Page 47 of Love me Like XO

I nodded. “Where is she now?

“Last I heard Wisconsin. Shit used to bother me, but after a while I made peace with the shit and stopped blaming myself for my mama’s choices.”

I nodded.

“When I’m somebody’s parent I don’t ever wanna leave my child out here with nobody. I’ma be there through it all, no matter the situation or any of that.”

“You want kids?” I asked, lowkey shocked, because he didn’t strike me as the type. It was nothing against his character, but everything about the way he moved. He didn’t strike me as a man who wanted a baby tied to his every move.

“Hell yeah, and you do too. I’ma give it about a year and then we gotta start working on my dynasty.”

“Nigga what?”

“I need about five kids, then allum gotta have something they’re good at. Be it a sport, instrument, or subject.”

“Five kids with who? Do you know what kids do to a woman? They stretch everything out.” It made sense that he wanted a big family, because he was an only child with a mother like his. He was basically striving to create what he didn’t have as a child.

“That shit goes back.” He waved me off. “Yeen gonna give me my full house?”

“How do you even know we’ll be together that long, let alone even ready for a baby in a year?”

“Because I know and time don’t mean shit, regardless of what all those people with the big ass foreheads say. You could know a motherfucker since pampers and still not know them, whereas you could meet a motherfucker today or tomorrow and know err’thing about them. Time is just a means to keep folks constricted and contained. Thing about it, why do you think they contain niggas in cages and give them time?”

Everything he said made sense, perfect sense.

“So, you gonna give me my five.” Now his face was in mine and his lips were centimeters from mine.

“We’ll see.”

MALIK

I was woke up out of my sleep by Ree pushing my arm and telling me to get my phone. When I grabbed it, I saw that Gram was calling me.

“Yo.”

“You gotta get this way boss. Meet me at the water.”

I was up within seconds after he hung up, moving back and forth getting dressed. He only called me at this time when something was going down. The last thing a nigga felt like dealing with was bullshit, but this was indeed what we signed up for when we made the decision to expand. Once fully dressed I walked back from my closet to grab my phone and saw Ree standing up.

“Gone back to sleep, bae. I gotta head out.” I was dialing Zero while I spoke to her.

“To where, I coul?—”

“Nah, you’re good here. It’s food in the kitchen and here lock up if you gotta leave in the morning.” I went to my dresser and grabbed my spare key for her. With the phone mashed to my ear waiting on Zero to answer, I started putting my hoodie on.

“Nigga you better be calling for a reason this fucking late. You waking my baby mama up.”

“The water nigga.” With more pressing matters at hand, I didn’t ask him what he meant about baby mama then, but I’d be sure to ask him later on.

“Shit. I’m on my way.” He groaned aloud right before he hung up the phone.

“I don’t have my car.” I tuned Ree back in. She was standing near my bed stretching and babbling about some other shit too. I’d learned from experience when Ree was sleep, there was no use trying to talk to her. Shit was like talking to a brick wall. All I made out after her saying she didn’t have her car was something about work in the morning.

“Take the Durango. The key is on the counter. Now go yo’ slow ass back to sleep.”

She climbed back into the bed seconds later. I was about to leave but stopped at the door before going back and kissing her lips. Now, I was ready to go.

“I’m not slow either, nigga.” I heard her mumble that as I walked out of the bedroom.

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