You're My Little Secret 3

by Chenell Parker

  “What are you looking behind you for? I know you not stupid enough to have a bitch in there around my son,” she yelled.

  “Stop talking so loud before you wake DJ up. Nobody is in here, but me and my baby.”

  “Well, open the door and let me see for myself,” she demanded.

  “I’m not doing nothing. You said it was over so it shouldn’t matter if somebody is in here or not. You live downstairs now, right?”

  “Fuck you Dominic! Nigga you lucky I’m pregnant, or I’d have this fucking door hanging off the hinges,” she warned angrily.

  I laughed as I watched her waddle away while still cursing me out. I watched her get on the elevator before closing the door and sitting down again. I’m not into playing mind games, but she needs to know that she’s not the only one who can play them.

  ****

  Three whole days had passed, and Brooklyn still wasn’t home. I tried hard to get under her skin, but I’m driving myself crazy instead. She used to come down and cook and clean, but since I changed the locks she can’t even do that anymore. The house is a mess and DJ, and I have been eating out for the past few days. When we left the house this morning, it took everything in me not to ask my mama to come clean up for me. It wouldn’t have been bad if I was by myself, but trying to do certain things when my son is around is almost impossible. The laundry basket is overflowing, and the dishes haven’t been washed in a while. I’m ready to walk down to Bryce’s apartment and drag Brooklyn’s stubborn ass back home.

  “What you got to eat over there?” I asked David on the speakerphone in my truck.

  “I wouldn’t even do that to you lil brother. I’m feeling Candace and all, but she can’t cook for shit,” he laughed. I’m happy that DJ is sleeping because he would have been repeating the curse words.

  “Are you serious bruh?” I asked because I really thought he was joking.

  “Hell yeah, I’m serious. She cooked something the other day, and she didn’t even want to eat it. I told her don’t even worry about cooking no more after that. I’m not all that pressed behind a home cooked meal anyway. I can come to your house if I ever want one,” he replied.

  “Good luck with that. I can’t even get one of those.”

  “Brooklyn better bring her ass back home and stop playing,” he commented.

  “I’m going to get her ass tonight, but I swear this is my last time trying with her. If she doesn’t come home tonight, she doesn’t have to come back at all. I’ll take care of my kids, and that’s that,” I said seriously.

  “Nigga, you don’t mean that shit and you know it,” David laughed.

  “Yes, I do. I’m tired of going back and forth with her like we’re kids. Yeah, I fucked up, but so did she. How many times do I have to apologize for the same shit? Nothing even happened between me and Kennedi for her to be acting like this. I could have moved out when I found out that she was still talking to that nigga Kevin, but I didn’t. I know how to talk about what’s bothering me instead of always running away from it.”

  “I guess you’re right, but I hope y’all don’t break up over that stupid shit,” David said somberly.

  I know how he feels. I don’t want us to break up either, but the choice is hers.

  “Same here man. I’m going to get DJ ready for bed. I’ll call you later and let you know what’s up.”

  “Alright, lil brother. Make sure you call me too. It doesn’t matter what time it is,” he replied before we hung up.

  I got my sleeping son from his car seat and got on the elevator. I saw Brooklyn’s truck in the parking lot, so I knew she was out of class. I don’t know if DJ was sleep for the night or not, but she and I had to have a talk. I fumbled with my keys trying to open the door with my son in my arms. As soon as I stepped foot inside, the scent of food hit my nose letting me know that someone had been in here. I turned on the light in the living room and was pleasantly surprised. The mess that was there when we left this morning had been cleaned up. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that Brooklyn had come through. She probably convinced Bryce to let her in while I was at work, but it’s cool. I laid DJ down on the sofa and ventured further into the apartment. I saw some pots on the stove on a low fire, but I didn’t look to see what was in them. I got excited about the possibility of her still being here. I’m sure she wouldn’t have left pots cooking on the stove if she wasn’t. I looked inside the laundry room, and all of the clothes had been washed and put away as well. Our house was finally back to looking like it did before Brooklyn left. I walked into my bedroom and smelled her Jasmine Vanilla soap as soon as I opened the door. I heard the shower water running, and I knew that’s where she was at. If DJ hadn’t been on the sofa sleeping, I would have stripped down and joined her. I looked in the closet and smiled when I saw that all of her clothes were back where they belonged. I guess that little stunt I pulled worked, after all. I walked back out of our room and grabbed my phone to call David.

