You're My Little Secret 3 (12 page)

BRYCE

After
being up under Taylor and my girls for the past few weeks, I’m happy to get
away with my brothers for a while. One of my tattoo artists had just purchased
his first
home,
and he threw a little
housewarming
party to celebrate. He’s newly
divorced, so it’s more of a bachelor’s pad than anything. We had to drive all
the way to Pearlington, Mississippi, but it wasn’t too bad. It wouldn’t have
been a party if Dominic and David weren’t
there,
so we had to invite them to come with us. We stayed at the gathering until
everyone else had gone home before we decided to call it a night. After helping
my boy get his house back in order, we hopped in Jaden’s Navigator and headed
back home.

“Man, who
are you texting back and forth with like that?” David asked Dominic. It’s
almost
midnight,
and he’s been on his
phone texting for over an hour.

“What you
mean? I’m texting my girl,” he replied like David should already know.

“Oh, I
didn’t know you had a girl. Last time I checked you were single,” David
laughed.

Baby is
still
trippin’,
and she’s been at my
house for the past week. Any other time Dominic would be going crazy by now,
but he’s trying to teach her a lesson. He didn’t come down there all day
bothering her like he usually did when she was acting stupid. He had DJ
upstairs with
him,
and he only came down
to drop him off or pick him up.

“Nigga you
don’t believe that yourself. She’s trippin’ on me right now. Talking about what
I’m doing out this late. If she
does
n’t
want me no
more,
she shouldn’t care how
late I stay out. I got something for her ass though,” he replied.

“Baby needs
to stop acting like that. Her ass is too spoiled,” Jaden fussed.

“Y’all are
the ones that got her like that. I’m suffering because of what you niggas did
before I came into the picture,” Dominic replied.

“You played
a big part in it too. Don’t act like you don’t give her what she wants,” David
chimed in.

“That’s
different, I’m her man. I give her what she wants in order to get what I want.”

“Stop,” I
yelled with my hands in the air. “I don’t even want to hear no more.” I know
that Baby is not a virgin, but I’ll be damned if I sit here and listen to the
details of her sex life. Everybody started laughing, but I was dead ass
serious.

“I don’t
know why
you
acting like it’s a surprise.
You already know they’re having sex. Shit, she’s on baby number two,” Jaden
said.

“I know
that, but I still don’t want to hear about the shit,” I stressed.

“Jaden stop
at the next gas station. I need some more cigars,” Brian requested. We just
entered
Slidell and were about to get on the
twin spans bridge to go back home. It only took about five minutes before another
gas station came into view.

“Let me
hop out and buy Brooklyn and DJ some snacks,” Dominic said as he exited the car
with Brian. The rest of us stayed put while they went in to make their
purchases. It was late, but the gas station was filled to capacity with all
kinds of cars. There’s a pizza place next door to it and most of the crowd seemed
to be over that way. Two police cruisers were in plain view with four officers
standing near them.

“Man, look
at this shit,” Jaden said while pointing towards the pizza place.

I had to
do a
double-take
when I saw Kyle walking
out with his arm draped around Tiffany’s waist. They’re both smiling hard like
they’re the only two out here. We watched as they walked over to his truck that
was parked right next to one of the police cruisers. They never got in, but
they stood up against it and kissed like two kids in love.

“That dude
is really foul,” David observed from the back seat.

He said
the exact same thing that I was thinking. Maybe he’s the reason why Tiffany
stopped bothering me. If that’s the
case,
he did me a huge favor. Candace put me up on what happened
with
him and Nadia too. He just didn’t know how
to keep it real with nobody. I just hate that my cousin lost her best friend
behind his sad ass.

“What are
y’all
looking at?” Brian asked when
him
and Dominic got back into the car. I
pointed out the scene across the lot while they followed my gaze.

“That
nigga there,” Dominic said shaking his head. “Him and his brother just can’t
get it right.”

