Chapter 15 Crown Gravehart
Crown Gravehart
"You sure you ain't the momma, nigga?" I laughed as Wolfe walked up the driveway.
"The fuck is you talking about, Cortez?" Wolfe asked, walking into the crib. This nigga was huffing and puffing 'cause he wanted to be super dad and have my chunky niece strapped to his chest.
"I'm saying every time I turn around, you got Phoenix strapped to your chest like you trying to get your nine months in," I joked, taking my niece out of the harness. "Fucking with you, she's never gonna learn how to walk."
"Shut up and stop cursing 'round my daughter."
"My fault," I said to Wolfe, but Phoenix had my attention.
She looked so much like her father that it was crazy.
Her little chunky self was nothing but smiles and giggles as I sat her down on the couch.
Using my shirt, she pulled herself to her feet and leaned on my shoulder for balance.
With her other hand, she grabbed a few of my braids and started tugging.
"Nix, stop pulling on your uncle's braids. He already got a five head, we don't need to see what he gon' look like with a six." Wolfe laughed, but his joke was dry as fuck.
"Tell your pops you can do whatever at Unc's crib."
"Ight, don't say nothing when she has your shit falling out."
"That's why you cut yours so low?" I asked, laughing.
"Yeah. It took one time for me to learn my lesson."
"Nah, that's 'cause your pus… ah shit!" I hissed after Nix yanked the shit out of my braids. "Nix, you gotta chill."
"See what I mean?" Wolfe chuckled. "Where's River at?"
"Upstairs sulking 'cause I told her she couldn't go out with Navy and Chosyn since they on their man-bashing shi… stuff," I corrected, catching Phoenix staring directly at my mouth.
"Why can't she go?"
"We still don't know the sex of our twins. The last thing I need is for them to hear their aunts trashing Honor and think they gonna pop out and do the same."
"Crown," Wolfe said, sharpening his gaze. "They gon' talk 'bout whatever dude they date, regardless. That's just how women do."
"And that's why my daughters won't be allowed to date. They gon' be nuns and hand their virginity over to the lord."
"I don't think that's how that works."
"It's how it's gonna work in this household. You see how adorable Nix is." I grabbed Nix and held her out for her father to see.
"Put my daughter down, nigga. She's mine. I know how cute she is."
"Right, now imagine her in kindergarten, and some snotty-nose brat breaks her crayons. What you gon' do when she comes home crying to you about what happened?"
Wolfe's jaw flexed like he was holding himself back from saying he was gon' fuck that snotty-nose bastard up.
"See how you wanna beat that imaginary kid up over some fake-ass crayons?" I spoke. "It's gon' be ten times worse when it comes to some nigga breaking her heart. I don't know 'bout you, but I'm not ready to catch consecutive life sentences. I'd rather send my kids to bible camp."
"Sending them to bible camp won't do nothing but turn 'em into freaks," River interjected, walking into the living room and grabbing Phoenix.
"Four, stop talking like that, 'fore they hear you. My daughters are gonna be angels of God."
"With a father like you… uncles like Honor and Wolfe… and a godmother like Chosyn," she scoffed. "Angels won't be the word used to describe them. Navy and I are the best chance they have."
She laughed until I stood up and snatched her glasses.
"Cortez!" she gritted, "give me back my glasses!"
"Nah, since you think our twins gon' be heathens, go ahead and be led by faith since you don't appreciate being led by sight."
"That doesn't even make sense," she fussed.
"It does when I'm the one leading and controlling your sight."
"Okay." She shrugged. "Keep playing, and these twins will wear contacts."
"And I'ma divorce your ass."
"You can try, but you're not the only crazy one in this relationship." She smiled.
"Four, what you gon' do? Call Chosyn." I laughed. My baby didn't have a crazy bone in her body.
"Nope," she calmly responded, "but I will send out the death certificate I have for you to everyone who needs it and shut down your whole life."
"I'm not dead, tho."
"Exactly." She smiled innocently. "Wolfe, let me know when you're ready to go. I'm taking Nix with me."
"Cool." Wolfe laughed hard as hell.
"Man, take these funky ass glasses," I huffed, placing them on her face. "Just know when our company leaves, we gon' talk about that death certificate."
"What death certificate?" She blinked, blowing me a kiss, then walked away.
"Y'all are fucking crazy." Wolfe laughed.
"You really think she got a death certificate on me?"
"Yeah," he answered. "Chosyn's ass helped her. I was looking for Nix's social security card one day and stumbled on mine."
"Nigga… and you ain't say shit?"
