I burst into laughter. “What man you got other than me?” I frowned and leaned closer to her. I took a deep inhale, trying to calm myself down. I had figured as much could happen, but to hear it had me ready to go on a damn murdering spree. “You been giving my pussy away, El?”
She paused what she was doing and took a step back. “You don’t get to ask me that, Perfect, and if you’re not going to stop talking, then I’m not going to finish.” Since I didn’t want to be out here looking crazy, I used my fingers to show her that I was zipping my lips closed. “That’s what I thought.”
I nodded, loving the way she was playing it. I kept quiet for the rest of my haircut. When she finished, she handed me the mirror so I could see myself. I didn’t even look at myself; I turned it so I was looking at her standing behind me.
“You like it?” I questioned.
“It doesn’t matter what I like.” She rolled her eyes before snatching the mirror from me. “That’ll be a hundred. Then, you can see your way out.”
I laughed while standing to my full height. I walked up on her, then stared down at her. “How long you going to be mad at me? What daddy gotta do to make things right?”
“Get the fuck out of my face and never come back here.”
I shook my head. “Nah, I’m not going to be able to do that.”
She groaned. “Just give me my money and get out, Perfect.”
Going into my wallet, I pulled out two hundred-dollar bills and placed them in her open palm. “I’m taking you out on a date to explain myself.”
She shoved the money in the pocket of her trousers and picked up the broom, leaning against the wall. “No, thank you. I already told you I don’t need any explanations. I’m over it.”
“Then why are you so upset right now . . . If you don’t give a fuck and are so over it?”
She planted a hand on her hip. “I don’t know. Probably because you blindsided me.”
I stepped even closer, and she tried to run from me, but the wall and the booth kept her trapped in place. “That’s not the only thing I’m going to do to you. Let me explain, Rockel, or I’m going to show up here every day until you give in.”
“I will call the police on you and get a restraining order.”
I frowned. “As a nigga who spent seven years in prison, I don’t like that joke.”
“Good, because I’m not joking. I will really do that.”
I slowly backed away while nodding. “Whatever you say, Princess. See you tomorrow night. Same time.”
She could think I was playing all she wanted, but I was not joking about getting my woman back. Whatever life she thought she’d built without me was over. I would literally be at her shop every night until she was ready for us to move forward—together.
I releaseda shaky breath while watching Perfect’s retreating frame. Plopping down in my seat, I stared in the direction he’d gone in even after he completely disappeared from my line of sight. How dare he come in here looking likethat? Yes, he was finer than the last time I saw him, but he had some nerve, thinking I owed him anything after he left me without any forewarning. Now he was back and acting like I was supposed to forgive him?
I shook my head, and before I knew it, everything I was feeling boiled over. Since getting that positive pregnancy test, nothing was the same. I buried my face in my hands, allowing myself to bawl in the solitude of my shop. After three long, lonely years, I was convinced I would never see him again. Yet he’dsomehow found his way into my shop, making me feel things I thought were buried long ago. But the tears were proof that everything was fresh, and you couldn’t tell me it wasn’t just yesterday that he walked out on me.
Sniffling, I wiped away my tears. Looking at myself in the mirror, I said, “Get it together, Rockel. We will not let Perfect get the best of us. We have moved on, and that chapter in our life is over.”
As I walked to the door to lock it, I convinced myself that I was crying because he’d caught me by surprise, not because I still had feelings for him, feelings that I never even got to really explore. Just as quickly as Perfect had come into my life, he’d gone back to becoming a distant memory. It was best to leave the past exactly where it was.
I walked into my office, feeling lighter and in time to catch an incoming call on my phone. Lifting it off my desk, I saw it was my boo, Keiran. See, proof that I had indeed moved the fuck on with my life. I smiled, swiping to accept the call. “Hey, boo,” I greeted him cheerily.
“Wassup, Rockstar?” His voice was husky and low. I sat behind my desk and placed my phone on speaker before setting it on the desk. “Bae, are we still on for dinner tomorrow night?”
I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “Yes, we are. I already have Daisy coming over to babysit Precious for me.”
Just saying her name had me missing her a little more. While I had no intentions of becoming a mother, it was the card I was dealt, and I adapted well to it, especially once I laid eyes on my little baby for the first time. She looked just like her damn daddy, which made his absence sting a little more. Even though I had ill feelings for the man who helped me create her, I could never let it interfere with the love I had for my nugget. She was the best thing to ever happen to me. Because of her, I didn’tallow Perfect’s ghosting me to make me spiral. Knowing she was coming made me work harder, and I was reaping the rewards.
“Rockel? You still there?”
I’d completely forgotten about Keiran on the phone. “Yeah, I’m still here. What did you say?”
He chuckled. “I said to be ready tomorrow at seven. I’m going to pick you up from home.”
