“What you want to compare net worths, Sterling?” Her having money was a perk, not something she should feel warranted this serious ass conversation. I stared at her over one of the bouquets of flowers I’d had delivered while I was gone. It was predominantly red roses and the smaller one next to it was for our baby girl.
“I mean…” She looked embarrassed but also like she needed to say more.
“Ling, how much money you got?”
“My mother is a member of the Sanders family.”
“The rich niggas? I thought you grew up in New York?”
She looked stressed and I wondered why this conversation was so hard. “I did. In Sag Harbor.”
“That’s New York?”
She stared at me like I were a child left behind. As though everyone should know where Sag Harbor was. “It’s basically the Hamptons.”
“So you're rich, rich.”
“They are.”
“But you’ve got business interest a trust fund, all that.”
She hesitated before nodding. “I do.”
“Good. That still doesn’t mean I’m not going to do everything I need to for you. You might have money but I don’t need you spending it on me.”
“But you can spend yours on me?”
“Yeah. See how easy that concept is for, mama?” I was talking to Sterling but looking directly at Ami. My baby was laughing her head off at me trolling her mama.
“You don’t feel some kind of way because—”
“‘Cause you got money? Hell nah. The fact that you can take care of yourself without me ain’t about to make me feel anything but pride. Only niggas who want to keep their girls under their thumbs try to control them with money. I didn’t want you to spend the money you worked hard for on furnishing this place or paying for things when I got it. You might got it so it ain’t trickin’, but you still ain’t touching a door or your wallet around me.”
“So I can’t ever spend the money I’ve earned?”
“Nah, but you can spend theirs if it makes you feel better.” I bust out laughing because Sterling having money didn’t surprise me. The amount she had didn’t matter cause it wouldn’t affect anything that I had going on. It reassured me that she didn’t need to be here with me, she wanted to be. Hell, if she had a house in the Hamptons money, then she was definitely better off than I could put a number on and it wasn’t my business. It was good to know that she didn’t let her money define her but ifneed be she had more than enough to fall back on for herself no matter how things went.
“You’re crazy.” Her smile was soft showing that she was no longer worried about my reaction.
“Nah I’m honest. If you want me to sign something saying I’m not gonna come after you for palimony or whatever these whack wanna be the girls ass niggas doing out here nowadays I ain’t go no problem.”
“Do you need that from me?” She was biting her lip again and I thought that shit was cute.
“Why would I?”
“To protect your assets.”
“Sterling, I’m about to put this baby down and lay down some punishment with you talking like that. The fuck? You don’t want to spend my bread as it is but you worried that in the future I’mma be mad you wanna spend my bread? Where that makes sense? I’m offering it to you now but you're tossing that shit back at me like fucking John Stockton. I bet you be in your head like, keep your pennies peasant.”
“Aldrich!” She bust out laughing but I saw all the tension from our conversation leave her body.
“That’s why you be calling me that overly formal ass name ain’t it? I should’ve known but it’s cool.”
“I can’t believe you’re not feeling some sorta way about this. I had gotten myself all wound up about you thinking I was keeping something from you.”
My stomach dropped and I stopped bouncing Ami around as I felt the bile try to climb from my stomach to my throat. “Finances are a big issue for relationships, but being private about your money isn’t you doing anything underhanded. I’m sure that you’ve had a bunch of people use that shit against you before so it made you nervous.”
“That’s putting it lightly.”
