Page 36 of Out of Bounds (Atlanta Demon Series #4)

“Get out!” She pointed at the door.

“I ain’t going nowhere. We gonna leave this bitch together.” I teased. “Nawl, on the real… go get dressed. I’mma chill out here until you ready to check out.”

“Okay. Thank you for showing up.”

“I’ll always show up for you, Masai,” I told her and meant it.

My heart was aching like hell, but at least she wasn’t crying anymore.

I couldn’t stop Masai from moving on if that’s what she wanted to do.

Well, at least that’s what I wanted her to think.

She didn’t know it, but her little boyfriend was on borrowed time.

Her want for freedom wasn’t going any further than the cheap dates with ole boy and cringy flirting over the phone they’d been doing.

When the smoke cleared, I was coming for mine, and Masai was indeed mine.

“Tell me again why I brought yo’ ass along,” I fussed as we exited the mediation room.

“Shit, you needed somebody to come with you. Masai wasn’t coming!” Deuce heckled, making me throw a weak punch his way.

After weeks of going back and forth, I had finally sat down with my lawyer to get those papers filed with the courts.

The first step in putting myself on child support was getting KJ legitimized.

I had never heard of the procedure until I reached out to my attorney about the matter.

I had papers showing that he was mine, so that helped us move forward.

I was talking to Masai about it, and she was saying that because KJ was a child born out of wedlock, if anything happened to me, Ashton would basically have to fight her in court for him to get anything.

Everything that I owned was left to Masai in my will, so either way, if I died today, Ashton was going to have to seek Masai’s approval on anything monetary for KJ.

I’d given instructions in my will on what she was to give my kids.

So, without KJ being legitimized, if Masai wanted to be petty, she could opt out of taking care of KJ.

Being that it’s not in her nature to do some petty shit like that, she urged me to get him legitimized so there would be no issues.

We got that worked out, and today was the day we had to appear.

When Ashton got the papers from the court, she was pissed.

I mean, she hit me up, going in on my ass.

I told her when I was playing nice with her ass, she didn’t appreciate it.

Now, I was going to let the courts control the situation.

I don’t know what the fuck she thought was going to happen, but I had to protect myself, and more importantly, I needed to be able to spend time with my son without her supervising shit.

She kept saying that the court appointment wasn’t going to go my way, and she was going to fix me.

Unfortunate for her, it didn’t go her way.

I was already paying for everything that KJ needed, and my financial records proved that.

The judge ended up siding with me. Since she was already receiving five thousand dollars a month, he felt that was substantial enough, and I wasn’t required to give anything extra.

Our custody was ruled as joint; I got KJ every other weekend from Thursday to Sunday.

She brought up the fact that I traveled out of town frequently for work.

The judge didn’t care and said that anytime KJ was in my custody, I could take him anywhere I wanted and didn’t have to clear it with her. The same went with her.

I mentioned wanting to get him a passport because I wanted to give my kid out-of-the-country experiences, and the judge agreed to that as well.

Both of our names were to go on the passport paperwork, which I had no issue with because she was his mother.

It would remain in her possession until I needed it, and when I did, she would turn it over with no hesitation.

The shit really was cut and dry, and that was all I wanted.

When we made it outside the courthouse, Ashton and her attorney were standing on the steps.

She took one look at me and rolled her eyes.

“Baby mama mad as fuck, ain’t she?” Deuce’s stupid ass said.

“Not my concern. When I tried to be amicable, she insisted on fighting with me. She gotta take that up with the Lord.”

“Here she comes.” He patted me on the chest. “She ’bout to beat yo’ ass.”

“Masai would dog walk her ass up and down Peachtree.”

Before he could respond, Ashton was calling out for me. “Kreed.”

“What’s up?”

“Can we talk?”

“Go ahead.” I waved my hand out, giving her the floor.

“Alone.”

“Oh, nawl. No can do,” Deuce butted in. “Not without his attorney present.”

“Nigga.” I laughed. “Wait for me by the truck.”

