You're My Little Secret 2

by Chenell Parker

  BRYCE

  Tiffany had been blowing my phone up for the past few weeks, and if she wasn’t calling, she was texting. She was pissing Taylor off, and we stayed arguing about it. She was working in the shop with me now, but we weren’t even speaking. I can’t remember how many numbers I blocked messing with her stupid ass. I couldn’t get my number changed because that would have been bad for business. I’ve had the same number for five years, and all of my customers knew it. My number is on billboards and buildings all over New Orleans and the surrounding areas. My shop, So Xclusive, is very popular, and I wasn’t about to let Tiffany fuck up my money with her bullshit. That crazy bitch had me scared to answer my own phone.

  “Her crazy ass is still calling you?” Kyle asked as we stood outside in front of my shop. I hadn’t seen him since we got at Larry a few months ago. I’d been talking to him for twenty minutes, and Tiffany called me ten times back to back.

  “That bitch is retarded. Now she’s calling from her work phone like I don’t recognize the number,” I replied.

  “Boy, you must have gold down there or something,” he joked.

  “Yeah, but enough about my drama, what’s going on with you?” I asked him. Kyle had been kind of distant lately, and I’d been hearing some things about him and Kevin. A few dudes that I knew from our old neighborhood told me that a few people had been asking about them. They had supposedly robbed a well-known local hustler named Vamp, and he wanted some info on them. Vamp was cool, and all three of us went to high school together. I also didn’t miss the new Navigator that Kyle was riding in. Something was going on with him I just didn’t know what.

  “I’m good man. I’m living good and eating good too,” he replied arrogantly.

  “Yeah, well, I heard that nigga Vamp been asking around about you. Niggas saying that you and Kevin robbed him and shit,” I informed him.

  “Fuck Vamp and his whole crew,” he said brushing me off.

  “Alright man, just be careful. You know how those boys get down,” I warned. He never once denied the accusations so they must have been true. Kyle is my boy, but I wasn’t into his kind of lifestyle anymore. It wasn’t just me that I had to think about. I had Taylor and my girls to worry about too. After today, I had to create some space between the two of us. I couldn’t afford to pay for another man’s mistakes. I noticed Jaden pulling up and walking towards us. I didn’t even get a chance to speak to him before he walked up to Kyle and started swinging on him. Kyle didn’t even see it coming, and neither did I. Jaden was going crazy swinging until Kyle finally went down. When my brother started stomping him, I ran over and pulled him away.

  “Let me go man,” Jaden seethed as he struggled to get away from me. Co-Co and Candace had to run out of the shop to help me restrain him. “What the hell is going on with you?” I asked my hot-headed little brother.

  “This ole punk ass nigga is always smiling in your face, but he was trying to fuck your lil sister behind your back,” Jaden fumed. Kyle was now on his knees trying to stand on his feet.

  “Who told you that?” I asked him.

  “Kia told me what happened. She was on the phone with Baby when he came at her, and you knew about the shit too Candace because it happened at your house,” he barked. “Nigga disrespecting my sister like she one of these hoes on the street.”

  I looked over at my cousin, and I knew then that it was true. She looked ashamed and embarrassed.

  “So you were playing with my little sister Kyle?” I asked my best friend.

  “Man fuck you and your sister,” he said through a blood filled mouth. I let Jaden go, and both of us started beating his ass. Co-Co and Candace had a hell of a time pulling us off of him, but they finally succeeded.

  “Y’all are dead,” he threatened as he dragged himself to his truck.

  “Not if you die first bitch,” Jaden yelled after him.

  “I can’t believe you kept some shit like that from me Candace,” I yelled at my cousin.

  “I already handled it, so there was no need for me to tell you,” she replied. Now I knew why she wasn’t dealing with him anymore.

  Jaden and my cousins went inside while I stood in front of the building for a while. Kyle had been my best friend since forever, but that was a wrap after today. He better be lucky that I was out here because Jaden would have killed him if I wasn’t. I looked down at my ringing phone and cringed when I saw Tiffany calling again. Instead of ignoring her I picked up the phone and went off.

