Jay'Shawn Lawson, NJ 📍

I was layin with Aqua on my chest in our bed. My phone pinged and I looked down at it. It was Troy.

.

aye man you needa get down here Layla ass buggin.

I smacked my teeth and replied.

can it wait?

do you want yo club fucked up?

bro deal wit it i'm spending time with my family right now.

Ight i'll handle it.

I put my phone down and picked up Aqua.

"Hey daddy baby." I said in her face she threw her head back.

"Why she always doin that shit?"

"What?" Ashanti asked from the bathroom while she repacked the diaper bag.

"Throw her head around she be lookin ridiculous. What if company see her doin that shit. They gon and think she slow or sum."

"She is a baby bae. They always do that." She said laughing.

"Cut that shit out." I whispered to her and she did it again. I smacked my teeth and I heard my phone ping. I picked it up and it was Troy again.

roy.

where yo keep your gun?

bro. here a I come.

"I gotta go." I said getting up with Aqua in my arms.

"Again?"

"This won't be long ma I promise." I glanced at the clock it read 6:37pm. I handed Aqua to her.

"You know the deal Jay I'm not reminding you about shit you are a grown ass man."

"I got you ma." I kissed her and Aqua before gettin my shoes on.

The fuck going on at this club?

———

I pulled up to the club and walked in. My eyes grew large. The entire club was off the hinges. My tables were flipped over, drinks were everywhere, glass all over the floor. A complete wreck. I heard arguing by the stage. It was Layla, Troy, and two of her friends. I slammed the club door shut and it got quiet. All heads turned in my direction.

I stood there looking dead at them with my hands in my pockets.

"I left my family for this. So it better be a good enough reason or somebody is gettin fired." I said as I made my way throw the mess.

"Everybody in my office." I yelled walking up the steps. Once they all filed in and took their seats I called out for someone to clean up the floor.

I sat at my seat. "What happened?"

"It's that bitch you brought in here!" Troy said pointing at Layla.

"Uht uht." She said getting up ready to hit him. I got up and pulled her away from him and told her and her friends to wait outside.

"Spill." I said shutting the door.

"She came in here first alone. Dem other big head bitches was not wit her." He said pointing his thumb at the door.

"She came in talking all loud about how she lost her chanel purse here and how she will fuck this place up if we don't find it. Mind you i'm like what the fuck WE gotta find it for when YOU lost. Shit ain't sit right wit me."

As he talked I was listening one thing about Troy was that he was an A-1 story teller I'm sitting her listening forgetting that I'm supposed to be serious.

"She hits me in the face cause I said fuck you and yo TJ-Max ass purse."

I was laughing in the inside but tried my hardest not to show it on the outside.

"I pushed her ass which made her go and get her friends. They come in and just start trashin shit. Throwing chairs, flipping tables, throwing drinks, and the glasses. Just straight buggin. Layla needa go."

"You know I can't do that Troy." I said putting my head in my hands.

"Yea you can fuck dem niggas."

The only reason Layla is working here is because her pops worked for my pops. When I was 16 I promised him I would keep her a job. If I broke the promise they was gon try and take all that I have. It was easy for them to do it. They can use my past against me. I was fucked up as a kid. In and out of Juvy and all that shit. Them the same boys that helped my "clean" my record so that I can have what I got now. I can't let them take it away. Mainly now cause I got Ashanti and Aqua to take care of. I'll be damn if I left Ashanti stress herself out tryna make money behind my fuck up.

———

Ashanti Renèe Robinson, NY📍

"Aqua baby come on let's go see auntie." I said picking her up off the bed.

Jo'nae ain't seen the baby since she was born. I've kept her in the house for her own safety. The world is dangerous for one and gross and I am not trying to have a sick newborn.

———

"Heyyyy!" I said walking in with her car seat.

"Heyyy! Aweee auntie baby!!" Jo'nae said as her and Demarcus approached me. He took the car seat from me and placed it on the couch.

"Why you got this blanket suffocating my niece and shit?" Demarcus moved the blanket off her car seat and took her out.

"Nigga it's summertime. By noon we got all dem extra bugs out and shit ion want them in her face."

———

"Demarcus no!" I said taking the donut out his hand. He tried to feed it to Aqua.

"What? She can't have no donuts yet?"

"She can't chew on her own yet! No she can't have a damn donut!"

He scrunched his face up and looked at her. "Oh well too bad stay drinking that dry ass milk." He told her.

I rolled my eyes and sat next to Jo'nae. "How's parenting life doin you?"

"Girl, I love it. It's like she's such a perfect baby. She don't cry so much only when she's really tired or she wants to listen to Giveon." I said rolling my eyes.

"Giveon?!" They asked me. I nodded. "Shitttt baby gotta good taste in music already."

I looked over at Demarcus and Aqua. She was kicking her feet while he made faces at her. The way they were interacting made me happy.

I got up and pulled Jo'nae to the side.

"What are you doing?" She asked as we stood in the kitchen.

"I think Demarcus wants a baby." I said in a low whisper.

"Girl don't remind me." She said letting out a huff.

"Whatchu mean don't remind you?"

"Girl he's had baby fever since you had Aqua. All we ever talk about is babies and shit."

"Awe. Are you guys back together yet?"

"Something like that."

"Girl please." I said waving at her. We noticed it was silent.

We didn't hear the quiet coos coming from Demarcus or the baby. We peaked our head out from the kitchen and he was laid back on the couch with her on his chest, sleep.

"Awe." Jo'nae whispered taking her phone out. She took pictures of them while I watched.

"Send those to me." I said picking her up off his chest. "I should get home it's getting late." I looked at the clock it was 8:40pm. I put her in her car seat and placed the blanket back over her before slipping out the door.

"All I know is that daddy better be home baby girl." I said as I pulled up. Of course his car wasn't there. I rolled my eyes and got out the car.

"Come on baby." I said taking her car seat out the car.

———

"Ion got time for this shit. I'm supposed to be home with my family." Jay said getting up.

"Well who's going to find my fuckin purse."

"Bitch fuck your purse!" He yelled in anger. "We've sat her arguing over a cheap ass purse for HOURS! I need to get home to my family before I fuck around and not have one!"

"It was in YOUR establishment so it's your responsibility!" Layla yelled back.

"It's not! Its YOUR responsibility you are a grown ass woman. Just because you can't look after your belongings don't mean that anyone else should have to!" He moved towards his office door before she grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Leave and I'm callin Rico."

"Call Rico and I'll kill you and that fuck nigga. That ain't no mothafuckin threat." Jay looked her deep into her eyes before turning and walking out the door.

"Damn.. Double homicide." Troy commented before watching the women leave.

———

Jay got in his car as anxiety built up in his body. It was now hitting 10:43pm and he still wasn't home. He was afraid Ashanti would do what she promised. The only thing running through his head was Ashanti and Aqua.

He tried rushing home but there was an accident right in front of the highway exit. Police cars, ambulance, and glass was everywhere!

"Fuck!" He said as he hit the steering wheel in fustration.

He looked around for another way and found it before he slammed on the gas. He sped and changed lanes between cars before taking the next exit.

He went in a huge circle and ended up on the street of the home him and Ashanti shared. Or once shared.

———