“I told you we needed to talk.”
“Well, I don’t have anything to say to you.” Her arms were folded across her chest, and I found myself having a flashback of us making love. A part of me wanted to make love to her one more time, but it would have been selfish of me to do so.
“Okay, well then you can listen. Look, I don’t want to make this a long and drawn-out conversation. You and Promise mean a lot to me, and it’s been that way since we ran into each other at the store. I know you’ve been through a lot of shit, and I won’t add my baggage on top of it.”
“What does that mean?” She whispered as her voice cracked.
“I want to focus my attention on being the best father I can to Promise and co-parent to you. I won’t pretend I don’t have feelings for you because I do. The truth is, I’ve never felt this way about another woman before, and in a perfect world, I would be able to offer you more than a friendship.”
“Wow. I’ve never been played by two men in the same family. This has got to be a new record for me.” Peace spat with sarcasm dripping from her lips.
“Peace, I would never play you. I don’t want you to look at it like I’m?—”
“Like you’re what? Feeding me a bunch of bullshit? Oh, trust me, I know. You think I’m stupid, but I’m not. I picked up on your energy weeks ago, which is why I’ve been keeping my distance. I knew you would end up hurting me, and that’s why I tried so hard not to take it there with you.” Tears fell from her pretty face, but she brushed them away as quickly as they came.
“Peace, I?—”
“Don’t. Contrary to what you might believe, I’m a strong woman. I don’t need you to hold my hand and let me down gently. You don’t need to handle me with kid gloves because if I’ve learned nothing else in life, it’s that people are always gonna do what’s best for them, no matter who it hurts. I’m not upset with you; I’m mad at myself because I knew you were gonna hurt me, but I still held out hope that you would prove me wrong. Look, I’ll make this easy for you. You let me know your schedule, and we can work out an appropriate one for Promise. I’ll coordinate pick-ups and drop-offs with your sisters, or we can meet at a public location of your choice.”
“Wait, what do you mean? Why would we need to switch off at a public place? What’s wrong with the way we’ve been doing things?” The coldness in her tone caught me off guard, and I could feel the shift in the room.
“I think it’s best if we keep our distance from one another for the time being. We both agree the focus needs to be on Promise, so I want to avoid any lines being crossed as we navigate this new normal.”
“What about her bedtime stories? We have a routine.”
“I would suggest you find a way to adjust your routine. Dana will still be watching her until I find a suitable daycare, so maybe you can do your routine while she’s there or figure out a way to do it over the phone. Either way, this will be your last time coming inside my home without an invitation. Please make sureyou leave your spare key here, or I can have someone change the locks.”
“You do know I own this building. By law, I have to have access to every unit in this complex.” I challenged.
“As my property manager, you have rights, but even those come with boundaries. You have to give notice before you enter my place, and even then, you need a valid reason. There will be no more coming in and out of my place, as if you live here. And don’t bother with giving me the ‘I pay bills’ speech because I no longer need your money. I would assume you would continue helping out for the sake of Promise, but I have no issues providing for us.”
A part of me was proud of her for standing on business, even though it was towards me. She had every right to protect her peace, and I couldn’t be upset because I asked for it.
“I’ll still cover the bills here. I already have an account set up for Promise, but I’ll set up another one for child support. The money will be sent to you monthly. If she needs anything else, let me know. I’m gonna head out of here so I can get some things in order.” I stepped closer to her, but she backed away from me. Once I got to her bedroom door, I turned to look at her one more time. Everything about Peace was perfect, and it killed me to disappoint her.
“I know you think I’m doing this to hurt you, but it’s the opposite. I’ve got some shit I need to work on within myself before I can be the kind of man you deserve. Instead of stringing you along until I get my shit together, I would rather you live the life you and I both know you deserve. Regardless of anything, I’ll always be here for you and my daughter. That’s one thing you never have to worry about.” There were so many other things I wanted to say, but I decided to leave things where they were for now.
I peeked in on my baby girl one last time before leaving their place. As I headed to my whip, I hoped I was doing the right thing. I lived most of my life with no regrets, but for the first time, I questioned whether I made the right decision. I guess only time would tell.
peace graham
. . .
a few months later
“This is so nice,boo! I see you’re stepping into your soft girl era and being spoiled by a boss.” Ciyani cheered, holding up her glass of champagne. We were celebrating my birthday on a yacht, something I never dreamed I would be doing at twenty-five. Kavello said he wanted this birthday to be one I would never forget, and he stopped at nothing to make it happen.
“Thank you, love. It’s been great, but I’m more excited to have my family with me.” Kavello invited my girls and their spouses to celebrate with me on my big day. The smile on my face couldn’t be wiped off for anything in the world. I never cared for birthdays, but this one held a lot of meaning to me.
“You should know by now, there is no place we would rather be. You deserve everything coming your way.”
Kavello booked a private chef for the day, and she was incredible. Each dish tasted better than the one before, and I wasn’t even sure how that was possible, since everything was delicious.
“Happy Birthday, Sis.” Rule greeted me with four large, gold gift bags in his hands. We talked often, but since he traveled so much, I rarely got to see him.
“Happy Birthday, beautiful.” His gorgeous wife, Nayeli, hugged me. She smelled like wealth and sweetness wrapped in one.
“Thank you both for coming.”
