“Actually…” Gabriella hesitated, and my head whipped back around, daring her to say no. “Ye-yeah, I’ll go,” she choked out, not sounding convincing at all, but Avery was beaming, so happy that her sister was coming that I let her slide. I wouldn’t keep sparing her though. If she kept disappointing my friend, I was going to beat her ass, and I put that on the twins.
An hour and a half later, I was full from a mixture of food and champagne, singing along to Keyshia Cole’s “Love” with everybody else in the restaurant. Even Gabby had pulled the stick out of her ass and was turning up with us, swinging her champagne flute around with her free hand while she hugged Avery.
“This my part, y’all!” I braced myself like I was really about to kill it, even though we were all just basically screaming by now, but there was no other way to sing this song. “Whooo would have known! I’d find youuuu, ooohooohooohooooh!”Closing my eyes, I felt the lyrics in my soul as I reflected on what I’d gone through with Javon since he was the last man I’d taken seriously. Things hadn’t always been so fucked up between us.There’d actually been a time when I thought we were going to get married, but that all changed when I got pregnant with the twins. We’d met in FootLocker, standing in line waiting for the latest Jordan’s. He was a few people ahead of me, so I didn’t understand how I’d even caught his attention, but as soon as we locked eyes, he smiled flirtatiously. In my early twenties, a fine nigga with a nice smile and name-brand clothes was my kryptonite. I was even more impressed when he left his friends to come stand in line with me. I knew how niggas acted over their Jordan’s, so for him to risk his spot in line just to talk to me had me gushing inside. Our first conversation was shallow, but I’d already made up in my mind that I was going to give him my number, which I did. And when he pulled out a thick knot of money to pay for his shoes as well as mine, I was sold. Javon didn’t stop there. He courted me like a man on a mission, buying me things and taking me on fancy dates. It had me feeling more grown up than I’d ever felt. Between being spoiled with material things and him giving me amazing dick on the regular, I was in love. I thought for sure the next steps for us would be moving in together, especially when I found out I was pregnant, but I was so fucking wrong.
We were on another romantic date when I presented him with a pair of baby shoes that I’d picked up earlier that day. I thought it was cute, considering how we’d met and how much he loved sneakers, but as soon as he saw them, his whole mood changed. I quickly found out that we were never supposed to go any further than fucking and having “fun” together. That didn’t stop me from damn near begging him to give us a chance, to give our family a chance. I was naïve enough to think love conquered all and that I had enough love for both of us, but all of that shit went out the window when he finally admitted that he had a girlfriend. My dumb ass still tried to plead with him, thinking he was just saying anything to get me out of his hair.He didn’t hesitate to shut that theory down, showing me pictures in his phone of them together. My heart still ached just thinking about the dark days that followed. I’d briefly considered going against my religion and terminating my pregnancy like he’d suggested, but one look at the two babies God had blessed me with, and I knew I couldn’t do it. That pissed Javon off even more, and when his girl left him, he proposed to get her back and completely turned his back on me like I was the sole reason for their breakup. He spent the entire nine months giving me his ass to kiss and even missed their birth because he was in denial, claiming he wouldn’t take responsibility until he was sure they belonged to him. Even when the DNA test came back, he still gave me a hard time, and it’d been that way for the last seven years with him being an on-and-off dad. Most days, I regretted the decisions I’d made because my kids didn’t deserve his flip-flop ass as a father. But then I’d have to remind myself that it was too late for regrets, and all I could do now was move forward, which was easier said than done.
What happened with Javon was an eye opener, and I’d spent the last few years skeptical of anything that came out of niggas’ mouths. I was able to get mine occasionally, but I never, ever took a nigga seriously. How could I when I’d gotten completely duped by a man who said he loved me and turned around to go home to a woman he’d given a ring to? Hell, even if I did want more, Javon and plenty of men online made it clear they weren’t looking to wife up a single mother. I felt like the odds were constantly stacked against me when it came to love, and then I’d get down on myself because love should’ve been the last thing I was worrying about with two mouths to feed. Still, my mind somehow drifted to Cruz, which it did more often than I cared to admit. It had been a minute since the night he’d asked me out, and he was clearly still salty about me declining. He’d completely stopped coming to the club, and when we’d see eachother at Maasai and Avery’s house, he had little to no words for me. At first, I used to try to make conversation with him because we always vibed before, but when it became clear he was holding a grudge, I began to hold one too. I couldn’t believe he was so pissed about me protecting myself from his games when he knew like I did, he wasn’t the type to get serious about a woman. I could just look at him and tell. Plus, he didn’t even like my kids, so asking me out had to have just been him trying to get some pussy out of me. At least that’s what I kept telling myself.
