11. Eternity
Eternity
Iturned sideways in front of the full-length mirror and rested both hands beneath the small curve of my stomach.
There it was. Still small enough that a loose shirt could hide it.
Still small enough that most people probably wouldn’t notice.
But I noticed. Every single day, the thought of carrying life again made it a joyous one.
A smile slowly spread across my face as my fingertips drifted over the tiny bump.
For the past few months, this was all I’d wanted.
After losing our first baby all those years ago, God blessed us with Maliah.
Then he blessed us again with Maylee. When I asked Malik for one more baby, I never imagined getting pregnant would be the hard part.
Month after month, every test came back negative.
Every appointment ended the same way. “Keep trying.” Through it all, I smiled, but somewhere along the way, I started wondering if maybe another baby just wasn’t in God’s plans for us.
Then one morning, everything changed. Sometimes I still caught myself staring in the mirror to remind myself this was real.
The bedroom door swung open. I smiled to myself before I even turned around because only one person in this house opened doors like he paid the mortgage. Well, that’s because he did.
“I’ve been looking all over this big-ass house for you,” Malik said as he walked inside.
I laughed softly.
“You checked one room and got tired,” I teased.
“I checked two.”
He kicked the bedroom door shut with the back of his foot before walking over.
“What are you over here doing?”
I turned sideways again, giving him a better view of my stomach, and his entire face softened. He didn’t say a word. He just closed the distance between us until he was standing behind me. Our eyes met in the mirror. Slowly, his hands slid around my waist before coming to rest over my stomach.
“I think he’s getting bigger.”
A laugh escaped me.
“‘He?’”
He nodded without taking his eyes off my stomach.
“That’s my son.”
“You don’t know that,” I said with confidence.
“The way I be tearing ya ass up, it gotta be a boy.”
“You’re guessing.”
“I got a feeling,” he smiled.
His thumb slowly brushed across my stomach. After a long moment, he finally spoke again.
“After losing our little boy…” his voice was barely above a whisper, “and after everything it took for us to heal,” he looked up at me through the mirror, “I think God finally decided it was our turn again.”
The words wrapped around my heart. I reached down and laced my fingers with his.
“I’ve been thinking the same thing.”
He smiled before bending down and pressing the gentlest kiss against my stomach.
“What’s up, little man?”
I laughed while wiping at the corner of my eye.
“You are determined to make this baby a boy.”
He looked up at me with a grin.
“I ain’t determined. I just know.”
“You are hardheaded,” I said as I rolled my eyes.
“And you love me for it,” he responded with a devilish grin.
The same one that probably got me pregnant. Before I could answer, his phone vibrated in his pocket. The smile slowly disappeared from his face. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and frowned. I was able to see who was calling too. It was Sha. Without another word, he answered the call.
“Talk to me.”
The warmth in the room disappeared almost instantly. Malik stared at the screen for another second before bringing the phone back to his ear.
“Hold on.”
His eyes met mine.
“I’ll take this downstairs.”
“Okay,” I nodded.
He slipped the phone back against his ear as he headed toward the bedroom door.
“Go ahead,” he said into the phone.
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving the room quiet again. I stood there for another moment, my hand instinctively finding my stomach. It never mattered how many years passed. I could always tell the difference. There were phone calls meant for my husband, Malik Browne,
and then there were phone calls meant for Bleek.
That call that he just took was definitely for Bleek.
I looked down at the tiny bump beneath my shirt and smiled anyway.
Whatever drama he had on the other end of the phone was for him to handle.
Right now, I was going to enjoy this moment with my baby.
BLEEK
I didn’t stop walking until I reached my office. After closing the door behind me, I leaned against it for a second before speaking.
“Talk.”
Sha didn’t waste time.
“I just got off the phone with one of my people.”
I walked over to my desk.
“What they got?”
“Word is the feds have been asking questions.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
“Questions about who?”
“The Ruiz Cartel.”
The room fell silent. I lowered myself onto the chair behind my desk.
“You sure?” I asked.
“I’m sure,” Sha said positively.
“Who they talking to?”
“I don’t have a name right now, but from what I was told, they ain’t targeting one person,” Sha paused, “They are casting a wide net. Anybody they think ever brushed shoulders with us, they are asking questions.”
I leaned back in my chair. I didn’t need this kind of stress right now. I have survived this game for decades without war and without a sentence. This wasn’t the kind of shit I needed coming my way. Especially not with a new baby on the way.
“That don’t mean nothing though.”
Sha was taking this shit lightly, and I, on the other hand, was not. I needed to know who they had that was talking, and I needed them dealt with.
“It does when they are asking the right questions,” I said in frustration as I rubbed my jaw. “What kind of questions are they asking?” I added.
“They trying to figure out who’s still connected. And who ain’t.”
That part caught my attention.
“You think they got somebody talking?”
“I don’t know,” Sha sighed.
I sighed right behind his ass. I leaned my head back in the chair and then stared up at the ceiling before opening my mouth.
“I’ve been in this game too long. The feds don’t start knocking on doors unless they believe somebody behind one of ‘em got answers.”
I looked toward the office window that overlooked the front of the property.
“I’ve been out of the way for years,” I sighed into the phone.
“I know. I ain’t call to scare you. I called to put you up on game. If we need to find who is chatting with them, you know I’m gonna find out who. I just need some time. I got us.”
“I know you do. And I appreciate that, brother,” I thanked him.
The line disconnected. Sha was as solid as they come.
He is to me what I am to Ty. The loyal right hand.
I had no worries that he wouldn’t find out who the culprit running their mouth was; I just hoped that he did before I had a pair of silver bracelets slapped on my wrist. I set the phone on my desk but didn’t take my hand off it.
The timing didn’t sit right with me. For years, I’d done everything in my power to distance myself from that life.
I built legitimate businesses, raised my children, and spent time focusing on my family.
Now, all of a sudden… the feds were asking questions. I had a feeling this wasn’t the kind of storm that passed over without touching anybody. And if somebody was talking,
It was only a matter of time before I found out who. When I did, I just hoped that they knew it was lights out for their ass.