Page 73 of Heart Of A Goon II

“Well—”

“I fucking love you, Zoya… you are my fucking heart, and I’m gonna spend the rest of my life proving that shit to you because I know you need that reassurance. The fuck niggas that came before me forced you to need that reassurance, and that’s not your fault, baby. I need something from you, too.”

“What’s that, Goo?” her voice was softer.

I smiled, counting down the hours until I was with her. “I need you to reassure me, too. Let me know that I’m not in this alone, let your walls down some more. I like that soft side, baby. Save that big dawg shit for the courtroom. Be Boobie with your Goo, ight?”

She giggled. “I can try to do that. I just be feeling like a sucker when I try and be soft… it’s weird.”

“Nah, you were with suckers, so you couldn’t be soft. There’s a difference. We gonna table this conversation though. I wanna have this with you in person.”

With everything tonight, I needed something to hold onto. I would make it to have that conversation with Boobie.

“When are you going to get here?”

“Soon.” I refused to tell her when I was coming because I would never break a promise to her.

“Okay… I’ll continue to bake here in the sun while preparing for my life in the cult.”

I chuckled. “Save a spot on the beach for me, ight?”

“I don’t like the way you sound.”

A nigga was getting all choked up thinking about what could have happened. I was someone who always looked at the brighter side of shit. Even when I was locked up, I always looked forward to the good shit, never letting my circumstances get to me.

The last time I was locked up, I remember Zoya coming to visit me. She came alone that time, and was talking all this legal bullshit that I wasn’t interested in. While it was easy to lose my shit because I was back behind bars, I smiled.

I smiled because I knew she was who I would come home to. That was my future sitting across from me, and even if she hadn’t known it then, I always did.

“I’m good, Boo.”

I could tell from the way she sounded that she was sitting up. “Listen to me, Gerald. I love you and I know you need to hear me say it more often. I need you, Goo… like literally can’t breathe because you’re not with me. You made all these plans for our future against my will. You gonna let me down?”

I couldn’t help but to let out a loud ass laugh. “When I had you up against that bed in Ashbourne, didn’t seem like it was against anybody’s will.”

“That’s exactly when that crotch gobbling got in here.”

She sounded so sure. “Yeah?”

“Alaia went with me to the maternal clinic on the main island. I was driving myself crazy not knowing anything… we made this baby in Ashbourne.” She paused, as if she was trying to pace herself. “I heard the heartbeat.”

My heart raced because I felt like I failed her. “Damn, Baby.”

“Not your fault, so don’t sound like that. I know you and you’ll never miss another one.”

The line grew quiet again before I heard a loud thumping noise come through the other end. My heart slammed against my chest, matching the same rhythm that I was listening to.

“Never, Boobie… that’s me in there?”

I could picture her smile on her face. “All you, Gerald. Doctor says the heartbeat is very strong.”

“Has no choice but to be… have you met his mother?”

She giggled. “You are so sure.”

“Never been surer of anything in my life, Zoya Wraithe.”

I heard a sniffle.