“I saidno.” I grabbed the roses, chocolate, and jewelry box off the table and shoved them into his chest. “Take your shit and leave.”
He stood there stunned. “You serious right now?”
“So serious.” I pulled the door open. “We’re not doing this. You’re still married, and I got somebodyrealthis time.”
“Real?” He laughed bitterly. “You met him, what, a month ago?”
“And he’s got more potential than you ever did.”
He stared at me for a second, nostrils flaring. “Bet.”
“Buh-bye.” Travis stormed out, and I slammed the door behind him, locking it.
I stood there for a moment, heart thumping hard in my chest. I wasn’t angry. I was just annoyed and maybe a little embarrassed, too. Travis really thought he still had access to me. That after all these weeks, I’d fold just because he showed up with roses and sex memories. I walked away from the door, shaking my head. This day wasn’t about Travis. It was about Ahmad and me. I warmed up my breakfast and enjoyed every bite.
Afterwards, I spent the next few hours cleaning and straightening up. I pulled out some new candles and even put fresh sheets on my bed. When I was done, I started prepping dinner for later. I planned to make steak bites, garlic mashed potatoes, and roasted asparagus. Once the prep was done, exhaustion took over.
Iw o k eu pwithout an alarm, already knowing what day it was. After doingQuickieDropdeliveries until four in the morning, I carried my tired ass home and knocked out. Reaching for my phone, I saw it was a little after two in the afternoon, and a text from Taelyn was on my screen.
I stared at the message for a second and smirked. She had no idea how bad my dick was fiending for her pussy, too. I got up and stretched, rubbing the sleep from my face as I walkedstraight to the bathroom in nothing but my boxer briefs. I took a piss and brushed my teeth before jumping back in the bed to wake and bake.
I pulled out a mason jar, rolled a fresh blunt, and sparked it while leaning back against the pillows. I didn’t even try to fight where my mind was going. Every pull just made it worse as I pictured Taelyn’s pretty ass. I knew she was going to have some shit on for me later. I could feel it. That shit had me grinning to myself like a simp. I ended up scrolling to our text thread and hitting her up.
While I waited for her to hit me back, I opened the food delivery app and ordered up some French toast, scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, and a smoothie. I needed to eat and chill before I started spiraling and pulling up to her place hours early.
The food came about twenty minutes later. I tossed on some sweats and grabbed it from the downstairs lobby. Then I sat at the table, eating while scrolling through my phone. Finally, Taelyn hit me back.
Licking syrup off my fingers, I quickly text her.
After I finished eating, I cleaned up, showered, and then threw on something quick. I chose a sweatsuit and Timbs. I had to go check my ol’ lady for a minute. I needed to hit up the ATM and slide by the florist before anything else. It was tradition. Every Valentine’s Day since I was in high school, I always brought my mama flowers and slid her some money. She never asked, never expected it, but she always lit up when I showed up.
I hopped in the car, rolled down the window to let some of that morning chill slap me awake, then made my first stop at the credit union. I grabbed a few hundred and tucked them in the funny card I already had in the glovebox.
Next stop was the little flower shop off Eastview. It was Black-owned and had been holding it down for years. I walked in, dapped up the old man behind the counter, and told him exactly what I wanted. A full bouquet of red, pink, and white roses.
“I love how you do this every year for your mom,” he said, nodding with a smile as he started arranging. “Good man.”
“Always. I’m all she got left in this world.” I thanked him, slid him a tip along with the fee, and carried the flowers out.
Thirty minutes later, I was pulling up to my mama’s house, stabbing out the blunt in the ashtray. She lived in the same house I grew up in. I sprayed some YSL cologne and stepped out,taking the stairs two at a time. When I knocked, she opened the door with her bonnet still on and one hand on her hip.
“Boy, it’s too early to be smellin’ like cologne and weed,” she said, giving me that look.
I grinned as I leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Ma.”
She closed the door behind me, and we walked into the living room where she had something ratchet on the TV. My mama and I were only fifteen years apart. She looked and acted a little younger than some forty-one.
After handing her the flowers and envelope, I plopped down on the couch. She read the card and started cracking up. “‘Mad, you silly as hell. And this is too much money. I know you’re tryna get that house and…”
“Ma, you deserve it,” I told her. “Get yo’ nails done, book a massage, pay a couple bills, do whatever you want.”
“You been workin’ a lot lately.”
“That’s why I’m good. Everything’s smooth.”
She nodded, then looked at me sideways. “You still on bullshit wit’ Vee? What y’all got planned this year?”
“Me and Vee done.”
