7. River
“You’re home early and with lots of bags. You went to the grocery store?” Erissa said when I entered the kitchen.
She and Riverlynn were in the family room, on a blanket in the middle of the floor.
“Yeah, we got out of practice early. I’m going to cook for you today.”
“Cook? You?”
“Yes, me. I can cook.”
“I specifically remember you saying you can’t cook.”
“No, I said I eat a lot of takeout. I never said I couldn’t cook,” I clarified.
She stood and lifted Riverlynn from the floor. My baby girl was getting so big and chunky.
“Okay. I stand corrected. What are you cooking?”
I stopped unloading the groceries for a moment to show Riverlynn some love. She smiled as I took her from Erissa, then giggled until she was out of breath when I kissed her cheeks.
“Rivvy told me your favorite meal is shrimp scampi pasta. Ain’t that right, baby girl.”
I returned her to Erissa’s arms and went back to unpacking the groceries.
“That’s not my favorite meal.”
“Good, because I’m making burgers on the grill. I stopped by Soulful Diner and got some corn on the cob, baked beans, and a salad.”
“You call that cooking?”
I shrugged. “I’m doing what I know how to do. Soon, it’ll be cooler earlier, so I was thinking we could get in the pool tonight. It’s heated.”
“The pool?”
“Yeah. That big square filled with blue water in the middle of the backyard.”
“Haha. You’re not funny. What about Rivvy?”
“If she’s awake, she can kick it with us.”
“Okay, but don’t judge me. I can’t swim.”
“No shit?”
“I never learned.”
“I guess we’ll have to fix that. Believe it or not, I didn’t play basketball until my junior year of high school. Before that, I was on the swim team.”
“Are you serious?”
“I am. You can ask my mom when you see her. The craziest part is that if my swim coach wasn’t a racist piece of shit, I probably wouldn’t have quit.”
“Damn, but I guess basketball was your destiny.”
“I guess it was.”
Erissa and Riverlynn kept me company while I prepared dinner.
They chilled in the enclosed patio while I was on the grill.
Erissa insisted on helping, so while Riverlynn chilled in her bouncer, she transferred the corn, baked beans, and salad from the plastic containers to glass bowls.
She also made a pitcher of half lemonade and half sweet tea.
“Everything is ready,” I announced when I took the last burger off the grill.
“Why’d you make so many burgers when it’s just the two of us?”
“Leftovers, baby. You know how this goes.”
We had leftovers at least twice a week, so she knew the answer to that question before she asked.
“I guess leftover burgers would be good.”
We made our plates and poured our drinks, and as soon as we sat down, her phone rang. She looked at her phone, then looked at me before answering.
“Hey, Donovan.”
“Hey, beautiful. You busy?”
Although she didn’t have her phone on speaker this time, it was quiet enough for me to hear his side of the conversation.
“Umm, I was about to eat dinner. Can I call you back in about thirty minutes?”
“I’m about to head to my mother’s house for dinner, so I won’t be available. Are you available this weekend for me to take you out?”
“Umm, maybe Saturday or Sunday.”
“Keep Saturday night open for me. I’ll call you later this week to share the details.”
“Okay. Have a good night.”
“You too.”
She placed her phone face down on the table, and I used every ounce of restraint I had to stop myself from addressing her conversation. Erissa was single and had every right to date, but the thought of her going out with someone pissed me off.
“Did you forget my family would be here this weekend?”
“No, but what does that have to do with me?”
“They want to meet you.”
“I want to meet them, too, but I was thinking I’d stay at my place while they visited so I don’t impose on your family time.”
I frowned.
“I said you couldn’t go back there unless I’m with you. Besides, you won’t be imposing. My mama would low-key be offended if you left.”
“I thought she might want to bond with Rivvy without me in the way. Plus, it’s been a while since that incident with Jeremiah.”
“It hasn’t been that long, and I’d rather you not stay there so I’ll know you’re safe.”
Riverlynn squealed, and we both looked at her.
“Your daddy thinks just because he’s my boss that he can boss me around. Does he not realize it doesn’t work like that?”
Riverlynn smiled and babbled as if agreeing with her.
“See. Even she agrees,” Erissa continued.
“Rivvy doesn’t know any better. You should probably let homeboy know you’re not available this weekend.”
“I can stick around Friday and Saturday, but by Sunday, they’ll probably be sick of me.”
“We’re going to the beach Sunday. You should tell him you’re not available.”
“Sunday is usually my day off,” she pointed out.
“I’ll pay you a week’s salary to cancel your date and spend the weekend with me and my family.”
“A week’s salary? For a weekend? Are you crazy?”
“No, but I really want you with us.”
Her expression softened as she exhaled.
“Okay. I’ll come, and you don’t have to pay me.”
“Thank you, but I’ll pay you for your time.”
We ate our food in silence, except for the giggles and squeals from Riverlynn. When we finished, I cleaned up the grill, and Erissa took our dishes inside and put them in the dishwasher.
“You ready for the pool?” I asked when I entered the kitchen holding Riverlynn.
“Isn’t there some kind of rule that says you have to wait an hour or two after you eat to get in the pool?”
“The rule was for swimming, and it’s nonsense. I’ll take Rivvy and get her changed and meet you outside.”
“Okay.”
Twenty minutes later, I stepped onto the patio with Riverlynn’s monitor in hand, instead of Riverlynn. Baby girl fell asleep after I changed her into her swimsuit.
“Where’s Rivvy?” was the first thing Erissa asked.
