Chapter 16
Sixteen
T he beads of spicy-temp water pelting down on my parted scalp felt amazing. The shampoo I’d applied for the second time to rid my braids of chlorine should have been out. However, my mind ran with thoughts I hadn’t had in a while, which was strange considering I’d just awakened from a nap outside by the pool.
It was another one of my father abruptly leaving while we were enjoying ourselves on a random visit. The dreams had been coming frequently lately. Maybe it was the pregnancy. Lots of shit had changed since I became pregnant. It was weird, though, because inside the dream, I felt peace and warmth. Once the dream was over, I felt conflicted. I hadn’t seen my father in so many years and had no plans to any time soon.
Directly under one of the shower faucets, I could hear movement but kept my eyes closed. Within seconds, I felt new heat on my backside. His scent followed, and suddenly my nipples went from erect to tingly. He moved the ends of my cornrows and kissed the back of my neck, causing me to hum contently.
“I get to see Mr. Patterson before the concert?” I teased softly.
“Mr. Patterson needed to see you before the concert,” his delivery spilled sweetly like molten chocolate.
I turned against the spikey hairs of his chest, pushed out of the waterfall, and stood on my toes to kiss him. Ishaan’s hard frame felt amazingly male, and he tasted just as good. His tongue responded to mine with natural ease and mutual desire. Those big hands cupped my ass possessively, and I decided I, not only loved it right away, but needed it, too.
As I pulled back from his mouth, I swiped the water from my eyes so I could see him. He towered over me wearing a shower cap with colorful ink on his neck, shoulders, chest, and pecs, and nothing else.
“Well…” I prompted. “Turn around. Let me see what battle wounds you’ve returned with from work today.”
His eyes were tight, and his smile stole my breath. “Battle wounds?”
“Yes. Turn. Let me inspect you.”
Shaking his head, Ishaan slowly turned, giving me a three hundred-sixty-degree view of his rugged body. Even Ishaan’s ass was sculpted with masculine perfection.
“See anything you don’t like?” his thick delivery was logy.
I liked it all. Enjoyed it all, leaning into his sturdy frame.
“I’ve been thinking about the Mehki situation.” I studied his full lips and growing erection against my belly. “I really want him to accept me.”
He kissed my forehead. “I’m happy to hear that. You’ve already given me that impression, Boo-baby.”
“No. But for specific reasons.” I brushed my fingertips across the stubble on his chest, realizing Ishaan shaved them often. “Remember I said I could relate to him having identity insecurities? Well, I meant it when I said I do as well.” Studying the eagle on his neck, I gathered my thoughts. “I’ve seen my father once since I was twelve.”
“Damn.”
I nodded. “It was my choice. When I was born, he’d come to see me for a few months—maybe—the first year. But my mother said he told her it was difficult dividing his time with his family, work, and me. He talked with his wife, and they hashed out the truth of my existence.
“He’d cheated on his wife with a young teller from the bank. I imagine it was hard, but as the story goes, she agreed to me coming over so he could spend time with me. My mother didn’t want me to be there without her, considering the circumstances and my age, and said ‘no.’ So, for the first few years of my life, I didn’t see him.
“My mother said when I was old enough to articulate myself verbally, she relented. So, when I was around five or six, she began letting me go over to his home and sometimes spend the night. I was happy as hell. It felt like I’d finally been awarded a father. I thought everyone had one but me because I had no memories of him before this time.
“His wife, Melba, wasn’t exactly warm to me yet she didn’t deny me food or physically abuse me either. But my father and Melba had two daughters, something I wasn’t prepared for. I mean, my mother being my father’s side piece honestly went over my head as a preschooler, but him having two daughters was something I could comprehend. One, Priscilla, is about a year older than me. The second, Amaya, is about a year younger than me.”
His brow line lifted.
“Yup.” I winked. “So, you see why Momma Melba wasn’t so warm to me. He was making us sisters back-to-back. But I’m sure you’ve already sent one of your minions to find this out.”
I searched his eyes for answers. Ishaan murmured, “It hits different coming from your point of view.”
I snorted, “Hit being an operative word for little Hayden trying to navigate a family of four. Three of them didn’t enjoy my presence there two weekends a month, and the fourth party was indifferent. I was so excited to see them on the weekends. Cill and Amaya’s lives were so different from mine.
