“I wasn’t ready back then, Nicholas. We were both young and dumb.”
“I was thirty years old when we met, and you weren’t a baby yourself.”
“Well, I’ve been trying to make up for those mistakes for the past few years. You refuse to give me a chance to prove that I’ve changed.”
“The best thing we did together was Amira.”
“Well, since we’re just moving on and fucking other people, you should know that I’m pregnant,” she said, cocking her head to the side to wait for my response.
“Really?” I asked, narrowing my eyes to make sure she wasn’t just saying something to try to upset me.
Cindy had been known to play games. I couldn’t put anything past her when it came to trying to get her way. The smirk on her face proved that she thought she had me right where she wanted me. To my surprise, she nodded her head and doubled down on her claim.
“Yep.”
“Congratulations. Why didn’t you say something before I made you a drink?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t know how you would react.”
“Why not? We’re not together.”
“You know how you get, Nicholas. What do I look like telling the father of my child I’m fucking someone.”
“You’re right. It wasn’t my business, but we agreed to see other people three years ago.”
I didn’t want to tell her that her pregnancy was probably the best news I’d heard in months. I knew better than to get too excited, just in case she was still trying to pull my card, but I couldn’t help but to be hopeful.
I had been trying to get Cindy to move on for years. Not that she couldn’t get anyone, but she refused to give another man a chance once we went our separate ways. Well, that was what she wanted me to think anyway. I knew she fucked around here and there. People made sure I heard about everything she did. I just didn’t care.
Let her tell it, none of the men running behind her deserved to breathe her air. I didn’t blame her for being selective. I didn’t want just anybody around my child. The bun in her oven was an indication that she might finally be ready.
“Has Amira met the father?”
She dropped her eyes to the ground but shook her head no. I didn’t know what to think of that, but I really didn’t care. Especially since she said no. Amira talked so much that I was sure she would have mentioned her mom’s boyfriend just as quickly as she mentioned my so-called girlfriend.
“As long as he isn’t just some bitch ass nigga, I don’t have a problem with her meeting him. You already know how I’m coming about mine. If y’all are having a child together, I’m sure their paths will cross eventually. Is it serious?”
She looked back up at me before answering, “I don’t know yet.”
A baby felt serious, but hell, a baby could come from a one-night stand. I had just turned a one-night stand into a month-long affair and didn’t even want to consider an end date.
“I’m happy for you, Cindy,” I said, smiling at her.
She rolled her eyes, but her smile broke through. Hopefully, that was an indication that she actually liked the guy. Aside from the reasons that we broke up, Cindy wasn’t a fucked-up person. I meant what I said when I told her that I was happy for her. At the same time, I had to admit that I was just a little happier for me.
“Yeah right. You just want me to play nice with your little girlfriend.”
“And you will.”
“I’ll try.”
11
Jameela
I was disgusted with myself as I checked my reflection in the rearview mirror for the hundredth time. In just a matter of weeks, I had allowed a man who I swore I wouldn’t even give the time of day to woo me.
It would be different if there were red flags that I was ignoring, but Nicholas didn’t have that going on. Even after reading the files, the man who called me every night and made sure that I was good every day didn’t match the picture Officer Christopher painted of him.
