Lover's Island, page 27
“Nah, I’m good. Li’l niggas just got me for three blue faces on two water bottles.” They shared a laugh as Cree took a seat on the barstool in front of the island in the middle of the kitchen.
“Aye, them little niggas spit that game real slick too.” Khiri chuckled. He twisted the cap on his bottle and took a swig. “So, what’s up? I know you ain’t fly here to kick shit with me.”
“I’m sure you heard about the engagement being called off.” Their mothers spoke often, and a lot of that included discussing family gossip. By now, Cree figured even his cousins in Haiti had heard the news.
“About that . . . I want to apologize to you.” Khiri had never verbalized his apology to Cree. Partly due to Cree cutting off all their communication and partly because he was ashamed.
Cree shook his head and tutted. “I ain’t come here for that. I forgave Nova, and that meant forgiving you too. We ain’t gotta get into that.”
“I do, though.” Khiri sucked his teeth, pulling at his bottom lip. Sleeping with Nova was one of the few things he regretted in life. It had severed the relationship he had with his cousin. “I apologize to you. I never should’ve crossed that line with Nova. Ain’t no excuse, but I was young and dumb as fuck. I violated, and I’m sorry.” He dropped his head.
They sat in silence for a moment. Cree fingered his beard and thought about his next words carefully. “It’s water under the bridge. I expect the same grace when it comes to me and Nyimah.”
Khiri raised an eyebrow and stared at Cree. “Nyimah?”
“Yeah, Nyimah. I know you care for her.” Cree returned his stare.
“We’re cool,” Khiri replied.
Cree gave him a knowing look. “I saw how you looked at her. It’s cool. I understand. She’s beautiful and a good-ass woman,” he commented.
“She is.” Khiri did harbor feelings for Nyimah. It was nearly impossible not to care for her after their time spent together. Discovering her history with Cree had caught him off guard. “But y’all have history, and I respect that. No lines been crossed that we can’t return from.”
Khiri had just confirmed what Nyimah told Cree. A weight lifted off Cree’s shoulders. Sharing one woman with his cousin was awkward enough. “So, you understand why I’m here trying to fix things.”
“I don’t, but it really ain’t my business.”
“Shit, you in it already,” Cree responded, chuckling lightly. Khiri was in it whether he realized it or not. As ironic as the situation was, Cree might have never reunited with Nyimah if it hadn’t been for her knowing Khiri. “I met Nyimah in Vegas almost two years ago, and we were seeing each other. She was in North Carolina at this time. I lost communication with her after Sanai’s accident. Been looking for her since. We got a lot of unresolved shit to figure out,” he explained.
“I can imagine.” Khiri’s thoughts drifted to the questions he had when he first met Nyimah. He had wondered if Cree was Ceraya’s father. Nyimah had neither confirmed it nor denied it. What he hadn’t understood was why Cree was absent from their life if that was the case. His cousin wasn’t the type to make a child and then abandon it. The situation had left him with more questions than answers.
“How long have you known her?” Cree asked.
“About a year now. She moved in right before she had Ceraya,” Khiri answered nonchalantly.
“Ceraya?” Cree repeated as his eyebrows furrowed. “She had the baby?” The revelation hit him like a first-round knockout. Nyimah had had his child, a little girl, and he had missed it. It explained her hostility toward him. From her point of view, he had left her with a baby and had started a life with someone else. He had to clear things up with her. “Where can I find her?”
* * *
Nyimah sat on her balcony overlooking downtown Atlanta and watched cars zoom by on the street below. Night was starting to set in, and the city was coming to life. Aida was to her right and was rolling a joint. She had just flown back from North Carolina after taking her twins to their dad for the week. Ceraya had been napping for about an hour now, and Nyimah was using the time to wind down.
“Before we get into all of this, did you see Pierre? He still fine?” Aida questioned before lighting the joint. She rolled her neck at Nyimah and awaited a response.
Sucking her teeth, Nyimah laughed at Aida’s antics. “You’re sick! But yes, I saw him too,” she replied.
Aida stared at her blankly.