“They felt like The Cosbys —a show that was old and out of production when I got into it but so damn good to me—or Moesha . There was a mom and dad in the house. The girls didn’t struggle with loneliness like I did as a child. They had their mom home every day when coming home from school. Their mother probably didn’t miss as many back-to-school nights as mine did because she was the sole breadwinner.”
And they didn’t have a creepy uncle who liked to fuck with them while said mother was out working until the late evenings some days .
I wasn’t ready to reveal that to Ishaan.
“So, those Fridays when I knew I’d be spending the weekend with their family, I was excited to go. That was until I got there. Cill and Amaya weren’t very nice sisters. They’d pick on me when no one was in the room. If our father caught it, he’d give them a warning. But Momma Melba would ignore it, even if she was within earshot. I’d wake up in the middle of the night from kicks to my head, stomach, and face. At first, I’d tell their mother. She would question them, but of course, Cill and Amaya would deny it, and that was where it ended.”
Ishaan became tense against me. Oddly, his erection had disappeared. “Did you stop going over there?”
I shook my head. “For years, no. I wanted inclusion. I wanted…protection from…” I tried keeping my words clear of fucking Billy. “…being alone all the time. I wanted time on my daddy’s lap as I saw the girls did.” I snickered at the irritating memories. “My mother would swear I was exaggerating, but I’d tell her how his hugs to me were shorter than the ones he gave Cill and Amaya. My time on his lap was always interrupted by either him telling me it was time to get up or Melba asking him to do something, ending our physical connection.
“I’d attend Cill and Amaya’s birthday parties, but they never came to mine. I remember bragging to my friends about my ‘family’ and sharing about my sisters. One of them noted in a random argument when I was maybe seven, ‘You’re lying about having sisters. How come I never see them at your birthday parties?’ And I stood there stumped by the answer.”
“Did your father go to your birthday parties?”
“A few, but not all. Again, we reunited when I was about five. I may have had four birthday parties before I’d had enough.”
“Enough of your father?”
“Enough of my father, his wife, and their two daughters. I’d been spending time with them for about seven years and never felt closer to them than on the first visit. At best, when Priscilla and Amaya would fight, one would miraculously claim me as a friend. That was until they got over whatever they were fighting about and became cool again. That would leave me on the outside where they often kept me. Melba was a stay-at-home mom. She was always around. She saw everything. And I can’t recall a time when she would correct them or embrace me. She never acknowledged my belonging there. They felt strange to me. And again, my father was nicer. Still, he wasn’t effective in legitimizing me.
“So, two days after my twelfth birthday, when my father called me from Disney World, forcing the girls to say happy birthday, I’d decided.”
“Decided what?”
My eyes reached his for the first time since I began this story. “I decided I didn’t have a father or sisters. My mother thought it was a mark of my puberty.” I shook my head. “It was a firm decision. I couldn’t articulate it as a child, but as I grew into an adult, I understood I felt his role in my life was both obligatory and optional. That man was obligated to give me a piece of him although I was the result of a huge blunder in his marriage. But I was also optional in a manner of speaking because, unlike with Cill and Amaya, his life didn’t change one bit when I stopped coming around. The energy of his home wasn’t altered even slightly when I stepped away.”
“How do you know?”
Immediately, the question angered me, but I decided to quell it because for Ishaan, a man who grew up with two attending parents, he couldn’t possibly understand.
I smiled, gently pulling at the hairs on his chin. “Because I’m twenty-nine-years-old and have only seen that man once in person since I walked away. My mother, unbeknownst to me, told him about my undergrad graduation. He showed with flowers and a smile, amongst the droves of highly energized people asking questions about my majors and what I wanted to do with my future. I answered them all. Then, with an obligatory smile, he turned to my mother, thanked her for inviting him, and explained he had to get back to the bank.”
My eyes roved back up to Ishaan’s again and I shrugged. “I’ve gotten two degrees since and nothing…”
“Hay de —” His big arms encircled my tense frame, but I rejected him.
