by Untamed
I tipped her face up with my fingers to look at me. “Jennifer, I can’t apologize enough. I realize seeing the man that I’ve become now is hard because I couldn’t appreciate the woman you were back then, and it’s compounded because we have a child together. I wish I could change things, but I can’t. The only thing we can do is move forward. I hope that you can and will forgive me so that we can do that.”
Her eyes held my gaze for a beat before she looked away. Her shoulders relaxed as she whispered, “For so long I’ve wanted to hear that.” Her eyes found mine again before she continued, “It really means a lot to me, Aldris. It really, truly does.”
Reaching on the nearby table, I pulled a Kleenex and handed it to her to dry her eyes. “So, do you forgive me?”
She smiled warily. “Yes, I do. I have to apologize as well. Initially, I felt justified in keeping the news of my pregnancy away from you, but I never should have kept it from you for six years. For that, I will always be sorry.”
Motioning to the sofa, I said, “Sit down with me and let’s talk for real.” She nodded in agreement and we sat side-by-side on the sofa. “So, why did you keep it from me for so long, and what happened to your husband?”
With a deep breath, she exhaled and explained, “After I graduated, I got a marketing job with an ice cream company, which is where I met Donnie. He worked in public relations. Jessica was six months old at the time, and we fell in love fast and hard. I told him all about what happened, and he told me not to worry, that he would do the best he could by us. He had a son from a previous relationship, and we became an instant family. Six months later, we were married, and I was the proud mother of Jessica and my three-year-old stepson, Brendon.” She wiped tears from her eyes. I patted her on the leg for support, and she continued.
“After a couple of months in our marriage, I expressed to Donnie that I felt I should tell you about Jessica. He was livid. He said that he was Jessica’s father, and that he wouldn’t have another man coming into his house or his marriage trying to run things. Even though I knew it was wrong, I was trying to be the good wife and did as my husband said. We were all good, I thought, but last year, he started doing some really shady shit. I won’t go into details, but long story short, he was messing around with Brendon’s mother again. I tried to make it work, but he asked me for a divorce, so I gave it to him. Why stick around for a man who doesn’t want you?
“A month later, our divorce was final, and the next week, he was married to Brendon’s mom. I didn’t think he’d just abandon Jessica. She loved him—I mean absolutely loved him. After a month of him not coming to visit Jessica, I drove to his home to confront him about it, and do you know what that heartless bastard told me? He said that now I could find you to be a father to Jessica because his wife wasn’t going to allow him to take care of a child that wasn’t his. With me standing there still in shock, he shut the door in my face, as if the last five years of our marriage had been nonexistent and that he wasn’t the only father Jessica knew.” She broke down again, as if it had just happened.
“So, I did what I should’ve done from the beginning, I told Jessica about you. Ever since then, she’s wanted to meet you and be around you, but I was so bitter after you and Donnie that I refused. Once I got the job offer to move back to Atlanta, I did what I thought was best and located an attorney about paternity. I know I should’ve just talked to you, but my anger overshadowed my rationality. I was wrong for what I did, Aldris, and I can’t apologize enough for it,” she said as tears began to fall again.
Part of me wanted to be upset that she’d let another man dictate her life and keep her from doing what was right. However, I vowed to move forward, so I swallowed that pill and did just that. I reached for her and hugged her again.
“I’m sorry you went through so much with your ex. He is a damn fool, and neither Jessica nor you needed a coward like him in your lives. As for me, don’t get me wrong, it hurts because I missed so much. But I know now, and I can make the best of the time I have now. I’m not going to hold that against you. Jessica needs both of her parents, and she doesn’t need us constantly bickering, so all is forgiven. We just need to be about the business of raising our little girl.”
She smiled, still enfolded in my arms. “Feels strange, doesn’t it? Saying your little girl.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, it really does.”
“Thank you for making this process easy for us.”
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity.”
“I never should have taken it away.”
“But you gave it back, and that’s all that matters,” I said as we stood up. “I guess I should call Lucinda and tell her to come back.”
