𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗵
three months 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿:
Ka'Dafii walked into the bedroom, bobbing his head to Xscape's Tonight. It wasn't too loud, wasn't too soft. The midnight hours had rolled in, with the clock reading 12:48 AM.
I could sense the tiredness over his being.
KD left the bed at five this morning with a full schedule. He explained to me once before that the growth of vendors and sponsorships made his normal eight to twelve-hour days feel more like fifteen to seventeen-hour days. Not to mention developments occurring on the property for future quarter's shows and inside Dreamville's shop.
It's not a daily thing, not even weekly. Most of the time, KD's workload can be completed by his phone or MacBook. The more interactive partnerships would be the ones that pull him away for hours to handle meetings and conference calls. It was usually those three companies that paid the most. The flip side of a multi-million-dollar contract. Since the Dreamville Quarter in February, there have been two new sponsors including Atlantic Records. Sebastian denies having any pull in the deal, but KD and Kai don't believe him. Regardless, those new deals came with contracts worth around 3.5 million — separately.
Zay didn't seem to mind the early mornings. Not that much anyway.
I remember him smacking his teeth at the sound of the five AM alarm. Then he threw the sheets back with an annoyed mumble. I also remember laughing under my breath, but barely being awake when he kissed my cheek and whispered, "See you later, Barbie," against my skin.
Now it's nineteen hours later and he's stepping out of the bathroom, with nothing but a towel around his waist and his locs falling loosely over his head.
"Stop staring at me, freaky ass girl."
"I wasn't actually staring. Thank you," Sitting up, I laughed at his facial expression in response to my denial. "You gon' let me do ya' hair?"
"You just wanna play, Penelope."
"I'm finna do it for real, I promise. Come sit down, Zay."
Ka'Dafii looked at me through his hanging congos. A smirk was written on his face before he shamelessly, unraveled the towel, shaking his head. "You gotta promise me, that you only gon' do what I ask you to do. Nun' more."
Standing from the bed, I unconsciously eyed him from head to toe before gaining concentration and grabbing the only chair in his room. Wondering momentarily if he was too tall, but we'll make it work. Finally, KD came to take a seat once he was dressed in a pair of Hanes briefs and some basketball shorts.
He slouches down in the chair while stretching his legs out in front of himself. After getting comfortable, I used a cotton shirt to rub along his locs. Trying to rid some of the dripping water, but definitely not all.
This was only the second time that I had gotten him to sit still long enough for me to do something in his head. The first was only to tie the locs in his signature criss-cross style in the back. While this time, the mission was for him to wash his hair in order to clean his scalp. Then it was my turn to apply some water-based moisturizer, oil treatments, and lock up some of the skinner dreads to form a new congo.
"I'm so excited."
"Ion know why. It shouldn't take that long."
Laughing, I palmed one of my hands with the mixture. There was kukui oil, jojoba oil, almond, and castor oil, and lastly, grape seed which was based strictly on its sweet aroma.
"We'll see," I said teasingly, laughing harder when Ka'Dafii attempted to stand. Gripping his shoulders, I pinned him back, kissing his cheek which he tried to dodge. "Don't play me."
"Don't play wimme, the hell."
"Boy, I know what I'm doing. Trust me, dang,"
His free forms were growing wildly. In the months we've been together, I have watched his hair grow further down his back and thicker at the root. As if every month he is gaining another three or so inches. Which was unfair because I used the same routine.
"Stop staring at me," Looking into the full-body mirror, I caught Ka'Dafii in a daze. His brown orbs followed me as I applied the hydrating coconut moisturizer. "If you don't trust me in ya' head, just say that. Not that I give a fu-."
"Girl hush. I was actually admiring yo' slick ass."
"Oh, why you ain't just say that, bookie?" Leaning down, I pecked his temple playfully before he avoided me. "Don't be pushing away from my kisses. You'll be the first one crying."
"Don't make my thoughts nasty. I was being genuine."
"How so, Ka'Dafii?"
"I was thinking about how our kids would look."
Taking his locs out of the ponytail, I looked in the mirror at him. The smile on his face confirmed the seriousness in his tone at the moment.
"It's crazy how good your tan still looks." Was my attempt at avoiding that conversation. It wasn't a topic that I was trying to discuss. The thoughts alone made me nervous. Unlike our other two scares, this one came with symptoms to confirm the theory. The last was after Milan's custody battle — however, after a few weeks, I knew the coast was clear. This time...I don't know.
"It's crazy how good you gon' look carrying my twins."
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Ka'Dafii was sleeping next to me. His arm draped over my naked body, keeping me close. Unfortunately, I had ignored my bladder for far too long, and then I struggled to move his sleeping weight from guarding me.
