Chapter 27
“Momma, what’s going?” Baby Ace walked in the room with his father. He climbed in the bed with her.
“Boy, what? What I tell you about talking like that?” Ace warned. He kissed her lips, ignoring her.
“Eww, go on, Ace. Why your lips wet?” She fussed while he laughed.
“Momma, chill.” He jumped up, rushing towards his father who was standing on his side of the bed watching them. Ace got up, rushing to their side of the bed.
“Run!” Nyke said to his son, who took off across the bed in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Ace ran back around to her side and he pivoted back to his father who was hysterical at his family.
“Nyke, I’ma beat yo’ ass too! Stay out of this!” She jumped on the bench in front of the bed, catching Baby Ace, who was running back to her side. She wrapped him in her embrace, falling on the bed with him.
“Watch you say?” Ace asked as she playfully pinned him down, holding his tiny arms.
“Momma, I was just playing. Daddy help me, please!”
“Your daddy is scared of me, son, didn’t you know that?” Ace taunted while Baby Ace looked at her as if he didn’t believe her.
“Tell your son.” Ace and Baby Ace stared at him while he laughed. He got in the bed with them, pinning Ace down.
“Son, he’s hurting me. Get him off me!” Ace whimpered as Nyke laid all his body weight on her.
“Move, Daddy! Move!” He yelled while pushing Nyke who wouldn’t budge. Baby Ace climbed on his back, pulling his head back.
Ace fell out laughing while Nyke was pissed.
Baby Ace continued his assault until he had Nyke off his momma.
He jumped up, taking off out of the room.
Nyke was right behind Baby Ace and Ace was behind him.
Ace ran in front of Nyke, grabbing Baby Ace.
They stood on two different sides of the hallway.
“Nyke you bet not touch my baby!”
“Yeah, Daddy, you heard my momma!” Baby Ace held Ace’s thighs while peeking around her.
“Shaky ass lil nigga!” Nyke said, and unbeknownst to Ace, Baby Ace flipped him off. Nyke charged them. Baby Ace ran down the steps. Ace grabbed Nyke, getting on his back. He walked down the steps, looking for Baby Ace.
“Leave him alone, Nyke.”
“He shot me a bird,” Nyke argued.
“No he did not!” Ace defended.
“Okay, Ace, why you think he took off?” Nyke asked as they made it to the main floor of the house.
Boom
Nyke carefully placed Ace on his feet. He took off down the hall to his office where he heard the crash. Ace was on his heels. He walked in, opening the closet.
“Mommy!” Baby Ace squeaked as Nyke pulled him out. Ace grabbed him from Nyke.
“Momma’s boy!” Nyke teased as Ace carried him to the kitchen.
“So!” Baby Ace argued. He was a momma’s boy.
Nyke didn’t blame him; he couldn’t get enough of Ace.
Just breathing the same air as her felt like a blessing.
She was the center of their universe. Ace thanked God every day for them.
She needed them and they needed her. Ace sat him on the island where Nyke stood close by.
“Did you stick your middle finger up at your daddy?” Ace asked as she washed her hands. Baby Ace shook his head back and forth while Nyke smacked his teeth.
“Are you lying to me, Ace Dlamini?”
“It was this finger, Momma.” He held up his pointer finger instead of the one he gave his dad. Nyke chuckled with a shake of his head.
“Okay, son, but if you do that again you gon’ get a spanking. That’s not nice to do that to your daddy.” Ace knew she had to truly discipline him because if she waited for Nyke to, he would never get in trouble.
“Okay, Momma, I’m sorry.” He dropped his head to his chest, making them both feel bad.
“It’s okay, son.” Nyke picked him up. He laid his head on Nyke’s shoulder while he rubbed his back.
Nyke pulled Ace into his free arm. She rubbed her junior’s back.
He lifted his head. She kissed his cheek, causing him to smile.
He laid his head back on Nyke. Nyke felt Ace up, unbeknownst to their son, while she stood before him. He kissed her lips lovingly.
Ace pushed her cart out of the store with Baby Ace sitting in the front.
At times, she still couldn’t believe she was someone’s mother.
Her son was three years old and the best thing that happened to her outside of his father.
The last two years had been great to her and her family.
She stopped fighting Nyke long ago and decided to give their love a chance.
She’d been the happiest she’d ever been in her life.
She got him out of the cart. She placed him in the backseat, strapping him into his car seat.
“Momma, can I have my cookie please?”
“In a minute, son.” Ace started the car. Then, she started loading the groceries in the back. When she was finished, she sprayed Baby Ace’s hands with alcohol. He rubbed his hands together while Ace got in the car, sanitizing her own hands. She grabbed his cookie with a napkin and passed it to him.
“Thank youuu, Momma!”
“You’re welcome, son.”
Ace’s phone rang with a call from Promise. She answered and Promise’s voice filled the car.
“Bitch, Greer is going to kill me. I kind of told Amari he still has a chance,” she blurted.
