Kacey smiled as she walked up to Gunner, looking him from head to toe. He was looking good dressed in his all black, he was looking alittle too dressed up for just a lunch date. Well Kacey wouldn't even call it a date, she thought of it as lunch with an old friend .
"Wassup, shorr." He stood up pulling her into a hug, as she inhaled his cologne. She could tell it was the Black Orchid from Tom Fords collection.
"Hey." She grinned from ear to ear like a little kid, "And who the hell is shorr?"
"It's the way we speak in Baltimore. It mean shorty."
"Oh, cause I was finna get in on your ass." He chuckles. "You're all dressed up for this lunch."
He chuckles,"Oh, yea. I got somewhere I gotta be later on after this." Kacey raises an eyebrow as she nodded. "I got a show to perform at."
"I should've figured that. I'm sorry." She apologizes.
"Nah, you straight. It's been a while." They started walking as he opened the door up to this new restaurant called Penelope.
Even though Kacey was the one who asked him out to lunch he had already knew where he wanted to go and he made reservations for them.
"Last name?" The waiter at the front asked as he looked at Gunner.
"Castillo." The waiter nodded as he grabbed two menus before he directed them both to their seats. It was nicely furnished and it had a good amount of people here. Good thing it wasn't crowded because Kacey hated crowded spaces.
Once they were seated immediately a waitress was there to take their order. Kacey just stuck with a chicken Caesar salad and a glass of lemonade.
"So, what's been going on with you, the past two in a half years?" Kacey questioned once the waitress walked away.
"Shit ain't much. Just been in the studio working everyday. Got a few more tracks to record before I drop my mixtape."
"Well, I would love to come by and hear something."
"Yeah?" He questioned and she nodded, "Dont worry it ain't none of that SoundCloud rapping shit."
Kacey laughed, "You remember that?" She asked remembering the time they went on their first date to the Cheesecake Factory.
"Of course. A nigga remember everything."
Kacey couldn't help but smile because she could see that Gunner was a sweet guy with a great personality. Even though he didn't show his personality right away, she could see he was beginning to get comfortable with her.
"How bout this." He suggested as Kacey looked up listening to him. "You come to my show tonight."
"Tonight?" She reiterated. She knew she wasn't going to be busy today and her mom would have no problem watching over the kids unless she was busy with her boyfriend Derrick.
"Yeah, if you ain't busy though."
"No, no. I'm not busy. I would love to come to your show."
"Ard."
The waitress had finally came back with their food as they digged in. Their lunch consisted on getting to know each other better and it was filled with a bunch of genuine laughs. Kacey hadn't felt a genuine conversation with a male in a while and it was good to sit down with someone without them disrespecting you all the time or trying to find a reason to start a argument.
"Them mufuckas cuttin' up ova dere." Gunner chuckled as Kacey looked over at the elderly couple who had been making out.
She scrunched her face up before laughing,"Ew."
"Don't be ova dere hating on them. That's gone be us in a couple of years."
Kacey caught on to what he said before she smirked, "Oh, yeah. So you got some plans for us in the future?"
He nodded his head, "Definitely."
Their lunch date ended as Gunner walked with Kacey to her car. Kacey definitely had plans on going out with him again. He had a good vibe to him and obviously god had some plans with them because she ran into him again three years later. She genuinely wanted to have a friendship with him and she didn't know if it would go further due to her current situation with Montana.
Gunner definitely was a sweet guy but she knew it was just all an act for her. All these guys had a different side to them that she soon would find out later on.
He opens her car door for her as she thanks him, getting inside, before he asks. "So, Ima see you later on tonight?"
"Yes, I'll be there. Just send me the address."
"Nah, Ima have my driver come pick you up instead. Just send me yo address and I'll let you know when he on his way."
"Driver? Oh okay, since you got it like that." She jokes with a chuckle.
"Ard, Ima see you later, beautiful."
She smiles. "Bye."
Kacey sat on the toilet as she looked at the pregnancy test. She looked up at god praying she would see the right thing she hoped for on the test. She properly wiped herself before washing her hands and placing the test on the counter.
She set a timer on her phone for three minutes and she had no choice but to wait until the timer went off.
Even though babies were blessings for her and she already had two of her own, she didn't want another just yet. Kaija wasn't even one yet and she wasn't ready for another baby and it would definitely complicate things between her and Montana. She still didn't even know how she felt about the relationship with Montana, If she was truly ready to end it or if she wanted them to separate for a while and work on themselves.
