Chapter 13
Carter headed to the front door. She grabbed the mail from one of Nautica’s men.
“Hey, Jerry, is yesterday’s mail in here?” Carter asked.
“I gave it to Nautica yesterday,” he revealed, causing her heart to skip a beat.
“Okay thank you.” She closed and locked the door. She looked on the table in the foyer. She anxiously skimmed through the envelopes. She felt someone standing over her. She looked up, locking eyes with Nautica.
“What you looking for?” He asked, making the hairs on the back of her neck standup. The question was simple but the look in his eyes alarmed her.
“Nothing, where is Niamh?”
“Am I a joke to you?”
“What are you talking about?” She played clueless, even though she had an idea of why he was mad.
“Stop playing with me, Carter.”
“I just wanted to know for me, not for him,” she explained.
“Why, if you knew that wasn’t a possibility, unless that was another one of your many lies.” Nautica grilled her.
“It wasn’t, I’m just paranoid. I’m sorry, Nautica.”
He pulled the envelope that she was looking for out of his pocket, sitting it on the table.
He knew exactly where she was going and why she was going when she left their room.
He’d already intercepted the envelope. She pulled the paper out of the already opened envelope.
The paternity results told her what she knew to be true.
She looked up, locking eyes with Nautica again.
“I’m sorry,” she empathized.
He walked off while she sighed. She went into the living room down the hall.
She sat there with her head in her hands.
A few minutes later, she heard footsteps approaching.
She looked up to see Nautica with Niamh in his arms with her bag on his shoulder.
She got up just in time to watch them walk out the door and possibly out of her life.
Every time her and Nautica were doing good, something or someone knocked them ten steps behind.
Her daughter was four weeks old. She couldn’t believe how much time had already passed.
She’d been the happiest girl in the world but leave it to her to self-sabotage her own marriage.
She pulled out her phone and texted Nautica.
Carter: I’m sorry. I didn’t lie when I first told you.
I did the test because I needed to know for my own sanity.
From the beginning of our marriage, it’s been rocky.
I know I had everything to do with that.
I didn’t want to hurt you anymore than I already have.
I’m still causing problems, maybe we’re not meant to be.
Nautica: I didn’t give a damn if she was or wasn’t mine, slow ass girl. You went behind my back and did what I told you not to do. I’m mad because it didn’t matter. Stop texting me, Nala. Talking ‘bout we ain’t meant to be. If we ain’t meant to be, who you meant to be with, that bitch-ass nigga?
Carter read his message while nervously biting her bottom lip. Nautica was the oldest man she had ever dealt with. His program was the strictest she’d ever endured. Even still, anybody would be upset about what she’d done.
Carter: Come back so we can talk, please. I’m sorry.
Nautica: Not until you learn how to take accountability for your actions.
Carter: I was wrong. I shouldn’t have went behind your back to swab our baby. I’m sorry, please, Nautica I don’t want to beef with you.
She stared at her phone for fifteen minutes and he still hadn’t responded. She got up, pulling her bonnet off. She rushed upstairs to get dressed.
Nautica was at his parents’ new Nashville home that was ten minutes from his home.
All his siblings were there with their spouses after he had summoned everyone there.
Carter had him pissed like only she could.
As of late, she had his emotions in her hand.
With the way he felt about her, he couldn’t believe he ever tried to friend zone her.
She was home for him, his safe space, his soulmate, and the list went on.
He hated that he couldn’t trust her. She’d been lying and still was.
His daughter was his everything. He didn’t care if she wasn’t really his because she was Carter’s either way the dice rolled.
“Nigga, what’s wrong with you?” Amari asked Nautica, who was staring off. His mind was on his sneaky wife. He passed Amari the blunt he was smoking.
“Carter snuck behind my back and had Niamh and me tested.”
“What?” Amari frowned.
“Why she do that?” Nyke added.
“The night of our wedding, she left with this nigga ‘cause I brought that bitch, London. She stayed with him for two weeks. Then, she came back and we fucked. She claimed they used protection. I didn’t care one way or another but maybe I’m tripping.” Nautica tossed his drink back.
“You played with that whole situation. You can’t even be mad unless the baby ain’t yours, but I know she is ‘cause she looks just like my son,” Shadow said, and Nautica mugged him.
Even though he knew he was right. He shouldn’t have ever brought London to their wedding, and he definitely shouldn’t have had her in their suite.
His anger kept him blinded to what was really going on around him.
“Just saying. You had that girl in the audience then she was waiting for you in the room after the reception you forced her to come to. Your sister would have blew my brains out and smiled in her mugshot,” Shadow seriously said, and they fell out.
