“No. And I didn’t see him this morning before he went to work, so he didn’t even know I was coming here. But when was he here and what did he bring you? You know we have to be careful with your dose, Mackie,” I stressed, now making my way to the top drawer of his nightstand where I knew the stash would be.
He waved me off as I pulled out the packages of cookies, candies, and mints. I checked the milligrams in each while I ignored Mackie fussing me out. I hated that it was still the same amount as the gummies, simply different forms, so I couldn’t even be mad.
Why would you want to be mad anyway, Mickey?
Because I was mad at myself for falling for Burkeley and wanted to blame him for sweeping in out of nowhere and making me like him.
You are saying this like it’s a bad thing, Mickey.
“Chile, I know you better stop actin’ like you can’t hear me and put my stuff back and come tell me what the real problem is.” Mackie sat in his chair waiting on me.
I groaned while doing as I was told.
“How much time do you have?” I asked as I sat on the love seat, getting comfortable.
He offered a sly smile.
“For you, however long it takes. So what’s going on? Something tells me Viola was right about this too, huh?”
I nodded and began to spill my secret.
After fifteen minutes of catching Mackie up, it got quiet in the room, leaving the clock to fill the void.
“Who all knows the truth?” His phone ringing had him holding his hand up to pause the conversation.
“Hold that thought.” Mackie answered, smiling and going silent before saying a few words then hanging up. I waited a minute then answered his question.
“The girls and his friends. And who is that?”
“You got a lot of your own business going on to be concerned about mine. Now, back to yours, good, leave it just like that. No one needs to know the history of you two, just the present that is moving to be y’all’s future. The truth is, whatever you thought this was in the beginning was never that. Well, at least not for him. I saw it coming that day you brought him to meet me. You might have been working under the arrangement you two put in place, but that man had love in his eyes for you back then. Not only did that confirm it, I told you Viola said he was coming.”
“So you’re not mad or think this is a bad idea about me moving in and being with him?”
“Mad that you kept this secret from me about Peanut’s sperm donor, absolutely. If Burkeley wasn’t here already claiming the position as if he truly were the father, I would hunt that muthafucka down then send Viola to haunt his ass. Shit, that part might still happen. I can understand your reasoning, which makes me hotter about this whole bullshit that he came at you with. And why would I think you finding love in the midst of your storm would be a bad idea? Whether I did or not wouldn’t matter no way, when you two were already written to be. And y’all are starting a family, Mickey. I told Burkeley’s ass he better do right by you and Peanut. I wasn’t expecting the separate houses for too much longer.”
“Again, so you're saying this is happening no matter what and I might as well accept that I fell for Burkeley even if I didn’t see him being here past the new year?” Mackie was up and moving around now.
“Yeah, but you should also talk to your man about all this and no one else. I’ma tell you the same thing I told your mother when she met your father. The key to a lasting relationship is not only the ability to love your partner, even through hard times, but to always communicate even when you’re unsure of your feelings or the right words to say. I’m still not understanding why you felt the need to run anyway from him and not handle this last night. You weren’t raised to avoid your problems.”
“I was scared. This isn’t a simple solution type of situation. We went into an arrangement with rules and I managed to break them all.”
Mackie snorted. “Not by yourself, Mickey. I just told you the only person who was in this relationship on that whole temporary arrangement was you. Remember Burkeley is a grown ass man who I’m sure you can’t get to do anything he doesn’t want to do for you, with you, that wasn’t already a part of his plan. Also, wasn’t this his idea in the first place?”
Damn, how did I forget that detail?
This damn pregnancy brain is kicking the fuck in.
You really do be stressing over nothing.
I chuckled as I shook my head at the fact that I was stressing out about nothing. I rubbed my now growling stomach.
“I take it that’s your cue. Did you not feed Peanut this morning?” I hadn’t because my nerves were all over the place about her damn daddy and now she was giving me the blues too.
“I didn’t forget. My stomach was too nauseous to handle anything. I was freaking out too much. Please don’t tell that man or I’ll never hear the end of it. Oh, and before I leave, since I know you won’t be at the dinner for the parents, you can tell Viola her legacy will live on in her middle name.” I reached into my purse to get Mackie’s ultrasound photo just as my phone vibrated with a text from Burkeley.
“Oh my, a Minnie is on her way.” He grinned down at the tiny peanut and kissed the picture, making me do the same as I watched him love on his great-grand already.
I then put my attention on the message as my smile turned into a whole ass cheesy ass grin showing all thirty-two.
