"Hey, y'all are going to hurt yourselves. Stop running." Tamia grabbed the arms of Tania and the other small girl that was zooming around the house beside her. "Stop." She released them and went back to pulling firecrackers out of boxes. She sat the explosives down on one of the many tables in her front yard. The rest of the tables were covered with food and birthday gifts that people hadn't been able to give her the day before. She estimated that there was at least one gift from each family present, and there were at least one hundred people in her front and back yards. She was surprised to find that she was actually enjoying herself. December had practically begged her to go to the party. She wasn't feeling it that morning and had wanted to stay in her apartment, but she was glad that she chose to hang out with everyone else at the mansion.
Turning around when she felt someone tap her leg, Tamia looked down and smiled at Heaven. She picked her up and hugged her. "Hey. I didn't know you were coming over."
"My daddy said no this morning, but I said 'pretty please, Daddy?' And then he said I was 'noying," Heaven explained, causing Tamia to laugh.
"You're not annoying, Heaven. You're adorable."
Heaven shrugged. "I know. Where is Tania?"
"Tania is in the backyard with the other little kids. Go ahead." She put Heaven down and watched as she sprinted away.
"For the record, I never said she was annoying."
Tamia gasped and turned toward Tremaine.
"I believe that I said aggravating."
"Do you need something, Tremaine?" Tamia asked, directing her attention back to the fireworks.
"No." Tremaine began to help her. "How come you didn't reply to my text yesterday?"
"I never got a text form you. How come you haven't replied to any of the texts I've sent you over the past few weeks?"
"I was pissed with you and I had to think." He lowered his voice slightly. "I was feeling you, Mimi, and I thought you were feeling me."
"I was. I am."
"I can't tell."
"I didn't know December was going to come home as soon as he did."
"So? Leave him."
"It's not that simple."
"Why? Don't answer that. I already know why. Just for the record, I don't hit women."
Tamia put the fireworks down and looked at the ground. "Tremaine, I like you. I love December. I think I want to be with you. But I want to be with December. I don't know what else to tell you."
"If you loved December as much as you claim to, you wouldn't like me, ma. Let me say this. I was talking to December yesterday, and our conversation made me realize that I don't like him. And because I don't like him, I can't let him have something that I want, and I want you. You made it very clear that you want me too, so I'm not sure why you're so hung up on this lame-ass nigga. I know that you're tired of him beating on you. I can give you everything that he gives you, and I wouldn't abuse you while doing it. I can take care of you and your daughter, and she wouldn't be surrounded by hoes all the time."
"Tremaine-"
"You sound like you're getting ready to tell me a bunch of bullshit that I don't want to hear. You leaving him or not?"
"Like I said, it's not-"
"Yes or no?"
Tamia was quiet for a moment. "No."
Tremaine nodded. "A'ight. I'll see you around, then."
Just as quickly as he had appeared, Tremaine vanished into the crowd. Tamia sighed and walked away from the table. She maneuvered through the sea of people around her and went into the empty house. She sat down on the couch, resting her head in her hands.
For about ten minutes, she sat in silence, and then December entered the house.
"Aye, you alright, pretty girl?" he asked, sitting down beside her and kissing her on the cheek. "I was looking for you. You usually like watching the fireworks and shit with Tania. Why are you in the house? Did your headache come back?"
Tamia shook her head. "I'm okay, December. I just don't want to be around a lot of people right now."
"You were fine a few minutes ago. All of a sudden, you're all depressed and shit. You're not pregnant, are you?"
Tamia chuckled. "We already decided that Tania was our first and last. I don't plan on changing that."
December laid down on the couch and rested his head on Tamia's lap. "Tell me what's up with you, Mia. I know you better than you know you. Something's on your mind. Talk to me so I can help."
Tamia looked down at him and smiled. He was in a good mood, and she didn't want to be responsible for ruining that, especially since she knew that she'd have to suffer the consequences once everyone else left.
"I'm fine, baby. I promise."
"You're lying, Tamia. And now I know that you're hiding something from me. You think I'm gonna put my hands on you if you tell me? I haven't hit you in forever. You can talk to me."
"December, seriously. It's nothing."
December took a deep breath as his hands curled into fists. He sat up and grabbed Tamia's shirt, pulling her in his direction. In order to avoid releasing his anger with his hands, he pressed his lips against hers.
Tamia returned the kiss for a few seconds before pushing him off of her. With the conversation she'd just had with Tremaine fresh on her mind, she couldn't help but feel wrong while kissing him. She stood up and started walking away.
No longer able to contain his frustration, December rose from the couch and pushed Tamia into the nearest wall. He wrapped his hand around her neck and lifted her off of the floor. "Is he here?"
"Who?" Tamia asked, struggling to breathe as she spoke.