  “Tell Brooklyn she better have me and my girl a plate of food like she promised,” he said when he answered.

  “Huh?” I asked in confusion.

  “I kept my end of the deal, so she better keep hers,” he replied.

  “So you already knew that she was here?”

  “Who do you think let her in? I’m the one that had to carry all that heavy shit back up there for her cry baby ass,” he laughed.

  “Cry baby? What was she crying for?”

  “Talking about you had somebody else up there the other day. She said you changed the locks and wouldn’t let her in.”

  “Man, I didn’t have no damn body up here. She should know me better than that.”

  “I know that, but you know Brook and her hormones. She cries about everything,” he replied.

  “Well, you already know I appreciate you. Let me go talk to her, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  After hanging up with David, I picked DJ up and carried him to his room. I laid him in his bed and went to talk to Brooklyn. She walked out of the bathroom at the same time that I entered the bedroom. She had a towel wrapped around her making me lick my lips subconsciously.

  “So I guess this means you’re back home, huh?” I asked while taking a seat on the bed.

  “Yeah,” she replied while rummaging through her drawer.

  “You better not leave no more Brooklyn. That’s not always the answer. I’m sorry for not being upfront with you about everything. Next time we need to sit down and talk. Even though, I was mad about what went down with you and Kevin I didn’t leave you. Once I calmed down, I came to you and told you how I felt. We’re better than that,” I said looking her right in her eyes.

  “I know, I won’t leave again,” she promised. “But I need to ask you something and I need you, to be honest.”

  “I’m always honest with you Brooklyn. I tell you the truth even when I know it’ll make you mad.”

  “Okay, well did you have somebody else in here with you the day when you wouldn’t let me in?” She asked.

  “Are you serious?” I asked laughing at her.

  “It’s not funny Dominic. You changed the locks and didn’t let me come in when I asked. Then you kept looking behind you like somebody else was in here,” she said sounding like she was about to cry.

  “C’mon Brook, I can’t believe you even coming at me like this. I would never do no shit like that. I don’t care what’s going on with us at the time. Everything I did including changing the locks was only to get you to come back home. I know you saw how the house looked when you came in here. I’ve been going crazy in here trying to take care of me and DJ by myself. I was planning to drag your ass back here tonight if you wouldn’t have come on your own,” I admitted.

  “But changing the locks and stuff, did you really have to take it that far Dominic?” She asked.

  “I guess I did. I see you came back home. Oh yeah, let me give you this before I forget,” I replied. I walked over to my drawer, pulled out a key and handed it to her. I sat back
on the bed while she put the key on her key ring.

  “Where’s my baby?” She asked.

  “He’s in his bed sleep. Come here,” I said pulling her to me. I palmed her round belly while she ran her hand through the waves in my hair. It’s been a minute since anything popped off between us, and I’m more than ready. I pulled the towel from around her and watched it drop to the floor. As much as I love foreplay, I’m just not in the mood for it right now. I hate to rush, but I don’t know if DJ is going to wake up or not. Once he gets up everything comes to a halt. I hurriedly kicked off my shoes followed by my jeans and boxers.

  “I see you’re ready,” Brooklyn laughed referring to my already hard erection.

  “I’m always ready,” I replied while pulling her closer to me. I lifted her up slightly and sat her down on my stiffness, instantly filling her up. It felt so good I had to bite down on her shoulder to keep from crying out like a bitch. I started out slowly moving her up and down, but I must have been going too slow for her. After a few minutes, she pushed me down on the bed and really went to work. I held on to her hips and enjoyed the ride. Not even three minutes had passed when she suddenly stopped.

  “Oh shit, I forgot about the food. It’s probably burning,” she panicked. I wanted to say fuck the food, but she wouldn’t have listened.

  “Wait baby. Give me like five more minutes,” I begged.

  “Dominic no, it’s going to take you longer than five minutes and you know it.”

  “No, it’s not Brook, don’t stop,” I pleaded desperately.

  “I just need to turn the fire off. I’ll be right back, I promise,” she said trying to get up. I pulled her arm to prevent her from leaving.

