End Zone Love (Connecticut Kings Book 4)

by Love Belvin

  “Shank ain’t get disability. He ain’t never pay into it.”

  She snapped her neck, being sassy. “We know that.” Her two fingers flying between the two of us. “They didn’t. Shank saved a lot in his youth. That’s where you get it from. He had life insurance, too. He was smart and we was comfortable. I’m still good. But it wasn’t easy living in our bubble with all them bitter people flinging them rumors.”

  I never thought about that. Shank kept a fan club, even after he stopped working. He was a legend. Still is.

  “You was good to him, April. The best for him. Ain’t no disputing that. You was a rider.” My forehead stretched, as I felt every word I spoke.

  “And Jade is one, too.” Her eyes skirted around the kitchen. “I see her around here. The sacrifices she make every day.”

  “Word up.” She didn’t lie.

  “Jade don’t want to keep you from shining. She only wanna polish you. She put you and her son on the same level: only two people she go to bat for. Told me so herself. And I been watching. Everything is about you around here. She turned your castle into a kingdom. That was what I tried to do for Shank. I ain’t care it was temporary. He was a good man and needed to live out the rest of his days like a king. Ain’t nothing more matter. But…” She sat up straight in her seat. “I only had Camden and a few surrounding towns to fight against. Jade got the whole world: everybody who rooting for you, and the ones that ain’t. Those little shoulders and hips want to be around to shield you, not bounce a baby on.”

  “You think she shouldn’t keep it?” I felt betrayed.

  “You kidding? Trent, I ain’t got no kids! I’m depending on you to make me a grandma. I’m just glad it’s gone be with a woman that look and cook like me.” She winked.

  A baby. Sixteen weeks. There’s a baby in there…

  I couldn’t shake that.

  “Oh!” April had my head snapping toward her. “Brenda!” I’d forgotten about the text I sent her, asking about my mother. “She got admitted again this week. Trick told me.”

  I stood from the table, grabbing my phone to call Tyheem.

  “Where you going?”

  “You said to give Jade some time. I’m going to check on my moms.”

  “Trent.” She called me midway to the doorway. “I ain’t a mother, so I’ll never speak against one. But Brenda got some shit with her that ain’t never been good to you.” Her eyes circled around the room. “You gotta family going on here. They love you like crazy. Don’t forget that when she be on her shit.” She took a deep breath, pulling the laptop to her. “I’m too old to be slappin’ the shit outta her. But that Jade…” Her forehead stretched and she nodded.

  “I’m sorry, man. She been off today. Hate that you had to come all this way for nothing.” I turned in the hallway, hands in my pockets, trying to calm myself. “I really am, man.”

  I faced him again. “Aye, yo—what’s your name again?”

  “Watts,” he nodded while speaking. “Watts Brown.”

  “Watts, I take it you’re her man. I gots no problem with you. It would be nice if family could at least call with the heads up. I’m always the last to know.”

  “Brenda’s a good friend of mine. I don’t mind being here for her. I’m sorry this our first time officially meeting.” I saw the admiration in my mother’s boyfriend’s eyes.

  He was happy to speak to Trent Bailey of the NFL. The last time we saw each other, he was probably too intimidated to come up and say anything. He was smart. Now, after sitting in the waiting room at Cooper Hospital for over thirty minutes again, he was the one to come and apologize after I sent a nurse in there to tell her I was here.

  “S’all good, homie.” I turned again, trying to decide what to do. April tried to warn me about this.

  “I guess ‘cause all this with her health going crazy came outta nowhere. Know what I’m saying?”

  “Nah. I don’t. Nobody tells me nothing. Nothing—”

  “Go ‘head with the bullshit,” someone grumbled behind me.

  I turned then bounced my head, begging his pardon. His boys walked inside the waiting room a few feet away.

  “Pardon me?” Trick walked closer to get to my moms’ room.

  “I said stop fuckin’ whining.” He stopped and threw me hard eyes, face tight. “Ain’t none of us got no control over Brenda. She do what the fuck she wanna do. You know that.”

  I shook my head. “Nah. Like I told Watts here: I ‘on’t know nothing because nobody tells me nothing. I gotta find out my earth’s in the damn hospital room on social media!”

