She shook her head. “No, you can’t.”
His lips curled. “How the fuck are you going to tell me what I can’t do? I fucking love you, girl. And I aint perfect, but I am not letting you go.”
“So, what if I want to let go?”
He gazed into her eyes. “But you don’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
He nodded. “Yes, I do. All these years you waited for me. You might have moved on physically, but you saved your heart for me. And I did the same. If time and distance can’t erase our love then some simple bitch surely can’t, either.”
“Yeah, but sometimes I hate you so fucking much.” She whimpered.
He pulled her into his arms. “That’s okay, baby.” He kissed her forehead. “Shit be’s that way sometimes. But I love you too much to ever let you go.”
******
Desmond never did show his face at the hospital to see Jada or the baby. He was still pissed about Jada crashing their baby shower, so he didn’t go anywhere near her. He knew that if they did end up in the same room he’d might do some serious damage.
As far as he was concerned, she’d brought this on herself. If she really wanted him to be there for her she should’ve played by his rules. Plain and simple.
“Damn, she don’t give up.” He mumbled to himself as he scrolled through his phone, looking at all the text messages Jada had sent him. Each message seemed more pathetic than the last. She was definitely throwing herself a pity party.
As he deleted the messages he came across a multi-media message he hadn’t opened. He clicked on the icon and found a picture of a baby boy. It was from Jada. He was stuck for a second, asking himself if he was staring back at his flesh and blood.
The baby was really too small to see any resemblances to himself or Jada. He sat there waiting to feel something…but there was nothing. No connection. No nothing.
“What are you doing?” Ryan asked as she stepped into the living room, slightly startling him.
“Huh? Uh, I was just checking my phone.” He looked up at her.
“Oh, yeah?” She eyed him suspiciously.
“Yeah.” He nodded as he pocketed his phone.
“That was Jada, huh?” she asked as she took a seat on the couch with him.
He thought about it for a second. “Yeah.” He admitted.
She sighed, as she pushed her hair out of her face, “What was she saying?”
“Man.” He shook his head. “A whole bunch of shit.”
“Like?” She lifted a brow.
“You know…asking me why am I treating her like this. Why don’t I care about my baby…”
“Umm.” Ryan poked out her bottom lip. “And what did you say?”
He shrugged. “Nothing. I didn’t reply.”
“Ooh.” She nodded. “So…how do you plan on dealing with this situation?”
He gazed down at the floor. “Honestly, I don’t know. I mean, if he is really mine then I’ll have to take care of him.”
She stared at him for a few seconds. She was definitely jealous and wanted so badly to demand that he couldn’t go anywhere near her or that baby. Still, she knew that that would be unreasonable. “So, are going to get a DNA test?”
He nodded.
“When?”
“I don’t know. I guess as soon as possible.”
She nodded and thought for a few seconds. “Desmond, I just want to make a few things clear.”
He peeked over at her. “Like what?”
“If this is your baby, then Jada will still be in the picture. I don’t like her and that is no secret. I just want you to always respect me and our relationship. Before you do things, please think about how it will make me feel. Jada might be your baby’s mama, but I am your woman. And that is a difference, and as long as you remember that we’ll be alright.”
He shook his head. “You aint even gotta worry about that. She don’t mean shit to me, and I would never put her before you or my kids.”
She nodded, but was still apprehensive, “Well, only time will tell, huh?”
******
After sitting in the tub for half of the night Ryan realized that her water had broken. And now she was lying in the hospital preparing to give birth to her daughters. She was so ready for them to make their introduction into the world. And Desmond was more anxious and excited than he’d been his entire life.
“Smile for the camera.” He urged as he recorded the precious moment.
“Nigga, get that fucking camera out of my face,” she griped, causing him to chuckle.
“Aw, mama, you a lil’ grouchy?”
“Fuck youuuuu.” She released, as another contraction hit her.
“Uh huh,” he nodded. “See, that’s what got ya hot ass in this predicament.”
She giggled, “Stop playing, man.”
