Chapter 10
10
Mona
“ I don’t understand why you’re so nervous,” Karla said.
“Me either. Are his friends famous or something?” Lariah asked.
It was Friday night, and my girls had come over to help me get ready for a date with Clinton. We’d reconnected two weeks ago, and things had been good. With our busy work schedules, we’d only seen each other a few times but communicated several times throughout the day.
“No, but his friend and business partner is married to a woman who was sleeping with Winston,” I told them.
“What?” they chimed simultaneously.
“Didn’t I tell y’all how I found out Winston was cheating the last time?”
“You may have, but there were too many times to remember,” Lariah said.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Karla agreed.
“I can’t stand you hos. Anyway, Winston and I had gone to dinner and ran into Clinton’s business partner, Evander, and his new woman. After we were seated, I went to the bathroom, and a few minutes later, a woman entered the bathroom, talking on the phone. It was on speaker, so I could hear both sides of the conversation.”
“Was she talking to Winston?” Lariah asked.
“No, she was talking to her friends, telling them how horrible she felt about sleeping with Winston because he was married.” They gasped. “She didn’t know he was married, and when I walked out of the stall, she looked like she’d seen a ghost.”
“Are you serious?” Karla questioned.
“Unfortunately, yes. Anyway, that woman is now married to Evander.”
“Over two million people live in Chicago, yet your new boo is friends and partners with your ex-husband’s side chick’s husband,” Lariah said with ease, leaving Karla and I trying to decipher her words.
“Umm, I don’t know what the hell you just said, but it sounds about right,” Karla agreed.
I rolled my eyes. “Can y’all imagine how uncomfortable this will be for me?”
“Have you shared your feelings with Clinton?” Karla asked.
“No, I don’t see the point. It’ll postpone me meeting his friends, but I can’t avoid it forever. I’m having this man’s baby, so I’ll have to meet them eventually.”
“True,” she agreed.
“I think it’s best to get it over with. I’m sure the woman doesn’t have an issue with you. It’ll be awkward at first, but it’ll blow over,” Lariah reasoned.
“I hope so. How do I look?” I turned to face them and struck a few poses.
“Amazing, and definitely not pregnant,” Lariah said.
“Yes, sis. That dress compliments your shape really well.”
“Thank you. What about my makeup?”
“Perfect.”
“Flawless.”
They responded at once, and I couldn’t tell who had said what.
“Thank you.”
“Where are you going?” Karla asked.
“Chemistry.”
“Oh my God!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been wanting to go there since they opened. I’ve heard nothing but good things.”
“Me too, and I’m pissed I can’t drink because everyone says their drinks are top-tier.”
There was a knock on the door, halting our conversation.
“I guess it’s time for us to meet your baby daddy,” Lariah teased.
We left my bedroom, and they followed me to the door.
“If y’all don’t go sit down somewhere,” I fussed, shooing them into the living room.
They laughed as they sat on the couch and waited for me to open the door. As soon as I did, Clinton didn’t give me a chance to greet him. He grabbed my waist, pulled me into his body, and pressed his lips against mine.
“Damn, I missed you,” he said when he came up air, his lips still close enough to brush mine.
“I missed you too.” We kissed again before finally separating. “Do we have enough time for you to meet my friends?”
“Your friends? They’re here?” I nodded. “Of course.”
He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. We went to the living room as Karla and Lariah stood.
“Baby, these are my best friends, Karla and Lariah.”
He extended his hand to Karla and then to Lariah. They greeted him with a hello while eyeing him suspiciously.
“It’s nice to meet you both. I’m Clinton.”
“It’s nice to meet you too. What are your intentions with our friend?” Lariah asked.
He chuckled. “I appreciate your concern, but I assure you I’m not here to break her heart.”
“That doesn’t answer her question,” Karla said.
“Will y’all cut it out? He didn’t come here to be badgered.” I intervened.
“It’s okay, baby. Your friends love you and have a right to be concerned about your well-being. Ladies, my intentions with Mona are pure. She’s understandably cautious because of her past experiences, but I’m a patient man. I’d love to have a future with her, and not just as the father of her child.”