“What?” Nyimah exclaimed.
“And?”
“And what?”
Aida took a pull from the joint and passed it to Nyimah. “Bitch, I want a play-by-play. How did he look? What did he say? Come on!”
The smoke hit Nyimah’s lungs and calmed her entire nervous system. She hadn’t indulged since before finding out she was pregnant. The habit had been easy to kill because Ceraya had kept her preoccupied. Finding Cree, however, had prompted her to blow a few. “Honestly, I wasn’t thinking about Pierre’s ass. I did notice he turned his locks into wicks, though.”
Aida lifted her shoulders up and down repeatedly as she squealed. “I bet he look good with them too. That’s all I needed to know. Now talk to me. Are you okay? What did Cree have to say?” She snapped out of her daydream about Pierre and focused on the bigger picture.
Nyimah rolled her eyes and handed the joint back to Aida. She folded her arms across her chest and kissed her teeth. The weekend’s events replayed in her mind over and over. Each time she thought about it, she became overwhelmed with a multitude of feelings. A part of her wanted to resent Cree. Another part of her wanted to love him. Her heart and her mind were at war, and she didn’t know which one would prevail. “He said he looked for me.”
“Well, he did. If I hadn’t lost his card, you two could have reconnected.” Aida couldn’t help but feel guilty about losing Cree’s card.
“That’s not the point, Aida.” Nyimah groaned as she clenched her hands together. “The point is he got engaged a year later. To the mother of his child. The same woman he told me he wasn’t with, because she cheated with his cousin.”
“Damn!” Aida exclaimed after blowing out a ring of smoke.
Nyimah sank farther into the lawn chair. “And that cousin happens to be Khiri.”
“Damn!” Aida coughed twice, choking on the smoke. “Khiri Khiri?”
Nyimah nodded. “I can’t make this shit up.”
“Girl, get the fuck out of here!”
Nyimah grimaced before chuckling lightly. Enough of her time had been spent dwelling on the situation that she could now find humor in it, as crazy as it was. She had avoided Khiri since they returned from Miami, but she knew they’d have to talk sooner than later.
Aida opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She didn’t know what to address first. The entire situation blew her mind. “Does Khiri know about you and Cree?” she asked.
“I told him we have history.”
“So, he knows Cree is Ceraya’s dad?”
Nyimah shrugged. “He didn’t ask.”
“That nigga ain’t dumb. He’s probably figured that out by now. Damn, I’m glad you didn’t fuck him. That would be . . . awkward.” Aida put the joint out in the ashtray and stood. “I’m going to pour me a glass of wine for this chile. You want one?”
Shaking her head, Nyimah glanced back into the house. “I’m good. Can you check on Ceraya, though?”
“Of course,” Aida replied as she slid the glass door open and stepped into the house.
The Ring doorbell dinged moments later. Nyimah went to open the door, assuming their Uber Eats order had arrived. After swinging the door open, Nyimah felt her heart drop when she saw Cree on the other side. Khiri stood behind him, rubbing the back of his neck, like he was uncomfortable.
“Can I come in?” Cree asked.
Nyimah glanced behind her reluctantly. I shouldn’t let this nigga in. Her first instinct was to slam the door in his face, but she couldn’t avoid him forever. Her daughter deserved this moment as much as she did.
“Yeah.” She stepped aside for Cree to enter and reassumed her position, blocking Khiri from entering. “Couldn’t warn me?”
“My bad. I thought he knew,” Khiri whispered. “Y’all should talk, though. I’ma catch up with you later.”
She softened her gaze as she nodded. She reminded herself that her issue wasn’t with Khiri. “Okay.” After closing the door, Nyimah inhaled deeply and turned to face Cree. Signs of Ceraya were all around the space, from the playpen in the living room to the high chair in the kitchen. Her breath caught in her throat as she observed Cree. He knows.
His eyebrows drew in as he licked his lips and slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants. He removed one hand and stroked his chin. “Were you going to keep my daughter a secret from me?” His dark eyes burned through Nyimah. There was a hint of hurt in his voice.