Inside his master bathroom, I handled my business and cleaned up before taking my cell phone from the nightstand. As lovely as it felt to be tangled in his sheets — my fruit salad was calling my name. That or the butter pecan ice cream with a little bit of caramel topping. Regardless of which one, I slipped on my robe and fuzzy bedroom shoes before heading down to his kitchen.
This summer was the 'penthouse summer', as Mimi called it.
We were only a month and a half into her summer break, while I was marking off my first ninety days in the seat as Director and Lead Writer for Breaking News at CNN.
These past few weeks have been insightful, to say the least. We're back and forth between my space and Ka'Dafii's. Neither Milan nor Sunshine seems to mind though. Like tonight when I walked downstairs and the Corso was creeping around in the dark. A low growl in his throat before he senses me. That tail wiggled excitedly as Sunny walked away from the floor-to-ceiling windows to follow me around.
"You wanna snack too, Sunshine?" I asked when I felt him brushing his head against my leg. "Sit right there."
Propping open the freezer, I decided on the more greedy and calorie-costing snack for myself. Sitting out the dessert, I found some mango popsicles for Sunshine and cracked open to toss in his silver tin bowl.
"You need to be asleep," I whispered, tossing the empty wrapper in the trash and then washing my hands. Checking on Milan crossed my mind as I ripped a paper towel to dry the water up. Tossing it away too before heading in the direction of her self-proclaimed bedroom.
The penthouse was a four-bedroom sky home with two upstairs and two downstairs. Both of those upstairs were fully furnished, while one of the two downstairs was turned into KD's office. Sometimes it was convenient and other days, he still had to leave. The last bedroom left was bare with only a queen size bed inside. Literally. However, Milan loved it. At KD's expense, she was able to dress it up exactly how she dreamed. Hence, her declaration of a 'penthouse summer'.
Moments like that one is when genuine happiness explodes from her. Happiness that trickles down from day to day. We've spoken about her comfort level and if she's okay with not only my relationship with Ka'Dafii but also him as a man. He's protective of Milan and jumps into position whenever I need him — even times when I don't. So, it's good to know how accepting they are of one another.
Making new friends here was next and KD gave her valuable warnings of the possible younger crowds in Atlanta. Something I couldn't help with because I found my Jessy and didn't care to meet another friend afterward. If they came, that was fine. If not, that was fine too.
But, Mimi needs that socializing trait to truly bring her to peace. Friends were the only thing I couldn't bring from Miami to her. Thankfully, for her, she's grown up in a social media era where even if she's not around her friends — they're never too far away. Her bestie, Tierra, calls all hours of the night now that school is out and Summer is in. They spoke of Tierra traveling from Miami to Atlanta and immediately it was shot down. Again, Ms. Tierra could be a true pain in the ass.
So, new friends had to be on the horizon. Her old ones were only a click away.
If Lynn thought she was spoiled before — these past few months would only bring my mother to have true hatred for me. Not because I'm giving Milan everything she desires, but because of my understanding ways of her teenage lifestyle.
We're growing with healthier boundaries for one another, especially with our special condition. With me understanding the mentality of a thirteen-year-old girl — I'm trying to be as compromising as possible while gaining her respect as her guardian. My goal isn't to replace her parents or play the strict big sister role. Just showing her life while giving guidance.
Besides, a pissed-off teen can either be deadly or very expensive.
Creeping open the bedroom door, I stole a quick glance. Watching as her body fell and rose under the orange faux fur comforter. Once I was content, I stepped back to close the door.
"Pooh....what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I was just checking on you. Go back to sleep, Boop." Milan shuffled around before lying back down.
"K. Good night."
"Good night."
Walking back into the kitchen area, Sunshine met me halfway. Devouring his late snack as mine softened from the few minutes it was left on the counter. I hated hard-frozen ice cream.
Grabbing a bowl, the ice cream scooper, and a spoon — I fixed my desired two scoops before putting the product away and swirling some caramel on top.
"This is gon' be so good."
It was during my third or fourth spoonful that I felt someone slither up behind me. The grogginess in his voice made me squeeze my thighs closer while shaking my head. It was sad how we had just fallen asleep after two AM. Our bodies grew tired after a much-needed session, even when Zay didn't want to turn away.
Yet, here I am, full of desire as KD rubs his hands along my back and butt. A shame.
"You up eating ice cream and talking to yourself in the dark at 3:30, mama?"
Grinning, I stood up straight before looking over my shoulder at him. "I was not talking to myself."
"You was just talking to yourself, Penelope."
