Page 2 of I Need It

Angel looked tired as hell, but she still smiled at us. “He’s perfect,” she said.

I walked closer and kissed her forehead then shook Rylan’s hand. I handed him the cigar and took a peek at the baby. She was right. He was perfect. He looked just like Rylan. “To say he’s a newborn, he looks a month old already,” I said with a chuckle.

Angel giggled. “You wanna hold him, Christian?”

When I looked into her hopeful eyes, I couldn’t say no. I went and sanitized my hands then went back to them and extended my arms. I wasn’t a big fan of holding babies. They were way too little. I didn’t hold Jakari’s son. Noticing him give me the side-eye, I pulled the baby to my chest, holding him tightly. “What’s his name?” I asked.

“Renzo Aaron Douglas,” Rylan said.

I smiled slightly as I glanced at him. His eyes were on his son for a moment, then he pulled Angel to him and kissed her head. I took a deep breath then looked down at the baby to see he was staring at me. His eyes looked gray or something, kind of how Uncle Storm’s twins’ eyes looked when they were young.

I lightly slid my finger over his head, wishing that I would have been in this position. Janay and I fought to maintain for nearly a year. It was just so hard. She was way in Washington, D.C. I made a few trips there, and she made a few trips to Nome, but it just wasn’t enough. I loved her, but still…

It was my first attempt at a long-distance relationship, and I quickly learned I wasn’t cut out for that shit. We talked every day and got to know each other extremely well, but not having her here was taking a serious toll on me. She had a son she had to consider, along with his father, and couldn’t just uproot them to move to Nome. I surely wasn’t about to leave my home either. I had too much going on here to leave and start all over.

Our breakup was long overdue. It was emotional as hell too. I had to come clean and let her know that I’d cheated. I could’ve kept that shit to myself, but the guilt of it was tearing me apart. I wasn’t a ho, but I had surely become one to distract me from the heartbreak of losing Janay. She admitted that she’d gone out with another nigga as well. Neither of us wanted to cheat. It was the distance. It was a huge barrier for us.

I thought she would have been cool with moving to Nome since Yendi was here. Yendi was her big sister and the closest to her. Their other sister was living somewhere else, and she wasn’t as close to her brother. I didn’t take her ex-husband into account, especially since he wasn’t as involved with their son. During our relationship, he decided to be a father and was doing well by their son.

She cried on the phone during our last conversation and had me on the verge of doing so as well. It had been months… nearly a year since we’d broken up, and I was still trying to get over it. Janay was so perfect for me, but I had to let go. Despite our feelings for each other, what we had was toxic at best.

When Yendi stood close to me, I knew she wanted to hold the baby. She was upset with me for a little while after Janay and I broke up, but she cooled off after a couple of weeks and understood what had happened. She apologized for giving me the cold shoulder, and we moved on from it. I extended the baby to her as I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was damn near two in the morning.

Once she took him and cooed, I turned to Rylan. “Bruh, I gotta go get some rest. Your rowdy ass uncle is my first appointment in the morning. If I don’t get some sleep, me and that nigga gon’ lock up like two Brummer bulls if he say something smart.”

Rylan chuckled. “We don’t need that. Thanks for coming, bruh. Be careful.”

I nodded and kissed Angel goodbye and congratulated her again. “You know we want you to be the godfather, right?”

My face heated up as I smiled slightly. “I’d be honored, sis.”

She smiled big. I went to my mama and hugged her. “See you tomorrow for lunch, Mama.”

“Okay, baby. Please be safe on the road.”

I nodded as she wiped her lipstick off my cheek. After slapping Pop’s hand, I headed to the door and nearly walked right into Avery, my biological father. He nodded and extended his hand. “Hello, Christian.”

I shook it and said, “What’s up?”

I continued right by him. I wasn’t all that interested in having a relationship with him. Whenever I saw him, I spoke, but not like a son would speak to his father. I changed my last name from Bolton to Henderson. He was dead to me after what he did. My attitude had only changed once he came and talked to us. He was no longer dead to me, but I treated him like an acquaintance. I didn’t have room in my life for that nigga.

When I walked out, there was a woman leaning against the wall with an IV pole, right next to Angel’s room. Her eyes were closed, and she looked to be in pain. “Ma’am, are you okay?”

She opened her eyes and responded. “I am. I’m just tired. I walked too far. Thanks.”

Shit. She was beautiful. Those slanted eyes, thick ass lips, and high cheek bones had a nigga stuck for a minute. I stared at her for a moment then grabbed her hand. “Let me help you back to your room. Why you walking this time of morning?”

“I couldn’t sleep. I figured if I wore myself out, that would help.”

I glanced over at her as she took slow steps. She wore a bonnet, pajamas, and a housecoat, but none of that shit diminished her beauty. “Did you have surgery?” I asked.

She glanced at me as she continued holding my hand tightly. “Yeah, earlier. I guess you could say yesterday morning, since it’s the next day. It doesn’t feel like it though.”

“Tell me about it. My sister-in-law went into labor, so I haven’t slept yet.”

“What did she have?”

“A little boy. He’s over eight pounds and twenty-three inches long.”

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