Chapter 13 Steel #2
I chuckled. “Nah. She was adamant she didn’t want a relationship with my ass, and I let her have that. But she gave me Fat Man. That made us different in the way we handled each other.”
Maceo chuckled. “I’m not speaking ill of the dearly departed, but you were handling more than that big ol’ ass on her.”
I smirked. “Just say you ain’t built to handle a BBW, my nigga.”
“I’ve fucked a plush pal or two in my day. I had to get up outta that though. A nigga was trying to be a ho, and I was ready to marry that pussy.”
Deuce shook his head. “You ignant as fuck.” He turned to me. “When you planning on actually getting back out there, Steel? I mean, you let all of us beat you to the altar, my nigga. You were supposed to be the first of us to get married, ’til you got your damn heart broken.”
My smile shifted. “I don’t know, man.”
“At least get you some ass,” Smoke said, taking a sip of his beer. “No need to be heartbroken and backed up.”
Quaid palmed his face. “Y’all give horrible advice sometimes. Let the man grieve and focus his energy on KJ.”
Smoke frowned. “Shut the fuck up, Urkel. Just ’cause you were used to having blue balls before you met my sister—”
“Yeah, and now I’m blowing her back out, so I don’t have that problem.”
Smoke hurled a pillow at his head. “Don’t make me beat your ass.”
“We’re cool now, but I still owe you a fade from the time y’all kidnapped me.”
“Why you bringing up old shit?”
“I wish y’all would shut the fuck up,” Deuce snapped. “Y’all argue like bitches. If y’all love each other, just say that.”
Quaid threw a pillow at him. “You mad ’cause nobody is showing you any love?”
“I’ll shoot you right now.” He pointed at me. “Look, do what you need to do for you, man. Just don’t let that chick from your past keep you from the shit you really want, Steel. I’m not saying you settled for what you and Donna had, but I know you would have rather had a wife than a baby mama.”
“I saw her,” I finally admitted. “Neha . . . I saw her at Jaiden’s school.”
Deuce frowned. “The fuck she doing here?”
I took a long pull from the blunt. There was no time like the present to tell them everything.
“She was dropping off our daughter.”
You would have thought somebody sprayed tear gas in the room with as much as they started coughing while inhaling their blunts.
“What the fuck you said?” Deuce asked.
“Nigga, did you say daughter?” Smoke repeated.
“Yep. She had my daughter.”
Maceo shook his head. “Explain this shit.”
I took a deep breath and told them everything from beginning to end. There’d never been a time when my brothers were speechless, but this had them sitting there on mute. When I was done, all they could do for a moment was stare at me.
“So what are you gonna do about your baby mama?” Smoke asked.
“Ain’t shit I can do but co-parent.”
Deuce shook his head. “I agree with Pops. You need to talk to her and find out why she did this shit. The math ain’t mathing. And if it still ain’t mathing after that talk, we can handle that.”
I frowned. “I’m not gonna kill her or have her killed, nigga. She’s still Nayelli’s mother, and she’s a good mother.”
“We don’t have to kill her. I know Jae would beat her ass.”
Quaid threw a pillow at him. “My pregnant wife ain’t fighting no damn body.”
Smoke snapped his fingers. “Aw shit, you did shoot the club up. I still can’t believe you had that in you.”
Quaid smirked. “Yeah, well, now she’s got it in her.”
Smoke frowned. “I can’t stand yo’ ass.”
“Can we focus on the topic at hand?” Deuce asked. “When am I gonna meet my niece? You been holding her hostage, muthafucka. Bring her around her family. You told your mama yet?”
I shook my head. “Nah. I gotta get on that.”
“Tavia finna beat your ass, even if it ain’t your fault,” Maceo commented. “Man, Allison would have grabbed that dish towel and whupped my ass if this was me.”
I rubbed the back of my head. “I do need to tell her. She might wanna beat ass herself.”
There was no telling how my mama was gonna act. I needed to talk to her before springing another grandchild on her.
Deuce slapped my shoulder. “Look, if you need backup, take Pops with you. I know this shit is hard for you, man. I can’t even imagine not knowing I had a seed out there.”
“I’m so fucking mad about this shit, bruh.
Then I look at my baby and it’s like, for a moment, none of the other shit matters.
Then I remember how much time I missed out with her, and I get mad all over again.
The other night . . . that incident. I’d never seen any shit like that.
All I could see was my daughter when I looked at that little girl.
