“Off. I ended early to pull up on you.”
“Well, that is much appreciated.”
“I’m gon’ take you to get Ny and bring you both home. I wanna spend the night, then bring her back to daycare and you here in the morning. That’s cool wit’ you?”
“Of course. What about my car, though?”
“We gon’ leave it here. I’ll let Joe know to keep an eye on it.”
Nivéa nodded. “Sounds good.”
Crown watched her adjust the roses in the vase, his gaze slowly tracing her figure in the fitted tracksuit she wore. “You gaining weight, baby.” He noted.
Nivéa immediately grew self-conscious, her head jerking to the side. “Well, dang, nigga. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I mean, you have been feeding me like crazy, so it’s your fault.”
“You look good,” Crown quickly clarified, knowing she had that true Cancer energy. She was strong, but any little thing could sting her feelings.
“Mmkay. I’m happy you like it.” She blushed as she walked over and took the bag from his hand.
Inside, Nivéa found a stunning new Hermès Birkin bag. “Oh my god. This muthafucka is bad. Oooh, wait to Reesh sees this. I gotta take a pic.”
“Glad you like it.”
“Like it? I love it. It’s my very first one.”
Crown nodded, watching her pose with it in front of the mirror while snapping a photo. It made him feel good to see her happy. When she was done stunnin’, she headed back over and sat in his lap.
“Thank you, big daddy. Now, where are you taking me to show it off?”
“Funny you ask that. I have to go out of town soon, and wanted to see if you could ride out with me. My client’s wife is expanding and opening another location for her boutique. I need to meet up with him to view the site.”
“Oooh, I would’ve loved to. But I can’t leave Ny for long.”
“I would never ask you to leave her for long, ma. We’ll fly in that morning and be back the next day. I got a jet. We move on our own schedule.”
“A jet? You have a jet, baby?” she asked in disbelief.
“Yeah.”
Nivéa blinked repeatedly. “Get the fuck out of here.”
“I’m serious. I got one my fourth year at my firm. I’ve worked with quite a few people out of town. It was needed.”
“Jesus. Well, okay then.” She smiled, thinking it over. “I would love to go as long as Reesh or her mom is available to watch Ny for me.”
“If they aren’t available, my mama can watch her. She would love that.”
Nivéa hesitated, and Crown could see it all over her face as she diverted her gaze, staring down at her purse. She had her people she was familiar with when it came to her baby girl. She knew Kerri was a good person; it would just take some getting used to.
“It’s just a suggestion, baby. But y’all are family, so I want you to get comfortable. Mama gon’ take care of her fasho. You know that shit.”
She nodded, knowing firsthand how loving Kerri could be.
“We will see, handsome. Come to the back with me. I want you to see the shirts. I printed a few just to see how they would look.” She kissed his cheek and stood.
Head over heels, Crown trailed behind her like a happy puppy following its owner. They spent about thirty minutes in the back going over the shirts. He gave her more ideas to expand her designs, telling her to add caps and handbags with slogans. Eventually, she got another customer for her sale, and he stepped back, watching her with pride as she made things happen. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand how niggas didn’t want to see their woman happy or with the finer shit in life. He wanted nothing but the best for his.
When six o’clock came, they headed to his truck to pick Nyla up from daycare.
