Page 78 of Love me Like XO

Just like she did every time I saw her, she made small talk, seemed genuinely interested and always touched my belly. She had a good heart and a nurturing spirit. So, I made conversation with her as the night went on, focusing on anything but my father’s pitiful ass expression that plagued his face. I knew at some point in the night he’d make his way over to me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to escape his attempt at guilting me into forgiveness or worse. The worse would be his whole family spill. Either way I didn’t have the patience for it, so I hoped for both of our sakes he left me alone.

That hope only lasted for three more hours, because when he thought the coast was clear my father surely made his way into my face. What started with the same, “Hey, baby girl,” was enough to piss me off, but instead of going off like I wanted to, I heard him out with the intention of telling him how I’ve felt these years over the fact that he never passed up a chance to be Captain Save Fiona.

“Look, I know your sister’s actions are foul, and her intentions are worse but she’s bloo—” By the middle of his spill I couldn’t take it anymore and hearing him out went directly out of the window behind me.

“Not once have you asked me if I was okay since you walked over here attempting to be Saint Save Fiona. I’m fine, Daddy, though my whole fucking life changed that day. Though I’m literally bed bound because I could lose my children if I get too angry, and I can’t even get up and go piss by myself most of the time, but again thanks for asking. I will not have you walking over here to plead her case like you have done my entire fucking life. Bitch pushed me off a curb, you said she didn’t mean it. She cut my fucking hair when I was seven, and you said she didn’t mean it. My entire life you have made excuse after excuse for her, but this stops now. I don’t wanna hear any sorry ex?—”

“Empress,” he tried to interrupt me, but I held my hand up. I had to get this out.

“I don’t want to hear it anymore. We get it, you cheated on her mother, and that’s her problem. But newsflash you cheated on all of our mothers. You don’t see Taree, Irish or Rev running around here shunning responsibility and intentionally hurting folks. Even if it was you wouldn’t make half as many excuses as you’ve made for her for any of us. So, I’m done and over wondering why you coddle her evil ass so much. You can have that, but on my life you tell her she better be ready when I drop my kids, because even you can’t save her rotten ass from this ass whooping.”

My father looked at me in complete shock, because I had never spoken to him in that manner before. As a matter of fact I had always allowed him to lecture me about shit, but the time for that had passed.

Within seconds I maneuvered a way to stand up since I had to pee after mentioning peeing. With a certified limp, I got to the washroom and while in there prayed to the heavens my father wasn’t still there when I came back.

ZERO

With a metal rod at my side I stared at the bloodied nigga with nothing but fire in my veins. Every time I looked at his face I was reminded that I could’ve lost everything just because a nigga couldn’t let go. He couldn’t get it through his skull that Empress didn’t want him, that she belonged to me so he went after what was mine. His ignorance could’ve costed her and my children their lives, but god had them. God didn’t have Benson though, because if he did Benson wouldn’t have been sitting here right now, barely alive.

I had been on and off again beating his ass since I walked in the door. I gave him breaks because I wanted him to feel like it was over, but right when he got comfortable I hit his ass with something. Hit him so fucking hard that the agony in his throat could be heard for blocks by anybody with ears. He wanted to be put out of his misery, I could tell but it was up to me. Though he wouldn’t make it out of this musty ass drain room alive, what was left of his life belonged to me.

“You ‘ont think he had enough yet, huh?”

“He has, but that don’t mean I’m done.” I swung the metal rod, making contact with his knee. Something cracked, right before a dry yell escaped his lips. It was dry because he had been yelling since we walked in the door.

“Plea…please just kill me,” he begged.

I laughed. Not a normal laugh, but one of those ones from the pit of my stomach. “Now why would I let this shit be quick? When my baby mama was laid up in that fucking bed it wasn’t quick, was it?”

Malik laughed in the background. “Nah it wasn’t homeboy. Way I feel is this shit should be continuous. Pain for as long as it takes my boy to forget that day.”

He had the nerve to groan, but that did absolutely nothing for him, because within a matter of seconds I was sending yet another soul rocking blow through his body. Then before I knew it I was flushed back into the moment when the doctor asked me the question that no man wanted to be asked. The very question that shook me to my fucking core, showing me just how useless I was at this stage.

“Mr. Hughes we need to know if things take a turn for the worse who should we focus our efforts on?”

“And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I was like a raging bull, ready to take his fucking head off with what he wasinsinuating. My aunt’s hand on my back made the situation worse.

“In the event that we can’t save them all, who do you want us to sa—” he didn’t get to finish, because Empress’s mother was speaking from behind me.

“All of them. You don’t come out here asking that fucking question. You do your fucking job and make sure they are all fine,” Em’s mother answered for all of us in that moment.

I blinked a few times escaping the moment before my eyes landed on him. As much as I wanted to sit here and beat on this nigga’s ass for a much longer amount of time, I couldn’t. I needed to get back to my baby, because knowing her she done probably cussed her pops out and was about ready to get my ass.

“Bout ready?” Malik asked, hopping off the freezer.

I nodded.

Seconds later he was standing next to me with a blunt extended. I accepted it while he pulled his phone out to get a clean up call. Nigga wasn’t dead yet but would be soon.

I pulled from the blunt a few times, before passing it back to Malik. While he talked to whoever was on the line, I pulled out my phone to see if Em had hit me up. To my surprise she hadn’t, which meant she had either fell asleep, or things were going good.

“One more stop, then you can go kiss some ass.” Malik laughed as we walked toward his car.

I chuckled. “Like yo’ bitch ass ain’t about to go get with the same motion.”

“Damn sure am, and I hope to god Ree don’t think we about to drive back to the city tonight. Finna follow you straight to yo’ shit.”

I chuckled, because my crib was out of the way but he didn’t hesitate to hold up and fuck in one of my guest bedrooms. Was a straight nigga, because instead of going to a telly and payingthat nightly rate he stayed with me. It was cool though because he was my brother. That didn’t stop me from fussing his ass out though because I had to say something.

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