"Don't fuck with me, Tamia. The nigga that's making you forget whose bitch you are. Is he here?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
December released her, and then knocked her to the floor with a backhanded slap. "For the last time, is he here?"
Tamia fought to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes as she stared up at him. "I don't know what you're talking about," she repeated.
"You just don't learn, do you?" December pulled her up and brought her body close to his. "Tamia, I swear I'll kill you. I'm not crazy, so stop acting like I'm saying some out the way shit."
"You are, December. I'm not seeing anyone else. You're the only..." Tamia's voice trailed off when she saw the doorknob twist slowly. The front door cracked open, permitting her to see Tremaine's face. He motioned for her to keep talking. "You're the only person I'm interested in."
Noticing Tamia's distractedness, December turned around, only to be met by Tremaine's fist as it connected with his jaw.
Tremaine took his key out of his pocket and tossed it to Tamia. "Don't draw attention to yourself. Get Heaven and Tania and go to my house. I'll be there soon."
"What? Why-"
"Get out of here, Tamia!"
Tremaine watched as she exited the house. Once she'd closed the door, he looked at December. "What? You can't hit a man? Square up, nigga." He punched him again, causing blood to gush from December's mouth as he hit the floor.
"A'ight, man! Relax!" December yelled, getting up off of the floor. He shielded his face with his arms. "Take the bitch if you want her!"
"Naw, what I want is for you to hit me back so I can claim self-defense when I kill your ass." He swung at December again, knocking him to the ground and leaving him unconscious.
He started to hit him again, but someone caught his fist before he could do so. "That's enough, Tremaine."
Tremaine stepped away from December and turned around. "Good looking out, Val." He gave her a light hug. "Stop letting his punk ass hit y'all. Better yet, call me over next time."
"You just look out for Tamia. I'm trusting you with her safety," Val replied. "Go home."
Tremaine shook his hand, which he feared was broken, and nodded. "Alright. One."
***
Tamia sat across from Tremaine at his kitchen table, watching as he soaked his hand in the bowl of ice water in front of him. The scowl on his face led her to believe that he probably wasn't in the mood for conversation. They hadn't said a single word to each other since he'd gotten home over two hours earlier. Since she didn't know what to say to him, she didn't mind being quiet.
"You should have just stayed away from him when he got out of jail," Tremaine stated, breaking the silence minutes later. "How long were you just gonna let him fuck you up before you decided to leave?"
Tamia put her head down on the table. "He hadn't been hitting me."
"Based on what I saw..."
"You don't know what you saw."
"What I saw was you letting a nigga do to you exactly what I said you wouldn't have to worry about with me. Damn, he's lucky I didn't see him hit you sooner."
"Why the hell do you care so much, Tremaine?"
"I'd murk any nigga that I saw hitting a female, especially if I was interested in her. But I'd only do it once." He reached across the table and lifted her head. "If you go back to him, he'll eventually kill you, and I'll let him. Seriously, I'll act like I don't know shit about it. I'm not going to repeatedly save someone that doesn't want to be saved. You can have a knight in shining armor, or you can stay locked up in a tower that you're not happy in. What you wanna do?"
Tamia thought for a moment. "Tania needs to see him."
"I know how I feel about my little girl, so I'm not trying to keep him away from his. He can see her whenever he wants."
"December isn't going to let me go that easily. If you take something from him, he's going to take something from you."
"I can handle December."
Tamia sighed. "Alright." She stood up, prompting Tremaine to do the same.
He walked over to her and placed his hands on her hips. "You okay?" She nodded, and he slid his hands around her body before squeezing her bottom.
She placed her hands on his chest and attempted to push him back. "Tremaine-"
"What?" He reached into her back pockets and pulled out her phone and keychain. "I was looking for these." He let her go and stepped to the side. "I'll go and get you a new phone first thing tomorrow morning. And if you don't want to stay here, we'll get you another apartment."
Tamia nodded her understanding, and then she left the kitchen.
Tremaine sat back down and inhaled deeply as he thought about what he was going to do as far as business was concerned. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he and December couldn't work together anymore. A small part of him wished that he'd left Tamia where she was so that he wouldn't be stuck trying to find a new connect.
After thinking for a few minutes, he got up and walked down the hall. He poked his head into Heaven's room, where both Heaven and Tania were sound asleep on her queen-sized bed, and then he went down to his guest room.
"Mimi?"
Tamia, who had started to doze off, looked up at him. "Yeah?"
Tremaine walked into the dark room and sat down on the bed. "How'd December get in touch with Santana Milano?"
"He went to one of his trap houses and spoke to one of the workers. They had Santana call him."
"Okay." He got up and headed toward the door.
"Wait, Tremaine."
He turned around. "What's up?"
"Why'd you go in the house when you did?"
He walked back over to her and sat down. "I'on know, man. It's like we have this really weird spiritual connection that lets me feel when something is going on with you." He smiled. "Or maybe Val isn't as bad of a person as you think she is, and December should have closed the curtains first."
