You're My Little Secret 3 (22 page)

“I
guess I never thought about it that way. Maybe I’ll fill out a police report
when they come back to talk to me in the morning.”

 
“Yeah, I think you really should. Moving to
Virginia is the best decision that you’ve made in a long time. Good luck with
everything,” I said as I stood to my feet and prepared to exit.

“Candace
wait,” she said stopping me when I got to the door.

“I
know we’ll probably never be best friends again, but do you think that I can call
you sometimes?” She asked sounding hopeful.

“You
can call, but I won’t promise that I’ll answer,” I replied before walking out
of her door and out of her life. Nadia and I had been best friends since
forever. If something so small as my cousin being with her ex could make her
turn on
me,
then I really don’t need her
in my life. I said my goodbyes to her mother and took the elevator back down to
my car. At least my visit wasn’t a total waste of time. She answered a question
that we’ve been trying to get answered for months. I pulled my phone out and
called to tell David everything that she had just
told
me.

KENNEDI

I
sat on my living room sofa and enjoyed the strawberry cheesecake that I’d just
purchased from the deli near my house. I was fresh out of the shower and
enjoying a movie that I just tuned in to on Lifetime. I’m a little over a week
away from having my
baby,
and I can’t
wait. My doctor told me that it could be any day
now,
and I’m ready. I decided to go with the Minnie Mouse theme for
my baby’s room. That’s one of the only themes that has everything to go with
it. That bitch Brooklyn called herself trying to shop for my daughter, but I
wasn’t having
it. After she had
sent
Mrs. Liz here with all the bullshit that she’d
purchased, I had Tiffany to help me drop it all off at Dominic’s office. It’s
crazy because I went out and purchased some of the same things that I sent
back. I just didn’t want anything from Brooklyn. She may be Dominic’s wife, but
I’ll be damned if she picks and chooses what our daughter will wear. That
happened over a week
ago,
and I haven’t
heard anything from them since then. I’ve tried calling Dominic a few times,
but he never answers the phone. I ended up using the money that Tiffany gave me
to get what I wanted my baby to have. Tiffany and her dad also got a lot of
stuff for
her,
so I’m satisfied for now.
I can’t wait until I give birth to my daughter. If Dominic thinks I’m a pain in
his ass now, it’s going to be ten times worse once I have his daughter.
Brooklyn better
get
ready because I
promise to make their lives a living hell. I got up to get me a bottle of water
when my doorbell rung. I’m not expecting anyone so I looked out the window to
see who it is. I saw Tiffany’s car parked next to
mine,
so I opened the door for her. As soon as I saw her I could
tell that something was wrong. She brushed
past
me without speaking and went straight to the kitchen.

“Well,
hello to you too,” I said sarcastically.

“I’m
really not in the mood for your sarcasm Kennedi,” she said with an attitude.

“And
why are you wearing sunglasses in the house? The sun is not even shining
outside.”

 
 
I
grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and started to walk away until I
heard her crying.

“What’s
wrong Tiffany? Did that bastard do something to you? I asked while rubbing her
back. She didn’t reply, but I got my answer when she took off her glasses. Her
right eye was black and swollen to the point that it was almost closed.

“Oh
my God Tiffany! Why do you keep letting him do this to you? You need to leave
his crazy ass alone,” I yelled.

“I
did leave him, but where am I supposed to go? I gave up my apartment and moved in
with him when our office closed,” she cried.

“You
can’t be serious right now. My door has always been opened to you. I live here
alone,
so you don’t have any excuses,” I
fussed.

“I
know that, but you’re about to have a new baby. I don’t want to impose on you.
I just need my eye to heal
up,
and I’ll
probably go back to my dad’s house for a while,” she replied.

“You
are not imposing and you know it. I’m in here alone most of the time. I could
use the company,” I said honestly. Aside from my mother and Tiffany, I really didn’t
talk to anyone. Scott and I never really talk anymore either. He’ll text me
from time to time to see how I’m doing, but that’s about all. When Dominic and
I were together I tried to form a relationship with his sister, but that never worked.
She seems to love Brooklyn, but I don’t think she cared for me very much. At
least I won’t feel so lonely if Tiffany comes to live with me.

