by Edwina Fort
“You look as cute as a little pregnant button,” she muttered so that only I could hear her.
“Wow! You look good.” He finally spoke and I exhaled a breath I hadn’t been aware of holding. Now don’t get me wrong, you guys have to know I’d taken special care of the way I dressed, knowing I was going to be in the same facilities as my husband. But I was still worried because my stomach had gotten considerably bigger since the last time he saw me.
“Tee-Tee, I brought Unc up here to say hi to you. I told him you missed him so much you was sitting in that window, watching him all the time,” Jessie said from where she stood next to him holding his hand.
I closed my eyes and groaned just as I heard a choking noise coming from behind me. Because she still stood so close, I could feel NuriYah’s body jerking with silent laughter. When I opened my eyes again, Hitta wore a knowing smile on his face.
“Thank you for that, Jessie,” I told her through tight lips, still wearing that forced smile. “Why don’t you run along and tell Lyric we’re getting ready to head out?” She nodded and skipped away, completely clueless to the fact that she had just sold me down the river.
Embarrassed was not descriptive enough to describe how I felt right now. I turned to face Butta and when she saw the agony in my eyes, she blew. She was laughing so hard she had to turn her back to get herself together. When she turned back around, trying to hold her laughter in, she failed miserably because her body kept jerking as those choking noises continued to escape her throat. If I could just get out of here, I can die on the train.
“Thank you so much for the smoothie. I will call you when I make it to the house.”
Still trying to suppress her laughter, she nodded. “Okay… you be safe out there,” she managed to get out before she had to turn around and pretend to be doing something on the counter. Her shaking shoulders told us exactly what she was doing.
When I turned and my gaze fell back on Hitta, he stood looking down at the floor, rubbing his head, trying to suppress his own laughter.
Goodness! I just needed to make it through those doors and I was free. "It was good seeing you again," I told him with as much dignity as I could muster.
“Yeah, it was good to see you too.” As I headed toward the door, he fell into step next to me and then Butta Baby Larou decided to drill the final nail in my coffin.
“You guys be safe on that train. Gets kind of dangerous out there when the sun starts to set.”
My steps came to a halt as I whipped back around to stare at her. Why sis?! Why would you say that in front of my overprotective husband that I was desperately trying to escape right now?
With a devious grin on her face, she waved before making the phone signal by her ear. “Call me!”
“Okay!” I said back with a big fake smile before turning and hurrying down the stairs. I was moving so fast I was practically running.
“Hey, Angel…Angel.” Hitta said, catching my arm when I got to the bottom of the stairs. “I was wondering if maybe you’ll let me give you a lift.”
Okay! Who was this man? And what the heck did he do with my husband? He was wondering if maybe I’ll let him give me a lift? Not, hey woman, get in the truck, no way am I letting you take the train by yourself.
I tucked my braid that had fallen in my face behind my ear. “Ummm…Okay.”
WHAT???? Did you just say okay? Are you nuts?!!!
“Come on, girls,” I said gesturing for Lyric and Jessie to take my hand. When I turned back toward the ring, I caught Lyon giving Hitta the thumbs up while winking at him. Suddenly I wondered how much of this was coincidence and how much of this was NuriYah and Lyon butting their mischievous noses in my business. But I had no time to ponder it because after we walked out the door, the realization that I was getting ready to be closed in a vehicle with my husband settled on me like a weight, and all of a sudden, I was super nervous.
However, having Jessie and Lyric there, who were taking turns telling Hitta about something or another, made it a little easier. I was able to study him as we walked toward his truck unnoticed.
Goodness, he looked and smelled so good. Both NuriYah and Brooklyn told me that when they got to the end of their pregnancy and wanted to encourage labor, they had some alone time with their husbands—
Oh wow! Where had my mind just gone? To a place it hasn’t been in months and was long overdue for a visit.
