Even my intuition was telling me not to let them go, but I just had to be the bigger person. I didn’t want to be labeled as bitter or jealous, so I ignored all the signs from the universe to try to allow my kids to have a relationship with their father. As I held my baby, I knew this situation was all my fault. If I’d listened, none of this would have happened.
My head shot up when I heard yelling from down the hall. “Poppa,” I whispered, realizing one of the voices belonged to him. Loh must’ve told him what happened. I hopped up. “I’ll be right back, baby.”
“I’m going to fucking kill you!” Poppa yelled when I made it into the hallway. I ran as fast as I could to where I’d heard the voices. He was in front of the receptionist’s desk, calmly removing his gun from his waistband. “I ought to empty my clip in your bitch ass, but I’m going to enjoy knocking all your fucking teeth out.”
By the time I made it over to him, he was already squaring up with Drey. He opened his mouth to speak, and Lyrix popped him in it. Blood instantly gushed from his busted lip, but Poppa didn’t care. He savagely whupped his ass while the hospital staff was freaking out about his abandoned gun. I picked it up and slid it into my purse before trying to get closer to the fight.
“Lyrix, please, stop,” I pleaded with him from where I stood. I glanced over my shoulder when I heard footsteps. Two burly police officers raced over to the fight. My heart was beating wildly as I watched them yank Poppa off of a barely breathing Drey. I guessed the only good thing about what Poppa had done to him was that he was already in the hospital. He was beaten black and blue. He was going to need their help, without a doubt.
He snatched away from the police, pointed at Drey, then spat on him. “Don’t you ever put your fucking hands on my son again in your fucking life!” he roared so fiercely it brought tears to my eyes. I knew everyone heard malice in his voice as he spoke, but also the sternness. He was not fucking around about that.
Now that he had finished his handiwork, he held his hands up for the police to cuff him. I rushed forward with tears blinding me. “Lyrix, what were you thinking?”
He gave me a panty-dropping smile that almost dropped me to my knees. This was not the time for his charm. “That ain’t nobody ever fought for y’all, but I will every fucking time. You and my boys are my world, Bubbles. I don’t be saying that to hear myself talk. I mean it. That nigga had it coming.”
He held no remorse in his eyes or voice for a moaning Drey, who was still lying out on the fake, shiny sheet vinyl floors. I could tell by how the officers were handling him that this was very serious. Drey was the type to press charges, and the thought of Poppa getting in trouble behind this situation made my body sway. I leaned on the receptionist’s desk for support.
“Breathe, Bubbles. Everything will be okay.”
“Yes!My husband will be pressing charges. He just viciously attacked him!” Brandaisha yelled from where another officer was now speaking with her.
I balled my fists up, ready to do the same damage to her ditzy ass, but Poppa’s voice stilled me. “Chill, Bubbles. Our boys need you right now. Fuck her ugly, bad-built, desperate, pregnant ass. She wanted your life, and now she’s got it. Let them be miserable. Everything is going to be okay. We’re good.”
I shook my head, feeling dizzy. “No, you don’t know that.” He gave me a smirk, clearly not taking any of this seriously.
“Protecting y’all is all that matters. From day one, shit has been different with us, so you gotta know I’ma step for my three heartbeats every time, and I’m not going to regret the shit either.”
My bottom lip trembled. I ran my hands through my hair, feeling hopeless as the police began to lead him away. I had my sons laid up in this hospital while my safety net was being carried away in handcuffs. A girl could only take so much at once.
I walked alongside Poppa, refusing to be away from him. “You’re not just the boys’ protector, but you’re mine too. If they press charges for assault, what are we going to do without you?” My voice shook as I admitted, “I need you, Lyrix. I . . .” I lost my voice before I could express the depth of my love for this man. How dare he put us in this position? I was infuriated andterrified at the same time. If the police weren’t leading him away, I’d beat him on his back like he stole something.
