Chapter 3 #2
“Oh, about that.” She pointed toward him. “Do you think I can keep him this weekend? I was gonna take him to Orlando so we can go to Disney World.”
“Disney World?” Kenji gushed. “Oooh, yeah!”
Despite his son’s glee, Noble had quickly become annoyed. This had been the second time this month that Daysha had restricted his weekend. One time was too much. He wasn’t going to allow her to do it for a second time.
“Aye, G, why don’t you go in the house while me and your mama talk?”
He quickly ran inside while Noble centered his gaze on her.
“You already took away one of my weekends, Daysha. You not about to do it again.”
She smacked her lips, sliding her hand on her hip. “Listen, me and my man planned to take our kids to Disney. This was planned months ago, and it literally slipped my mind, Noble. I forgot to tell you but I’m telling you now.”
The my man act had gotten so old. Daysha wasn’t aware that Noble knew her man didn’t exist. Never one to embarrass her, he allowed her to keep that narrative, knowing she was only doing it to extort jealousy from him.
“Well, plan a different weekend. I’m not giving up time with my son for you again. I was nice about it the first time, but that shit is played out. It ain’t fair to me or Kenji.”
“You know what?”
Here comes the bullshit…
“You really think life is all about what you want. You act like I switch weekends often, Noble. Why are you making shit so damn difficult? I compromise for you so why can’t you do it for me? Oh, I know why. You never think about others, just your-got-damn-self. So, fucking selfish”
“I ain’t about to do this with you. You already know my word is law, so I don’t have to repeat myself. Have my son ready on Friday.”
Noble walked away, not bothering to engage further. The exhaustive conversations that Daysha forced on him were tired. She still hadn’t gotten past their divorce and although Noble carried the weight of the demise of their marriage, he refused to get in the ring with her again.
“Bria, do you think he knows?”
Cali sat in her car, heart thumping wildly while her thoughts ran amuck inside her head. She hoped her sister, Bria, would be able to soothe her nerves.
“Knows what?”
Cali smacked her lips. “You know what. Why are you acting slow today?”
“Girl, I’m tired. Those twins ran me raggedy today. I’m so glad bedtime is almost here.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s cute but get back to what I asked. You think Rio knows about Braye?”
Bria groaned. “Girl, how the hell would I know? Hell, if I had to guess, no he doesn’t.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because if he knew you were cheating on him, he would click out on you.”
Cali pondered that reality. Maybe Rio had suppressed the urge to wild out so he could get the details of her covert affair.
“Yeah, you may be right.”
“Can I be honest with you?”
Cali didn’t want honesty at this time, but she knew her sister would dispense it anyway.
“Yeah.”
“You should stop while you’re ahead. Rio is a good guy. He loves you, sis, and if he found out you’ve been creepin’ on him, he’s going to be crushed. Stop this now before it gets out of your hands.”
The smack of her lips echoed throughout the car. “Bria, you make it sound so easy. I’m in love with Braye. It’s not as simple as ending it. There are feelings involved.”
Cali didn’t mean for this affair to blossom into a garden of love.
It was an escape. An underground getaway to a more fulfilling relationship.
When she and Rio first married, they lacked chemistry.
Their bond was strictly on paper and as a woman, Cali craved more.
Intimacy was her craving, and sex was her fuel.
Rio didn’t provide that initially, so she put out an Amber Alert for her feelings and Braye found it.
“Yes, I understand feelings are involved but you need to start thinking about Rio’s feelings. You’re being selfish.”
Scoffing, Cali retorted, “Coming from the girl who stepped out on her husband.”
“And why do you think I’m telling you this?” Bria countered. “You think I’m just talking out of my ass. I’ve been in your shoes and trust me, it doesn’t feel good knowing you hurt your spouse.”
Cali had been so caught up in her rapture of passion, that Rio’s feelings hadn’t been considered much.
“But I don’t care. Do what you want.”
Laughing, Cali said, “You do care. Stop acting like you don’t.”
“Actually, I really don’t.”
“Whatever. Let me go in this house and see what we need to talk about. I’ll talk to you later. Oh, and tell Koda and Dallas that Auntie misses them.”
“Girl, come get they bad ass. Miss me with that other shit.”
“Bye, sis.”
“Bye.”
Cali finished the call, grabbed her purse and Stanley cup, before getting out her car.
