Page 58 of Anything Necessary for Her (Crenshaw Kings #9)

For a moment, I just stared at her in disbelief and gratitude that I didn’t grow up with a mother like her.

I didn’t know what it was like to have a mom who wasn’t my biggest cheerleader and wouldn’t sacrifice herself or her own needs to be sure mine were met.

I felt bad for Low, something I knew he wouldn’t want. He hated sympathy.

“I think I’ll leave being a baby mama to trash niggas to you , Whitney. Seems you got that covered three times over,” I retorted, making her jaw drop as she sized me up again.

I knew that look. She thought I would be sweet, nice, and easily ran off. The bitch didn’t know she’d be assaulted verbally. And though she deserved it, I hated speaking to someone’s mother in this way.

Just as she was about to respond, Low returned, his smile faltering at the sight of his mom on the couch.

“Low! Look who’s back!” Waverley darted from the kitchen, still excited for her mom to be home even after she’d talked to her rudely.

“What you doing here?” His eyes kept bouncing between her and me, and I could tell by his taut body language that he didn’t like that we’d met without him.

I gave him a soft smile, realizing he was trying to get a read on my energy and if things had gone left in his absence.

“The rehab stint is over, and I stayed the whole time.” She started to light the cigarette, but Low snatched it.

“You can’t smoke in here.”

Whitney paused, tongue pushing into her cheek as she shook her head as if she were fed up.

“Well, since we’re laying some ground rules,” she ascended, “I want this little girl gone.” She pointed to me, and I watched Low become visibly let down at the fact that she didn’t like me and that the feelings were probably mutual.

“This my house and that’s my girl. She not going nowhere,” he answered dryly, watching Waverley for a brief moment as she came to sit on the floor, smiling at her tutus again.

“I don’t want her where I live!” Whitney pouted.

“Then you can dip.”

Stepping back out of shock, she quickly recovered before saying, “Then my kids are coming with me!”

“No!” Waverley screamed in response.

“Shut up!” Her mother roared at her, silencing the little girl instantly before turning her attention back on Low.

“They ain’t going nowhere.”

“Oh, that’s what you think?” She laughed derisively before spinning around and snatching Waverley up by her arm.

“Ouch! Stop!” Waverley cried out, causing her mother to slap her across the face.

“Aye!” Low advanced over to pry his baby sister’s arm from their mother as Waverley wailed.

Quicker than expected, Whitney snatched up a glass ashtray and clocked Low across the face with it, enraging me.

Before I could even process my emotions, thoughts, or moves, I was on his mama’s ass like white on rice. We tumbled to the carpeted floor as I pummeled her with my fists, angry for Waverley and my man.

After a good four, bloody punches, Low snatched me from off his mama who had clawed my chest up good to the point where a burning sensation had taken flight.

“Call the police, Wave!” His mother cried, cupping her bleeding and busted nose.

Waverley was sobbing as Low instructed her not to do such a thing, placing me by the door.

“I’m sorry.” I grabbed his arm, seeing how horrified and stressed out he was, and I did nothing but make shit worse. “I just?—”

“I need you to go home, Banks, and right fucking now.” He moved his arm from me, not as if he didn’t want me touching him, but more so he could get away to rectify the mess I’d made.

I didn’t miss him calling me Banks and not Peep as I stood there for a moment, then grabbed my purse from the coffee table to leave the mayhem behind.

Hopping into my car, I was so shaken that I could barely drive, but I figured it out.

I didn’t want to be alone at home, drowning in my thoughts, and I also didn’t wanna go to my parents’ or brothers’ homes because they would all interrogate and probably reprimand me for what I’d done.

I ended up at Kailey’s parents’ home, texting her to be sure she was even there. I was so turned around that I didn’t make sure prior.

Once she told me she was, I climbed from the car and rushed up her porch steps just as I heard her unlocking the door.

“What’s wrong?” Her eyes widened as she looked at me, visibly shaken and on the verge of crying.

“Let’s go to your room,” I said.

She nodded, taking my hand and leading me up the stairs and to her vast bedroom, shutting the door behind us.

“Okay. Sit down.” She sat on the edge of her bed, and I joined her.

“I think Low is done with me.” I fidgeted, feeling tears well up at the thought.

I never imagined us breaking up, ever. I figured we would only part due to abuse or infidelity, and that was sure to never happen. I’d never factored in outside shit.

“Bitch, yeah right! You could run him over with a car and he’d apologize.”

I smirked, wishing that were true.

Wiping my face, I said, “No. I busted his mama’s nose, Kailey.”

She gasped, eyes gaping open as her hand shielded her mouth.

“Bitch, what? The fuck is wrong with you?”

“She had been saying mean things about him, so I was already annoyed. Then she was being a bitch to his baby sister and slapped her. I let that shit go, too, but I was bubbling over. But once she hit him in the face with one of them old-school glass ashtrays, I lost it. Before I could even make a conscious move, I was already punching on her.”

“Wait.” Kailey scratched her forehead. “Are he and his mama like not cool or something? ’Cause how is all this happening?”

“No. They’re not.” I swallowed thickly, not knowing how I felt about divulging Low’s business. “His mom is mean, and seeing her hit him made me black out.”

I didn’t want to give her all the gritty details of Low being the parental figure and his mama being a drunk or how she often hit him with things which was the sole reason I became so furious.

“Damn.” Kailey sighed. “Well, he seems to be in love with you, so maybe he will let this one go since you were defending him.”

“Yeah. Maybe so.” I nodded, hopeful.

“My mama cooked. You want some?” She rose.

“Yeah.” I stood as well.

I ate dinner with Kailey and her parents, then the two of us watched a movie that I couldn’t pay attention to for shit, before I went home.

After showering and brushing my teeth, I climbed into bed and decided to call Low. I wanted to give him some time to get his home in order, and I figured everything should’ve been settled by now.

But when he didn’t answer any of the three times I called, I could only cry myself to sleep.