Page 145 of Save Room for Us

“You lying, Milan.” I kept my cool, not raising my voice, despite my irritation.

I wasn’t exactly angry, because I was 99 percent sure Milan’s ass was lying about being pregnant by me, but I at least figured her ass was pregnant, just by another nigga. The fact that shehad an empty womb and wasted my fucking time like this was wild. But at least I knew.

“Fine! You’re gonna be sick when you see how much bigger I’ve gotten in the upcoming months, knowing you neglected your responsibilities!”

Thank God this lot was virtually empty.

“Only reason you’d be bigger is because of all them damn wings and seafood boils you can’t stop fucking eating.”

“Fuck you, nigga!”

“You never will again,” I retorted.

She ran and hopped in front of me, cutting off my path with a tear-stained face.

Gripping my forearms as she peered up into my eyes, she said in a much calmer tone, “Asif, what have I done to make you not wanna be with me. Okay, I know what you said before, but I don’t do that shit no more.” She sobbed.

“I’m not having this conversation for the hundredth time.”

“I try with you, but you don’t open up or trust me, and then I told you I don’t be looking for attention from other niggas no more! What else? Just tell me what else?” she begged.

Lowering my voice, I looked down into her face and asked, “Why the fuck would I trust you when you got bitches I ain’t so much as had a conversation with talking about I got mommy issues?”

No one outside of my immediate family knew the situation with my mother. They knew I was Prime’s son and that either Lisara was my mother or that my mama was some under the radar woman my pops had gotten pregnant back in the day.

I kept my personal life separate from this street shit and only divulged to muthafuckas what I wanted them to know. Therefore, only way Bianni would have an inkling about me and moms would be because of Milan. I didn’t tell Milan shit, but I’dtook her around the family, and shit had been tossed out here and there, so she was able to come to her own conclusion.

“Baby, I am sorry about that, okay? I didn’t mean to tell her. I didn’t tell her on purpose. It just slipped out when I was venting to them about us, okay? I would never tell anything you told me in confidence.”

“But you did. You been around me enough to know I ain’t a nigga who want people in my personal, yet you was so busy venting, my shit slipped from ya fucking lips. Even worse, you said it in front of a bitch who don’t even fuck with you like that and got a big ass mouth. She lucky I ain’t drop her ass right where she stood, and that was only because my woman was right there. Tell that funky ass bitch to thank Anastazia if she ever gets the muthafuckin’ chance.” I stepped around a crying Milan.

“Please, Asif, what do I have to do to get you to forgive me. I will never do no shit like that again!” She reached for my hand, but I abruptly snatched that shit.

“Find yo’ own fucking way home. You not pregnant no fucking way.” I typed a message on my phone as I spoke, tuning out whatever the fuck Milan was saying at this point.

Me: Told you.

I attached a photo of the results and sent the shit to Anastazia.

Wifey: She’s not even pregnant? I thought you just weren’t the father, I didn’t think the whole thing was a hoax.

Shaking my head because those were my exact thoughts, I slipped into my car and sped off, passing Milan’s ass as she ranted on her phone.

Sinking into my couch, I put the glass of Hennessy to my lips as I listened to the elevator to my penthouse ding, letting me know my father was here. I kept my eyes on the scenery outside of my floor-to-ceiling windows as I listened to him round the back of the couch to come sit beside me.

“Want a drink?” I offered. “I mean non-alcoholic,” I added when he paused.

“Water is fine.” He attempted to read my eyes before I got up to grab him a water bottle and handed it off. “This shit is in a box?”

“Yeah.” I took a sip of mine. “Anastazia got this shit. I just give her the money, and she buys the groceries.”

“It’s crazy, but that shit is nice, huh?” I could hear the humor in his voice as I nodded.

“I ain’t trying to be rude, Pop, but I ain’t invite you over here to kick the shit.” I looked his way. “I want you to keep it a buck with me. I get I was a child and don’t need to know every-fucking-thing, but either you gon’ tell me everything or nothing. I don’t want part of the truth. I don’t like being made a fool of, and I don’t like thinking I know all of some shit when I don’t,” I explained as respectfully as I could.

He nodded, gulping some of his water before running his hand down his face.

“First off, I apologize for only divulging part of the story. That wasn’t right. Secondly, I wasn’t fucking Tangie the whole time, Sif. By the time I started doing that, I had checked out of therelationship with ya mother. I knew there was no salvaging the shit, and therefore, breaking codes was of no concern to me.”

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