Chapter 19 Peace Graham
peace graham
. . .
a couple of weeks later
“Hey, boo. I’m gonna head out early. If you need anything, call me. Dreaux told me he wouldn’t be coming around the office for the rest of the week.” Maliah informed me.
“We can handle it,” I assured her. Hearing his name stirred mixed emotions because we seemed to be on a constant roller coaster.
We took an official DNA test to confirm Promise’s paternity a couple of weeks ago, and she was indeed Dreaux’s daughter.
Although it was a crazy turn of events, I was happy she would have the opportunity to grow up with a father in her life.
Stupidly, I thought our moment at the hotel would turn into more, but things seemed to be the complete opposite.
His focus had been only on Promise, and while I was happy for them, I questioned where I fit in.
Dreaux made sure he saw her daily, but we had yet to sit down and have a conversation.
According to Dominique, he came back home, but he wasn’t speaking to any of them.
She broke down and told me about what happened, and I could tell they were all upset about it.
It made me wonder what was going on with him because he wasn’t the same Dreaux I was used to.
What confused me most was the mixed signals he was sending.
One moment, he was being distant, and the next, we were fucking like two horny college students.
When we made love, it felt like nothing could ever come between us, but then he would leave the next day and ignore me as if it had never happened.
I should have cut him off, but it was easier said than done.
Dreaux’s touch made me weak in the knees, and my body had a mind of its own when it came to him.
I craved his touch, his presence, and even his scent when he wasn’t around.
I sent him a text to let him know we needed to talk a couple of hours ago, but I still hadn’t received a response. My feelings were hurt, but I refused to shed another tear over another man. I wasted too many years on Chop, and I would never allow anyone to make me feel the way he did.
Once I clocked out, I sent a message to Dana asking if I could pick Promise up in the morning. I needed a night out to clear my head. I sent a message to the ladies to see if anyone was free to go out for drinks. Janae, Tyeis, and Ciyani all agreed to meet me at a lounge called Lost and Found.
We decided to head out at ten, so I had time to take a nap and take my time getting ready.
Ciyani offered to pick me up, so I texted her to let her know I was ready.
I called my baby to check on her, but all she wanted to do was show me the new toys her aunties bought her.
When I broke the news to them about Promise being their niece, they were surprised, but nothing changed.
They still spoiled her rotten and fought over her as usual.
Ciyani: I’m here
I checked myself out in the mirror one last time before grabbing my purse and heading outside. I decided to keep it simple with a yellow-and-black off-the-shoulder top, some black leather leggings, and a pair of wedges Dreaux bought me. My hair was in a messy bun, and I kept my makeup simple.
“Hey, boo! You look cute!” Ciyani complimented me as soon as I got inside the car.
“Thank you. You do too. I’m so glad y’all said yes; otherwise, I would have had to go out by myself.”
“Yeah, right. I would never let you go alone. Our city is cool and all, but there are creeps everywhere.”
We jammed to some music and rapped the lyrics. The lounge was twenty minutes away, but it seemed like we got there fast.
“Hey, bitches! Now, I’m telling you, my husband said I need to have my ass in the house by one, or I’m not getting any dick tonight.
I need that shit like I need air, so y’all have me until then.
” Janae blurted out. I cackled because of the serious expression on her face.
My girl was not about to be put on punishment, and I didn’t blame her.
“You need help, bestie. I know for a fact you fucked that man before you left the house. You’re acting like an addict.” Ciyani teased her.
“And I am. Listen, you should already know what it’s like. Those Graham men have dicks laced with cocaine. You can’t convince me otherwise.”
“You might be onto something, Nae. Loyal has been out of town shooting a music video, and I feel like I’m about to lose my mind. Phone sex is cool, but I need to feel the real thing,” Tyeis cosigned.
I followed them as they walked past the security guards and entered the lounge.
The hostess escorted us to a section and let us know someone would be there to take our orders.