  “And that’s our fault out here?” he referred to him and Watts.

  I took a deep breath, even chuckled to try to shake off the heat vibrating off of me.

  “Look, man.” My shoulders rolled and head cocked to the side. “If I ain’t addressing you, you ain’t gotta speak at all.”

  Trick posted up by putting one foot in front of the other, stepping closer. “Somebody gotta speak to shut ya bitching up.”

  “Word? You flexin’ because I feel somebody should let me know about my moms? How would you like if grams was in the hospital and people came through except you because nobody told you?”

  In my peripheral, I could see Snot-Snot coming out into the hall. Tyheem was on his ass.

  “But you found out, though! I made sure.”

  “Nah. Fuck, we lyin’ now?” My face balled. Trick ain’t tell me nothing. “April told me!”

  “Nigga, why you think I told her?” Trick’s chin was in the air, his nostrils wide, eyes wide.

  I knew this stance. Trick and I grew up as brothers instead of the uncle/nephew relationship we were born to. We fought together and each other. Heated debates ending with hands was easy to fall into.

  At this point, knowing where this was leading, I was with it. I’d already had a bullshit day, eating Trick’s shit wasn’t going down. I was past logic. It was all bravado and emotion now.

  “Fuck outta here.” My face balled again. “You musta forgot to tell her the first time, because she ain’t the one who told me.”

  Trick stepped closer, chin even higher, lips hiked to show his missing tooth. “Who the fuck you think had Snot-Snot call, bitch? Snot-Snot, dumb ass?”

  I wasn’t listening. Past the point of thinking.

  I straightened, pulling my pants up. “You got one more time to call me a bitch and I’mma split ya shit. Fuck with me!”

  “What?” Trick came charging and I knuckled up, ready to catch him.

  Before we could meet, Trick was snatched up and Snot-Snot jumped in front of me.

  “Yo, chill, Trent! We in the hospital, homie. Ya moms in there mad sick, yo!” he tried.

  I saw past him, shooting daggers at Trick, wiggling in Tyheem’s hold.

  “Nah,” I shouted. “Let his tough ass go. I’mma body him in front of his boys!”

  “Yo, Trent, man!” Snot-Snot begged.

  I saw his ass wasn’t slick with it tonight. Snot-Snot was the one that testified against me in my trial, cutting a deal with the FEDs. I had one for his bitch ass, too.

  “Excuse me! This is a hospital!” Some stiffy voice called, trying over our hyped voices. “Either you all leave or security will remove you. And by removal, I mean calling the cops!” The pudgy woman stood with her fists on her hips.

  Something in my spirit was nipped. Not stopping to analyze it, I took to anger instead.

  “Yeah. That’s right! Take ya bitch, crying ass on to ya million-dollar life! We don’t do suckas down in the CMD,” Trick kept yelling behind my back, as I took off for the elevator. “Hah-haha!” he laughed, mockingly. “Look at you. Ya moms don’t want you around. Like how that feels, bitch? Shank ain’t here no more. My sister got me, and you ain’t got shit but that million-dollar life, nigga. Fuck outta here!”

  I wanted to turn around and beat the living shit out of him. That was nothing for me. Not only did I hear every taunting word, I felt each syllable. But here was the
line I couldn’t cross. A minute or two earlier, I was ready to split his skull, but between that lady speaking up and the Holy Spirit beginning to rebuke me, I settled on walking away.

  We left Camden before the cops were called. The ride home was quiet as I went over everything that went down there.

  It’s been Trick keeping me posted?

  Why hadn’t I put it together about Snot-Snot? I guess I thought one of my aunts or cousins gave him my number. They all had the new one. And the biggest question was why didn’t my mother want me to see her. We had no beef. She couldn’t have been holding Jade questioning her about the Christmas gifts against me. Her curving me brought pain I was familiar with, but maybe had the stamina to deal with recently, because it had been so long since I tried connecting with her. What had I ever done to her?

  Why she ‘on’t love me?

