SAVAGE 3

23.

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Malcolm was busy bathing Harlem when he received a phone call from Jarod. According to the guard, Jersey knocked a white woman out in the middle of a vintage shop. He dropped his head and shook it.

What the fuck is going on with her? Malcolm questioned himself as he tried to understand. Lately, she had been flipping out, and he couldn't figure out why. The woman was allowing her anger to take control of her. This wasn't like Jersey. She was usually calm and sweet.

"Alright, alright, man. Look...just bring her home. I'll talk to her when she gets here."

After the call ended, he proceeded with washing his son. Harlem was lying in his bathing tub. The infant was busy splashing the warm water. He loved to take a bath. He loved water.

"Yo, you're getting water all over me. Quit that splashing." Malcolm spoke to his son calmly as he ran the towel across his face. Harlem's eyes fluttered, and he gave Malcolm a frown as if he'd done something wrong.

"I'm just trying to make sure your face is clean. You don't want a nasty face."

Malcolm continued to clean the eye boogers from his son's face. Harlem grew upset with the repetitive wiping. He moved his limbs around while trying to avoid the face towel. His whines weren't too far behind. The infant managed to let out a screech that stopped Malcolm.

"Okay, okay, okay." The young man spoke calmly while dipping the towel in the warm water. "I'm done."

He proceeded with bathing Harlem. Malcolm went through their usual routine. He made sure Harlem was dried, moisturized, and well-dressed afterward.

As soon as he got settled, he took a seat on the couch and proceeded to feed Harlem. Jersey made sure to pump breast milk regularly. The infant had a warm bottle waiting for him.

Greedily, he suckled on it while holding on to Malcolm's shirt. Harlem's swallows were very audible, and that had Malcolm worried. This bottle was different from his previous ones.

Jersey decided to swap them out for bottles with the y-shaped nipples. They added a small amount of infant cereal to his milk and wanted him to have easy access to his food.

[DISCLAIMER: CDC recommends that you don't add cereal to a baby's bottle. Some babies choke. Also, it makes it harder for babies to start solids. Please check with your doctor. This is only fiction.]

Quickly, he pulled the bottle from his mouth and checked it. As expected, the nipple seemed fine. Harlem was just being greedy. He looked at his bottle while sucking the excess milk visible on his lips. The baby was about to start fussing, but Malcolm gave him the bottle for the second time.

Being a dad was cool. It required a lot of patience, but Malcolm loved it. He'd never thought he would get to experience something like this. In the beginning, the man was against creating a family. He figured his workaholic and loner traits would get in the way.

However, things were different now. Malcolm learned how to share his personal space. He shared it with Jersey and became attached to her. Sharing his space did allow him to be open and free.

Malcolm's phone buzzed, and that caused him to grab it. He looked at the caller ID and realized it was Candace. Quickly, he answered it. She was his assistant, and he made sure to answer her calls.

He brought the iPhone up to his ear and greeted her. She started to speak, and that caused him to listen. He nodded his head lightly and made short responses as she continued to talk vividly about the situation.

"Yeah..." Malcolm trailed off and followed that up with a deep sigh. "Just...just go ahead and do it."

Candace mentioned something else, but Malcolm had tuned out. His heart felt like it had been ripped into pieces, and he couldn't do anything but sit there in silence.