"For what?" Wolfe shrugged. "I'm not leaving her ass."
"Damn, I can't lie. Knowing Four would do some crazy like that over me got me wanting to knock her ass up with another set of twins. That's my type of love."
I paused.
"You think Navy got one on Honor? We might have to—"
"I thought you hated Honor?" Wolfe cut in.
"He's aggy as fuck, but I could never hate that nigga, forreal. We been through too much."
"Then dead the beef."
"I'd rather count every drop of water in the ocean 'fore I let that nigga think he can keep playing puppet master," I told him. "You being cool with him pulling stunts in your life is on you, but I don't want him having shit to do with what's happening in mine."
"I don't think he’s trying to control the situation. He just feels 'cause he's the oldest, he's gotta handle shit."
"Cool, I get that, but we're not kids anymore, Wolfe. I'm grown as fuck and don't need another nigga watching over me."
"Grown or not, he’s been more of a father to us than our own pops," Wolfe countered, not understanding where I was coming from.
How Wolfe saw shit would always differ from how I saw shit.
Wolfe, being six years younger than Honor, had him putting Honor on a pedestal since we were kids.
I never faulted him because I got it. He needed an older figure he could depend on, someone who'd love him the way his parents never did.
Honor became that for him, and then Gigi stepped in.
Had Wolfe not been there to see Honor show his ass, he probably wouldn't believe it went down how it did.
Honor was a hero in Wolfe's eyes even as a grown ass man.
Honor wasn't my fucking hero 'cause that meant putting him above myself, and no nigga sat higher than me in my eyes.
We were equals, and that's all I wanted Honor to see.
"You mind if I spark up? Chosyn grew a new strand that she wants me to try," Wolfe asked.
"I don't mind, but you cool with Nix being around the smoke? I know she’s upstairs but the smoke is gonna travel."
"Shit, I forgot about my baby girl just that fast." He laughed.
"Let me text Chosyn and tell her to stop acting like the daddy and come get her child."
"Nigga chill with that 'I'm the mommy, she's the daddy' bullshit. Nix is as much my child as she is Chosyn's. If I have her more, it's 'cause I want Chosyn to know her life didn't end because she had my baby."
"You think she be feeling that?"
"Man… hell yeah," he groaned, running his hand down his face.
"When Nix was a few weeks old, she was having trouble latching on to feed.
It drove Chosyn crazy, and she started second-guessing herself.
After every feeding, she'd hop in the shower, crying, asking God why he'd make her a mother when she doesn't have one to help her with motherhood. "
"Damn," I murmured, making a mental note to be extra gentle with Four after she gives birth.
"Then her not being able to be at Mellow & Munch as much bummed her out.
She couldn't be on-site for her new building as much as she wanted to be, and that fucked with her.
I don't know the logistics of all the shit women go through when bringing life into the world, but I know it takes a toll on more than just their bodies.
It can play tricks with their confidence and purpose in life. "
"Do me a favor and create a note on your phone with all the things I need to look out for. Share it with me and update it regularly," I told him.
"No two women are the same, bro. River's experience will be different, but the beauty of it is that you'll know what's off about her because you pay attention to the woman she is.
Just stay patient and chill with the glasses.
If she wanna wear contacts, let her. Your job is to know and be the relief she needs before she realizes she needs it. "
"I hear you." I nodded. "Not with the contacts shit but everything else… hurd you."
"This nigga," Wolfe scoffed. "But aye dead this shit with Honor. It hasn't fucked up business as of yet, but it can get there."
"How you figure it hasn't fucked up business when he put Rize in Ember Hills? That’s my shit. Honor overstepped by putting a nigga I brought in over there."
Before Wolfe could respond, heavy knocks hit the front door. I looked at Wolfe, then stood up to answer it.
"Sup," Honor greeted, his face sagging like he'd just lost his best friend.
"Fix your face, Mr. I Made You," I huffed.
"I'm not on that shit today. If you don't want me here, say that and I'll move around." The heaviness in his voice wasn't familiar to me.
"Nah, you can stay, but I told you the price of admission. Tell me a—"
"Choyce kissed me," he cut in.
"Nigga, what?" Wolfe said, coming toward the door.
"Choyce—"
"Chill River's upstairs. Y'all know she's got super hearing 'cause her ass is blind as a bat."
Honor laughed, and for a split second, he let some of that humor reach his eyes.
"We can go to the basement," I offered, letting him inside the house.
"Cool. Wolfe, you got that on you?"
"Yeah. Just told Crown Chosyn cooked up some new shit. We can spark up and bare our souls."