  “What the fuck do you keep calling me for?” I shouted.

  “We really need to talk Bryce,” she answered.

  “We don’t have shit to talk about and you’re pissing my girl off with this bullshit.”

  “I’m asking you nicely to meet me somewhere so we can talk, or I’m coming to your shop every day until you do. I know that Taylor works there now,” she replied.

  “I really don’t understand what you want.”

  “I want closure Bryce. You up and left me with no explanation. The least you could do is tell me why,” she cried.

  “Girl, I left your ass months ago. If you don’t have closure by now, you never will.”

  “Are you going to meet me or do I have to come to your place of business and act a fool?”

  “Where do you want to meet up at Tiffany?” She gave me the place and time that she wanted to meet up before I hung up the phone. She did right to pick a public place just in case I felt the need to strangle her ass. I still hadn’t forgotten about her putting her hands on my sister while she was pregnant. Just thinking about Baby made me want to call her. She’d given birth to my nephew a month ago, and she’d been holed up in her apartment since then. I needed her to tell me the deal about what happened between her and Kyle. I also wanted to ask her opinion about the situation with Tiffany. I had a feeling that I was making a mistake, but I didn’t want her coming to my shop with all of her drama. Taylor would body both of us if she did. I just hoped she went away after this one last meeting, but knowing Tiffany that would never happen.

  BROOKLYN

  DJ is five weeks old now and looking like a miniature version of Dominic. At nineteen years old, it’s a daily struggle trying to take care of me and another little person at the same time. I can’t complain because I have more help than I need. Between Dominic’s mother and mine, I hardly had to lift a finger for the first two weeks after I had him. I was thankful for their help and even more thankful when they went back home. Dominic is a different story. He’s really driving me crazy. Never in my life have I seen someone so obsessed with a baby. He comes over here every day more than one time a day. He never puts the baby down and even holds him while he sleeps. Thanks to him, I have a five-week old cry baby on my hands. I was so aggravated last week that he picked DJ up one morning and took him to work with him for the entire day. Sometimes Bryce and Taylor would get him for a few hours and allow me to rest or do some housework. I couldn’t wait to get my six-week checkup next week so I could come and go as I wanted to. My mama was from the old school and didn’t believe in going outside until then.

  I was thankful again for yet another moment of silence. Dominic and David had DJ, and they were chilling at their parents’ house. My house was clean and I finished all of my laundry. I had a roast cooking in the oven, and I was on the sofa relaxing. That was until someone started banging on my door like crazy. Everybody used my doorbell, so I was kind of scared to open it.

  “Auntie Brook open the door,” my nieces yelled. I jumped up from the sofa and rushed to let them in.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked taking in their tear stained faces.

  “Our mama and daddy are fighting,” my oldest niece cried. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I grabbed my keys and phone and ran out of the apartment, locking the door behind me. As soon as I got down the stairs I heard Taylor and Bryce yelling from down the hall. When I walked into the living room, it looked like a hurricane had touched down. Taylor was standing there crying while Bryce h
eld a towel to his bleeding lip. “What’s going on in here?” I asked.

  “I want his dog ass out of my house,” Taylor cried.

  “Man, I’m not going nowhere. You always think somebody is lying to you,” Bryce fussed.

  “That’s because you’re a liar. I’m not going through this with you and that bitch again. If she wants you that bad, she can have you.”

  “Taylor I swear nothing happened. I was only there for fifteen minutes,” Bryce said.

  “What are y’all talking about?” I asked.

  “Look at this shit,” Taylor said shoving her phone in my face. I shook my head when I saw a picture of Bryce hugging Tiffany outside in a parking lot. He was so stupid. He asked me what I thought about him meeting her, and I told him not to do it. She claimed that she wanted closure, but I knew that was some bullshit. Tiffany is so conniving, and I knew she had to have a motive. She got her closure when he packed his shit and left. Everything else was irrelevant.

  “That shit looks worse than it is. I talked to her for a few minutes, and that was all. She had asked me for a hug before I left. Before I had a chance to respond she was already hugging me,” Bryce said. I looked at him with narrowed eyes, letting him know that he’d messed up big time.