“No. I’m good. Really. I only bring this up to explain how I know what it’s like growing up and not belonging. Shit, I had the man’s blood running through my veins as much as his two daughters and I didn’t fit in his life—his home. Also, I know I gave you big shit about you not having to do this coparenting thing with me…” Shit . I grew emotional, and unexpected, rude ass tears shot from my belly to my throat so damn fast. “It came from a deep place. A broken place. A space of abandonment. It was nothing personal. It’s just what I know. But I don’t want that for Mehki. I’m not trying to invade his space. I’ll move slowly.”
Ishaan brought his arms around me successfully this time, pulling my head back by the lengthy ends of the braids. He brought his face to mine, his eyes strained with what seemed like fatigue. “And what if I don’t wanna go slow?”
“Ishaan, we’ve accelerated so much shit since laying eyes on each other. I think we’ll be fine taking our time with something .”
His lips were on me and tongue inside my mouth. Ishaan kissed me hungrily. My hands clawed the nape of his neck, accidentally pushing up his shower cap.
“You tryna sabotage my hair before a Queen B show?” Smiling hard, I shook my head. “Good. Because I don’t have enough energy to retaliate.” He pecked me on the mouth, his expression sobering. “Hayden, it’s not my fault that you don’t trust men. But seeing how you’re going to be the mother of my child, it is my responsibility to break that stigma. I can see where it comes from, and it ends with me. Okay?”
That’s when my expression dropped and with a hanging jaw, I nodded and whispered, “Okay.”
Did I trust Ishaan?
No. I was beginning to understand I didn’t know how.
Did I believe him?
Absolutely, yes.
“I loved you strong…I loved you deep.
But I could never be the girl you wanted to keep.”
Holy shit!
This was “ Purple Hearts in Square Places ” she’d transitioned into.
This was my song, but which one she’d performed tonight wasn’t? The modest-sized stadium, like me, was pulsating with wild excitement. The shouts of elated anticipation for her next notes echoed out into the open air as we gathered, packed like rats in the facility. Her stage fans blew forcefully, sending her long blonde tresses dancing into the air. The graphics behind her, the live band and dancers on stage with the goddess, it all made for a magical experience.
Tonight, I, again, had my cousins with me. Only I wasn’t bereft, wondering where a certain Latin King-looking COO was in the vicinity. He was right behind me, palm possessively gripping my hip bone beneath my gravid abdomen. After our shower, Ishaan and I had a private dinner in the villa prepared by a chef. Then we were driven over to the resort for the show. And Brielle had not disappointed. She was stunningly gorgeous, undeniably athletic, high energy, and magnetic. I didn’t want to miss a moment of her onstage.
Sundryia wasn’t as hyped as I’d been but appeared to be just as captivated as she swayed shoulder to shoulder with Maaz, who stood next to her. Rayna had been more animated, dancing along to just about every choreography move. Only tonight, her dance partner, Shi-Shi, was nowhere in sight. Azmir was here instead, hovering over her protectively. I guess Brielle brought the guys out of hiding tonight, unlike Nicky.
Immediately, I continued singing with Brielle.
“I asked you when…oh, baby when?
When will you love me!
You drew a box, one that was square.
You told me to try to get in there.
I shrunk myself for years…drowning in my tears.”
This track gave rock genre vibes. But the lyrics were soulfully moving. As is typical in a Brielle song, there was empowerment. You felt self-equipped to right whatever wrong love or the evil world had thrown your way. Brielle embodied strength.
“How much longer will you not care?
Oh, babeeeeeee… Purple hearts don’t fit in squares!”
The dramatic beat halted, transitioning into a heavy metal-like flow. Brielle dropped into a deep squat, using both hands on her knees to balance herself while shaking her ass in the air to the audience. Her neck swung and dipped fluidly. She appeared somber and intoxicated, such a dramatic expression of her artform.
When the song was done, I was caught in another trance, reeling from emotions the way only Brielle could leave me.
A whisper in my ear had my eyes lifting. “You woke the baby.”
It took a minute for me to register Ishaan’s message. My hands went to my belly but before they landed, I felt the kicks.
I turned to whisper in his ear, “I thought that was just the bass from the drum reverberating.” I laughed.
“Are you okay?” I could see the concern in his face. “You’ve been dancing a lot. We can leave.”
