CHAPTER NINE
Keys
If someone had told me that I would be living my life peacefully without Cash in it, I wouldn’t have believed them. I was very thankful. I was now free from his two-timing, dirty-dick, “can’t keep his dick to himself,” “don’t know how to be faithful” ass. I remembered a time when Cash was my everything. I couldn’t once imagine a time when he wouldn’t be in my life, but thanks to him and all his hoes, that shit was just imaginary. Back in the day, I would’ve done anything for him, including laying my life down. When I was 16, I killed for that man, pregnant and all, and yet he still did me wrong. He was my first love, my second-born’s father, and now he was nothing but my baby’s daddy. The shit was really funny and had me cracking up, because I remembered us having a conversation about chicks and their baby daddies, and I would always say that that wasn’t going to be us. Now look at us. I was nothing to him but his baby mama, and he made us that way.
All he had to do was be the man I needed him to be, but he couldn’t do that. Now I had Kane, the man I was scheduled to marry in a few days, and I couldn’t be happier. He also made Emoni happy, so that was an added bonus. Cash should have really taken notes from him, but that was neither here nor there.
“What are you over there thinking about, shorty?” Kane asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. He walked over to me and placed a kiss on my forehead before he bent down and did the same thing to my stomach. Right after he did that, the babies started kicking. “See, they know when Daddy comes around.”
“Boy, go sit your ass down somewhere,” I told him, laughing a girlish laugh. I couldn’t help it. He made me feel like a little girl in high school. That was how Cash used to make me feel before I woke up and saw the true him.
“Keyon!” he yelled a little while fingering my engagement ring.
“What? Huh?” I asked, looking at him.
“What’s wrong, shorty? You’ve been deep in thought since I came in here. So what’s up?” he asked with this worried expression on his face. See, that was the reason why I loved him, and yes, I did say love. Whenever something was wrong, he tried to fix it.
Kane wasn’t your average man. He didn’t take a woman for granted, cheat on her when he got the urge to, or left her hanging. Baby, he was way different, and I do mean different. I’d never met a man to just be about one woman and never look twice at a different woman. We’d been out countless times, and I hadn’t seen him even bother to look at another female. What I liked about him most was that when I had a problem, he tried finding all kinds of different ways to solve it. Not to mention he was so attentive and affectionate. He cared for Emoni just like he was her real father, and I cared about his daughter the same. Most men would’ve run once they found out that a woman already had a kid, but not him. He took on the responsibility of being my baby’s stepdad, and I had to say, they took to each other pretty well. So you see, my little family was wonderful, and once the twins arrived, things would only get better.
“I’m good, boo. I’m just sitting here thinking how lucky I am to have found you,” I said sincerely. “I don’t know what I would’ve done had I not met you, especially thinking about how heavy Emoni was.”
“Nah, baby, I’m truly the lucky one. You’re about to have my babies, and my daughter absolutely loves you. I didn’t think that I was going to find love again after losing my wife, but I did. I thank God every day for bringing you into my life. I can’t wait until the day we say, ‘I do,’” he said, kissing me again.
“You’d better be grateful my pregnancy is high risk, because I’d hop on your ass so fast. You know better than to do that. I’m already hot and bothered,” I told him as I began fanning myself with my hand.
“Shit, I can’t wait for these last few months to pass myself. The minute your ass is cleared, I’m going to tear that ass up,” he replied as he began undressing. He stripped all the way down to his boxers and then got into bed. “Come on, big mama, you know I can’t sleep without my babies.”
“Ha-ha, funny. I won’t be big for too much longer,” I said as I snuggled up closer to him. “Just wait until I drop these babies. I’m going to be fine as wine, baby.”
“Uh-huh. As long as you keep that shit between us,” he said, pointing to my sex. “Then we won’t have a problem.”