The lounge was outdoors but enclosed. Our section was L-shaped, with a table in the middle.
There were two bars on the other side of the room, and the place had a nice crowd.
“Hey, ladies. Welcome to Lost and Found. What can I start you off with?” The pretty caramel baddie held out a tablet as she took our orders. A handsome stranger walked up and whispered in her ear, and she nodded her head. Another walked up next to him, and I instantly recognized him.
“What’s good, family?” Messiah greeted the table and then turned towards his teammate.
“All these women are my family, and they are all married except for her. And she’s off limits because she’s my sister.
I’ll fuck yo ass up for playing with mine.
” He warned. On the outside, Messiah seemed like a playful, laid-back person, but based on the way his teammate reacted, he must have realized he meant business.
“My bad, Siah. You know it’s all love. I wanted to buy the beautiful ladies a round of drinks. No disrespect.”
“It’s all good. You didn’t know, but you do now. As far as their drinks, they’re straight. All they niggas have money, they don’t need anything.” I snickered at the way he handled his teammate.
“You can put their stuff on my tab. He handed her his card, she swiped it, then handed it back to him.
“Thank you, cousin,” Ciyani called out.
“No thanks needed.”
Messiah stepped around the waitress and hugged them all individually. I sat awkwardly in my seat, not knowing what to do. Yeah, he might have claimed me as his sister, but we hadn’t spoken since.
“Get your ass up and hug me, kid. I don’t know why you’re sitting over there looking like a sad puppy as if I was gonna leave you out.
” Messiah commanded as he made his way over to me.
I coached myself internally to hold in my tears because we were in the middle of a bar.
The moment his arms wrapped around me, I almost failed the mission because he felt…
safe. It was one of those hugs you got from someone you knew cared about you. A feeling I longed for my whole life.
“Alright, I’m about to get out of y’all’s way. If you need anything, let me or the bottle girl know. Yaya is at home taking care of Cherish, so I’ll be headed home in a minute.”
“Okay. Thank you again. I’ll check in on my girls before we leave tonight. Yaya said she was gonna try to take a nap, so I figured she was asleep when we came out here.” Tyeis expressed.
“Yeah, my momma is at the house, so they are straight for now. I love y’all.”
“Love you too.” They called out. Messiah headed back to his table with his friends, and we continued to catch up. Once the drinks came, I wasted no time knocking back two shots of tequila. I wasn’t a big drinker, but tonight I needed to unwind.
“You must be stressed, my girl. You took those shots without any chaser!” Janae shouted.
“You have no idea.”
“Well, you brought us out here, so spill the tea. Is your baby daddy stressing you out?” she probed, hitting the nail on the head.
As much as I didn’t want to talk about him, I needed to get my feelings out before they drove me crazy. I ran down everything that had happened since we came back home, and they listened intently while I poured my heart out.
“I hate to say it, but you need to leave him alone,” Janae stated.
“I know you care about him, but you deserve a man who knows what he wants. I’m not saying he can’t be that person, but you don’t need to wait around until he figures it out.
As a woman, you want a man who chooses you without hesitation or doubt.
If he doesn’t know what he wants, then go out and do you. ”
“I agree with Nae. Dreaux knows what you’ve been through, so it’s not fair for him to leave you in limbo. If he isn’t ready to be the man you need, then you have every right to see what else is out there.” Ciyani added.
“Yeah, babe. They are right. You’re young, gorgeous, and a damn good woman.
It’s time for you to put yourself first.” Tyeis chimed in.
I sat there taking in all of their advice and confirmed what I had already thought.
Life was finally starting to fall into place for me, and I needed to allow myself to enjoy it.
If things between Dreaux and me were meant to be, they would fall into place when it was time.
“Excuse me, ladies. I don’t mean to interrupt, but I had to tell you how beautiful you all are. Do you mind if I borrow your friend for a moment?”
