Page 49 of Surrogate For My Best Friend’s Man 2

“When these babies get here, you can pick them up.”

She stared at me. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying exactly what I said. I don’t want nothing to do with you anymore. And I don’t want no part of whatever you got going on.”

Her eyes filled again. “But the babies…”

“Those babies ain’t the problem.” I paused. “The problem is everything that came with them.”

She looked at me like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You can’t just walk away from us.”

I shook my head. “Watch me.”

“Deuce, those are our children.”

“I know.”

“And you’re just going to abandon them?”

I looked at her. “I ain’t abandoning shit. I’m making a choice.”

She wiped her cheeks. “So you telling me you not going to be a father to our kids…” She hesitated. “…but you’re going to be a father to you and Alisha’s daughter?”

My jaw tightened. “That’s exactly what the fuck I’m saying.”

Kim stared at me. I leaned forward. “I’m not letting none of you motherfuckers tear up my family.”

She didn’t say anything.

“Alisha and Brittany are my family. That's what I’m protecting.”

Kim’s face twisted. “But what about me?”

I shook my head. “I don’t care about you anymore.” That shit sounded cold but I meant it. “I made a mistake fucking with you and I’m paying for it now.”

She sat there looking at me like she was waiting for me to change my mind, I wasn’t. I turned toward the door.

“Deuce…”

I kept walking.

“Deuce, please.”

I didn’t turn around. The deputy opened the door. I walked through without looking back. For once, I didn’t care if Kim cried. Didn’t care if she was angry or what she thought. I had spent too damn long trying to keep everybody happy and look where that shit got me. Locked up, my marriage hanging by a thread and my business under a microscope.

And the people around me catching hell because of decisions I made. I couldn’t undo what happened, but I could damn sure decide what happened next. I made it back to my cell and sat on that bunk with my elbows resting on my knees. For the first time since I got locked up, I wasn’t thinking about getting out. I was thinking about what the hell was waiting for me if I did. I had spent years making sure my family was good. Making sure Brittany had whatever she needed and making sure Alisha never had to worry about shit.

I pulled my hands over my face. I fucked up there wasn’t no way around that. Kim’s father made damn sure of that. That nigga wasn’t just coming after me because his daughter was hurt he was building a case. If they connected everything they were looking at, I wasn’t just fighting to get home. I could be fighting to stay out of prison for a long damn time.

The thought made my stomach turn. I thought about Brittany, my little girl didn’t deserve none of this shit. As far as she knew, Daddy was supposed to come home. She probably didn’t understand why I wasn’t there. Then I thought about Alisha. I didn’t know where the hell she was. And for once, I couldn’t blame her. I had given her every reason to walk away.

But the thought of her actually doing it, that shit scared me. Losing Kim I could live with that, but losing Alisha was different. That was my wife, The woman who had been standing beside me long before Kim ever came around. I leaned my head against the wall. “Fuck.” I had spent so much time thinking I could have everything.

Now I was sitting in the county realizing you can’t keep building shit on lies and expect it not to eventually collapse. A deputy walked past my cell. For a second, I thought about calling Alisha again then I remembered she wasn’t answering.

I dropped my head. Maybe she was finally done. Maybe she had finally realized what everybody else already knew. I wasn’t untouchable, I wasn’t in control. I was just a man sitting in a damn cell watching everything he loved slip right through his fingers.

And now I couldn’t stop thinking about Shante. I needed to know how she was doing, so when the next phone period started, I got in line and waited for my turn. Once I got to the phone, I punched in Shante’s number. The automated voice came on first, reminding us the call was from the county and could be recorded. I waited until Shante answered.