“Yeah, and Aldris, I really thank you again. Friends?”
“Of course,” I said as we embraced each other in agreement.
Just as we embraced, Lucinda and the girls walked in the family room. Lucinda’s mouth dropped as I hopped backward away from Jennifer, who just stared back and forth between Lucinda and me.
“Okay. Awkward,” Jennifer said.
“So, I see that you two have certainly settled your differences.” Lucinda’s tone was even, but the look on her face could’ve burned a hole straight through my heart. I rubbed my forehead because I already knew it was going to be a battle in the Smith residence that night.
Chapter Eleven
Terrence
Victory never felt so good, I thought and smiled to myself as I watched my wife and our kids play in our indoor pool. I finally had the woman of my dreams back, and I prayed that fuck-ass nigga Pooch rotted in that fucking hellhole. I’d never been happier in my life than sitting there holding my baby son while watching my family having fun. This was the shit I’d dreamed of all my life. My chest swelled with pride that I could finally provide the life that Trinity deserved. When she looked over at me and smiled, my heart melted. I lived to see that smile, and now that she was back where she belonged, I’d make sure we always remained a family, or I’d die trying.
Part of making sure we remained a family was making sure I would never be taken away from them again. I’d wised up and gotten out of the dope game. What niggas didn’t realize was that the real money was in corporate America, and if you could get a slice of that pie, you were in. Investments, real estate, stocks, and bonds—that was the shit that made real dough; the shit that had real power. I wanted to be legit because I didn’t need any more fuck niggas trying to set me up for some real prison time, nor did I need to worry about thug niggas chasing my lady. I didn’t want to be worried about losing my family ever again.
That was the thing that pissed me off about Pooch. That nigga was mad as if Trinity had been his woman first. That bitch-ass nigga set me up because that was the only way he could get next to Trinity, and he had the nerve to want to get at me? Turnabout is fair play, and that grimy muthafucka got exactly what he deserved courtesy of me. In fact, he was lucky he was even still breathing to be able to go to prison. Niggas had been killed for lesser offenses. What really put a smile on my face, though, was knowing that that nigga was scratching his head, wondering what the fuck happened to his family. He was a smart cat, so I knew he probably already assumed that Trinity and I ran off together, but I also knew that if he found out how abruptly Trinity and her moms had left, he would doubt that theory, too. Right about now, he was probably stuck between wondering if she ran off with me or if some dope boys got next to Princess and her. I wished him luck figuring that one out, and if he did figure it out, I didn’t give a fuck. He could choke off the same cup of karma he brewed for me, muthafucka.
“What are you smiling about?” Trinity asked as she changed Princess out of her wet clothes and sat her in the gated play area. She wrapped a towel around her waist and sat on the lounge chair beside me, smiling all the while.
I locked Tyson in the bouncer. “Nothing. Just admiring my family.”
She leaned over and kissed me. “I love you.”
I cupped her face and
stroked her hair. “I love you too, li’l mama.”
I heard a simultaneous, “Ooohh,” followed by a fit of giggles from Brittany and Terry.
I looked over and laughed at them. “Oh, I got y’all’s ooohh!” I sprang from my chair and ran to the deep end of the pool. “Cannonball!” I yelled and jumped in to splash them.
I sprayed them with water as they laughed and tried to splash me back. Trinity cracked up as they took their water guns and forced me to retreat back to the deep end.
Trinity walked over and sat on the edge of the pool beside me. “Looks like you lost, soldier.”
“You gonna lick my war wounds later?” I asked seductively.
Her gaze was intense. “Absolutely.”
I was just about to kiss her when Consuela interrupted us. “Mr. Kincaid, you have some visitors,” she called out as she walked out poolside.
“Visitors?” Trinity asked, looking at me.
“I had a realtor stopping by about some property, but he wasn’t due until later,” I explained to her. “Let me go check it out.” I climbed out of the pool.
“Terry, work on that backstroke. If you want to join the swim team, you have to practice,” I told my son. He could swim like a fish and desperately wanted to compete on a championship level.