“Alright,” he agreed as he knelt down, kissing her forehead. “I love you.” He stroked her cheek, lovingly.
Even during excruciating pain, she blushed at his display of affection.
Three of the longest hours in Ryan’s life passed, and finally she gave birth to Bri Skylar and Bryah Sky Brando, in honor of her twin Bryan, of course.
For a few moments, Desmond just stared in absolute astonishment. After all the shit he’d been through, running around truly not giving a fuck, his life had come full circle. There he was back with his Ryan, and they had a family together. Something he’d always wanted, but at one point had lost all hope in. Right then he knew…that he’d never be the same again. That careless and reckless De-De was dead. He was Desmond; the father. It felt surreal, but so right.
“You see your babies?” Ryan questioned, knocking him out of his thoughts.
He glanced her way, as she sat in the hospital bed. Her long hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. She wore no make-up, yet she was stunning. She watched him intently, and as they locked eyes he could feel the love she held for him.
“Thank you,” he beamed.
She closed her eyes and gently smiled. There were a thousand thoughts swarming in her head, but she couldn’t find the right words to express how she truly felt. It was just indescribable. They were reunited, and doing what she’d always dreamt about, before people had murdered her aspirations. But they were moving past all that, and had finally found…peace.
******
“Long time no see, stranger.”
Jada spun around, and her eyes landed on a blast from the past. “Aye, what’s good?”
BG cockily stepped to her, as she stood at her BMW, “When you moved out ‘chere?”
Jada licked her lips, and leaned on one leg, going into full flirtatious mode. “A little minute ago. I was just thinking about you, yeah.” That strong Louisiana accent was in full effect.
“Then why you aint come by me, while I was locked up?”
She tossed hair out of her face. “I went by ya ma, and she claimed they moved ya, and she aint know where ya went, no.”
“Yea?” he rubbed his hands together, as he eyed her slender body. “I’m sayin’ though. You gon let me come by you, yea?”
She grinned, “You know that don’t sound like a bad idea. We got some catching up to do.”
******
“Aww, look at the little gremlins.”
Ryan giggled as she held Bri, “Fuck you.”
Dina switched over and huddled over Bryah, who was sitting in her swing. “Hey, cutie. What chu’ doin’?”
“’Sup, Dina?” Desmond spoke, as he entered their living room.
Dina glanced up, “What’s up, kinfolk? I’m surprised to see you here. It’s a Saturday, and the clubs is jumping.”
He shrugged, “What that gotta do with me?” he flopped down next to Ryan, and removed the baby from her arms. “I’m straight right here.” He proclaimed, as he gazed lovingly at his daughter.
Dina arched a brow. “I see. Shit, whatever you got going needs to rub off on Chad. That nigga in ‘nem streets every weekend.”
&n
bsp; Ryan sat, crossing her feet, content as can be. She reached over and wiped Bri’s mouth with her bib, as Desmond cradled her.
Dina stood with a grin, and silently observed them. Knowing them both pretty well, she knew that they’d both been yearning for this. It was good to see them both obtain their deepest desires. She always felt that there was something special about their connection, and they were meant to grow old together.
“Mama,” Demond called out, as he jogged into the room. “Can I hold one of the babies?”
“Go take a bath first, lil’ man.” Desmond spoke up.
“Okay,” Demond pouted, as he dragged himself up the stairs.
“De-De, you got them boys in line.” Dina teased.
Desmond nodded, as he cell began to vibrate on the table. Every eye in the room landed on the phone.
Ryan pursed her lips, as she cut her eyes at him.
Their eyes met, “What?”
“Are you gonna answer that or what?”
He sucked his teeth, as he reached for his phone. Without blinking, Ryan removed it from his grips and placed the call on speaker. “Yeah?” he answered.
“So, you aint coming by me to see ya baby?”
“What did we discuss?” he cut straight to the chase.
“Oh, a DNA aint shit, but what I wanna know is why you aint testing that hoe’s babies? Her word is everything and mines aint shit?”