Although he spoke to my friends, his eyes were locked on mine, and I felt every word he said and even some he didn’t.
“Okay, I guess that’ll do for now. However, expect a breakfast, lunch, or dinner invite from us soon. We need to know who our bestie is dealing with,” Lariah reasoned.
“I’ll be sure to have Mona forward my number to you both. We have to get going, but again, it was nice to meet you.”
“You too,” they replied in unison.
“Make sure you lock up when you leave,” I told them.
“Who said we’re leaving?” Karla asked.
“Umm, I did. Goodbye.”
We exchanged hugs and they returned to the couch as Clinton and I left.
“Your friends seem nice.”
“They’ve been solid since we met. I hope they didn’t offend you.”
“Nah, not at all. I’d be concerned if they didn’t give a damn.”
“There have been times they’ve cared more about me than I did.”
He squeezed my hand as we entered the elevator. We rode to the lobby in silence, not speaking again until we were in his truck.
“I sense some nervous energy. You good?”
“I’m okay, but I’m nervous.”
“There’s no need to be. My friends and their wives are cool.”
“You don’t think it’ll be awkward between me and Evander’s wife?”
Last week, he asked me what was the last straw that made me finally file for divorce. He said he vaguely recalled Evander mentioning the situation, but it was quite some time ago.
“Why would it be awkward? Austyn is cool as hell and happily married with children. I assure you, your ex is the furthest thing from her mind.”
“That’s not what I mean. I know she’s not thinking about him. You don’t think being around me, knowing she slept with my husband, might be uncomfortable?”
“A better question is will it be uncomfortable for you, because Austyn don’t give a fuck about that nigga.”
I sighed because maybe my comfort level was the issue. Clinton and I were having a child together and these were his friends. Even if I didn’t see them often, I was sure there would be times we’d share the same space. Did I have a problem with being around one of Winston’s former lovers?
“It’s me.”
“Baby, I understand your reservations, but I promise everyone will welcome you with open arms. If you feel uncomfortable, we can leave.”
“Okay.”
He reached across the console, caressed my thigh, and began to massage gently.
“How do you feel about sharing our news?”
“About the baby?” He nodded. “You haven’t told them?”
“No, I haven’t told anyone because I wasn’t sure if you were ready to share.”
“Do you think we should wait until after my first appointment?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“This is your baby too. What do you want to do?”
“Baby, I’m not the one carrying the baby. I don’t want to rush you to do something you’re not ready to do.”
I thought about it for a moment before responding.
“My friends already know, so if you’d like to share with your friends, I’m good with that.”
He turned to look at me for a moment. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. Let’s tell them.”
We listened to an R August and his wife, Norah; and you already know Evander and his wife, Austyn. Oh, and August and Austyn are twins.”
“Hello, everyone. It’s nice to meet you all.”
We moved toward the two empty chairs, but Austyn asked if she could speak with me privately before I could sit down. I looked at Clinton nervously, and he gave me a comforting smile and nodded. Austyn and I moved a few feet away from the table.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I wanted to address the elephant in the room and make sure you don’t feel uncomfortable around me.”
“I can admit I’ve been a bit concerned.”
“There’s no need. As of now, only me, you, Evander, and Clinton know that Winston is your ex-husband. However, if you and Clinton are dating, the topic may come up, and everyone else will connect the dots. What happened between me and your ex was a long time ago. If I’d known he was married, I wouldn’t have slept with him.”
“I believe you.”
“Thank you, but I still want to apologize. I am so sorry for being the cause—”
“Austyn, you weren’t the cause of anything but me waking the fuck up. Our marriage had been on its last leg for years, but I still had hope for some reason. I guess running into you was the wake-up call I needed.”
“God has a mysterious way of forcing us to do things we may not be ready to do. I’m glad you left him, and since you’re dating Clinton, I wanted to make sure the air between us was clear.”
“I appreciate that. Thank you.”
When we turned to face the table, all eyes were on us. I wasn’t sure if they could hear us, but they sure were locked in.
“Y’all good?” Clinton asked.
“We’re great. What looks good on the menu?” I responded.