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“God forbid. I don’t need no other nigga living with us taking you from me,” Auto shook his head adamantly. “If it’s a girl, I can deal with that, but a boy? It’s staying at the hospital, Moo.”

“The baby is going to need me no matter what gender it is.”

“Nah, boys be on they mama hard. If he come out trying to be up under you all the time like I do, me and that lil’ nigga gone have to fight it out. And, you already know he ain’t gone win.”

“Auto, please shut up.”

“I’m just telling you, Moo-Moo, I’ma fuck your baby up and you gon’ be mad at me. Trying to get a divorce and shit.”

“You are really retarded.”

“Glad you finally realizing that shit. You stay on someyou’re not crazy, Auto,” he mimicked her, bringing about even more laughter.

Nova was so busy laughing that she wasn’t even paying attention to the way he watched her. When she finally settled down, she smiled across the table at him. Her gaze was just as potent as the way she loved him.

“You happy, Moo?”

“Happier than I’ve ever been.”

“Me too, ma. I swear. Eat your food before that crazy ass baby start kicking your ass again.”

Auto’s eyes almost watered as he watched her rub her very round stomach. Life was finally where it should have always been for him. Nightmares from sitting in that dirty ass prison in Atlanta still lived rent free in his head and each time they popped up, he was reminded to thank God for blessing him with another chance at life. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to give him a real shot. If a woman like Logan could love God the way she did, that had to mean something. Lo didn’t openly claim anybody.

For years he’d been mad with God for making him crazy, or making him love hard enough to kill, he’d even hated him for a few weeks after Egypt told him Logan was in love with that alcoholic nigga, but the more he chilled back, he could see Big G really wasn’t too bad. He actually worked in his favor more than he’d hurt, because everything Auto lost, he’d gotten back triple time.

Logan related his sufferings to some old man in the Bible named Job, but Auto hadn’t read about him yet. Whoever he was, he had to have been a tough person if his life had been anything close to Autos. It felt like Auto had been living in hell for years, only to come out on the other side to a beautiful wife and a baby. A baby he still didn’t think he deserved. Auto was a lot of things, but a daddy? That was wild. Even for God.

“Auto, Baby,” Nova groaned while grabbing her stomach with both hands. “Auto,” she gasped again while releasing her belly long enough to slap the table with her free hand.

“What’s wrong, Moo?” he asked while standing and moving to squat down next to her.

He’d been out of his seat and on his way to her the moment she called his name, with her face scrunched into a frown.

“I think I’m having a contraction, but I don’t know,” she looked at him with wild eyes. “Call Azayna.”

“Call Azayna for what? I’m finna call the doctor,” Auto stood with her hand in his. “Aye, somebody call the ambulance. My wife finna have our baby!” he yelled across the restaurant while fumbling with his phone.

Once he dialed Azayna’s number, he noticed instead of doing what he’d told them to do, everyone was still seated and staring at him wide eyed.

“Alright, let her have this baby in this muthafucka then. Since don’t nobody know how to fucking move! I hope she get blood all over y’all steak dinners and shit.”

When it came to Nova, it literally took nothing to set him off. She may not have meant anything to them, but to him, she was his world, and he’d flip all of theirs over if his didn’t get what she needed.

“I’m sorry, sir. Right away. We’re calling someone right now,” a young white girl stopped at the table next to Nova. “Have y’all timed them yet?”

The long knotless braids slid over Nova’s shoulder when she shook her head, still doubled over in pain, with the waitress staring between her and the watch on her wrist. Auto didn’t necessarily care for the way she was touching Nova’s belly, but she appeared to have some sort of knowledge about the situation, so he tried to chill.

“Timed what?”

“The contractions, sir,” she gave Auto a friendly smile. “We have to time them in order to know how soon she needs to get to the hospital.”

“We need to get her there now,” Auto stressed in a strained voice. “Listen lil’ homie, you look like a nice girl and all, but I willfuck you up if I see my baby head before the ambulance gets here because you sitting here timing shit.”

Nova’s fingers tapped the hand of the waitress who was resting on her stomach, momentarily stopping Auto’s rant.

“Excuse him, he means well,” she whispered while sitting up in her seat again and rocking back and forth. “Baby, stop cussing these people out.”

“Fuck these folks, how you feel?”