Chapter 11
ELEVEN
MAUI
I lay on my side, staring at the TV. I wasn’t really watching it.
My mind was a million miles away, wishing I could come and go as I pleased.
It had been a week since the rodeo, and I’d been on strict bedrest ever since.
Bali kept me at the clinic for a couple of days with a monitor strapped to my belly.
Hearing the baby’s heartbeat gave me solace.
It was the most peace I’d felt in a while.
I wanted to text Mythic, but I knew communicating with him was what had gotten me here.
I wasn’t ready to just be his co-parent.
Shaydon had been calling every day to check on me.
I appreciated his concern. Mythic hadn’t messaged me since I last saw him.
I felt like that was because he thought I had let him go.
He thought I wanted Shaydon. Maybe I should.
Shaydon was safe. He was what women fantasized about.
The man was caring, sensitive, sweet, funny, and rough around the edges.
He could be rough when he needed to be, but his dominant personality was what I liked about him.
The way he held me a week ago stayed with me.
Even after what happened that day I fell asleep in his arms, he never brought it up to me.
I just knew he would have said something about it by now.
He was so mature for his age. I knew his parents played a huge role in that.
The only place Mr. Shylou and Mrs. Cass allowed him to stay overnight at was Uncle Kenny’s house.
When they were younger, he was always hanging with King and Kane.
His brother, Shymir, was always with them too.
SS, Royal, and Crew would be in the mix as well.
There was a knock on the door, and I knew it was either one of my parents or Aunt Vida.
They’d all been taking care of me like I was an invalid.
Bali and Noni would come in the evenings when they left the clinic for the day.
Since Seven and Remy still lived here as well, they would check on me periodically.
I should have been getting plans together for my house.
My birthday was in a couple of days. I would be twenty-five and would get my money.
I used to be excited about it. I almost didn’t care now.
It was a lot of money, nearly three million the last time I looked.
Henderson Ranch and Farms had set us up for life.
I knew that I would spend a grip on a house, right next to Ashanni, but I wasn’t so sure about anything anymore.
I thought I would have been a dentist by now, raking in even more money.
Once I started school, I let Ashanni talk me into going into business administration with her so we could work together for the family business.
I supposed it wasn’t too late to go back to school for that, but it would be extra hard with a kid.
When the door opened and I saw my mama, I smiled slightly. She smiled back and asked, “You need anything, baby?”
“No, ma’am.”
She glanced behind her, then came inside. Sitting next to me, she asked, “How are you feeling?”
“I feel okay.”
I knew she wanted to tell me about Mythic, but the last time she tried, I told her not to.
I didn’t want to talk about Mythic at all.
It was a constant reminder of what I couldn’t have.
I could barely listen to Glorilla these days, because I always thought about him when I heard that song.
We would laugh and say she made that song about him.
Thinking about him would cause my damn blood pressure to rise, so I surely couldn’t talk about him.
How was I supposed to let him go? Nobody got me like him.
He knew what I was thinking without me saying a word and vice versa.
I loved him so much. I was convinced our souls were tied .
. . hell, they were tangled. Loving him hurt so good.
I hated the shit he was involved in, but his soul?
It was beautiful. Despite the evil crimes he’d committed, he was good at his core. Living without him was torture.
“So what do you wanna do for your birthday?”
I shrugged. “Nothing, I guess. I’m pretty much confined to bed.”
She smiled slightly. “I think we can come up with something. It’s your twenty-fifth, and that’s big for the Hendersons, right?” she said, obviously trying to get me excited about it.
“Yeah, I suppose it is,” I responded, then smiled tightly.
“Well, I have to go meet with Tyeis and Yendi about articles they’re doing for Nome News.
We decided to crank that back up. Yendi is doing her section on books of course, and Tyeis’s column is about mental health and therapy.
Then I have to make a trip to Houston to check on Mama.
The doctor said she’s at the beginning stages of dementia. I hate that.”
I nodded. I wasn’t that close to Grandma, but I hated to hear that news also. I felt like the only reason I wasn’t as close to my mother’s parents was because they lived out of town. Like Jacob, I did my best to get along with everyone. “I hate that too, Mama. Give her my love.”
“I will, sweetness. Vida is downstairs, and your dad will be back shortly.”
