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“She’s safe with me always in all ways. You ain’t gotta worry about that.”
My brother and I locked eyes, and even without a word, I received the message he was giving me. I didn’t just have to take care of Malaysia for herself; I had to take care of her for them too.
“Come lock the door behind us,” Dejvi said. “That’s how normal people leave. We don’t lock doors with bobby pins on our way out or unlock them on our way in.”
That made Enjell laugh, which made me smile.
“If that’s your way of saying you want me to teach you how to get in without a key, just say that, big brother.”
His eyes shifted toward the ceiling as he chuckled. “I really don’t know what I’m going to do with your crazy ass.”
We exchanged a brotherly hug before I took Enjell into my arms. After I reassured her that her sister would be okay, they took their leave. I made my way outside. She was sitting on a blanket on the floor instead of in the sofa or chairs. I sat next to her sideways, putting my chest to her arm as I wrapped my arms around her. After putting a kiss on her cheek, I rested my chin on her shoulder. She released a shaky breath and tilted her head on mine.
“I said I wanted to be alone, Aspen,” was what she said as she set her arms on top of mine. For someone who wanted me gone, she was getting her body comfortably tangled with mine.
“Don’t seem like you want me to go. It’s aight. You ain’t got to say you like me and want me around, Malay. I know I’m your person.”
I didn’t hear her, but I felt her body shudder as she laughed silently. “My person?”
“Yeah. I watch Grey’s Anatomy too.”
That made her release a vocal laugh as she lifted her head and looked at me. “I think you might be.”
She looked at my lips. As much as I wanted to take advantage of her being single and kiss her, it meant more to me that I made sure she was okay emotionally and mentally.
“How are you? And tell me the truth, Malay. Do you want me to go finish what I started with that nigga? ’Cause I will.”
Her chuckle was silenced by her biting down on her bottom lip. When she started to blink more frequently to fight her tears, I tightened my grip around her and kissed her forehead.
“More than anything, I just feel stupid. This man cheated on me, got her pregnant, and brought her and the baby in our home. He kept me there and used me to avoid having her young ass there looking suspicious. That’s what angers me most. If he would have cheated and broke up with me, I could have accepted that. But he didn’t just cheat. He cheated with a minor, lied about her being family, and brought them into our home. I watched that baby. I bonded with that baby. He knew—”
Her voice broke as she looked away.
“He knew I wanted babies. He knew how hard it was for me to bond with that baby… the baby that looked like him… because I wanted my own. I told him we either travel and have new experiences while we’re young or start our family, or I was leaving. Next year was supposed to be the year we traveled somewhere new every month. Now, he’s got a baby with a baby and I… I have nothing.”
Gently, I tugged her face in my direction with my hand under her chin. “You got me. You got your family and friends. You have your freedom and so many opportunities. Most important, you got peace of mind that comes from knowing you ain’t attached to the wrong person. You got everything you need, Malaysia. I promise you that.”
We returned to our original position as she looked out into the stars. “You know, I’m not even sad about the breakup. I’m actually relieved. This situation was a hit to my ego, but I’ll be okay.”
“I know you will, because I’m not going to let you be fucked up over him. You got three days to grieve that relationship, but that’s it. He doesn’t deserve anything more.”
When she sniffled, I kissed her temple and pulled her closer. We were going to have a long night.
13
Malaysia
The Next Afternoon
I was conflicted. Brooklyn had been blowing my phone up all morning. When I finally returned her calls, she told me that Peyton had a concussion and a minor brain injury. She deleted the video footage of us entering the home and told the detective that she didn’t know who’d attacked Peyton and why. In exchange, she wanted me to not go to the police about him being the father of her child.
I agreed to keep Aspen from being affected by my situation, but I was conflicted.
This wasn’t the kind of thing I felt comfortable keeping a secret. Though Brooklyn yelled about the sex being her choice and that she was old enough to consent, I couldn’t accept that. She did admit that she lied about her age. That didn’t change the fact that Peyton brought her into our home instead of coming clean.
All night, I thought over how things had been since she bombarded her way into our home. How delicate he kept the situation. How he protected her and kept us from talking for long periods or being around each other if he wasn’t there. I thought back to the lies told to keep their secret.
Brooklyn told me that what he’d said was true—that her family situation was toxic, and she genuinely felt she had nowhere else to go. She felt the baby was Peyton’s responsibility and that he should have helped her with Destined… What she wasn’t expecting was me.