He had it
in for both Kyle and Kevin since everything went down with Brook. I never had
anything against Kevin until I found out about him putting his hands on my
sister. Now, he’s on my shit list right along with his brother.

“Damn, I
wish the police wasn’t out here right now,” Jaden said angrily.

“We need
to wait here and follow his ass,” Dominic suggested.

“That’s
what I’m talking about,” Jaden agreed while bumping fists with him.

“Let that
shit go man. Just know to keep your grass cut low so you can see the snakes.
That one got passed me, but it will never happen again,” I promised.

“We’ll see
him again,” Dominic said.

“Yeah, and
I like seeing people when they don’t see me,” Jaden said with a sneaky grin as
we left them in our rearview mirror and headed home.

DOMINIC

Brookly
n’s
ass thinks it’s a game, but I’m really done
playing with her. She’s been at Bryce’s house for two weeks now, but she comes up
here to our apartment whenever she feels like it. I hate when I get my hopes up
high thinking that she’s staying only for her to leave and go sleep downstairs.
I made it clear that my son is not going with
her,
and she knows better than to ask. She even came up here and cooked when I was
at work, but she would be gone by the time I came home. I want her home, but I’m
not about to beg her. It’s time for me to show her that she’s not the only one
who can act a fool.

“How many
keys do you need Mr. Roberts?” The locksmith asked me. I’m having the locks
changed on our apartment, so Brooklyn can’t bring her ass in here unless I’m
home. She was trying hard not to face me, but I’m not giving her a choice.

“Give me five,”
I replied as I handed him a check for what he charged me. I have to give our
leasing office a key, besides the ones I had made for me, Brooklyn, David, and
Bryce. After she sees that I’m not bullshitting with
her,
she’ll be running home, big belly and all. Her new key will be
ready for her whenever she decides to come back.

“I can’t
believe you’re doing my girl like that,” David said shaking his head.

“Bruh, I’m
tired of playing with Brooklyn. She needs to bring her ass home and stop being
so damn childish. She comes down here every day to cook and clean, but she’s
still sleeping at Bryce’s house,” I complained.

“That’s
good for her lil ass. You need to show her better than you can tell her,” Jaden
replied.
 

I handed
David his key and prepared to go pick DJ up from my mama. Brooklyn won’t be
home until later since she has a class that starts at six. She always comes to
our apartment to chill with DJ for a while before she goes back to Bryce’s
house.

After
picking my son up, I fed him and gave him a bath. We sat in the living room
watching cartoons waiting for Brooklyn to show up. It was a little after
eight,
so she should be on her way.

“I sleepy,”
DJ whined while rubbing his eyes and climbing onto my lap. I know he’s tired
since my mama said that he didn’t take a nap all day. I rocked him to sleep and
carried him to his bedroom. I sat back down just as I heard keys fumbling at
the front door. I sat down and flipped through channels on the TV, waiting for
Brooklyn to knock. I heard her insert the key into the lock, but it never did
turn. She kept trying to play with it, but she was wasting her time.

“Dominic,”
I heard her yelling from the other side of the door. She started ringing the doorbell
while yelling my name. I fell out laughing just imagining the look on her face.
I took my time getting to the door. I made sure the security chain was in place
before I decided to open it.

“What’s up
Brook?” I questioned while peeping through the small crack.

“What do you
mean what’s up? Why is my key not working and why are you not opening the door?”
She asked all in one breathe.

“Oh, I got
the locks changed, but what’s up?” I asked again.

“Why did
you get the locks changed and why do you keep asking me the same damn question?”

 
“Did you want something?” I asked ignoring all
of her questions. I could tell she was getting upset, but she was trying hard
to remain calm.

She sighed.
“Where is my baby Dominic?”

“He’s asleep.
I’ll bring him down to see you in the morning before I go to work,” I offered.
I looked
behind
me at nothing in
particular and she really went off after that.