“I’d never do that,” she answered quickly. “I just needed time to process everything. Do you know how I felt when I saw you up there? Announcing an engagement after I raised our daughter alone for many months?”
“And I’m sorry for that.” Cree reached out and gripped Nyimah’s elbow gently and pulled her closer to him. “I never would’ve intentionally left you to do this alone. I take care of what I love, and I love you.”
“But you’re marrying someone else.” Nyimah wanted to believe Cree’s words, but his actions told another story.
“Not anymore.”
Nyimah pulled away from him and twisted her face in confusion. “What?”
“We called it off.”
Smack.
Her right hand connected with Cree’s cheek swiftly. “Why would you do that?”
Cree adjusted his jaw, sliding his tongue across both sides of his mouth. It was the second time he’d been slapped by a woman in his life. I probably deserve it. He frowned and shook his head. “For us. What’s the issue?”
“If you wanted to be with me, why put any of us through that? Why put Nova through that?” Nyimah took a moment to put herself in Nova’s shoes. To wake up engaged one day and single the next must’ve been a hard pill to swallow. As a woman, she thought about the stigma and embarrassment that came with explaining a failed engagement. She didn’t sign up to play a part in hurting Nova. “How is it so easy for you to say, ‘Fuck everything,’ like that?” she questioned him. If she gave her heart to Cree again, would she end up like Nova later on down the line? Her entire being trusted that wouldn’t be the case, yet life had tricked her many times in the past. Allowing her to taste happiness before ripping it away from her.
“Nah, this ain’t that,” Cree replied, as if he could read her thoughts. “It wasn’t easy for me to hurt Nova, but it’d be worse if I stayed with her, knowing how I feel about you.” With each word Cree spoke, he inched closer to Nyimah. “I didn’t even know if you kept the baby, and I still wanted you. Now that I know you gave life to an extension of us, of our love, I’m not going anywhere.”
He kissed the tear that slipped down her cheek. The next kiss he placed was on her lips, and Nyimah folded, surrendering to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and melted her body into his.
“There’ll never be another day you gotta do this alone. I’m here.” Cree followed up with another kiss. “Can I see her?”
Nyimah sniffled and nodded, still grasping Cree tightly. She didn’t want to let go. “Yes,” she finally said. She placed her hand in Cree’s and led him to the nursery. Slowly, Nyimah pushed the door open and found Aida playing with Ceraya on the floor. They sat on the ABC playmat, with wooden pieces to a puzzle sprawled between them.
“Oh! There they are, Ma Ma. Auntie A gotta go,” Aida announced, then blew on Ceraya’s nose, making her erupt in giggles. Dusting her knees off, Aida stood and held her fist out for Cree to tap. “I kept her in here when I heard you talking. Didn’t know if it would get heated or not.”
“We’re good,” Nyimah replied, blushing.
“Appreciate you, Aida. Always love you, even though you lost a nigga card,” Cree said and snickered, tapping his fist against hers.
Aida groaned and covered her face as they laughed. “My bad! My badass twins, yo. You know I’m forever team Cree,” she said, crossing her fingers. “I’m going to head out, though. Let y’all have some family time.” Aida embraced Nyimah tightly. “Call me if you need me, girl. Love you.”
“I love you too.” Nyimah released Aida, and she left the nursery.
Cree peered at the beautiful mocha-colored baby girl with a head full of jet-black curls and instantly knew she belonged to him. When her big brown eyes met his, Cree’s heart throbbed tenderly, pounding against his rib cage. A natural connection formed between the two of them. He loved her instantly, adding her to the short list of people who could disarm him with one glance. Sanai was the first on that list, followed by Nyimah, and now their daughter. He kneeled beside her, picked up a puzzle piece, and handed it to her. Ceraya shook the piece in her hand and threw it back at Cree, stealing a laugh from him.
Tears filled Nyimah’s eyes as she watched the two of them interact for a few seconds. Ceraya played with Cree like she was familiar with him.
