“You and this friend shit. I don’t know why you’re still on that because we were never friends.” I chuckled when her nose wrinkled and her eyebrows bunched together.
“Well, we damn sure weren’t lovers because you didn’t want me,” she joked. I could tell it stung because of the sarcasm.
“Is that what you think?”
We hadn’t talked in depth about our relationship since I ended things, so I never knew what she felt about the situation.
“We don’t need to discuss this. I promise, I’m not upset, and I completely understand. We’re better as co-parents, and I’m grateful we’re able to come together for Promise.” Peace was trying to deflect from the conversation, but I realized it was my fault. I never took the time to explain anything to her, so from her perspective, it came off as rejection. Even though I couldn’t tell her the full truth, I wasn’t about to allow her to think something that wasn’t true.
“My reason for putting a pause on our situation had nothing to do with me not wanting you.”
“You don’t have to explai?—”
“Obviously, I do because you’ve got it all wrong. I made the decision to fall back because I had unfinished business to take care of, and I didn’t want you and Promise to be caught in the middle of my shit. If you thought for a second I didn’t want to be with you, then you need to put that out yo’ head because it’s not true.”
“I wish you had done a better job communicating your feelings, but I guess it doesn’t matter now.”
“What makes you think that?” I asked.
“I’m in a relationship with Kavello and?—”
“For now.” I interrupted.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You must be crazy if you thought you and ol’ boy were gonna last. The only reason that man is still around and ain’t on a shirt is because I still have some shit to clean up.” I smirked when I saw the horrified look on her face. Peace clearly didn’t know who her baby daddy was, but it was time for her to find out.
“You can’t go around making empty threats. Besides, you have no control over who I date. That decision is mine to make.”
“My threats are fully loaded, lil’ mama. And I never said it wasn’t your decision to make. I’m gonna give you a choice; there just won’t be any other contenders.” I shrugged as I retrieved my ringing phone.
I had been receiving calls from unknown numbers, and I believed they were from Belleza’s crazy ass. The sooner I dealt with her, the sooner I could be with my family.
“I gotta handle some business. Let me know when you and my baby leave. I promised to bring her some ice cream tonight.” I informed her.
“You are ridiculous. Let me know what you find out from Truth. I meant what I said about being there for you.” Peace opened her arms to hug me, and I pulled her into me.
I kissed the top of her head as I thought about everything going on in my life. Belleza needed to be out of the picture once and for all, so I could focus on the family I created. Peace thought I was joking when I said buddy’s time was up, but I meant every word. Now that I saw the kind of life I could have with her and Promise, no one was gonna take it away from me.
peace graham
. . .
one week later
“You do knowthat I don’t need you to come with me, right?”
“Yeah, I know, but I wanted to come. You’ve been there for me through all of my shit; it’s only right that I do the same for you. Besides, I’ve been looking for a church home. This will be my opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.” Truthfully, I was worried about Dreaux’s mental state and wanted to make sure he was okay. The incident at Ciyani’s house made me realize I hadn’t been as good a friend towards him as he had been to me, and that wasn’t fair to him. He deserved reciprocity, and I vowed to do better at showing him I cared. Regardless of anything else, we were Promise’s parents, and it was important for us to get along.
“Is this the place?” The church was so big that it almost looked like a college campus. The parking lots were filled to the max, and I wondered what kind of event they were having. Internally, I questioned my wardrobe choice because I wasn’tdressed for a church service. We were both wearing t-shirts and jeans, and I was sure we would stick out like sore thumbs.
“Are you okay?” I asked, noticing how anxious he seemed. Dreaux was usually calm, cool, and collected, so this version of him was different.
“Yeah, I’m straight.”
His eyes seemed to hold a mix of sadness and anger. I had never witnessed Dreaux in such a defeated state, and it hurt that I couldn’t fix it for him. I stepped out of the car and waited for him to get out on his side. The walk to the building was quiet, but I knew it was because he had so many thoughts on his mind.
His sisters were in the group chat asking for updates because I told them where we were going. They were all filled with guilt, and I prayed we would all be able to come together once this was all over.
