“Sound like history repeating itself to me,” Loyal stated.
“Papa, don’t hype him up,”Ellie grinned.
“Ain’tnothing wrong with a man knowing what he wants. She got a husband, though. Got to get rid of that one first,” Bishop chastised.
“Yeah, I’m on top of that too. Wegon’hold a funeral before the wedding. How that sound?” Loyal asked, amused at the horror on Ellie’s face.
“Baby girl, I like this nigga here. He about his business. That’s what I’m talking about,”Papa championed.
“Oh my god. You’re fucking horrible,” Ellie whispered.“Don’t listen to him, Papa,” she said aloud.
“Enough of that, now. Quit delaying this ass-whooping, young man.Go’n upstairs, baby girl, and let the men handle business.”
Loyal returned to the table, and she made her way slowly up to her old room.
She rushed inside and put her back against the door as she heaved breathlessly.
“That nigga is a problem,” she whispered. She liked him too much. The intensity of him almost scared her. She pulled out her phone and hit her group chat.
Bitches, I got a 911. Wake the fuck up!
Chapter 7
Courtneylay in bed with Christian beside her as she snickered at the group text thread she was engaged in with her girls. It felt so good to see her friends. She hadn’t realized how much she missed them until they were all in the same room. She heard the front door open, and she looked at the time. It was a little after midnight. He was home early. She hated the tension that filled her home when he walked through the door. He filled her with instant anxiety, and she didn’t know when their dynamic had become this toxic exchange.
She listened to his every movement as he made his way through the house. The way her body braced itself for bullshit was alarming. Her eyes misted because she realized somewhere in the history of their relationship, she had begun to fear this man. She didn’t even know when or how it had occurred.
His shadow appeared in the bedroom door, and he flicked on the light without regard.
“Can you turn out the light?” she asked.“The baby’s asleep.” It was insensitive habits like this that made him selfish. He only considered himself in their existence.
“My bad,” he said. He turned out the light and undressed in the dark, coming out of his clothes and leaving them in the middle of the floor.
“I thought you were working a double tonight?” she asked.
“They shut down construction for the night due to the snow we’re expecting,” he explained.“What you been doing all day?”
“Not much,” she said.“Ran a few errands.”
He had just gotten home and had already earned two strikes on her shit list. He never picked up after himself. He just assumed she was going to come behind him and take care of it. It was like she had two kids to take care of.
“I thought you were going to clean up today?” he asked.
“I didn’t have time,” she answered.“I’llget to it tomorrow.”
“How is it possible that you sit at home all day but don’t have time to clean this house? Did you cook?” he asked.
That, she had done. She had put a roast in the Crock-Pot before she met up with her girls.
“Yeah, there’sa plate in the oven for you,” she informed.
That seemed to be enough to stop him from talking shit. He walked into the adjoining bathroom and closed the door. She sighed in relief when she heard the shower come on. Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up to continue her conversation with her friends when she noticed Ellie had hit her on the side.
Ellie
Hey! Cass just pulled up to your house. He has diapers and formula for you.
“Shit,” she mumbled as she scrambled from the bed, making sure to push Christian to the middle of the mattress as she hurried to the door before Cassidy rang the bell.