When we got to the truck, Jessie and Lyric climbed in the back. Hitta opened the passenger door for me and a startled chuckle escaped my lips when I saw a step extend from it.
“Oh! You got the step…” I gasped.
He chuckled. “Yeah, but now I wish I hadn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because now, I don’t have the excuse to pick you up and put you in the truck.”
That made me laugh. “Lucky for you. You saved your back, I’m so fat—oh!” I cried out when he suddenly scooped me up in his arms. “Goodness!” My hands came to rest on his shoulders and I was reminded about how big and strong they are.
He grinned as he stood there holding me. “You were saying?”
“Ummm…” I shook my head, drowning in his intense gaze. I don’t know what the hell I was saying. He took his time and settled me on the seat, the whole time, he held my gaze.
“I see you still short,” he muttered without stepping back. His lips were only inches from mine.
I opened my mouth in feigned shock. “You can’t call people short anymore.”
Biting his bottom lip as he stared at mine, he chuckled. “And why not?”
“It’s still politically incorrect.” I licked my lips, wondering if he was getting ready to steal a kiss like he did the first time we played out this scene. Although it looked like he was going to do just that, he didn’t, instead, he reached over and fastened my seatbelt.
“Forgive me. I don’t want to offend.” Then he stepped back and shut the door.
What—the—heck?! I turned to look wide-eyed at Jessie and she just shrugged before muttering. “Maybe he changed.”
“Yeah, maybe he has.”
The drive back to Brooklyn’s place was not as awkward as I thought it was going to be. In fact, thanks to Jessie and Lyric, it was quite animated. The two of them competed for Hitta’s attention and was hilarious doing it.
I was surprised to see that he didn’t know where I lived and needed me to give him directions. When we pulled up, Jessie and Lyric jumped out of the truck and ran into the house. Hitta came around and opened my door before helping me out.
“It was really good seeing you today,” he told me as he stared down at me with that gaze that made me feel as if he could to see into my very soul.
“About what Jessie said back at the Lyon Den-“ He shook his head cutting me off.
“No worries, Teacup. It’s all good.”
“Hitta! My man!” Noach’s booming voice came as he walked down the stairs toward us.
Hitta turned to look and smiled when he saw him. “Hey shalom, ach!” he said before greeting him with that one-sided hug men did.
“Do you know all this time I didn’t know that it was your wife that my wife was hiding here in our guest bedroom?”
“Wait a minute, you guys know each other?”
Noach nodded. “Yeah, I’ve hung out with this young brotha a time or two at the Lyon’s Den. I was telling him he one of my all-time favorite fighters. Hey man, you want to stay for dinner?”
Hitta’s gaze came to mine. “If it’s okay with Angel.”
Wow! Who is this man?
I nodded, waving my hand like it was no big deal. “Sure, of course.”
“Beautiful!” Noach said wrapping his arm around his shoulder guiding him toward the house. “Man, I can’t wait to show you this pair of boxing gloves my granddaddy gave to me. He said Ali gave them to him right after his fight with Joe Frasier.”
“What?” Hitta asked.
Noach nodded. “He said they were still wet with his swea
t.”
I shook my head as I followed them; Noach always has these crazy tales. When we got to the stairs, Hitta’s hand surprised me when it suddenly took mine to help me up them.
Whew! Y’all! I’ve missed my overprotective man.
Anyway, dinner as always was quite the experience with the Hathaways. Noach’s stories kept us laughing. Afterward, he stole Hitta away to the basement for a few hours. By the time they came back up, everyone had pretty much retired to their own rooms.
Jessie was bedded down with Lyric, so I took my time showering and moisturizing my skin and hair. I put on my favorite pair of pajamas, which were a pair of pink silk pajama pants with the matching cami that didn’t cover my stomach anymore. Then I slid on the matching robe and piled my braids on the top of my hair in a messy bun.
Yeah, I’d planned on giving Mr. Man something to remember me by when Noach called me downstairs to say goodnight to him after they’d finished doing whatever they were doing in the basement.
