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I flew into North Carolina this morning, missing Lennox and Chino by minutes as they attended the last day of court. She tried to tell me it was unnecessary since she’d be returning home to Jersey today. Not hearing any of it, when Charlie booked my flights for this run of the tour, I was sure to have him do Lennox’s and Chino’s as well. Yes, I’d just gotten off a flight, and would have to endure another in a few short hours, just to make sure I was here supporting her in some capacity.
Charlie left the driver’s seat just in time to meet Lennox and Chino at the rear passenger door and opened it. They assisted Lennox’s hike inside. She was two steps into the sprinter when she noticed my legs. Her eyes roved up to my face and in a span of two seconds, I identified recognition, relief, joy, and…pain. My body tensed as I stood to grab her. She hugged me tight as Chino hopped in.
I pulled her face to me by the back of her curly waves. Her brown roots had dominated since she dyed it for her birthday almost a year ago, and I loved the look on her. She clung onto the wings of my back as I kissed her, fucking up her gloss. “You good?” I asked, examining her eyes.
“I will be,” she whispered.
“What the hell that mean?” Chino hissed. “I been asking her since the judge ruled in her favor, what’s wrong.”
Lennox ignored him, taking a seat. I leaned over to offer him dap. “Good to see you, O.G.”
“Appreciated,” he returned, but quickly went back to his daughter as I sat next to her. “If that tweakin’ ass muthafucka ever fuck with you again—”
“I’m fine!” Lennox shut down his rant. “Really.” She tried to soften it with a smile. “Thank you. But I’m good.” Then she opened her cape, revealing her round, seven-month belly hidden beneath high-end garb, and exhaled deeply while falling into my side.
We entered the rented home through the garage. I trailed behind Lennox while holding her cape over my arm. From the back, she didn’t even appear pregnant. However, that ass had swelled similar to her belly. Pensive, I knew to wait until Lennox was ready to speak to learn what had gone down.
We spoke every day again, several times a day. Our communication was even more frequent than it was before we started fucking a year ago, during her homecoming trip. Lennox had been keeping me abreast of everything happening in court. Richardson had done exactly what he told Lennox he’d do while we were inKarsyn Cove. He’d gotten a lawyer. According to his aunt, Rachel, who’d check in on Lennox from time-to-time, the attorney took him on pro bono, still admiring Richardson’s short-lived career.
Richardson thought he’d had a case and even revealed how much he’d been in touch with Mya for some time. He tried to accuse her of infidelity. Of course, when Lennox and I learned about it, we were scared out of our asses. Not only did Lennox’s attorney prove to be competent, but my girl seemed to have some “creeping” savvy to her as well.
Richardson claimed Lennox visited Jersey last October and had stayed with her “lover.” Kelly-Ann wrote a statement agreeing with her son’s allegations. He tried to use Mya’s story of Lennox staying at a cheap hotel, which was suspicious. She said she had reason to believe Lennox hadn’t stayed there at all. Richardson’s attorney tried to argue how Lennox could have easily said she was staying there, while actually not staying there at all. This theory was shot down when Lennox’s attorney got a sworn statement from Lisa that she’d actually been inside of Lennox’s hotel room, and had seen the room had been used by her. They also used a picture Mya had taken of her and Lennox in the room before they parted ways.
It was a fucked up attempt and wasted Lennox’s money on attorney fees. Either way, it was worth it. Richardson couldn’t prove the cheating, and therefore wasn’t granted alimony. Besides, Lennox didn’t have a job. She completed the nail tech program so she could write the curriculum and policies for Jade’s salons. Her initial payments had been to an LLC she established earlier this year. However, when she performed hours for her license, her low income was paid directly to her as an employee at a random nail salon. Another move to protect her against his greedy ass. So, on paper, Lennox had no means of paying him shit. Lennox’s lawyer had been able to effectively prove how she was a neglected wife for most of the marriage. Yes, we should be in celebratory mode, but Lennox was not.
Maybe because she knew it appeared we’d dodged a bullet on the infidelity claim. All those sneaky links over the past four years. The homecoming two years ago when I had her bring her girls to Raj’s club,Checkerboard, just to steal a couple of hours in the same room as her. We snuck off to his office for a kiss and rub down fest. Raj knew, but her girls didn’t.
Videos or pictures of me proposing to her on her birthday could have been leaked. We could have been caught the time I met Lennox in Florida during her work trip when we had our second-first kiss. It could have been the time I had Coach Launz get them the box suite at theGiantsvs.Kingsgame. Or last fall, when I rented this very house so close to their home, using Dale’s recording as an excuse.Shit. Lennox had,in fact, been with me last homecoming when Richardson alleged the cheating took place. He simply had no proof.
“Okay, man,” Chino started as we made it to the opening of the living room. “What’s going on?”
Lennox had moved past the room when she tried, “Dad—”
I swung around to face him, “O.G., I know all you wanna do is support her, and you did. You’ve held her down these three days in court.”
“The fuck, Iknow—”
“And now, I’m here.” I tried reigning my temper. He was annoying the fuck out of me now. “Her man is here. I’ll take over. You filled in when I couldn’t. She’s my responsibility.” I looked him dead in the eye.
Chino took a step back, almost squaring me as he shot daggers, too. Again, I wasn’t afraid of Lennox’s father. He may have still been feared in the streets, but this was my world. Lennox was my lane he wouldn’t cross. And if he tried me, I’d lay his little ass the fuck out.
Behind me, I could hear Lennox trekking for the bedroom. Ahead of me, behind Chino, Charlie was there, anxiously tense and closely watching.
“Aye, yo, Tobe, man.” He sniffled, swiping his nose. “I’mma let you have that, but watch the way you talk to me, man,” his volume fair. “I’m her old man. I’m only here to help. You feel me?”
Biting my tongue, I gave him a nod and turned off down the hall.
The moment I closed the door, Lennox was on me. Her little body curving around my chest and abs. As she hugged me, one hand went around her shoulders, and the other to her belly. For a while, we didn’t speak. I knew to wait.
“He was good these past few days,” she spoke into my chest. “I’ve actually seen a sweeter side to him.”
“Good.”
“It’s just…I needed…” She peered up at me. “It’s been a rough few days, and I didn’t know how the judge would rule with alimony. I feel like…I just needed to see you, be right here.”
I stroked her belly, hoping to soothe her, and possibly wake the baby to feel a few kicks. “I’m here.”
“I’m embarrassed.”