I was disappointed because she was already in the pool and I missed the opportunity to see her in the bikini she wore.
“She didn’t want to be bothered with us, so she’s taking a nap.”
“Really? It’s too late for a nap. Hopefully, she doesn’t sleep long, or she’ll be up all night.”
“I guess she wanted us to spend some time alone.”
I dove into the pool and swam down and back a few times, stopping near Erissa when I finished.
“You weren’t kidding when you said you could swim, huh?” she asked.
“I was not. We can start your lessons today, if you want.”
If teaching her how to swim would allow me to get close to her, to touch her in places I normally wouldn’t, I was ready whenever she was.
“Okay.”
“Are you afraid to get your face or hair wet?”
“No.”
“Good. I want you to go under the water, count to five, then come back up. Do it three times.”
She did it with no problem, so we moved on to the next task.
“Can you float?”
“Umm, I’m not sure.”
“In general, everyone should be able to float. If you’ve ever tried and failed, it was probably because you were too tense and panicked, if it felt like you were sinking. You want to try with my support?”
“Yes, please.”
It was a good thing the lower half of my body was submerged in the water because her response made my dick jump.
“Turn around, and when you feel my hand on the small of your back, you can lay back when you’re comfortable.”
She turned around, closed her eyes, and I gently placed my hand on the small of her back. Slowly, she let her body fall back, resting on my hand.
“Relax,” I urged.
Her breathing slowed, and her body relaxed against my hand. My eyes slowly scanned her body in the skimpy yellow bikini. When they got to her pussy print, I bit my bottom lip.
“Like this?” she asked.
“Yeah. Just like that.”
After about ten minutes working on floating, I suggested she learn how to stand from that position.
“Let me show you first.”
I helped her get to her feet, then demonstrated how to transition from floating to standing.
“It looks simple enough.”
“Bet. You ready?” She nodded. “Remember, drop your hips, tuck your knees to your chest, and lift your head as you press your feet toward the bottom of the pool.”
She was able to get into the floating position without my assistance, but when she tried to stand, she damn near drowned herself.
“Calm down, baby. I gotchu,” I shouted so she could hear me over the splashing water.
I got her to her feet, and she wrapped her arms around my waist while she caught her breath.
“You good?”
She was still out of breath as she responded. “I’m fine. That didn’t go like I thought it would.”
“Do you want to try again?”
She exhaled before hitting me with, “Yes, please.”
There were those two words again. I closed my eyes and prayed my dick would behave. She got into position, floating for a few seconds before trying to get on her feet. The result was much better this time, and she was successful.
“See, it wasn’t that hard. You just panicked the first time. Let’s do it a few more times.”
At this point, I’d do anything to stay close to her. For the next ten minutes, she floated and stood several times. Unfortunately, Riverlynn’s cries interrupted us.
“I’ll get her,” Erissa offered.
“No. Technically, you’re off duty. I’ll get her.”
When I returned with my daughter, Erissa was lying on one of the pool chairs, and I gave up on calming my dick down. He couldn’t help but react to the sexy, beautiful sight before me.
“I know I just said you’re off duty, but can you hold her while I make her a bottle?”
“C’mere, pretty girl,” she said, extending her arms toward us.
Riverlynn kicked her feet with excitement as she went from my arms to Erissa’s.
“I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later, I returned with Riverlynn’s bottle, and Erissa insisted on feeding her. She got comfortable with my daughter in her arms, while I sat in the chair beside her, and I watched them together.
After several minutes, I imagined Erissa with two toddlers on her lap, their faces a perfect blend of ours, and an older Riverlynn standing beside her.
“I bet she’ll be holding her bottle by herself by next week,” she said.
“You think so?”
“Yeah. Her motor skills are advanced for her age.”
“How do you know?”
“I want to teach her sign language, so I’ve been doing some research on different things.”
“Sign language?”
“Yes. I learned in high school. It was one of the few classes I excelled in because I really enjoyed it. I learned back then that babies pick up on signs pretty quickly if we’re consistent.”
“Wow. I had no idea, and it’s not something I ever would’ve thought to do. Have you ever thought about working in childcare?”
“Not really. I wasted several years in a fog, and when it cleared, I had to care for my grandparents.”
“I understand. Do you want kids?”
She shrugged. “Sure, I guess, if the right man comes along.”
“How many?”
“Maybe two or three, but it depends on a few things.”
“What’s that?”
“The sun is going down, and it’s getting chilly. We should probably go inside.”
I guessed that conversation was over because she didn’t wait for me to agree before she stood with Riverlynn in her arms. I remained seated just to watch her walk away, and damn, her ass was a sight to behold.
It wasn’t too big or small, but plump and round, and it fit her frame perfectly.
Eventually, I followed her inside, took Riverlynn from her arms, and put her on my shoulder to burp her.
“I got her from here.”
“Okay. I probably won’t come back down, but if you need me, you know where to find me.”
“You're about to shower and dive into a book?”
She laughed. “You think you know me, but that’s exactly what I’m about to do, after I cancel and reschedule my date with Donovan.”
“Don’t reschedule,” I mumbled before I could stop myself.
“What did you say?”
Thankfully, she was already walking away when the words spilled from my mouth.
“Nothing. Have a good rest of your night.”
She disappeared up the stairs while I came up with a plan to make her forget about Donovan. The thought of her entertaining another nigga bothered me in ways I didn’t understand.
Erissa wasn’t my woman, and I wasn’t sure I wanted her to be, but I knew damn well I didn’t want her to be with anyone else. It didn’t make sense, but it was the truth.