Chapter 4
K a s s i m w o k e m e up the next mornin’ before the sun even thought ‘bout comin’ up. He laid on my chest grippin’ the front of my wife beater wit’ them tiny fists like he was checkin’ a nigga.
His lil’ body twisted, and then he hit me wit’ a loud, dramatic grunt that told me he was seconds away from turnin’ the whole house upside down. I opened my eyes and looked right at him. He stared back at me wit’ a screwed-up face that said he was already fed up.
“You doin’ the most for no reason,” I said, keepin’ my voice low. “You just like your mama.” He hit me wit’ another grunt. I chuckled, shakin’ my head ‘cause I knew what that meant. “Aight. Say less.” I eased him off my chest and stood up slowly, ‘cause Nyomi was knocked out next to me.
She was curled up under the blanket, breathin’ deep, finally restin’ like she needed to.
I looked at her for a moment. Her hair was all over the pillow.
Her lips were a lil’ swollen from suckin’ my dick like it was an apology for bein’ fuckin’ stubborn.
She was tired as hell but peaceful. Good.
Her ass needed to stay that way for a minute.
I kissed her forehead and Kassim whined louder, so I picked him up and walked him to the nursery.
The second I laid him on the changin’ table, he started kickin’ like crazy.
“You dramatic as hell, son,” I muttered, changin’ his diaper and tossin’ the old one in the diaper genie like I was shootin’ free throws.
Downstairs in the kitchen, I grabbed some titty milk from the fridge and heated Kassim up a bottle usin’ the fancy ass bottle warmer Nyomi copped. He calmed down as I held him in my arms. Then, he looked up at me while he drank, eyes half open, like he was still tryna figure me out already.
“That’s right,” I said. “I’m your daddy.
A nigga be workin’ and shit but I’m here.
” He just squeezed my chain and kept drinkin’.
I rocked him ‘til he was full and heavy against my shoulder.
Then I laid him in his crib upstairs and watched him for a second while he blinked slowly.
He caught the itis off the titty milk and finally passed out.
My jaw tightened when I thought ‘bout last night. I came home ready to relax, ready to see my woman and my son, and Nyomi had damn near stressed herself into tears tryna play fuckin’ superwoman. I already told her she didn’t have to do all that shit.
I built up her lash company wit’ a full team.
I handled the pieces she didn’t even know ‘bout. I did everything possible to make sure the only thing she had to worry about was healin’ and takin’ care of Kassim.
But nah, her ass wanted to do ten things at once.
Then she wanted to tell me she was fine when she was ‘bout to fall apart in my damn face.
I rubbed my hand over my head, breathin’ slowly, ‘cause I knew today would be another test. Her moms and step pops was cool as fuck. They fucked wit’ me and vice versa, but when it came to this weddin’ plannin’ shit, I had thin ass patience and shit always got tense.
I didn’t want a damn circus weddin’. I wanted somethin’ small.
I wanted the preacher, her peoples, her girls, my niggas, Granny and ‘nem, and that’s it.
I also wanted to get married by the end of next month.
Spring was comin’. Spring forward into forever type shit, feel me?
I didn’t give a fuck ‘bout all that fancy, bougie shit.
Money wasn’t the issue either. Nyomi could have whatever she wanted, but this shit was gettin’ annoyin’ as fuck.
Plannin’ on top of plannin’ that required florists and venue scoutin’.
Fuck all that. I wanted Nyomi as my wife ASAP.
I’d already let her ass lead wit’ waitin’ to get married after givin’ birth so she didn’t “look fat” in a weddin’ dress. Time was tickin’.
After rollin’ up my mornin’ blunt, I walked back to our room, and she was half awake, watchin’ me wit’ that soft, sleepy, just-woke-up face that always hit me in the chest. “How long was he up?” she whispered.
“Long enough,” I said. “I fed him. He’s back down.”
She pushed up on her elbows wit’ a wince. “I didn’t even hear him.”
“You ain’t supposed to,” I said. “You needed sleep.”
She rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?”
“Early,” I answered. “Go back to sleep if you need to.”
She rolled her eyes ‘cause she knew I meant it and she also knew she wasn’t gonna do it. “You know I can’t,” she said quietly. “The house still needs to be straightened up, and we’re meeting my mother and Carl for lunch at the…” I stepped right in front of her and folded my arms. “What now, Keon?”
“Stop,” I said. “I’ll make sure the house is straight. You ain’t doin’ shit but takin’ a shower and doin’ what you needa do for you. I got this.”
She frowned. “I’m fine.”
“There you go,” I said, shakin’ my head. “Lyin’ already.”
She glared. “Don’t start.”
“I already started. You wanna do this early? We can do this shit early, Ny.”
