Chapter 1 #3
“And don’t even get me started on vacations!
Baby, I’d have my toes in Dubai sand so fast they’d think I was part of the scenery!
You out here stressing about work when you could be stressing about which yacht you wanna be getting backshots on!
I mean, come on now! God didn’t give you them hips for hotel shifts! ”
I nearly choked on my own laughter. “Von!”
He just snapped his fingers. “What? I’m trying to see you blessed and highly favored, sis, not broke and highly tired!”
I laughed so hard my chest ached a little. “Who’s to say he’d take care of me or his child?”
Von pointed at me like a lawyer delivering closing arguments.
“It’s worth the try, honey! You never know!
What if he wants a child? Or hell, needs one?
You know how those fancy families be needing heirs and legacies and generational whatevers.
Girl, you might be holding the golden ticket and don’t even know it!
” Suddenly, his tone lightened. “All jokes aside… would you really want Mysun to grow up not knowing his father? I’m not saying go chasing no man, but don’t rob your son of the chance to know where he comes from either.
And this ain’t one of them ‘so what’s your plan?
’ speeches. Nah. You and my godson locked in.
Ain’t no leaving unless you’re taking me with y’all.
Just don’t eat the last honey bun again unless you trying to fight. ”
He paused, smirking.
“That being said, you gon’ have to start contributing to the nighttime struggle on your own, boo.
I’m putting in my one-day notice. Mysun thinks 3 a.m. is party hour.
That boy doesn’t sleep. He stayed up last night for three hours giggling at the ceiling fan like it told him a joke.
Then had the nerve to stare at me like I was supposed to join in on the entertainment.
Matter of fact, you need to go wake him up nowwwwww,” he dragged.
“I want to stand at the edge of his crib and stare at him the way he stared at me all night.
I want him to wake up and feel my eyes on him for once…
just stand there like, “How does it feel, huh?”
Some nights when Von didn’t have to work, he’d roll out of bed without a single complaint, rock Mysun through every fuss, and change and feed him like it was his full-time job.
There had been times I’d woken up, and he’d be sitting on the couch with Mysun curled up against him, both knocked out with a bottle dangling from my baby’s lips and a burp rag still on Von’s shoulder.
Von never said it, but I knew he was tired too.
Yet, he still showed up for my son as if he was his own.
I chuckled. “I will do no such thing! And you better not either! And wasn’t it you who volunteered for part-time night duty shift?”
“Volunteered?” he shrieked. “Girl, I was tricked… bamboozled… hoodwinked by a pair of pretty eyes and postpartum hormones! You said, “Can you watch him for me… just for the night?” and suddenly I’m the overnight shift manager of Babyland!
I be in here doing bottle inventory, diaper quality control, and crisis negotiation when he drops his pacifier!
But I do it ‘cause I love y’all… even when he pees on me. ”
I grinned. “We love you too. You just have to sing to him; he loves that.”
“Last night I sang every nursery rhyme I know… and made up two! Seriously, I gave him a bottle, rocked him, sang two verses of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ and even hummed a gospel medley. He still had the nerve to grunt like I forgot the encore.”
Von leaned back in his chair, looking absolutely traumatized.
“Oh, and I didn’t tell you that he tried to square up with me today!”
I blinked. “Say what?”
Von held up both of his hands. “Dead serious! Then… I was changing his diaper, minding my business, and that little boy looked me dead in my eyes like he had beef. Soon as I wiped him, he kicked, on purpose, then balled his fist like we were about to box!”
I covered my mouth, laughing. “I swear you’re so damn dramatic at times.”
Von pointed toward the hallway like he was passing me the baton in a parenting relay.
“Go in there and look at him! He’s sleeping peacefully now, but earlier, that boy had murder in his heart! He’s definitely his daddy’s son!”
I was crying and laughing. “He’s three months, Von!”
“Exactly! Which means he’s just now figuring out his strength! I’m telling you… that boy gon’ start crawling with an attitude!”
“You know, I kinda blame you for me getting pregnant that night.” I teased.
Von worked as a bartender. When I told him about my situation, he said, “Come through, boo! Have a drink! Take a breath!” I didn’t know if he meant to help or he just wanted company. Either way, those drinks changed my whole damn life.
Von’s head whipped around so fast the dish towel almost flew off his shoulder.
“Oh, hell no! You’re not about to pin that on me, sis!
I left the bar for two minutes—two—to go grab some limes!
When I came back yo’ fast ass was gone! I’m looking around like, ‘Where the hell this girl at?!’ Somebody said you went to the bathroom, so I strolled over there.
Lo and behold, Merge’s goons were posted up at the door like the president was inside.
I said, “Oh, she’s good,” then I turned around, went back to bar, and sliced some lemons. ”
“So, you wouldn’t have fought for me? What if something bad was happening for real?”
“Kyns, did you see his guards? Girl, they looked like they wrestled bears for fun! I did say a prayer for you. I said, ‘Lord, cover my bestie and whatever billionaire bondage is happening in there.’ Sis, again, I love you… I do, but that was above my pay grade. I don’t step between power and bathroom blessings! ”
I giggled. “You could’ve taken one for the team, Von.”
“Taken one for the teeeeeeeeeam?!” he exclaimed, incredulously. “Kyns, the only thing I’m taking for the team is a shot… maybe backshots if the vibe is right, but definitely not a hit from a 300-pound guard with an earpiece, a purpose, and a vein in his forehead!”
I chuckled. “Still, you made the drinks and kept giving them to me which is how I ended up drunk.”
“Guilty. I poured the drinks and, yeah, kept pouring to get your mind off that mess you were stressing over. I was trying to help you forget your problems, not your panties! I didn’t tell you to go get baptized in Belvior!
Merge ‘Melt-Your-Panties-With-A-Stare’ has his own gravitational pull!
So don’t blame the bartender, blame your lack of resistance!
The next time I tell somebody to ‘come have a drink,’ I’ma add a disclaimer: bartender not responsible for one-night stands or little Belviors. ”
I laughed, shaking my head.
“Now go on and change.” Von shooed me away. “Dinner will be ready in twenty. And stay awake this time. The other day when you came home exhausted and fell asleep on the couch, I almost called animal control because I thought a bear got in the apartment.”
I pursed my lips. “Really, Von?”
“Kyns, I’m not exaggerating! At one point I grabbed a broom for protection, because I just knew there was wildlife involved!
I love you, boo, but you snore louder than my grandma’s window unit!
Please don’t tell her I said that, though.
She’ll probably take me out of her will and leave everything to the church! ”
I laughed again as he strutted back toward the stove, humming like nothing in the world could ever bother him.
For all his theatrics, Von had a good heart—the best one, really. He knew when to joke and when to drop a truth bomb that hit harder than he realized.
I leaned back in the chair and went deep into my thoughts.
What’s a girl to do when her back hurts from scrubbing rich folks' filth, her feet feel like they fought in a street brawl, and the man she had a one-night stand with doesn’t even know her name or that he has a son?
I exhaled, thanked God for friends like Von, and prayed the next day didn’t hit as hard.