Three minutes passed quickly as Kacey took a deep breath picking up the pregnancy test. She read the words as they read not pregnant. She dropped the test jumping up and down in joy.
"Yes! Thank you, Jesus."
Even though she knew that even if a test said negative it was still a possibility she could be pregnant, but until she felt any other signs at this moment she was not pregnant with her fourth child.
Once she threw away the test she got in the shower. Once she was out the shower she went ahead and called her mom to see if she would be able to watch the kids.
"Major!" She called out as she walked down the stairs, wrapping her wet hair around with a towel.
"Yes!" He called back from the living room.
"Yes, What?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow as she turned the corner walking into the living room.
"Yes, mommy." He spoke in a aggravated tone as he kicked his feet back and forth watching a YouTube video from her phone.
"You always on that iPad. You need to go learn yo ABCs." She looks next to him seeing Kaija. "I told you to watch her and you got her with the remote in her mouth." She walks over to the baby, taking the remote from her little hands, before she picked her up.
"She wouldn't stop crying, so I give her that."
"Well, Ima need my phone,papa." She takes the phone from him as he whined sticking his hand out for it. "Keep whining and ima give you a spanking. How bout that?"
"Humph." He huffed wrapped his arms around himself with a pout on his face.
"That's what I thought." She shifted Kaija from her left arm into her right. She dialed her moms number as she waited for an answer.
"Hey, honey."
"Hey, momma. What you up to?"
"Nothing much right now. How my grandbabies doing?"
Kacey's mouth fell ajar, "Wow, I guess your daughter ain't that important to be asked that question."
Athena chuckled on the end, "Your jealousy is starting to show baby. Cover that up."
Kacey laughed at her mother's silliness, "Mhm. I gotta ask you a favor."
"If it involves any of my grandchildren you know I'll do it for you."
"I'm glad you say that. Do you think you could watch them tonight for me?"
"What, mommy!" Major pops his head up looking at his mom.
"Tonight baby? I'm sorry you know I would've but Derrick asked me to be his plus one for his event at the gallery."
"It's fine. You know momma gotta have a life too." She laughed mimicking Jody from the movie baby boy.
"You're a trip. I love you. Tell the kids I love them too."
"Alright, ma. I love you too."
She blew out a raspberry as she searched through her contacts for another person. Kaija laid on her chest as she fought her sleep. Major got up off the couch as he walked out the living room.
"Where you going?" She asked her son watching as he walked in the direction to downstairs.
"With daddy."
"He's here?" She questioned and he nodded.
She tossed her phone on the couch as she followed behind Major downstairs. Low music could be heard as she walked down there and smelled the scent of marijuana.
"Major, stop touching shit." Montana placed his blunt down as he pulled Major away from the equipment.
Kacey made her presence known as she cleared her throat causing him to look up at her. "You got anywhere to be later on?"
He looked down at his Richard Mille for the time. "Around ten. Why? Waddup?"
"Could you watch the kids? I got somewhere I wanna go but my momma not able to watch them."
"You ain't ever gotta ask me to watch my kids. And where you going?"
"Out." She scrunched her face up, "Do I ask you where you be going when you leaving out?"
"Don't even start that shit." He shook his head already knowing where the conversation was hearing. "I was just asking a fucking question and here you go with that attitude shit."
"I don't have a attitude, you're the one with the attitude. Talking bout 'you ain't ever gotta ask me to watch my kids' cause obviously I do when you always leaving the house."
"Cuz don't make it seem like I'm never home."
"That's exactly what it is." She chuckled finding this conversation amusing, "Why you here anyway? I thought you said you had you a spot."
"Don't worry bout what I got going on. You tryna kick me out a house I paid for...the fuck."
"Correction a house I helped you pay for."
He laughed shaking his head,"With what, money?"
"What money?" She reiterated shifting her weight onto her other leg as she held Kaija securely in her arm. "Bitch, you know what money. Don't play with me."
He cut his eyes at her, pointing his finger at her. "Watch yo mouth."
"No, you watch your mouth. You not gonna sit up here disrespecting me! You know what money I used, and last time I checked my name is on the lease too."
"What fucking lease? Kacey you ain't have shit to your name before me so where is this money that you referring to that magical appeared?" He questioned with a hard frown on his face.
