“Damn sure did. Dreaux said there was no limit, so I added a new pair of heels to the tab. I was gonna stop and grab a seafood boil bag, but I didn’t want the car to smell like crab legs. You know I love my crab legs and lobster tail.” The two of them talked back and forth until Ciyani stopped to look at me.
“I’m sorry, girl. We weren’t trying to exclude you or anything. When I get around my sisters, I forget where I am. I gave you my name earlier, but I’m sure you’re probably wondering who I am. I’m married to Dreaux’s best friend, Justice. This is my best friend and sister-in-law, Janae. We married brothers, but we’ve been best friends since we were kids.”
“Thank you. I apologize for monopolizing your day. I’m sure y’all have better things to do than spend your day with a stranger.” The two of them looked at each other before they burst out laughing.
“Girl bye. We’re getting paid to shop and decorate all day. Who would turn that down? Plus, Dreaux is basically another one of our brothers, and he rarely asks for anything. When hecalled and asked us to get you and baby girl together, it was a no-brainer. I just hope you like the stuff we bought,” Ciyani expressed.
“Oh, I’m not worried about her liking my shit. One thing I know how to do is put some outfits together. Now, Dreaux told me to get you some clothes for work and around the house. I went ahead and got you some clothes for every occasion. We love to go to lounges or random lunch dates, so I need you to match our fly.” Janae’s words warmed my heart because she included me in their plans.
She rolled her cart into my room, then asked one of the men to get the rest of her things out of the car. When she started opening the bags, I almost passed out. Chop spoiled me with a few designer pieces now and then, but we never went overboard. I wanted to tell her to keep the items in the bag because I was sure she spent way more money than she should have.
“Should I pick out the items I like the most so you can take back the rest?”
“Take back the rest? Girl, are you crazy! All of these are for you. If you see something you don’t like or can’t fit, then you can return it.”
“I don’t know. This seems like a lot. I’m honestly a homebody, so all I really need are a few lounge sets and a couple of outfits I can rotate at the office.” Janae’s face twisted in disbelief before she whipped out her phone. It only rang twice before I heard the familiar voice come through the speakerphone.
“What’s good, sis? You’ve got my bank notifications going crazy.” Dreaux chuckled, but he didn’t seem upset about it.
“You gave me a job, and you know I don’t play. That’s actually what I’m calling about. She’s over here talking about taking some of the clothes back because it’s too much. I need you to talk some sense into her because I would hate to ruin our futurefriendship by smacking her.” Janae passed her phone over to me without warning.
The moment I saw his handsome face on the screen, I grew nervous. Our interaction this morning left me with so many emotions, and I hated how vulnerable I felt.
“I thought I made myself clear when we spoke this morning. My sisters are there to make sure you and my baby girl have what you need. All you need to do is figure out where you want your things and make sure pretty girl has enough toys,” he declared.
“All I said was that this was a lot of money. I don’t need a lot of stuff, and I don’t want you wasting any more money on me than you already have.” I whined like a little kid.
“It’s not your money to waste. Furthermore, you don’t get to tell me how to spend my bread. I’m grown as fuck, and I do what I want. Please stop giving my people a hard time and let them do what I paid them to do.” There wasn’t a smirk or smile on his face, which only confused me more. Dreaux was such a hard person to understand, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to.
“Yes, sir,” I replied sarcastically.
“I like the sound of that. Don’t make me have to interrupt my workday to come up there. If you don’t like something, then you don’t have to keep it, but please don’t overthink this.”
“Okay.” My lips were pouted as I stared into the phone screen.
Dreaux was my boss, so I tried my best not to blur the lines, but I couldn’t pretend like he wasn’t the finest human I’ve ever met. It wasn’t just about his looks either. It was the way that he carried himself. The way he commanded attention just by walking into a room. He was smooth and calculated, but there was also a hint of darkness to him. All of those things combined into one was the reason why I had been having dreams abouthim since the day we met. I would never act on them, though. I had too much to lose, and I was certain that he wasn’t interested anyway.
“Fix your face. I’ll see you later.”
I heard Janae clear her throat after the call disconnected. I noticed the smirk on her face the moment I looked up.
“Well, I guess he told you,” she teased as she continued to put my brand-new clothes on hangers.
“I can’t believe you called him and told on me like a child. I’m so embarrassed.”
“Trust me, I understand exactly where you’re coming from. When I first met my husband, Wisdom, I had walls up that were higher than Mount Everest. I was used to men doing things for me and expecting something in return. I played their game for a while until I grew tired of it, and then I met him.
“He wanted to give me the world, and the only thing he required from me was that I allow him to do so. It took me a while to adjust to his love, and even now, I still find myself fighting it. I question whether I deserve the type of man God gave me, but then I realize that I deserve him.”
“I don’t know what this thing is between you and Dreaux, but what I can say is that he cares about you and your daughter. I have known Dreaux since we were kids, and he has never gone out of his way like this. He donates to all of the shelters in the area, and he does a lot of work in the community, but this is different.”
“Even though I don’t know your story yet, I can tell that you’ve been through a lot. Even if the two of you become nothing more than friends, don’t ever block your blessings. You and baby girl deserve to live a comfortable life, and if someone wants to help you, let them.”
I stood there crying as the weight of Janae’s words lingered in the air. Those two years in jail opened my eyes to so many ofmy mistakes. As much as I loved Chop, he was no good for me. We had always been on two different journeys, but I desperately wanted to be on the same page with him. I used to judge and laugh at the girls who put their men before themselves, but that was exactly what I did.
I was grateful for everything that Dreaux was doing for us, but in the back of my mind, I felt unworthy. Promise, and I would have never been in this situation if I had made better choices after she was born. Hell, even before she was born. My biggest fear was trusting Dreaux because I didn’t want to accept all of his help only for him to take it away from us later.
Janae wrapped her arms around me as I cried into her shoulder. Today had been such a long day for me, and my emotions couldn’t be held in any longer. After we finished going through all of my clothes, I stood in the closet with a heart full of gratitude. Life wasn’t perfect, but I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