  “Taylor, y’all come sit upstairs with me for a while. Bryce you need to clean up this mess since it’s your fault that it was made. Y’all can’t talk while she’s mad like this. Maybe y’all need to try again later,” I suggested.

  “Let’s go,” Taylor said grabbing her daughters’ hands and walking out of the door.

  “I told you not to meet with her didn’t I?” I whispered to Bryce.

  “Yeah, you did, but I didn’t think that hoe was that thirsty to pull some shit like that,” he replied.

  “She’s not thirsty that bitch is dehydrated,” I laughed.

  “Talk to Taylor for me Baby. You know she’ll listen to you,” he begged.

  “I got you, but next time you need to listen. I see Taylor went Mayweather on your ass,” I joked while walking out the front door.

  When I got back to my apartment, Taylor and my nieces were in the living room watching TV.

  “Y’all go in my room and watch TV,” I instructed the girls.

  “Where’s DJ?” Taylor asked.

  “That cry baby is with his daddy,” I replied.

  “Dominic is wrong for spoiling that baby like that. Y’all better be happy that his mama is going to be the babysitter. Nobody else will want to keep him.”

  “I know, but what’s going on with you and Bryce?”

  “I know he’s telling me the truth. I can always tell when Bryce is lying. It’s just the principal of it all. He shouldn’t have met up with her in the first place. Whatever they had is over, and she needs to deal with it. He doesn’t owe that bitch no explanation,” she vented.

  “You’re right and you need to tell him just what you told me. You just need to calm down first. Y’all don’t need to be fighting in front of the kids,” I said.

  “That wasn’t a fight. I put a quick mix on his ass, and he just sat there and took it,” she said making me laugh.

  Taylor and my nieces ended up staying with me until later that night. Bryce showed up to get them at the same time Dominic showed up with DJ.

  “Hey,” Dominic said kissing me on the lips. I grabbed my baby from him while he stood outside talking to Bryce. Tiffany got her girls and made her way back home. The time away from Bryce seemed to have calmed her down a bit. I stripped DJ out of his clothes, leaving him in a onesie and socks. I walked back into the living room just as Dominic came in.

  “Fix me something to eat,” he said while taking the baby out of my arms. I fixed his food and watched as he ate while still holding on to our son.

  “Let me hold him until you finish,” I demanded.

  “He’s alright. I got him.”

  “That’s my baby too just in case you forgot,” I snapped.

  “Don’t start with all that Brook. I know he’s yours too.”

  “That’s why he’s so spoiled. You never put him down. It was crazy for you to buy him all of that stuff, and he barely uses any of it,” I complained.

  “Y’all kill me with that spoiled shit. Everybody knew when you first got pregnant that my baby was gon’ be spoiled,” he fussed.

  “Whatever, but don’t get mad when he be going to work with you every day,” I warned.

  “That’s cool with me,” he replied. Crazy as it sounds, he probably would do it.

  “Did you get your school schedule yet?” Dominic asked me. It was July, and I was due to go back to school at the end of August.

  “Yeah, I got it. I just need to get my books, and I’ll be ready.”

  “We can do that after your doctor’s appointment next week,” he answered. I took his dishes to the kitchen when he finished eating and put up the rest of the food. After a few minutes, Dominic walked up and wrapped his arms around my waist.

  “One more week and it’s on and popping,” he said happily. He was doing a countdown waiting until I could have sex again. I got a birth control shot when I left the hospital, and I had a prescription for some pills too. After all the pain I went through with DJ, I was never getting pregnant again.

  “That’s all you’re worried about,” I said pushing him off of me. He tried to pull me back until my phone started ringing. I started not to answer, but I didn’t have anything to hide.

  “Hey Kevin,” I answered while avoiding Dominic’s angry glare. I tried to walk around the house and talk to him, but Dominic was right behind me listening. DJ was strapped in his swing fast asleep.

  “What does he want”? Dominic whispered with a frown.

  “Hold on Kevin,” I said muting the phone.

  “He wants to see the baby,” I admitted. Kevin had only seen DJ on pictures. A lot of drama was going on with our brothers, so I didn’t see him too much anymore.

