King
I felt betrayed. Angry. And confused. Of all the things that could come up, it was this. A whole new other extension of her, something she never mentioned. I flicked my gaze over Esther colouring in the centre of the living room. Her eyes lifted to mine and Uti's words returned to me.

Was it something so bad I couldn't forgive?

With Uti, my wife, I could and would forgive everything. I strolled to Esther and mimicked her position. She was colouring a caricature of... Me? I took her hand and she looked up.

The television was playing in the background but the sound faded once we began talking. I peeked over her shoulder. "Do you remember the person who gave you that note?"

She shook her head. "Nope. He was wearing a cap." Esther made a motion of pulling an invisible cap over her head and I realised she meant a face cap. The coward who gave her the note was wearing a face cap to protect his identity. "I couldn't really see his face."

I had already sent Oz a message to see what he could find but it was of no point. My mind strayed between the coward witness and Umoh. Would he go that far to shut us up?

"Do you miss school?" She nodded. I inched closer to her, arms brushing her sides and she relaxed into me, back propped against my chest. If anyone told me we would grow this close, I wouldn't have believed them. "We are going to change your school, you hear? For now, mummy will be teaching you from home."

She threw me a wary look over her shoulder. "But I don't want to change my school."

"You have to, rainbow." Those beautiful grey eyes latched onto my dull ones and I patted my lap for her to sit. Esther didn't need a second invitation. I pushed the beaded ends of her hair falling over her forehead behind her ear. "Some bad guys are trying to hurt us. Me. You and mummy. If you keep going there, anything might happen. I don't want anything bad to happen to you, okay? I love you."

My heart galloped as the words departed my lips. It was my first time of telling it to her. And I meant it. I still wanted to adopt her. To make her fully my daughter. Esther threw her arms around my neck and hid her face in the curve of my shoulder.

"I love you, Uncle King."

My belly clenched. I stroked her back, laughing when she released a content sigh. From my side eye, I caught a glimpse of Junior strolling into the living room with his laptop in one hand. He had been loitering around since Faith arrived. Sitting cross-legged on the floor me, Junior carried a sleeping Esther from me, then handed over his laptop.

"Thanks."

"No biggie," he answered. A minute or two or three passed. He tapped me with his free arm but I wasn't in the mood for playing. I skimmed through the content on his screen, barely processing the words in front of me. Tired of annoying me without getting a reaction, he asked, "What are you thinking?"

I shrugged. I didn't know who or how to tell him. He nudged me with his shoulder and I dragged my attention from the television. I waited for him to drop Esther on the couch. When Junior did, he sat close to me, our legs almost touching. We stared at Esther for a bit. She was calm, an emotion that was far from me.

"What's going on?" Junior asked. "Any updates?"

"Yeah. Plenty." The boys already knew who the culprit was, who his father was and Uti's former relationship with them. My fingers ran in circle around my temples. I closed my eyes as I told him about the video of Umoh's father that Uti showed me. The note Esther received from school and he cursed. When it was time to tell him about her stripping, the words locked in my throat. "Junior, what if..."

"What if, what?" Junior shifted position so he was directly in front of me. I laughed when he patted my knees in quiet encouragement.

We weren't so touchy so this was awkward. I shifted my gaze to the laptop. Uti's fashion homepage was on it. We had stopped taking orders for new clothes. Vincent, her former boss had helped with the last orders and I didn't want to stress him anymore. I gazed at Junior, contemplating my next choice of words.

"You dey fear me oo, my guy," he commented.

I was worried for myself too. I braced myself and spat out the words, "What if you found out Faith was a..." Junior angled his body to face me properly. I shifted, uncomfortable at his stare. I couldn't tell him. "... A sex worker?"

"Faith is a sex worker?" he asked.

"What? No. Hypothetically speaking." A sigh escaped him. "What if? What will you do?"

"What if nothing. Faith is not one and I don't want to think about it." Junior stood as the door leading to the parlour opened. Faith walked in and I looked away. She also knew. Uti couldn't have done it without her. Junior turned to me with a stare. "Guy, behave."

I tuned them out as they exchanged kisses and hugs. This was my place but I felt like the outsider. Faith walked up to me later. She smiled but I didn't reciprocate so we stared at each other without anyone saying a word.

"Hi," she finally said with a little wave.

"Hi."

