I scratched the back of my neck, trying to find the right words.
“I leave for New York tomorrow.”
“What does that have to do with me?” She interjected.
“Well, if you let me finish, I could tell you.”
She raised her hands in mock surrender, causing her towel to drop to the floor. My eyes locked on her sexy frame and freshly waxed pussy. My mouth watered as if someone were tempting me with my favorite snack.
“Are you gonna talk, or are you gonna continue to stare at my pussy? This is why you should have knocked, creep.” Ari huffed while removing one of the outfits tucked in the shopping bag on the bed. I made sure my assistant went to the store this morning to ensure Ari had clothes and hygiene products, since she ruined her clothes from the night before.
“Whatever. As I was saying, I have a full schedule lined up, but I’m not ready for the kids to leave. I know I was supposed to bring them back home today, but I need more time with them.”
Ari slid a pair of black leggings over her bare ass, and I had to close my eyes to get my dick to go down.
“Can you get to the point. I feel like you’re dragging this conversation out, and I’m tryna figure out why.”
“I talked to Lyric this morning, and she agreed to watch the kids while they travel with me. We have plenty of help and resources, so they’ll be well taken care of while we’re gone. You can talk to them as much as you want, and it’ll give you more time to yourself. I think it would be a win for everyone,” I rambled. She had me feeling like a little kid trying to convince my parents to let me walk to the corner store by myself.
She snapped her bra in place, then pulled her T-shirt over her head. The silence was deafening, but I wasn’t ready to accept defeat yet.
“Are you gonna say something?”
“I’m not sure what you want me to say. Are you asking me for my permission or telling me what your plans are?”
“I want us to be on the same page. I realize I didn’t handle things right the first time, and I apologize for the way I blew up on you. Everything happened so fast, and seeing the twins caught me off guard. There were a lot of emotions coming out at one time, and I could have done a better job regulating my feelings. They need both of us, so I want to make sure we have a solid co-parenting foundation.”
Ari scoffed, which caught me off guard.
“What is with all of the sounds? If you have any issues with my request, just let me know, and we can find a compromise. The only reason I’m pressing the issue is that I don’t want to be away from them if I don’t have to. The last thing I want to do is inconvenience anyone, but I’m not ready to let them go yet.”
This time, she gave me a sympathetic look before taking a seat on the side of the bed.
“I’ll let them go, but only on one condition.”
“And what condition is that?”
“Momma, look! They have little yellow cars everywhere!” Kiaya squealed. I giggled when I realized she was talking about the taxicabs. New York was like a different world with all the hustle and bustle. There were so many people everywhere, and they were all headed to their own destinations with haste.
I hadn’t had very many experiences with traveling, so I found myself staring out of the window, taking in the scenery.
“Do y’all want to try to find something to eat now or wait until we get settled and order in?” Keynauri asked.
“I need to take a shower and wash this flight off of me. I have snacks, so I don’t mind waiting to order in, or we can all get dressed and go out,” Lyric suggested. Things were awkward between us, and it was impossible to ignore. When Keynauri made that snarky comment about me keeping the kids from her too, I realized things were a lot deeper than I considered.
We had been traveling since 4 a.m., and she hadn’t spoken more than two words to me, but she had been treating my kidslike they were hers. There was no doubt in my mind that she was upset with me, and I wasn’t sure what it would mean for the remainder of the trip.
“What about you, baby momma?”
“I’m okay with either plan. I brought plenty of snacks for the kids. Plus, there seems to be a lot of places to eat around here. I don’t mind waiting. Honestly, I could use a nap.”
Keynauri nodded, then made a few calls on his phone. Within twenty minutes, we were pulling up to the hotel while I marveled at the abundance of high-rise buildings.
“I’m gonna run in here and grab the key cards for your rooms, and then I have to head out. Concierge is here to assist with your bags, so you don’t have to worry about anything. East will have my phone, so if you need me for anything, you can call my phone.”
Keynauri gave us a complete rundown. It only took him a few minutes to come back with our keycards after which, he kissed the kids and Lyric before heading back to the car. Concierge assisted us with all our things, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when we got to the twenty-fifth floor.
My jaw hit the floor when I opened the door to the most exquisite suite I had ever seen. The kids ran inside and fell to the floor. They were clueless about where we were, and they didn’t care. They were simply excited to be out of the house. When I walked further into the suite, I noticed there were two bedrooms, a spacious living room, and a small little kitchenette off to the right.