I nodded. “I’m good. The show’s almost over.”
Then Ishaan nodded, conceding. I was grateful, not wanting to miss a second of the queen’s court.
Turning to Sundryia, I grabbed her arm, lifting it into the air. “Turn up, bitch! This is Queen B!”
Maaz laughed at that, taking Sundryia at the shoulder and kissing her forehead before releasing her.
“Yoooo,” she shouted. “This chick is so fuckin’ talented, bro! I’m always feeling like I ain’t doing enough in life after her shows!”
“Right!” I screamed just before Brielle spoke, thanking her fans, and giving an introduction to her final song.
Absolutely life changing .
“He’s insane!” Rayna called out from the dining lounge chair as she read from her phone. “Shirez West has now denounced his billionaire status, stating money is rooted in evil. There are ways to enjoy the natural offerings of this life without money. Jesus is the answer.” She twisted her mouth at the side of her face.
Across from her, stretched out in a lounger, I laughed, as did Sundryia and Shi-Shi, who had finally joined us.
“That nigga’s always been weird,” Maaz shared, shaking his head. “Y’all call him a genius all you want. I’ve met him a few times. All I saw was weirdness. And now he’s back on Jesus,” he scoffed.
I found that funny, too. “Nothing’s original. Everything being done has been done under the sun,” I added. “Sounds like asceticism. Shirez is on that today. Tomorrow, it’ll be something else.”
“ Ascet -what?” Sundryia asked, sitting on Maaz’s lap.
After the show, we retreated back to the executive’s villas. Ishaan had arranged for Daphne to prepare a late night spread with drinks. He invited the Jacobs’ to it, and I asked Maaz and Sundryia to tag along. Rayna mentioned promising Shi-Shi they’d hang out tonight. So, she, in turn, invited Shi-Shi and her daughter’s father—the phantom I’d seen on her social medias, sparsely, over the past couple of years . Needless to say, more food and drinks were arranged, and we’d been out here, kicking it at the labyrinth structured pool.
“Asceticism.” I explained, “It’s when you abandon all forms of spoils…luxury for religious or moral reasons.”
“Oh, damn!” Shi-Shi laughed. “That’s a complete incorrect on my SAT!”
We all laughed. I felt a little goofy.
“That’s Hayden, though,” Sundryia announced. “Smart as shit—almost nerdy—but will cuss you the fuck out!”
Rayna fake gasped, “Not sweet Hayden!”
That made me snicker, too, while holding a bottle of water. Even after midnight, it was hot as hell on Red’s Island .
“No.” I shifted my head over my neck to glance at Ishaan. “I’m just curious.” He snickered at that and nodded, likely picking up my memory of playing a damn prostitute to see how long I could pull it off. Going back to the group, I explained, “All I’m saying is this shit with Shirez is chutzpah.” I waved off his energy with my hand in the air.
Shi-Shi slapped the table. “And here’s another one for five hundred, Alex!” Her daughter’s father, Jas, covered his mouth as he laughed at that.
Maaz asked, “What does that mean?”
“What?” I was confused.
“The ‘hootspuh’—or whatever—word,” Shi-Shi explained.
That’s when I caught on to the joke. “Chutzpah. Y’all ain’t never heard of chutzpah?”
There was a collective ‘no’ so synched, our entire group shared a resounding guffaw.
“Oh, my god!” I whined. I did sound nerdy. “It’s like a…” I snapped my finger. “…a Yiddish term, I believe. It’s slang for being arrogant. Having too much dip on your chip…having big ones. You’ve got some balls on you. The nerve?—”
“Oh!” Shi-Shi interjected. “I get it. I get it! It’s true. I see why Erika Erceg left his ass. Dude’s got a lot of chutzpah! He had the chutzpah to go on Twitter rants about her and her entire family. It took lots of chutzpah for him to bring up the sex tape when spiraling, knowing damn well he wore it like a trophy during their entire marriage!”
“Yup,” Sundryia agreed, and I couldn’t catch my breath from laughing so hard.
Behind me, Ishaan sat up. “This reminds me of when I met her. Hayden was holding court with BSU alums, discussing early nineteen hundred century demographic cohort, or something like that.”