“Baby, you don’t even have to worry about no shit like that. I’m a one-man kind of girl, and I’m very faithful,” I told him honestly. I wasn’t the type of chick to stray. If I was with you, then I was all the way with you. I didn’t believe in sharing or cheating. That just wasn’t my type of style.
“That’s what I like to hear,” he said, placing a kiss on my lips. “I love you, shorty.”
“I love you too,” I responded before placing a passionate kiss on his lips. I made sure to stop before it got too far though. It was probably killing him because we couldn’t have sex. He didn’t say it, but I knew it was. He was a man, and men had needs. I was just happy that he wasn’t like Cash and didn’t believe in cheating, or else shit would’ve been just like before. Thank God he wasn’t though. I’ve finally found a winner. I felt myself getting sleepy, so I turned the lamp off and laid my head on his chest. Before long, I was sleeping like a baby.
Every morning around 2:00 am, my bladder always chose to mess with my sleep. Like the rest of those mornings, today was no different. I couldn’t wait until all of this was over and done with, because I was tired of this. It was a good thing that I was on maternity leave, because if I had to work, I would’ve been stupid mad. Oh, hell, I’d been on maternity leave since I found out I was pregnant and at high risk. When I tried getting up one morning to go to work, Kane nipped that shit in the bud real quick. Besides, my mother made sure to call my job and let them know. It was a good thing that I was a bad-ass nurse and that my job actually loved me. My boss made sure to tell me that I could have my job back as soon as I cleared after my six weeks. So yup, I was glad about that.
I looked over to see Kane peacefully sleeping next to me. Normally, I’d wake him up to help me, but he looked too good sleeping, and I refused to wake him up. I reached over, careful not to wake him up, and placed a kiss on his lips before slowly getting my big ass up out of bed. The only thing I hated about this house since we moved in was the fact that the bathroom wasn’t finished. This meant that I had to walk all the way down the hall to use the bathroom, and if anyone knows anything about being pregnant with twins, it’s very much hard to walk. My belly was twice the size of two watermelons. So yes, the struggle was definitely real.
As I made my way down the hall, I stopped in to check on Emoni and Ahmyri. We had a six-bedroom house, but they just insisted on sleeping in the same room. I was happy that they got along the way they did, because things would’ve been complicated if they didn’t. I didn’t go all the way in, fearing that I would wake them up, so I just stood by the door. I looked at my daughter, who was asleep in her bed, and said a silent prayer to God for her. I didn’t know what my life would’ve been like if He hadn’t placed her into my life. I then looked over to Ahmyri, who had kicked her covers off. I would’ve fixed them, but she would’ve just kicked them off again. She had this thing like Kane. They never could sleep hot, and now that I was pregnant, I understood why. Being hot would mess up a dead man’s sleep, which was why Kane had a ceiling fan installed in our room.
After peeking in on the girls, I continued down the hall. I stopped once I got to the room where little Cash lay asleep.
Don’t ask me how he’s here. Just continue to read the rest of the story, and you’ll find out.
Once I finished peeking in on him, I headed straight to the bathroom. It was like the minute I saw the toilet, the urge to pee became stronger. I waddled myself over as fast as I could because I felt like I was about to pee on myself. Luckily, I made it there just in time or else I would’ve been a fat, pissy mess. Once I was finished, I washed my hands and turned the lights out. Just as I was walking out of the bedroom, I bumped straight into a hard chest.
“Damn, Kane, you scared the piss out of me. You’re lucky I just finished using the bathroom or else you would’ve had to bathe me again,” I said, laughing without looking up.
“My bad, baby. I didn’t mean to scare you,” said a voice that wasn’t Kane’s. I immediately stood still as I recognized the voice. I hadn’t spoken to him in a while, but I knew that voice all too well.
“Cash?” I asked, hoping that my ears were deceiving me.
“The one and only, baby,” he replied boldly.
“What are you doing here? Most importantly, how did you get in here?” I asked in a small voice. I didn’t know I was scared until I felt my hands begin to shake.
