“Man, get the fuck out of here. The way you just described me is probably exactly why he wouldn’t want her with me. I’m not that bad, though. I only knock mothafuckas off when it’s needed. Take this situation, for example. I wanted to line all those bitches up and put two in their domes, but I found a healthy alternative. I deserve some credit for that.” I smirked, even though a part of me still wanted to put Davinette in the dirt for ripping my baby’s hair out.
“Man, watch out. The only reason your ass didn’t kill these hoes is that you didn’t feel like dealing with Gunna or the clean-up crew. You just told the team to only kill if there was immediate danger, so you couldn’t go back on your word,” he called out.
“Well, yeah, that too.” I chuckled. The streets had been fairly quiet, and I wanted to keep it that way.
Killing those women would have opened the door to a bunch of untrained, wannabe thugs coming to avenge their loved ones, and it would have only led to more bodies being dropped. If I was going to go to war, it would be with real street niggas and for a worthy purpose. None of these hoes were worth the hassle.
We chopped it up for a little while longer until the girls finished up. I was nice enough to arrange for all those bitches to get dropped off at Bianca’s house so they could tend to their wounds.
After I discussed a little business with my crew, I dipped out so I could go see my family. Lyric’s ass thought I was playing, but I was just getting started. I took her to grab food earlier, but I was starving, so I stopped by one of my favorite Chinese restaurants and got myself a combo plate. I damn near smashed the whole plate before I could pull out of the parking lot. My day had been busy, and I forgot to eat.
Once I was done, I drove out to Nauri’s house. I didn’t even bother to call first because I knew he wouldn’t mind. My spendanight bag was packed and ready in the back seat.
“Oh, shit. What’s good, bro? I wasn’t expecting you to drop by, but I’m glad you did. I’m working on these tracks, and I need your opinion on some things. Plus, I want to chop it up with you about what happened earlier. Lyric has been kind of tight-lipped about the situation, but it ain’t sitting right with me,” Kaynauri rambled as he led me into the house.
“I got you. Where she at anyway?”
“Oh, she’s upstairs with Noodle. She said she needed to lay down after we ate,” he informed me.
“Alright, cool. I’ll be right back. I need to holla at her.” I didn’t wait for a response from him as I headed upstairs to her room. When she first told me she had a room at her brother’s house, I let her know it was gonna be a waste of space. She could spend as much time with her brother as she wanted during the day, but there weren’t gonna be any overnights. I was still pissed about her breaking that rule.
The moment I stepped into the room, Noodle spotted me and leaped into my arms. I held her tightly, peppering her face with kisses as she giggled. I instantly relaxed with her in my arms because she brought me so much peace.
“Umm, what are you doing here?” Lyric asked in a groggy tone.
“What do you mean? My family is here. Where else would I be?”
“East, please don’t start. You said you were gonna give me time to tell him.”
“Oh, I’m East now? Any other time, you address me as Essex,” I called out. Her attitude didn’t matter to me one bit because she knew where I stood on the subject.
“I only call you Essex in private, or when we’re around family.”
“Oh, so your brother isn’t family now?” I quizzed, arching my brow as I stared at her. It didn’t matter whether I was upset with her or not; my woman was the most exquisite creation I had ever laid eyes on. Whether she was glammed up or simply dressed in an oversized tee and biker shorts, she looked like a runway model.
“You know what I mean. You’re pushing the issue as if you don’t trust me to handle it.”
“And why should I trust you? Huh? This has been going on for years, and you’ve been dragging your feet. I’m telling you rightnow, this wouldn’t have lasted this long had you been anyone else. There wouldn’t be a relationship to tell him about.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means, if I didn’t love you the way I do, you and I would be co-parenting only. This shit is childish, and I’m not with it, but I’m done talking about it. The next conversation that’s gonna be had will be with Keyz.” I shrugged, turning my attention to my baby.
“I missed you. Why didn’t you call me this morning? You don’t love me anymore? Huh?” I tickled her belly as she laughed and squirmed in my arms.
“I forgot. Sorry, Daddy! I promise!” Symphonee grabbed my face, planting a kiss on my cheek. Her little ass knew I was a sucker for her kisses.
“I forgive you. Don’t let it happen again though.”
“Okay.”
“Daddy’s gonna go hang out with uncle Keyz. I’ll be back when it’s time for bed. I love you.”
“Love you, Daddy.”
Noodle got down from my arms and climbed back into bed with her momma. Baby girl was a daddy’s girl through and through, but she didn’t play about her momma. She could tell Lyric wasn’t feeling well and wanted to stay by her side. All I could do was smile as I stood there admiring my heart in front of me.
“I’ll be back.”
