Watching Cyrene and the other girls leave out of the driveway was tough.
I'm clueless on how to get through to her. She won't talk to me, see me or have anything to do with me.
The last four days were hell and I'm not interested in a week turning into months then years.
"A3, I thought you said you weren't coming?" Amina asked, walking around to where we were, holding Tron. Her Godson.
He sucked his teeth. "Rai dragged my ass down here. After Mike told her what happened."
"My fault," I apologized to A3 while getting Tron.
"Don't sweat it. I was in the hot seat before." He dapped me up while holding Lil Dri Dri in his arms. "Now, since I'm here, I need to know what happened after I got off the phone with you."
I looked around, getting comfortable so they could all hear this. I took a seat next to Amina. We were all down in Mikes's basement.
"KJ, could you take the twins upstairs? We need the room." Mike asked, and KJ agreed.
Natalie you too, go with KJ." Chance told his daughter, she stood and left the room with them.
I was gearing myself up to get grilled.
Here we go.
The moment they cleared out, Mike pointed at me, "take one."
"This ain't a movie." I made sure Tron was comfortable in my arms. He was on his way to sleep.
"Got us over here starring in Daddy Daycare, the oops you cheated so we're all in the dawg house edition." Mike felt the need to say.
"Anyway, I'm not even sure how much I want to say." I expressed, knowing I could possibly make matters worse by over-sharing, especially if Cyrene didn't say all of what happened.
"But to be clear, you cheated?" Amina added.
I sighed, nodding my head. "Yeah," I glanced at A3 then said, "with a girl named Ana.
Seated across from me, he sat back, breathing out roughly.
"My thing is you not only propose to my cousin but have a baby with her, and you turn around and do this?" Mike scolded.
Everyone stared at me, waiting for my response. A3 glared a hole into my forehead but didn't say a word.
"I cheated," I repeated. "No excuses. I messed up my chance with Cyrene. She's the woman I wanted to marry and have kids with. I shitted on it."
"We know that much. We got all that from Celeste when we held her back from kicking your ass. —She was still talking about it even after you left out of the house and sat on the porch." Chance added.
"What she say?" I asked quicker than I should have. I'm confident Cy told her sister everything.
Mike squinted seated next to A3.
Amina spoke, giving me the play by play. "She said you cheated. We were like ok, but you need to calm down before you break something. She kept going on and on about wanting to find out her name. She said your dumbass got played. She called you weak. She hopes your dick falls off, and if it doesn't, she'll make sure to chop it off. She said her sisters too good for you."
"Ok, I get it."
"Who is this girl?" Mike asked cutting to the chase. "How long were you seeing her? Were you seeing her, or was it random? Where did you mess with this girl, when?"
I sighed, still not wanting to go into details. "It was somebody I knew. On Monday in my office at the new gym."
A3 got up with Lil Dri Dri in his arms and walked out, leaving everyone else puzzled.
He realized it was the same day after I got off the phone with him it happened.
"Damn, Troy. How did Cyrene find out? She caught you?" Mike questioned further. I only told him I cheated that day he came to get Rai. If Tron wasn't there, I'm pretty sure we would've fought.
Mike went on about how Cyrene came here and created a life with me, to just throw all that away.
"I told her what happened. That same night when she came home from work, I told her." I expressed.
"How did it get from us coming over uncuffing my cousin and getting a ring off your balls to this? I thought y'all we're good." Mike continued questioning.
I roughly ran my hands through my hair. "I'm still trying to piece it together. I still can't believe my own damn self."
They waited for me to keep going.
"That's all I'm willing to say. I'm not about to make excuses. I just need to know how to get through to her. I'm not good at this relationship stuff." I sat back.
"Clearly, and I'm not helping you get back with my cousin. After you stepped out on her. Hell no." Mike snorted. "And I know for damn sure Auntie Tess and Uncle Matthew won't stand for it."
I sighed, thinking about how disappointed her parents will be. Hell, even my parents.
That's why I need a conversation with Cy. I don't want to put too much of our business out there without her knowledge. I'm good with not telling everything if that's what she wants to do.
"I'm not asking for your help to get her back. I need to know what I should do. She won't say shit to me."
I miss her little mean ass.
"What made you agree to it? What girl did you know? Do I know her?" Amina questioned, trying to piece it all together.
"Just know I messed up. I regret it, and I'm sorry." I palmed my face in my hands. I stayed like that for awhile. I was thankful they stopped talking.
"Anyway, what are you cooking us? We're hungry." Mike gave me a yeah, that's right, it's like that kind of look.
"The fuck I look like." I lifted my head raising my brows.
"I could be lying next to my girl right now, eating her food." He chuckled a little. "Or something else, but I'm sitting here looking at you and them stringy ass legs you got."
I tried hiding my smile, "You gone ease up off my legs. They're not small compared to those tree branches you got."
Amina and Chance did a snorting sound.
"I'm not cooking for you bird ass niggas."
Chance chimed in, with his superman looking self. "I'll take that chicken alfredo pasta you made last time. Also, make me an extra plate to go." He cracked knuckles stretching.
