Page 38 of Royce
“Ms. Iris, why would he do that? Why would he lie like that?”
“Oh no, no, no. Please dry your eyes. Royce is spoiled, greedy, obsessive, as well as possessive. Whatever you said or did to him, he’s not letting go. He’s thirty-five years old and doesn’t have anyone to call his own, let alone children. Did he scheme to make her his? Most definitely. However, if I know my child, he’s going to love this baby and that little boy as if they were hisblood. I understand your point of view, but I also understand his. I am sorry that he did that though. I didn’t raise him like that. Those are genes from his father.”
There was nothing I could do. The paperwork was done at the hospital, and I was pretty sure it had been sent off already. I was stuck between a fuckin’ bolder and a hard place right now. This shit was not cool.
“Can I just have a minute alone please?”
“Sure thing. I just started cooking so dinner should be done soon. CJ is out on the track with Senior driving go karts. Do you want me to send him in?” she asked as she stood from the bed.
“No, it’s alright. Can you continue to keep an eye on him please?” She nodded and headed out.
I was beyond pissed and lowkey hurt. Suffering from the bullshit Cojak put me through just to run into another man that manipulated others for his sake. Royce talked a lot of shit, and I thought he would be man enough to handle rejection, but it was clear he was nothing more than a child. His tantrums were shown differently but a tantrum was still a tantrum, and he threw one in that hospital to get his way.
As soon as the bedroom door shut, the bathroom one opened. Royce walked out with a towel wrapped around his waist and slippers on his feet. He looked my way and smirked followed by a wink. I was annoyed with his presence and that bullshit didn’t do nothing but infuriate me even more.
“I guess you really don’t like being told no, huh?”
“I don’t but tell a nigga what you talking ‘bout first. I ain’t no mind reader, My Baby.”
“My fuckin’ name is Klarity. Stop calling me that shit!” I yelled.
Me raising my voice caught his attention. He turned around to face me letting his head slowly fall to the right. His locs were wet and hanging loosely sending streams of water down hischest. A washboard was exactly what you could use his abs as. He was ripped and that v-cut just kept your eyes lingering. It didn’t help that he was covered in tats either. I had to stop myself from roaming his canvas so openly.
“You got something you need to say to me? If so, pop off and say that shit with yo’ chest.”
“You lied to me, Royce. That was her name, and you took it from her just to fit you. She’s not your fuckin’ daughter!”
He stood there staring at me as if what I said went in one ear and out the other. His eyes went from warm to cold in a matter of seconds. I wasn’t sure if I should call Ms. Iris to come back or not. Fear was starting to replace the anger I held inside. With each step he took toward me, I wanted to get up and make a run for it.
The fact still remained, I didn’t know this man. I didn’t know how far to push him, and I damn sure didn’t know if he hit women. With Essence in my arms, I tried my best to shelter her. He could do whatever to me, but not her. Her and CJ were all I had.
Royce stopped once he was satisfied with the distance between us. He leaned down and pecked my neck gently leading up to my ear. I hadn’t had a man this close to me in a while. I missed the affection of one and I hated that my body reacted to him even if it was for a brief moment.
“If you wasn’t the woman I loved, I would’ve put yo’ shit through that fuckin’ headboard by now. She was going to wear my name regardless, and it wasn’t shit you could do about it. Hell, the same goes for you and CJ. If I was you, I would love me and start to be happy ‘round this bitch ‘cause you ain’t going nowhere no time soon.”
Another kiss was given before he backed away leaving me with mixed emotions. I was really trying my hardest not to put my hands on him, but it was becoming so hard to do. Telling meI was going to wear his name despite what I may had believed was something a nigga with power would say and right now, he was abusing his.
My life was already complicated, and he was just adding to it. I was already skeptical about him, and this only made me put more distance between us. I thought I was being too harsh but seeing how he moved only to benefit him, I knew I was right to be cautious. This wasn’t what I wanted for me or my kids in the slightest.
“She’s not your daughter, CJ’s not your son, and I’m not your wife. We aren’t your family. The sooner you realize that the sooner you’ll see I have no room to love you.”
“Oh, you got room. If you can love that bummy, broke ass nigga, you can love me. And if you tell me y’all not my family one more goddamn time, I know something. Tread lightly, My Baby, you starting to piss me off,” he warned.
I heard him loud and clear and shut it right on up. The tone of his voice was sterner, and that cold look had yet to leave. He was showing restraint, but I didn’t know how much more of that he had. I opted out of going back and forth and gave my attention to Essence instead. For now, we were stuck here, and he was all I could turn to besides Ms. Iris.
Royce dropped his towel, and I found everything else to look at but him. He’d seen me, but I was not prepared to see him. Out of him and Cojak, I knew it would be him to get me to fold first. Cojak fucked me good for what it was worth, but Royce carried himself like the dick he possessed drove a bitch crazy. I wanted no parts.
Once he was dressed, he climbed in bed beside me. He was shut down immediately. “No, Royce. You are not sleeping in the bed with us.”
“And why the hell not?” he asked with a screwed-up face.
“Because that’s invading my space, and I don’t want you here. Go upstairs to your own bed or something. I can’t handle you in bed with me or around me. It’s too much, Royce, and you not respecting that.”
I genuinely couldn’t take him touching me, not a toe, not a gentle brush of the skin… none of that shit. He needed to be as far away from me as possible.
“I just had yo’ naked ass wrapped around my body in the shower. You were okay with me being that close then.”
“That was then and this is now. You’re not sleeping in this bed, Royce.”