“So
what happened to make him hit you this time?” I asked.

“Kevin
and Shannon went to jail two nights
ago,
and Kyle said that’s it’s my fault,” she replied with her head hanging low. “He
was alright until he went to their arraignment hearing this morning and found
out about all that they’re being charged with.”

“How
in the hell is any of that your fault?” I yelled.

“It’s
a long story Kennedi. I really don’t feel like talking about it right now,” she
said trying to get away from the subject.

“Well,
that’s too bad. You need to tell me everything that’s going on. I don’t trust
Kyle’s
ass,
and I told you that from the
start. You’ve changed so much since you got with him.”

“I’m
so scared Kennedi. He’s been doing all kinds of crazy
shit,
and he’s gotten me involved in some of it. He keeps telling
me that if I tell anybody I won’t live to see the next
day,
and I believe him,” she cried.

“Stop
crying and talk to me. You know that I won’t say anything. I don’t even talk to
anybody besides you.”

“Well,
for starters, Kevin and Kyle have been going around robbing people. I swear I
didn’t know what was going on at first. He would always tell me to drive, but I
never saw what they did when they got out of the car. I always parked a few
streets over until they came back,” she confessed.

“Tiffany
no, I can’t believe that you got yourself hooked up in his mess. When you found
out about
it, you
should have left him
alone and moved out,” I yelled.

“It
wasn’t that easy Kennedi. I don’t have a job or any savings. I needed the money
then,
and I still need it now. He’s been
taking care of me since I’ve been out of work. How do you think I was able to
give you money and help buy things for the baby? I’ve been looking for another
job, but I still haven’t had any luck yet,” she replied.

“That
still doesn’t explain the black eye that you’re wearing,” I retorted.

“Two
days ago Kyle asked me to drive while he and Kevin did their thing, but the
plans changed at the last minute. Shannon ended up going with Kevin while Kyle
hit a lick somewhere else. They hit up two areas in the ninth ward, but they
didn’t get much from that. Kevin suggested going to the French Quarters, but I
was against the idea from the beginning. After Kyle called and chewed me out I finally
agreed to go. I told them where I would be when they got done, but after an
hour they still hadn’t come back. It usually doesn’t take that long, so I drove
around trying to see if I saw them. That’s when I spotted the police cars
blocking off the street. When I got out of my car and got a closer look, I saw
Kevin and Shannon in the back of one of the cars. Kyle got pissed and said that
I left them, but there was nothing that I could do. I’m lucky that I didn’t get
arrested right along with them,” she said as a steady stream of tears cascaded
down her face.

Now
it’s all making sense to me. Tiffany has been having more money now than she
had when we were working. I just hate that she got hooked up with Kyle and his mess
in order to get it. I hate to see my cousin and only friend in the world go
through what she’s going through. Ever since Bryce did her
wrong,
her life
had
gone downhill.

“I
don’t care what you say you are not going back to him. You can stay here for as
long as you like. Don’t worry about the bills because Dominic is going to take
care of that. As soon as I have my baby I’m taking his ass straight to court,”
I promised.

“I
have something else to tell you,” Tiffany said as she looked down and fidgeted
with her hands.

“What
is it?” I asked giving her my undivided attention.

“Kevin,
Kyle, and I are the ones that burned down Bryce’s shop. I know that I was wrong
for participating, but he deserved it. He broke my
heart,
and I haven’t been the same since then. Honestly, I don’t
even feel bad about it,” she admitted.

“And
you shouldn’t,” I said agreeing with her. “You gave him everything and he left
you with nothing. If it weren’t for
you,
his ass probably wouldn’t even have that shop. Fuck Bryce!”

“So
you don’t think I was wrong for helping them?” She asked me.

“No,
I don’t and stop beating yourself up over it. He doesn’t care about you so why
should you care about him,” I replied.

“It
was actually Kyle’s idea, but I couldn’t let them do it without me. I only wish
that Bryce and Taylor were in there to burn right along with everything else,”
she said angrily.

“And
that bitch Brooklyn too,” I chimed in. I’ve never hated a person so much to
wish death on them, but Brooklyn is the exception.

