Thugs Ain't For Me: Chapter II

39: Sasha's Secret

*Saturday*

Preston

It's been a week now since I've found out about Sasha's secret...our son.

"I'm not happy with this Talia." I say. I've been sitting in the living room of my downtown penthouse with Reyna and lil dude for almost two hours. I was still tryna figure out what the fuck was going on.

"Well what's there to do. If he is your son, then he's just your son." She wraps her arms around my neck.

"I already got a kid. Who I ain't seen in a year." I sorta miss the lil man I wonder how big he got. "My lil dude. Camden." I smile.

"...You never told me his name...it's adorable." She smiles.

"Yeah that's the one thing his momma did right. I laugh.

"Well let's not leave them in there to ponder. Little rude." She grabs my hand and pulls me back to the livingroom.

"Sorry about that." I apologize. "Now can you reexplain the situation?" I sit down and Talia pushes up next to me.

"Preston I have said all that was necessary. Sasha left home because she was pregnant, not because she was going to college. She did finish college though but she didn't finish her whole second degree-"

"And where was he during all this?" I say referring to the lil dude.

"She kept him for four months after she had him and after that she sent him back to stay with my mama. I also helped every now and then but-" I cut her off.

"Why haven't she ever told me? It's been almost six years, was she ever going to tell me?" I sit forward. She looks at lil dude, then Talia, and finally me.

"...She really wanted too Preston. She called me everynight feeling over guilty, but unfortunately her life had to end before she could clean up her past." Sweat beads form at the brim of my forehead. Nobody even knows the truth behind Sasha's death, that I'm the reason.. "She really loved you Preston...she came back for you..." I felt Talia's hand snake across my leg.

"Well who doesn't love Preston? I know I do." She plants a kiss on my lips. Reyna turns up her nose.

"Anyways...she couldn't tell you in time and it was just a coincidence that we seen each other at the cemetery last week. But my mama wanted to find you and tell you-"

"Why now??" I ask.

"Because my mama been sick and me and my boyfriend gettin' more serious and I think we might be thinkin' about movin' in together and I don't know who gone get Tevin." Her hand rests on his full head of hair. Half the time I look at him and don't see it. But ion wanna question nothing, make me seem like I'm tryna be pathetic and not take care of my responsibilities....my other responsibility...

"What? Your guy friend don't wanna take him in?" I question.

"It's not that...Tevin isn't me and Omar's responsibility, so I think that-"

"Did you say Omar?" I lean in toward her.

"Yeah..Yeah you-you know him?" I clenched my jaw.

"Yeah I know him, but that's a story for another time." I drop it. "So what you just gone dump him here." She grabs her bag and stands up. I guess answering my question.

"I'm not dumping him no where. He's yours and his mother is dead. I'll always be here for him but now he needs a parent." She kisses his forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow T." Me and Talia gets up to let her out. "I'll come back tomorrow, but Preston you gotta do right...you all he got now." I stare into her eyes and read her bullshit.

"I didn't know about him for six years...but suddenly I'm all he got?" She doesn't respond. "What? Am I wrong for not really wanting this kid?" Talia squeezes my arm. "I'm serious. I have a kid-"

"Yeah well now you got two." She points her finger at me. "You better not abandon that little boy." SLAM! Talia and I share looks.

"I'm sorry Talia." I rub my head. "I brought you all the way back here for this shit." She tries to calm me down. She knows me so well.

"Baby. I wanted to come back with you. I didn't wanna be without you. I'm here through whatever you need. Alright it's okay you got baggage and a past...we all do." Kiss. "Now how about we go and spend time with our little boy." She grins which puts a smile on my face. We walk hand in hand back to living room. Tevin sat on the large couch next to the window. He looked smaller than he was. He looked innocent. So innocent.

"...Hey lil dude." I rub the back of my head, nervously. It's insane how nervous I am around a five year old. He didn't respond. "Are you hungry? Or some.." Nothing. I was a second away from giving up.

"Here let me try." Talia whispers in my ear and strut across the living room to him. "Hi Tevin. I'm Talia. And that's Preston-your dad." She points and his bigs eyes arrow at me. Now that he was looking at me he looked a lot like Camden. Maybe he is my son. I thought to myself. "Tevin you're going to live here for now-"

"Where my Auntie Reyna?" His voice so hoarse.

"She's going to come back tomorrow alright but it's okay because we're family too." She tells him.

"How?" His curiosity gets to him.

"Well that's your dad and-" I come join them.

"And this is your mom." Talia gives me a bright smile.

"But my mom died."

"Well step-mom." He didn't respond.

"What do you like to do Tevin?" She asks him.

"....I dunno. I like cooking." He finally breaks and smile, showing his small teeth.

"Cook?" I frown. Expecting him to say playing basketball or some. Talia pinches me.

"My grandma use to teach me until she got sick." I soften.

"Well I tell you what. I'll be your new cooking buddy. We can make something now if you like?" Talia offers and he hops of the couch.

"Yeah! Come on." He races out of the livingroom. I laugh.

"He doesn't even know where the kitchen is."

"Thanks for letting me be apart of this." Talia kisses me.

"I want you to be apart of this. I want you to be apart of my life forever, Talia." I wrap my arms around her waist.

"Yeah? What are you saying?" She smirks. But I remain quiet and look away. "Go ahead.." She presses.

"Just say yes." I tell her.

"Yes." She says.