“Ahhh, this my wedding song to Maasai! I’m bouta call and sing it to him!” Avery shouted, bringing me out of my thoughts as they began to play “Without You” by Monica. While Maagic and Gabriella rolled their eyes, I was on the verge of crying again because Maasai didn’t waste any time answering her call and entertaining her foolishness. They were so damn cute it didn’t make any sense. He let her off-key ass get through the whole song too, and when she finished, she was grinning so hard I just knew her cheeks were aching from whatever he was saying to her.
“Ugh, y’all are insufferable.” Maagic frowned her face up playfully, but Avery just waved her off.
“And is!” Gabriella was quick to agree. “I already know it’s only gone get worse after they get married again.”
“Y’all stop and let her cake in peace,” I scolded while refilling my glass, only for Maagic to give me a pointed look.
“Might as well get your last drink in, ’cause every time they get to being all lovey dovey, she rushes home.” My face was already scrunched up, ready to deny it, but as if on cue, Avery ended her call with an exaggerated pout.
“Fun’s over y’all, Maasai said he’s bouta come get me because I’m too fucked up to drive.” She fought not to let the smile threatening her lips come through as Maagic mouthed an ‘I told you’ and rolled her eyes.
“Well, in that case, let’s order another pitcher before his ass gets here.” Gabriella took the words right out of my mouth, already waving our waitress over. I was really surprised she didn’t have a mouthful of complaints, but I guessed the alcohol had her in a good ass mood because she was much more chill than normal… thankfully. We managed to make it the whole time without her being a bitch, and an hour and another pitcher later, we stumbled outside, still rapping along to the Nicki Minaj that was playing inside. As Maasai’s truck came into view, we got even more amped up, twerking and egging each other on until my eyes landed on Cruz sitting in the passenger seat. I sobered up quickly, feeling his gaze locked on me. I wasn’t prepared to see him, and I damn sure wasn’t prepared for the illicit thoughts that filled my head as he climbed out so that Avery could take the passenger seat. As usual, he looked downright edible in a white wife beater and gray Nike shorts that gave me a perfect view of his dick print. He caught me staring and smirked, instantly irritating me, even though I was the one being inappropriate. Rolling my eyes, I started toward my car, but Maasai wasn’t having it. While I’d been so engrossed in Cruz, he’d managed to force Maagic and Gabriella into his truck, and judging from the look on his face, he wasn’t going to take no as an answer when it came to me. I could feel that he wouldn’t hesitate to snatch my keys and toss me over his shoulder if I refused. After a few seconds of weighing my options, I sucked my teeth and shuffled over to where Cruz stood, holding open the door for me. He seemed to be getting way too much joy out of my annoyance, especially when he squeezed in next to me, filling my nostrils with his masculine scent. For the next half hour, I focused my attention on my phone, not even engaging in the conversation the girls were having, as I tried hard to ignore his warm, solid body beside me. It was a whole relief when we finally pulled up to my house, and I damn near knocked Cruz over trying to getout, giving a halfhearted goodbye to everybody once I was free. I didn’t even bother turning around, mostly because I knew Cruz’s mean ass was still looking. I’d survived our encounter today, but I didn’t know what I was going to do for the two weeks we were away for Avery’s wedding. Shaking those thoughts, I let myself into the house, figuring I’d cross that bridge when I got to it.
Chapter 2
Keyani
Acouple days later, I was at work struggling to keep up with the nonstop orders coming in. Normally, I was able to handle the bar with ease, chatting up customers to ensure a nice tip as I poured up shots and mixed drinks like a pro, but tonight I was too agitated to care about any of that. For months, I’d been making the best out of my situation. Juggling my bills and the twins' needs without the help of their father had taken some adjusting, but I’d made it work. Sometimes payments were late, or short, and sometimes I had to do payment arrangements, but shit always got taken care of. What I wasn’t banking on was the twins having a growth spurt at the same damn time. It seemed like overnight they’d gotten taller and gained a few pounds, and even their feet had grown. I’d had to dip into my grocery money just to get them a couple of things from Walmart, and it was still far from enough. Like a sleep-deprived fool, I broke down and tried to call Javon’s stupid ass for help because regardless of everything, he was their father. But, of course, my calls went unanswered. Just thinking about it had my face tensing to the point that it hurt. I couldn’t understand how he could completely wash his hands of his own kids and not feel bad about it. It made me hate him, and as muchas I loved my babies, I couldn’t help wishing I’d made better choices when it came to who their daddy was. I immediately felt bad for the intrusive thought and asked the Lord to forgive me.