“Man, hell nawl. The last time I left yo’ ass alone, you had a baby. I ain’t fucking with it.”

“Aight, bruh.” Had I let him keep going, his ass probably would’ve hurt this girl’s feelings. “Listen, he not gone leave, so just say what it is.”

“I was wondering if we could modify the visitation schedule?”

“Oh, nawl. That’s concrete.”

She sighed. “I’m not trying to change it. It’s just…” She opened the paper and held it up. “His first birthday falls on your weekend, and I was planning on throwing him a birthday party.”

I wasn’t unreasonable at all, and seeing as though I had no plans on having a joint party with her, I didn’t have a problem switching some shit around.

“When that time comes, we can figure out how to swap some days. I’m sure it’ll come a time when I need to switch too.

Shit happens, Ashton, so we can figure it out. ”

She snorted. “Shit happens, but we’re standing in front of the courthouse. We clearly couldn’t figure it out since we here.”

“I’mma keep it real with you, we could’ve been did this without even getting them folks involved.

I wasn’t trying to take it there at all, but you forced my hand trying to dictate shit.

KJ is just as much mine as he is yours. But you got in your feelings and wouldn’t let me see my son.

I’on know what you expected me to do, but the back-and-forth ain’t in my nature.

Ain’t no hard feelings, but shit it is what it is. ”

“Whatever, Kreed. You’re coming to get him Thursday?”

“I am,” I confirmed. “I’ll hit you when I figure out a time.”

“Okay.”

“Alrighty.” I patted her on the shoulder before jogging down the steps.

When Deuce and I slipped in the truck, that nigga fell over laughing. “I ain’t wanna laugh in her face, but did you hit her with the alrighty and the friendly shoulder tap?”

“I sure in the fuck did. What you thought? She was gonna get more than that?” I asked and stared at him.

“You wouldn’t do no shit like that to Masai.”

“She ain’t no damn Masai.” I shrugged.

“You really don’t fuck with that broad?”

“In no way, shape, or fucking form. Us slipping up one time was enough for me. Then, she had the nerve to lie like we were out here in a whole-ass relationship behind Masai’s back.

Yeah, I ain’t fucking with that shit at all ’cause, if you would lie ’bout something like that, ain’t no telling what else you’ll lie ’bout. ”

“I’m with you when you right.” Looking up from his phone, he smirked. “Yo’ heart over at the crib right now.”

“Oh, yeah?” I nodded and rubbed my chin.

“Yep. Koya just hit me and said her, Sai, and Jream in the sunroom drinking wine.”

“Well, shit… we headed to yo’ crib then.”

“Nigga, you said we was going golfing when this shit was over.”

“That was before you said Masai was at yo’ crib. Now we ’bout to go pull up on them.”

“You do realize Masai’s got a boyfriend?” he tossed out. I guess he thought that meant something to me, but it didn’t. Masai wasn’t in no fucking relationship. She and that nigga were wasting each other’s time.

“Nawl, he not. He’s her friend.”

“Friend, my ass.” Deuce chuckled. “That friend been doing a lot of wining and dining.”

“Masai ain’t impressed by that shit.”

“Aight.” He laughed.

A few weeks had passed since the night at the hotel, and from what my girls said, she and that nigga were still kicking it.

He’d even been at the crib—never when my kids were there, but he had been over.

They’d yet to meet him in person, and that’s all I cared about.

Now, if she and this nigga just so happen to get serious, then we could discuss them meeting face-to-face.

Until then, he was known as “mommy’s friend,” and if I had my way, that’s all he’d be.

When we pulled up to Deuce and Koya’s crib, Masai’s G-Wagon was parked behind Jream’s weak-ass Tesla. I purposely blocked her ass in. I was in a good mood, and fucking with Masai was about to make it even better.

“Koya!” Deuce yelled when we entered the house. “I didn’t sell you out!” the nigga snitched.

“You a bitch!” I hissed and pushed his ass out of the way.

