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“Call before you come down here. I’m sure your girl will be waiting for you to get better.”

“She’s not my…” I hung up the phone in his face before he could finish.

42. LAW

Respecting Summer’s wishes, I didn’t go to her room. Instead, I stood at the glass and stared at my daughter with amazement. She was the spitting image of me. From my bright red skin, long fingers and toes, to the birthmark on her thigh. The nurse noticed me and walked me into the nursery. After that scare I had two days ago, holding my baby girl was just what I needed to cheer me up.

“She’s tiny, but she’s completely healthy. It’s almost her feeding time, so I’ll go grab her bottle and bring it to you. Just sit here and get comfortable with her,” the nurse told me.

She was placed in my arms, and my heart melted. What was her name? It’s been two days and she still didn’t have a name on her card. I needed to see her eyes. If she had my eyes, I was going to call her Olivia. The whole time I fed her, she stayed asleep. She peeked slightly but not enough for me to see her eyes.

“Daddy loves you. I got a lot to work on, but loving you and your mama ain’t one.” I kissed her tiny cheek and put her back into her bed.

“You’re welcome to come and go as long as you have a band on. We’ll be bringing her down to the room in about an hour.”

“Thank you.”

I stood in the hallway trying to figure out if I needed to go home since I was discharged or should I at least attempt to go and see if Summer was okay. The doctor put me on a few days of rest but that was something I couldn’t do when Summer and I weren’t on good terms. Against my better judgment, I walked towards Summer’s room.

The sound of laughing could be heard from outside of her room. It was good to know she wasn’t in the room crying over my bullshit, but it really made me nervous. Usually, she would shut down and not want to be around anyone. To hear her talking and laughing made my heart sting. Without knocking, I entered her room. The talking and laughing stopped suddenly.

“What the fuck you doing back up here? Somebody tell me what the fuck is going on,” I walked up to the nigga that was standing on the side of Summer’s bed.

“Excuse me,” a woman touched my arm.

“Bitch, don’t touch me.”

“Law!” Summer called out.

“Who the fuck is he?” I asked her.

“He’s my ex-boyfriend, but if you pay attention, his girlfriend is right there,” she pointed out.

“Both of y’all muthafuckas played me. I asked both of y’all, but you both lied.”

“I don’t owe you shit, my nigga. I was respecting her wishes. We came up here to say our goodbyes. Ain’t no need to beef with me. Shit, I fucked up too. I got a second chance too and fucked that up too.”

“You been telling this nigga our business?” I glared at Summer, who was now sitting up on the side of the bed.

“Law, you need to bring your voice down.” She got out of bed and gave the nigga a hug. I snatched her ass so fast that I forgot she had just had a baby.

“Get your hands off of me,” she said through gritted teeth. I released her, and she smiled at the girlfriend before hugging her too. “You make sure you stay on his ass. I wish y’all nothing but the best.”

“I already know, girl. We’ll make sure to keep in touch.”

“How dare you bring your cheating ass in here and embarrass me in front of my fucking guests?” Summer exploded when they walked out.

“Your muthafuckin ass lied to me.”

“Don’t feel good, do it?” She smiled before pulling the cover back. “I never slept with him while we were together, yet he’s been here more than you. Not to mention his girlfriend being supportive of our friendship. I suggest if you want that same friendship from me for your daughter’s sake, you stop fucking touching me.”

I removed my hand from her wrist and walked away from her, and sat on the sofa. With my head in my hands, I was speechless. While I was connected to all those tubes, I had a million things to say to her but now that I was in her presence, all my words were gone.

“Summer, I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to fuck with me anymore. Can I just sign my baby’s birth certificate and then I’ll leave? She still sitting down there with no name.”

“That’s because I didn’t want to be selfish. As bad as I want to be a bitch to you, I can’t. I didn’t want to name her without your help. But I want you gone before the ink dries on that paper.”

“What I got to do to fix this?”