Page 57 of Crown: Phase 4

“I will, Mama. But my husband is a fine man…a very good man. Don’t let what happened today confuse you about his character.” Nivéa replied, her devotion to Crown evident even in the midst of her distress.

Without knowing every detail of how this all started, she could understand why Carla felt the way she did. However, she was going to stand up for her husband in public, though she was worried deep down, too.

If Nivéa was being honest with herself, she was more frightened now. What happened to Caresha could have very well happened to her…or could happen to her. She had a husband whose life came with danger. For the second time, the reality of that settled heavily in her chest. She had a four-month-old daughter asleep in Kerri’s arms and another child on the way. She understood that all of this had started because of Boe, but what about the crime she had witnessed at the Knights’ clubhouse? Crown had killed another club member. That had nothing to do with Boe.

When they decided to pick up where they had left off, Nivéa had convinced herself that what Crown did in the streets didn’t matter. What mattered was how Ahmad treated her, how he loved her, how he protected her, how he was with their family. She had separated the man she loved from the life he lived, telling herself that as long as that life didn’t spill over into theirs, she could live with it. But it had.

Sitting beside Caresha’s hospital bed, watching her covered in cuts and bruises, Nivéa was back to being honest with herself…being honest like she had been when she’d walked away from Crown the first time.

Had she walked away from one chaotic situation only to step into another? The question settled heavily in her mind as she gripped her best friend’s hand. But on the outside, she stood strong, holding Crown down.

Carla lifted her hands in the air as if to say, fine. She walked away. There was nothing more she could say. At the end of the day, Nivéa wasn’t her child.

Chapter Eighteen.

When they returned home, Crown sensed a shift in his wife. Given everything that had transpired, he understood why. What troubled him was whether this change stemmed solely from witnessing Caresha’s injuries, the news of his firm being shot up, or her realization of just how dangerous his world could become.

As Nivéa sat on the edge of the bed breastfeeding, Crown settled beside her.

“I’m sorry, baby. Real talk. I’m so sorry that shit happened.”

Nivéa didn’t respond. She nodded, her gaze still fixed on Nyla.

“I promise to take you to see her as much as you want, whether that’s to the hospital, to her crib, or over to her mama’s place. Wherever. I got you.”

“If she goes home with her mama, that’s out of the question.”

Crown stared at her, grasping what she meant. Caresha’s mother clearly didn’t want him or Danger around, and he’d sensed that long before Nivéa voiced it. The way she had regarded them in the hospital waiting room had spoken volumes. The warm, loving woman he’d met at their reception had been replaced by a mother terrified for her daughter, unwilling to take any chances.

“I’m not gon’ ask you if you’re good because I know you not. But what about us? We good?” Crown asked, searching her face.

Nivéa tore her red, swollen eyes away from Nyla to finally meet his gaze.

“I... I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I believe we’re good, but I’m scared, Ahmad. What happened to Reesh could’ve very easily happened to me… it could still happen to me.”

Crown’s nostrils flared slightly as he absorbed her words.

“Listen, baby. My world gets crazy. There’s no sense in me gaslighting you. You know that by now. But I would never put you in a position to be harmed. Never. I can’t control what the next nigga does. I can’t control what goes on with everybody else. I try to, but at the end of the day, I can only do so much for them. But one thing I can control is what goes down in my household. And I’m telling you with confidence... that would never be your story because I make sure of it.”

Nivéa took him in, studying his face and reading the conviction in his body language. There was something protective in the way he looked at her, something possessive, too. Crown regarded her as if he would do everything in his power to keep her safe because she was his. She understood all of that without him needing to say another word.

“Baby, I hear you. And I get that you think—”

“I don’t think shit. I know this for a fact. Everything I do… every move I make is in your best interest, even when you don’t see it. Remember our first date? You mentioned how you could’ve gotten shot. Well, I’m telling you now, I took you to the far back of my clubhouse for a reason. Did I know that shit was gon’ happen with Mo? Nah. But the first thought that crossed my mind when we walked through those doors was that if something popped off outside or inside, we’d be out of the way of the blow, and I could get you to my office quick. Think about it.”

Nivéa listened quietly, letting his words settle as she reflected on that night. Crown was right. He had certainly taken her toward the back of the clubhouse, away from the main crowd and the doors where most of the movement was happening. At the time, she thought he simply wanted privacy. Now, she realized he’d been considering her safety before she even understood the danger surrounding her. She couldn’t deny that it meant something.

“I will never intentionally or unintentionally put you in a position to be harmed. If you don’t believe anything else, you must believe that.” Crown added.

“Okay,” Nivéa replied, tears slipping down her cheeks.

She lowered her head to look at Nyla, but Crown reached over and gently lifted her chin until she was looking directly at him. He sensed the lingering doubt in her eyes.

“Our marriage ain’t always gon’ be pretty, especially with the life I live. We gon’ have our ups and downs. But, ma, don’t let anyone get into your head about me or what we share. We building this shit brick by brick… you and me. Ain’t nobody coming between that. You know the real me. Don’t let them.”

“Never,” Nivéa promised, tears still falling as she held his gaze.

She sometimes felt torn…scared, even…about his lifestyle. But one thing she knew for certain was that Crown was good to her. She knew what she felt when she looked at her husband, and that was something nobody else could define for her. So, no. She would never let anyone come between them and what they shared.