What I didn’t expect was for Noach to knock on my door and tell me I had company before stepping to the side so that Hitta could walk in.
“You guys have a good evening. I’m going to head on in,” he said before disappearing out the door, closing it behind him. I had to wonder if Brooklyn and Noach, like Lyon and Butta, had decided to give us a little nudge in the direction they felt we couldn’t get to on our own.
For a moment, I was completely at a loss as to what to do. So I sat on my bed, picking up the remote control to the TV as if it was no big deal to have all six foot plus of raw muscle that made up my husband in my small bedroom, looking good and smelling even better.
Whew, chile! Give me the strength! I’m not going to lie, seeing my husband in this state where he seems nervous around me was turning me on big time.
“May I?” he asked gesturing toward the chair next to my bed.
I reached over and removed the throw from it. “Sure.”
He eased his big frame down in the chair before exhaling. “That Noach something else, huh?”
Chuckling, I nodded. “Yeah, that he is.”
“What you watching?”
“The news…”
He nodded as he looked around my room. Y’all not going to believe this, but he seemed more nervous than me.
“So, do you have any recent sonograms of the baby? The last time I saw one, he was the size of an egg.” He chuckled.
“Oh, yeah!” I said excitedly as I got up and reached for them where they were behind him on the dresser.
Now between me and y’all, I could have squeezed around him, so that I wasn’t rudely reaching over him like this, bringing his face dangerously close to my breasts, but I didn’t. And it just so happened that when I stretched my arms, my robe fell open. My braless breasts, that were squeezed into this cami, had plumped out more since the last time he saw them.
He groaned and I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling as I stepped back, holding the envelope with the sonogram pictures in it.
“Sorry about that,” I told him as I loosely retied my robe before easing back down to the bed.
“Naw—” He had to clear his throat. “Naw, it’s cool.”
I pulled the pics out the envelope, handing them to him. "He's really big. My doctor thinks he's going to be a ten-pounder."
He looked up shocked. “What?”
I nodded. “I’m so scared.”
He studied me for a minute before he spoke as if he wasn't sure of himself. “Is it alright if I can be there with you?”
“I would love that actually.”
A look of relief washed over his face. “Really?”
“Really.”
He studied the pictures for a moment. “Don’t be scared, Teacup, everything gonna be okay.”
I nearly closed my eyes and moaned. You guys have no idea how good those words felt. I think I definitely missed him telling me that the most.
I cleared my throat. There was something I needed to tell him before we went any further. “Hitta… I wanted to thank you for what you did for Westly.”
He nodded before he sat up in the chair, resting his elbows on his knees. This position brought him closer to me.
“Angel… I’m sorry for what I did.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I was so selfish and didn't consider how my actions would affect you. But baby, you got to know I did it all to protect you. That’s all I ever wanted to do.”
Right then the baby kicked and I gasped, placing my hand on my stomach.
“What’s the matter?”
I smiled. “The baby kicked. Here, let me see your hand." I opened my robe and let it slide from my shoulders.
Hush up! I know I’m being fast. But y’all would too if you were in my shoes…so whatever.
I took his big hand and placed it on my stomach just as our son delivered another kick.
“Wow!” he gushed, looking down at my stomach with an amazed smile. “He’s strong.”
I nodded. "Yeah, he is."
For a few minutes, neither of us said anything. Hitta had gone down to his knees between my spread legs and was now using two hands to rub my stomach. I leaned back on my hands, offering him my belly.
I gasped when he leaned down and gently kissed my stomach. “You’re so beautiful, Teacup.”
I gently rubbed my hand through his full beard as I looked down at this man that I loved. “You know, I think I figured out what I missed most.”
He licked his lips that were only inches away from mine. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“I miss the feeling of you inside of me, filling me.”
Closing his eyes, he groaned as he gently rested his forehead against mine. “Me too, baby. You don’t know how much I want to feel yo’ heat.”