“Hey Keyana, Keeeeyaaanaaa!” The sound of my name being mispronounced in my ear over the loud ass music brought me out of my thoughts, and I got even more irritated. Not only because I didn’t want to be bothered, but especially not by the bitch snapping her crusty ass fingers in my face. For all she knew, I could’ve been ignoring her, or most likely not answering to her calling me another person’s name, but she clearly wasn’t catching on to that.
“Damn, what!” I finally huffed, turning to see the new girl, Tiffany, with an alarmed look on her face, and I instantly rolled my eyes. She was the last person I wanted to be bothered with at the moment with her overly bubbly ass. We were the same age, but while I was constantly in survival mode and responsible for two other lives, she was living carefree and only working for extra spending money. In the few weeks she’d been working here, I’d heard enough stories about her shopping sprees and the expensive dates she went on, which was all she talked about. I was aware that my dislike of her had more to do with my own issues than with her directly. I could even admit a small bit of envy was there, but only because it shined a bright light on my own shortcomings. I hated that no matter how hard I tried, I kept coming up short, but women like Tiffany didn’t have to do much of anything and still had the world at their feet. Wide-eyed, she threw her hands up and took a step back like she was afraid I’d attack her.
“I-uh, Arnold wants you to come to his office.”
Irritation covered my face, and I glanced around at the bar that was still busy as hell before raising a brow. “Right now?” I asked doubtfully. Arnold had cameras everywhere and spent hours watching everything that happened on the floor, so I wasmore than positive that he saw how busy I was at the moment. For him to call me away couldn’t have meant anything good.
“Yeah, I’m supposed to cover for you.” She gave a nervous smile, but it did little to put me at ease. Still unsure, I wiped my hands on a towel and headed upstairs to his office, leaving her to handle the bar. A few minutes later, I knocked on Arnold’s door, and he shouted for me to come in.
“You wanted to see me?” I grit my teeth and finally asked when a few uncomfortable seconds went by without him acknowledging my presence. He still took his sweet ass time to say anything and even then, he refused to lift his head.
“Yeah, I’m not gonna be able to grant you those vacation days you requested.” His voice was flat and completely unbothered as he delivered the devastating news, while I instantly felt my chest get tight. Out of everything he could’ve brought me up there for, denying the vacation time he’d already approved was the last thing I was expecting, and my jaw dropped in disbelief. I’d put my request in as soon as Avery told me about their wedding, and it had only taken Arnold a week to approve it, so I couldn’t understand how all of a sudden his funny-looking ass was taking it back. Shaking off my shock, I went to plead my case.
“But—”
“No need to argue, sweetie, it’s already been decided. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some invoices, and I’m sure Tiffany needs your help down at the bar.” He barely glanced up before waving me away like I was a nuisance as I struggled to find my words, and when he realized I still hadn’t left, he glared up at me nastily. “You’re still here?” His lip curled, and I didn’t know if it was his tone or an accumulation of everything that’d happened to me in the last forty-eight hours, but my body ignited in rage. Normally, I would’ve been able to talk myself down, reasoning that I could figure something out, or if worse came to worst, Avery would understand. I’d suck up the tears threatening to falland take my ass back to the bar and finish my shift like he’d told me. Unfortunately, my lips were moving before I could stop them.
“That’s not fair. You already approved my time off, so you can’t just change your mind for no reason!” I folded my arms and met him with the same energy, obviously surprising him from the way his jaw slacked. It didn’t take him long to catch himself, and he let out a humorless chuckle.
“Look, sweetie?—”
“Stop calling me that shit! I’mnotyour fuckin’ sweetie!”
Arnold’s graying brows shot up, and he pressed his thin lips together. He slowly rose to his feet as if his height was supposed to intimidate me. “I think you need to calm down and get back to your post before you say something you’ll regret.”
“No,” I forced out, shaking away the thoughts telling me to do what he said. “This is not something I can just reschedule. I’m supposed to be the maid of honor in my best friend’s wedding! I can’t just tell her I’m not going all of a sudden and without a reason!” I was so mad I was shaking just thinking about it. There had to be some type of law his ass was breaking, but I wasn’t confident enough to say that shit out loud.
Arnold sighed, clearly annoyed, even though he didn’t have anybody but himself to blame. Common sense would’ve told him to tell me some shit like thisaftermy shift, or hell, even right before my vacation, but just like every other shitty boss, he thought he had the upper hand simply because he signed my checks. I already knew his reason for changing his mind was some bullshit, which was why he was avoiding telling me. Rubbing a hand over his thinning ass ponytail, he set his narrowed eyes on me.