Junior shuffled to the couch Esther was sleeping on and propped her feet on his lap. He was a good uncle and friend. Faith hid her hands behind her back. I arched a brow and waited for it. Junior told her everything. He had expected her to know and was a bit pissed she kept the news away from him.

"Thanks for being there for her."

"Yeah. She's my woman. I have to."

Our eyes locked. Her fair skin still radiated as much as before. Faith was pretty but Uti was it for me. My all and all. "King."

"Faith."

"I don't know what she did but forgive her."

So Uti told her? My lips twitched. I slipped a hand into my pocket and the other to my waist. Unexplainable anger coursed through me as I sized Faith up. I didn't know what I expected but I was pissed at her. Uti was mourning so I couldn't take it on her but I could pass that aggression to this lady.

"You knew," I murmured.

Her forehead wrinkled. "What?"

"You knew what she did." Before she could speak, I cut her off. "It's okay. I forgive her."

Still confused, she managed a nod. "Thanks."

After a curt nod to Junior, I excused myself to see my woman. I pushed the door open and a small smile slipped to my lips. Uti was tucked in the bed with the covers pulled over her chin. Sometimes at night, she would wake to ask about Emma. I would coerce her back to sleep. It worked on some days, other days, it didn't. She would cry herself back to sleep while I was left to watch helplessly.

The bed deflated under my weight. I tugged the cover down her chest and her eyelids fluttered. "Baby daddy." Pushing herself up to rest her back against the headboard, she cupped my face and kissed me. "I love you."

"I love you," I told her. She giggled. Her finger stroked my jaw, my lips, my nose. "You're right, Uti. There's nothing you do that I won't be able to forgive." Her two-toned lips parted and she sucked in a shaky breath. I dumped the cover, freeing her beautiful body under me and pushed a strap of her singlet down one shoulder. "Is there something you want to tell me? Take a minute to think about it."

Uti pushed the other strap down and freed her breasts. "It seems like you already know."

"But I want to hear it from you."

"What will it change?" she asked.

I got off her for a nanosecond to pull off my clothes. She did the same and we were both left in our underwear. I planted a kiss on her forehead, another on her scalp, her temple, her nose, her lips. When she thought it was enough, I placed her down and peppered kisses between her breasts. Her nipples peaked and I took one in my mouth while my fingers fondled with the other one. 

"King," she breathed out.

I looked up and our eyes met again. A corner of her lips lifted, so did mine. My focus returned to her breasts, I took those lovely mounds in my mouth, showering them with love and attention as she mewled under me.

My hand slipped between her legs. She folded them at the knees and spread them apart for me to get in there. Her panties was drenched with her wetness. I pushed it aside and my fingers flicked the sensitive skin at the top. A sound between a moan and growl escaped her. Uti wiggled as I fell to my knees and rolled the wet panties down her legs.

Uti was completely naked, surrendered to me. I discarded my briefs, leaving us in the same state. My breath fanned her warmth. Her fingers reached for something to touch and my head inched closer to her. Her nails sank into my scalp, she massaged me as my tongue darted out for the first taste of her divinity. I pressed my tongue to her wetness and she bucked. My God. I had missed this.

We have been making love but nothing this oral in a while. My tongue soaked her juices, my teeth grazed the swollen bud wanting for my attention. Her moans tumbled out of her lips in an unrehearsed harmony, spurring me to go faster, to claim her in ways I hadn't.

Uti shook under me. Her fingers were no longer working my hair, they were buried in my shoulders. I teased and tasted, giving and giving till she gushed into my mouth. Then I slid up to claim her lips. She smiled into the kiss and her legs wrapped around my waist as she guided my cock into her moisture.

A groan shook both of us. She was built for me, as I was built for her. Resting my hand on either side of her head, my eyes sought and found hers. Water welled up her eyes and a few rolled down her cheeks.

Uti leaned up to kiss me, then I whispered, "I love you and I forgive you, Uti." After a shaky nod and another kiss, I started moving.

Bliss rocked my body. Pleasure shot through me, sprinkling its nectar into my veins. As we both neared our climax, my eyes found hers again and everything stood still. At that moment, she was all that mattered to me. And I was all that mattered to her. We were one.

*****

I don't know why Uti found it hard to tell King. But we can only hope he knows and he forgave her like he said. Then again, did he have anything to forgive? Oh, yes, yes. She should have mentioned it to him. Lol.

Happy Easter!