.
“What the fuck are you doing here!” My voice rattled the walls like thunder.
Her eyes widened, and she inched backward so that she could ease out of the door, but she wasn’t paying attention and backed into the accent table near it instead.
“I… was just coming to talk. I miss you. It’s been days, and you aren’t responding to my texts.” Desperation cloaked her voice as her eyes darted around like she was waiting on someone to pop out. “My calls are going right to voicemail. How am I supposed to talk to you?”
“That’s the fucking point, Harmonie! I got a woman and a child. They are my priority.” The sharpness in my tone alarmed her, and she jerked back.
She was forcing the waterworks. I wanted her gone and out of my face.
My feelings for her were about as shallow as a fucking rain puddle.
Harbor being taken set off a chain of events in my life that I never expected.
I loved that girl, very deeply, and imagined a future with us.
All of that was snatched away, leaving me spiraling and feeling like I had no control.
Harmonie was about as close to her as I could get, and I took advantage of that.
This, her adamance about us being together, was now the result of me thinking with my dick only.
Reaching for me, her fingers gripped my button-up shirt, and she pressed her warm, soft frame against mine while trying to assault me with a kiss.
Shoving her back, I kept a firm grip on both shoulders
“Lock… I miss you.” She continued to throw herself at me.
The adrenaline coursing through me reminded me of being on a roller coaster. My stomach was in knots. She was aggressive in her attempts, and then suddenly, Alba’s voice was clear as a fucking bell.
“What is going on?” Her shoulders drew back and her spine straightened when she confronted me.
Releasing Harmonie like she was the carrier of a mutant virus, I drew back and dropped my hands at my sides.
“Nothing. Harmonie was leaving.” I marked her with a cold stare, and she flinched, tears stinging her big, rounded espresso eyes.
“Is that what I was doing?” she fired back, using a carefully controlled tone that spoke volumes. “Why don’t you just tell her what’s really going on? It would make things so much easier, baby.” She reached out as if she could comfort me with a gentle hand to the cheek, and I dodged her efforts.
“Stay the fuck away from me,” I warned, gritting my teeth.
“Hmm, oh, baby, that’s not what you were saying a few nights ago. In fact, you couldn’t stop touching me.” A wicked snicker escaped her full lips, and she popped them together before doing a slight turn so that she could face Alba.
“So is this why you haven’t touched me in months?” she queried, tears already staining her mocha skin. Sniffling she held me under a stare so cold it could freeze any room. “You really fucking her?”
“Alba—”
“No.” She threw her hands up, exasperated.
That malicious glare that filled her eyes as she charged for Harmonie caught me off guard.
Harmonie made a dash for the door, and I did my best to intercept Alba coming for her, but it was no use.
She had her by the back of her hair in an instant, digging her fingers in for a tight grip as she yanked her back toward her.
“Bitch, you actually brought your ass here and smiled in my face while yo’ hoe ass is fucking my nigga!” Alba growled in her ear.
“Agh!” she whimpered, wincing from the formidable grip Alba had on her scalp.
“Nah, bitch! Don’t cry now!” Alba harshly interjected, egging her on.
Stepping in, it was like being in the middle of the ring between two lionesses. It took most of my strength to pry Alba from Harmonie, but she kept coming for her as I shoved her back as far as I could before she made me a fucking target.
“Pssh, no wonder he can’t stop banging my back out.
You are fucking crazy.” Harmonie ran her fingers through her hair and caught her breath.
“Must hurt to know he don’t really want you.
The only thing keeping him around is that baby.
So I guess your trap worked. But trust, he wouldn’t be sneaking around with me if he was satisfied at home.
” Harmonie anchored a hand on her hip, and Alba attempted to lunge past me.
Harmonie backtracked to the door, seeing the rage building behind Alba’s scorned glare.
“Bitch, don’t forget I know where you live. Right in daddy’s house because you ain’t shit but a sack-chasing whore!” Alba shrieked.
Trembling, and with her skin on fire, she shoved me off of her as Harmonie opened to the door.
“I guess it does take one to know one, huh?” The singsong tone only infuriated Alba more.
She was practically foaming like an overdosed addict trying to get to this bitch, but it was to no avail.
Harmonie winked at me on her way to the door, and as soon as I faced Alba, she smacked fire from a nigga.
The loud sound filled the room, and my cheek stung like a brick had been slapped across my flesh.
A nigga was stuck with his eyes to the ground before I could even attempt to look at her.
My temper wasn’t set up for this shit, so she was bound to catch these palms back.
Grabbing her by the shoulders, I slammed her into a nearby wall and got in her face.
“Don’t you ever put your fucking hands on me again,” I forewarned, jaw tightening.
“Get the fuck off of me. Matter of fact, get out! Go chase after your hoe! You couldn’t have Harbor, so you decided to go after whatever you could, huh?
I hope that bitch was worth it to you. Get ready to see the judge and get this paperwork.
I’m about to put you on child support for the next eighteen-plus years, and I want full custody! ”
“You threatening to take my daughter from me?” My brows dipped, forehead creased and eyes narrowed at her with crazy calmness.
“You did this, Lock! You betrayed our relationship! So fuck you! You don’t scare me, nigga! Our mamas were best friends, and I know about all of your skeletons!” Her nose wrinkled in contempt, and she snarled at me with a cloud of darkness resting in her irises that I’d never seen.
She was like my walking diary, if a nigga ever kept one.
I would sit up late nights with her after coming off the block and spill all my shit.
Most of the time, she would fall asleep; at least I always thought that until this very moment.
Pillow talking could get you fucked off.
That’s what all the OGs used to tell us.
Alba knew parts of me that not even my mama or Harbor had ever touched on.
“I’ll leave. I fucked up. But this isn’t the end, and if you try to keep me from my fucking daughter, you’ll end up somewhere with the rest of the fucking skeletons. We clear?” She withdrew from me, her eyes lighting up while I watched goose bumps appear on her skin.
She knew how I gave it up. I wasn’t done with Harmonie’s ass though. She had plenty of atonements to make with me, and I wasn’t feeling the least bit merciful.