Page 25 of Certified Pressure 4
She smiled, then laughed for real this time.
I grinned and looked around the kitchen. “You know what? You and Pressure need to go out. Like for real. Go do somethin’ fun. Me and Kay’Lo will watch the kids.”
Pluto raised her eyebrows. “You sure about that? Two kids under one roof sound like a lot.”
I chuckled. “Girl, please. Just write down the little schedules or whatever. I got you.”
She looked at me for a long second, like she was really thinkin’ about it. “Maybe,” she said quietly.
“Nah, not maybe,” I said with a grin. “You deserve a break. Let your hair down, put on somethin’ cute, and go enjoy your man. You know he been through hell. Y’all both have. Go do somethin’ that remind y’all why y’all even fought to get here.”
Pluto finally smiled again, a small one but genuine. “You know what, Toni, I might just take you up on that.”
“Good,” I said, rockin’ Prestyn gently. “Just tell me when, and I’ll make sure me and Kay’Lo got everything ready. It’s never a problem.”
She nodded. “I appreciate that.”
I smiled. “Ain’t nothin’ to it. We family now. Might as well start actin’ like it.”
For once, there wasn’t no tension between us, no old drama or competition. It was Just two females who been through a lot, and figurin’ out how to meet in the middle.
Zurie finished her fruit and ran over to show me her sticky hands, and I laughed, handin’ Prestyn back to Pluto so I could grab a towel. The baby was calm now, starin’ up at his mama with those eyes like he already knew he was loved.
As I wiped Zurie’s hands, I looked around the kitchen one more time. This house had seen too much pain, but it felt different now, like we was all tryin’ to move forward, one small moment at a time.
I smiled at Pluto and said, “See, girl, you ain’t gotta do it all by yourself. We got you.”
She looked back at me, that same quiet strength in her eyes, and nodded. “I appreciate it.”
Just like that, the tension was gone. It wasn’t perfect, but peaceful enough to feel like the start of somethin’ new.
Prestyn’s Parents
Finally, getting out of the house and spending time with Pressure was the relief I didn’t know I needed. For the first time in weeks, it felt like we could breathe again. Night had already settled in, and the city lights made everything outside look alive. Pressure was driving, even though I told him a dozen times he didn’t need to, but he wouldn’t hear it. That man was too stubborn to let anybody take his keys, even after getting shot five times.
He had one hand on the wheel and the other resting on my thigh. Smoke curled from the blunt hanging between his fingers, the smell sweet and sharp inside the car. I didn’t say anything, but I kept watching how careful he was being. Normally he drove like the road belonged to him, fast and fearless, but tonight hewas taking his time. Every stop, every turn, it was slower than usual. I knew it was because he still wasn’t one hundred percent, even if he wouldn’t admit it.
Life had been bittersweet since that night Kashmere shot him. Bitter because I had to watch him fight through the kind of pain that would break most people, but sweet because we were still here. I’d watched him learn how to move like himself again, how to breathe through it and how to sleep without flinching every time he turned. I’d seen him frustrated, angry, quiet, and there were nights when he didn’t say a word. He would just lay against me and I would let him. I didn’t ask questions or push him to speak. I knew it was just him needing me close enough to feel alive.
Through all of it, his mother had been there too, calm and graceful in her own way, making sure he had the best doctors and never went without anything. I’d grown closer to her than I ever expected to. I’d even started spending more time with the rest of Pressure’s family. Whenever I had a quiet moment, I would FaceTime my uncle Lionel and aunt Dee so they could see Zurie and Prestyn. Every time they saw them, they’d light up, and it made me feel grounded, like even though my life had changed so much, I was still connected to where I came from.
I glanced at Pressure as he blew out another cloud of smoke, the reflection of the streetlights sliding across his face. He looked calm, but I knew his mind never stopped moving.
“Pressure, you okay?” I asked softly.
He looked over at me with that smirk. “I’m good, mama. Just thinkin’.”
I smiled. “What you thinking about?”
He glanced at me, and bit his bottom lip. “You.”
I couldn’t help but laugh a little, shaking my head while smiling to myself. The way he said it made me feel good. When I looked back at him, he was already watching me with that samelook that always made my skin warm. He winked, and all I could do was blush and turn toward the window, trying not to let him see how hard I was smiling.
I picked my phone up, opening the gallery just to look at pictures of Prestyn. His tiny hands, his fat cheeks and his little grin that was all his daddy. I scrolled through them and felt my chest warm.
“Look at this one,” I said, turning the phone toward him.
Pressure glanced down at the picture and smiled. “He chillin’ like he know he got it made.”
