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Malaysia
Just Days Before Thanksgiving
Destined was screaming his lungs out of his body because I’d put him down to take a shower. He literally cried the whole time I was away. His separation anxiety was probably the worst part of them being here. Most times he could be entertained by the TV. There were other times when even that didn’t help. I dried off quickly and grabbed him from his chair, and as usual, he stopped crying immediately.
“You in here crying like you’re getting your ass whupped, sir. What’s going on with that?”
I wiped his face and placed a kiss on his chubby little cheek. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I sighed. This certainly wasn’t how I saw myself ending the year, but it was what it was. Peyton had taken Brooklyn to the store to get a few things for the baby, and I wanted to be dressed and ready to go by the time they arrived.
Since I was expecting a package, I’d been checking the camera app throughout the day. How it was set up, only one person could be logged in at a time. Usually, Peyton would log in when he was gone to make sure things were okay at the house. I didn’t want to miss the delivery driver coming with my wig since I had to sign for it, so I logged back in. When I saw Peyton and Brooklyn standing in front of the door, I increased the volume. I wasn’t an eavesdropper regularly, but the fact that they were having a conversation outside before he pulled into the garage piqued my curiosity.
“Are you sure you want to sit out here and wait for your friend to come get you?” Peyton confirmed.
Brooklyn nodded as she sat on the rocking chair that was on the front porch. “Yeah. I need a break.”
With a sigh, Peyton crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you going to take him with you?”
“No. Can he stay here with y’all?”
His head shook. “I’m taking her out.”
She chuckled. “Unbelievable. How long do you expect me to deal with this? Do you know how hard it is for me to watch you be with her? You promised me that you’d break up with her. Why is she still here?”
“Look, I’m doing the best I can. You were supposed to get your emancipation while you were staying with your godmother. It’s not my fault the caseworker didn’t approve it, and we had to start the process all over again.”
Her head hung, and my knees grew weak. I sat down on the edge of the bed, afraid my knees would give out on me. My heart raced as I processed what I was hearing, though it was honestly hard to believe.
“I don’t know how much more of this I can take, Peyton. I came here because I didn’t have anywhere else to go, but this is too much. Every day that I have to watch you with her…”
“Shh…” He kneeled in front of her, placing his hands on her thighs. “She has to be here with us until you get emancipated. It would look suspect if you were here with just me. Once you get emancipated, I’m going to break up with her like I said. Then, she’ll leave, and you and I will be together. Just a little while longer, and she’ll be out of our family.”
“Do you promise? Because I’m tired of acting like I’m your cousin in front of her. You can’t even take care of your baby properly because she’s in the way.”
“I know, baby. Just give it a little more time.”
It felt like I was on autopilot as I stood and went upstairs. I put the baby in his bed, and he immediately started to cry. As I headed down the stairs, I heard the garage letting up. Peyton came in, giving me a warm smile.
“You don’t hear the baby?” he asked, about to go upstairs to get Destined.
“Let him cry.”
“What?”
“Let… him… cry.”
His head tilted as he attempted to sidestep me, but I stood in front of him.
“Malay, what’s going—”
“I’m only going to ask you this once. Who is she to you?”
“She’s my cousin. What’s going on with you?”
My fists balled at the sides of me. “I heard you out there talking to her,” I said through gritted teeth. “She’s not your cousin. She’s a seventeen-year-old that you’ve been fucking. Now are you going to stand here and continue to lie to me?”
“Baby, I—”
He reached for me, but I quickly swatted his hands away. “Tell me the fucking truth!”