I dried off and threw on some shorts and a tank top before following Consuela inside. “They are in your office,” Consuela said as I walked into the main part of the house.
“They? You mean there really is more than one?”
“Yes. They said they were members of the Kincaid family.”
I furrowed my brow. “I’ll check it out. Thanks, Consuela.”
I headed to my office and grabbed my gun from the secret compartment beside my office door. I didn’t know who the fuck was showing up unannounced, but if they came for trouble, they’d just found it. Nobody was breaking up this family again, and I meant that. Fully loaded with one in the chamber, I opened my office door with the safety off and trigger ready.
“Nigga, put that gun down!” Tot yelled as he and Big Cal hit the floor.
“Thomas? Aaron? Y’all muthafuckas better call next time. I was ’bout to put y’all niggas to sleep.” I put the safety back on and placed the gun on my desk.
“Shit, man. What the fuck you so antsy about?” Big Cal asked.
“Two unknown muthafuckas roll up to your house unannounced and you ain’t asking no questions first either, nigga. I may not live in the hood no more, but you can’t take the hood outta me,” I said, giving each of my cousins a one-armed hug.
“Shit, we see.” Tot laughed. “We just came by ’cause we need to talk to you.”
“Man, I ain’t getting back in the game, Thomas—”
Tot cut me off. “Naw, man, it ain’t that. Pipe down.”
We all sat down.
“So, what’s up, fam?”
Big Cal shook his head. “Word on the street is that Pooch trying to get his lawyer to strike a deal. He wants to rat out Thomas and the Crown brothers for a lesser sentence or even parole.”
Sounded about like that bitch-made nigga. “Who is his lawyer again?”
“Jacob Stein,” Big Cal said.
“Stein is good.” I contemplated.
“No, Stein is great,” Big Cal corrected. “A judge would gladly look into Pooch’s deal if it meant bringing down more hustlas.”
“So, Aaron, why he ain’t after you?” I asked Big Cal.
“He thinks I’m locked up upstate,” he answered.
“And he believes I went into hiding because of his arrest,” Tot added.
I rubbed my forehead. “So, what else is going on?”
“Some of my detective friends are telling me that stripper, Chocolate Flava, has been asking a lot of questions about your whereabouts and Trinity’s. So far, you know she’s been coming up short,” Big Cal informed me.
“Good.”
“So, what we gon’ do about this whole deal Pooch tryna make?” Tot asked.
I leaned back in my chair. “Thomas, you shoulda got yo’ ass up outta da business like I told you,” I fussed.
He frowned. “So what? You just gon’ let my ass hang out to dry? After all the shit I did for you? I told you to do that fuck nigga in from the start. That nigga ain’t gon’ sit idly by and ride out until death behind bars.”
“Do you know what kinda fucking heat woulda immediately come down on me for some shit like that? I got a family to protect!” I yelled.
“Nigga, we family, too!” Tot yelled.
Big Cal stood up. “Y’all niggas pipe down. Damn!”
“Yo, you a pig. What the fuck can the old black and blue do to help out your brother?” I asked Big Cal.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Nigga, if I knew that, we wouldn’t be sitting here. Unfortunately, if I step in, I run the risk of blowing my cover, and Thomas gon’ get an informant tag on his ass. If that happens, fuck going to prison. He gon’ get got in the streets before his docket ever hits trial. And shit, me too. You forget that Pooch ain’t the only drug lord I’ve brought down.”
“So, what the fuck you gon’ do, T? ’Cause me and my brother done had your back for a long time because we family. You don’t turn your back on family,” Tot said sternly.
I hated this shit. As much as I wanted to do Pooch in, the mere fact that my arresting officer, trial judge, and Pooch were closely related to me was enough for anybody to know I had something to do with anything that happened to him. I wanted to help my cousins because they rode hard for me and Trinity through all this, but I just wanted to get to a place in my life where I didn’t have to worry about this shit; a place where all my family was good.