Despite her morning rendezvous with Braye, she did work a shift at the tech building.
As a freelance software engineer, Cali chose her schedule and often traveled to different sites.
Walking into the house, the aroma of food settled in her nose.
Her stomach grumbled as she walked down the hall and noticed Rio standing over the stove.
A gangsta who could cook had become Cali’s weakness since she wasn’t well versed in the kitchen.
“What’s up, baby?” he greeted her, plating rice.
“Hey.” Cali kissed his cheek, relieved that he was in a decent mood. “What you cook?”
“Chicken and rice.”
“Oooh, my favorite.”
“Go sit down, and I’ll bring your plate to you.”
Cali walked over to the sink and washed her hands.
Afterward, she took a seat at the table while Rio brought a plate over to her.
Opting to wait on him to join her, she didn’t dig in right away.
Rio sat across from her as she took in his arms that were littered with artwork.
He was a dream with wicks that were always pulled out of his face.
His eyes were brown and sparkled like stars in the sky.
Those lips of his were the highlight of his face and were encased by a neat mustache and chin hair.
“Sooo…” she drawled. “What’s so urgent that I needed to come straight home so we can talk?”
His eyes focused on her, provoking her stomach to feel hollow.
After all this time being married to him, he still makes me nervous…
“Say grace,” he ordered.
Releasing a discreet sigh, Cali bowed her head and stated, "We thank you, Lord, for the food we are about to receive and for all your many blessings. Amen.”
“Amen.”
Rio began eating, leaving her in an agonizing anticipation. Cali decided to join, hoping whatever he wanted to converse about wouldn’t ruin her night.
“I’m ready for a baby, Cali,” he announced between chews.
Hearing that wasn’t necessarily exciting for her, but it was better than him confronting her about the affair with Braye.
“When did this come about?”
“It’s been for a while. I know you wanted to wait but we’ve been married for five years. I think we should get this shit done now.”
“Shit done?” she repeated with disgust evident in her tone. “You say it like we’re taking a walk to the grocery store. A baby is a big deal.”
Rio looked her in the eye. “I’m aware of that. I didn’t mean to downplay it. Forgive me.”
Nodding slightly, she told him, “Do you think this is the right time though?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Because, Rio, your lifestyle doesn’t necessarily scream family man. You’re involved in all kinds of risky business. Not to mention, you’re a lieutenant in one of the most dangerous gangs in the city. How are you going to make time for a child when you barely have time for me?”
Rio’s lifestyle left Cali with a lot of time to play.
He was always consumed with the business or running the streets with The Legacy Mafia members.
Some nights he made it home and others, he was absent.
Cali didn’t complain much since it left her with time to be with Braye, but she couldn’t imagine having a child in the mix.
“Look, I know all of that. That’s why I’ve been thinking about it. I’m willing to step back though. I already talked to Noble about it, and he’s cool with it.”
Her lips twisted in doubt. “Noble’s okay with it?”
Rio’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Yeah, why you say it like that?”
“Because you’re one of the top dogs. He calls you or Jovanis to handle a lot of shit. Do you really think he’s going to consider your child when things go wrong?”
Sitting back in his seat, Rio stared at her. His head was slightly angled with his lips tucked between his teeth. “I’m hearing what you’re saying, but I’m also hearing excuses on your part. You don’t wanna have my baby?”
Cali’s body had suddenly become a haven for panic.
Her anxiety had been crippling for the last three years.
Living a double life hadn’t been an easy feat.
Having to portray two different women had become like living in a reality and fantasy at the same time.
Braye was her fantasy. The person she often daydreamed about because he had become such a thrill.
Rio was her reality. The one that she had devoted herself to even though her heart wasn’t with him.
“You know that’s not the case.”
“Then say it.” He leaned forward, piercing her with his eyes. “Tell me you wanna have my baby.”
Their eyes were in a standoff. Her gaze was fierce while his was intimidating.
Just tell him the truth… That voice had been in her head ever since she established that her feelings for Braye were more powerful than the ones she possessed for Rio.
Cali often ignored it, but it blared tonight.
Somehow, the volume had turned up to the max, coercing her to reveal the affair she’d been engaging in for the last three years.
It would be a weight off her heart. Her chest wouldn’t feel as heavy. Living with a secret as hazardous as this one had affected her mental health. Mixing in guilt and shame was a perfect cocktail for drama to ensue.
