“Hey, handsome.” She sang.
“Sup, beautiful. It smells good as hell in here. You cooked?” Crown asked, standing at the entrance with his eyes landing on the stove.
“Yes, your favorite. I asked your mama what it was, and Reesh was nice enough to bring everything over and keep an eye on Ny for me while I cooked.”
Crown walked over to the stove, checking each pot carefully. Sure enough, his favorites were prepared. Oxtails, baked mac and cheese, candied yams, greens, and cornbread.
“Damn, looks good too. I appreciate you. You and mama been keepin’ me right.”
“You’re welcome. I figured we could eat and watch a movie after I get Ny down. That is, if you’re not too tired. I found something on Netflix that I really wanna see.”
Crown was exhausted and still stressed the fuck out. All he wanted to do was shower and shut his eyes while he had the chance…while the streets weren’t on his line and clients weren’t demanding his presence. But he knew Nivéa needed an escape after being locked down all day. She didn’t have to tell him. He could just feel it. Putting himself in her shoes, he told himself he would thug it out. Anything to make her happy.
“I’m good.” He said his usual. “I’ll change real quick, wash my hands, and then I’ll feed her before we get to that.”
“Okay.” Nivéa nodded, watching him until he was out of sight.
Upstairs, Crown quickly changed into a white tee and a pair of basketball shorts. By the time he washed his hands, Nivéa was already in the nursery. He headed over and met them in the center. They kissed as she handed Nyla and the bottle over to him.
Crown cradled Nyla’s tiny body in his arms and sat down. As he talked to her, she scarfed down the bottle, and the warm milk had her out like a light in no time. Gently, he laid her down in the crib, pulling the blanket slightly over her. Nivéa smiled, shaking her head at the tender scene.
“You’re so good to us.” She said, opening her arms.
“Always,” Crown walked over to her, lifting her small frame.
Nivéa wrapped her legs around his waist, tucking her head on his shoulder. Things between them had become so natural. She planted kisses on his neck until they reached the kitchen. She got down and instructed him to go sit and relax while she fixed their plates. Crown complied, settling into the theater room and getting the custom fireplace going. By the time Nivéa returned, he was so deep in thought as he leaned back in the oversized recliner that he hadn’t even realized she had entered the room. She picked up on his worried expression.
“Hey, if my situation is what’s been troubling you, we can always leave, and I can just go to the police station like I planned at first.” She offered, handing him the plate and drink. “It’s okay, baby. You don’t have to try to figure everything out.”
Crown snapped from his thoughts and turned to her. “I plan to retire my patch at 40.” He said, ignoring her ridiculous statement. “It gives my bro enough time to learn more, heal, and mature.”
“Wait, what?” Nivéa’s brows furrowed in confusion as she went to grab her food. “That was random as hell, baby.” She remarked when she returned.
“Just thought you should know. This is my life until then, ma. Shit ain’t pretty.”
“I hear you, handsome. I told you as long as there’s a plan in place, I’m ridin’ with you.”
Crown took a bite of his food and said,
“I lost one of my prospects. He was on life support in the hospital for a lil minute.” He revealed.
He had been holding it back, trying to shield her from the troubles that came with his life as it ate at him. But he needed relief. He needed someone to talk to beyond his niggas. The pain was still fresh because he had picked out and paid for Dro’s casket early that morning before he met with Preach.
The fork in Nivéa’s hand froze as she brought it to her lips. “Why was he on life support?” she asked nervously.
Crown didn’t answer, giving her a knowing look.
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, lil nigga meant a lot to me. I met him when he was just a kid at one of the back-to-school drives. We’re holding his funeral this weekend. I’m gon’ make sure he goes out nice.”
“I’m sure you will.” She reached over and massaged his beard for comfort.
They ate in silence for a while, both lost in their thoughts.
“I’m almost finished with my order for the birthday party, so I reached out to my customer to confirm the time and day for her to pick it up.” Nivéa broke the silence.
“Aight, you know I got you. Just let me know when you ready.” Crown set his plate aside and pulled her onto his lap.
