Page 44 of Only for Me

I checked the kitchen first and found it empty, so her room was next. She was sitting at the foot of the bed, folding clothes and Avi went crazy in my arms when she saw her mother.

“You finally up?” she asked.

I glanced down to my chest at my baby girl. “I wasn’t sleep, she was.”

“Nope, you both were out. I finished my call, washed three loads of clothes, and had time to fold them.”

I looked at the piles and nodded. “I can get somebody to come a couple times a week to take care of that if you want.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I don’t really want people in and out of my space like that.”

I nodded and Makari searched my face then frowned. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m straight, why?”

Her brows pinched as she studied me for a minute longer. “I don’t know, you just seem off or upset.”

“I’m just tired. She really fucks up my sleep patterns.”

I kissed Avi’s cheek and Makari frowned again. “You sure you’re okay?”

“You sure you don’t want me to hook you up with somebody to help with that?” I didn’t have the energy to have her playing twenty questions ’bout my damn mood so I gave her something else to focus on.

“No, I can handle it.”

I tossed my chin. “Aight, if you change your mind, let me know.”

“I will.”

I wanted to make the decision and set that up because Makari was working her ass off trying to handle Avi, her clients, and everything around here, but I was learning to pick my battles. Makari didn’t like asking for help but she was getting better with it. She would occasionally ask if I could handle Avi so she could work or do shit around the house but when I offered an easier solution—like paying somebody so she could relax while I spent time with Avi—she always shut it down. I fell back with the topic for now, but was going to have to make some changes because the more I was around, the more I realized just how much she was juggling.

“I have a meeting with my agent downtown. I’m about to head out then I’m going to swing by my place when I’m done but I’ll be back in time for her appointment. It’s at four, right?”

“Yes, but it’s just a well baby visit. You don’t have to come.” I lifted Avi and frowned when I moved her close to my face to do a diaper check because something smelled.

“Oh you’re foul for that, shorty.” I kissed her stomach and she squealed when I focused on Makari. “It’s cool. I want to be there.”

Makari nodded then lifted a stack of clothes from the bed and lowered them into a basket.

“Who’s about to make money off your face?”

“Energy drink, I think. I don’t really remember. My agent set it up.”

“Interesting considering you have no energy,” she said and grinned.

It was weird as hell that we were cool like this. Instead of cursing my existence, Makari and I were becoming friends, or at the very least co-parents, that weren’t at war twenty-four-seven.

“That’s your damn fault for putting me on the 4 a.m. feedings. I see you stay handing them shits over quick as hell when I’m here.”

She smiled big as hell. “You said you wanted the full experience.”

“Nah, you just want me to suffer.”

In the past couple weeks I had been here more than I had been at my own crib. I crashed on the sofa which meant Makari got to sleep through the night. I wasn’t mad about our new family structure because I was getting closer to Avi.

There were even times when she reached for me the minute I walked in the door and even chose me over her mother sometimes when the three of us were chilling. I knew Avi’s bondwith me occasionally hurt Makari’s feelings but she was being a G about adjusting to sharing our daughter.

“I’ll get her changed ’cause she just blew this diaper up then I’m going to head out.”