Page 49 of His Four Leaf Clover

Monty caught what she was doing, but he wasn’t having it. He waited until the water bottle was empty before he grabbed her face and made her look in his eyes. “Nah, answer my question. Stop always running from shit that you don’t wanna discuss.”

“I’m not running from nothing. I just never changed the locks. It’s no big deal.” Iva shrugged as she laid down and pulled the covers over her semi-clothed body.

“Yeah, I hear you.” Monty sat back down and admired her short, sexy frame in her belly shirt and thong. He stared at Iva, hoping that he could find the courage to say what he wanted to say. He had never been the shy type, but Iva always made him feel like an inexperienced school boy. He had no problem telling a female what was on his mind, but she was different. He chose his words carefully and always had.

“You still didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?” Iva stared right back at him, awaiting an answer.

“Real shit, I miss you, baby, and I’m ready to come back home.” Monty finally said what he’d been wanting to say for months. His heart was beating at a dangerous pace and he prayed that he didn’t get rejected. He waited with bated breath for her to say something, but she never did.

Instead, she pulled the covers back, welcoming him into the bed that they once shared. A bed that he barely got to sleep in before he got locked up. Still, everything in the home felt so familiar, including his present company. Monty stripped down to his boxers right before he turned off the light and snuggled up next to her, pulling her closer. He started kissing the back of her neck right as his phone rang on the nightstand beside him. He already knew who it was and so did Iva.

“I’m not in the business of sharing a nigga,” Iva noted.

“You never had to share me and you never will.” Monty silenced his ringer and turned the phone off. He pulled Iva on top of him and inhaled the scent that he’d been missing for years.

Caprice looked at her phone and frowned as she drove. Monty declined her call and all the others went straight to voicemail. It was cool though because she was on her way to wherever he was. She’d already passed by Dot’s bar but his car was gone. Granted, she knew that Monty didn’t want her anymore. Hell, he probably never did. Even still, he always came home every night, even if he didn’t sleep in the bed or room with her.

“The fuck is this nigga at?” Caprice asked herself as she tracked Monty’s location to an area that she wasn’t very familiar with. It almost looked like something out of a Lifetime movie with all the lights and flower beds on every corner. She followed the directions until she came up on something that looked like an expensive hotel. It, too, was well lit with security out front, screening potential visitors. The area was beautiful and looked to be exclusive.

Caprice looked around for Monty’s car but she didn’t see it. The garage was enclosed and seemed to need a swipe card to enter or exit. There were a few cars on the street, but she didn’t see his anywhere. Caprice made the block and decided to look one more time. If Monty was in the garage of the luxurious building, somebody must have swiped him in. He must have been fucking with a boss bitch if she lived there.

Instead of driving past the parking area, Caprice drove a little closer and scanned the lot for Monty’s car. It wouldn’t have been hard to find. Not too many yellow Corvettes were on the streets of New Orleans. Caprice’s held swiveled back and forth like a bloodhound on someone’s trail. She still didn’t see her man’s car but she did a doubletake when she saw another familiar vehicle. Iva’s bronze-colored Lexus was parked in one of the assigned spots. She had missed it the first time, but there was no mistaking the magnet that she had in her back window. It was the salon’s name where she worked along with her social media info. She had seen it enough times to know it by memory.

Caprice was hurt but not surprised. It was crazy, but she knew that Monty cheated all the time. She just never wanted him to cheat with his ex. There were a lot of old feelings, memories and love attached to it. Something that she knew that she’d never be able to compete with. Caprice didn’t spin the block like she did before; she just went down a different street and headed home. Then, right there in plain sight was the yellow piece of machinery that she had been looking for.

With a shattered heart, Caprice prepared to stay up all night and pack up Monty’s clothes. She was almost sure that he was gonna come home, but it wasn’t gonna be for good. She had to pack up soon anyway since she wasn’t renewing the lease. She decided that she’d save Monty the trouble and start with his shit first.