Ryan threw her head back, as she giggled softly. “I’ll walk that bitch. On my kids.” She whispered. She could’ve interrupted the conversation right then and there and got in Jada’s ass, but she’d realized something. She had Desmond, and no bitch was going to change that. Argue for what?
“That slut sad,” Dina spat loudly, making sure that Jada heard her. She wasn’t nearly as reserved as her cousin.
“What did that hoe say?” Jada snapped.
Desmond shook his head. “Say, I aint got time for this shit. Get off my fuckin’ line and stay off it, until you ready to go get that swab. Be easy.” Ryan ended the call.
“I can’t stand ignorant bitches,” Dina snarled. “De-De, you still aint seen that lil’ boy?”
“Nope.” He waved his head. “I aint breaking my neck to do shit, until she give me a DNA test. It’s been over three months, and she’s stalling. I really believe that baby aint mines.”
“Yeah, if she was so sure she’d be already at that lab. She strikes me as that type.” Ryan added. “But fuck her,” she waved off. “Baby, you need to change your number.”
He glanced at her. “We talked about that already, Ry.”
She rolled her eyes, “Whatever.”
“But real talk…I’ma block her ass.”
“But why you just deciding to do that?” Ryan interrogated, while sassily waving her hands.
“There you go.”
“Yeah, there I go, nigga.” She playfully shoved his head with her with her index finger. “Don’t get fucked up.”
“Picture that shit,” he cheesed.
“Umm hmm,” Ryan stood up. “But are you gonna watch the kids for an hour, while we go workout?”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “You just hurry that ass back.” She slapped her butt.
“Quit it,” she snickered, as he headed upstairs to change.
******
“Them babies puts some weight on a bitch, but they got that ass sitting right.”
“Girl, get over yourself.” Dina giggled, as she watched her little cousin pose in the mirror. They were in Planet Fitness getting a workout.
“But I can’t.” Ryan palmed her booty. “Ass so fat that I gotta look back at it.” She twerked.
“Same ole Ryan.”
Her head shot up at the sound of a very familiar voice. “Huh?”
He licked his lips. “You still know how to put on a show.”
Ryan’s heart skipped a beat. “He…hey Jacob.”
Jacob stood in front of them confidently, and Ryan was seeing him in a completely new light. Dressed in sweats and a muscle shirt his tatted sleeved arms were visible. Even though, she’d slept with him countless times she’d never seen him shirtless. In fact, he always wore long sleeves, and now she knew why. Right then he couldn’t be separated from the average hood nigga, hanging on the block. Those tats were everywhere, and those waves in his head were spinning, unintentionally causing her clit to thump. Perhaps if she’d seen that side of him things may have been different between them. She hated to admit it, but street cats were her weakness.
“What’s up?” he responded, emotionless.
“How have you been?” she smiled weakly.
He snidely chuckled to himself, “Like you give a fuck…” he caught himself, hating the sound of his own voice. Some broad wasn’t supposed to have any control over his emotions; especially one that had shitted on him. “Look, you be easy.” He stepped off, leaving her momentarily stuck.
“That was awkward,” Dina spoke up.
Ryan absently nodded, as they witnessed Jacob backtrack, right over to them.
Rubbing his chin, he uttered, “But say, Ryan, let me talk to you for a moment.”
She swallowed, “About?”
He cut his eyes at Dina, “Alone.”
Cautiously she nodded, but only stepped a few feet away from her cousin, copping a squat on a bench. Jacob followed suit, but sat with enough space between them that she didn’t feel uncomfortable.
“So, what’s up?” she inquired.
Again he licked his lips, “I just couldn’t walk off without getting this shit understood.”
She loudly exhaled, “Get what understood, Jacob?”
He scowled, “Whatever happened between me and you.”
She bit her bottom lip, “What happened was that I had unfinished business with Desmond.”
“Okay, but what does that have to do with how you handled everything? I mean, wasn’t I good to you?”