“What are
you looking
behind
you for? I know you
not stupid enough to have a bitch in there around my son,” she yelled.

“Stop
talking so loud before you wake DJ up. Nobody is in here, but me and my baby.”

“Well,
open the door and let me see for myself,” she demanded.

“I’m not
doing nothing. You said
it was
over so it
shouldn’t matter if somebody is in here or not. You live downstairs now, right?”

“Fuck you
Dominic! Nigga you lucky I’m
pregnant,
or
I’d have this fucking door hanging off the hinges,” she warned angrily.

I laughed
as I watched her waddle away while still cursing me out. I watched her get on
the elevator before closing the door and sitting down again. I’m not into
playing mind games, but she needs to know that she’s not the only one who can
play them.

****

Three
whole days had
passed,
and Brooklyn still
wasn’t home. I tried hard to get under her skin, but I’m driving myself crazy
instead. She
used
to come down and cook
and clean, but since I changed the locks she can’t even do that anymore. The
house is a mess and
DJ,
and I have been
eating out for the past few days. When we left the house this
morning,
it took everything in me not to ask my
mama to come clean up for me. It wouldn’t have been bad if I was by myself, but
trying to do certain things when my son is around is almost impossible. The
laundry basket is
overflowing,
and the
dishes haven’t been washed in a while. I’m ready to walk down to Bryce’s
apartment and drag Brookly
n’s
stubborn
ass back home.

“What you
got to eat over there?” I asked David on the speakerphone in my truck.

“I wouldn’t
even do that to you lil brother. I’m feeling Candace and all, but she can’t
cook for shit,” he laughed. I’m happy that DJ is sleeping because he would have
been repeating the curse words.

“Are you
serious bruh?” I asked because I really thought he was joking.

“Hell
yeah,
I’m serious. She cooked something the
other
day,
and she didn’t even want to
eat it. I told her
do
n’t even worry about
cooking no more after that. I’m not all that pressed behind a home cooked meal
anyway. I can come to your house if I ever want one,” he replied.

“Good luck
with that. I can’t even get one of those.”

“Brooklyn
better
bring
her ass back home and stop
playing,” he commented.

“I’m going
to get her ass tonight, but I swear this is my last time trying with her. If
she
does
n’t come home
tonight,
she
does
n’t
have to come back at all. I’ll take care of my
kids,
and that’s that,” I said seriously.

“Nigga,
you don’t mean that shit and you know it,” David laughed.

“
Yes,
I do. I’m tired of going back and forth
with her like we’re kids. Yeah, I fucked up, but so did she. How many times do
I have to apologize for the same shit? Nothing even happened between me and
Kennedi for her to be acting like this. I could have moved out when I found out
that she was still talking to that nigga Kevin, but I didn’t. I know how to
talk about what’s bothering me instead of always running away from it.”

“I guess
you’re right, but I hope
y’all
don’t
break up over that stupid shit,” David said somberly.

I know how
he feels. I don’t want us to break up either, but the choice is hers.

“Same here
man. I’m going to get
DJ ready
for bed. I’ll
call you later and let you know what’s up.”

“
Alright,
lil brother. Make sure you call me
too. It
does
n’t matter what time it is,” he
replied before we hung up.

I got my
sleeping son from his car seat and got on the elevator. I saw Brookly
n’s
truck in the parking
lot,
so I knew she was out of class. I don’t
know if DJ was sleep for the night or not, but she and I had to have a talk. I
fumbled with my keys trying to open the door with my son in my arms. As soon as
I stepped foot inside, the scent of food hit my nose letting me know that
someone had been in here. I turned on the light in the living room and was
pleasantly surprised. The mess that was there when we left this morning had
been cleaned up. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that Brooklyn had come
through. She probably convinced Bryce to let her in while I was at work, but it’s
cool. I laid DJ down on the sofa and ventured further into the apartment. I saw
some pots on the stove on a low fire, but I didn’t look to see what was in
them. I got excited about the possibility of her still being here. I’m sure she
wouldn’t have left pots cooking on the stove if she wasn’t. I looked inside the
laundry
room,
and all of the clothes had
been washed and put away as well. Our house was finally back to looking like it
did before Brooklyn left. I walked into my bedroom and smelled her Jasmine
Vanilla soap as soon as I opened the door. I heard the shower water
running,
and I knew that’s where she was at. If
DJ hadn’t been on the sofa sleeping, I would have stripped down and joined her.
I looked in the closet and smiled when I saw that all of her clothes were back
where they belonged. I guess that little stunt I pulled
worked,
after all. I walked back out of our room and grabbed my
phone to call David.

