Not being able to take much more without opening her mouth, she softly spoke to him "Zac stop explaining. I've been here. I know all this already. The other week was hard. It was hard as hell but you handled that shit like a man and that's why I put it on you the best way I could" she laughed lightly at the end making him smile, "I love you Zachary. A ring doesn't validate that for me baby BUUUT" she held her finger in the air "When the time is right, you'll know" she said signaling him with her eyes.
"Yeah, I know" Zac smirked and nodded "Because either way" Fatima leaned back a little to put her round belly on full display "We together forever" she rubbed her belly with a smile so wide, her eyes were closed.
Just as Zac was going in to finish what they started, the sound of the doorbell echoed through the house.
"The girls coming over or something?" he asked lowly. Fatima twisted her face in thought "No and I just talked to Jas..so" Zac looked back at Fatima before quickly peaking her lips and getting up from the bed. The sound of the door bell rang again.
"I'll be back. I don't know who it is but they gotta go" Zac said, stepping into a pair of pajama pants and pulling a tshirt over his head "and my baby got the yams already warm too!? They gotta gooo"
"Not the yams" Fatima laughed, shaking her head at him as he stuck his tongue and closed the door behind him. Fatima sighed softly and laid back onto the pillows he had fluffed for her and grabbed to phone to open Tiktok. It was the best way to pass the time. She got comfortable against her body pillow and rubbed her feet together, her eyes already growing heavy. She was 5 videos in when her phone vibrated in her hand.
zaddy🫶🏽 - bring my gun
"What the..?" she whispered to herself and her phone vibrated again as she "👍🏽" the message.
zaddy🫶🏽 - don't touch yours fatima
Fatima rolled her eyes before sitting up in the bed and throwing her feet over the side. She reached into the bottom draw of their dresser and grabbed a pair of black sweatpants and one of Zac's baggy shirts, covering her sports bra and boy shorts.
She slipped on the pair of running shoes she kept by the door and went to the safe hidden behind an resized canvas photo of their baby girl's recent sonogram picture.
She fingerprinted the safe unlocked, looking inside and moving a few stacks of emergency cash Zac had always had a habit of keeping. He was more like his father than he realized.
She grabbed Zac's 9 and closed the door, being sure to lock it before reaching in the decorative chair below her for the canvas picture and putting it perfectly back in its place.
••••
Zac calmly watched through the blinds on the front door window. He turned and looked over his shoulder as Fatima made her way back stairs.
"Fatima, what are you wearing? Where are you going?" She walked up to him, handing him the gun.
"What do you mean?" she asked honestly puzzled "Who is it? Are they still out there?"
Zac looked at her once more before turning his attention back to the blinds and tucking the gun in his waist band. "It's Rod" he answered plainly. "Why are you dressed like that though?" he looked down at her feet "and the Nikes babe?"
"Hey look, you told me to bring your piece, I didn't know what time we was about to be on" Fatima said with a simple shrug. "When did you move the one from the bench?"
Zac looked back out the window, seeing Rod on the phone in the front seat of his car, he smacked his lips knowing he was on the phone with his mother.
"It's not like that..well that's the story he got ma and pops thinking and I moved it when we were baby proofing"
he turned back to face Fatima "I knew he was coming" he tone low.
Zac held her eyes for a minute before
he looked back out the window.
"Oh" Fatima said plainly but she watched him closely. "She called me last week and told me to think about it. I just forgot, I guess" Zac said not turning around.
"Well did you think about it? Why would you need that if you thought about it?"
"Because I don't trust him Fatima"
Fatima fell silent. "Do I think I'll need it? no, probably not but I'm not taking any chances either." She still said nothing. Zac sighed and grabbed her hand, "Im sorry so didn't tell you Ti. I truly forgot"
Fatima stood quietly looking back in his eyes, she stared long enough to see the 16 year boy who had to become a man the night his father tried to take his and
his mother's life. He needed to heal.
"Okay" she said simply as she stood on the tips of her toes to kiss his lips.
She pulled back and smiled before she said "Open the door"..