We
laid around and talked until after four in the morning. Both of us fell asleep
on the sofa since we were too lazy to go upstairs. The next afternoon I got up
before Tiffany only because my bladder wouldn’t let me sleep any longer. I
looked down at Tiffany’s ringing phone and hit decline when I saw Kyle trying
to call her again. He’s been calling her nonstop since last night trying to
apologize for hitting her. If I hadn’t been there to stop
her,
she would have answered and been on her
way back to him by now. I hate that Tiffany showed him where I
lived
. I don’t want his rundown looking ass
coming to my house looking for her. I would have the police here before he
could even ring my doorbell.

After
doing my normal hygiene
routine,
I
grabbed the phone book to order me and Tiffany something to eat. I’d
been
craving pizza for a
while,
and that’s exactly what I’m about to
order. I was about to wake Tiffany up to ask her what she wanted when a sharp
pain hit me in my side. It was so painful that I dropped the phone book and
held on to the counter.

“Tiffany!”
I yelled out in fear and pain. I didn’t want to scare her, but I was scared my
damn self. She stirred a little before turning on her side to go back to sleep.
I called her name again, but this time louder than before.

“What’s
wrong?” She asked as she jumped up from the sofa.

“I’m
in so much pain. I think I need to go to the hospital,” I replied through clenched
teeth.

“Ok,
you want me to call Dominic?”

“No,
just help me get dressed so we can go.”

“You’re
not going to tell him what’s going on?” She asked me.

“I
don’t know Tiffany. I’m in too much pain to think about that right now. Maybe I’ll
call Mrs. Liz once I get there.”

She
stopped asking questions long enough to run upstairs and grab me some clothes.
After getting
dressed,
we walked to her
car and made our way to the hospital. Tiffany was driving like a mad
woman,
and she scared me more than the
impending birth of my daughter. I held on tight and said a prayer that
me
and baby girl made it to the hospital in one
piece.

DOMINIC

Since
Brooklyn has been inside with the kids for two weeks straight, I decided to
take her out for a little while. She never complains, but I know it has to be
hard dealing with a
two-month-old
and a
two-year-old
all day. David and I have been
kind of busy too since we signed on to help the construction company. We’re not
complaining either because the money is flowing in. He wanted to take Candace
somewhere too so we decided to do a double date. My mother-in-law agreed to
watch the kids for a while to give us some time alone. We went to a movie and
headed to dinner soon after.

“What’s
going on with Kennedi?” David asked. “She should be having the baby soon.”

“She
should, but I haven’t talked to her. She
does
n’t
need to call me until it’s time for the baby to come. She’s still on that
bullshit,
and I don’t have time for it,” I
replied. Kennedi has really been doing too much
lately,
and I’m sick of it. She told my mama what theme she wanted for the
baby,
and I didn’t have a problem getting
whatever she needed. My wife had gone out of her way to shop and buy everything
that she thought my daughter would need. When she was
done,
she’d spent well over three thousand dollars buying
everything in the Minnie Mouse theme that Kennedi wanted. My mama and daddy packed
up their cars and took everything to her house that very same night. I didn’t
expect her to call and thank me, but I damn sure didn’t expect to see
everything piled up in front of my office when I got to work the next morning.
She sent me a text saying that she knew that I didn’t pick out our daughter’s
stuff,
and she didn’t want anything from
Brooklyn. Since Brooklyn is my
wife,
that
was just like her saying that she didn’t want anything from me either.

“I
can’t believe her stupid ass sent back all the stuff that
y’all
bought. Especially after we spent our
whole day picking everything out,” Candace said. She and Co-Co spent their
entire day shopping with
Brooklyn,
and
they were pissed as well.

“I
don’t know what to say. I guess I’ll figure out what to buy once the baby gets
here,” I replied.

“You
won’t be figuring out shit,” Brooklyn snapped. “She had everything that she
needed delivered right to her front door. She’s the one that wanted to be
stupid and send it back. Since that bitch wants to be
petty,
I’m about to show her how it’s done. I returned everything
and put that money right back into our account.”

