“Don’t even look at it because you’re not getting any,” he huffed.
“Why not? Are you scared?”
“Hell yeah. I’ll already know if I fuck you, it’s over for me.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out. All I know is you’ve got my head fucked up.”
“Momma,” Promise called out from the hallway. She sounded much better than she did last night. I checked myself over to make sure I wasn’t exposed.
“Hey, baby. How are you feeling?”
“Aye, don’t kiss my princess without brushing your teeth and washing your hands,” Dreaux roared. I covered my mouth to hold my laughter in, but when I saw his face, I could no longer contain myself. He headed towards the hall bathroom, so I figured he was doing the same.
“Momma’s gonna go potty, and then we can eat breakfast. Is that okay?”
“Otay, momma.”
I watched her walk over to the couch and take her seat. My little girl was growing up so fast, and it made me feel guilty about all the time I’d missed with her. I tried not to beat myself up too much, but it was easier said than done.
Since Dreaux occupied the hall bathroom, I headed to my bedroom to use my personal one. I should have been embarrassed for sucking a man’s dick after he probably fucked someone the night before, but I wasn’t. I spent so many years being afraid to do what I wanted out of fear of what others would think. This move back to Jonah Hills made me want to start fresh. It was time for me to figure out who I was and what made me happy.
After I took a shower and brushed my teeth, I got dressed and headed back into the front room. I smiled when I saw Dreaux sitting at the table, cutting up Promise’s pancakes. The way he loved my daughter was something I had never seen before. As a mother, you have to be protective of who you allow around your children, but Dreaux never made me question his motives. He genuinely loved and took care of her as if she were his, and it allowed me to see a different side of him.
“You want another piece of bacon?”
“Yes, pwease!”
“I can’t believe y’all got started without me.” I poked my lips out as if I were sad.
“I told you to brush your teeth and wash your hands. After twenty minutes passed, I decided to go ahead and feed my princess. My poor baby’s stomach was growling louder than the damn TV,” he huffed.
“Both of y’all are dramatic.”
When I glanced down at the table, I noticed he had made a plate for me as well. Since I took so long in the shower, I decided to reheat it before I rejoined them at the table. The two of us listened to Promise babble about everything under the sun. Dreaux gave me the day off, but since Promise begged to go with Dana, I decided to go for a few hours. I checked her temperature to be on the safe side, but she seemed to be in much better spirits. She was back to talking and laughing, which were all good signs.
After breakfast, I dressed my little girl and got ready for work. Dreaux told me I could dress down, and I didn’t bother to argue with him.
“Make sure you give Dana her medicine. I already told her to call me if there were any issues.”
“We’ve got it under control. Ain’t that right, pretty?”
“Yes. We got it, momma.” Promise grinned at me, showing all her little teeth.
“Alright. Tell Dana to call me if there are any issues.”
“I hear you. Say goodbye to your worrisome ass, momma.”
“Bye, momma!” Promise blew me a kiss and giggled as I caught it. Her laughter was the cure to every bad day, and I thanked God for her. All I wanted to do was make her proud.
I was still floating on clouds after my morning with Dreaux. He sent me a message to let me know he would be ordering lunch for Maliah and me. Dana took Promise to an interactive children’s museum, and my baby was having the time of her life. Life was going so well lately, I was starting to wonder when the other shoe would drop.
When I texted the ladies this morning and told them about my anxiety, they cussed me out and told me to enjoy the blessings coming my way. Dreaux and I hadn’t established a relationship, but knowing our feelings were mutual gave me some sort of security. Normally, I would be asking what we were, but I decided to leave the ball in his court. I wasn’t going to blow his phone up or concern myself about what he was doing when he wasn’t with me. It was time for me to live life for myself and focus on what I wanted.
The ladies were planning a girls’ night and making a list of what we needed to bring. I never realized how much I craved genuine friendship until they came along. Once we solidified our plans, I put my phone away to focus on work. The day went by smoothly, and by lunchtime, I felt more energized than ever. Staying true to his word, Dreaux had lunch delivered to us. The food was so good, I had to stop myself from licking the container. Maliah said the same thing after she came back from doing an apartment tour.
Since her last two appointments were rescheduled, she decided to leave early. There were only two more hours left in my shift, so I knocked out a few more emails and scheduled some appointments for the upcoming weeks. I loved my job, but lately I had been thinking about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Everyone around me had their own careers they loved.
