Cherise Patterson
"Rocky, hold on baby mommy's on the phone." I told my daughter as I continued driving down the street toward the nail salon. Today we were having a mommy daughter day to raise her spirits. She was a daddy's girl since birth and his sudden departure ate her up inside.
I hated that my baby girl was so sad. Especially since her father may not have really left, but soon enough she would understand.
"Morgan, what do you mean-" I began just before Morgan had cut me off. Morgan Alexander was my lawyer, but also a long time friend.
"Reese, putting my professionalism aside, I really think that-"
"Mo, with all due respect, I'm not paying you for a friendly opinion. I'm paying you to milk that nigga for all he's worth."
"He has nothing else to offer!" She semi-yelled. Morgan, AJ, and I all met in college so she was a mutual friend of both of ours, but he and I fell in love. We dated since our sophomore year in college up until our senior year when he proposed to me. But when we graduated, the plans that he had set for himself and us were beginning to change.
I was already pregnant, so there was nothing I could do about knowing that he wasn't able to provide me with the life that I deserved. I was destined to marry a doctor or a lawyer, but I was stuck with a nigga who majored in English. What the hell can you do with a English degree. Sure as hell couldn't take care of me with that and especially not a child. A baby girl at that.
We stayed together though, for a few years after but I found myself falling farther and farther out of love with him while he was falling deeper and deeper in love with being a family man. A soon to be husband and father.
"Cherise." Morgan called with sadness laced in her tone. "You really should think about Racquel when doing all of his as well as mine. "She needs her father. She will never forgive you knowing that you took him away from her."
I listened to her words intently and glanced back at my baby who was nodding off in her booster seat. My heart ached for her knowing that I was the cause of her hurt without her knowing it, but I had to give her the life that she deserved and her dad couldn't do that for us, so I had to do it myself. She would understand eventually. Hopefully.
Xora Hamilton
I placed a bowl of popcorn on the circular glass coffee table along with a bottle of red wine, and three glasses. Kai was with his aunt on this Friday night, and Zeek was working a double so I was having a much needed girl's night with my two child hood friends, Veronica and Ava.
It was after eleven at night on a Friday and if we had been teenagers again we'd be turning up with vodka shots and loud music, but calm nights were much needed as well.
Ava showed up first since she was the overly punctual one, while Rani walked in right behind her.
"Hey my babies!" I greeted happy to see them both at once.
Although I had met them both at different times, we had all built a bond together. We had all been through the best and worst times of our lives together, me and Ava had been best friends since third grade and Rani came along in ninth. They've been with me through it all. Friends like that were hard to come by, and I was happy that I had mine.
They actually hated each other at one point, because they were both really territorial of me, but it didn't take them long to realize that they were better off as friends than enemies.
"Baby! I missed you!" Ava squealed! She and I didn't see each other as much as Rani and I did, because she was a correctional officer and stayed locked away in the prison for long hours, but when we did it was a definite party. "I have a boiling pot of tea to spill, bitch!" She started as I poured our wine. It was sure to be a long night.
I wanted to tell them about how I had been a nasty little hoe, but I couldn't bring myself to think about it let alone say it. I definitely wasn't ashamed. It was some of the best sex I had ever had in my life, but I wasn't sure how understanding my girls would be. They hated Zeek, granted, but they weren't necessarily for cheating either. We had all had our share of being cheated on and we all felt the same way about it; it was never acceptable. But if only they knew half the shit I went through, they would egg me on to cheat.
Trapped in my thoughts, I didn't see Rani's long slender fingers snapping in my face. "Girl, where is your head?" She chuckled. "I was asking if you told Ava about Mr. Handsome that you were creeping on in the restaurant." Leave it to Veronica to spill everybody's tea but her own. I rolled my eyes and chuckled as I discreetly chomped down on the skin of mo bottom lips. Too many inappropriate thoughts of him clouded my mind at once and I quickly pushed them to the side.
"Girl, don't pay her dramatic ass any mind." I told Ava. I couldn't bring myself to tell them that I had met him in a empty parking lot of the high school he worked at and let him fuck me into oblivion. How could I tell them that I cheated on my man not once, but twice and loved it. And how could I be so horrible that I couldn't stop thinking about wanting to do it again.
+++
I came home from work to find a Pandora bag on the dining room table, as well as a Chanel bag an edible arrangement of fresh fruit, and a bouquet of red roses. I couldn't help the large smile that formed on my face.
"Happy birthday baby." Zeek mumbled from behind me before wrapping his arms around waist taking the outside March chill off of my body.
"Thank you!" I squealed before pecking his lips.
Our relationship was like a roller coaster and we hadn't hit a dip yet so I was grateful.
"Start getting ready. We're going to dinner." He told me and I was always glad to have a day where I didn't have to cook.
"Ooh! Where?"
"It's a surprise, but you know you'll love it." He said pecking my lips. "Be ready when I get back."
"Get back?" I wondered. "Where are you going?"
"The gym." He told me in a duh tone. "I'll be back quick though."
I scoffed and bit the inside of my cheek. "Zeek it's already four o'clock. By the time-" I started before pausing, realizing a rant would be a loss cause. "Okay."
As expected, quick consisted of three hours. I knew that he wouldn't be home until almost eight, he still needed to get dressed, we needed to get there, be seated, eat and come home to be in bed at a reasonable time to get up for work and school the next day. It wouldn't work.
"I'm back. You ready?" Zeek asked and I could hear him hurrying to the bathroom to turn the shower on while I slid Kai's pajamas on in his deep slumber.
Going back into K bedroom, I slid the dress and heels I had put on off my body and replaced it with a white robe.
Zeek came back into our bedroom with his boxers on and wiped his chest with the towel that had hung around his waist. "Why aren't you dressed?" He asked with his tone full of annoyance.
"Don't worry about it Ezekiel." I mumbled as I scrolled on my phone looking at nothing in particular.
"Really Zo? You're always doing something to be spiteful. Ungrateful." He shook his head from side to side like I had disgusted him. "I try to be nice and take you home out for you birthday and you want to lounge around and shit. Wasting my time and reservations."
I couldn't help but chuckle. Here he was talking about wasting time when he preferred to spend three hours in the gym rather than with me on my birthday. Regardless of whether or not we had dinner plans, the gym could've waited until tomorrow, but he and I didn't think the same so I didn't bother explaining, I just tuned him out per usual.
"And you want to ignore me." He scoffed like he just couldn't believe me. He snatched his shirt opened, ripping the buttons while huffing and puffing like a child.
"Happy birthday to me." I mumbled
________
Okay short filler chapter just because I'm ready to get to the good shit and I owed y'all an update smh.
Still enjoying?