  “Hell no, I’m taking my baby home with me tonight,” he snapped.

  “No, you’re not Dominic. He’s slept with you for two nights straight. You just don’t want Kevin to see him,” I frowned.

  “You damn right. I don’t trust that nigga and after what his brother did you shouldn’t trust his ass either.” Bryce just had to open his big mouth and tell him about Kyle. Even though their friendship is ruined, Kevin and I are still tight. I feel bad that one of my best friends has yet to see my first child. I want him and Tiana to be the Godparents, but Dominic would never let that happen. I took the phone off of mute and resumed my conversation.

  “He’s staying with his daddy tonight Kevin. Maybe you can drop by one day next week so you can see him,” I offered. I saw the veins in Dominic’s forehead popping out he was so mad. When I hung up with Kevin, he went off.

  “Please don’t make me act stupid up in here Brooklyn. I don’t want his ass over here at all. Why the fuck is he so hard up to see my son anyway? That nigga trying to get over here to see you,” he yelled.

  “I’m not even going there with you right now. I’m tired so if you’re taking DJ you need to get him and leave.”

  “Damn, I’m getting put out of a house that I pay the bills in,” Dominic said laughing. He pulled me in for a kiss, and I was happy to oblige. After grabbing DJ and his bag, I walked them to the door.

  “I might take him to work with me tomorrow so you can get some rest,” he informed me.

  “I get enough rest. You just want him with you,” I replied. I gave him one last kiss, and they were on their way.

  ****

  One week later, I was cleared by my doctor and Dominic, and I was at it again. DJ is at his parents’ house for the day, and he never went to the office after we came back from my appointment. I got the books I needed for school, and we’ve been in the bed sexing each other since then.

  “Let’s take a shower and go get something to eat before I go get DJ,” Dominic instructed. He’s going home with him yet again, not that I’m complaining. I never aske
d, but I notice that Dominic never takes anything with him whenever my baby stayed the night over there. That led me to believe that he has everything at his house that I have in mine. I really don’t know Kennedi that well, but all of this has to be hard on her. Her fiancés baby spending so much time at her house has to be killing her. She probably hates DJ, but Dominic would kill her if she even looked at him wrong, and I know that for sure.

  KENNEDI

  I have seven more months to go before I become Mrs. Dominic Omari Roberts, and I can’t wait. Everything is going perfectly with the planning. The reception hall is paid in full, and so are the caterers. I chose the dresses for my girls and the tux for the men. Everything is being made specifically for my special day. I’ve finally chosen the bride and grooms cake, and that alone was three thousand dollars. I don’t care about the cost because it’s not my money. My mother, Paris, and I are going to New York next month for me to get fitted for my dress. The designer wants to go over a few things with me just to see exactly what I want. Other than that, it’s going to be a two-day trip of nothing, but shopping for me. Dominic and I are going to Hawaii for our honeymoon since that was somewhere that I’ve always wanted to go. I want us to stay for two weeks, but he refuses to stay longer than a week. I know it’s because of his son. He’s not about to stay away from him too long.

  We ended up having a blood test done and, of course, the little bastard is his. I’m really just being a bitch about it because DJ looks exactly like Dominic and that alone drives me insane. That and the fact that he’s always around. I swear that crying ass baby spends more time at my house than I do. Brooklyn must be a horrible mother because she never really has him. If he’s not with one of his grandparents, he’s with us, and Dominic treats him like fine china. I’ve never even held the little spoiled brat, not that I wanted to anyway. Scott even told me that Dominic brings him to work with him sometimes, and that’s just ridiculous. If they only knew how much info I got from Scott they would probably fire him today. Dominic doesn’t think I know, but he’s not even in the office some of the times that he should be. I don’t want to speculate, but he better not be on no bullshit again. He hasn’t given me any reason to doubt him, but that doesn’t mean a thing. I didn’t doubt him before, and he cheated on me and made a baby. I also have to be careful getting info from Scott because he has a crush on me. He’s supposed to be Dominic’s boy, but he’s telling me everything he knows.