“I came here to get what was mine.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
“You, Emoni, and CJ, baby. Y’all are coming home with me,” he said, sounding stupid.
“Cash, we’re not going anywhere with you. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m with Kane and we’re about to have kids together.”
“I’m not trying to hear none of that. Go get my kids so we can go, Keyon,” he said, ignoring what I just said to him.
“No, Cash, I mean it. We’re not going anywhere with you. What we have is over. It’s been over, truthfully. We’re not a family anymore, so you might as well show yourself out.” I tried to walk away, but he pulled my arm.
“Don’t walk away when I’m talking to you, Keyon.” He began squeezing my arm. “It’s bad enough that you’re sleeping with the enemy. That nigga Bundy and that bitch Mia were the ones who robbed me, and you want to be with him?”
“Cash, let go. You’re hurting me. I don’t know anything about you being robbed, and truthfully I don’t care,” I said, ignoring what he just had said. I didn’t care what Kane did to him. He was no enemy of mine. He treated Emoni and me well, and that was all that mattered. “Karma got a fucked-up way of getting to people, huh? Now let me go.”
“You’re not going anywhere unless it’s with me,” he said, sounding like a madman. I didn’t notice it before, but he had an unreadable look in his eyes. I hated to admit it, but for the first time in my entire life, I was completely afraid of my daughter’s father.
“I already told you that I’m not going anywhere with you, Casimere. Just let me go, and leave please,” I said, as a set of hot tears fell down my face.
“So you’re really trying to leave me?” he asked.
“I’ve already left. You’re the one who don’t seem to understand that.”
“Remember what we said after we killed Joey in that basement?” he asked.
“What are you talking about?” I asked him. That was so long ago, and Joey wasn’t a memory that I was trying to bring back up.
“When we said that we were always going to be together, remember what you told me after that?” he said, inching closer to me. I wasn’t a fool. I played like I didn’t, but I remember that day as clear as day. What was scary was what I said to him after. “Tell me what you said after that, Keyon.”
“I don’t remember,” I lied.
“Fuck that. You know better than to lie to me. What did you say after that, Keys?”
“I told you that I don’t remember,” I whined, now crying harder. I hoped he wasn’t going to do what I thought he was trying to do.
“Of course you do, so tell me what it’s going to be,” he said, pulling a gun from behind his back. “Either you leave with me, or you leave here in a body bag. The choice is yours, baby.”
“Cash, I’m begging you. Don’t do this, baby,” I begged, trying to plead with him.
“Fuck that. You made me do this. Now choose before I choose for you,” he yelled, which scared me more. I prayed that he woke Kane up, because only the Lord knows how the next few minutes would go if he didn’t.
“Cash, I can’t leave with you. I don’t love you anymore. I love Kane, and that’s who I’m going to be with.”
“I really wish you hadn’t said that, but you can’t be with him if you’re dead,” he said, removing the safety.
“Cash, please don’t do this,” I began begging again. I wasn’t begging for my life. I was begging for the lives of my children. I didn’t want them to have to suffer for the things that I’d done in life. They weren’t born yet, and it looked like they weren’t going to be either.
“I’m sorry, ma, but if I can’t have you, he won’t either,” was all I heard before the gunfire.
Several Months Earlier
Keys
I’d been in the hospital for a whole damn week, and I was beyond ready to go home to my own damn bed. My ass and back were numb from lying down all day, every day, and I missed my pumpkin like crazy. Speaking of Emoni, my mother had been calling almost every day. I had yet to tell my mother where I was, because I didn’t want her to worry. When she did find out, she was probably going to chew me a whole new asshole for not telling her. I was happy Emoni was there with her, because things would’ve been complicated, and I damn sure didn’t want my baby nowhere around her dumb-ass daddy right now. I really hoped I would be released before she came back home this week, or else my mother would be staying, and that was something I couldn’t deal with. I loved my mother, and she loved me and would want to help me, but she could be a bit extreme when it came to me. She always tried to treat me like a baby even though I was a grown woman.