Swaggering through their crib, I made my way to the sunroom where the three of them sat cackling.

Masai was seated close to the window with her knees up to her chest and a half-empty wine glass resting in one of her hands.

She took one look at me and laughed. “Where you coming from, looking goofy?” she asked.

I could tell by how low her eyes were that her ass was tipsy as fuck.

A goofy was the last thing I looked like. I had on a pair of black chino pants and a white polo shirt shit; if anything, I was court appropriate. “Mediation,” I shared and plopped down beside her. Grabbing one of the pillows from behind me, I slouched down on the sofa and got comfortable.

“How’d it go?”

“Perfect…” I sang and leaned over to pluck the glass from her hand. I frowned after downing the warm wine. “This some weak shit.”

“It’s not for you, that’s why,” Koya fussed and snatched the glass from me.

“What kind of wine was that?”

“It wasn’t wine. It’s an Aperol spritzer,” Jream shared.

“Well, it was nasty as fuck. Where yo’ nigga at?”

“Home. Where you need to be.” She snaked her neck around.

“I’m right where I’m ’posed to be, ain’t I, Masai?” I queried and bit down on my bottom lip.

“I don’t know where you’re supposed to be.” She tittered. “I’m sure in my face isn’t the destination, though.”

Popping her on the thigh, I said, “Sure ’bout that?”

“Boy…” she drawled. Her ass was getting ready to say something else when her phone dinged. I could tell by the silly-ass grin on her face that it was a nigga.

“That’s yo’ nigga?”

“That’s yo’ baby mama?” she countered and cocked her head to the side.

I thumped her nose. “Don’t get fucked up, Masai Dolla.”

“Sis, you ain’t dropped that nigga’s last name yet?” Deuce’s stupid ass asked, knowing good and fucking well we had this conversation already.

“No.” She giggled.

“And she ain’t gone drop it. That’s our kids’ last name too.”

“What does that have to do with her, though?” Jream probed.

“It means we a family. The fuck.”

“You let that nigga go, you might as well let the last name go too.” Jream shrugged.

“I’m more of a Dolla than I’ve ever been a Wallace. I didn’t change my name because I didn’t create a legacy for it to be broken. My kids’ house that last name, and I will be buried with it. When you have children of your own, you will understand.”

“What if you get remarried?” Koya asked.

The nigga in me wanted to say, “She ain’t getting remarried,” but I decided to let her answer that question because I was curious myself.

“ If I were to get married again, which I don’t plan on doing,” she said, making it clear. “I would hyphen it. I would be Masai Dolla hyphen whatever.”

“You out yo’ rabid-ass mind!” I based, making them laugh. “Ain’t no way you thought you was ’bout to be out here carrying my name along with another nigga’s. You done pissed me off now. Deuce, where my damn keys? That apple spritzer got Masai’s ass tripping!” I fussed.

“It’s Aperol spritzer,” Masai stated all sassy-like and shit. “And… If I were to get remarried, my last name will be hyphenated. You don’t like it… do something about it.”

“I’mma do something, all right.” I nodded.

If Masai knew like I knew, she had better find her something safe to do. There wasn’t any chance in hell that I was about to sit up there and let her carry my last name while married to another nigga. Nope, not Kreed Delonte Dolla.

Deuce chuckled while scratching his stomach. “This banter is cute and all, but a nigga hungry. Jream, call Jrue and tell him to bring his bitch ass over here. Might as well throw some meat on the grill since it don’t look like I’m getting rid of y’all asses no time soon.”

“In that case, we need to go to the liquor store. I’m not trying to drink no apple spritzer,” I announced.

“Aperol!” the women yelled out, making me shrug.

“That shit too. And give me something to change into.”

This was right up my alley. It had been a minute since we’d been able to kick it like this.

With the divorce and all, everyone was walking a thin line.

I was cool with hanging out in Deuce’s crib and shooting the shit.

I wasn’t ready to leave Masai’s presence anyway, so of course, my ass was down for some steaks and beer.