Page 29 of Crown: Phase 4

“I told you, it’s okay.”

“Nah, it’s not okay. I never want you to see me bringing the streets into our home like that. I fucked up.”

“I hear you. But you’re human, and you’re entitled to break sometimes. You carry a lot, baby.”

Grateful for her understanding, Crown leaned over the chair and pressed his lips against her forehead repeatedly, pouring his affection into each kiss to show her how much she meant to him. Then he started teasing her, moving from her temple to her cheek and then the bridge of her nose. He kept it up until laughter bubbled from Nivéa, making her turn her face away from the tickle of his beard.

“Ahmad, stop.” She laughed yet tilted her chin up for the kiss he placed on her mouth.

Crown let the kiss linger, his fingers grazing lightly along the side of her neck. “Missed the shit outta you, baby.”

“You saw me this morning, nigga.”

“Fuck that mean? I still missed yo’ lil ass.”

“I’m just kiddin’. You know I missed you, too.”

They shared a smile as Crown's gaze lowered to her stomach. Gently, he moved the bouquet from her hands, placing it alongside his hard hat on the desk before kneeling in front of her. He rested one palm on her belly and pressed a slow, tender kiss against it, treating it as if it were already big and round. It had become a habit that Nivéa thought was so cute. He took his time, as if the baby inside could somehow feel his affection through her skin.

“Sup up in there?” He whispered. “You giving your mama trouble, too?”

Nivéa rested her hand against the back of his head as she laughed. “Nope. Just that one there.” She pointed toward Nyla, who had spat the pacifier halfway from her mouth.

Crown chuckled as his attention dropped lower and landed on Nivéa’s feet. The smile quickly left his face as he noticed the skin gathered around the straps of her house shoes.

“Your ankles swollen, ma.”

Nivéa followed his gaze and shrugged as if it were nothing. “I know. I’ve been on my feet most of the day.”

“You supposed to be taking it easy.”

“I was working, baby. I have that order for the conference to get done and had to walk her little fussy self around damn near every hour.”

Crown gave a small nod as he removed her house shoe, understanding how she had ended up that way even if he didn’t like it. He placed one hand beneath her calf and carefully lifted her foot onto his chest. His fingertips moved over the swollen area, testing the puffiness with a gentle press as he examined the marks her shoes had left behind. He made a mental note to give her a long foot massage later in bed. For now, he would do what he could to relieve some pressure.

“You should’ve called me.”

“And told you what? Stop what you’re doing and come fold and pack some T-shirts?”

“If that’s what you needed.”

Nivéa smiled as something warm settled in her chest. There was never any hesitation in his responses regarding her; he didn’t play about her.

Crown lowered his head and kissed one swollen ankle, then shifted to the other. It was such a small gesture, but it touched Nivèa more than the roses. He never treated the things she carried as if they mattered less than his responsibilities.

“Why the change?” Nivéa asked, refocusing on his clothes. “You had to go by the office?”

“Yeah. Had to walk a site and meet with a client real quick.”

“Everything okay?”

“The crew found some unexpected water seepage while they were excavating beside the building.”

Nivéa tilted her head, trying to understand. Crown had explained parts of his work before, but anything involving construction still sounded complicated to her.

“What does that mean exactly?”

“They found groundwater where the plans didn’t account for it. If we kept going with the foundation as originally designed, we could end up with drainage and structural issues later.”