I was engrossed in an episode of Empire when the room door opened. I didn’t turn to see who it was, because I thought it was the nurse or doctor. A few minutes passed and no one came into view, so I turned to see who it was. Imagine my surprise when I noticed Mia standing by the door. I didn’t know if God was truly whipping my ass for everything I did in the past, but I sure thought He was trying to send me to an early grave or something. The bad thing about it all was that the bitch had a vase of flowers with a single balloon in her hands.
“I don’t know how or why you’re here, Mia, but what I do know is that you have all of thirty seconds to get your ass up out of here, or I’m going to forget all about me being pregnant and in the hospital,” I told her before she even had a chance to open her mouth.
“Keyon, ple—” she began to say, but I held my hand up to stop her.
“Whatever it is that you’re about to say, save that shit for somebody who really cares, Mia.”
“I can’t, Keyon. I came here to say something, and I really hope that you will please allow me to say it,” she begged as she walked farther into the room. I was about to get off the bed and handle her the way I should’ve back at the club when I noticed a little boy clinging to her leg. I didn’t have to ask who he was because his face said it all. He was every bit his father. I thought Emoni was her father’s twin, but the little boy looked so much like Cash, it was as if he had spit him out himself.
I felt tears rolling down my cheeks. If I didn’t accept that Cash had cheated on me before, this was all the reason for me to do so now. Casimere Jr. was definitely his father’s son, and I couldn’t do a thing about it if I wanted to.
“I know this isn’t right, and I’m truly sorry for all that I’ve put you through. I can honestly say that I acted on pure emotion when I rolled up on you and Cash at the club, but I’ve realized that this is as much my fault as it is Cash’s. I didn’t bring CJ here to hurt you or to cause you any more pain. I only wanted you to meet him. I don’t fault you if you hate me, but I want our kids to get along because they’re brother and sister,” she rushed out. I barely heard a thing she had said. My eyes and attention were focused on the little boy.
“Come here, baby,” I said, holding my hand out to him. He looked at me, then up to his mother. I guessed he was asking for permission or something. When she nodded, he looked at me again before he came over to me. I carefully bent over and picked him up, then sat him on my lap. “Hey, little man, what’s your name?”
“I’m Casimere. What is your name?” he asked.
“My name is Keyon.”
“Baby,” he said, rubbing my belly, which made me laugh.
“Yes, babies,” I replied, nodding my head.
“Mama, baby,” he said, turning back to his mother. She didn’t say anything. She only smiled and nodded her head.
“Come on. Let’s see if there’s some cartoons you can watch,” I told him as I began flipping through the channels on the TV. It took me a few minutes, but I found the Disney Junior channel. The minute he heard Jake talking, his attention was on the TV. I made sure that he was fully into the TV before I turned back to Mia, who was still standing by the door. It was funny how she had all that mouth in the club, but now she was quiet like a church mouse.
“Now I don’t know what you expect to gain from this, but know that I don’t play when it comes to mine. I agree with you, and I want our children to get to know each other. It makes no sense for them to suffer just because their parents were out there being hoes and shit. Now just because I agree to this, that doesn’t mean we’re cool. We’re not friends, and trust we’re not going to be. We’re only doing this for our kids. The minute I think you’re trying to be sneaky or spiteful, I will shut this shit down so fast,” I said to her. “I’m not the type of bitch you would want to cross. I only let you pull that shit because I work at a hospital, and me fucking you up would cause me to lose my job, but when it comes to Emoni and her safety, none of that shit matters. I will turn into the devil himself if someone even thinks of fucking with her.”
“Look, I already apologized, and I feel the same way about my son. Like I said, our children are siblings, which is why I’m here. I don’t have no more dealings with Cash. I’m through with him.”
