“Because I knew if I would’ve put it in your lap it would’ve never happened.”
I nodded my head in agreement like he could see me. He was right, so instead of fighting him I let it go… kind of. “I’m not cooking nor am I entertaining.”
“Done and done. Now bring your stubborn ass home woman.”
After I hung up with him, I called Luna. She’d been MIA lately and every time I asked my brother about her he said she was dealing with some family shit. The thing is I missed my friend and I wanted to make sure she was fine and not doing that suffering in silence thing that she was so good at.
“Yess, Ommy,” she greeted the moment she picked up the phone.
“Where are you and why have you deserted me, woman?” I asked dramatically.
“Dealing with some tough shit that I promise to tell you about when I get home.”
“When will you be home? What do you mean? Are you not in Chicago?” I asked.
“Nope, but I promise when I can clue you in I will.” She and I talked for the rest of my drive, then she had to go when I turned into the driveway. I keyed in his code, then pulled right into the circular driveway. This place was like a fortress, shit kind of like my father’s place. It had a way of keeping the outside world out and whatever was inside it.
I don’t know why North insisted on having dinner at the house tonight, but he was serious as fuck about it. He had invited my father and brother. When I got into the house he claimed that these types of moments were necessary and I couldn’t shut the world out. I responded letting his ass know that contrary to his belief it was totally okay to ignore the fuck out of and avoid most of human population. Besides him Niema and my son I was missing in action a lot and I needed that in order to recharge on most days. Honestly, the only reason they even saw me was because we resided in the same space.
“How do you feel, Avery?”
“Like you’re forcing me from this fortress of comfortableness to entertain, because you haven’t met your socialization quota this month.”
That earned a laugh from him, because seconds later he approached my side of the bed with a smirk. “Yo, you’re really fucking sick. You know that, right?”
I chuckled. “So I’ve been told. Now are you going to let me take this nap or are you about to keep interrupting it?” I was completely exhausted from my day in the city today.
“The latter. I feel like fucking with you. Especially since lil’ man and that ugly ass dog are on the other side of the house with Niema.”
“And that means?”
“Exactly what I said and some.”
I shook my head no. “I distinctly remember telling you that you weren’t getting anything from me since your little friend keeps pulling up outside and acting like a freaking lunatic.” Toy had not only showed up here several days in a row, but she hadalso seemed to dedicate her life to calling and hanging up any number she could get ahold of. The one time I answered the phone she started whining into the phone and I could barely make out shit she was saying. All I made out is her repeating why.
“And you had security remove her, plus I changed the number. Right?”
“Not the point.”
“Then what is the point? The fact that you keep tryna punish me for the actions of others?” He looked like a petulant child at this point.
“Not others. One bitch. One female. One person. One woman who seems to feel like she has some sick claim over you.” I got out of the bed and started walking around the room. It was obvious I wasn’t getting any type of nap.
“But who's living in my house? Carrying my child? And building a family with me? Who has my fucking heart in the palm of her stubborn ass hands?
“Me,” I murmured slowly, because him putting things that way made me feel silly for the way I had been acting.
“Nah. I wanna hear you say that shit louder. I need to hear it and you do too so you’ll stop copping those dumb ass attitudes.”
I shook my head, and I was about to say something slick, but his hand had made contact with my arm and he was pulling me toward him. He took a seat on the bed and pulled me into his lap.
“I’m waiting, Avery.”
“What am I supposed to be saying again?” I had honestly forgotten because any type of physical contact with this man was always enough to erase whatever I was thinking at whatever moment.
“That you know what this is and those lil’ tantrums are a thing of the fucking past.”
Now I was smiling because my body knew what was up. After all he did just tell me that my baby was on the other side of the house with Niema.
