He folds his arms, making those pecs bulge. “Aight. Why aren’t you with Beanie’s biological dad?”
The ice cream in my tummy turns into acid and I swear the loudest fart escapes my asscheeks.
Like, I feel them ripple.
Shaddy doesn’t even crack a smile.
We just keep staring at each other, even when the smell permeates the air. I wave it out of my face, he doesn’t.
His nostrils actually flare.
Oh, he’s insane.
“That doesn’t count as your answer, Mace. I’m waiting.”
I sigh and roll my eyes. “Fine… we weren’t ever exactlytogether… he was something to do, and do well. I have PCOS. My eggs don’t drop, they turn into little cysts on my ovaries. I barely have a period, and the chances of me having a baby naturally are slim to none, so I was letting my freak flag fly… until I got pregnant. He ghosted me when I told him, and that’s when I found out he was married anyway, and a liar. I’ll probably put him on child support once Beanie gets here just to be a bitch, but I’m cool off him. It’s plenty of niggas who will play stepdaddy, huh?” I wink at Shaddy to break the tension that began mounting, but that jaw is still clenched, and hennessy eyes still trained on me.
“One: Beanie isn’t my stepdaughter, she’s just my daughter.”
Oh, boy. This nigga is certifiable.
“Two: I’m sorry this blessing came from nefarious circumstances foreal. Niggas that gotta lie to get pussy are the worst type of niggas. And how PC was pressing me, I’m sure that nigga was on you tough before you turned up pregnant.”
I wave him off and ignore his obvious digging for info. “Don’t feel too bad for me. I shot that nigga in the leg. I’m over it, truly. Now,” I clap my hands once, “I’m seated. Wassup with you and that cat looking ho Sahara?”
The corners of his mouth lifts as he hoods his eyes. “You’re something else, Mace.”
“Don’t deflect. A deal’s a deal.”
Shaddy leans on the back of the couch and palms the side of his face. “I’m sure you know about my OG and my sister… Sahara’s solution to my family dying is to make another one.”
I scoff. “That bitch is nuts. You want me to shoot her? I’ll just aim for the pinky toe, I promise.” I cross my fingers behind my back in case he takes me up on my offer, but he just looks at me like a disappointed dad.
“You are not having my baby in jail, Mace… Sahara’s a bird, but she means well. She doesn’t have any family besides Van and their solution way back when was to make a new family, so I get–”
“No. Stop right there. Stop being so fucking understanding, Shaddy. If a nigga told me that shit you’d be ready to do whatever everyone’s scared of to that nigga, so have the same standards for you, too. I don’t give a fuck about what she would do, that’s a very insensitive thing to say to you.
“A baby isn’t going to fill the hole that your mom and sister left. It never will. And if you were dumb enough to go through with her asinine plan, years from now you’ll realize what I’m saying and then you’ll resent an innocent life, and the person you’re wrongfully tied to. Repeat after me:fuck that bitch.”
He finally cracks a smile at me, but I’m dead ass. “Mace–”
“Unt unt. You called me one, yo baby mama, you can call that weird bitch one. So do it. It’ll be our secret.”
He combs that bottom lip with his teeth and I think he won’t, but he surprises me. “Fuck that bitch.”
“Okay! On hood! Yousureyou don’t want me to whoop her ass? I don’t play ‘bout my baby daddy, nie.”
Shaddy just shakes his head, and in a flash he yanks me from my side of the couch to the middle. With another yank, and somemanipulation, he settles me with my head on a pillow in his lap, and his hand protectively palming my belly.
I couldn’t blink if I wanted to.
“I’m serious about you having my baby in jail, Mace. Don’t be doing no crazy shit, leave that to me.”
“Now what fun would that be?” I grumble, but he ignores me, opting to turn on the tv instead.
“Can we watch a musical?”
He lazily rubs his fingertips on my belly. “Nah. I’m the sad one. We watching comedies.”