“Okay. I’m sure I’ll know exactly when he walks through the door.”
I chuckled, and Mama did too. “He loves messing with, Indie.”
I smiled. Aunt Vida went by the name Indie also, since her middle name was Indigo.
If I had a little girl, I would probably give her that name as well.
I loved it and had told her so on more than one occasion.
Mama kissed my head, then stood and made her way out of the room.
I turned to my back and took deep breaths.
I wanted to get out of here. Going to work would be ideal.
Then I would at least have Aunt Chas, Ashanni, and whoever else came through the office to keep me company.
The doorbell rang, and I frowned slightly. I wasn’t sure who was here. Nobody came here unannounced, because my dad gave everyone a hard time. I listened to the hushed voices, then the footsteps heading my way. There was a knock on my door, so I said, “Come in.”
Aunt Vida appeared first. “Hey, baby. How are you feeling today?”
“I’m okay.”
“Do you feel up to having visitors?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She smiled at me and opened the door wider for Shaydon to come through. “What’s up, baby girl?”
I smiled slightly. “Absolutely nothing.”
He chuckled, and Aunt Vida left us alone. When she closed the door, he came to me and kissed my head, then handed me a card. I frowned slightly and asked, “What’s this?”
“I won’t be in town for your birthday, so I wanted to give you your card early instead of late.”
“Aww thanks. Should I open it now or wait until my birthday?”
“Open it now.”
I pulled the flap open and got the card out.
When I opened it, a slip of paper slid to my lap.
The card had a nice birthday greeting and his signature.
I smiled, then grabbed the slip of paper.
Hey, beautiful. This is good for dinner at any restaurant of your choosing, no matter where it is.
Despite your ailing body, I hope you have a wonderful twenty-fifth birthday. Love always, Shaydon.
I smiled big. “What if I want to go to a restaurant out of the country?”
“Then say that shit then. We can go. Whatever you want.”
My cheeks heated up as I said, “Thank you, Shaydon. How’s everyone?”
“Everybody’s cool. Super busy though.”
“I can believe that. You design any new pieces that I may like?”
“Mm-hmm.” He fiddled with his phone, then extended it to me. “I call it Maui.”
My eyes widened. It was a floral halter dress that had a Hawaiian feel to it. I looked up at him. “Shaydon, you named this beautiful dress after me?”
“Hell yeah. You know how I feel about you, even if you never feel the same. I know it ain’t a nigga looks though. I’m fine as fuck.”
I giggled as he smiled big. Choosing to be honest, I said, “It definitely has nothing to do with your looks. You are definitely fine as fuck.”
I bit my bottom lip as he stared at me, his smile fading somewhat.
He went to his knees on the floor next to me.
His gaze was intoxicating, and I could feel my body heating up in response.
When he leaned in, my heart rate increased, and my brain was telling me to stop it, but I just had to feel it.
I needed to know if it would spark anything inside of me.
Seeing Mythic had my heart like mush. Maybe I was so wrapped up in him that it prevented me from feeling what was good for me.
When Shaydon’s lips graced mine, my panties got wet.
A soft moan left my lips. His tongue slowly eased into my mouth, and his hand slid behind my head.
I was getting too caught up, so I pulled away, my eyes remaining closed.
It didn’t feel like the first time Mythic kissed me, but it was still nice.
I opened my eyes to see him staring at me.
“That was nice, baby,” he said.
“Yeah, it was,” I said softly.
“I know y’all ain’t in here with the fucking door closed!”
Shaydon rolled his eyes as I giggled. My daddy burst in the room like he was about to fuck something up. Shaydon was holding my hand as my daddy stared with a frown on his face. When I slowly shook my head, his frown eased, and he chuckled.
“Daddy Mayor, I’m pregnant. I’ve obviously been engaged in activities that wouldn’t happen if the door stayed open.”
He put his hands on his ears. “Hell naw. I don’t wanna talk about that shit. I can’t imagine my babies being grown women. Nope.”
He chuckled and removed his hands from his ears and shook Shaydon’s hand. He leaned over and kissed my head. “How you feeling, baby?”
Horny as hell. “I’m okay, Daddy.”
He nodded, then gave Shaydon the side-eye as he walked out, pushing the door completely open. I giggled as he grabbed the knob and closed it with a slight smile on his face.