Baby Boy - 4

Nicki finished applying her make up just as a knock came on the door. She cursed as she looked down at her sweats and wife beater. She felt the now familiar feeling of butterflies as she walked to open the door. After three months of dating, she was still always excited to see him. 

"Oh, it's just you." 

"Here." Safaree said as he handed her a case of diapers. "I got some more stuff in the car."

"Okay." She made her way to Sade's room and began placing the diapers in the diaper stacker. Safaree wasn't too far behind. When he entered the room he placed a bag of clothes on the changing table. 

"I left some of Sahara's clothes in there too. You know Misha don't keep up with her shit."

"Okay." They stared at each other with sadness. It wasn't supposed to be this way. Everything conversationally was awkward between them because they could never find the right things to say.

"Aite." He said. "I'm out."

"Wait." She said urgently as she stood. He knew she was going to ask him to come back, cry about how she missed him. "Um, can you stick around for a bit? Me and Nadir wanna talk to you about something."

"Are you for real?" He looked at her like she was crazy. She didn't understand where his irritation was coming from, nor did she care once she heard Nadir knocking. 

"Can you just cooperate for one day in your life?"

"Man, whatever. Make this shit quick." 

Safaree found his way to the living room as Nicki found her way to the door. Safaree instantly grew irritated at her giggling. He heard the sound of them kissing and his fist instantly balled up. He quickly reminded himself that Nicki was no longer his as they walked in hand in hand. 

"Safaree, this is Nadir." Nicki said as she gazed at the side of Nadir's face with a wide grin. 

"Sup man." Nadir extended his hand to Safaree. Nicki cut her eyes at Safaree and he stood and shook his hand.

"Sup." he said before they all sat. Nicki and Nadir sat on one couch while Safaree sat alone on the other. Awkward wasn't the word for this current situation. They were all ready for it to be over. 

Nicki cleared her throat, "Nadir wanted to meet you. I, well, we think that it's time for him to meet Sade." Nicki watched his eyes locked on their hands. He licked his lips and then smacked them.

"If I had a little girl I would wanna know who was around her." Nadir offered. 

"How long you knew him?" Safaree ignored Nadir and looked at Nicki. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. She was hurting him although that wasn't her intentions. He was finally feeling what she had for the past few years. 

"Safaree, I wanna make it clear to you that I'm not exactly asking for your permission. I just think you should know who's around her." Nicki said sternly but with very little attitude to keep things from becoming aggressive. 

"Son, don't think you can discipline my daughter." Safaree said to Nadir before looking at Nicki. "And I don't want him changing her, or alone with her." 

"Safaree,why the fuck would-"

"That's fine. I understand where you're  coming from." Nadir squeezed Nicki's hand lightly to keep her calm. He understood very well how some men had to prove that they were in control while others were just in control. If it wasn't clear to Safaree, it was very clear to Nicki that Nadir was in control. 

"That's it?" Safaree asked. 

"Yeah, I'll walk you out." She said. She whispered into Nadir's ear before following Safaree outside. When he got to the car he looked at her angrily.

"You done?"

"Huh?" She asked confused.

"You done with this game? Come back to our family."

She laughed, "You left our family way before we had one." 

"I'm sick of playing games."

"Safaree, I'm done playing. He offers me shit that you haven't in years. This is not a game to me. Stop it." 

"Nic." He tried to pull her closer and she pushed him.

"Stop!" She said. "You know for a fact that I don't cheat."

"Just a couple of weeks ago-"

"Two months ago? When I was drunk and Nadir and I weren't serious? Your point? Don't disrespect him and don't disrespect me. Period."

"Whatever." He reached into his car and grabbed his wallet. He pulled out a few hundreds and handed them to her. "I'll see you later."

"Whatever." 

She didn't stand around to see him pull off or say goodbye. She put the money in her pocket and made her way back inside. Nadir was sat in the same spot she left him in. 

"What took so long?" He laughed.

"You know the old, 'I see you with someone else so now I want you.'" She rolled her eyes as she sat beside him with her legs tucked under her. She was never afraid to be completely honest with him. 

"Yeah." He laughed as he inched closer to her. "He gotta understand that you belong to me now."

"I like the sound of that." She flirted back before kissing him. Before it got too heated she pulled away and he sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It's cool." He was trying hard to understand why they couldn't physically go to the next level but he was growing impatient. 

"Let's just go get the kid."

"Stop!" Nicki laughed as she pushed Nadir away as he tried to kiss her neck again.

"Come on."

"We're in front of my daughter's school. Move." She pushed him away laughing as she got out of the car. After being buzzed into the daycare she stopped at the check out counter.

"Sade, right?" The young girl asked. 

"Yes." Nicki answered. 

"Um, her step mother picked her up about thirty minutes ago."

"Step mom?" Nicki's heart began to race. 

"Yes. Uhhh, Sahara's mother." She read the sign out sheet. "Lamisha Jackson." 

Nicki stormed away from the counter and called Safaree. When he didn't answer she texted him before getting into Nadir's car and slamming the door. 

"Where is she?"

"We have to go to his moms." 

"That's where she is?" 

"I don't fucking know!" She snapped as she held the phone to her ear. "Make this left."

Within fifteen minutes they had arrived to Safaree's mothers house. Safaree had been texting Nicki non stop about how he forgot to tell Misha not to pick up Sade that day. Nicki was pissed that he had put Misha on the pick up list without her permission knowing that she didn't trust her with Sade. When they pulled up, Safaree was outside with both of the girls, playing. 

"Nicki." He said sympathetically. He knew that she had worried herself sick in a matter of minutes.

"You did this shit on purpose?" She asked as she picked up Sade.

"What? Nah. I honestly forgot." 

"Why, Safaree? You know how I feel about her! I don't want her picking up my child."

"She won't."

"And you won't either!"

"The fuck?"

"I took you off the list!" She lied.

"Who the fuck is going to get her while you're at work?" 

"I'll figure it out." She turned to walk away when another thought came to her mind. "And when were you going to tell me that you enrolled Sahara?"

"I ain't gotta tell you shit! Worry about that one."

"I can't have shit to myself!" She yelled as she walked away. "Gotta share every fucking thing in my life with you muthafuckers!" She continued to rant while she strapped Sade in before getting in the car. Safaree watched as Nadir tried to calm her down before pulling off. He knew that if he hadn't already pushed her away, that she was definitely gone now. 

The next day Nicki found herself in the nail salon with her friends. She bought Sade along because it was her second off day in two weeks, and since she wouldn't have one for a while she wanted to spend time with her. Her friends were currently giving her advice that she didn't ask for and she was over it. Sade was sitting between Nicki's legs, splashing the water with her bare feet. 

"I'm just saying, ya ex still spending the night but you won't even sex your man?" Candi said. 

"I mean, after spending almost every night with the same man for five, almost six years, it's hard to be apart."

"When you don't want to be." TT said.

"Whatever." Nicki rolled her eyes.

"And you not having sex with Safaree?" TT asked.

"No. It's been like two months." 

"Reason why you was throwing up?" Candi laughed.

"Bitch." Nicki rolled her eyes. She had told them that she was late because she was sick all night. She thought that it was from some food that Nadir made her try but Candi's jokes had her mind going. She hadn't missed a period but she knew from her experience with Sade that it didn't mean a thing. 

Sorry for the way this ended. Excuse the typos. Had something better planned but I'm going to save it. I wanted to point out that Safaree's mom wasn't trying to neglect Sahara but make Misha do her job. And before y'all rant about SB giving Nic money, it's for the baby. Lol.