“I already know.” I sighed through a laugh. “JJ has already told me to put my house on the market, as well as demanding I cut my work schedule in half. My man?—"
“My man! My man! My man!” Malayah stuck her tongue out, stood from the table, and twerked. “I know that’s right! Love my cousin out loud, girl.”
What started as a simple night out amongst family and friends turned into a celebration. With the exception of me, everyone was ordering all types of shots and cocktails. Someone made a toast while others shed a few tears and cheered. The ladies were truly happy about JJ and my news, and I loved that for my babies and me.
Out of nowhere, a chill ran down my spine. Looking around, I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but it felt as if I wasbeing watched. It didn’t feel like it did when I felt like I was being stalked. This just felt… different.
“You okay?” Stacy’s brows furrowed as she eyed me. “Something wrong?”
“Not at all.” I bit into my cheese stick, brushing the feeling off. “I’m good, friend.”
With the food and drinks flowing as the music blasted loudly, we were having the time of our lives. Breonna pulled me from my seat and swayed with me to Usher crooning. We both smiled and sang the words to “U Got It Bad” with our whole chests. I couldn’t hide the fact that I was happy and in love if I tried.
While we were in our zone, a shadow approached and interrupted. “Excuse me, ladies.” Everyone within earshot faced the man, with Breonna sucking her teeth and Mo mumbling something. “My friends and I were wondering if we could join you all and buy you a few drinks. There’s no reason for such beautiful women to have to spend their evening alone.”
Glancing over his shoulder, I noticed three additional men walking up behind him. They were all handsome with various builds and complexions, but that meant absolutely nothing to me. By the looks on the ladies’ faces, it didn’t mean anything to them either.
“While I appreciate the offer…” I grabbed Breonna’s hand to lead us back to the table. “I speak for the ladies when I say we will have to decline.”
“Are you sure?” He grabbed and placed his hand on my waist. “You can’t use a friend?”
“I really hope that’s not your dominant hand.” I frowned, pushing it off of me. “The only thing I’m sure of is you’re going to lose it by the end of the night if you don’t scram.” It was then that I noticed the lounge was slowly clearing out. Letting my eyes shift with the crowd, I told the handsy stranger, “Just because you don’t see me with someone doesn’t mean I’m alone.”
No sooner than the words left my mouth, the air around us shifted. The fun and light atmosphere now felt dark and cold as people continued to exit the lounge. I didn’t have to look around and pinpoint the reason for the shift. The men before us stiffened from fear, and I already knew why.
My crazy-ass baby daddy.
Ignoring the worried looks from the ladies, as well as the men, I resumed eating my wings. There was no way I was letting my food go to waste because my man was about to act a fool. I was going to just sit back, feed my face, and enjoy the show.
“Now, I’m not a perfect man, so I promised my girl I would work on being less of a homicidal maniac since we have a little one on the way?—”
“Bebe, you know your son been out here fucking?” My eyes widened at Jaseon’s interruption. “This nigga is about to be somebody’s damn daddy.” He walked up to his wife with a shocked expression. “We’re about to be grandparents! The fuck we gon’ do with more kids?”
“Jay, please!” Breonna groaned, shaking her head as he hugged her and placed his head on her chest. This man was really distraught, and I almost choked on my chicken, cackling. “The plan is to grow old and have grandchildren. Just think, you can beat them up since it’s obvious you don’t stand a chance against your son.”
Slowly, he stood to his full height and turned to JJ, who was still eyeing the man who’d touched me. Dragging his eyes back to his wife, he grabbed her hand and carefully pulled her away from the table and toward the exit. “I’m not fucking with that crazy-ass son of yours. I’m not even fuckin’ with his kids. Matter of fact, let’s go home and figure out a room for the littles. I ain’t trying to piss that nigga or his demon seeds off.”
“Don’t talk about my man and my baby!” I yelled out, causing our crew to laugh. Standing, I took one last sip of my virgin drink. “Come on, baby. Let’s go.”
“Did you touch my wife?” JJ stepped closer to the man, causing him to gulp and take one back. “Tell me my eyes deceived me.”
“Look, man, I didn’t mean no harm.” He palmed his chest before glancing over at me. “I apologize, ma’am.” He extended his hand for me to shake. “Forgive me—Ahhh!”
Shhkk!
Covering my mouth in shock, I watched as JJ removed his machete from his back and sliced the man’s right hand from his wrist with clean precision. He dropped to the floor, screaming at the top of his lungs, as blood squirted all over the place.
“Next time, keep your hands to yourself.” JJ grabbed my hand, locking his fingers into mine. “You okay? Did you have fun?”
“Yes.” I nodded, his eyes darting to my tongue as I swiped my bottom lip. “I’m better than okay. Take me home.”
“You missed me?” His voice dropped as he peered down at me with hooded eyes. “You missed Papa, baby?”
“Mhm.” I stood on my tiptoes, pulling his lips down to mine as I eased my tongue inside his mouth. I didn’t know if it was my hormones or seeing him cause someone harm for disrespecting me, but I was turned on something serious. “And I want to show you just how much.”
Grinning, he licked his lips before they spread into a smirk. Pulling me toward the exit, he shuffled me closer into his side. The way I was feeling, we weren’t going to make it out of the parking lot.
“Friend, you’re just as crazy as him,” Stacy mumbled as we made our way outside. “I’m going to pray for you because that nigga is a fuckin’ maniac!”
