He set Precious down but paused. “Oh, and another thing. Did you get rid of that nigga?”
My heart started to race because I hadn’t. I shook my head. “No. What am I supposed to say to him? Things are good between us.”
He walked over to me. “You want me to text him for you?”
I shook my head and backed away. “No, no. I got it.” Only God knew what Port would text that man, so I grabbed my phone and typed something up.
Me:
Hey, I know this is unexpected but I can’t see you anymore. It’s nothing you did or said. I just need some time to figure out what’s next for me.
When it was sent, I looked at Port and made a face. “Happy now?”
He held out his hand with a frown. “Nah, let me see what you said first.”
I giggled and ran from him. “Man, gone. You need help.”
He shook his head and smiled. “Nah, I need you.” He looked down at Precious and picked her back up. “And this little one too. Y’all are all I need.”
When Perfect said he wanted to take us shopping, he was not joking around. The man had run up a serious tab at the mall and didn’t break a sweat or his smile. I kept telling him things were too much, and he paid me no mind as he swiped his card constantly.
“What the fuck do you do that’s got you balling like this?” I questioned with a raised brow.
We were leaving Foot Locker, where he’d bought all three of us his favorite pair of Jordans, which were 1s—something about wanting us to wear them for family pictures. Perfect was a little off in the head, but I was just as delusional. I was right there, already thinking of what our outfits were going to be.
“Your boy is a licensed Journeyman Electrician.”
I smiled and clapped my hands proudly. “Oh, wow. You have a legit career.”
He mugged me. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
I laughed because he really looked offended. “Nothing. I just meant I’m really proud of you. That’s all. I didn’t know electricians make this kind of bank.”
He nodded. “Shit, this ain’t nothing for real. I’m newly licensed at the shit, so get used to a life of luxury, Princess, especially when I open my own business one day.” He paused and then turned to me and said, “Plus, I’ve damn near saved every dollar I made over the last few years.”
I stopped walking as my smile faded away. “Why would you do that?”
He closed the space between us and tucked a piece of my curly hair behind my ear. “For you.”
I shook my head and swallowed the lump in my throat. “You’re crazy.”
“Nah, I’m a man that was determined to take care of the woman he loves.”
Before I could respond, Precious started going crazy in her car seat. “Ice cream,” she said repeatedly while pointing at the stand.
I was about to tell her no, but of course, her father had other plans. He unbuckled her, and the moment her little feet hit the floor, she went running. I palmed my face. “Oh my goodness. Now you see why I keep her locked down.” He laughed while chasing after her. When he finally caught up to her, he snatched her giggling self in the air and tickled her until her laugh was all that could be heard in the courtyard.
I met them at the ice cream cart, where Perfect paid for each of us a cone. We both got butter pecan, and Precious got strawberry. I pushed the stroller while he carried her in his arms. She was in her own little world, and everything was okay until we went to sit on a bench to enjoy our ice cream, and she dropped hers when Perfect set her down.
She started to show her ass, crying and screaming. I was ready to correct her, but Perfect beat me to it, except he didn’t correct her at all. Instead, he got eye level with her and spoke to her in a soft tone. “Look at me. You’re okay, Sweet Pea.” He just kept assuring her over and over while wiping away her tears until she finally calmed down. It was at that moment I knew I could trust him. A man who could be gentle with a toddler while she had a tantrum was a man after my own heart.
“You knowyou can stay in the car, right?” I asked Perfect when we pulled up in front of my parents’ home to drop Precious off for the night.
It was Armani’s birthday, and her flavor of the night bought her a section in Platinum. When I told Port about it, he invited himself to tag along. And since things had been fine with us, I didn’t shoot it down. I was enjoying his company more every day he came over to the house after work. I didn’t realize how badly I missed having him around, but it was almost like old times. He was handling things for me like washing my car, putting gas in it, taking out my trash, and keeping the grass trimmed low. When Perfect was gone, my daddy handled those things for me.I wasn’t sure how he was going to take the news that Port was back.
During the time they were working on my shed, they built a bond. My dad wasn’t happy when he found out Port took off, leaving me with a baby to take care of on my own. I just didn’t want there to be any tension between them, but Perfect wanted them to know he was back in our lives because, according to him, he was staying forever. He knew how important my parents were to me, so having a good relationship with them was also important to him.
“Yes, Princess. I know.” He chuckled. “Stop being scary and come on so we can get going.”
