Her words rattled me, that was for sure, but I wasn’t about to let her see me sweat. I put on a smile for her.
“You must be really threatened by me if all you can come here to talk about is you and Free. How about you focus on your daughter and what’s best for her?” I suggested. “The gifts should go on the table set out on the patio. Why don’t you go and get some air?”
“Are you trying to patronize me?” she sneered, resting her hands on the counter.
“You are paranoid.” I shook my head. “Maybe if you weren’t living so foul, you would be a little more open. This isn’t about Free or me, or you for the fucking record,” I audaciously relayed to her. “It’s about Ivy. Today is all about her. And I’m not going to let even the likes of you ruin it.”
“The likes of me?” Ivana questioned, coming around the counter as if she had some kind of beef with me. “Bitch, trust if I hadn’t left all those years ago, here is where I would still fucking be. Chew on that while you going around here pretending to fill my shoes.”
“Well, Ivana, I don’t remember this side to you.” Celine waltzed in carrying Maze in her arms.
My son was fresh in a little black and gold Nike romper with the matching footies. He was sporting the gold binky link that Ledge had bought him, sucking on it as his little alert eyes bounced around. As if her own mother was chastising her, Ivana bowed her head humbly. She studied my son carefully, envy filling her eyes. He was the spitting image of Frequency, and I’m sure it tugged on her heart to see what we had created together. Slowly but surely, I was beginning to feel less intimidated by her. She had a list of insecurities all by herself, without adding me to it. Sis needed some self-love in the worst way.
“Celine. You still work here?” Ivana questioned with disbelief.
“It’s nice to see you among the living. Given that life has tossed you an extra one, don’t you think you should make the best of it?” Celine cocked a brow at her and bounced Maze on her hip like he was a sack of potatoes.
My baby was content though, and you couldn’t tell him shit as his little curious eyes bounced around the counter like he was trying to keep up with the conversation. Celine had a welcoming touch, and I loved seeing them together. She was hands-on with these babies, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Ivana might as well have choked on her words. I could tell off the bat that the Celine effect was real. She was thekill you with kindnesstype, unless you got on the wrong side of someone that she cared about.
“You know me, Celine. I love to make an entrance.” Ivana put on the sarcasm.
“Seems like you like to put on the drama now, and this ain’t the time or place for that. Check it at the door and leave it there,” Celine insisted, bouncing Maze on her hip.
Frequency and Ledge waltzed into the kitchen together in midconversation. There was enough ice in the room to chill the entire state.Everyone seemed to tighten up.
“Look at my little G!” Ledge balled a fist up and brought it to his mouth as he took in Maze. “You like that dripped-up binky, don’t you, my dude?” Ledge played with his little fingers. The binky slipped from my son’s mouth, and he gave Ledge a gummy smile while drool slid down his chin. “Aw shit, he like it. Yo’ first Cuban link is on me,” he promised, and I snickered while shaking my head.
This dude was one of the most savage ass niggas I have ever met, yet with my kids, he was soft as cotton. He sometimes reminded me of a child. He was all man, but his reactions and thought process were often as simple as a little boy’s. Clearly, he was trying to break the chilling temperatures in the room.
Harold Lawson
I arrivedoutside the gate to a massive estate. Harmonie sat beside me in the passenger’s seat of my Mercedes. Drumming my fingers on the steering wheel, I waited for the guard in the shack to make a call and then allow the gates to open for us to drive through. There were cars everywhere. I had seen some lavish homes and traveled around the world to see them, but this was something else. All the money Kutlass made making people vanish from the earth and this is what was produced.
“Looks like there is a party going on here,” I mumbled, glancing toward Harmonie. Awestruck, like she was visiting the home of a celebrity or something, she lowered the visor to check her hair while I parked.
“Talk about leveling up,” she mumbled, tussling some of her hair. “This is where she lives?”
“Maybe we should come by another time. If she’s got something going on?—”
“Then even better for us to stop by. After all, we are family, right?” she teased, turning in her seat and giving her little brother her smile.
He was wide awake in his car seat. I wanted to see Harbor and try to hash things out. After the story broke about her abduction, I got all kinds of offers to do interviews, telling the story from the point of view of her father. Some news outlets were actually willing to pay top dollar for the full story. I couldn’t see myself betraying her trust like that. She had already been through enough. We piled out of the car, and Harmonie propped her brother on her hip as we approached the front door. Before we could even get to the door, it opened, and there stood Frequency. He was relaxed, sporting a Puma track suit with a white tee and matching velvet shoes. In his arms, he carried a bouncing baby girl that looked just like Harbor when she was a baby, down to the upward-slanted eyes that focused on me.
“Can I help you?” he questioned, rocking the little girl who seemed so content in his embrace.
One of her little hands held on to his arm, and it was so natural that I couldn’t help but smile. A gold bracelet dawned her delicate little wrist, and she was dressed in a black romper with gold detail and a matching gold bow adorned her thick, curly mane. Harmonie was checking for Frequency so hard that the shit was obvious and embarrassing. She had no shame whatsoever. It blew my mind how different she and Harbor were. Literally like night and day.
“I realize that the last encounter we had wasn’t exactly pleasant,” I acknowledged.
Frequency checked me out from head to toe, skeptical and unsure. I was being honest. Life was short, and I didn’t want to waste any of mine holding resentment toward someone I loved. At the end of the day, Harbor was my daughter, my flesh and blood.
“So why the fuck are you here now?” He was short and direct with me, and I expected nothing less.
With one steady arm, he bounced the little girl, and she showed no fear.
“Free, who’s at the door?” Harbor’s sweet voice questioned from behind.
Her face lit up when she saw me and Harmonie on the other side.