"You wanna bring up the past when I ain't talking about the past. I'm talking about right now!"
Montana looked down at Major who was covering his ears. He picked Major up placing him on his lap, "I'm done with this conversation with you. I ain't gone keep arguing with you in front of my child."
She scoffed,"Yeah, cause you're so holy, like you ain't never disrespected me in front of them." She turned around making her way back upstairs.
*****
Montana made his way to Wrens door as he stood there hearing two voices yelling at each other. He didn't want to ease drop but he couldn't help but hear since they were loud as hell. The whole neighborhood have to have heard too.
"Mama, just go!"
"Wren please." He heard the feminine voice beg. "I bet if it was Jennifer or Carlisle you would do it. I didn't come over here for nothing!"
"Well, you sure are gonna leave empty handed!"
He stood there confused with his hands stuffed in his pockets before he decided to knock loudly on her door. The door swung opened and a dark skin middle aged woman stumbled out. She looked up at Montana before looking back at Wren. "So, this is why I have to leave? You're choosing a thug over your mother?"
Wren scoffed at her ignorance, "Daddy must have been a thug too. Bye." Wren walked up to the door holding it open as she looked at Montana.
"Ima call you later."
"Don't bother to." Wren watched as her mom walked out the door. She released a breath she had been holding in before looking back at Montana.
"If this was a bad time, you could've reschedule."
"I didn't know she was coming over." Wren shrugged her shoulders.
"What happened to yo lip?" He used the his thumb to wipe the blood from her lip.
"What?" She touched her lip, then looked at his finger. "She hit me." Wren shrugged.
He raised an eyebrow, "..And you let yo mama put her hands on you?"
"Oh, was I supposed to hit her back? Are we here to talk about me or help you?" She questioned folding her arms across her chest. Montana nodded as he walked inside.
When Montana walked in, he examined her condo looking around. The place was actual a good size for a condo, it was decorated and nicely furnished. He could tell she liked her things organized and she wasn't the type to leave her things around the place.
"You got a nice crib." Montana spoke as he took a seat on her couch. "It's real comfy in here." He spread his arms out on the head of the sofa.
"I don't really think it's that nice, but thanks." She accepted his compliment.
He chuckled, "You just had to add something in instead of taking my compliment."
"Be quiet." She laughed lightly, "Close your eyes." She instructed as he raised an eyebrow.
"For what? You ain't finna do some crazy shit now?"
"Negro, please. Ain't nothing gonna happen to you. I'm going to show you something, but I ain't gonna force you to close yo eyes." She disappears out of the living room.
Montana shook his head, smirking, as he covered his eyes with his hand.
When he heard footsteps he didn't wait for her as he opened his eyes. "I know that ain't the shit you had to show me."
"You should be real intrigued, because I know, you don't know what the hell this is." She snapped her neck at him as she held the crystal singing bowl in her hand. "It's a crystal singing bowl. It's what I use when I meditate, and you're gonna use it."
He nodded, "Aight. How it work?"
"Hold this." She walked over to him handing him the bowl. She walked over to her dining area grabbing a chair, pulling it into the living room. "I want you to take off your sweater and sit here."
Listening to her, he stood up taking off his Kappa sweater as he walked over to the chair sitting down.
"Since it's your first time. I'ma hold the bowl."
"Aight. A nigga still confused on why you need this bowl."
"I think I like it better when your mute button is off instead of on."
Wren was finally able to explain everything to Montana. She needed him to sit in the chair so he could get comfortable. The first thing she told him to do was take a deep breath so he become relaxed. She had set a timer on her iPhone for ten minutes.
She explained to him that everytime she moved the mallet around the bowl he had to focus on his breathing and the way his body moved. That should help his mind wander off and get to thinking about all the negative things in his life that shouldn't be there. Every time he heard the crystal singing bowl his mind should wander off and his body will feel at ease. The most important thing you needed was quietness.
The alarm rung and Wren smiled and he opened his eyes.
"So...?" She questioned hoping that process helped him, even though it was day one.
"You a mufucking witch or something, cuz." He says as Wren began laughing. "A nigga almost forgot his name for a second."
"Well, how did it feel? How did you feel?"
"I ain't gone lie at first I wasn't feeling shit and all I could think about was the shit I didn't want to think about." She nodded listening to him, "But after a minute I started to feel something and it definitely was a good feeling."
