Baby Boy - 8

Safaree walked into his living room to see Nicki sitting on the floor. She was currently picking up all the contents of her purse that were all over the floor. She looked highly frustrated. Both of the girls were sitting at their kiddie table eating sliced bananas as they watched cartoons.

"Looking for something?" He asked as he bent over and began picking up the things that were out of her reach.

"No." She snapped. "They did this. They're irritating the shit outta me."

"Nicki." 

They way she glared at him let him know that he shouldn't say anything else. They had just hit the sixth month period in her pregnancy a few days ago. It seemed like she'd became moody over night. He'd never thought he'd see the day when she called her own kids irritating in front of them but here it was. She was starting to lash out on all of them, then she'd feel bad because the girls really didn't know any better and start to cry. 

"Nicki, they didn't mean to-"

"All day, Safaree. All day they've been getting into shit." She said as she tossed her things back into her bag.

"I know, but-"

"I'm sick of being in this house." She whined. 

"We going out later. Just chill." 

"To have dinner with my family."

"So? You was so excited about it the other day."

"Imma have to feed two kids, chase after them-"

"Would you stop complaining? Damn." 

She looked at him as though he had lost his mind. She stared at him for a few moments before starting to get up. When he tried to help her she swatted his hand away. She didn't struggle rising to her feet but it took more effort than usual. Once she was up she stormed pass him and disappeared into his room where she slammed the door. 

"How she gone be slamming doors in my house?" He mumbled as he plopped down and looked at the girls. 

"Aye." He said and they both looked his way. "Come here."

"Noooo." Sade giggled. She was definitely the leader of the two. 

"Alright." He shrugged, knowing that it would make the less stubborn Sahara give in. 

"Daddy." She giggled as she ran his way. 

He laughed as she asserted her indepence by pushing his hands away so that she could climb the couch on her own. She jumped on the side of him as he laughed before taking his hat off. He took it out of her hands and placed it on her which she found to be hilarious. Sade, on the other hand, was sitting at the table pouting. 

"Damn, you act just like yo mama." Safaree shook his head at her jealousy. "Come here, Smooch."

"No!" Safaree laughed at her defiance. 

"Awww, Smoochie Smooch. Come on. Daddy got plenty of love for you." 

He watched as she got up and dragged her feet as she slowly walked. Sometimes he couldn't believe how much personality that both of the girls had. He scooped her up and kissed her forehead before tickling her. 

"See, I knew you couldn't stay mad at me." He ran his hand across her head. He frowned feeling a piece of gum. "Yo moms is gonna kick your ass."

"No!" Sade yelled. 

"You right, but she is gonna be pissed." Just as he said that Nicki walked pass the living room, headed for the front row.

"Yo!" He called after her.

"I'm leaving." She peeked in. "I'll be back by six. Have them ready."

Before he could reply he heard the front door close. He shrugged her off and began playing with the girls again. He knew that between work, having helped him get custody of Sahara and take care of her, and the stress of the pregnancy that she needed a break. 

Nicki hadn't even been gone an hour before his phone began to ring. He knew it was gonna be Nicki but instead it was his cousin Tammy. The only time she ever called was when she wanted him and his friends to jump on her boyfriend for putting his hands on her. She'd always end up back with him. 

"What's up?" He answered. 

"Hey! Yo, what's up witcho and ya girl?"

"Who?" 

"Nicki." 

He didn't know where she was going with this but he knew that it would lead to drama. Tammy didn't like Nicki. They'd had words before about the fact that Tammy always called on Safaree to fight he battles. Whereas Tammy thought Safaree should be there for her because they were family, Nicki felt as if Safaree had his own family to worry about. 

"Whatcho mean?" He watched as Sahara pulled on Sade's hair and then Sade hit her. "Aye! Seperate!" 

He shook his head as both of the girls went crying in opposite directions. 

"What's up, Tam? I'm with my girls."

"Y'all together?"

"It's...complicated. Why?"

"Cause I'm out with Charles and-"

"Tammy-"

"Look. Just listen." She cut him off before he could give her a speech. "She here with some Arab, Indian... I don't fucking know. All I wanna know is if you want me to check the bitch?"

"Nah."

"Is that your baby or his cause..."

"Yeah, nigga..."

"You sure?"

"Getcho messy ass off my phone, girl."

"Alright. I'm just lookin' out for you."

"I appreciate it."

"Aite."

"Bye."

Nicki entered the house to see Sade jumping off of the couch and laughing when she hit the ground hard. Sahara was screaming at the top of her lungs while her father tried to comb her hair. It wasn't until Sade started screaming that Safaree looked up and noticed Nicki. Nicki smiled as Sade pulled on her leg and repeatedly called her name.

"Ok, Mami... Hold on. My hands are full." 

