“No. I have an attitude because you can’t ever be in a space with a bitch andnothave done anything sexual with her,” she shook her head. “She’s with my ex. Did you know that?”
“I don’t know the bitch’s name. You think I know who her nigga is?”
“That’s who he cheated on me with.”
“Okay and?”
“And how do I know you won’t do the same?”
“Because I ain’t that nigga, fuck you mean?” I frowned, but I did soften up some when I thought about the shit. Diamond was as confident as they came, but she was still a woman and reassurance and shit mattered to them, so I added, “I love you, Diamond, and what we buildin’ together means more to me than gettin’ my dick wet or gettin’ some head from random hoes. I never told a woman I loved them that didn’t share the sameblood as me or wasn’t married to one of my brothers. That shit is big to me.
“If there were a checklist for the wife that was meant to for me, you’d check every fucking box. You pretty as hell, got a big heart, got your shit together, pussy I wish I could eat all day and live inside, and the way you handle Baby Lord lets me know that when we have our own child one day, you gon’ be a great mother. Why would I fumble you? It don’t get no better than you, Lord. I promise you that. Why you think a nigga be payin’ that high ass rent in the city and never there just to sleep in yo’ little ass bed? I’m in my nigga’s private jet more than he is.”
She smiled and pushed me gently. “My bed is the perfect size for us.”
I chuckled. “You the only woman I’ll ever let my feet hang off their shit for, and the one I’m gon’ marry and let have all six of my sons.”
She scoffed. “You’ll be lucky to getonechild out of me. Your mom didn’t say it, but I know why she was one and done.”
“Naw, Baby Lord gon’ need a team to protect her.”
Her pretty ass smile was back in place. “She’s going to be the oldest.”
“If we start workin’ on ours now, they’ll be right there in age together,” I smirked as I pulled her on top of me.
“We’re not quite ready for our own just yet, so I’ll stay dedicated to my pills for now, but I don’t mind practicing in the meantime.”
“I’ll take what I can for now,” I said then pulled her down for a kiss.
TWENTY-FOUR
Diamond.
“He says he’ll be here in five minutes.” I looked up from my phone to let Makhai and Denise, the social worker I’d been working with, know.
We were having our first visit with Keona’s dad. It had been a long few weeks going through the process. Makhai insisted on letting his people look into him first then when he checked out to his standards, I called the social worker to let her know that he’d come by my place.
They began their procedure right away and he checked out for them too. He passed his background check with no criminal history and no instability, and the DNA test came back positive. He did have a history of drug abuse, which explained the track marks that I’d seen, but he’d turned himself around. He’d been clean for nine months, was in therapy, and was currently enrolled in some courses.
He actually had a job at a local restaurant where he’d met my sister in their back alley.The same one that I’d seen him in. Apparently, he’d been feeding her and trying to help her get clean, which was how he ended up sleeping with her. Headmitted to having done drugs with her, but that was before she got pregnant with Keona.
He said she came to him at the restaurant asking him to come see me and demand the baby back, as well as money since I was dating a rich man, but he had no interest in that. He said he went along with her plan so he could get my information from her just to come and see about the baby. I felt even worse after learning all of that. He was so nice to me, and I’d given the poor man my whole ass to kiss.
“Aight but come sit down,” Makhai patted the space beside him. “Your pacing is tearing my fucking nerves up.”
Chuckling, I walked over and took a seat next to him. He was holding the baby who was busy trying to get his chains in her mouth. She’d grown so much and became so busy. Everything that she saw and could get in her little hands, she was trying to put in her mouth.
“You good?” Makhai asked and I nodded.
“Just nervous.”
“Being nervous is normal,” Denise chimed in with a smile. “But everything will be okay. Today’s visit will be a quick one, only about thirty minutes, and you don’t have to worry about him being alone with you or her,” she assured me.
“I’m fine,” I let her know. “I don’t want to keep her away from him if he’s serious about wanting to be active in her life. I just don’t want her hurt or confused. I know she’s just a baby right now, but still…”
“She can still be confused, so that is very understandable. Starting today, we monitor his consistency. If he misses any visits, shows any unsettling behavior, or if you ever feel uneasy, we stop immediately and reassess.”
“You ain’t got to worry about any of y’all feeling uneasy,” Makhai chimed in. “Lord gon’ get his issue real quick in here if any of y’all look uncomfortable to me.”