“Look, Rio, I have to tell you something.”
Wringing her fingers together, Cali was ready to face the betrayal that had been in the crockpot for years. It had been cooking on slow, was tender, and ready to be served.
“What?”
A gush of wind blasted from her nose. This was the perfect time to ruin their lives. Bringing a baby into this chaos wasn’t fair. She had to make it known that she had been disloyal before things got worse.
“I uh… I’ve been keeping something from you.”
She licked her lips, hoping Rio would spare her life tonight.
His nostrils flared. The look of murder swirled in his irises, inciting a fear that Cali had never encountered from him.
“Spit that shit out, Calia!”
When Rio called her by her first name, it was a clear indication that she had pissed him off. Again, she licked her lips, hoping it would lubricate her words when they spilled from her mouth.
“I…” Another gulp. “I’ve been… on birth control because secretly… I never wanted to have kids.”
Cali expelled air from her lungs like a slow leak in a tire.
She had chickened out at the last second, and what made it worse was that she didn’t know why.
Telling the truth would set her conscience free from the mental jail it had been incarcerated in.
She could end her marriage with Rio and be with the man she truly loved.
Yet, somewhere, under the sheets of betrayal, Cali couldn’t cause Rio any pain.
“So, you’re a liar?” he questioned in an even tone.
A big one…
“I only kept it from you because I knew how much you wanted kids and didn’t want to kill your dream of being a father.”
“And you couldn’t tell me that you didn’t want kids?”
Months before, Rio had given her the hint that he was ready for kids.
Knowing that fact, Cali took her pills religiously but didn’t have the heart to inform him of her refusal to have a baby.
She knew it would hurt him and didn’t want to pile on more pain for him to endure.
Another truth Rio wasn’t aware of was that she also wanted to protect herself since she was fucking two men.
Although Braye used protection, she couldn’t afford any slip-ups.
“I’m sorry, Rio. I should’ve said something. Please forgive me.”
Cali had a way of softening Rio up, even when she was in the wrong. She played on the soft spot he reserved for her when her back was against the wall.
“How am I supposed to trust you when you do sneaky shit like this? You always on bullshit, Cali.”
Expelling a deep breath, she professed, “I’m not trying to be. I’m just really scared of childbirth, Rio.”
He exhaled before dragging his big hand over his mouth.
“You don’t need to be scared. I’m here with you.
Your body was made to bring life into the world.
I know shit can go wrong but you gotta think positive.
I really want a baby, Cali, and I only want it with you.
Tell me if you’ll consider doing that for me? ”
She forced a nod. “Yes.”
“Go get the pills.”
Gawking at his request, she replied, “Huh?”
“Go get them. I don’t trust your ass to stop taking them.”
“Really, Rio? I said I would think about it.”
“Yeah, well, while you think, I’ll hold onto the pills.” He snorted. “Now, go get ‘em.”
Reluctantly, Cali rose from the chair and went to their bedroom. She grabbed the pills from her nightstand and journeyed back to the kitchen.
“Here,” she sassed, sitting them on the table. “Since you don’t trust me.”
Rio pocketed the packet. “Don’t act like you’ve been trustworthy, Cali. You be doing a lot of shit that you think I don’t know.”
Her eyes expanded, praying he wasn’t eluding to her indiscretion. “What are you talking about?”
“Like how you tell me you have to work, and you don’t.”
Oh, no, he knows. He’s just been giving me the rope to hang myself all this time…
“Yo’ ass be all at the mall running up the credit card bill. Turning off your location when you know I hate when you do that. You think I don't be knowing what you be on, Cali?”
Cali heart rate returned to normal. “You said it’s my world, remember?”
He smirked. “Come over here.”
She straddled him as the woodsy notes from his cologne tickled her senses.
“I know we official but I’m ready to solidify us. A baby. One half of each of us. Let me know if I’m asking for too much.”
“You’re not. I promise.”
He kissed her lips as his hands rubbed her back. “Then, let’s make this shit happen.”
A baby would only confuse their situation.
Between her resistance to enter motherhood and her affair with Braye, it would literally make her guilt much heavier.
But she was Rio’s wife. He wasn’t out here fucking around with other women and making her insecure.
He wanted a baby with her, and Cali couldn’t deny him of that.
She just had to figure out a way to keep Braye happy as well.
“Okay, I’ll have your baby.”