When she turned back to me, she grinned. “What do you think?”
“Doesn’t matter what I think, it’s what you think, Rim.”
“I think you’re doing great with your daughter. Her eyes brighten every time she sees you and it’s obvious you are her favorite person. Now which meat do you want? Chicken or steak, daddy?”
She said daddy in a taunting way, but that didn’t stop all the blood from rushing to my dick. “Karim.”
She grinned. “I’m waiting. Beef, steak, or chicken?”
“Steak,” I grunted, eyes moving around the crowded store to look at anything but her ass.
“Okay.” She grabbed it then turned back to me. “What exactly do you eat on your tacos?”
“Everything.”
She didn’t offer a response, just a nod.
“Rim, can I play games on your phone?” Romance asked.
Without a lick of hesitation, Rim unlocked her phone and handed it to her. That made my shit even harder, the way she treated my baby. She treated her like she was her own.
We resumed walking toward the dairy section.
“And what about you? Am I doing this shit right?” I asked once we reached the cheese section.
She stood back and looked me up and down. “I’m probably biased, but you didn’t ghost me nor did you feign busy to avoid me. You’ve been different, and before you ask, that’s a good thing.”
I chuckled. “In short.”
“I like being with you, Reminisce, and I feel like you like being with me too. That’s all that matters, especially since you said you weren’t going anywhere, right?”
I nodded, not offering a response at first, but then it slipped from my lips. “I’m not.”
“Good, because if you hurt me at this point, I’m liable to shoot you.”
“Damn, Rim, you’d knock me off?”
“Nah, I can’t leave RoRo without her daddy, but I’d definitely let you feel something so you’d be reminded of why I’m not to be fucked with.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” I glanced down at Romance, then back at Karim. She was right. At this point I had a list of shit I didn’t want to fuck up, but both of them were at the top.
“Karim, that you?” A heavy voice made Karim’s whole body go rigid. I picked up on it easily because I was fluent in her energy and had been since the moment she first let me touch her.Friends, my ass. Shit, friends made the best lovers.
“You got some nerve to be calling my name like we’re friends or something.” Her voice was even different.
“Figured I’d at least speak to an old friend.”
She chuckled dryly, causing me to step up behind her, letting her know I was there. “You must want me to make good on my promise.”
“Toro, baby, I found the cream cheese.” A woman’s voice made me look away from the exchange briefly. Shorty was about five foot six, pregnant, and ugly as a fucking duckling. I didn’tmiss the expression on her face when she laid eyes on Karim, which let me know there was history there. It was then that it hit me. When Karim and I first met, she had been fucked up over some nigga who had done her dirty. It was the main reason she gave me that spiel about not looking for anything serious.
“Yeah. Good. It was nice seeing you, Karim.” His eyes were on Karim like he was on some taunting shit.
I stepped around her about to knock dude and that slick ass smirk on his ass, but one word caught my attention and cut my thoughts back on.
“Daddy. Look! I won.” Romance’s voice made me look at her. Then I stopped moving.
Shit, I couldn’t hit this nigga if I wanted to. I saw myself knocking his bitch ass into the dairy cooler, but I couldn’t. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one thinking something. When ol’ boy went to walk past Rim, she slid her foot out and tripped him. He busted his shit, falling face first on the market floor. It made a loud thud.