"I like the first one."
"I bet you do. Goodnight, Tamia." Tremaine exited the room and made his way to his own sleeping quarters. Since it was only eleven o'clock, he wasn't tired, and his mind was too preoccupied with the thought of having two extra mouths to feed to even think about sleep.
Picking up the blunt that he'd started that morning, Tremaine lit it and raised it to his lips. He picked his phone up from his nightstand and dialed Lynise's number.
"Tremaine, this better be an emergency," Lynise said, her voice groggy. "What?"
Tremaine frowned. "What do you mean 'what'? I miss you."
"You saw me yesterday."
"I missed you as soon as you left. Where's Julian?"
"He's asleep next to me. Hold on."
Tremaine listened as Lynise got out of her bed and left the room. Once she'd gotten settled somewhere else, she said, "What's up?"
"Tamia's here," Tremaine answered.
Lynise was silent for a second. "Why?"
"Because she needed help, so I helped her. I fucked my hand up while doing it, though."
"You and December fought?"
Tremaine laughed. "I wish. Nigga didn't even hit me back."
"When you say that Tamia's there, you mean-"
"She's asleep in the guestroom. Her daughter's in Heaven's room."
"Just for tonight?"
"Yeah, assuming that Tamia wants her own place, that is."
"And if she doesn't?"
"If she doesn't, they'll live with me."
"Platonically, right?"
"Probably not. I don't beat niggas up to have platonic relationships with their girlfriends. Why? You jealous? You know you're my number one, Lynise."
"Jealous? I'm not jealous. Like you said, I'm your number one. I just don't want you involved in any drama that she has going on."
"It's a little too late for that," Tremaine chuckled. "But we can make a deal. I'll kick her out tomorrow morning if you promise not to marry Julian."
"What? Tremaine, I'm not playing with your childish ass tonight. Get off of my line. Call me tomorrow."
Tremaine smiled and sat his phone down when Lynise hung up. "You sure know how to pick 'em," he said with a laugh while putting out his blunt.
He laid down on his bed and made himself comfortable. He stared up at the ceiling. "But none of them are like you, ma. Of course, you already know that."
He sighed and closed his eyes. Just as he was about to force himself to go to sleep, there was a loud knock on the door. Frowning, Tremaine got out of his bed slowly and grabbed the gun that was on his dresser. He cocked it and held it out in front of him as he went into the living room. He approached the front door cautiously before yanking it open.
"Get that shit out of my face," Anthony ordered, knocking the gun out of Tremaine's hand and stepping into the house. "Where's my sister? Where's Tania?"
Tremaine picked up his gun and locked the door. "They're asleep, man. What are you doing here?"
"I came to get them. Tamia!" Anthony called as he began walking down the hall.
"They're fine with me, Anthony. Relax. They're okay. I'm not gonna let anything happen to them."
"Yeah, I believe you, but I'm gonna take them with me just to be on the safe side."
Tremaine grabbed Anthony's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. "I said they're okay."
Anthony pushed Tremaine away from him. "I heard you, nigga. And I said I'm taking them with me. Why would you even bring them here? Like December doesn't know your home address."
"I'm not worried about December. He's not gonna bring it to my house. He's not stupid."
"You're right. He's not stupid, but he is pissed, and he hasn't gotten the concept of mind over matter yet. If you think he's not going to retaliate, you're the stupid one."
"I didn't say he wouldn't retaliate. I said he wouldn't bring the drama here."
"All I know is this: wherever he does decide to get back at you, Mia won't be there to get caught in the crossfire. Tamia! Where-"
Anthony stopped talking when he turned around and saw Tamia leaning against the wall in the hallway.
"December wouldn't do anything crazy with Tania here," Tamia said. "He wouldn't risk hurting her. We're okay, Anthony."
Anthony walked over to her and looked at the bruises on her neck. He wished that he wasn't an officer of the law so that he could finish what Tremaine had started with December. "You sure you don't want to come to my house?"
"I don't want to wake Tania."
"Alright, you can stay, then." He took Tremaine's gun out of his hand. "But I'm staying too."
Tremaine rolled his eyes and opened the hall closet. He threw a blanket and a couple of pillows in Anthony's direction. "There's a pullout couch in the den if you want to use it."
"I'd rather be by the front door." Anthony kissed Tamia on the forehead. "Damn, Mia, the fourth of July just isn't your day, is it? Go lay back down." He turned around and went into the living room before lying down on the couch and placing the gun on his chest.
Tremaine claimed the recliner that sat a few feet away from the couch. "Aye, you better not have a nightmare and accidentally shoot my shit up, nigga."
Anthony waved him off and closed his eyes. "Hit that light for me."
Tremaine leaned over and flipped the light switch into the off position. He closed his eyes and sat quietly before finally drifting off an hour later.