Zoya
I should have known when I got into the golf cart to come over here that I was going to get some amusement with Stevie. “He was shot nine times, and you were shot none,” I took my nephew, who was resisting the chokehold she had him in, while trying to get him to take his nap.
“Stevie Caselli, why in the hell are you making things up?” I busted out laughing. “You don’t even own a damn gun.”
“You’re right. I don’t have just one… I have a full room dedicated to the guns that Mavie has in the house.” She playfully stuck her tongue out at me.
I think we were all worried about what was going on back home. The dark circles around her eyes were evidence that she wasn’t sleeping well, either. Dennis resisted me rocking him to sleep which told me he was missing his father, too.
When they revealed they were having a baby, I expected Menace to be absent.
Not in the sense that he wouldn’t take care of Stevie or the baby.
In the way that he wouldn’t have a hand in changing diapers, soothing his baby, or being nurturing at all.
I was proven wrong each time I witnessed him conquer fatherhood.
Kobe shook up the ice in his iced coffee, making sure to get everything at the bottom. “Either way, have you been sleeping, Mamas?”
“No.” Skyler sauntered into the room, sitting on the opposite side of the couch that Stevie sat on.
“I’ve gotten a few hours here and there.”
“You’ve had none, Stevie. You sit by your phone waiting for Duke to give you an update. Even Dennis is up with you,” Skyler continued to call her cousin out on her lies.
Stevie hung her head. “It’s hard, you know. I’ve gone so long not having a person and I was fine with that. Now that I have Mavie, it’s hard to sleep without him between my legs.”
“Come again? He sleeps between your legs?” Syn questioned. It was obvious that she was confused by my brother and sister-in-law’s strange dynamic.
I used to think it was strange, too. Mostly, because I had never met anyone that I wanted to be around or close to like that. I thought I could go my entire life without experiencing what Menace and Stevie shared and would be fine with that.
That was until I met Gerald Wraithe.
I understood the dark circles that Stevie had, because I probably had them as well. It was hard to sleep without Goo beside me. His big arms wrapped around me, and his lips rested on the top of my head as I melted into his arms.
As my eyes became heavy, I would hear him saying how grateful he was for me. Thanking Allah for giving him the chance and tools to love me the way I needed to be loved.
Even though I wasn’t showing, I wanted his hands on my stomach as we spoke about our baby.
I was terrified because I wanted this baby more than anything, and it was here.
This baby didn’t leave. I was afraid that I might wake up one day and this would all be a sick dream, and I’d never have this moment again.
“Some nights,” she cleared her throat, “most nights, he has to lay his head on my stomach to sleep. It feels weird without him being here. My son misses him, too. Every night, he forces me to take some alone time and paint in the studio. Mavie handles his bath time, reads him books and rocks him to sleep. He tells him all the ways he would kill someone if they ever touched a hair on his head,” she smiled to herself, as she rubbed her arms.
“He does bath time with him?” I smiled, shocked that Menace did bath time every night.
Stevie smiled and nodded proudly. “Every single night. When he’s away for work and we cannot travel with him, he calls while I’m doing bath time so Dennis could hear his voice. This little boy lights up when he hears his father’s voice, too. Perks right on up.”
“Wow, I never knew that,” I muttered.
Kobe looked at me. “Never knew what, huh? Which part? The fact that he tells his son how he’ll kill people, or the fact that he sleeps with his wife’s pussy in his face?”
“So romantic,” Stevie smiled.
I couldn’t help but to laugh because it was hilarious when people met Stevie and Menace. Not too many could say they met them, and once they did, they quickly realized why they should stay away.
“So romantic,” Kobe chuckled, turning his attention towards me. “How are you feeling, Mamas?”
I was paranoid, as I stared at him. “Wh…what do you mean? I’m not a mom.”
Everyone stared at me confused. “Girl, I’m asking how you are… nothing more. The hell you got going on?”
“Since you done screamed it to the world…I’m pregnant,” I blurted, tired of keeping this secret, and pretending like the breakfast that was made every morning didn’t make me sick. “I let that man trap me willingly.”
Kobe gasped hard. “City girls down a thousand points, Zoya!”
“Kobe!” Syn pinched him.
“All I’m saying is we were supposed to be the single fine ones of the group. Rich Auntie and uncle, and you go and do this,” Kobe continued.
