“Out.” Heavy pushed her out the door right behind Prischa and released a frustrated breath before spinning to face Giselle.
“I’ll swing by tomorrow to check on y’all.”
When he was gone, Giselle made sure to close and lock the door behind him. Turning, she pressed her back against the wood and lifted her head to the sky. She hadn’t predicted that. The rest of his family seemed welcoming, but clearly, Henna and Prischa were going to share a difference of opinion.
Learning that Heavy was pursuing things with another woman didn’t exactly sit well, but it wasn’t like she could do anything about it. She’d married Alonzo knowing in her heart it wasn’t what she wanted. Her opinion didn’t matter. The only thing that did was making sure he had a relationship with his children going forward. It had been years. She couldn’t expect him to spend his life alone.
Giselle checked on the kids one last time and sat in front of the fire with a glass of wine and her laptop open on her lap. Coming face to face with Heavy and him knowing the truth had been checked off the list. Now, she had to figure out the rest of this life stuff.
“I want to know why you didn’t tell me what’s going on?” Prischa demanded once they reached her house.
She parked in the driveway, and Heavy wheeled his SUV up to the curb. He didn’t have the chance to get his car shut off and step out before she stomped down toward him. Henna slowly got out of Prischa’s car and met up with them on the sidewalk. Heavy pulled up to talk, but he had no plans to stick around. He was going home to get some rest because he had other shit to do in the morning before swinging by and checking on his seeds again.
“I just found out today, and I ain’t heard from you to be reaching out and telling you shit, Pri. You the one shut me out, remember?”
“Because I was upset, Heavy! Not because I wanted to break up! Then, I find you over there with that bitch, all cozy late at night like shit is good. How do you think that makes me feel?”
“You’re going to sue her for custody though, right?” Henna chimed in. “There is no way she gets to ride back in town and get away with keeping them from you, Heavy. You didn’t deserve that.”
“Whatever happens is between me and Giselle. I need you to stay out of it.”
“Stay out of it!” his sister repeated. “You’re kidding me, right? You’re not going to make her pay for this?”
“Punishing her punishes my kids, Henna. The fuck you mean? She’s their mother.”
“And you’re their father!” she screamed, throwing her hands up. “She kept them from you for almost four years! You need to petition for some kind of rights, so she doesn’t think she can just take off with them.”
“I don’t need you telling me what to do. I’ll work things out with Giselle, but she’s their mother, and they love her, so I’m not going to just remove her from their lives,” Heavy argued.
“She had no problem doing that to you,” Prischa pointed out. “Why are you giving her the benefit of the doubt?”
Feeling like a recording, Heavy sighed and ran his hand down his face. He was exhausted. The day hadn’t turned out how he expected, and he was still in shock that he woke up a single man and was lying down tonight a whole daddy. He didn’t want to leave the twins, but he also needed to get his thoughts together and figure out how to deal with this situation going forward.
Henna had a point; he did need to establish his rights and find out what they were from an attorney. He didn’t see himself taking the twins from Giselle, though. It was obvious having them had changed her. She seemed more nurturing and humbler. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about her and wondered how things might have been if she had stuck around.
“It’s been a long day. I’m not about to sit out here going back and forth with you about this. I’m going home.”
“You’re not going to stay here tonight?” Prischa tested him.
“Nah.” Heavy shook his head and rounded the front of his truck. “I’ll just talk to you later.”
“Heavy, we’re not done talking about us.”
“We can talk later. I’m tired, Pri, and I need a minute, aight.” He yanked his car door open and hopped into the driver’s seat.
Standing there on the curb with her mouth partially open, Prischa wanted to cry. With Henna at her side, embarrassment also hadn’t escaped her. She’d been thinking about her and Heavy for days. Ever since that conversation at the hospital. After Pierre died, she told herself that she wouldn’t get involved with a man like that again. One who was in the streets and doing illegal activity. Losing him made her lose a piece of herself that she never got back, and it was Heavy who was able to bring her out of her dark place. The fear of losing him the same way put her in a vulnerable place.
“I’m sorry, honey.” Henna tossed an arm across her shoulders. “Come on, let’s go have some drinks since P is with my grandparents for the night.”
Heavy’s taillights hit the corner, and Prischa didn’t budge. He really left with everything up in the air.How could he be so careless with her feelings?She thought the two of them were better than that. One appearance from Giselle, and he was switching up.
“I can’t lose him, Henna.”
“You’re not going to. Give him some time. He just found out he’s got kids. I’m sure his head is still spinning. You have to figure out how to be there for him like you always have. You’re his friend first, remember? Don’t worry about Giselle either. Heavy couldn’t possibly want her after what she’s done. You just need to wait this out and be supportive. He will appreciate that more than you flipping out,” Henna assured her.
It all made sense, but Prischa wasn’t sure how she would be able to do that. She did doubt her and Pierre’s safety, but she also trusted and loved Heavy. When she thought about life without him in it, it wasn’t a possibility she was willing to live with.
Saturday morning…
