“You still messing with that nigga?” I chuckled ‘cause Gee had been torturing Tank, Daelite’s boyfriend, since he found out about him.
“Shot up his car a few days ago. Nigga was screamin’ like a little bitch. Daelite brought her ass over to my crib tryna check a nigga but left with my nut leakin’ from her pussy.”
“Shit, maybe I need to take notes from you. Juniper ain’t tryna fuck with a nigga period,” I said, then took a hit of the blunt then passed the blunt to Gee.
“You might, but I still ain’t fuckin’ with her.”
“Man, Juni ain’t have nothin’ to do with Daelite leavin’ yo ass.”
He sat back inhaling then exhaling, eyeing me, then he smirked. “Nigga, you right it ain’t her. It’s yo ass not havin’ control over yo bitch. Nigga, fuck you.”
Gee’s ass wasn’t all the way there in the head. I wasn’t taking his goofy ass seriously. The only thing on my mind really was getting back in good with Juniper. I missed the fuck out of her. Seeing her up close today, the love I had for her came rushing back. I still loved the fuck outta that big headed ass girl. I didn’t see myself ever not loving her. It had to be destiny, fate, or whatever the fuck you wanted to call it because no other broad on this earth had me the way Juniper did. I would be a fucking fool to not try to fix shit between us. In the past, I let loyalty outweigh our love when it should have been the other way around. I wanted Juniper, and this time, I was going to do everything I had to keep her in my life forever. I didn’t give a fuck about her fake ass fiance or any of that other shit she had going on. As long as she was my wife, I was finna fight for another chance. I wanted to do shit the right way. No more Mixie, or any other bitches. All I needed was Juniper, and a nigga would be straight. I just prayed she hadn’t stopped loving me. I hoped God didn’t harden her heart towards me before I could make it right. I wasn’t tryna be walking around mad at the world like Gee’s ass ‘cause I waited too long to go after what was mine.
Chapter 29
Juniper Weaver
A Couple of Nights Later
Leave it to fucking Faheem to knock me off my square. I hyped myself up on how our first encounter would go. I was supposed to walk in there, head held high like the boss bitch I am. I wasn’t supposed to take any bullshit from Faheem, I was the one running the show. The plan was to make him regret losing me. I wanted him to suffer every time he looked at me because he wasn’t the reason behind my glow. My crazy ass fantasized about Faheem groveling at my feet begging for my forgiveness. He was supposed to cry tears of joy when I told him about Ryver. But no, my silly ass missed the memo. I was the one stuck seeing that nigga looking fine as fuck. He might as well been gliding on air as smooth as he walked. I was all in, all over again. I hated to admit it, his son was adorable. Even if the stupid ass nigga stole my baby name. I swear that nigga made me want to smack the shit out of him when he calledhis son Forrest like I wasn’t the one who picked that name out. I didn’t know if I wanted to kick Faheem or kiss him.
Seeing him take care of his son made my heart melt. Faheem was rough around the edges, but it seemed like he was adjusting to fatherhood well. You could see Forrest adored Faheem, his eyes lit up whenever he interacted with him. I did feel guilty watching the two of them interact. Forrest and Ryver could surely pass as siblings; they looked just alike. Faheem had strong genes, there was no denying either one of his kids. I felt bad knowing Ryver didn’t have the father-daughter relationship. Don’t get me wrong, my baby was well taken care of and loved, but seeing Faheem’s bond with his son, I wished I would have spoken up sooner. Yeah, Ryver was still young, and she more than likely wouldn’t remember not knowing Faheem. But he would always remember everything he never got to experience with her. I hated that for him. No matter how mad I was at him, I didn’t want to hurt Faheem. He’d hurt me, and I shouldn’t care about his feelings, but I did. I think a part of me would always love Faheem. He’d always have a special place in my heart. The time we spent together wasn’t long, however, it was deep, magnetic, the kind of love you never forgot about, on top of us sharing a child, deepening our connection even more.
Faheem thought he was slick bringing his son with him to our first counseling session. He knew I wouldn’t be able to resist Forrest; he was adorable and reminded me of Ryver. If it wasn’t for Forrest shitting through his diaper and Faheem not having anything to change him into, ending our counseling session before I had the chance to tell him about Ryver. I’m not gonna lie, I was relieved when Faheem left early. I wanted Faheem to know about Ryver, but at the same time, I didn’t want to deal with the blow up that would come from Faheem. Was I wrong for not saying anything sooner? Probably. At the same time,there was no changing the past. What was the point in being upset about things you couldn’t change?
“Juniper, are you listening to anything I’m saying?” Kojo reached across the table, shaking my arm to get my attention.
I had tuned him all the way out. We were having dinner at this nasty bougie restaurant he loved to eat at. I hated it here, the food was too expensive for the small, bland portions they sold. Kojo was the type to want something because it was popular. He did shit for appearances. He’d been rambling on about his work day since we sat down. Kojo worked at some lucrative investment firm. When we first met, he tried explaining it to me, but I didn’t care too much. It sounded boring. I did know his entire family was rich because of it. His dad and two brothers also worked there. Kojo always wanted me to come to his office building claiming he wanted to introduce me to his team and go to company parties like I was already his wife. After one party with him I was done, he did the most and I said never again.
“Yea, uh-huh, I heard you,” I lied through my teeth. I had no idea what that nigga was talking about.
“So, you’re on board with my ideal?” Kojo asked with hopeful eyes.
“What idea?” I frowned at Kojo, he was too eager for my liking.
He let out an annoyed sigh with the matching glare. “I said, once we get married, I might as well legally adopt Ryver. We all should have the same last name. That’s how a real family works.”
“Uh, no, that's not going to work,” I shook my head at that goofy ass idea.
Faheem was already going to be livid once he found out about Ryver. Kojo wanted me to pour salt on the wound trying to give her his last name. Faheem would probably kill Kojo and me. Kojo must have forgotten about the night Faheem went crazy.The hit to his head with Faheem’s gun had to knock his common sense completely out.
“What’s the issue?” He frowned at me, his pride was hurt. “It’s not like Ryver’s father knows about her. We can keep it that way. I’m sure you don’t want a man like him raising your daughter. I’m willing to help you keep your secret.”
“I appreciate the gesture,” I sarcastically replied, scoffing at his arrogance. “But I’m going to tell Faheem about Ryver. Probably at our next mediation. It’s not fair to him or Ryver if I keep them from each other.”
“You can’t be serious? Who gives a fuck about how he feels, and Ryver just turned one. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
“Why do you want my daughter to have your last name so bad?”
Kojo was being weird as hell right now. Never once had he ever mentioned Ryver having his last name. This man was in the delivery room when she was born and never uttered a word. My nurse even thought he was Ryver’s dad and wanted him to sign the birth certificate. Kojo quickly corrected her, pissing me off with the way he reacted. So, this sudden interest in Ryver having his last name wasn’t sitting right with me.
“I’ve been in her life as a father figure since she was born. It’s only right she has my last name.”
“Father figure? That’s pushing it. A friendly face she’s familiar with.”
“Are you really going to try and downplay my role in her life? All that me and my family do for that little girl.”
“What do you do?” I asked, truly confused at Kojo. He was trying to act like he was some super step dad, and that was far from the case.