I lost it. If somebody hurt her or KJ like that, I’d have to be committed because I’m burning this fucking city down. ”
“Facts,” they all spoke in unison.”
“Sooo . . .” Smoke said, dragging out the word, “what’s in the cards for you and baby mama?”
Deuce kissed his teeth. “Bet not be a muthafucking thing. Don’t be no sucker ass nigga and fall for her ass again.”
Maceo kissed his teeth. “Man, this nigga will be in love again by next week if she gives him a chance. The ho in him ain’t as strong as the lover boy.”
“Fuck you,” I spat.
Deuce grinned. “He ain’t lying. You’ll be a simping ass nigga before we can blink twice.”
“Leave my boy alone, now,” Quaid defended. “All of y’all simp hard as hell, especially your ass.” He pointed at Maceo. “Shar says jump, and you ask how high.”
Smoke smirked. “A simp and a big ass trick. I still can’t believe you bought that damn girl a jet.”
Maceo laughed. “Don’t y’all get the benefits of that too? She loves your wives so much she doesn’t even charge y’all to rent her shit.”
Deuce waved him off. “I’ll take that muthafucka if I need it.”
“And she will shoot you when you touch back down.”
“Ain’t the first time I been shot. Only a pussy is scared of a bullet. Anyway! Back to the topic at hand. Don’t fall for that girl’s shit, Steel. I’d hate to sic Mia on her ass.”
“Ain’t no need for that,” I said, sitting back. “I gave up hope on Neha a long time ago. We’re just existing in the same city and raising a kid. I guess I need to talk to her and get to the bottom of this shit once and for all.”
“You do. I wouldn’t be surprised if lil’ mama starts plotting on getting y’all back together.”
Maceo smirked. “You definitely used them girls to get closer to Romi.”
“My wife didn’t need convincing. She fucked with me from the jump.”
“Who fucked with you from the jump?”
We looked up to see Romi’s short ass in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Smoke grinned as he motioned her over.
“You know you loved me, woman,” he said, pulling her onto his lap.
“Sir, you kinda forced your friendship on me.”
“You were a willing participant. Look where you at now. Here with me, four kids deep.”
Romi rolled her eyes. “I guess, Devin.”
“Give me some suga.”
She giggled as she leaned in and kissed his lips. This nigga had no couth. He was tonguing her down like we weren’t in the damn room.
“That’s how y’all got the last two,” Maceo commented. “Fertile asses.”
“Shut up,” they both said in unison.
“Speaking of the last two,” Smoke said, “where them babies?”
“Korri walked over to Jaeda’s, and Juri and the twins are down for a nap.”
She looked at him suggestively. A grin spread across his face as he glanced at us.
“Y’all gotta go.”
Deuce frowned. “You just kicking us out? We were having a conversation.”
“Nigga, we have four kids. I need every bit of alone time with my wife. Either y’all can leave, or y’all can sit here and listen to me blow her back out from the next room. I don’t give a fuck.”
“Devin!” Romi exclaimed.
“Baby, they know we be fuckin’ fucking.”
She palmed her face. “What am I gonna do with you? Finish your conversation and come find me.”
He motioned to me. “We wasn’t talking about shit but this nigga over here finding out he has a daughter.”
Romi gasped. “You have a daughter!”
I shook my head. “Thank you, Devin.”
“Ain’t shit.”
Romi came over to hug me. “Congratulations. How old is she?”
“Ten.”
“What the fuck!”
The fellas laughed at her reaction. Romi was a sweetheart, and it was always funny hearing her curse. I gave her a brief rundown of the story, and even she was mad.
“I’m so sorry, Kerrion,” she said, hugging me again. “Are you okay? That’s a stupid question. Of course you aren’t okay.”
“I’m making it, Romi.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re getting to know her. Do you have a picture?”
I grinned. “Plenty.”
I pulled out my phone and showed them the whole album I now had.
Romi gasped. “Kerrion, . . . she’s beautiful. I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Yeah, man,” Deuce agreed. “Another lil’ princess in the fold. You need to get the ball rolling so we can see her. Don’t make us pull up on Neha like we did when Juri came home. We’ll roll in that muthafucka deep as hell about our niece.”
“Gang gang in that bitch,” Smoke added. He stood and lifted Romi over his shoulder. “All right, for real now. I love y’all, and this was a hell of a conversation, but we can pick it up when this nigga has more details. Y’all gotta go. See yourselves out.”
He slapped Romi on the ass and left the room with her giggles echoing behind them. The rest of us shook our heads. They would be pregnant again before the year was up.