Page 20 of No Remedy for Love

“My daughter just gave his spoiled ass a bath. He made a mess with the ice cream he was eating. He should be ready for the bed by the time you get him.”

“Alright, I should be there in about twenty minutes.”

After hanging up with his sister, Mav tried Remi once again. And just like before, his calls went unanswered. That didn’t happen very often, so the wheels in his head were spinning. It was selfish of him to feel that way, but he didn’t give a fuck. Remi was his heart and so was Kiva.

As bad as it sounded, he was in love with two women. They were so different and he loved different things about them. Remi was a feisty, outgoing street chick while Kiva was more of a homebody nurturer. She would curl up with a good book and be satisfied. Remi, on the other hand, would hit up a club or just be posted up on the block like one of the niggas. She had calmed down a lot over the years but she still loved the night life. Sadly, if he had to make a choice, he didn’t know which one would come out on top.

Mav got his son and, just like his sister predicted, he was asleep in his car seat before they even made it home. His sister had four teenagers so they had his son spoiled. MJ had more clothes and toys over there than he did at his own house. His other sister and her kids had him spoiled too and they had everything he needed at their house too.

As soon as Mav entered the house, the aroma of a homecooked meal greeted him at the front door. Remi’s potswere brand new because she preferred to go to dinner rather than cook. That was yet another difference between her and Kiva. The list could go on forever.

“What’s up?” Mav spoke when he walked into the house carrying his sleeping son.

Kiva had just put her food into containers and was cleaning her kitchen. She looked up when Mav walked in and rolled her eyes. Even though she cooked, she wasn’t expecting to see him until she went to work the following morning. She went to his sister’s house to get her son, but they were both gone when she got there. Occasionally, when they had a falling out, he would stay the night by his sister and take their son with him. Lately, all she and Mav did was argue, and her sister’s words were starting to get to her. As much as she hated to admit it, Kerri was right. Her and Mav’s problems didn’t start until Remi reappeared. Kiva couldn’t deny the hold that Remi had on Mav all those years ago. Now, she was wondering if her moving back was coming in between them again.

“Clean up whatever mess you make,” Kiva said when Mav walked back into the kitchen. She knew that he was gonna probably want to eat, but he was on his own.

“Damn, you can’t even fix my plate!” Mav argued.

“I’m tired Mav. I’m so fucking tired.”

“Alright Kiva, just go to bed. I got it.”

“I’m not sleepy Maverick, I’m tired. I don’t know what’s changed with us or why, but the shit is getting old. All this arguing and sleeping out is childish as fuck. Whatever happened to going sleep in another room until we cool off? You always say I’m buggin’ but you don’t give me a reason not to. If this is notwhere you wanna be Mav, there’s the door. Nobody is forcing you to stay.”

“The fuck! Where did that even come from? Where else would I be but here with you and my son? Ain’t nothing and nobody worth me losing y’all.”

“I hear you but your words and your actions ain’t lining up.”

“You talking like this shit is all on me. I’m doing my part but you let your sister and clients get in your head with that bullshit all the time.”

“Stop always pointing the finger at me. I don’t give a fuck how much we argue, I stay and try to work shit out. The first thing you do now is leave and I’m not understanding why. The shit that we argue about don’t even be that deep. It’s like you be looking for a reason to go.”

Mav was caught off guard for a second but he was a master of disguise. He would never let her know how right she was. He didn’t realize how sloppy he was being, but Kiva was observant. Being with Remi shouldn’t have even been an issue in his relationship, but he made it one just like he did before. She didn’t have anything to lose but he did. Once again, he wasn’t thinking with the right head and it was getting him in trouble once again.

Although Remi was very pleasing to the eyes, it was more than that with him. He had better chemistry with Kiva, but Remi fucked him like a porn star. Kiva was more conservative in the bedroom, but Remi was a straight up freak. That’s exactly why he knocked her side nigga the fuck out when he mentioned it to some of the other niggas that he was cool with. Mav wanted the nigga dead and he was happy that somebody fulfilled his wish.That pussy had him trying to relocate to an unfamiliar place, so he knew exactly how the other man felt. He wanted to walk away but he just couldn’t do it. He knew that he couldn’t have both of them at the same time but he didn’t know what to do. The choice should have been easy but it was the hardest decision that he’d ever had to make.

“I’m never looking for a reason, but I’d rather leave before I say or do something that I’ll regret.”

“That’s bullshit, Mav and you know it. We’ve had arguments before and slept in the same bed at night. What changed?”

“Ain’t shit change, Kiva. I just told you how I feel about the situation.”

“Yeah okay. Just know that you’re all out of chances with me, Maverick.”

“I’m not doing shit so I’m not worried about that. My life is here with you and my son. You’re my future wife, and I apologize if I made you feel like anything less than my queen. I gotta do better and I promise that I will.” Mav pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. He smiled when Kiva hugged him back and buried her nose in his neck. He couldn’t deny that he was in love with her and had been for a while. The problem was that he was in love with another woman as well and that was a known recipe for disaster.

“Why a nigga always gotta beg your fine ass all the time, Remi?” Blaze asked as he finished up his young customer’s lining.

He was happy as hell that the little boy was asleep because it took him an hour just to cut his hair. His mother was holding him but that did nothing to ease his fear of the clippers. He cried himself to sleep and that was the only way that he was able to finish.

“You’re not begging me and I didn’t say no. I told you that my girl was in town. It all depends on what she wants to do.”

They were having a fundraiser basketball game at her father’s rec center and he was playing in it. Monique was in town, but Ferris was playing in it too. She wasn’t sure if hergirl wanted to go or not and she wasn’t gonna leave her alone, especially since her cousin wasn’t gonna be available to be with her. The games always had a large crowd, but it was nothing more than a hood fashion show. They had more than tripled the admission price over the years, but nobody had a problem paying. To most, it was a small price to pay to dress up and stunt on everybody. All of the admission money was being donated to underprivileged youth to help them with school and athletic uniforms. Remi’s father always did a back-to-school giveaway for school supplies and she planned to keep the tradition going.

Reid’s best friend, Harry, had a heart of gold and had been managing the rec room since her father purchased it. He begged her to let him continue but she had no plans on changing anything. That was what her father would have wanted anyway. The basketball games helped a lot of parents who couldn’t always afford to do it on their own. That’s why they did it multiple times throughout the year, even if it wasn’t the season for the sport.

“Tell your girl to come with you. How you own the rec room but don’t ever show your face when shit be happening in there?”

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