“Let me sleep on this shit. How long you in town, Thomas?”
“Just tomorrow,” Tot answered. “I’m staying at Aaron’s house.”
Suddenly, Trinity opened the door to my office. “I’m sorry, baby, but—” She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Big Cal and Tot. “Aaron? Thomas?” she asked in confusion as she walked in and hugged each of them. “What’s up, family? What brings y’all by?”
“Oh, ain’t nothing, cuz-in-law. Just checking in on my big cousin,” Tot responded.
Big Cal smiled at Trinity. He rubbed his hands together and licked his lips. “It sure is a shame you ain’t got no sisters your age.” He shook his head and looked her up and down, taking in her extremely short shorts and bikini top. “T, you got one fine-ass woman.”
She blushed. “Aaron, you’re a mess.” She playfully nudged him as he chuckled.
“Yeah, well, stop looking,” I demanded with a warning look. “What’s up, baby?” I directed my attention back to my wife.
“Princess and Tyson are asleep, so I was about to go fire up the grill. I’m seasoning the hamburgers now, and Consuela put on the potatoes and made the salad. I just wanted to know if you wanted to throw some steaks on.”
“Yeah, you got the Omahas, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah, baby, just what you asked for.”
Big Cal and Tot looked at each other and smiled.
“A’ight. Bet that. Go ahead and season ’em up for me then. I’ll be down in a minute to throw ’em on the grill.”
“A’ight. It was good to see you two again.” She hugged Big Cal and Tot before turning to leave. “Y’all staying for dinner? We’ve got plenty.”
“She is so hospitable,” Tot turned to me and said sarcastically. “You’re a real member of the family.”
I rolled my eyes at his slick comment. “So, y’all staying or what?”
“Naw. We gon’ roll and let y’all do your family thang. We’ll be back tomorrow,” Big Cal said.
“How long you in town for?” Trinity asked Tot.
“Just until tomorrow,” he replied.
She nodded. “A’ight. Well, you at least have to let us treat you to lunch or something tomorrow. I was gonna do some barbeque chicken and dirty rice.”
“I’m down with that,” Big Cal said happ
ily, and Tot agreed.
“Yeah, and you a Georgia girl, so I know you can burn.” Tot laughed.
“I do a little somethin’ somethin’,” she said with a slight chuckle. “Well, look, you guys, I have to get back downstairs, but I’m so glad you stopped by, and I’m serious about tomorrow.”
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Big Cal winked at her.
“And ain’t no bullshit with Pooch, is it?” she threw over her shoulder at Big Cal.
He shook his head. “Naw, Trin, ain’t nothin’. You know we always got you covered, though. You ain’t got to never worry about Pooch getting next to you.”
She let out a sigh of relief. “All right then. See you cats tomorrow,” she said and walked out.
As she glided out the door, I couldn’t help but notice her long, silky hair and phat ass. Her Coke-bottle figure and luscious melon-sized breasts were enough to drive any man crazy. Her almond-shaped brown eyes, naturally long lashes, and pretty white teeth were just as infectious, and she had the cutest little feet I’d ever laid eyes on. Her smooth milk chocolate skin wrapped around all those features showed why black and white men alike always wanted a sista. Yeah, one thing was for certain. I had one fine-ass woman.
I shook myself out of my trance so that I could bid my cousins goodbye and walk them to the front door. “See y’all tomorrow. I’ma think of something.” I hugged each of them with one arm.
“I need you, man. Real talk,” Tot said as he walked out the front door and headed for the truck.
Big Cal turned to look at me. “Thomas is worried.”
“We gon’ think of something. Tell him not to worry, and you don’t either,” I reassured him.
He nodded. “A’ight. Bet that.” We touched knuckles.
“Blood before bitches and bands,” I said with a head nod.
“Always.” With that, he and Tot got in his truck.
Now I have to deal with this shit, I thought, as I locked away my gun and headed toward the barbeque pit. Trinity stood there drinking a beer and watching Terry and Brittany play on the playground equipment. I walked past her to the grill.