“A little of both, actually,” she confessed. “I mean, I can’t be too mad at you and other women because we aren’t together. But it’s kind of hard explaining to my private school, suburban-raised kids that I’m in fact dating a man that spent the last eleven years in prison. No matter how much I tell them I’m grown, and I got this, they still walk around giving me the side eye. Yes, I’m grown, but I also have to set an example for them.”
“Say less.” Tech’s tone was low and crisp. Almost sharp. His words made Blossom draw back.
“What do you mean ‘say less’?” It sounded as if he was dismissing the conversation.
“It means I understand. You’re a mother. You can’t be out here telling your sons not to be criminals while dating one.”
His words made Blossom’s chest tighten. He hadn’t uttered one disrespectful word or raised his voice, but she knew he felt slighted. Her lips parted but no sound came out. He agreed with her and even if he was being sarcastic, that wasn’t what she wanted.
“I just need to figure it out,” she responded. Blossom felt she was entirely too old to be sneaking around, but she didn’t want her sons looking at her different. She also didn’t want to give up the way she felt when she was with Tech.
“You do that.”
He turned to get in his car, and she didn’t stop him. Inside the car, Tech pushed out a low chuckle when he saw that he had a missed call from Alora. Maybe Cedric did put her on him and maybe she did get information from him to take back to Cedric, but she wanted the D in real life. Her thirsty ass wanted it bad. If he was a different kind of man, he would have given her the bestdick she ever had in her life then ghost her, but Tech didn’t have time for the bullshit. Cedric was a fuck nigga. And as much as he wanted to be annoyed with Blossom, it was what it was.
She’d never dated a street nigga, and he couldn’t be mad that she wasn’t up for the challenge of trying to convince her family that she was dealing with a man fresh out of prison. Anything she said in his defense probably made her sound like a dick dumb idiot that was having a mid-life crisis. Tech drove to Tasha’s house, so he could get Unique while Tasha went to the doctor. Brazil was out of town for a soccer game.
It would be his first time seeing his ex since he got out, but he wasn’t worried. Tasha wasn’t as childish as Selena. When she decided she didn’t want him anymore, that was what it was. She never once tried to spin the block to sleep with him or get back with him, and most important, she never used his kids against him. For that he would always respect her and to this day, if she needed something and he had it, she could get it. But he knew that day more than likely would never come because his boys took good care of their mother.
When Tech arrived at Tasha’s house, she was waiting for him with Unique ready in her carrier. It was hard for him to believe that he had two granddaughters. Tech couldn’t wait until he was able to hold Lyric. He was going to get on his shit, regardless, but having two grandchildren lit a different kind of fire underneath him. As long as he had breath in his body, his grandkids would live just as good as his kids had, but it would be done with legal money and not dope money.
“What’s going on?” Tech stepped over the threshold into Tasha’s house. She was dressed in a mint green wrap dress. He hadn’t seen her in eleven years, but she was still pretty as ever.
“What’s up, Old Man?” She eyed him with a smirk. “That beard has more salt than pepper.”
Tech laughed at the dig. “Yeah, it does, but that just means I’m wise as hell and sexy with it. I’m no genius but something tells me your hair would have a lil’ salt in it, too, if it wasn’t for that blonde dye.”
“Don’t worry about what I got going over here,” she jested, making him laugh louder.
Tech would never deny that he did Tasha wrong while they were together. He didn’t cheat the entire time, but he cheated one time too many. He couldn’t blame her for leaving him. Shit, he didn’t deserve her. He would never be mad at her for choosing herself. That was what she was supposed to do. Tech was glad they could laugh and joke with one another and that she didn’t still hate him.
“Lethal told me Symphony and Averi are giving Khrome a push party. I don’t know what the hell that is, but what kind of gift am I supposed to get her?”
Tasha shook her head. “These young folks are always making something up. From baby showers to gender reveals and now push parties. I think it’s just to buy her things and make her feel supported because she doesn’t have friends or family. I’ve never met her, and I don’t know what she likes, so I’m going to get her a gift card for a massage.”
Tech gave a subtle nod. “I’ll probably get her a gift card, too. Well, aight, we’ll get out of here. I know you have to get to the doctor. I’ll bring her back before it gets too late.” Brazil wouldn’t be back until the next day, so Tasha was keeping Unique overnight.
“Okay. I shouldn’t be gone more than two hours.”
Tech made sure Unique’s carrier was buckled in securely. In the car, he thought about the fact that without Blossom on his roster, he had to find someone else to fill her spot in his bedroom. All he could do was shake his head. Life was easierback in the day when women came at him in droves, and all he had to do was fuck them and leave them.
CHAPTER 16
Giavanna sat curledup on the chaise lounge that was placed in front of her window. She held a cup of tea in her hands, and she was staring out into the yard that she’d seen a million times. Every day that she woke up, and she was still breathing, Giavanna had a reason to be happy. But there also always seemed to be reasons for her to be sad. Five conversations. Five conversations were all it took for Tremaine to ghost her. They didn’t even make it to a first date. When she first revealed her diagnosis to him, he swore he was all in. The flowers were a beautiful gesture and made her feel like she had one more person in her corner. That façade didn’t last long at all.
It wasn’t like she was in love with him but dating and having a companion would make her feel normal. It might have helped distract her from her troubles, made her feel like she was still desirable even on the days she felt the yuckiest, and those days were plenty. Aside from losing her hair, chemo was turning her fingernails black. Giavanna hated it so much that she kept her hands balled into fists most times, so she wouldn’t have to look at them. Her skin always felt dry and itchy, and she had lost about fifteen pounds; weight that looked good on her and that she had no desire to lose. It was gone.
Brazil was coming by with Unique, and she was looking forward to seeing her. She just wished there was a magic pill she could take that would make her happy. Giavanna had no desire to be down around Brazil, but she couldn’t help it. Faking smiles and lying about being okay was often exhausting. There were days she was tired of being sad, and there were days she was tired of faking being happy. Seeing Unique would definitely brighten her day, so it was Giavanna’s hope that Brazil wouldn’t notice her somber mood. When it came to her, he was observant, however. She could probably even describe him as attentive, and that was scary.
Brazil was everything she would want in a partner from his looks and personality to his parenting skills and his bank account. The only bad thing she could say about him was that he was Kera’s baby daddy. When Brazil’s car pulled into her driveway, she took one last sip of tea and stood to take the mug into the kitchen. Her next stop was Unique’s room where she grabbed bags of toys and clothes that she’d bought her. Even though Unique was very young, there were still times that Giavanna cried at night because her house didn’t feel the same without Unique there.
The doorbell rang as she was setting the bags on the couch. When Giavanna opened the door and saw Brazil standing there with a grinning Unique in his arms, a smile a mile wide stretched across her face.
“Oh, my goodness, you are getting so big,” she squealed and reached for Unique. “Why does it feel like I haven’t seen you in forever, and it’s only been a week? What are you feeding her?” She looked over at Brazil.
He scratched at his brow with his pinky nail. “I can tell you what I feed her. I don’t know about my parents. They might have shorty eating chicken and waffles.”
Sitting down, she placed Unique on her lap and sniffed her. “You smell so good. Oh, I miss this smell.” She sighed.
