Page 131 of Quasim III: King Inferno

She smiled as she sniffled, and I reached and wiped her eyes. “Not funny.” I watched as she pouted but laughed at the same time.

“I’m sorry, my love. For making you feel like I didn’t see you. Locked you away.”

She messed with her hands and looked up at me. “I just want you, Quasim. All I’ve ever wanted was you, but I cannot sacrifice myself for you… I won’t do it.”

“I won’t ever make you do that. This shit is over… I’m back, and I can’t say how much I love you for sticking by me. When I was hard to deal with and couldn’t see my way out the darkness.”

“I almost signed up for a dating site.”

I raised my brow. “You really wanna go to the Luther concert, Anjo.”

She giggled, her stomach jiggling in the process. “Is it really done… are we good?”

“We’re good. I want to show you something,” I snatched my phone from my pocket and showed her the digital blueprints.

“What’s this?”

“Our home… breaks ground next month. We won’t be in it before the baby, but I wanted to show you that I got us a home.”

“We’re not homeless anymore.”

I paused. “Anjo, we were never fucking homeless… stop listening to Menace’s ass.”

She smiled as she continued to look at the screen. “Game room for Elijah… oh, he’s gonna love that.”

“I love you, Anjo. I’m never walking away from this marriage, and I may not always get it right, but know that I’m working on me and working to be the man you need me to be.”

“You’re already the man I want you to be… I just need you to be the man that lets me into your head. Allow me to help you and be your strength sometimes… I’m strong enough, Simmy.”

The name Simmy felt like a warm fucking hug. She had been withholding that name as a punishment, and I missed hearing it. “Come here, baby.”

She refused to move. “You come here,” she patted her leg, and I got down and laid in her lap. “I find comfort in your arms. You make me feel safe, Simmy. I never feel scared when I’m in your arms. I need you to feel the same when you’re in mine… okay?”

I kissed her thigh and then her stomach. “Okay.”

She kissed my head, as she rubbed my head. “Oop… feel her?”

“Yeah, kicking the side of my damn face.”

Anjo laughed. “She knows her daddy is near… she knows that her daddy will protect us always… like we will protect him.”

I kissed her stomach and wrapped my arms around her, trying to be in her skin.

We had been in Barbados for a few days and shit was a well needed change for all of us. No longer stressed and worried about shit, we sat on the couches on the beach and watched the women dancing and laughing with each other.

Capri and Blair were putting their stomachs together while Zoya took a picture of them. She took a picture kissing both of their stomachs while Synthia captured some pictures, too. Blaze took a pull of his spliff and looked out at them.

“We’re fucking blessed, Pop.” He took another pull, taking in his wife, and watching her body nurture and house two additional Infernos.

“Not sure I’m ready for two nephews.”

He smirked. “I’m more than fucking ready for my boys.”

I looked at my wife as she laughed, something she hadn’t done for a few months. “Look so happy and at peace.”

Blaze looked over at me. “You did that… got out your head and fixed it. I’m not afraid to get on my knees and beg for that woman right there. We fuck up, we’re men and that tends to happen…what happens after, that’s what really fucking counts.”

“She over there kissing stomachs like I’m not gonna be kissing hers next.” Goon stared at Zoya, who was dancing with Capri.

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