“I would’ve told you about yourself but I’m rooting for them. I know what he did was wrong but he loves her. I thought G had moved all the way on but it’s like she’s waiting on him or something.” They all had come to that conclusion after visiting her. She was content but happy, Ace wasn’t so sure.
“Yeah, he wants my help but it ain’t nothing I can do.”
“He called me, too. The man is desperate and pitiful.”
“Momma, you talking about my uncle?” Baby Ace asked, looking at her through the rearview mirror with his snickerdoodle cookie in hand.
“No, nosey, you bet not say nothing either,” Ace warned.
“Hey ,TT babyyy!” Promise cooed and Baby Ace’s cheeks went up.
“Heyy, TT!” Baby Ace put on his baby voice for his favorite aunt.
“What you doing? I miss you?”
“Okay you want me to tell my momma to bring me over there?” He asked, causing Promise and Ace to laugh.
“Yeah, come on.”
“Momma can you drop me off please?”
“Promise, I thought Kemi had the kids, you sure?”
“Girl, yes, drop him off. I ain’t doing nothing. Shadow ain’t here. We can ride over Kemi’s so they can play. I’ll bring him back later.”
“Okay, we on the way.” Ace hung up. Baby Ace was all smiles. He loved his aunt’s house. Pryce and Lil Sawyer were always there. They ran amuck without any interference from Promise. Ace’s phone rang again that time it was Lidar calling.
“What’s up, Papa?” Ace answered for him with the name her son had given him.
“I think someone is following y’all. Don’t look back just drive and listen to me.”
“Okay,” Ace calmly replied, even though she was freaking out.
“I’m right here, turn into that car wash.” Ace made a right into the car wash that she nearly missed. She paid and was directed into a line.
“I’m inside.”
“Hold on,” Lidar informed. Ace looked in the backseat at her son. He unhooked his seatbelt and climbed in the front with her.
“You okay, Momma?” He kissed her cheek.
“Yes, baby, I’m okay. I need you to be quiet and listen okay?” Ace coached.
Lidar ended the call. Ace attempted to call him back but got nothing.
The doors closed to the car wash. Everything stopped including the water.
Ace smiled at the sight of her father-in-law who walked in with a woman in tow.
She didn’t know what was going on but she had never been more happier to see Lidar.
“Papa!” Baby Ace beamed as he opened the door.
“Come on, Ace,” Lidar demanded.
“Hurry up, Momma!” Baby Ace also demanded.
Ace got out with him and her purse in hand.
Another woman climbed behind the wheel. The doors opened and the car wash continued.
Lidar quickly led Ace and his grandson to safety in his black truck that was parked outside the entrance. Lidar’s phone rang with a call.
“I got them, son. Where are you?”
“On my way back. Let me speak to my wife,” Nyke demanded. Lidar passed his phone over to his daughter-in-law. Baby Ace climbed in his lap.
“Papa what you doing here? Where my GG at?”
“Your daddy asked me to come get you until he gets back. Your GG at home. You want to go see her?”
“Yes, please!” Baby Ace beamed. He was their oldest grandchild, so naturally, he was spoiled rotten.
“You okay, Ace?” Lidar asked after she passed him his phone back.
“I’m okay, thank you.”
“Of course, you have my legacy with you and I need you safe too. You see how Amari walking around like he lost his best friend.” Lidar shook his head.
“He did, Papa. I feel bad for him even after what he did. Is that crazy?” Ace asked Lidar.
“Nah, kid. I feel bad for him too but he needed to learn this lesson. If big if she takes him back, he’ll never mess up again,” he assured.
“How you know?” Ace smacked her lips, causing him to laugh.
“He’s my son. I was a fool, most men are, at some point in their lives.
We’re not just any men, we have money, power, and respect…
everything that women want in a man. Temptation comes on a daily but you got to be man enough to shut that shit down and remember what’s waiting for you at home.
Amari’s whole home has been uprooted across the world on top of being broadcast on TV for the world to see, it ain’t no better way to humble a man.
Trust me, he has learned his lesson. If Greer gives him another chance, he’ll never look at another woman.
” Lidar knew that to be the truth. The love of his life had left him a time or two.
He couldn’t think straight without her. He couldn’t sleep and the list went on.
He knew firsthand the pain his son was experiencing.
“I believe that, too. Promise is trying to help him. Maybe I should see what I can do, too.”
“Or stay out of it so Greer doesn’t kill y’all,” he suggested, causing her to laugh.
“You probably right, but when we just went there, she disclosed things to us which lets us know she hasn’t fully moved on.”
“I see. Well, let me know what I can do.”
“Papa, you mean that?” Ace couldn’t believe he agreed to help with drama.
“Shid, why not? Y’all my daughters, too,” he said, and Ace smiled. Lidar treated them as such; him pulling up proved that.
“Thank you for coming to get us. Do you know who that was?”
“Always, kid. Yeah, your husband will take care of it.”