  That’s when my flesh leaned to pity. I moped inside the house after chucking the deuces to Tyheem. The kitchen was empty and clean, my food, I was sure, was in the platewarming part of the oven. I wasn’t with it. Had no appetite. I needed to get upstairs to my bed.

  I heard the television going when I passed April’s closed bedroom door. Ky’s was cracked with the light out. I was sure he was nodded. Down the long hall both doors were closed. Inside, the lights were off. Not even the recess lights were on. I lay my gold chain on top of the chest of drawers and stripped down to my boxers.

  In the shower, echoes of my reality bounced off the walls.

  “Look at you. Ya moms don’t want you around.”

  “Shank ain’t here no more.”

  “My sister got me, and you ain’t got shit but that million-dollar life, nigga.”

  Truth hurt like a motherfucker.

  I moved in the shower as fast as I could then dried myself, avoiding looking in the mirror. Naked, I walked into the suite to grab boxers. My chest hurt with each step I took. When I made it to the bed, I couldn’t find her at first. Not because she was hiding. Because she was in an unusual spot: her side of the bed.

  Jade was still in her feelings. I didn’t care about that setback. I needed her now.

  I disappeared underneath the comforter and crawled my way over to her. Jade liked sleeping on her back, making it easy to reach her pussy. Her one leg lay flat and the other on its side. I kissed my way up her smooth thighs until I felt her stir. She turned her weight on the opposite hip, still sleep. I made my way to the top of her thighs, my dick growing at the scent of her. The little silk shorts she wore were loose. My mouth was on her in no time.

  I started with the tip of my tongue on her clit. She stirred again. My mouth salivated as I beat the pearl, feeling it swell. She moaned and tried switching her weight again. That’s when I widened my tongue and brushed it through her labia, the tip pushing into her clit before I did it again. I started at the bottom, between her ass cheeks and rolled my neck up to swipe every inch between her soft lips.

  “Mmmmm…” she breathed.

  Jade’s hips rolled around my ears. I could tell her spine was curling. My mouth went to work, focusing back on her nub now that I woke her up. I made sure to give the slurping sound that I did every now and then. Jade loved that shit. I lifted her by her cheeks into my face.

  “Oooooh…”

  She grabbed the back of head, pulling me closer. My moms may have had a beef with me all my life. Jade may feel some kind of way because of the news earlier. But in a moment where I felt I had no control and no love, I knew I could come here—here—drive her crazy and have her need me. And not just sexually. Jade made me feel invincible. She made me feel whole.

  So, yeah. I was mad as hell and hurt like a motherfucker, taking it out on her pussy. But I did it because I knew I could. I knew, even in my weakness, she’d want me. So, I flung my tongue until evidence of her need smeared on my face, her pussy vibrated against my mouth, her throat pushed out helpless moans, and her entire body shook over the mattress. My satisfaction was on its way.

  “Trentiiiin…”

  And there it was.

  When she was done, I moved up the bed, roughly pulled her into my chest, wrapped my arm around her belly. I didn’t even want to clean my face. I’d sleep with it stained. I knew the scent would follow me to my sleep and chase the nightmares away.

  ~Eleven

  “To go fuck himself?” I asked with wide eyes and a lowered chin.

  She nodded, stuffing her face with a bacon cheeseburger, loaded with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions—not yellow—mayonnaise, ketchup, and five pickles. When the Carmichael’s arrived for the party today, they came with their own food for the expecting Mrs. Carmichael because she craved one thing today. A few minutes ago, before she began to devour her food, she noticed the restaurant forgot the red onions. Lex snapped, frantic about the meal being ruined.

  “Please tell me by some form of a miracle you cook with red onions,” Ezra’s lips barely moved beneath his full beard.

  Snapping out of the stupor from Lex’s meltdown that included a few foul-mouth words underneath her breath, I shook my head.

  “No?” Ezra’s voice raised.

  My eyes ballooned as my brain kicked into action. “Ye-yeah! I’m sure I do.” My face fell as I turned for the kitchen.

  “Christ…” I heard the pastor mumble behind me with relief.

  “I did. This pregnancy has snatched my patience and I’m only at the beginning. My temper is on fleek all day, it seems.”

  “Well, what was this guy’s response?”

