“Just call him,” she whispered back.“Finding his phonenumber’llprobably be a lot easier than tracking him downon the mean streets of Denver.”
Darius lived on the mean streets.
I didn’t usually take those.
“I’ll think about it,” I told her.
“I hope you do, because, don’t forget, I was around duringthe great love affair of Malia Clark and Darius Tucker.I know it was highschool, but some things transcend high school, and you two were one of thosethings.Everyone knew you were the real deal.Everyone knew you two were goingto make it.Thick and thin.Life smacked you both in the face way before itever should have.You’re in thin.I know that boy and the man he’ll become.He’s Mister Morris through and through.He’ll do right by you.”
Even though I knew she was right, I still hoped she wasn’twrong.
I laid my sleeping son in his crib, marveling at howbeautiful he was, reveling in how peaceful he slept, pleased he hadn’t woken upwhen I picked him up from Mom and Dad’s house after I dropped Toni, andthinking I was crazy for missing him being awake and driving me crazy bylearning his way around the child-protection latches Dad installed on thecabinets.
I touched his chubby cheek, his little nose, then bent overto kiss him before I pulled up the side of the crib and locked it into place.
It was a moot action.He’d learned how to climb out, whichwas why I had stacks of pillows around the crib just in case.
If he woke before me (and he always woke before me), they’dcome in handy.
Before I left him in there with his blue elephantnight-light glowing, I made sure the pillows were where they needed to be, andonly then did I head out.
We had a two-bedroom apartment, even though the secondbedroom was just bigger than a closet.Since Liam didn’t need tons of room yet,it worked.But I needed to get my degree and get a job that paid better,because soon he’d need his own space, and more of it.Liam was at the top ofthe scales height wise.He was going to be tall, like his daddy.And it wastime to get him out of the crib and into a bed.
These were my thoughts when I went out of his room, headedfor our tiny kitchen to get myself a glass of water before I got ready for bed.
I stopped dead and squeaked when I saw the man standing inmy living room.
After the surprise wore off, Isaw the man.
He had his arms crossed on his chest.He’d had his hair doneinto twists.He’d lost weight, looking lean…
And mean.
But no less beautiful.
Darius.
Shirleen had told him I’d been out looking for him.
“Who’s the kid?”he asked.
Oh God.
He’d seen me with Liam.
This wasn’t how I’d wanted this to go.
“Darius—”
“Who’s the fuckin’ kid, Malia?”
“How did you—?”
He leaned toward me, not uncrossing his arms, and gritted,“Who’s thefucking kid?”
I’d turned the light on in our tiny entryway to guide my waythrough the apartment, so even though no other lights were on, I could see him.
He was still handsome.Fit.Broad shoulders and trim hipsand long legs that made his simple T-shirt and jeans look like a fashionstatement.