"Nah, I think he should do the chicken perlo with the andouille sausage. Now, Troy, you put your foot in that. You can use mama Laurie big pot for that." Mike suggested.
Then of course Mina had to put in her order as well. "Nooooooo he should do them homemade burgers with grilled red onions. Add some crispy skinny fries to it, and call it a night."
They dapped each other up talking about "that's the one."
I glanced between all three of these idiots. "I only cook when my girl here."
"Well, Cyrene's not here, and there's no telling if she'll be back soooo?" Mike raises his brows.
"Real funny." I glared at him because that shit was not funny.
"What? —She don't take assholes back. She has class." Mike crosses his legs at the ankles, swinging his damn toes. "She's too good of a woman for your cheating ass."
"You don't know anything about our relationship," I said, taking offense. That was a sore spot for me.
I always felt like Cyrene was too good for me. She's smarter. She makes more money than me currently. Her parents look at her like she can do no wrong. Hell, my parents even said I was blessed to find somebody like her. Someone established and on a path to more success.
If it wasn't for me finally getting enough to open my first gym, I don't know what I would be doing.
Luckily it was easy for me to build a clientele and get things started. It didn't take much.
As I took on more, it grew, and I was able to open up not only one gym but two.
"I'm just saying, it's shocking. Especially with all that kinky stuff, we saw y'all were into when we came over to rescue your balls." Mike tried to make humor of his little dig. "You had everything good at home. I don't know why you would cheat on her? It doesn't make sense."
I stood up with my sleeping son in my arms and walked out.
I made my way back upstairs to where my son and I were sleeping and gathered our stuff. I wasn't staying here for this shit.
Walking out with my son in one arm and our bags in the other, I bumped into A3 walking out of Rai's old room.
"Where you going?"
"Home." I tried moving around him. "Move."
He looked at me like I was crazy. "Whoa hold up. —I was good with staying in New York. I'm down here to check on you. To see what's going on. If you're leaving, then fuck it I'm flying back." He closed the room door behind him and stood in front of me.
I sighed frustratedly.
"You mad? Sleep it off."
I sucked my teeth. "I'm not staying here listening to Mike's bull. Trying to say I'm not good enough for his cousin."
"That's Mike being Mike. Focus on making things right with Cyrene."
I sighed, things quieted between us.
"That same day I talked to you, you had sex with her?" He shook his head.
I walked back into the room; he followed behind. Placing the bags back on the floor, I said, "yeah."
"What happened?" He took a seat on the bench near the foot of the bed. I placed Tron on the bed and took a seat beside him.
"After I got off the phone with you, I turned her down and was canceling her membership. She left and was totally chill about it." I breathed out. "I was in my office. She came back, closing the door behind her then took off her clothes. —I messed up."
"Why now? Why is she showing up?"
"I don't know. We haven't seen or heard from this girl for over a year. Now I done fuck things up with my son's mom." I stared down at Tron.
"Cyrene loves you, but I don't know about this. If anything it'll take some work to get her back."
"Or should I even try to get her back? She deserves better than this." I brought my attention back to him.
"Only you and Cyrene truly know what you have. Do you want her back? The commitment, monogamous, forever?"
"I do." I nodded.
"Well, get her back. Fight for her. Show her how serious you can be."
I nodded again. "She won't talk to me."
"It's only been what four days. Give her some space. Get your stuff together and prove it to her. Be consistent; that's what women like. You can't just tell them you love them. They have to feel like you do."
I sighed. "Got it."
My phone buzzed in my back pocket. I pulled it out and saw who it was texting me.
"It's Cyrene." I quickly opened the message to read it.
9:58 PM
Mean Ass: Send a picture of my baby.
Sigh.
"What she say?" A3 asked, and I showed him before snapping a picture of Tron sleeping and sent it.
"I'm pissed with you, but I won't knock you while you're down. You're still my boy. You were there for me, even though you straight up clowned me about being with Rai."
"I didn't clown you. I only said if I settled down, it would be with someone legal." I shrugged innocently. "That's it."
"Now, you're in the hot seat, but Ima' hold my jokes for now." He chuckled.
I lightly laughed too. "You getting adjusted to little man?"
"Oh yeah, I'm ready for Rai to be pregnant again. But even more, I'm just happy we finally got our son. So if she can't have anymore, at least we have my little twin."
"That's real. Y'all went through some shit. Maybe Rai can talk to Cy." I stared at the text message again. "You think she would agree to counseling? We talked about going before we get married anyway."
"Doesn't hurt to ask." A3 hinted, glancing at my phone.
"I'll wait to ask her. She probably won't say anything right now."
He nodded. "You're right. As I said, give her some time. At least time to spend with the girls."
"Right."
A3 left the room shortly after. I ended up staying up. I couldn't sleep. Stayed up thinking about how my actions could mess up our lives.
I could possibly put Cyrene in a position to be a single mom and me a single dad.
What if we can't work this out? What if she can't ever get passed this?
I needed to do whatever I could to try to fix us. Build up trust and make her feel safe. Show her I can be the man of her dreams.
Laid up next to my son I heard my phone vibrating. I checked it. Cyrene's face popped up on the screen.
Without hesitation I sat up and answered it. "Hello."
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