She looked away, irritated and overwhelmed. “I’m not trying to argue.”
“Good,” I replied. “‘Cause I ain’t either. I’m tellin’ you what’s up.”
She gave me this look like she wanted to fight me and cry at the same time.
I could read her like a damn book. She hated bein’ checked, but she needed it, especially right now.
Especially wit’ all the emotions she had after givin’ birth.
She had too much weight on her mind and she didn’t need half of it.
I held my hand out. “C’mere.”
She stared at my hand like it was gonna bite her, then she finally let me pull her up into my chest. Her head dropped against me, and I wrapped my arms around her, breathin’ in her natural scent.
“You stressin’ too much,” I said. “And today ain’t gon’ be good if you don’t take some time for you before we leave this muthafucka. Your mama gon’ see the stress on you and try to go off on my ass.”
“No, she’s not,” she whispered wit’ a giggle. “It’s just wedding talk.”
“No,” I corrected. “It’s an argument I’m tired of havin’ ‘bout a bougie ass weddin’ I don’t want. I want you as my wife by the end of next month. I don’t need nobody’s approval for that.”
She swallowed. “And I want a wedding I can remember.”
“You gon’ remember it,” I said. “You marryin’ the illest nigga alive.”
She chuckled, pushin’ away and lookin’ up at me wit’ that stubborn ass face. “Babe, it’s not that simple.”
“It is,” I said. “Y’all makin’ shit complicated.” She opened her mouth, but Kassim cried from down the hall. She sighed, frustrated. I kissed her forehead. “I got him. Get in the shower.”
Her shoulders dropped a lil’ bit, like she wanted to argue again, but her body gave out first. “Okay.”
“Good. I swear, the next time you act hardheaded, I’m puttin’ you over my shoulder in front of your mom’s. You know I don’t give a fuck.”
She slapped my chest. “Shut up!”
“I’m deadass,” I said. “Don’t play wit’ me today.” She laughed a little, shakin’ her head, and walked to the bathroom. I headed to the nursery again, picked Kassim up, and bounced him gently. “Your mama tryna stress me out already,” I said to him. He blinked at me like he didn’t claim either of us.
Once Kassim was settled back in his crib and Nyomi was in the shower, I stepped into the hallway and rolled my neck, ready to get the day under control.
The house needed to be cleaned and laundry needed to be done, and I needed to smoke.
I pulled out my phone and typed “luxury maid services near me.” A long ass list popped up, and I clicked the first one wit’ five stars.
The lady answered on the second ring soundin’ overly professional.
“Good morning! Thank you for calling Luxe Cleaning Crew. How can we assist today?”
I said, “Yeah, I need a full-house cleanin’. Top to bottom. Carpets, bathrooms, kitchen, bedrooms, baseboards, laundry, everything. I need y’all here in the next hour.”
She hesitated. “That is extremely short notice and…”
I cut her off. “Money ain’t a issue. Y’all will be overcompensated. Just grab whoever you need and get the job done.”
“Uh, well, ummm…. First things first. I’ll need some information…”
After everything was settled and shit, I walked down to my man cave. Turnin’ on YouTube, I put a podcast on the big ass TV, ready to smoke. Then, my phone buzzed.
“What’s good?” I answered, smokin’ a much needed blunt.
“I just got to the second dealership,” he said. “The shipment of the SVJs is here, but the paperwork they sent looks funny as hell. I need you to look at this contract before we sign anything.”
I sighed ‘cause people always tried me when they thought I was distracted. “Send me the file,” I said. “And put the camera on the floor. I wanna see how them cars came in.” He flipped the camera. Pristine Lambos lined up, glossy as hell, but the crate labels looked sloppy. “That right there,” I said, blowin’ smoke.
“That’s bullshit. I don’t like that. Tell ‘em if the paperwork don’t get fixed in a hour, the cars go back and they pay the shippin’ fee. ”
Kev nodded. “Say less.”
I hung up and barely had two seconds to breathe before my phone rang again.
“Talk to me.”
“I heard this nigga Coogs gettin’ out soon.”
Exhalin’ smoke, I asked, “Oh, word? He ain’t tell me that shit when he called two weeks ago.”
“I’m sure he’ll be hittin’ your line soon, bro. You good?”
I laughed once. “Ain’t I always?”
“Say that,” Wock said. “Also, you want me to slide by the alley and pick up them blicks or you doin’ that?”
“Nah, handle it,” I said. “Dependin’ on how this weddin’ shit go today, I’ma be tied up.”
Wock snorted. “God bless, my nigga.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I grumbled, hangin’ up and already rollin’ another blunt. It wasn’t even eleven in the mornin’, and I already knew today was gon’ be one of them days.