Despite the worry and the tiredness etched on her face, Stevie smiled. It was a genuine smile. I could tell she was so happy for me. “You stopped being scared and told him.”
“Yes.”
“It was the scariest thing in the world, right?”
I giggled while nodding my head. “I used to think law school was the scariest and hardest thing. Peeing on that stick has proven me wrong.”
“I’m so happy for the both of you. I’m excited to finally be an auntie. I’ll be the cool aunt. The one that hardly says no… unless it’s drugs.” Stevie clapped her hands, startling her son who was finally drifting off to sleep in my arms.
“Cause we know Goon’s family struggles with drugs,” Skyler muttered.
“Skyler!” Stevie shoved her cousin and stared at her in disbelief.
I looked at Skyler. “If we start tossing low blows, I can promise I won’t be the one that ends up crying.”
I warned her. If Skyler knew what was best for her, she would leave the conversation alone.
Whenever I committed to matching energy, I took it to hell.
I wanted you to hurt in the chest and think about the pain I caused months after the altercation.
Taking things to hell was my favorite form of communication.
Kobe’s eyes widened and he quickly switched the subject.
“You’ll be the rich auntie for sure, Stevie.
Jet rich… has her own island rich.” He laughed and put his arms around me, kissing the side of my face.
“I’m so happy for you and Goon, Zoya. We can still be the rich and fly auntie and uncle…
we’ll just have a little crumb snatcher behind us. ”
“Why my baby gotta be a crumb snatcher?”
Syn leaned forward to get a good look at me. “Is that the reason you were staring at me like I was stinking the other day?”
I laughed. “Yes. You had so much perfume on that it was making me sick. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings, though.”
“So, that’s why you had a little stank attitude the other day, and took a second shower?” Kobe looked over at Syn, who had a sheepish smirk on her face.
“Yes. I thought I smelled. You know I use natural deodorant.”
I couldn’t help but to laugh, because I was fighting for my life with Syn the other day. Usually, I complimented her on her scents, but that day I was holding onto the chair like I was Edward, and she was Bella.
“Is it normal to be so sensitive with smells?” I questioned.
I was confused on if I had morning sickness or not. When I woke up in the morning, I wasn’t throwing up. Some days, I woke up and a scent that I had smelled a dozen times would instantly bother me.
Before Navy and Don’s engagement party, Goo had to change his shirt because the cologne he wore was making me sick.
I expected him to be annoyed or protest, but he went and changed the shirt without a word.
I mattered and it was important to him that he changed the shirt because the smell made me uncomfortable.
It was something that I was still getting used to. Not that I hadn’t been someone’s priority before. I’ve always been my brother’s priority. But in my romantic relationships, I had never been.
My problem in the past was that I had a bad habit of making the men in my life a priority. When it came for them to reciprocate, they never would. And because I thought I was worth less than that, I accepted whatever they gave me.
Gerald put me before others before we decided that we wanted to be together. Even when I pushed him away, he made me his priority. I could tell it would continue now that I was carrying his child.
“When I found out that I was pregnant, it was because I couldn’t take the smell of my mother’s tuna casserole. I loved her casserole but went to try some and it ended up all over the table,” Skyler said.
I guess she decided taking that trip to hell with me wasn’t worth it.
“The food or your vomit?” Kobe asked with disgust written all over his face. He was also too nosey, so he had to ask which one ended up on the table.
Skyler laughed. “The vomit.”
He waved her away while cutting his eyes at her. “Eww.”
She continued to laugh as she answered her phone. “Grand rising, King,” she greeted the other person on the line, and quickly took her call to the next room.
“Damn cult,” Stevie muttered.
“My biggest nightmare,” Kobe sighed.
“What?” I questioned.
“A nigga answering the phone and greeting me with Grand rising.”
Syn started laughing. “Those are usually the most toxic men.”
“Exactly,” Kobe agreed and they slapped hands with each other. I was almost certain they have had this conversation before.
I shook my head. “Is that the cult that you were talking about?”
Stevie nodded her head. “Yes. She always answers whenever they call… was mad that she had to come here because she had plans with them the next day. I’m confused as to why she can’t see that this is a cult.”
“Same reason you couldn’t see that friend of yours was stealing and putting it into your account.” Skyler came back into the room. “It’s not a cult and I wish you would stop spreading damn rumors, Stevie.”
Stevie held her hands up, surrendering to the argument that she knew would start had she not. “Your life.”