“Tell
Brooklyn she better
have
me and my girl a
plate of food like she promised,” he said when he answered.

“Huh?” I
asked in confusion.

“I kept my
end of the
deal,
so she better keep hers,”
he replied.

“So you
already knew that she was here?”

“Who do
you think let her in? I’m the one that had to carry all that heavy shit back up
there for her cry baby ass,” he laughed.

“Cry baby?
What was she crying for?”

“Talking
about you had somebody else up there the other day. She said you changed the
locks and wouldn’t let her in.”

“Man, I
didn’t have no damn body up here. She should know me better than that.”

“I know
that, but you know Brook and her hormones. She cries about everything,” he
replied.

“Well, you
already know I appreciate you. Let me go talk to her, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After
hanging up with David, I picked DJ up and carried him to his room. I laid him
in
his bed and went to talk to Brooklyn. She
walked out of the bathroom at the same time that I entered the bedroom. She had
a towel wrapped around her making me lick my lips subconsciously.

“So I
guess this means you’re back home, huh?” I asked while taking a seat on the
bed.

“Yeah,”
she replied while rummaging through her drawer.

“You
better not leave no more Brooklyn. That’s not always the answer. I’m sorry for
not being upfront with you about everything. Next time we need to sit down and
talk. Even
though,
I was mad about what
went down with you and Kevin I didn’t leave you. Once I calmed down, I came to
you and told you how I felt. We’re better than that,” I said looking her right
in her eyes.

“I know, I
won’t leave again,” she promised. “But I need to ask you something and I need
you,
to be honest.”

“I’m
always honest with you Brooklyn. I tell you the truth even when I know it’ll make
you mad.”

“Okay,
well did you have somebody else in here with you the day when you wouldn’t let
me in?” She asked.

“Are you
serious?” I asked laughing at her.

“It’s not
funny Dominic. You changed the locks and didn’t let me come in when I asked.
Then you kept looking behind you like somebody else was in here,” she said
sounding like she was about to cry.

“C’mon
Brook, I can’t believe you even coming at me like this. I would never do
no
shit like that. I don’t care what’s going on
with us at the time. Everything I did including changing the locks was only to
get you to come back home. I know you saw how the house looked when you came in
here. I’ve been going crazy in here trying to take care of me and DJ by myself.
I was planning to drag your ass back here tonight if you wouldn’t have come on
your own,” I admitted.

“But
changing the locks and stuff, did you really have to take it that far Dominic?”
She asked.

“I guess I
did. I see you came back home. Oh yeah, let me give you this before I forget,”
I replied. I walked over to my drawer, pulled out a key and handed it to her. I
sat back on the bed while she put the key on her key ring.

“Where’s
my baby?” She asked.

“He’s in
his bed sleep. Come here,” I said pulling her to me. I palmed her round belly
while she ran her hand through the waves in my hair. It’s been a minute since
anything popped off between
us,
and I’m
more than ready. I pulled the towel from around her and watched it drop to the
floor. As much as I love foreplay, I’m just not in the mood for it right now. I
hate to rush, but I don’t know if DJ is going to wake up or not. Once he gets
up everything comes to a halt.
 
I
hurriedly kicked off my shoes followed by my jeans and boxers.