  “Eddie asked how would HR feel about my advice,” she answered, licking the dollop of mayo-ketchup mixture dripping down the side of her hand.

  “Oh, my god, Lex!”

  She shrugged. “I told him to go find out. To go ahead, make the trip.”

  “And?” I asked, ignoring the shouts of the kids coming from all over. I knew it was time to cut Kyree’s birthday cake.

  Lex swallowed. “Girl, Eddie turned to me with a straight face and said, ‘I’d rather take a walk down to Duane Reade’s for a test to find out if there’s something up your ass or in your belly that’s got you being a queen bitch around here.” She snickered.

  I gasped. “Are you serious?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. My staff knows me by now. We’re very comfortable with each other. So comfortable, I’m glad for his honesty. That’s how I found out I was pregnant. Again,” she emphasized.

  I plucked an invisible lint ball from my distressed jeans.

  “I take it you haven’t adjusted yet.”

  She shrugged with her face this time. “I went from believing I couldn’t have kids to becoming a fertile Myrtle when the man just breathes on me.” Her head shook softly and she took her last bite. I finished putting the candles on the cake and tossed a cursory glanced outside of the dining room where Trent was talking to Ezra, bouncing Lisa-Mare in his arms. “I’m more concerned about him. He offered the house with a picket fence, even threw in a dope Jaguar. The last thing he had in mind when pursuing me was the kids.”

  Lisa-Mare was still small. Felt like Lex was just pregnant, walking across the stage at Redeeming Souls with her husband’s Bible.

  “How long did it take for you to adjust to Lisa-Mare?”

  “No time.” She wiped her mouth as she chewed.

  “You think it’s because she’s a girl? It took me a couple of weeks to bond with Ky.”

  “I don’t know. She was my first. Could’ve been because of the breastfeeding. Did you breastfeed Kyree?”

  I shook my head, eyes all around, watching guests float around the house. I wasn’t used to so many people being here. Kyree invited twenty kids. Their parents almost doubled that number. April had been a huge help monitoring them down in the bowling alley. Shawnie had the gym covered. Trent posted outside before closing it down for everyone to eat. I’d been all over, trying to make sure the food was served hot and everyone was accounted for.

  “Couldn’t for some reason. I tried though. It was painful. I don’t thi
nk I’ll be trying this time.” I called outside of the room. “Trent, we’re ready!”

  “Jade?”

  I pushed the cake to the middle of the table.

  “You’re pregnant?” My body froze, stretched over it.

  Then my regard rolled back to her. “Where did you get that from? Your husband?” Panic ran through me.

  I’d seen Ezra tell people things in church he couldn’t have known. He had a reputation of doing that. Trent told me several stories of Ezra advising him with information Trent never gave him. It was also something in that man’s eyes that made you feel he was seeing through you.

  Lex’s brows narrowed. “Did Trent tell him?”

  “No—I mean… I don’t think so.” I was tripping over my words.

  “So, you are pregnant?” she whispered.

  I stood straight only to recoil. I rolled my eyes shut and squeezed them. This was not a topic I planned on discussing today. I was celebrating Ky. I hadn’t told anyone yet. Not even Shawnie. I went into panic mode at the thought of having to tell my son. Yesterday was a blur. Trent and I went to his class presentation at school, smiled, clapped, and expressed our pride to him on one accord. But we barely talked the entire day. We didn’t talk the night before last either after he woke me out of my sleep, mumbling his name as he ate me. I had no idea what that was about, but welcomed his touch when I thought I couldn’t stand the sight of him.

  Even today, as Ryshon showed with Little X and a chip on his shoulder, but without any of his daughters, Trent welcomed him in and had played gracious host despite the cold shoulder he gave. This chat with Lex was a break from the anxiety from Ryshon’s mismatched presence here today. I fought for smiles since Ryshon arrived, even ignored his overt ogling. It was another reminder of why I didn’t belong in Trent’s world. Here, his first lady was stressing about having a second child—both pregnancies by her husband. And I was giving my child, not by my husband, a birthday party in a mansion I didn’t pay for, and was owned by a multi-millionaire NFL star. It didn’t add up.