“Oh, my god, Hayden!” Rayna cried, dropping her chin dramatically as she cackled.
Sundryia nodded. “That’s nothing. The shit I’ve seen the girl speaking randomly to strangers about... I remember when she met Coach Launz after a game. She started talking about the original model of the guitar. I was confused as hell, wondering if my cousin was nervously rambling. That’s when I found out Coach moonlights as a guitarist and even has musician credits on Ragee’s albums.”
“Oh, yeah,” Azmir chimed in. “Launz is a talented brother.”
“So, how did you two meet?” Shi-Shi asked directly. Familiarly.
Ishaan’s and my head swung so fast to each other at that question.
He quietly snorted before stretching his neck to address the group on the other side of me. “At a Panther ’s event.”
Shi-Shi’s eyes lit up. “My alma mater! Did you both go to BSU ?”
“Ishaan did. Not me. He played basketball for a few years.”
“Oh, nice. Have you two dated long?”
Rayna’s head swung over to me, eyes glittering nervously. Sundryia’s forehead wrinkled.
Shi-Shi— the Shi-Shi —was showing interest in my life? I’d been following her all over social media for years since she began dating Austin Seers, the actor. And here she was, at a private villa my wanna-be-baby’s daddy owned, asking me personal questions. This was otherworldly.
But what the fuck, Shi-Shi?
“Hayden’s pregnant,” Ishaan answered from behind me again. “Shit feels like forever.”
That caused the small group to break into laughter. The answer made us appear to be a tenured couple. I glanced back at him, and quickly, Ishaan captured my mouth, laying a warm peck on my lips.
“Shi-Shi, I missed you at the show tonight,” Sundryia changed the subject. “Where were you guys’ seats?”
“Oh. We didn’t go.”
“Really?” I chirped.
“Why?” Sundryia asked.
That’s when Shi-Shi and her daughter’s father, Jas, peered at each other similarly to how Ishaan and I had.
“Jas doesn’t like Brielle,” Shi-Shi answered before she busted out laughing.
Her boyfriend, or whatever they termed themselves, didn’t laugh as hard as she did while Shi-Shi leaned into him. Still. I caught the knowing grin on his lips when he looked at her. He was handsome, quiet, fit, and dark. Maybe not in a dangerous way, but certainly tenebrous, in that his energy was clear.
Jas didn’t speak much. However, it was clear he was familiar with Rayna and close to Azmir. I didn’t pick up shy vibes from him, so much as I believed he didn’t want to be seen. That was odd considering how handsome he was. It was clear to me in these few, short hours that Shi-Shi had a deep connection with this guy. One she didn’t attach to her public brand.
A soft kiss on my shoulder broke my reverie. Ishaan whispered, “Time to go.”
Without hesitation, I waited for a break in the conversation Shi-Shi and Sundryia were currently engaged in to announce our departure. Ishaan had left the lounger.
“Alright, good people.” I stood to my feet. “The COO has expired.”
A sharp sputter sounded from Azmir’s cackle. “You have set hours now, Alpha?” Ishaan took the joke in good nature, only chuckling quietly. “This pregnancy shit really got you crashin’ out, I see. I remember you could run for at least three days before burning out.”
With a weak smile, Ishaan said his goodbyes. “Ladies, it was a pleasure as always. Jacobs, don’t forget about the Asè Garb meeting in the morning.”
Azmir lifted his glass in the air. “I got you.”
“I appreciate that.” Ishaan took me at my hand. “Sin, come see about me!” he shouted as we sauntered toward his villa.
“Say less,” was Shi-Shi’s baby’s father’s response.
“And don’t forget this one.” Munchie slid a document on top of the one I’d just finished signing. We were ambling down the hall of the admin wing inside the resort. “This is for the Commissioner providing law enforcement. It’s their overtime pay.”
I was able to sign it before we arrived at the conference room where I opened the door for her to step inside. At the table, Rayna and Sundryia were chatting.
“Oh, you made it,” Rayna chirped.
“I’m sorry, ladies. I was stopped on my way over from the gym with an issue.” I sat across from Sundryia, and Munchie took the seat to the right of me. “What did I miss?”
