Page 35 of Falling for Autumn
“Damn right he is. And I’m that nigga,” I countered.
Everyone stopped playing and looked up at me.
“Got something you wanna tell us, nigga?” Reuben asked.
“Ain’t shit to tell. That nigga got caught slipping, and I slid in. That woman’s mine,” I declared, pointing at Autumn. “And that baby’s mine. Thirty, my nigga!” I shouted, slamming my domino on the table.
Chapter 13
Autumn
Ipressed the little tutu to my nose and inhaled. Closing my eyes, I kept it pressed against my nose for a little longer before I folded it and placed it in the pile with the other items.
A whimper pulled my attention away from the pile of laundry in the basket to the floor in front of the TV. I glanced down and smiled at the sight before me. October was asleep on his belly, and Auburn was asleep on his back. Both had fallen asleep an hour earlier. He had been watching a college football game, and she had been coloring.
She squirmed and whimpered. I watched as he reached behind himself and patted her back. He was still asleep but mindful of her presence and her discomfort at the same time.
The care and attention he showed my baby made my heart explode in my chest. My phone rang, pulling my attention away from them. I glanced down at the caller ID and frowned at the unknown number.
I didn’t have any bill collectors since I paid all my bills on time and in full. So there was no reason for me to avoid the call.
“Hello,” I greeted softly so that I wouldn’t wake October and Auburn.
“Hey. What’s been up with you lately?”
My chest squeezed tightly, and I almost pissed my pants at the voice on the other end.
“What do you want?” I asked, getting up and walking out of the living room and into my kitchen.
“Baby—”
“Don’t you dare fix your lips to say that to me. I’m not your baby, and the one you did have, you seemed to have forgotten about. You couldn’t even bring your trifling self to the hospital to see her, to lay eyes on her, or even to inquire how I was doing,” I hissed.
“I had every intention of coming, Mesha, but I ran into some problems on one of my over-the-road trips.”
“And that’s not my problem.”
“Baby, I was arrested?—”
“Again, . . . stop with the baby shit because I’m not your baby. Have you been locked up for the last two years?”
“No.”
“Then what the hell are you talking about?”
“Mesha, don’t be like this.”
A tear ran down my face. “I’m not being like anything, Wilson. I cannot and will not continue standing by while you run over me. You’ve been in and out of my life since your wife showed up. I’m not letting you see my child and do her the same way.”
“Our child, Mesha.”
“She’s not your child, Wilson. You were nothing more than a sperm donor. I can get a bum on the corner to do that. It takes a whole lot more to be a father to a child, which you should know, considering you already have one. Or maybe you don’t. Maybe that’s the problem that yourwifehas with you now. Either way, it’s not my problem.”
“You ain’t about to keep me from seeing my child, Mesha. I have the right to see her too.”
“You gave up that right when you ghosted us. You don’t get to pop up and demand rights, Wilson. That’s not how this works.”
“She’s my baby too. Don’t make me take your ass to court.”