“Mind you this nigga wife a whole shooter and spared him. He tripping,” Nyke stated.
“What the test say?” Amari asked as Carter walked into the backyard.
Nautica spotted her before she spotted him.
He got up and damn near ran in the house.
He walked up the steps to his room. He went to close the door but his wife stood there.
He jumped at the sight of her. She tried to stifle her laughter and fell out laughing.
He glared at her, making her laugh harder.
She closed the door. He walked in the bathroom while she sat on the bed.
“What you doing here?” He asked from the bathroom. She waited for him to come out.
“I came to get you and our baby.” He sat down beside her, picking up her hand.
“I’m sorry for how I treated you with that whole London situation—”
“Baby you don’t have to keep apologizing for that, seriously. I don’t want to hear nothing else about her. I forgive you. I told you that I meant it. Are we good?”
“You tell me, you the one sneaking behind my back testing my daughter.”
“You’re right. I was wrong as fuck for not telling you. It won’t happen again. I really did want to be sure. The weeks were too close for my conscience.”
“She looks nothing like you. She has my entire face. Let me find out you took that test for that nigga and we are going to have a problem. A big one,” he warned.
“On your life I didn’t. I don’t want no smoke with you, Nautica.”
“Okay, baby, I love you.” He kissed the back of her hand. He was angry after learning what she did but thankful nonetheless because his daughter was actually his. He knew that from the day she was born. A test didn’t need to tell him what he could see. His daughter was his twin.
“I love you more with your mean ass,” she said as there was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” Nautica called out. Promise opened the door with Niamh in her arms.
“Me and my niece came to make sure y’all were making up. She can’t talk but I can advocate for her. So what’s up?”
Carter laughed at Promise, causing Nautica to laugh. She held Niamh up like a puppet, making them laugh harder.
“Please get your sister,” Carter said.
“Man give me my baby, P.” Nautica took her from Promise, not waiting for her to pass her over.
“You good, sis, or we need to cut this nigga head?”
“I’m good, P. You leaving the kids here?”
“I might as well while Amy offering. She crazy as hell ‘cause who wants to keep four babies plus a kid?”
“I know Pops be stressed.” Nautica laughed at the thought.
“Hell yeah, he thinks she’s crazy,” Promise said. The three of them left the room. They joined everyone else in the den. He kissed his mother on the cheek as he sat down beside her. He pulled Carter down in his lap, wrapping his arm around her waist while holding Niamh in his other arm.
“I don’t know about sleeping without her?” Carter whispered. Nautica chuckled.
“Come on baby, we can sneak out now. Nobody will ever know,” he whispered back.
Amy cut her eyes at them. “I can hear y’all. Just take her. I’ll come spend the night this weekend,” Amy bargained even though she didn’t want to.
“You sure?” Carter spoke up before Nautica could.
“Yeah, I get it. I didn’t want nobody keeping my babies either.” Amy stroked his cheek. She took the baby from him.
“Make sure you bring Daddy when you come,” Nautica said, and Lidar frowned.
“Man look, I raised my kids. I love my grandkids more than I love y’all but they gotta come back when they like Baby Ace age.”
“Lidar!” Amy squeaked, not believing the words that came out of his mouth.
“Let me find out you playing favorites.” Promise cut her eyes at him.
“Princess, you my only favorite you know that,” he said, and that was enough for Promise to shut up. She was a daddy’s girl through and through at her big age.
“Aight, we out. I love y’all.” Nautica went around the room saying his goodbyes to everyone.
Then, he walked his family out. He walked Carter to her car, opening the door for her.
Once she was inside, he strapped Niamh into her car seat.
He got behind the wheel. Carter pulled off.
He pulled off after she did, following her home.
They pulled into the garage one right after the other.
Nautica got out. He opened Carter’s door.
He grabbed Niamh out. They walked in the house.
Carter went in the bathroom, preparing Niamh’s bath.
She bathed her while Nautica got in the shower.
He took Niamh from Carter so she could handle her hygiene.
By the time Carter got out of the shower, he had already dressed and fed Niamh.
“Bae, I hope we didn’t hurt your momma’s feelings. I would’ve been up all night if I would have left her.” Carter stood in front of Niamh’s crib in front of her bed.
“She ain’t tripping, baby, She probably glad that’s one less crying baby she got to worry about.”
Carter moisturized her body with lotion then she pulled on one of his white beaters.
She got in the bed, laying on top of him.
It had been a long time since Carter expressed her feelings for him.
However, Nautica had only been up for a couple of months.
They were technically in the early stages of their relationship.
Nautica was exactly where he wanted to be.