Monty pulled up to his destination and parked. He gripped the steering wheel tight as he berated himself internally for letting things go on for as long as they did. He prided himself on being a real nigga but he was acting like a childish ass lil boy. It was now Wednesday, and he hadn’t been home since he left for his brother’s wedding and reception the Saturday before. Caprice had been blowing his phone up with calls and text messages that he never answered or returned.

Reuniting with Iva was clouding his judgment already but he wasn’t complaining. He was happy that they finally grew up and discussed their feelings rather than arguing. They spent the past few days getting reacquainted with each other, discussing their relationship that neither of them ever wanted to end. He was so caught up that he went shopping for new clothes instead of going home to get some. He didn’t want to leave Iva’s side and, for the most part, he didn’t.

She made her feelings clear but she really didn’t have to. He was grateful for his second chance with her and nobody, especially Caprice, was worth losing her. He fucked up and done that before but his soon-to-be ex wasn’t all that innocent either. It wasn’t long before Monty heard about how Caprice made sure that Iva found out about her. It was all good though because the joke was on her. She did all that for nothing because he and Iva were back like they never left.

After gathering his thoughts for a while, Monty exited the car and jogged up the steps to the apartment. He used his key to let himself in but paused as soon as he did. There was no furniture in the living room and the tv was no longer mounted on the wall. A quick glance at the small dining area yielded the same results. All of the pictures had been removed from the wall and the dinette set was gone. All of his belongings, including his game console, was neatly packed in the living room as if waiting for his return. Out of everything that could have happened, he definitely wasn’t expecting any of that. Once the temporary shock wore off, he ventured further into the apartment.

“What’s up?” Monty asked when he saw Caprice in the bedroom, taping up a box. The bedroom set was gone, but the closet was still full. Caprice had a few items from the bathroom on the floor that she appeared to be boxing up.

“What does it look like, Monty? The lease is almost up and I’m moving,” Caprie snapped, not hiding her anger.

“Damn, you could have at least told a nigga what was up.” Monty regretted the words as soon as he spoke them. He sounded selfish as hell and he deserved whatever backlash that he was about to receive.

“If you’re gonna be anything, Monty, be fucking for real. I haven’t heard from you since Saturday. Hell, you ain’t even bother coming home. I can’t say that I blame you though with those nice ass condos. I wouldn’t wanna leave either.”

“What condos?” Monty looked at her skeptically.

Once again, Caprice had said too much already and she wanted to kick her own ass. She was a mess when Monty didn’t come home the first night. She had her speech all prepared for when he did decided to show up. She felt bold and ready to say some things that she had been wanting to say for a long time. When he didn’t come home that night or the next, the confidence that she once had turned to anger and hurt.

That was the ultimate disrespect, and she felt stupid for always defending their one-sided relationship. His heart never was in it and she saw that when he first came home from jail. She passed around Iva’s house a few times and felt a sense of relief when she didn’t see his car. That was until she drove around and looked inside of the gated parking area. Monty’s car was parked right next to Iva’s liked he lived there. Well. He probably did live there now.

“Your shit is packed and waiting. No need to say anything. I already know what it is and I hope you enjoy your past.” Caprice tried not to frown but she couldn’t help it. Just the thought of Iva made her skin crawl. She did everything in her power to keep them apart, only for him to turn around and run right back to her.

“She’s not my past, she’s my future.”

“Wow,” Caprice laughed sarcastically, “Really, Monty?”

The mere thought of jail frightened her. She saw firsthand how the inmates lived. They made the best of their circumstances but it was still prison. If it weren’t for that, she nor Iva would have Monty because Caprice would have put a bullet in his forehead and left. She was sure she wouldn’t get far with some of his crazy ass family members but it was a chance she would have gladly taken.

“Real shit, I owe you an apology. That shit that we had in jail should have stayed behind those four walls. The guilt that I felt from you losing your job was the reason why I made sure you were straight, but I shouldn’t have done that either. You knew what the outcome would be if you got caught.” His father was right and he didn’t owe Caprice a damn thing. She took a risk just like he did and lost.