Chapter 3
Nautica was at home in his gym with his physical therapist. For the past week, he’d been gaining his strength back. Faith walked in with Amari, Nyke, and Shadow in tow.
“What it do?” Nyke slapped hands with him first then Amari and Shadow.
“Man not shit, tryna get my strength back. I’ll be right back.
I’m about to go shower. Y’all can go to the pool room.
” Nautica walked towards the stairs. He ran up them, feeling stronger than he had when he first awoke.
He stripped down to his birthday suit. His wife caught his attention as he passed the huge window.
He smiled as he admired her while she sat in the backyard with her friends.
“Cheers to you being back on your feet, nigga.” Amari held up his glass. They all tapped glasses before tossing the liquid back.
“Appreciate it. What’s been going on? I ain’t really been able to catch up with y’all niggas. I know the shit with the Walshes was taking care of but how what y’all do?” Nautica asked. The three of them looked at each other. They half-expected for Carter to tell him what she’d done.
“What?” Nautica asked.
“Carter took care of it,” Nyke answered.
Nautica twisted his face in confusion. “What do you mean she took care of it. She’s fucking pregnant.”
“Look, the last few months been tough on everybody, especially your wife.
She was moving reckless—careful—but nonetheless, she was wilding.
When she finally got the drop on Serg and London, it was at their wedding.
Ben said she walked in that bitch in all white with a veil on and shot London in the face—-
“In front of everybody?!” Nautica bugged, not believing his ears.
“Hell yeah, she a gangster. You better be careful with that one,” Shadow replied, prompting Nautica to proudly smile.
“You ain’t let me finish, nigga. After she shot London, she popped Serg too. Then, the twins turned around and opened fire on the whole building. They had a couple of people on the inside too.” Amari continued.
Nautica’s dick hardened at the revelation that his wife had gotten his lick back.
When they first met, he thought she was a pretty girl who had ran off with her ex’s drugs.
Now that he knew the real her, he didn’t doubt the things that she was capable of.
She was the princess of a dangerous drug lord.
“Damn.” That’s all Nautica could say before his smile grew. He pulled out his phone texting her.
Nautica: We need to talk, Mrs. Dlamini.
Carter: What I do?
Instead of responding, he locked his phone. It vibrated in his hand again.
Carter: Faith said don’t y’all be late for dinner so she can clean up early.
Nautica: Aight, my love.
When he was out of it, all he did was think about her.
She talked to him every day; sometimes, she cursed him out.
He knew about his daughter before he awoke.
Thanks to them, he was determined to awake.
He needed them as much as they needed him.
He hated himself for how he treated her.
He would spend the rest of his life showing her how sorry he was.
“What else been going on? I see my sister pregnant. Congratulations, nigga!” Nautica slapped hands with Shadow.
“Appreciate it.”
“Shit been chill. It’s like them muthafuckas went into hiding after they shot you. Nyke and Ace finna get married in a couple weeks. Your mommas cool as hell now,” Amari informed.
“Yeah, I saw that they been at the house getting on a nigga nerves but I can’t even complain.
A nigga just happy to be here type shit.
Lil’ bra, I’m proud of you, too. Congratulations, I thought I was going to have to take Ace off your hands for you.
” Nautica held his hand out while Nyke mugged him. Nyke pushed him, causing him to laugh.
“Shid, yo’ ass almost checked out. I was gon’ have yo’ wife and mine. I would’ve raised my niece like my daughter.”
“Nigga, stop playing with me before I beat yo’ ass!” Nautica snapped, getting serious.
“Bitch-ass nigga.” Nyke huffed.
Nautica poured him another drink. His phone rang with a call from Carter. “Wassup, love?”
“Come on, I’m hungry.” She hung up.
“They ready to eat,” Nautica informed. He tossed his drink back, then they left the house. Nautica was going to take the golf cart to Carter’s home but he wanted to walk as much as he could. He planned to be back running by next week.
“Why y’all in two houses?” Nyke asked.
“London was here; Carter ain’t tryna be here. I only came to work out. I gave the house to my momma,” he said as they approached the house. He unlocked the door and walked inside. They found everyone in the dining hall. Carter and Nautica locked eyes. He sat beside her, kissing her lips lovingly.
“Damn, I love you too.” Carter pulled away. All eyes were on them.
“Get a room, we about to eat.” Nyke twisted his face in disgust.
“Shut the hell up, Nyke!” Carter fussed.
“You should’ve heard that shit he was just talking,” Nautica instigated while Nyke shrugged.
“I know not about me?” Carter asked, looking between Nautica and Nyke.
“Sis, who you gon’ believe… me or that nigga?” Nyke asked, and she cut her eyes at him. She looked between the two of them while they laughed.
“After all I’ve done to help you win my friend over, you want to talk shit about me.”
“Sis, he lying. You know you my dawg, I would never. I ain’t tryna get on your bad side.” Nyke frowned.
“All you gotta do is ask Amari and Shadow.”
“So y’all was over there telling my business?” Carter laughed. She should’ve known when Nautica texted but she hadn’t put two and two together.
“In my baby voice, they was spilling all your tea, sis,” Shadow answered, causing Carter and Promise to laugh.
“Baby, so you ain’t spill no tea?” Promise asked him. He jerked his head back, looking as if she had offended him.
“I was only sipping.” He tossed his hands up in the air and they fell out.
They finished eating then went to the theater room. They watched a movie before everyone left them alone.
“Thank you,” Nautica said as him and Carter lay across from each other in her king size bed.
“Anything for you.”
“I don’t deserve you but I’ll never let you down again.
” Carter was his world; he’d realized that before he died but even more after coming back to life.
He was dead when Carter found him. The paramedics were able to revive him just for him to flatline again on the way to the hospital.
Carter’s voice kept him from going under that night.
She prayed the entire way to the hospital.
“Remember we’re starting over. I’m okay… we’re okay. There is something I need to tell you about the baby.”
Nautica sat up. He didn’t like the sound of that statement as simple as it was.
“When I left the elevator the night of the wedding, I met someone. That’s who I was with when I was in D.C.. He wants a DNA test even though we never slept together without protection.”
Nautica’s stomach sank. He didn’t like the idea or even the possibility of someone else fathering his child. He knew all about Koen. From the moment she left with him, he’d done his research on him.
“Nah.”
“Okay.”
“You think it’s a possibility?” He was already a proud girl dad. He couldn’t wait to meet his daughter.
“Not at all. We slept together on our wedding night but that was it. The timing don’t even add up.”
“So why the fuck you entertaining that shit for?” He frowned.
“He kept calling, so I agreed to meet up. He asked and I told him she was hers he acted as if he didn’t believe it and I offered a DNA.” She shrugged.
“Don’t make me go find that nigga. I already want to take my anger out on somebody.” After learning what Carter had done, he felt better. However, anger still tap danced down his spine. He knew he had only himself to blame but he didn’t care about that at all.
“Nautica, you can’t even be mad, this was before we got serious.” She laughed but he didn’t.
“I’m mad because you offered to swab my baby to appease some nigga you was fucking.”
“Okay, Nautica, I’ll tell him we can’t do it.”
“Don’t tell him shit. Matter fact, block that nigga.”
“Okay, I will,” she agreed. He stared at her for the longest time, purposely making her uncomfortable.
“Right now.”
Carter sighed but she did what she was told. She hoped Koen acted like he had some sense because she didn’t have the energy to entertain anymore drama.