Page 20 of Surrogate For My Best Friend’s Man 2

She didn’t answer.

“Li…”

“I need some space, Deuce.”

“Don’t do this.”

“I ain’t doing nothing, you did.” The line got quiet, click.

I stood there holding that phone like if I waited long enough she’d pick it back up but she didn’t. The deputy cleared his throat. “Time.”

I slowly hung the receiver up and followed him back to the holding cell. Kim done lost her damn mind. Shante was laid up in the hospital. My wife wasn’t talking to me like she used to. The FBI had me sitting in the county and I still didn’t know who the hell opened they damn mouth.

KIM

Idon’t remember half that drive home. I just remember sitting at a red light on Seven Mile and realizing I’d been crying so hard I couldn’t even see straight. My lip was throbbing and my wig was halfway lifting. One of my earrings was gone and my dress had cake icing and somebody’s potato salad on it. Hell, I had half the baby shower on me. I looked in the mirror and let out a little laugh. “Damn, Kim you really got your ass beat.” I mumbled.

A tear rolled right behind it, that laugh ain’t last long at all. Everything that happened started playing back in my head walking through them doors and everybody turning around looking at me. Holding them gift bags like that was going to make Deuce finally stop lying. Thinking he was gone stand ten toes down for me.

Instead Alisha flew across that room like she’d been waiting on me her whole damn life. I rubbed my jaw, she definitely got a few good ones in. Seeing Shante laid out on that floor made my stomach drop all over again. Everybody screaming, somebody yelling for an ambulance. Malik holding her.

I closed my eyes because I’d seen that kind of panic before. Just from the other side, the first miscarriage I kept asking the doctor if they were sure. The second one I ain’t even cry at first, I just stared at the ceiling. By the third one I stopped buying baby clothes, stopped telling people I was pregnant.

Stopped letting myself get excited. Seeing Shante holding her stomach for just a second I forgot all about Deuce. I forgot about Alisha, I just wanted them babies to be okay. They ain’t ask to be born into none of this. I pulled into my driveway and cut the truck off.

The house looked just as lonely as it felt. As soon as I got inside, I stripped my clothes off and went straight upstairs, I needed today off me. The hot water hit my face and all my makeup started running. I watched it swirl down the drain. Then I caught myself looking at my reflection. “Damn…” I looked terrible, not because Alisha beat my ass but because I looked embarrassed.

I grabbed the washcloth and scrubbed my face harder than I needed to and then my mind drifted back to Deuce. He looked at me and I couldn’t figure out what look was on his face. Anger or disappointment, maybe both. I thought he’d fight for me instead he ain’t say nothing. I turned the shower off and wrapped myself in a towel.

When I walked into my bedroom, my eyes landed on one of Deuce’s hoodies laying across the chair. I picked it up and still smelled like him. I slid down the side of the bed crying and one thing finally clicked. I’d been dealing with Deuce almost five years and yesterday was the first time I’d ever seen his family.

I ain’t know his grandma, his cousins, his aunties none of them. Meanwhile everybody knew Alisha, loved and protected her. And when she started beating my ass ain’t nobody try to stop her. They jumped in behind her because she belonged there and I didn’t. That realization hurt worse than every punch she threw.

Maybe I really was just the side bitch. My phone buzzed and I snatched it up so fast I almost dropped it. I looked at it and it said Unknown number I knew it wasn’t Deuce so I let it ring. I barely made it downstairs before somebody started beating on my front door. BAM! BAM! BAM! I froze in the middle of my living room. Who the hell was coming to my house this early?

Another hard ass knock shook the door. I slowly walked over and looked through the peephole and it was Rell. My stomach dropped because I had a feeling this wasn’t gone be a friendly visit. I unlocked the door and barely cracked it before his hand shoved it open.

I stumbled backward. “Rell, what the hell⁠—”

He grabbed the front of my shirt and shoved me against the wall and my head snapped back.

“You done lost your motherfuckin’ mind?” He spat.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The fuck you don’t.” His face was tight with anger. “Deuce sitting in jail.”

“I know.”

“And you standing here acting confused?”

“I didn’t put him in jail.” I replied.

Rell laughed, “See, that’s the shit that’s pissing me off. You think I’m stupid?”

“I’m not saying that.” I said.

“Then what the fuck you saying? You knew the Feds were watching him.”