“I don’t know what to say.” She sounded so lost when she spoke, causing me to shift in her direction.
Her hand stroked her belly affectionately.
“I finally thought I found a place where I belonged. We have a baby coming,” she said, disbelief dripping from her words as she scoffed.
“The fuck are you talking about? This is where you belong. This is our baby you carrying. Life that we created together.” I paused in front of her, both of my hands finding her stomach.
“You created a life with her too,” Harbor said, tears pooling in her eyes. “You share Ivy. You said it yourself; you love her.”
“I love you, woman. And nobody can take that shit away. What I know is that this situation is not ideal. This type of shit don’t happen every day. I have a few things to work out with her, but this… us… Ain’t no question about that,” I insisted, reeling her in for a soft kiss.
I pressed into her, desperate for her to feel everything I was feeling for her in this moment. I needed her to know that there were no regrets. This was what I had chosen. Nothing else meant more to me than Ivy, her, and this baby.
“Should I leave? Give you time, and Ivy. I can’t even imagine what this is going to do to her.” I loved her a little more in that moment. I honestly didn’t feel like I even deserved her.
She actually seemed more concerned for my daughter than for herself in this matter.
“You ain’t going anywhere with my seed. I will talk to Ivy, and… Since Ivana will be here, I think you should meet her. Shealready knows about you. All in? Remember. No lies, no hiding shit.”
“I just need to get some rest. It’s been a long day.” She pulled out of my embrace. “And I want to call and check on D, make sure he’s okay. I’m going to go shower.”
“Okay,” I agreed.
I gave her some time to herself. I knew she probably needed it to get her head together. Tonight had been a hell of a night, one I am sure none of us would forget for a while. After about thirty minutes, I went to my bedroom to check on Harbor. She had gotten out of the shower and changed into her silk pajamas. Seated at the vanity in the room, she braided her hair to one side in a fat braid and watched me through the mirror. In a matter of months, she had taken over my fucking domain. One side of my closet and bathroom was now occupied by her things. What was mine had become hers. Every part of her essence now lived in these walls too. Just like a woman to come in and take some shit over. Her scent cloaked the room. The body wash she used was Cartier La Panthere, worth every penny for how it smelled on her skin. She had accessories and items of hers scattered all around the room like they belonged here and had been there for years. She had imposed on every part of my life, but I had no repentence about it.
“Do you think she’s still awake?” she asked.
“I was going to check before I left to meet Ledge.”
“I want to go with you,” she replied, facing me.
“Okay,” I agreed, although a nigga felt a little uneasy about it.
Never could I ever have imagined introducing two women that anchored life alternating parts of my life before. Harbor followed me through the halls of the house until we reached the door. I dug into my pocket for the key, unlocking it and pushing it open. Ivana stood at the window overlooking the grounds, her back to us as we entered. She was still dressed, and whenshe heard us enter, she partly turned. She seemed thrown from Harbor’s presence and fixated on her. The two seemed to be sizing the other up. I knew how women were. They were as territorial as men. Each of these women had marked me in some way. Soul ties. Having them both in the same room amplified awkwardness.
“Hello.” Ivana was the first to speak. “You must be the woman I’ve heard so much about. Ivana Samuels.” She introduced herself.
“Harbor, Lawson.” Harbor was dry with her shit, raking her sharp eyes all over Ivy’s mother.
“What is this, Frequency? Why did you bring her here? Where is Ivy?”
“Ivy’s had enough to deal with tonight. I’m not about to subject her to this shit right now. Harbor is in my life, whether you like or accept that shit or not.”
“And what if I don’t? What are you going to do, hmm? Kill me? Like your father tried to?” she sneered indignantly, her lips curling up in a snarl that hardened her face.
This wasn’t the woman I remembered. I didn’t know who had taken her place or what happened to her, but she wasn’t who I fell in love with. With time, space, and grief, we had been separated somehow, and it was obvious in this moment.
“What do you think is acceptable here, Ivana, hmm? I could kill you, get rid of the body, pretend like you never even came back. That would spare Ivy. But another part of me thinks she deserves to know. Maybe somehow it will change her life. Our daughter is smart, resilient, and determined as hell. She can do anything she sets her mind to.”
“What are you saying? Can I see her or not?” Ivana impatiently questioned me.
“When I’m ready. Until then, make yourself comfortable here. I’ve got a few things I need to take care of before we discuss our terms.”
“Terms? You think this is just some business deal, Quency—” A mixture of rage and hurt flickered behind her eyes.
From everything I knew about her, she was spoiled. Not sure how that happened since she and Gardenia basically had to fend for themselves, but Ivana gave off the air that she was entitled to some shit. Like all the bad shit that had happened to her in life somehow meant that she deserved things that weren’t even hers. The time had come and gone for me to be trying to save her if that’s not what she wanted. I couldn’t trust her. I had to take every precaution in this situation because it wasn’t just about us. Ivy was one of the most-important people in the world to me.
“I think you don’t have much of a choice. I brought you here. You are safe. Ain’t nobody trying to hurt you. I just don’t know what to do. So yeah, I need some fucking time to process all this. Harbor is pregnant, and she needs to be taking it easy. I wasn’t going to lie to her about any of this. She and Ivy are close. Ivy is finally in a good place since being here with me.”
