His hand tightened on mine. “What.”
“I think it was your mother.”
He went still. Like all the air left his body at once.
“At the grand opening,” I whispered. “She was in the back. Smirking. Like she knew exactly what was about to happen.”
He didn’t move. Didn’t speak. But I could feel it—the rage coming off him like heat from a furnace.
Then he exhaled. Slow. Controlled.
“I’ll handle it.”
Three words. But I knew exactly what they meant.
“Don’t do nothing stupid,” I said. “I need you out there. Not in here with me.”
“I’m not gonna do nothing stupid.” He pulled back just enough to look in my eyes. “But whoever did this to you—whoever put you in here, away from me, away from our daughter—they gon’ pay. That ain’t a threat. That’s a promise.”
“Two minutes,” the guard called.
Prime stood and pulled me up with him. Wrapped his arms around me one more time. I pressed my face into his chest, trying to memorize everything. His smell. His heartbeat. The way his arms felt like the safest place in the world.
“You’re not having this baby in a cell,” he said against my hair. “I swear on my life, Zainab. You’re coming home.”
“I know.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“How’s Yusef? I want to speak to him.”
“He’s strong. Doing aight. Sloane is meeting with him more. Two times a week. He’s back at home with me. I’ve even heard him playing around on his keyboard. Shit, he picked up my guitar.”
It warmed my heart to know that he was doing better. He hadn’t played piano in months.
“I miss him so much.I just want to hug him. Cook for both of you. Hear you both play. I need to be at home. I miss my life with you.”
“I know, baby. We will get the fuck through this. It kills me all day to know you’re in this hell hole. How are you being treated in here? Any bitches fuckin’ with you?”
“No. My bunkie is cool. Like I said. The food is trash and I miss those smoothies you make for me. The ones with the pineapple and mango to mask the nasty-ass spinach and sea moss.”
He let out a laugh. He was so attentive to my pregnancy and wanted our baby to be super healthy. He was buying organic everything. He didn’t get in the way of my cravings but he made sure I had a nutritious smoothie every morning with my breakfast. God, what did I do to deserve this amazing creature.
Camille appearednext to us just as the guard announced, “Time’s up.”
“Stay strong, Zainab. I’m working very hard. I’ll be in touch about transport.”
Prime kissed my forehead. Then my lips. Soft this time. A goodbye that didn’t wanna be a goodbye.
Then he walked away.
I watched him until the door closed. Until I couldn’t see him no more. Until the guard said my name twice and I finally made myself turn around.
The walk back to my cell felt like it took forever. My legs were heavy. My chest was tight. I kept seeing the way he looked at me before he left. It was like he was trying to memorize me too.
Just a week. Then I’d be on a plane to California. Away from Prime. Away from Yusef. Away from everything.