"That's exactly how it was supposed to feel. Now you can give it a try when you're at home."
He smirked,"Nah, I like it better when you here with me."
"Yeah, Montana, Whatever."
After their little session, Wren being a nice person she offered him dinner, since she had cooked and hadn't ate and there was a lot more left over. They both sat in her couch as they engaged in a conversation.
"So.." He cleared his throat, "That was yo moms here earlier?"
"Yeah." She swallowed her food looking at him. "That was my biological mom."
"I remember you telling me bout her back at the club. I thought—"
"I thought so too." She chuckled. "She was clean for a couple of months but I guess she's back to her first habit."
"You know why?"
"I don't even think she knows why she drinks. I mean I have a concept in my head of why but..." She shrugs her shoulders.
"Tell me." He could tell that she was holding back on saying something. He didn't know much about Wren and this was the perfect opportunity to get to know her and where she came from.
"I was about nine when my dad was killed by my godfather. I mean you know, he was jealous of what my dad had and he couldn't have it. Before he died my mom was great. She did everything for me and made sure I was straight, I was their only child. When he passed, I lost her too. She started drinking heavily. I was only seven and I used to be home up late at night waiting for her to come home. People would find her laid out drunk in alleys and all kinds of things. One day my neighbors came home to check on me and saw my mom wasn't home. They called Cps on her, so I was put in the system. I didn't have any other family. Until one day, a white couple adopted me. I didn't want to go, I had this idea that they were some racist folks who were gonna keep me as their slave or something." She shook her head.
"But, they were great people. They raised me and did a good job. I was about twelve when they told me, my mom had gone to rehab and was out. She had came looking for me and I was able to see her. I loved my parents but I loved my mom too. When I turned sixteen I was coming home from dinner with my parents and my mom was laying out in their driveway wasted. I don't know what gone into me but one day I met this girl at school and she was popping pills. She was great at persuading me and I decided to give it a try. I did a whole lot of other shit too. I try to tell myself I didn't know why I did it, but I know it was because of my mom."
"I wanted her to do better for herself but she had to want to do better for herself too. Long story short my adoptive parents found out and forced me into rehab. At the time I was eighteen and they said my mom checked into rehab, so of course I didn't fight them on going to rehab. Five years later were at the starting line with her again."
"That's fucked up..."
"It is." She sighed playing with her food since her whole appetite was crush just by talking about her mom. "Like, this man died fourteen years ago. You have a daughter you had to raise but instead you wanna waste your time drinking your life away. He would have never wanted that. She's so selfish but I love her. All I want to do is have a relationship with her." Wren chuckled standing up from her spot. "Are you finished?"
Wren probably knew he was wondering why he was telling him a lot of her personal business but she didn't care because she was a open person and everything in her past is what made her into the woman she is now.
"I'm sorry to hear about yo moms. He handed her his plate. "But sometimes you gotta cut toxic people out yo life."
She walked to her kitchen emptying both plates."I'm all she has at this point."
"Since you older now, you ever try to talk to her into getting back into rehab?"
"No, because she never stays too long to have that conversation."
Montana gets up from the couch walking over to the kitchen. He stands behind Wren before turning her around looking down at her. He places his hands on her waist. "Well, maybe. You should talk to her."
Wren stood there listening to him as she got lost in his eyes. She watched as he moved his head down getting closer to her lips. Their lips touched as he grabbed her face deepening the kiss. Wren accidentally kissed him back before she realized what he was doing.
She shoved him back, looking at him with widened eyes, "What the hell!"
"I ain't mean to do that."
She scoffed, "You didn't mean to? Is that why you decided to come over? You thought this whole thing was gonna get you a chance at fucking me, huh?"
He chuckled , "That's definitely not why I came over."
"Yeah. I'm sure."
"Why you overreacting?"
She pointed to herself, "I'm overreacting? When I met you at the club, I thought you were just like all the other niggas who tried to sweet talk their way into my panties. But then you weren't even on that kind of timing, but I guess I spoke too soon. You're no different." She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. She patted his chest. "You can let yourself out."
Questions/Thoughts?
Kacey and Gunner's date? Would it be a good idea for her to attend his show?
Kacey and Montana's argument?
We got to know alittle bit more about Wren...Opinions on her and how she handled the situation with Montana?