“Oh
well, the woman of the house has spoken, I guess that’s a wrap,” I said as I
continued to eat my food. I can’t even be mad at Brooklyn for how she feels.
Kennedi
is being
a bitch just because she
could.

“I
know that’s right cousin,” Candace said smiling at Brook. It still amazes me
sometimes when I see how much she’s matured over the years. She’s so good with
our
kids,
and our house is always
spotless. I can’t recall one time that I didn’t come home to a hot meal. She
did all of that while still maintaining her grades in school. She took online
classes during the summer, but she’s going back on campus in a few weeks. I’m
so proud of
her,
and I make sure I tell
her every chance I get. I couldn’t ask for a better wife than the one I have.
When we first
met,
I didn’t think it
would go as far as us being married. My only regret is that I didn’t do it
sooner.

“Did
Nadia leave yet?” David asked Candace.

“I
don’t
know.
I haven’t talked to her since
I left the hospital,” she replied.

“She
must have thought that she was about to die or something. That heifer was
making deathbed confessions like she was on her way out of here,” David
laughed.

 
I was pissed when Candace told us about
everything that Nadia had said. I was especially pissed when I heard that Kevin
was the cause of Taylor and Brookly
n’s
accident. Bryce and Jaden wanted to go find him, but it was too late for all of
that. Kevin and his girlfriend made the front page of the paper when they got
arrested a few days ago. They were arrested for a string of robberies in the
French Quarters and in the uptown area. According to the newspapers, they aren’t
getting out
anytime
soon. The police were
even trying to see if they’re responsible for more than the ones that they’ve
been charged with. Kyle must be hiding out somewhere because he’s nowhere to be
found. Jaden and I even went back to the area where we saw him and Tiffany at a
while ago, but that was a dead end.

“Going
to Virginia was the best thing for her to do. She’s too stupid to live by
herself. She needs to be with her mama,” Candace said.

“Brook,
I’m so happy that you married this nigga. He picks the craziest bitches in the
world to hook up with. Ain’t no telling who he would’ve brought home next,”
David said laughing at me.

 
I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t have
the best track record with women, but that’s all over with now. My marriage to
Brooklyn is most definitely until death. I can’t see myself being without her.
I miss her even when I’m at
work,
and
that’s only for a few hours. Our chemistry is like
magic,
and it’s been that way from day one.

“You
want something else baby?” I asked Brooklyn. She only had a shrimp salad with
lemon water, but that didn’t look like enough to fill her up. She put herself
on a strict diet after she had Dominque, but I don’t want her to lose too much
weight. She’s right between an eight and a ten and that’s perfect for me. She
wants to lose ten more pounds, but
I’m not
having
it. She’s perfect to me, even after having two babies back to
back.

“No,
I’m good. You can get the check whenever you’re ready,” she replied. I called
for our waitress to come over right as my phone started ringing. Brooklyn
answered it and passed it to me telling me that it was my mother.

“What’s
up ma?” I asked when I got on the phone.

“I’m
on my way to the hospital. Kennedi’s cousin called and said that they’ve been
up there since earlier today. She didn’t want her to call anybody, but she
snuck and called me anyway. That lil bitch is gon’ make me slap her stupid ass
one of these days. I don’t have time to be playing these games with her. Her
cousin said that she’s about eight centimeters now. She’ll probably have the
damn baby before I can get there,” she rambled on.

“Alright
ma, I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I replied. “I’m riding with
David,
so I need to go get my truck.”

“Just
tell David to drop you off. I don’t want to be up here with them by myself.”

“Okay,
I’m coming,” I said before hanging up.

“What’s
wrong?” Brook asked once I disconnected the call.

“Kennedi
is in labor. Her stupid ass is already eight
centimeters,
and she told Tiffany not to call anybody,” I replied angrily. When the waitress
came over I paid our tab as we all got up from the table. I grabbed my wife’s
hand and headed for the exit.

“We
can drop you
off,
and I’ll bring your
truck to you whenever you want it,” Brooklyn suggested.

“What
do you mean
y’all
can drop me off? They
can drop us off because you’re coming right with me,” I replied.

“Shit,
I’m coming too.
Y’all
know I’m nosey,”
David said when we got to his car.

