Page 11 of Certified to Handle You 3

I walked in the room and headed toward the bathroom and stopped in the doorway.

Toni was sittin’ on the edge of the tub in a black silk gown with her hair pinned back, messy and water splashed all across the front of her. My’Love was in the tub with bubbles stuck to her arms, kickin’ her feet and splashin’ water back at her mama. Toni scooped some bubbles in her hand and blew ‘em, and My’Love screamed with laughter so loud I couldn’t stop the smile that pulled at my mouth.

For a minute, I forgot what I was mad about ‘cause all I saw was my wife and my baby. This was the life I ain’t never wanna replace. This was the type of shit that made a nigga wanna put every problem in the ground before it got near ‘em.

Then Toni looked up and saw me. Her smile got real soft, but I could see the question in her eyes. She knew I had been with Renza. She knew I probably had somethin’ on my mind. She always knew when I wasn’t right. That was the part about Toni that made it hard to stay mad sometimes. She could cut up, lie by omission, roll her eyes and test my patience, but she knew me better than anybody else had ever known me.

My’Love saw me a second later, and just that fast, her whole mood changed. She stopped splashin’ Toni and reached both wet arms toward me, callin’ me “DaDa”. She tried to stand in the tub, and Toni grabbed her before she slipped.

“Girl, sit down before you bust yo’ damn head,” Toni said, rollin’ her eyes while My’Love kept reachin’ for me. “Soon as yo’ daddy come in, I don’t exist no more.”

I walked over and bent down to kiss Toni first. I felt her lean into it for that one second, and even though I was still feelin’ a way, I gave her mouth enough to remind both of us what it was. Then I looked down at My’Love, who was still fussin’ with her arms up.

“She done?” I asked.

Toni nodded and wiped water off her arm. “Yeah. I was just lettin’ her play a lil’ longer.”

I looked around the bathroom and grabbed My’Love towel and pull-up off the counter. “Come here, mama.”

My baby reached for me so hard she almost climbed out on her own. I picked her up out the tub, wrapped the towel around her lil’ body and kissed all over her wet cheeks while she giggled and grabbed at my face. “You in here showin’ out on yo’ mama? Huh? Splashin’ water everywhere like you just don’t give a damn.”

My’Love laughed again, and I kissed her forehead before carryin’ her in the room. Toni stayed behind to clean up, and I laid my baby on the bed so I could dry her off. She kept tryna roll away from me, and play so I held her lil’ legs in one hand while grabbin’ her pull-up with the other.

“Nah, stay still,” I told her. “You not finna be crawlin’ around naked. Yo’ mama already let you run the tub like a water park.”

Toni came out the bathroom with her nightgown and sippy cup while I was slidin’ her pull-up on. I felt her watchin’ me, but I ain’t look over right away. I lotioned my baby down, rubbed her legs, her arms and her belly, then put her sleep dress on before pullin’ socks over her feet. My’Love kept tryna grab her cup, so I let her hold it while I finished.

Eventually, I lifted her against my chest and started walkin’ around the room with her. She laid her head on my shoulder, and her lil’ body started relaxin’ almost right away. I rubbed her back and kept my voice low, talkin’ to her about nothin’ while Toni sat on the edge of the bed.

By the time My’Love was fully sleep in my arms, my anger had cooled down enough for me to think clear, but it ain’t really go nowhere. The shit sat under my ribs while I carried My’Love to her room and laid her down in her bed. I fixed her blanket, watched her for a few seconds and rubbed my hand over her hair before I stepped out and pulled the door close.

When I walked back in our room, Toni was standin’ near the bed, and I stopped in front of her. She looked up at me, and for a minute, neither one of us said nothin’. She was beautiful as hell, and that made me mad in a different way ‘cause even when she had me pissed off, my body still knew she was mine. This silk shit she had on sat soft against her skin, and her eyes was lookin’ at me with that mix of attitude and worry that only Toni could have.

She gripped my waist with both hands and pulled me into her, bitin’ her lip while she looked up at my face. I let her pull me, but I ain’t give her what she was lookin’ for. I just stared down at her, tryna decide how much of what was sittin’ in my mind I wanted to put in her lap tonight.

“What, Kay’Lo?” she asked, her voice low.

I looked down at her, keepin’ my eyes on hers. “You know what.”

Toni held my stare for a second, then her eyes dropped and she sighed. She let go of my waist and pulled away, and I let her. I ain’t chase behind her, reach for her or explain myself right now. I walked past her into the bathroom ‘cause I needed to wash Renza pain off me before I said somethin’ I couldn’t soften later.

I kicked my shoes off, pulled my shirt over my shoulders and dropped it with the rest of my clothes. I took my pants off, freed my dick from my briefs and turned the shower on.

The water came down hot, and I stepped under it with both hands against the wall, lettin’ it run over my head and down my body while I stood here tryna get myself right. The picture of Renza in that damn truck kept comin’ back, and it had my whole face hardenin’. I ain’t like it. I ain’t like none of it. I ain’t like my cousin hurt, I ain’t like Sha’Nelle movin’ wild, and I ain’t like my wife keepin’ me outside of a situation that had already made its way into my family.

The shower door opened behind me, but I ain’t turn around. Toni stepped in, and a second later, her soft titties pressed against my back. Her arms slid around my waist, and her hands moved across my stomach, rubbin’ over my abs while she laid her cheek against me. I closed my eyes for a second ‘cause again… Toni knew me. She knew where to touch, how to soften her body against mine and how to make me wanna forget whatever I came in here mad about.

Her hand slipped lower, and when she wrapped her fingers around my dick, my body folded on me quick as hell. I got hard in her hand, and I hated that shit ‘cause I really wanted to stay mad at her ass, but Toni knew exactly how to touch me. She stroked my dick slow under the water, her palm slick while her lips kept pressin’ soft kisses down the middle of my back. Then her other hand moved lower, cuppin’ my balls gentle while she held my shit in her fist, and I had to keep both hands on the shower wall just to stay focused.

I ain’t move her hand, but I ain’t turn around either. I let her kiss on my back and work my dick in that slow way she knew got under my skin, but I kept my head forward ‘cause I wasn’t finna let her body make me forget what I had just watched my cousin go through.

Toni pressed her titties closer against my back, still strokin’ my dick with one hand, and holdin’ and massagin’ my balls with the other, and the only reason I ain’t groan out loud was ‘cause I refused to give her that much of me.

“I told Renza Sha’Nelle engaged,” I said.

Toni’s hand paused mid-stroke. She ain’t say nothin’, and I ain’t need to look back to know her face had changed. The water kept runnin’, and her body was still behind mine, but that soft lil’ moment she was tryna build got cut right through the middle.

“I heard you in the bathroom last night,” I said, keepin’ my voice low. “I heard enough.”