Page 33 of Heightened Assurance
She tilted her head to the side. “Are you sure? That’s your time with her, I mean I cou?—”
“Yes, I’m sure. I want her to meet the woman in my life.”
She just looked at me, eyes asking a question her lips had yet to utter, but then she just nodded. “Okay, I’d like that. Friday, right? It’s a date.”
Usually by now I felt the need to go missing and alienate myself because of the guilt I carried, but with Jade it wasdifferent. With Jade I felt less guilty about moving on not only mentally but physically.
I leaned forward, inhaling Jade’s scent before I mashed my lips into her chest. Out of nowhere my phone began to ring. I ducked my head around her body and saw it was my daughter calling. It was the middle of the night, which alarmed me.
I pressed the green circle to answer. “Aja, baby what’s wrong? Why are you up?”
“Uncle Kinga said are you in the city because Tete is about to have the baby and Caya isn’t answering the phone.”
“Yeah, I’m on my way.”
“Okay, Daddy. Uncle, he said he’s on his way.”
By the time I got to the house, my brother had loaded Harlem into the car and he was about to pull off. It didn’t take me long because for the second time today I drove like a bat out of hell. I assured my brother that I had the twins and he rushed Harlem to the hospital. She wasn’t screaming or any of that, but was instead extremely peaceful. If anything, my brother was the one losing his shit. The man was going through his mental list, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything while also giving me the rundown of the twins’ morning routine. Of course he didn’t get through it because he realized his wife was in the car in labor, so he said he’d text me. I was sure he would, but in the meantime, I figured I'd get my daughter—who was wide awake but had school tomorrow—settled in and acquainted with Jade.
I left Jade in the living room with the twins and went to the kitchen. Aja followed me, hopping up and taking a seat on the counter. “So, Daddy. Why are you with Ms. Jade this late at night?” I forgot she knew Jade because of the pool party and the fact that her auntie had sold a puppy to her.
“Being an adult. What are you still doing up, shorty?” I leaned against the counter after grabbing a slice of red velvet cake from under the cake plate.
“Well, I was on my way to sleep, then Uncle Kinga started screaming. Wait, what do you mean being an adult? Uncle Kinga says adults date. So, are you dating Ms. Jade?”
Guilt filtered through my entire being seeing the confusion in her face. “If I was, would that be okay?”
“I don’t know, Daddy? If she makes you happy, then yeah. I know Mommy left us, and I’m okay with that. I have Tete, you, Auntie B, Uncle Kinga, an?—”
“But you know your mama loves you, right?”
“Very much, but sometimes people can be loved from afar. I don’t have to see her to know she loves me and she doesn’t have to see me to know that I love her. Me and Tete talked about it.”
I nodded, silently thanking Harlem for always being there to have the conversations I couldn’t.
“So, do you really like Ms. Jade?” Those eyes that mirrored those of her mother gazed at me.
I laughed at her change of subject. “I do. What do you know about really liking somebody?”
She giggled and shrugged, somewhat lightening the mood. “I don’t know.”
“Yeah you do.” I nudged her.
“I guess when you really like somebody that means they make you happy, right?”
“Mhmm. Let me find out there is some truth to your uncle’s babbling.” I momentarily gave her a stern look.
“No. I do not like Sabastian.” She twisted her face up immediately, letting me know she did, in fact, like Sabastian. Kinga would blow a damn gasket because he still had beef with the tween. Me, on the other hand, I guess I was more lax with it, because I knew my kid. She might’ve had a little crush, but I knew her. While Kinga immediately thought about how sneaky the little boy was because he knew how sneaky he was at that age.
I shook my head, not knowing what I was supposed to say.
“So, Daddy, are you dating Ms. Jade?” Her voice cut through my thoughts.
“What do you know about dating, Aja?”
“Daddy, answer the question. Please.”
“Yes. Now answer my question.” I placed the empty plate into the sink and crossed my arms.