“Let
me call my mama and let her know what’s going on. I need to be going to get my
own kids instead of going to the hospital while Kennedi has hers,” Brooklyn
fussed.

“Just
tell her that we’ll come and get them as soon as we can. I really need you
there with me,” I said as I gripped her hand tighter.

I
listened as Brooklyn told her mother what was going on. She told us that the
kids could stay all night if we needed to stay at the hospital for a while. I
appreciated the gesture, but that wouldn’t be necessary. There’s no way in hell
that I was staying at that hospital all night with Kennedi’s ass. Brooklyn
wouldn’t let me even if I wanted to. We stopped at a red light just as my mama
called me again.

I
blew
out a breath of frustration before I
answered. “
Yeah,
ma.”

“I
just got here, but she already had the baby. The nurse said that they’ll bring
her back to the room once she gets weighed and cleaned up.”

“So
are you in the room with Kennedi right now?” I asked.

“No,
that bitch had the nerve to ask me what was I doing here. Once I see my
grandbaby, I’m taking my ass right back home. Her cousin and her uncle are here
too.”

“We’re
not that far
away.
I’ll see you in a
minute,” I said before hanging up.

“What
happened?” David asked.

“She
already had the baby. She pissed mama off and you know she’s ready to leave the
hospital. She’s waiting for them to bring the baby back to the room before she
leaves though,” I answered.

“What
did she name her?” Candace asked.

“I
don’t
know.
I didn’t even ask,” I
replied.

“You
alright
boo?” Brook asked while looking
over at me.

She
could probably see the aggravation written all over my face. I’m really not in
the mood to deal with Kennedi and her bitching. That’s one of the main reasons
why I wanted my wife with me. She could always calm me down whenever things get
too rough. Since Tiffany is up there, I’ll probably have to calm her down too.

“I’m
good, but I want you to be on your best behavior when we get to the hospital,”
I said smiling at her.

“What?
I’m always on my best behavior,” she replied.

“Tiffany
is up there,” I said looking at her for her reaction.

“I’m
not worrying about her. I have two kids that depend on me. I don’t have time to
be out here fighting with nobody. I’m here to support
you
everybody else is irrelevant,” she replied waving me off.
 

That
wasn’t the reply that I expected, but I fell in love with her new attitude. We
pulled up to the hospital and took the elevator up to the maternity ward. I saw
my mama standing in the hall talking on her phone, but she got off when she saw
us walking up. Tiffany and her father sat in two chairs outside of Kennedi’s
door, but nobody said anything. My mama hugged Brooklyn and Candace and told me
that I could go into the room to see the baby. I wanted my wife to come with
me, but I know that wasn’t a good idea. I opened the door slowly and walked
into the room. Kennedi looked at me with a frown on her face as soon as our
eyes connected. She was holding the baby, but she had her wrapped up in a
blanket with a little pink hat on her head.

“How
do you feel?” I asked only because I really didn’t know what else to say. We
didn’t divorce under good
terms,
and we’re
far from being cordial
with
each other.

“I
just had a baby. How do you think I feel?” She snapped with her usual nasty
attitude.

I
ignored her and walked over to get a good look at the baby. She tried to
protest, but I took the baby out of her arms anyway. I looked down at her and
put my index finger in her tiny little hand. She gripped my finger tightly just
like all babies do at that age. I couldn’t deny the fact that she’s a beautiful
baby, even though,
her mother was a royal
bitch. Holding her reminded me of the first time that I held
Dominique,
and I started to feel kind of
emotional. Kennedi is watching me intently, but she never utters a word as she
wipes away the few tears that
fell
from
her eyes.

“You
can’t be a bitch all of your life Kennedi. The least you can do is call the man
and let him know that he has a daughter. He has a right to
know,
and he needs to be in her life,” I said
while looking over at her. She didn’t reply, but she broke down crying when I finished
talking. She can never in this lifetime or the next try to convince me that
this is my baby. She’s every bit of Scott from her sandy brown hair to her
almost white complexion and light hazel eyes. God must have heard my prayers
even when I didn’t think He was
listening,
and I’m so grateful.