Page 68 of Another Constant

I watched Aja’s happy ass take off with Bleu in tow, leaving me and Harlem in the kitchen.

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked.

“Ain’t shit wrong with me. I’m going out to the garage. Let me know what you wanna eat, unless you cook.” I didn’t even wait for her to respond. I was already moving out the door to the garage. It irritated me to the fullest that she was talking about this going home shit but I wasn’t trying to argue with her about it. I didn’t want her going home, because in my fucking mind, where I was should have been home for her. Home was me, just like for me she was home. The thing was, with Harlem, I always had to say shit when I expected her to read my mind, no clairvoyant shit. I expected her to see that here with me was where I always wanted her, regardless of if I said it or not. I didn’t know why I was mad because Harlem was the type you had to voice all that shit to. Then again I was mad because I had never had to voice what I needed to anybody but her.

I spent a while under the car, fixing and fucking with shit I didn’t need to, just so I didn’t go in the house. I wasn’t used to how I felt about Harlem because I meant that shit when I told her she was the only woman I had ever felt this way about. I meant it when I said I loved her too much.

“Are you still mad at me?” Her voice alerted me to her presence near the doorway.

I didn’t speak at first. I stood up straight, staring at her. She was no longer fully dressed but instead wearing one of my shirts. It swallowed her frame and had me wondering what was under it. “What do you think?” I licked my lips.

She shook her head. “How can you get mad at me for wondering if it’s time for me to go home?”

I closed the hood of the oldie and glared at her. “Because you act like you don’t realize I’m your fucking home just like you mine.”

She glared at me. “How am I supposed to know if you didn’t sa?—”

“I shouldn’t have had to. Harlem, you nine times outta ten carrying my child. The fuck you going somewhere where I’m not laying my head next to you.” I moved into her space, pulling her frame against me. Then I picked her up and sat her on the car.

“Use your words, Kinga. Don’t get mad and come out here. Don’t shut down on me.”

“I shouldn’t have to. You should just know, like I do.” My hands eased under the shirt, sending a jolt down my spine when I realized she was bare underneath.

“Well, I ju?—”

“Well, nothing. This shit between me and you is what it is. Stop tryna have me yoke your ass up. Now open up and let me feel between.”

She smiled bashfully and looked off to the side.

“Pussy gotta be good. Got me about to fuck you on a fresh paint job.” I inserted two fingers between her legs and edged forward, pressing my lips against her chin and neck.

“It’s worth it,” she moaned breathlessly, sending all the blood in my body to my dick.

“Damn right it is.”

She freed me and opened her legs wide for entry, using my dick to massage her sodden center. She was ready for me and I was ready for her. My hands found her hips and I pulled her all the way to the edge of the hood, pushing into her and feeling that small hand of hers attempt to keep some space.

“Nah, move your hand. This is what you wanted when you came out here, right?”

“Mhmm,” she moaned, quivering in my embrace as soon as I pushed in further. She was so perfect…So fucking perfect.

Ifucked Harlem so good I had to carry her into the house after our session in the garage. We showered then she crawled into bed and passed out. My intention was to go to sleep with her but I couldn’t sleep. I knew what I needed to do, which I could no longer put off. So I dressed quietly then kissed the side of her face and left the room. On my way out of the house I was sure to check in and make sure Aja was asleep. Shorty was knocked out and Bleu was on his back next to her. I chuckled silently before leaving and turning the alarm on.

Once in my car, my mind went to the new address I had on Demi. I heard around the way in June that he’d moved from his grandmother’s house to a home up north. On his salary I knew he couldn’t afford it, but being paid by his uncle, he could. Fool betrayed me because he really thought Memphis would make it to mayor. Betrayed wasn’t the right word to use considering I never trusted Demi’s stupid ass anyway. I just used him to dirty his name… Meaning, he owed money to a friend of mine off some illegal tables and I paid his debt for a low price. It was nothing major, if anything. I just wanted to know when or if my name ever came up. It worked out for me until my name came up from the right person, huh?

When I pulled up in front of Demi’s spot, I took it in. He lived along a quaint little subdivision that was probably so fucking quiet on a regular that you could hear a spoon drop from five houses away. The lights were all out and there was no car in his driveway, which meant he was still out working. I hadn’t really thought about what I was gonna do though, considering I didn’t even know if he was home or not. I just knew I needed to handle this and stop playing around. At what cost though? The last thing I needed was for my irritation with this situation to have me acting impulsively and fucking up my life. My thoughts ran a mile a minute, then I watched the white Chevy impala I knew belonged to him pull up. He didn’t pull into the driveway but instead parked on the street. In that instant, the decision I needed to make was made for me. I turned the lights out on my car, making sure before I did anything IDing my car would be close to impossible. I had special paint, meaning in the day my shit looked blue while at night it looked black. Not only that but I had a reflective cover over my plates, front and back. I didn’t worry much about anybody seeing anything because one thing about these little fake suburban neighborhoods was that they didn’t have any type of surveillance. I paid attention on the way in. Nah, I wasn’t new to this, I handled business whenever. As soon as he was standing outside his whip, I smashed my foot on the brake, easing out of park. Then I shifted gears and went from zero to fifty in less than three seconds. Unlike Hari the other week, he rolled over the car, making a scuffle sound as he fell off the trunk. Then I reversed, this time rolling over his body in the process. I repeated the same motion a few times before I pulled off.One down…one to go.

Chapter16

Harlem

When I woke up this morning, Kinga was no longer in bed.I knew he had an early day at the shop and he had to take Aja to school. He woke me up talking this morning, but I didn’t really hear a thing from his lips. I was so tired that nothing truly registered in my mind until I was getting ready to start my day and he sent me a text telling me my tire was flat and he’d fix it when he came in tonight. He instructed me to take his truck, even though I told him a million times that I only drove my own vehicle. I cracked though, and ended up driving it, because not only did the puppies have an appointment, but I had other things to do today. I hadn’t been spending much time at my shop these last few weeks and I missed it. Even though I had a staff of four who handled day to day, I still missed how hands-on I used to be there. It always got this way after a litter of puppies were born. Between caring for them and their mother, I usually played it safe in the house, but this time I had really been relying on the puppy nanny. She was great and a big help for the tedious things. Puppy care was no joke.

The main thing on my mind was the possibility of a baby neither of us planned. It was finally time for me to see if I was pregnant or we were just overthinking recklessness. While Kinga comfortably played in the what ifs, I needed to know. I needed to be sure if I was pregnant or not. Yes, I loved him regardless, but we had to realize a baby would change everything entirely. It was more of a rush for us to not only get it together but to learn new things. Though I had a niece and nephew, I didn’t change pampers or do anything necessary for dealing with a baby for real. With Aja it seemed easier because she was eight. Someone had already done all of the heavy lifting when it came to raising her. She was a good kid and the absolute sweetest. Last night Kinga told me she asked if I could stay with them. I thought it was cute, having been somewhat privy to the fact that her mother was no longer in her life and her father was somewhere finding himself. Though Kinga didn’t explicitly tell me the full story, he’d told me enough.

Instead of existing in the unknown, knowing Kinga would’ve liked to know if I was or wasn’t, I bought a test before going to Caya’s today for her to take my hair down. It wasn’t until I hurled up my chicken salad that I decided to take the test. I needed to be sure and so did he. We were living in limbo because of me and he was trying to be patient. He didn’t want to push and neither did I…Funny enough, he still pushed in his own Kinga way.

The test definitely confirmed what I already knew…Yes, I was carrying this crazy man’s baby.

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