We cruised through traffic at a steady pace. By the time I made it through the conjunction of a crowd, we were pulling into the parking lot of Sin. This was the first and last time Lincoln would be visiting this place. I found a space right in front of the door. It was mid-day so there was no nonsense going on at this hour.
Climbing out the car, I helped my baby out and headed inside. I had the staff greeting me and Lincoln at the door.Bentley had good people working for him. They were all so respectful, especially Mula.
“Heidi,” Mula screamed as soon as she laid eyes on me.
I quickly hushed her. She was going to give away the surprise. I didn’t want Bentley knowing we were here just yet. It was only so much I could hide from the man to begin with. He was just as nosy as Royce, and hot headed as Genesis. He was the perfect mixture of the two.
“Shhhh. I don’t want him to know I’m here.”
“Good luck with that. He has eyes and ears all over this place. What are you doing here and who is this little one?”
“My son. I know you ain’t think sneaking in here was yo’ best move. What the hell you doing here Mama?” Mula called it. I should’ve known I couldn’t get nothing pass him. He took the stairs, and I had to admit, he looked damned good.
“Hey Bentley!” Lincoln shouted.
“What’s good lil’ man?” he threw back.
God, I missed him.
“We’ll talk later Mula,” I whispered. Still holding onto Lincoln, we crossed the room to meet the man of the hour.
He was dressed down in a pair of cargos and a t-shirt. This was the first time I witnessed him so laid back. His ice shined against his chest, his earrings were seen a mile away, and his watch was blinding. He was a man of value, and he knew it.
Once I was in reach, he immediately bent down and wrapped me in his embrace. The smell of his cologne was so goddamn intoxicating. I melted the second his flesh meshed with mine. A soft moan escaped as he squeezed and loved on me.
“I missed you Ma,” he spoke in my ear followed by a soft kiss.
“I missed you too baby. You look good,” I complimented.
“Thank you, you do too. Tell me something though. What you got going on?’ he questioned palming my stomach.”
There I was thinking I hid my stomach from him, but he in fact noticed it. I smiled nervously not sure on how the hell he would accept us. Each decision I made so far, didn’t involve him. This was new to him all the way around the board.
Stepping back, I laid it flat like I did for Royce. “I’m pregnant, you’re the father, of course, and Lincoln and I are here to officially move in,” I said all in one breath.
Smirking, he nodded, and replied with, “Cool. Let a nigga grab his shit and we can be out. What we having?”
“A girl.”
“How far along are you?” he questioned.
“Four months. I’m impatient, so I asked Dr. Bloom to draw blood and tell me. We had a lot of conversation and a little girl as your first seed came to mind. I just wanted to show you, we can check it off our list,” I explained.
“Spoiled and beautiful like her mama. Yeah, I’m fuckin’ with that,” he said wearing a grin that couldn’t be contained. “Wait for me, aight?”
“Of course, my love.”
I didn’t know why I had it in my head that this was going to go south. He proved me wrong every single time. This man was a saint if you asked me. He did his job as a man, lover, and father. All of what I witnessed the Atkins men be for their women, he was being for me.
I had a son that he loved and a baby girl that was becoming a part of this world. He had no objections to anything I spewed. It was a simple agreeance followed by satisfaction. I didn’t know what I did to deserve this kind of love, but I wasn’t neglecting any of it. It was a long time coming and I was prepared for the long run ahead.
You’re okay, Heidi… finally.
EPILOGUE
Bentley
The bickering between Mercedees and Royce had me dying laughing. Apparently, The Oath had a seat waiting on me. I didn’t want to be a part of it because this was all my cousin shit. However, Rhema’s seat was permanent along with Senior’s and Uncle Ryan’s. They’d retired so it trickled down to the next generation but only to the first born. That left me, Royce, and Cedees.
