Ethan Whitmore #3
“Umm hmm.”
“Your mommy let her boyfriend stay the night?” I questioned.
“Um…I don’t know. One time.” She bit into her taco.
I made a mental note to check Zenobia as soon as her ass came to pick Zoie up.
She knew damn well I didn’t play those fuckin’ games.
Although I paid all her bills, I didn’t give a damn who she spent her time with, as long as she didn't have random muthafuckas around my daughter. This was my first time catching wind of some shit like this. But to hear it come straight from Zoie, that shit had me heated. All the women I’d dealt with and fucked on, I never had them around my kid.
The most they’d seen was a picture of her.
When it came to my princess, I was careful about the company I kept around her.
“Can I have a boyfriend?” Zoie’s question pulled me from my thoughts.
“Zoe, haven’t we already talked about that?”
“But I’m nine now,” she sassed.
I chuckled, then wiped my mouth with a napkin.
“Age ain't nothing but a number, kid. When you finish school, go to college, graduate, and become a millionaire, maybe I’ll let you have a boyfriend. But that’ll be like fifty years from now.”
The ringing of my doorbell interrupted our conversation, and I knew it was Zenobia. Zoie already had her stuff neatly by the door, but she was in no rush to leave.
“Hey.” Zenobia smiled when I opened up.
I focused on her face with a scowl on mine. Her smile quickly faded as she looked at me with confusion.
“What’s wrong?” She questioned.
I pushed her backward, so we both could step outside. I never liked to have grown folk conversations in front of our daughter. Whenever a conversation was needed, it had to be in private. Neither of us wanted to expose Zoie to any type of toxicity.
“You have muthafuckas spending the night at the house while my daughter is home?”
“What?” She laughed nervously.
I stared at her with a blank face.
“Um, I thought my business was my business, and your business is yours.” She folded her arms.
“Nah, don’t play with me, Ze. Unless you want to start paying all the bills at that muthafuckin house, the understanding we have needs to remain the same. I don’t give a damn what you do when Zo ain’t there. You know what’s up, so don’t stand here and play in my face. Is that understood?”
“Yes, EJ.” She smacked her lips.
“If I hear some shit again about random dudes around my kid, I’m cuttin’ you off. Stick to the fuckin script, and there won’t be any problems.” I warned her.
“The guy I’m talking to is not some random person. We’ve been talking on the low for almost a year now.”
“Yet I haven’t met the muthafucka, and you have him sleeping under the same roof as my daughter.”
Zenobia let out a deep breath and rolled her eyes.
“What? Is it a problem that I’m speaking on this shit?”
“No, it’s not a problem, EJ. It won’t happen again, okay? Damn. It’s not even that serious.”
I was just about to walk back in the house until she said that shit.
“The fuck you mean it aint that serious? My daughter, our daughter’s safety is serious. Yo, you got me hot right now.” I glared at her.
“I’m sorry.” She looked up into my eyes.
My baby momma was a pretty little red bone.
A mixed chick who I met back in high school.
We used to kick it heavy back then, but we lost contact when she moved away.
Years later, she resurfaced, and I knew I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to make her mine.
Our relationship was straight. She was loyal and committed.
The problem came in when I wasn’t ready to fully commit.
I was discreet about my shit because I respected her enough not to have her out here looking crazy.
When she found out I was fuckin’ around, it caused a lot of chaos between us.
She no longer wanted to be with me, and I was cool with that.
I knew what type of person I was at the time, so I wasn’t trying to hold up her love life.
Zenobia had dudes checking for her all the time, and not once had I ever been jealous.
Shit, it wasn’t too long ago since we’d been able to get back on track.
For the sake of our daughter, we had to find common ground and make shit work out for the best. I bought her a house and chose to pay all her bills on the strength of Zoie.
Plus, every once in a while, I might come through and stay the night upon Zoie’s request. Most of those nights when I came through, Zenobia and I would find ourselves having our own fun.
It was rare, but I still broke her off with some dick when those sleepovers took place.
She knew me better than any female I’d been with.
She knew how my personality could switch up right before her eyes with no warning.
Gripping her chin, I placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Don’t let the shit happen again. But we can go ahead and continue this conversation in the play house.” My eyes penetrated hers.
“Yes, maitre.” Her voice was low.
She already knew what time it was.