Page 46 of Quasim II: King Inferno

Fuck.

The feeling was something that I couldn’t shake as my hands trembled, when she stared into my eyes. She was meant to be for me.

I was meant to love this woman until I had nothing left to give because she deserved that. She was my Queen, the one whowould have my last name, and she would bring another child into this world for me.

“Harley said it,” she whispered.

“Shit.” We both turned our heads to Gams, Capri, and Blaze crying while holding each other. He wiped his eyes while staring at me.

“Simmy, tell me something. You haven’t said anything… what are you feeling?”

I stared at her as she wiped my face. “Grateful, my love. I feel grateful. Honored.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck as I held her. Kissing her neck, I rubbed her back, knowing that the pressure to keep my future wife safe was ten times more now. If niggas thought, I lost my shit before… they didn’t know the half.

Capri came over and hugged Blair, pulling her out the bedroom so they could do their girl talk shit that they often did.

I pulled myself up from the floor and Gams was standing there with her tissue, dabbing her eyes. “There was a time when you lost faith and thought you didn’t deserve happiness. I never stopped praying for you, Moochie. Never let up and knew this day would come. I love you so much, Moochie.” I bent down and rested my head on Gam’s shoulder as she rubbed my back. “You deserve this. You do what needs to be done to protect this family, Diablo.”

I lifted my head, and she kissed my cheek as she winked, and went to go embrace Blair. Blaze stood there and looked at me. “The last time we were in the bathroom together weighs on me at times. It’s the reason that when you call, I run, because I never want you to get back to that place. You couldn’t see it then, but I always could. I always knew that you would have another chance, and the shit would be sponsored by my favorite niece. She put this all into play, Pop… I love you, nigga.”

We embraced and hugged tightly as he held onto me like he never wanted to go. “I love you too, Blaze.”

“If I have any advice to give you… even if she says she don’t like it… don’t eat her fucking food.”We both laughed through our tears as we went back into the bedroom. “B, congratulations.” Blaze said, and she rushed to him and hugged him tightly.

Blaze told me about the time he took her to the emergency room. Their bond was a little tighter because he had seen her at her lowest and never held the shit against her. “You know…”

He hugged her tightly. “Don’t even need to talk about it, B. I know.”

Capri leaned her head on my shoulder as we watched them embrace. “She was sent specifically for you, Sim. I don’t even need to tell you but love and protect her. Don’t run from what’s for you and she’s for you. Everything inside of me told me to run from Meer, and where would I have been if I didn’t trust God’s blueprint he set out for me? Would have missed out on the most amazing soul.” I kissed her forehead as I pulled her into me, and we watched Gams fold the laundry on the sofa.

“Gams, that ain’t why you up here,” Blaze told her, and she waved him off while we all laughed at her.

The one thing that she was going to do was take care of her boys.

In the midst of slowly losing my mother, she never took her arms from around us.

Blair

Recommendation: You’ll be in my heart by Phil Collins

Pregnant.

My emotions were all over the place from seeing that word on the pregnancy test. I didn’t think it would ever be possible for me. Witnessing how everyone sat in the bathroom waiting to see the verdict of the test made me realize that I finally had the family I’ve wanted for years.

How we all prayed and cried together when we saw that I was pregnant with Quasim’s baby, it was truly special. Even as I sat there, I became choked up, witnessing Quasim’s reaction. I was nervous for the test to be positive.

I trusted his word when he told me that he wasn’t running from me anymore. There was this small piece of me that didn’t want this to overwhelm him. He was mourning the loss of his home, the one that he shared with Cherie and Harley. Some nights, he never slept and just stared up at the ceiling for hours.

I could imagine how he felt. Someone took something so personal to him, something that meant the most to him.

Our baby was made in love and uncertainty, more on his end than mine, but love, nonetheless. Although Quasim was trying to fight how he felt, I always knew what I wanted. Despite all the uncertainty and confusion, the one thing we weren’t confused or uncertain about was our attraction for one another.

What our bodies did whenever we were near one another.

That was how this baby ended up inside of me in the first place. Neither of us could keep our hands away from each other. Soon as he raised that eyebrow and called me my love, these legs automatically opened. I made a mental reminder to call my doctor and make an appointment. He recommended two to five years before getting pregnant, but when he saw my face, he said at least six months.

I knew I would have to discontinue the medication that I currently was taking. For this child, I would discontinue it all to make sure they were healthy. I’ve lost one child because I didn’t put them first right away.

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