I threw caution to the wind and took his lips in a kiss I'd been dying for since I started spying on him at the Lyon’s Den months ago. He was only tentative Hitta for a second before my goon resurfaced and he began devouring my mouth.
When he deepened the kiss I moaned, lying back on the bed. He hungrily followed me, but then he broke the kiss off and I nearly growled at him.
“Is this gon’ be alright?”
I pulled his face back down. “Yeah, it’s cool.” And then I was kissing him, reaching for his shirt.
But he pulled back again and I did growl. “I mean, you’re so far along. Is it gon’ hurt the baby?”
“William!” I hissed, causing his eyes to widen as he looked at me. “Do you want to die?”
With a horrified grin on his face, he shook his head. “Well then, get down here and make love to me!”
He stood and quickly pulled his shirt over his head before kicking off his boots. “Whatever you want, Teacup.”
And sure enough, he gave me exactly what I wanted. Twice…
My eyes flew open when I felt the warm gush of water between my legs. I moved Hitta’s arm to the side and sat up.
“Everything aright?” he grumbled, still asleep.
“I think my water broke.”
“What?!” he cried jumping up, but because he was in a strange room and still half asleep, his feet caught in the cover and he ended up tumbling out the bed. A half a second later, his head popped back up.
“What does that mean?” Poor baby was freaking out. “Did I mess something up when I—you know when we—” I grabbed his hand, cutting him off.
“It means it’s time.”
For a moment, he looked completely lost. “Time?”
I grinned. “Yeah, we’re getting ready to have the baby.”
“Oh, dear Yah!” He jumped up and frantically searched for his clothes and put them on and then ran out of the room.
Shaking my head, I eased out of the bed and started to get dressed. Brooklyn and I had practiced this. She said when it goes down, it pays to be ready. She’d even helped me pack a bag that was in my closet ready to go.
“Alright, little sista! You ready to do this?” She said coming in the room a f
ew seconds later; Hitta was right behind her. Y’all, my poor husband didn’t look like he was going to make it. I’ve never seen him this way. He was adorable.
“What should I do?” he asked.
“Help me get her to your truck.” He nodded before scooping me up in his arms and hurrying to the truck. Brooklyn followed behind us with my bag, saying that she and Noach will meet us at the hospital.
“It’s going to be aright, Teacup. We’re going to get through this. It’s going to be breezy.” Hitta repeated several times on the way and I think he was saying it more for himself than me.
I was okay…It wasn’t that bad at all. I expected it to be more intense than this.
However, five hours later, it was a completely different story.
“I’m dying!!!” I screamed, squeezing Hitta’s hand.
“Arghhh!” He said, trying to pry my hand from around his. “Baby, the grip. It’s a bit much…”
“Shut up!” I yelled at him just as another contraction hit. “Arghhhhhhh!!!!” I screamed, squeezing his hand as more pain than any human body should be able to take shot through me.
He went down to his knees, clutching the hospital bed with his other hand. “Damn! Teacup, how you get so strong?”
“Alright, mama, get ready to give me one last push,” my doctor said.
And I did, screaming until my throat was raw. My big strong husband screamed right along with me. Then I felt extreme relief as our son made his entrance into this world.
“You did good, baye…” I heard my husband say as I fought to stay awake. He gently kissed my lips. “You did real good.”
After Brooklyn and the nurses helped me get cleaned up and settled down with our son nursing at my breast, she and Noach left, promising to bring Jessie back a little later to see the baby after I’d gotten a little rest.
Hitta sat in the chair next to the bed, watching us with a satisfied smile on his face.
“Have you thought about names?” I asked him.
He grinned. “What about Baby Hard Hitta? ‘Cause you already know that’s what he’s going to be.” I opened my mouth appalled and he chuckled as he rubbed his finger against the baby’s cheek. “I’m just joking. I was thinking about Nehemiyah.”