“Are you serious right now? It sounded like you were on the phone with a bitch.”
“Yeah, I’m dead serious, and I don’t like bitches questioning me. I’m a grown ass man, and I already let you know what it is. I would suggest you put your clothes back on because it’s a little cold outside, and I would hate for you to have to drive home in your birthday suit.” I advised. Daisy was a cool chick, but she was doing too much.
“Wow. I can’t believe you are treating me this way. I guess I know where I stand in your life.”
“You don’t have a place in my life at all, so I’m not sure where the confusion is. We fuck around from time to time, but it doesn’t get any deeper for me.”
“Well, I’m sure Belleza would be interested to know you have someone taking up your attention,” Daisy warned. My jaw flexed as I realized the mistake I had made.
“If I were you, I would keep my fuckin’ mouth shut. You and I both know Belleza wouldn’t be happy about you sucking my dick while she wasn’t around. I’m not the nigga you want to play with, so I would suggest you mind your fuckin’ business, or Belleza will be the least of your worries.
Daisy and I stood there staring at one another until she grabbed her purse and stormed towards the door. I wanted to kick my own ass for being so careless around the wrong person. I had been so caught up with Peace and Promise that I had forgotten all about Belleza and her obsession with control. There was no doubt in my mind that she would have an issue with Peace, which was why I needed to make sure the two of them never crossed paths.
I grabbed my wallet and my gun before I headed out of the room. There were a few messages from my crew about the recent shipments, so I replied as I headed towards the front room. Business on both ends had been running smoothly, and I was grateful, although I never completely let my guard down. Being in the streets, you have to be ready for things to go left at any moment. Danger was always lurking, so I stayed prepared for it.
“You got everything?” I questioned, grabbing my keys off the table.
“Yeah.”
I nodded, then headed towards the door. I couldn’t care less about her attitude because I meant what I said. She wasn’t important to me, so her feelings were none of my concern.
Once we made it to our cars, I chucked the deuces up and got in my ride. I never looked back as I sped off to Peace’s place. Luckily for me, it was only ten minutes away. I whipped my ride into the parking lot and hopped out with my gun tucked in the waistband of my jeans.
Instead of knocking, I used my key to let myself in. When I heard Promise crying, my heart dropped. She rarely ever cried, so I knew she must have been miserable. I removed my shoes at the door and headed towards their rooms. It sounded like she was in Peace’s room, so I headed there first. As soon as I opened the door, I saw an exhausted Peace with baby girl screaming in her arms.
“What’s wrong with my princess?” I called out to her. Promise’s head snapped in my direction as she leaped out of her mother’s arms. She was still crying, but she calmed down once I lifted her into my arms. Her body was warm, and it worried me.
“She’s burning up,” I announced.
“I checked her temperature again, and it’s 101. The medicine doesn’t seem to be helping.” Peace informed me. Promise rested her head on my chest as she continued to sniffle. Her nose was running, so I used my t-shirt to clean her face.
“What’s the matter with Doe’s princess?” I kissed the top of her head while she held onto me tightly. My heart broke seeing her in pain.
“She won’t eat, she won’t sleep, and I don’t know what’s wrong with her. I’ve tried everything I can think of, but nothing is helping.”
I could hear the desperation in Peace’s voice, and it made me feel guilty for the way I spoke to her earlier.
“I’m about to get her dressed so we can head to the emergency room and get her looked at. If her fever has spiked, it could mean she has an infection.” I might not have been aparent, but I raised three little girls, so I had experience with sickness.
It took five minutes to get her ready, and we were out the door. We got to the ER in no time, but as Peace expected, the wait was extensive. After the first thirty minutes, I went up to the nurses’ station and put on my charm. We were there for a total of three hours before they let us know Promise had a double ear infection. Once we got her discharge papers, I headed right over to the pharmacy to pick up her antibiotics.
It was three in the morning by the time we finally got her settled. She fell asleep on my chest while I sat on the couch. Every time I tried to move her, she would whine, so I left her alone. Peace checked her temperature one more time, and we were both happy to see it had gone down.
“I can put her in the bed.” Peace whispered as she tried to reach for baby girl. I moved her hand away as Promise squirmed in my arms.
“Leave her alone.”
“I was only trying to help. It’s three in the morning, and you’ve been up with her all night. I’m sure you need to get back to whatever you were doing.”
“I’m aware of what time it is. Can you bring me a blanket before you head to bed?”
Peace’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she headed towards the hall closet to grab a blanket. I hadn’t realized how tired I was until I closed my eyes. By the time Peace came back with the blanket, I was knocked out sleep.
peace graham
. . .
“You do knowthis is my place, right?”