“Not much.” Rayna pulled her plastic cup of iced coffee closer to herself. “Sundryia and I basically have everything done. The facility has been booked. It’s the one Sundryia suggested in Wayne.”
“Yeah,” I addressed Sundryia. “I like that place. Lots of parking…great lighting from the big windows. By the lake, which is great for pictures. Cool. What else?”
“The invitations will go out as soon as I get back home,” Rayna explained. “So, this week. And the food?—”
“I don’t mean no disrespect,” Sundryia interrupted. Then she gestured to Munchie, who was typing into her laptop. “This is a personal, family matter. Is there a reason she’s here?”
Munchie’s head lifted, eyes landing on Sundryia then me before pushing the frame of her glasses up her face. “Oh. I was going to record Mr. Patterson’s responsibilities and make sure the tasks are completed.”
Sundryia shook her head. “Ishaan doesn’t have much to do. We’re her family. We’re taking care of her shower.” Her tone was curt, but I knew it could be colder.
Sundryia was drawing a line in the sand.
I murmured over to Munchie, “Give us a minute. Will you? Check in on Young Lord’s welcoming team.”
“Oh. Sure.” Munchie closed her computer then gathered her things and left the table.
Once I heard the door close, my attention went straight to Sundryia. “Have I done something to offend you?”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t answer my question either.”
“Look, man…” She sat back in her chair. “This ain’t about me. It’s all about my cousin. You said you wanted to be a part of her baby shower. You ain’t wanna be left out. But you bringing your assistant to a secret meeting we’re having seems impersonal.”
I tossed my chin her way. “Of course, I want to be involved. It’s my baby she’s carrying. I want Hayden to feel supported, and will expense, host, or contribute to the occasion in any way I can. I’m a busy man: I have help to make sure all tasks assigned to me are addressed. So, I’m gonna ask you again. Have I done something to offend you, Ms. Matthews?”
She shifted closer to the table. “I’m not understanding why you keep asking?—”
“Hold up. Hold up.” Rayna waved a hand in the air. “I don’t want this to go left unnecessarily.”
“It don’t have to!” Sundryia advised, in a not-so-nice way.
“It doesn’t. Sundryia, you need to answer his question so we can move past this.”
Question?
I sat back in my chair, giving Sundryia the floor. She rolled her eyes, seemingly yielding to her cousin’s request. “Look. I’mma just keep it trill with you. I get the one-night stand scenario. I get a one-and-done type of hook up. None of this shit is scripted. But the whole thing of you pulling up on her at a restaurant where she’s having lunch with a nigga she ain’t in any type of relationship with that will conflict with what she’s got going on with you… It just don’t sit well with me. Tracking her. It don’t sit well with me. Hayden ain’t like that. She’s a good girl, Ishaan.”
I shook my head. “I say this with all due respect, Sundryia: Hayden ain’t a good girl. If Hayden was so unadulterated, you and I wouldn’t be sitting in this room across from each other, discussing her baby shower.” My eyes narrowed and I nodded. “You get what I mean?” When she didn’t respond, I continued, “Now, as far as tracking her. Hayden can go and do whatever she wants. However, as your cousin, Rayna, here will tell you, when you’re attached to a man like me, there’s attention on you you’re not even aware of. As I explained to her: I’m not trying to control Hayden. I’m just trying to protect her.”
“Protect her from what?”
“That’s not something I can share with you.”
“Yeah.” Rayna shook her head. “That can lead down a rabbit hole, Sundryia. Let’s just say I can vouch for Ishaan on that. Tracking her is so she doesn’t go missing.”
I expounded, “Not because I get off on being able to see where she is at all times. It’s come to my attention that you and I had a cold introduction that night at A.D.J.’s birthday party. I mentioned Amir, being overly familiar, and I shouldn’t have.” My palm went to my chest. “I apologize. Nonetheless, Hayden’s a big girl. Just as she didn’t ask to end up in a situation where she’s tracked, I didn’t want to have to be responsible for the safety of two additional people. It’s just where we are now.”
She folded her arms over her chest and exhaled. “I respect your apology. That did fuck with me a little.” A little? “And as far as Hayden is concerned, I’m gonna always look out for her. I get you two got something going on you didn’t expect.”
“And Hayden’s a big girl,” I repeated.