His expression turned serious just as the officers made it to their squad car. The back door was open, and Poppa was shoved forcefully inside. Even through the dark tint of the vehicle, I could feel his eyes on me. I hated that there was nothing I could do to yank him back out of there. He didn’t belong there. He was only protecting the boys, but I knew what it looked like to outsiders. He was the aggressor and had done major damage. There was no way Drey was going to take two L’s in one day. Since he was already whining about his car, I knew he was going to press charges without a doubt. He was petty like that.
Even when the squad car pulled off, I remained rooted in place, trying to make sense of everything. Slowly turning around, I found the strength to go back inside the hospital to be there for my boys. Without Poppa, they were going to need me more now than ever.
Chapter 13
Lyrix
After having to spend two nights in the county jail, my lawyer showed up bright and early Monday morning to bail me out. Unfortunately for me, bitch ass Drey decided to press charges, but I wasn’t sweating it. I actually expected it when I made the decision to beat his ass.
When I walked in the room to find my little man all scratched up and looking terrified, I almost cried. He looked genuinely relieved to see me. All I had to do was open my arms for him, and he mimicked my motion. With his head on my chest, I never got the chance to say anything, because he told me everything in detail in one breath. By the time he blurted his last word, anger had my mind in a vice grip. Nothing was going to stop me from putting my hands on that bitch. I couldn’t even call him a man, because he wasn’t that. He was a fucking joke, and I was so thankful Bubbles had finally left his sorry ass.
I told Loh I would be back and made my way straight to the lobby. I saw the fear in his eyes when he saw me approaching while cracking my knuckles. The grin on my face was genuine because I knew I would love every moment of rearranging his face. And I did. As I walked toward him, he knew what I was going to do, and I knew what he was going to do. There was noreason to be upset, other than the fact that I had to be away from Grai and my boys for a few days.
My lawyer was chatting about court dates when we exited the courthouse. However, I caught a whiff of amber on the wind that had my eyes going haywire as I tried to locate her. I found her leaning against a pillar, waiting for me. Her arms were folded over her chest, and she had the nastiest scowl on her face. I gulped and brushed my hand over my waves. She was pissed with me.
“Aight, I’ll catch you later,” I told my lawyer. Thankfully, he walked off without another word because I was more focused on the thunderstorm I saw brewing in the depths of Grai’s brown eyes. I knew it would be a bad one because her pupils nearly looked black as coal.
I walked up on her coolly. “Wassup, Bubbles?”
She scoffed, rolled her eyes, and stomped away. I chuckled, expecting nothing less from her. This wasn’t our first time being in a situation where Grai was pissed about something I did. I knew when she was ready to talk, she would, and for now, it was best to wait for the steam to blow.
Trailing behind her, I couldn’t help but to look at her fat ass in the jeans she wore. It wasn’t right to squeeze all that fat in there and be walking around with it looking like a full-course meal. My dick bricked up without any effort on my part. Grai could make anything look good. I licked my lips, admiring the way her fitted crop top exposed her tramp stamp tattoo and back dimple piercings. It read ‘MADE IN HEAVEN’ in red ink, and I just knew that’s exactly where she came from. I couldn’t even front like I hadn’t envisioned hitting her from the back with that tattoo smiling up at me.
When we made it to the car, she used the key to unlock the doors. She yanked open the passenger door, climbed inside, and slammed it without so much as a word to me. I shook my head,rounded the car, and got in too. Since it was a push-to-start, all I had to do was hit the brake and press the button. As soon as the car started, she went out of her way to turn up the radio. Still, I remained quiet, patiently waiting for it all to spill out.
I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, rapping along with some of the songs to come on. I could tell Grai hated that because she flexed her fists every time I opened my mouth. She really thought her little ass scared somebody, and of course, I laughed every time she did it. Her fists weren’t even bigger than plums. Eventually, I started mumbling shit on the songs I didn’t know just to fuck with her. She became fed up and shut off the entire radio while her leg bounced in place.