"That was just a loud thought...that's all." KD laughed before enfolding my body. Nodding to the bowl for a silent request. He ignored my playful frow, watching as I scooped up a spoonful of the butter pecan ice cream.
"This nasty ass shit is for old people." Yanking my spoon back, I noted that KD devoured every drop. Clearly, wanting more from the way he motioned to the bowl after speaking his insulting words.
"Nah, move. Rude ass."
"Why you up eating ice cream anyway?" Sunshine muzzled in between us as KD asked his question. The fifty-five-pound puppy forced some space between us as he laid down beside me. "Sunny, get the fuck from 'round my girl. Finna put yo' ass up for adoption for real."
"Don't talk to him like that." Snatching up my bowl, I finished until I had my full and passed it along for Zay to clean up.
"You know why you been peeing and eating shit at weird hours of the night, right?"
"Shut up, Ka'Dafii."
"Mm....Ion know why you running from it."
"I'm not. Cause there's nothing to run from," I responded confidently, turning to watch as KD made his way closer after putting away the bowl and utensils. Sunshine's attention bounced back and forth between the two of us. "So stop jinxing me with the shit."
"Yeah, 'iight. We both know the truth though, Barbie."
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
𝗞𝗗
With my turn signal on, I popped one of the crinkle fries into my mouth, using my knee to lead the Impala through the entrance of my mother's neighborhood.
"You know? I got this," Milan laughed, her shocked expression going away at the realization that I caught her in panic mode as I drove. "I been-"
"Driving since before I was born. I know, I know. You say it every day." Mimi broke off her ten-piece wings, rolling her eyes in a mimicking way of her older sister. Every day I see the resemblance between the two of them. They never notice the way they mirror one another. It's funny and scary at times, especially when you take into consideration that they're half-sisters.
"Well if I say it every day you'll think by now, you'll trust my driving."
"You drive fast and sometimes...with your knees. Who does that?"
"A skilled driver." I laughed at her huffing noise, before heading down the street of my mother's house.
She and Sunshine were going on a play date. Or just being supervised truthfully. We've been at the penthouse for a steady few weeks and because of Penelope's workload today — we needed Dakota's help. Thankfully Jessy was en route too. Giving Milan someone to feel more connected to, age-wise, while at Kota's home.
Unsurprisingly Mimi was treated like family, by my family, regardless of the tribulations that landed her in Atlanta. It wasn't swept under the rug to be forgotten, but it wasn't something Penelope felt the need to remind her about with every given opportunity. And it definitely wasn't for anyone else to know.
"Hol' on, Mimi."
We reached the driveway and I pulled the Chevy Impala on the side of Dakota's new AMG Mercedes. It was a birthday day gift from myself and Kai about five weeks ago. In the months leading up to her birthday, our mother threw several hints at wanting the luxury piece. So following a very successful and packed quarter show in February, plus two victory races for myself — the blacked-out Benz with leather red interior was a gift granted.
Opening Milan's door, she grabbed her plate from Atown Wings and I picked up her duffle bag which freed Sunshine from the backseat too.
The two of them headed towards the front door as I followed behind, shooting a quick text to Mike and Stix that I was about fifteen minutes away.
"Hey, Pretty girl...I was wondering where y'all was. KD called me hours ago. I just put some brownies in the oven too."
"Omg! You're the best, Mama Kota."
"You know I gotcha, girl. Plus Zay big greedy ass." Smacking my teeth, I looked up at Dakota as she eyed me, allowing Sunshine inside.
"Hey to you too, Mama," Undeniably she gave me a quick hug before I passed over a little token for the last-minute arrangement and Milan's Nike bag. "I'll be back in a few hours though, so save my brownies. And Mimi? Call me if y'all need something. Imma call when I'm headed back unless Penny gets done first."
"Go ahead and eat lil' mama. I'm finna come inside and we can go out to the patio together,"
Milan nodded, waving at me before walking away with Sunny on her side. The pair disappeared into the first floor of the home. "Aye, before you go," My mama stated, stepping out of the door to walk with me to the running Impala.
"You know it's only two of y'all, right?"
Huh?
"Kota..." She laughed at my expression before shrugging.
"My point is...there's only two of y'all. And I know Kai ain't got nobody pregnant," Wait...he definitely could, but huh? Technically he and Khadi are going strong — there's a possibility...but huh? "I had a very clear dream about some fish last night and the night before. So tell me some."
"You want some Juicy Crab or some?"
"Go to hell jackass." Opening the car door, I laughed at her words. Knowing exactly what she was hinting towards. Her issue was with Penelope however. I was on the same page as Dakota.
"Well, I love you too, Mama. I'll call y'all later."