She nodded, “You were, but everything just spiraled out of control. I felt bad about how I handled you, and yes I should’ve handled it better. But keeping it real, I didn’t know what was happening, you know? I don’t think that either of us were really thinking about anything or anybody else, and for that I apologize.”
He waved his head, “That shit is crazy. It was like you wasn’t the chick that I knew. You flipped the script, fucking my head up.”
She grabbed her forehead, “Maybe…maybe you just hadn’t really gotten to know me. Because after all that time we were dealing with one another you never bothered to ask me about the twin’s daddy or my past. So, I really question what you liked about me, for real. I mean, you never really got to know me. Liking the way I fuck you doesn’t constitute as you knowing me in depth. So, the betrayal I subjected you to was minimal in my eyes.”
He lowered his eyes into slits, ready rip her apart verbally, until it dawned on him. She was right. He was so used to dealing with people superficially that he never stopped to think about truly learning a woman. There were just so many perks that he came equipped with that the average chick didn’t require that he put in work. Him wanting them was sufficient enough. And one of the attributes that he found alluring about Ryan was the fact that she never fell all over him, but he never tried to figure out why. Obviously, she needed more than a paid brother with a big dick, swinging between his legs. He’d done absolutely nothing to gain access to her heart.
“You cold as ice, huh?”
She lifted her head. “Not at all.”
“Then what do you call it?”
“Jacob, I liked you or I wouldn’t have been dealing with you. I cared about you, but it just wasn’t our time.”
“So, do you honestly believe that you and that nigga are gonna have a fairytale this time around? Are those concerns you had when you left him non-existent now?”
She rolled her eyes, “I never claimed any of that, but also let’s not pretend that those same concerns wouldn’t be an issue with you as well.”
He frowned, “What are you talkin
g about?”
She shrugged, “If you don’t know then I don’t, either.”
He smirked, “Don’t believe anything you didn’t see with your own two eyes, Ryan.”
“Whatever.”
He gently touched her thigh, but she felt nothing. “But is he making you happy?”
“I’m straight.”
“You straight? Is that so?” he leaned in closer, and whispered. “That nigga and his little boy money can only last so long. I think that you need a man with generational funds. That’s the shit that makes that clit tingle. Doesn’t it?”
She tittered to herself, before whispering, “You and all this generational dough…and you still aint got the kid. Like I said,” she stood up. “You don’t know me.” And with that she sashayed off.
“What was he saying?” Dina pressed the moment Ryan was out of Jacob’s earshot.
Ryan sassily tossed her hands on her hips, “Girl, nothing.”
“Shit, he’s looking pissed off.” Dina acknowledged, as she witnessed him stomp off.
“He probably is,” she shrugged. “But fuck him.”
“Right, right.” Dina agreed.
For the next thirty minutes they walked on treadmills, before wrapping up their workout session. They giggled together as they were exiting the building. “I can’t wait to go home and wash my ass.” Dina sighed, right before someone bumped into her with force. “Got damn!” she belted, as the chick continued to walk, as if she’d done nothing wrong.
“What was that?” the broad spun around.
“Bitch, you ran your bitch ass into me! That’s what it is!” Dina sputtered, going zero to one hundred real quick.
Ryan mean mugged the chick, as she took in her appearance. The girl was tall, thick, fair skinned, with a huge ass. She was skimpily dressed in exercise attire, and wore her burgundy weave pulled up into a pony tail, exposing her tracks.
“What’s going on, Cheeki?” three other broads asked in unison, as they strolled over. Immediately, both Ryan and Dina recognized Jada’s pale ass. And they also realized exactly what time it was.
“This hoe wanna get her head bust!” the girl they referred to as Cheeki blurted. Her accent was much thicker than Jada’s, sounding like she was straight out of New Orleans.
Ryan stepped up without a hint of fear, “Oh, so let me guess. We supposed to be scared cause you done went got these ratchet ass bitches from the N.O. to fight your battles? Bitch, you better do your homework. I’m from the bloody nickel, and I’ll fight ya granny and ya mammy if them busted up hoes jump stupid!”
Can't Leave It Alone Page 21