“Ceraya, this is Dada. Remember the stories Mommy told you about the prince and the princess?” she said as she leaned down and touched Ceraya’s nose. The child development books Nyimah read had taught her that talking to infants like they were adults was more beneficial for cognitive development. So, she limited the baby blabber she used with her, in addition to reading to her every night.
Ceraya clapped her hands together, and Nyimah took that as her responding yes.
“Dada,” Nyimah stated, pointing to Cree. “Dada, this is Miss Ceraya Asani Deveraux.” She tickled Ceraya’s chubby tummy.
Cree smiled as he admired Nyimah. Mommy version of her was sexy as hell. Being a mother seemed to come easy to her. “You’re beautiful like your mommy. Even though we gotta change your name.”
“Which part?” Nyimah asked, frowning.
He picked Ceraya up and kissed her cheek. She was the perfect combination of Nyimah and himself. “The last name, of course. I love the rest.” He nodded to Nyimah, silently affirming that he was fine with her dedicating Ceraya’s middle name to Asun. “And then we can work on changing Mommy’s next. Cool?” He held his hand out for Ceraya, and she slapped it. “My girl.” He beamed as he chuckled lightly. “Go get some rest. I got her. I’ll stay the night if that’s okay with you.”
“That’s fine. You two need to get to know each other.”
“Good, because Daddy didn’t book a hotel,” he said to Ceraya.
The baby grabbed his lips with her chunky fingers and tried to twist them.
Nyimah laughed. “Oh, you just knew I’d let you stay, huh?”
Cree snuck a kiss on her lips. “Nah, but I was hoping you would.”
* * *
The following day Nyimah was able to catch up on much-needed rest. Cree took Ceraya off her hands and insisted she pamper herself. He handed her his black card and sent her on her way. She visited a popular black-owned spa she’d seen on TikTok and stopped by the mall to pick up a few things for Ceraya and herself. Once she got home, she showered and took a nap.
Rolling over in the bed, Nyimah checked the clock on her nightstand. The clock read 10:27 p.m. She sat up, panicking, realizing it was long past Ceraya’s bedtime. She threw the cashmere blanket off her body and ran down the hall and into the nursery. A relieved sigh escaped her mouth when she found Cree sitting in the rocking chair, holding a sleeping Ceraya against his chest.
“We’re good, love. I gave her a bath and fed her. She played a little bit, then was knocked out.” He glanced up at Nyimah, then turned his gaze down to Ceraya.
Nyimah wiped the sleep from her eyes and walked toward them. “You’re spoiling her, Cree.”
“Look at her. How can I not?” he asked rhetorically. “She’s perfect. So much of you and me in her. Thank you for blessing me with her.”
She rubbed his cheek, then leaned down to kiss his forehead. “Thank you for letting me have the day to myself. Didn’t realize how much I needed it.” Being a full-time mommy had had her running on E.
“You deserve it.” Cree slowly slipped off the chair and placed Ceraya in her crib, then kissed her forehead lightly. “I don’t even want to leave,” he said as they traveled into the living room.
Those words reminded Nyimah that they were still living separate lives. He had a whole life in Florida that she had yet to be introduced to, besides her brief visit to the engagement party. “You’re leaving already?” Separation anxiety kicked in, and she began overthinking, creating the worst-case scenarios in her mind.
Cree read the apprehension on her face and glided his thumb across her cheek. “There is some business I have to handle out of town, but I want to take you somewhere when I get back. Just you and me.”
“What about Ceraya?” Nyimah quipped.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pecked the tip of her nose. “My mother could watch her, or Aida if you’re not comfortable with that yet. We’ll have plenty of time for Ceraya to get to know her family.”
Nyimah wrinkled her nose and diverted her gaze to the floor. She wasn’t used to being away from Ceraya for days at a time yet. The trip to Miami with Khiri, though cut short, had been excruciating due to her being away from her baby girl.
“It’ll only be for a weekend,” Cree said. He knew she was hesitant about being away from Ceraya. “You don’t have to give me an answer now. Think about it.”
Nyimah bit her lip. “I’ll think about it,” she replied quietly.
“I’m going to fly out tonight, but I’ll be sending details your way in a day or two. You got me locked in?”
