Page 26 of More to Love

“Hendrix?”

Her voice was barely heard. However, being able to hear and see her again brought on a wave of flashbacks. Her soft moans were embedded in my brain like a favorite song.

“Daddy, who is this?”

“I’m not sure, Princess,” I responded with the only thing I could. Sorimah was supposed to be a faded memory.

Her chest caved a little before she dropped her head, and I could tell my response made her feel some kind of way. I wasn’t playing her off to be an asshole, I just wasn’t trying to bring on any crap to where I laid my head. She wasn’t ever supposed to be under the same roof as Aviana. This was a festering disaster I tried to ignore.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” I inquired, placing my right arm across my daughter’s chest, bringing her into me.

I hated treating her like this. She deserved better acknowledgment than what I was giving. However, Akeera wasn’t a dumb child. Anything more and she would’ve for sure told her mother about the exchange, especially if I used a term like friend.

She gave me a long glare before she shook her head and clenched her jaws. I knew what she was thinking but I couldn’t give her any other treatment at the moment. Like a switch that flipped, she went from showing irritation to being professional.

“Hi, I’m Sorimah. Your wife came to me last week seeking a nanny to handle things around the house and keep Akeera busy. From my understanding, I missed you two by a few minutes or else introductions would’ve been made this morning. My apologies.”

Sorimah extended her hand and wore a smile that I knew was fake. She also called Aviana my wife when she knew for a fact that I wasn’t a married man. She was doing that to let me know she was aware of my entire situation with Avi.

I took her hand and gave it a light shake. Just the feeling of her flesh against mine had me wanting to recreate that night. I missed her company dearly when I had no right to do so. Ri was a better woman than Avi, but she wasn’t the woman I laid beside every night. I had to remember that.

“Nice to meet you Sorimah. I’m Hendrix and this is my daughter Akeera. Where’s Aviana?”

“I spoke with her not too long ago and she said she was still handling some things and that she should be returning soon. If I’m intruding, I have no problem leaving until you two sort this all out.”

“Nah. Stay. Do what you were hired to do. I won’t stop a Black woman’s bag. Give me a second, will you?”

She rolled her eyes and nodded, then gave her attention to Akeera. She bent down where she was eye level and gave Akeera a better introduction. I was delaying my departure to see if Princess would respond to her or choose to follow behind me.

“Hi beautiful one. My name is Sorimah but you can call me Ri. I’ve heard a lot about you, and I’ve even had the pleasure of cleaning your room. I like all of your dollies by the way.”

Sorimah wore a genuine smile when she spoke to my baby. I could tell that whatever energy she felt toward me, wouldn’t be given to my daughter. That was how it was supposed to be. Regardless of the time we shared, I would cut a fool behind my princess.

“You’re pretty Ri. Want to see my new dollhouse?”

“I would love to see your dollhouse pretty girl.” She stood and silently asked me for permission. I nodded and stepped to the side.

Once they were upstairs and out of earshot, I immediately called Avi to see what the hell she was playing at. We didn’t need a nanny because she barely spent time with our daughter as it was. She had all the time in the world to show Akeera the kind of love she deserved. I didn’t understand her at times.

Like I knew she would, she ignored my calls and refused to respond to my text. The only reason I wasn’t upset about Sorimah being here was because I missed her presence. I didn’t know too much about her so the time she was here could be taken advantage of. Also, because of Aviana’s absence throughout the day, I could gain some alone time with Ri whenever I wanted.

I scanned the pots she had brewing, and my stomach instantly growled once I got a whiff of it all. I hadn’t had a good home cooked meal in such a long time but the meal that was being prepared smelled like it was straight from the Jamaican spot downtown. We were in for a good treat tonight.

While they were busy, I called Dex to see what moves I should make even though I low key knew what his answer to this entire situation would be.

“Nigga you been in my face all fuckin’ day. Why you calling me?”

“You really act like a hoe. I just thought you should know that,” I threw back at him.

“I been hearing that all my life. What you want?”

“Sorimah’s in my house.”

“That woman got a hold on you. Her sister must have a gold mine too. I’m anxious to see what that be like now.”

I shook my head because he never listened to a word I said. He also thought everything was a joke and that was the reason I always wanted to hem him up.

“Nigga listen to what the hell I just said. She’s in my freakin’ house. Avi hired her as our nanny.”