NAIJHEL
“It’s okay, little guy. Shhh . . .”
The baby whimpered a little bit and looked at me with wide, curious eyes. I grabbed the bottle from the warmer and took a seat in the rocking chair on the side of his baby bed. I held the bottle up to the baby’s mouth and rocked with him as he grew silent and content again. He gradually took charge of holding his own bottle.
Those eyes remained on me as though he was assessing whether I could be trusted or not. Finally, deciding that I could be, he relaxed his little head in the crook of my arm and closed his eyes. I pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
“Little guy, I would never harm you. As long as I’m around, you’ll always be safe. Besides, you’re not the one I came for.”
He nestled closer to me and released a contented sigh.
I sang my version of “Hush Little Baby” to him as I rocked.
Hush, little G, don’t say a word.
If your daddy pays up, no one gets hurt.
If he decides to run a scheme,
He gon’ find out what torture means.
If I have to activate,
I’ma do some shit I know he gon’ hate.
He can try to run as fast as he can,
Gonna find out I’m worse than Homeland.
I’ll catch up with him ’cause I know where he be.
So maybe he’ll be smart and just call me.
When I finished my song, I dialed a number on LiveTime and then put the empty bottle back on the table beside the crib. I paced the nursery with the baby in my arms, bouncing him and trying to put him back to sleep. The phone continued ringing, and I wondered if he would answer at all.
“Hello?”
“Clayton. It’s good to see you again.”
“What do you want, Naijhel? I heard that you’ve been running around town with my ex. I’m sure you’ve come to find that she’s not as enticing as you might have thought she was. You do realize that you could lose your license over this. Do you really think she’s worth that?”
“I didn’t call to talk about Delaney. Not directly anyway. Someone was missing you, and I thought we might give you a call so that he can see your face.”
I angled the camera just a little bit so that he could see the baby in my arms.
“Hey, little guy. Say hi to your daddy.” The baby blew spit bubbles and babbled happily.
I kissed the baby on top of his head.
“What the fuck are you doing in my house? In my son’s nursery? Holding my son!”
“Don’t worry. I just wanted to drop by while you were out of town to make sure CJ and his mommy were safe.”
“Where is Gamani?”
“Oh, she’s getting a much-deserved rest. She had a cup of coffee this evening, and it was a little stronger than normal. She obviously needed it because she’s been sleeping like a baby since,” I explained and walked across the hall with the baby, who was still babbling. I stepped into the master bedroom where the baby’s mother was asleep.
I kissed the baby’s head again. “She’s a beautiful girl. I can see how a man might be attracted to her, and her vitality will make an older man feel young again. It’s the same feeling that I get with Delaney, so trust me, I understand. What is she, twenty? Twenty-one?” I asked, turning the camera to Gamani who appeared to be sleeping peacefully and unaware there was an intruder in her home.