I forgot how to breathe when I glanced up and realized it was Kavello, a popular rapper. My friends back home and I went to a few of his concerts and had a great time. Kavello was a sexy, dark-skinned Adonis with long locs down to his back.
“No. We don’t mind at all as long as you bring her back the same way you took her. I keep my gun and blade on me at all times. I love your music, but your career will be cut short if anything happens to her,” Janae warned.
“I don’t want any smoke, ma. I promise I don’t.” His focus turned to me, and I had to remind myself he was still a man at the end of the day. I said I wanted to start living, and one conversation wouldn’t hurt.
Kavello held his hand out for me, and I held onto him as I got up. Those shots made me feel like I was floating as he escorted me to his section. A big, buff man stood at the entrance to their section. I assumed he must have been a bodyguard or something.
“Do you want something to drink? We’ve got dark and light. There’s some Red Bulls over there, some Sprite, and pineapple juice.” He offered. I thought about having another drink, but I decided to go for it. I told him what I wanted and watched as he mixed the cocktail.
“Tell me about yourself. I come out here fairly often, and I don’t recall ever seeing you around.”
“I moved back here recently. I’ve been to a few of your shows before.”
“Oh, yeah. What did you think about them?” he inquired, pouring another drink for himself.
“I think you’re really talented, and you know how to keep the crowd engaged. My girls and I were hoarse the next day because we were screaming so loudly.” I covered my mouth in embarrassment from how lame I must have sounded.
“I appreciate it. Honestly, I love performing almost as much as I love making music. It’s one thing to know people fuck with my music, but it’s a completely different experience when you’re standing in front of thousands of people rapping your lyrics along with you. It’s a real humbling experience.”
“You seem different than most rappers.”
“Whatchu mean by that, love?”
“Most people with your status are arrogant and conceited. You seem down-to-earth, which is rare,” I explained.
“I think it’s all about having balance. I’m a cocky ass nigga, but I’ll never forget where I came from.
I love my fans, so I will always show my gratitude to them.
You should come to my next show in Detroit next weekend.
I’ll pay for you and your girls to come out and kick it with me for the weekend. ”
“I’ll ask them. Most of my girls are married, so I’m not sure if they’ll be able to stay for the weekend.”
“They can bring their husbands too. I’m not paying for them niggas, but I’ll make sure y’all have front row seats. You’re the person I’m interested in, so I don’t care about anyone else’s relationship status. As long as you aren’t married. You are single, right?”
I giggled because of the look he gave me. I could tell he had a good sense of humor, and I needed that in a man.
“You sure picked a fine time to ask. I’m single, so you don’t have anything to worry about. I do have a daughter, though.” I revealed. I wanted to let him know up front in case things went further. Promise, and I were a package deal.
“That’s what’s up. I don’t have any kids yet, but I have twenty nieces and nephews, so I’m good with kids.”
My eyes widened at the number because I wasn’t expecting so many.
“You must have a big family.”
“Yes and no. I’m the youngest of four. None of my brothers seems to know what a condom is, so a few of my nieces are the same age. I want to have at least one, but I’m in no hurry.”
“Are you waiting for the right time in your career or the right person?” I probed.
“A little of both. My pops wasn’t around when I was young, and I promised myself I would be there for my kids. When my future woman gets pregnant, I want to devote my time and attention to her and my child. I want to be able to attend doctor’s appointments and everything else she needs.”
His words touched me because I remembered being pregnant with Promise and having to attend those appointments alone. Chop always had an excuse for why he couldn’t show up, and it hurt my feelings each time.
“I like the way you think.”
“Yeah? Well, maybe if you stick around long enough, you’ll discover a lot more things you like about me.” Kavello and I vibed and talked for another thirty minutes before he returned me to my girls. He made sure to get my number and to reiterate his offer to see him perform.
I had butterflies in my stomach even though I wasn’t sure where things would go. It was nice to feel wanted by someone who made their intentions clear. I guess that was what dating was all about.