Page 111 of A Kingpin's Weakness
I’d missed so much with S3. Imani kept me on the outside like I was some donor instead of his father. I wasn’t missing a damn thing this time if she kept it.
“Come on,” I said again, grabbing the suitcase. It was always packed. Like she never planned to stay anywhere too long. I should’ve known then Stormi was a runner. Always keeping one foot out the door, just in case she had to disappear.
She didn’t move right away. Just stood there, watching me. Then, finally, she bent down, slid on her shoes, and stood up like she was bracing for whatever came next.
“You leaving?” Noah asked the moment we stepped outside.
“Yeah. You good?”
“Yeah.” He glanced at Stormi, then back at me. “The baby fucking you up, huh?”
“Baby?” his homeboy Dre echoed, brows raised. I couldn’t tell if it was shock or excitement. Either way, it rubbed me the wrong way. Why he got any type of reaction to the news of Stormi’s pregnancy?
“I mean congrats. You ‘bout to be an uncle, my nigga.” Dre grinned and dapped Noah up like this was their celebration.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Stormi said, soft but distant.
We didn’t say anything else as we walked to my truck. The silence between us was thick like if either of us spoke too loud, everything might crack open again. I didn’t want to press her.Didn’t want to ask the hard shit. Not tonight. Not when she already looked like she was running on fumes.
As we pulled up to the estate, the gates opened and the quiet followed us up the drive way.
“I have a doctor’s appointment in the morning,” she finally said, voice low, almost like she was testing the weight of her words.
“Okay.”
“Will you be able to take me? RJ was going to but now I’m all the way out here.”
She knew I could take her. Knew I wanted to. She just needed me to say it to make it real. Stormi always needed that reassurance, like she expected me to back out even when I’d already shown up.
“I want to take you to your appointment. I want to be there,” I said, looking at her directly. “Just like I want you to have our baby.”
She didn’t say anything. Just looked out the window like my words were too heavy to hold.
I climbed out, came around to her side, and opened the door. Helped her down gently and grabbed her suitcase.
“Is S3 here?” she asked.
“No. He’s with his mom. He’ll be back next week.”
Inside, the house was quiet. S3 gone. Ma out of town visiting her sister. The silence settled around us like a blanket we couldn’t shake off.
“You want me to run you a bath? Or just sleep?”
“A bath would be nice.”
I nodded, went to run the water, adding some lavender salts Ma kept in the cabinet. But before I could leave the bathroom, Stormi rushed in and dropped to the toilet, gagging. I moved fast, kneeling beside her, pulling her hair back, hand on her backas her body convulsed. She threw up like she had nothing left to give.
“What did you eat?” I asked when she finally caught her breath.
She rinsed her mouth, brushing her teeth with the toothbrush she kept here.
“Nothing. I told you the baby hates food. I haven’t eaten all day. Yesterday, I had breakfast and that was it. That’s literally all I’ve had.”
That pissed me off, not at her, but the situation. She out here starving and sick, and I had no idea. I should’ve known. I should’ve been here.
After she brushed her teeth, I helped her undress, moving slow like she might break. She didn’t resist. Didn’t say a word. Just let me take care of her. I helped her into the tub, and she let out a soft sigh as the warm water hit her skin. Her eyes closed for the first time tonight like she could finally breathe. Still, I was tight inside. I wanted her to eat something. Anything. I grabbed my phone and texted Ma:
Me: What’s the recipe for that soup you make when me and S3 sick?