  “Wrap your arms around my neck,” I instructed as I sat up in the bed. She was still straddling me, and I wanted her to stay that way. Once her arms are securely wrapped around my neck, I stood up with her pregnant body wrapped snugly around mine.

  “Dominic what are you doing?” She said in a panic.

  “I’m going to turn off the fire,” I replied never missing a stroke. I walked down the hall while still drilling into her.

  “Boy, it ain’t even that serious,” Brooklyn laughed.

  “Play crazy if you want to. It’s been a minute. You know I’m used to getting it every day,” I said as I walked to the kitchen and turned the fire off on the pots. Instead of going back to the bedroom I sat in one of the kitchen chairs while Brooklyn gave me the ride of my life.

  KENNEDI

  “It’s a girl!” The ultrasound tech proudly exclaimed. My mother, Tiffany, and I screamed like crazy when the sex of my baby was revealed. I was so excited to be having a little diva of my own. I can’t wait to start shopping for her. I’m five months pregnant, and everything is going great. This is the longest that I’ve ever held a baby without having any complications. Although I’m excited, the moment is bitter-sweet. I would love nothing more than to have Dominic at my side to share the good news. Instead, he’s off playing house with his other baby mama and their son. I hadn’t talked to him since we had lunch. He tried calling, but I always sent him to voicemail. We have two months to go before our divorce is finalized, and it’s killing me.

  “I’m going to be a nanny,” Tiffany said shaking me from my depressing thoughts. She rubbed my small round belly and smiled at the thought.

  “And you’re going to be a grandma,” I said directing the comment towards my mother.

  “Oh no, she will not be calling me grandma. I want her to call me Honey,” she replied proudly.

  “Why do you want her to call you that? Where did that even come from?” I inquired.

  “I’ve been doing my research on modern names for grandparents. I fell in love as soon as I ran across that one,” she replied. It’s just like my mother to do things differently. Tradition is not something that she sticks with.

  “Get dressed so we can go get something to eat,” Tiffany suggested.

  “Y’all can go ahead without me. I have some business to take care of. You can get a ride home with Tiffany,” my mother told me.

  She picked me up to accompany me to my doctor’s appointment, but I’m not mad that she’s leaving. She’s still pissed at me for signing the divorce papers and walking away with nothing. My lawyer and I tried to explain to her what the judge said, but she wasn’t trying to hear it. She made a huge scene outside of the courthouse and cursed Dominic and his entire family out. It took Dominic and David to pull Mrs. Liz away because she was about to kill my mother. Once we left the courthouse, she turned her rage on me and my lawyer and cursed us out as well. She even refused to pay my lawyer the remaining balance of what we owed her for representing me. She felt like she didn’t fight hard enough to get me what I wanted.

  “Are you going to call Dominic and tell him what you’re having?” Tiffany asked once we were in the car.

  “Hell no! He hasn’t been here for me, and I don’t owe him a damn thing,” I yelled in anger.

  “He hasn’t been here because you and Aunt Karen won’t let him be here.”

  “Did I tell you that he fired Scott? I feel so bad since I’m the cause of him losing his job. Dominic even broke his nose during the confrontation.”

  “You don’t have anything to feel bad about. Scott got himself fired. He knew what the outcome would be if Dominic ever found out.”

  “Yeah, but he was never supposed to find out. I let Dominic sweet talk the information right out of me. I should have known that he didn’t have a change of heart about our divorce. Especially after the way he behaved in court,” I said beating myself up.

  “So what is Scott doing now?”

  “Thanks to me getting him fired, he’s collecting unemployment. He said it was a long time coming so he’s not upset with me. I just feel like shit about how everything went down,” I admitted.

  “You need to stop being so hard on yourself Kennedi. None of that is your fault. If you ask me you’re letting Dominic off way too easy,” Tiffany said.

  “How am I letting him off easy?”

  “I understand you being hurt and everything, but you’re just letting Brooklyn and Dominic go on as if you never existed. You need to make it hard on their asses. He bought his son thousands of dollars’ worth of stuff, but your baby doesn’t have anything yet. Don’t be crazy. I would bother his ass so much he wouldn’t even get a good’s nights rest. Bryce is lucky that I’ve moved on because I would do the same thing to him and that bitch Taylor,” Tiffany rambled.