Nicki handed Safaree a gift bag before sitting beside him. She put down her purse and a small brown paper bag. She put her hands on Sade's face before kissing all over her face which sent the two year old into a fit of giggles. 

"What's this?" Safaree asked. 

"Open it." She smiled as she pulled a cookie out of the paper bag and handed it to Sade. 

"Aye." He sat Sahara back down as she got up to make her escape. She began throwing a fit and Nicki laughed.

"I got it." Nicki pulled Sahara in front of her and handed her a cookie. She quickly switched from ESPN to cartoons and began doing Sahara's hair with ease. Safaree looked at Nicki in amazement and she winked at him. He'd planned to confront her right when she walked in the door about what Tammy had said, but she had just thrown him for a loop. 

"Open it." She smiled. He pulled out a box and opened it to see a pair of gold clippers that had his name inscribed on them. 

"Yooo."

"You like?" Nicki asked.

"Back up, son." He playfully pushed Sade, who was trying to grab the clippers, away and watched her fall onto her bottom and begin laughing. "Yeah, these dope. Thanks."

"I know you have some but I figured if you're taking this barber thing seriously that you need more than one pair."

"Thanks." He nodded as he continued to look at them. 

"I'll finish getting them together while you get ready." Nicki offered. 

"Alright."

When Safaree returned he was expecting Nicki to need help finishing the task of getting the girls ready. To his surprise, they were all ready to walk out of the door. He felt a sense of pride in himself and Nicki for coming together the way they did to take care of the kids. He was beyond grateful to have her in his life they way she should've been all along. 

"That's what you wearing?" He asked.

"I couldn't fit the dress." She pouted before smiling. "But you look nice. Doesn't Daddy look nice, girls?"

"Nice!" Sahara repeated Nicki. 

"Thanks." He laughed. "Let's go."

Not even ten minutes into the car ride and both of the girls had fallen asleep. Nicki's hand had been resting on top of Safaree's from the moment they had gotten in the car. When she pulled her hand away to check a text message he glanced at her. She had the widest grin and he instantly got pissed off. 

"Who is that?" He asked. 

"My brother." She said without looking up from her phone. 

"You still fucking with that nigga?"

"What?" She looked at the side of his face as she instantly became upset. "What the fuck are you-"

"Who the fuck you texting?" He snatched her phone. He quickly put it in his other hand and glanced between the phone and the road as Nicki reached for it. When he realized that she was actually texting her brother he tossed her phone back to her.

"The fuck is your problem?" She pushed his head. "Don't fucking snatch shit from me!" She pushed his head again. 

"Keep your fucking hands off me, yo." She took note of him tightly gripping the steering wheel and decided against pushing him once more. 

"Are you on your period, Safaree? Is that what's wrong?" He didn't answer back to her condescending tone that was pissing him off even more. "You wishy washy as fuck."

"Nah, that's you."

"How?! We were just fine and now you're throwing a fucking fit for what?"

"You still seeing that nigga? You fucking that nigga while you pregnant with my kid?"

"Nadir?" She laughed.

"How many niggas you fuck with?"

"One!"

He chuckled, "Should've fucking known." He glanced at Nicki who was looking out the window quietly. "Oh? You ain't got shit to say?"

"Nope. Imma let you dig your own grave." She continued to look out of the window.

"I'm over here thinking we working on shit-"

"We are! But everytime I fucking let my guard down you start acting fucking stupid!" She looked in the back to see both of the girls still asleep. "Nadir got a job in Japan. He wanted to say goodbye and give me a gift for the baby."

"The fuck you need a gift-" 

"You so fucking insecure and watching your back cause you think I'm waiting with a knife that you don't see me begging for your attention." He had nothing to say. "I mean, shit, Safaree... I'm always dropping hints and shit about wanting to be with you but you just brush me off."

"I don't. I just wanna make sure-"

"That the girls are okay? You keep saying that. They're fine. Why can't you focus on loving me?"

"Cause I don't fucking know how!" He snapped. 

Nicki thought back to her conversation with his mother. She realized that he'd never seen a functional relationship, and although she hadn't either she wasn't sabotaging them every chance she got. He was so afraid of fucking up that he just went ahead and did it to get it over with. She rubbed the side of his face.

"Today... Right now... You are the only person that I want to be with. You have to trust me, and you have to trust yourself." 

"Alright, man." He pulled her hand down and held it tightly. 

"I love you." 

He hadn't heard her say those words in over two years. He glanced at her and the look in her eyes made his heart skip a beat. He couldn't help but to allow the cheesy wide grin appear on his face.

"Wipe that ugly ass smile off your face." She snatched her hand away. "And if you every fucking snatch some shit out my hand-"

"Alright. Alright, Nicki. Damn."

One more chapter left.