At the head of the table, to my left and Sundryia’s right, Rayna sputtered in laughter softly then was out right loud with it. Her eyes were on her cousin. Like me, Sundryia didn’t appear to understand.
“Aww. C’mon, Sundryia!” She laughed. “Nothing about this situation says Hayden’s helpless or a victim. She’s seven months pregnant by a wealthy man she’s clearly attracted to. You saw how subdued she was under his ministrations at the show on Friday.” Her eyes were big, face beaming with amusement. When Sundryia didn’t budge in posture or with words, Rayna pushed more, soberly. “Do you believe she’s intimidated by Ishaan or afraid for her safety?” Sundryia rolled her eyes, her head shaking softly. “Okay then, cousin. I think, after his apology, you gotta sit this one out unless I’m missing something. I’m team Hayden all day here. But let’s be reasonable.”
Sundryia applied a tight smile. She was still unsettled, but I had no interest in placating her.
So, I switched subjects. “So, the food?”
After taking a deep breath, Rayna answered, “We’re using the caterer you recommended. They’re offering an extensive menu.”
“Good.” I was happy to hear that. “Have them send me the invoice. In fact, I can take care of the facility, too. What else is there left to do?”
Sundryia mumbled, “She needs to finish her gift registry.”
“Oh. Damn.” I’d forgotten about that. “She mentioned it to me a few days ago. And how does that work exactly?”
“She selected a few retailers where she wants her guests to buy things for the baby. She needs to finish the lists of things she needs to help them shop.”
I was stumped as hell. Did Hayden have enough friends and family to get everything she wanted? “Can’t I just buy everything on the list?”
This time both women laughed.
Sundryia shook her head. “If muthafuckas coming to this nice ass, scenic facility and eating all this good food, they have to give something in exchange.”
“Guests are there to support you and Hayden, Ishaan.” Rayna laughed. “Not to freeload.”
This was my first rodeo. I’d never hosted a baby shower. I was deployed when my mother gave Mandy hers for Mehki.
“Alright. I’ll let you two work that out with her. Her gifts segue into another dilemma.”
Rayna pulled her drink closer and while dipping her head for the straw, asked, “What’s that?”
“Where is she going to live for the foreseeable future?”
Sundryia’s pretty face balled. “What do you mean? She’s staying with you. Right?”
“Now. Yeah. But she’s not committing to anything once the baby’s here. She’s only saying what she’s doing now since her apartment is unavailable.”
Rayna whispered, “Shoot!” Her eyes closed in despair. “Yeah. I forgot all about that. And now, the plumbing being just about done doesn’t end the quandary. She’s got that expensive estimate for the repairs.”
Estimate?
“What estimate?” Sundryia inquired.
“The eleven thousand-dollar one for the repairs, girl.” Sundryia’s eyes shot over to me. Rayna quickly slapped her mouth. “ Oops! I’m not sure… I mean… Of course, she’s discussed this with you already.”
I shook my head.
“No biggie.” Sundryia sat motionless. “I’ll give her a loan for it. She’s good.”
Shaking my head, I explained, “I can’t let you do that, Matthews.”
“Why not?”
“Because as far as we know, that’s the unofficial home address of my child. No one pays a dime for anything regarding my child’s welfare but me. The repairs are of no consequence. They’ll be covered. I’d rather you put your energy into convincing Hayden to bring the baby to my home when she leaves the hospital indefinitely.”
“So, I’m supposed to force her to live with you?”
“I didn’t say live. I’m referring to the months of her postpartum. She needs to be comfortable.”
“I agree.” Rayna nodded.
“That’s Hayden’s call,” Sundryia argued.
The door opened and Munchie craned her neck into the opening. “Potential breach.”
As I stood from the table, I pulled the scrunchie from my braids. My scalp was still hot from the intense workout I committed to this morning with my combat team. “And you keep forgetting one major factor here.”
“What’s that?” Sundryia asked defensively.
“Hayden’s not a good girl, but she’s my big girl.” When I made it to the door, I turned back to the women. “Thanks for meeting with me this morning. Don’t forget to send me those invoices. I hope you enjoy Young Lord tonight.”
Then I was out to put out another damn fire.