  “I don’t need him to do anything for my baby,” I said stubbornly.

  “Kennedi we’re family so let’s keep it real. Without Dominic, that little money that you have saved up is nothing. It’ll be gone in a few months. You better be happy that the lease is paid up for the rest of the year. You’re letting Brooklyn spend money that’s rightfully yours.”

  I hate to admit it, but Tiffany was right. I have a few thousand dollars saved up, but that won’t last too much longer. If I have to buy everything for my baby and pay bills at the house, I’ll be lucky to survive for another six months. I still have my job, but that’s not enough. I have an addiction to shopping, and I want my baby to have the best of everything. My mother said she’ll still pay me while I’m out on maternity leave, so that’s a good thing. I thought about trying to make up with my father, but I don’t want to hear the “I told you so” speech about Dominic leaving me. At least I know he’ll give me financial assistance if I need it.

  “So what about a baby shower?” Tiffany asked interrupting my thoughts.

  “Who are we going to invite Tiffany? Our family is too small, and my mama would die before she invited Dominic’s people.”

  “You need to stop listening to everything your mama says and start making your own decisions,” Tiffany spat.

  I didn’t reply because she’s right once again. I still remember Dominic telling my mother that she’s one of the reasons why he left me. It hurt to hear it, but I believe him. She was always putting her
self in our business, and I never did anything to stop her. Even now, I want Dominic to be here with me, but she’s not having it. I really need her in my corner right now so pissing her off was not an option.

  “What are you going to name her?” Tiffany asked.

  “I’ve been playing around with a few names for boys and girls. Since I know for sure that it’s a girl I want to name her Diamond Starr,” I replied proudly.

  “That is so pretty,” Tiffany cooed. “What about her last name?”

  “My mama is adamant about me going back to my maiden name once the divorce is final in two months. I guess it’ll be Henry unless Dominic signs for her to get his last name.” I don’t know about other states, but in Louisiana if a father doesn’t sign the birth certificate, the child is automatically given the mother’s last name.

  “He better sign for her to get his last name. He signed for that bitch’s baby, and she wasn’t even his wife,” Tiffany fumed.

  “That was his first, so that wasn’t a surprise to me, but I think I’m going to take your advice. Diamond needs a lot of stuff, and her father needs to pay up in order for her to get it,” I smiled while rubbing my small baby bump.

  “That’s what the hell I’m talking about. When you finish with his ass you won’t even need a baby shower,” Tiffany said hyping me up. I was feeling good about everything as long as I was with her. I just hope I don’t lose my nerve when the time comes for me to act on it.

  BROOKLYN

  “DJ sit down!” I yelled at my overactive almost two-year old son. I was in the kitchen trying to cook, and he’s driving me crazy. He’s standing in his high chair throwing his cookies all over the kitchen. Dominic is at a meeting with David pertaining to their company. That left me home to deal with my bad ass son all by myself. I’m seven months pregnant, so the task is not easy. I’ve been tempted to call Bryce to come get him, but I’m trying to do better with spending time with my own baby. I promised myself that if I didn’t have anything important to do then I would have him at home with me. DJ is going through his terrible two phase, and I’m praying for Dominic to walk through the door to get him out of my hair. Aside from that I’m so excited for Dominic and David. They’ve been offered a year’s worth of work from an out of town Construction Company that has a few projects to do in the New Orleans area. They want to use some of the trucks from Dominic’s company to transport their tools and supplies back and forth until the jobs are complete. They’re negotiating the cost and signing the contracts to get started on that as soon as possible. Dominic said if all goes well we’ll be looking for a house and moving before I have the baby. He loves our apartment, but he wants to buy a home for us to raise our kids in. I don’t mind moving, but I want to wait until after the baby is born. I know that we need more room with two kids in the house, but I don’t feel like this is a good time. DJ is turning two years old next month, and I’ll be having a newborn baby the month after that. Then Dominic is talking about us getting married as soon as his divorce from Kennedi is finalized. It’s just too much coming up at the same time. It’s not that I want a big wedding; I just don’t want us to rush into anything. I always said that I wanted to be married on a beach, and that’s all I needed to make me happy.