“I really wouldn’t care if you did. Just don’t cross me and we’ll be good,” I said just as the door opened.
“Oh, fuck no,” I heard Tay say before she came into view. “What is this bitch doing here? Bitch, what the fuck do you want?”
“Keyon, please get your guard dog before we have a misunderstanding.”
“Bitch, did you just call me a dog?” Tay asked, walking up to her.
“Calm down, Tay. You’re going to scare the poor child,” I said once I noticed him jump. He immediately got down and ran over to his mother.
“Fuck this bitch. I’ll do her in front of her child,” she replied, still inching toward her.
“No, you won’t,” I said as I attempted to get up. “Mia, give me your number, and I’ll call you once Emoni gets back from her grandma’s house.”
“Son, you’re really starting to piss me off. What the fuck do you need this bitch’s number for?” Tay asked me.
“You gon’ take a seat while I get the girl’s number, or are you going to continue to act like a complete idiot?” I asked her.
“First of all, I’m no idiot. I’ll chill out, but the minute this she-devil leaves, I want you to fill me in on what the fuck I missed.” She began walking toward the chair that sat in the corner of the room.
Shaking my head, I grabbed the paper and pen on the table next to me and handed them to Mia. She grabbed them and began writing her number. When she was done, she handed them back to me and grabbed her son. She was about to walk out the door when Tay called out to her.
“Oh, Mia,” she said, “for your information, I’m no one’s guard dog. I’m just a true friend. Better get you one, bitch.”
“You know what? I’m not even going to entertain you, li’l mama,” Mia said, walking out the door.
“Bitch better leave because I was two seconds away from digging in that ass,” Tay said, playing on her phone. I was glad because I didn’t feel like talking to her about me and li’l Cash. At least not right now I didn’t.
“Where’s Kane?” I asked, changing the subject.
“I don’t know. Shit, he’s your baby daddy, not mine,” she said smartly.
“I see you are feeling yourself today, so I’ma let you slide,” I replied as I lay back in bed. I had no idea what her problem was, and I wasn’t about to entertain her pettiness either.
She was about to open her mouth when my phone started to ring. Picking it up, I noticed that it was Cash calling me again. I didn’t know why he kept calling when I told him not to. Just like all the previous times, I sent his call to voicemail and placed the phone back on the table.
“Please don’t tell me that was Cash again,” Tay said.
“Well, I won’t tell you then,” I replied, rubbing my temple. I could already feel a headache coming on, and I just knew that she was about to add to it.
“Fuck all that. That shit is suspect to me,” she said just like I knew she would. “I mean, first she shows up, and now he’s calling. What if they’re trying to pull some sneaky shit on you?”
“Girl, chill out. Cash calling me and Mia coming by don’t have anything to do with each other,” I said, waving her off. I wasn’t trying to hear that shit she was spitting. Tay had a tendency for being ignorant sometimes, and this was one of those times.
“You can be playing if you want to, but don’t make me have to say I told you so,” she said, rolling her eyes. “And don’t forget I thought about that shit earlier. I let you rest long enough so that you can be able to tell me what went down between you and little Miss Side Piece.”
“I knew you were coming sooner or later,” I laughed as I sat back up. “I’m telling you now. If you say some shit I don’t like or interrupt me before I’m done, I will stop, and you will leave.”
“Girl, whatever. Just spill the juice,” she said like she was watching a soap opera or something.
“Uh-huh,” I said before I began to tell her all about what went down when Mia showed up. I made sure that I didn’t leave out a thing. I also told her about her wanting Emoni and CJ to get to know each other. I didn’t miss the look on her face, but I decided not to say anything. I knew she was going to have her opinions about it, and I was prepared for that. Whether she liked it or not, I was going to at least try to see where the shit went. For Mia’s sake, I hoped she wasn’t on no fuck shit, because like I told her before, when it came to Emoni, nothing and no one mattered. Everybody could get it, and that was a promise.