so busy?”
“Girl. Everything. The damn kids. The house. Face. Every-thing. Then after Face was dragged o" to jail, I was hit with a double dose of reality. I thought about what I would’ve done, had he not been able to get out. He got money stashed, but I didn’t know where nothing was. He got businesses, and I don’t know shit about them. Then I don’t have my own income at all. And that shit is scary. I wanna know that I can handle whatever with my own resources. That’s why I’m determined to open up my own salon, and have been spending a lot of time trying to find a affordable suite space.”
“I hear you. But why it gotta be affordable? I mean, I get you wanting to be practical, but you got a rich nigga at home. He beat that case. Money is plentiful from what I can see. So, why not take full advantage of that?”
“Cause. As much as Face is a provider, I need to know that I can handle my business with or without him.”
She shook her head. “I guess, girl. But I really hope that you can snap out of that survivor’s mentality. You’re beyond that. You have to think bigger. You aint gotta start at the bottom to prove a point. Let that man take care of you. Put you in position. And if you really just want financial security, then tell him.”
I smirked. “So, what do I do? Just go up to him and say ‘hey, baby daddy. You know that I love you and everything. I’m definitely not here for the money. But could you give me at least five hundred thousand to make me feel more secure about everything’?”
“Yeah,” she giggled, as she pulled into a shopping strip. “Some-thing like that.”
“Nah, you tripping. I love whatever Face does for me, but that’s his money. And I’m just being mindful of that. We aint married.”Ifrownedinconfusion,asIglancedaround.“Wait.
What’s right here?” I asked, knowing that we were supposed to be headed to a restaurant that wasn’t in this particular area.
The shopping strip appeared newly built and most of the storefronts were empty, except for one, where it looked like a grand opening was being hosted.
“I wanna swing in here, right quick. My homegirl is having a event, and I just wanna show my face,” Soya explained.
“Okay,well,I’majustwaitinthecar.”
“Nah, bitch. Come in with me. That way I can use you as an excuse to leave. Say that you gotta go or some shit.”
I cut my eyes at her. “Really?”
“Yes.” She gripped my shoulder, and rocked my body. “Now, come on.”
I rolled my eyes. “You really get on my nerves.” I opened the passenger door. “Come on, before I change my mind.”
After easing out of the car, I adjusted my dress, and gazed down at my feet. It was funny how you once couldn’t pay me to wear heels, but now I loved getting dressed up. My bodycon dress was clinging to my body, and surprisingly Face had just kissed me on my cheek and told me that I looked good, before I left the house. Usually, he’d make me bend over to make sure that my ass wasn’t showing. But today, he’d ushered me on out the door, claiming that he had somewhere to be himself.
“Okay,big"neass,”Soyahypedmeup,likeshealwaysdid.
I glanced her way, scoping her out in her white bodycon dress. “And you got them curves filling out that dress your damn self.”
She animatedly patted her hair. “That’s from getting fucked properly.”
I smirked, as we started towards the building. “I guess, with ya freaky ass.”
Once I approached the double doors to the venue, I paused.
“This is nice. I need to see how much these storefronts are going for.”
“Iknowright.”Soyaco-signed,asshestoodbehindme.
I pulled the doors open and stepped inside. “What the fuck?” I grumbled, as I immediately recognized several faces. When I saw Britt holding Christian and my mama holding Tristian, while the girls were right beside them, I knew that something was up. “What is going on?” I peered around the room.
“We here for you,” a familiar voice spoke in my ear.
I spun around, and found Face suddenly standing in front of me, rocking Gucci from his head to his feet.
Embarrassed as hell, I gritted. “Face, what the hell are you doing?”
There was literally a room full of people, staring directly at us. “What chu mean?” He smiled, as he gently grabbed my hand.
“Yourememberwhatyoutoldme?”
