Chapter 13
“How was the sleepover? I see she made it into your bed a lot sooner than I expected.” Lyric tittered.
I groaned, swallowing the medicine to get rid of my headache. Last night went well, but I might have overdid it with the drinking.
“Fuck you, Lyric. It wasn’t anything deep. She wasn’t in any condition to take care of herself.”
“Yeah, right. You don’t have to explain anything to me.
I remember how weak you used to be when it concerned Naiari, so this isn’t a surprise.
All I’m gonna say is you don’t need to blur the lines with her.
You are about to be on tour soon where there will be women throwing pussy at you from every angle.
You don’t want to get caught up with your baby momma and add unnecessary drama to your life,” she warned me.
“I appreciate the concern, but I’m grown as fuck and can make my own decisions when it concerns my dating life.
My focus is on building a relationship with my kids, but I’m not gonna pretend I don’t love her.
My schedule is about to become hectic, and I really want to find a way for me to be able to take them with me.
I’ve missed enough time as it is. I don’t want any of them to feel as if I’m putting my career before them. ”
Lyric and I were close, which allowed me to open up and confide in her about my deepest fears. We had always been each other’s rock, and nothing had changed.
“What about a nanny? Maybe you can arrange for them to come to a couple of cities with you and have a nanny keep them while you’re doing appearances. It may not be ideal, but it’ll allow you to share space with them and spend time when you’re not working.”
I nodded as I listened to Lyric’s idea. It had been on my mind for the last few days because I wanted to spend more time with them. Tiana didn’t care about Keyami staying with me longer, but I wasn’t sure how Naiari would react.
“It sounds like a good idea, but I don’t know anything about nannies. I’m gonna have to hit up Persia to see if she can help me.”
“Well, I can help you for now. My schedule is flexible, and since Symphonee isn’t in school, she can come with me,” she offered.
“Are you sure you’re up for it? We’re talking about four kids instead of one.”
“I can handle it. Besides, isn’t East and Logic gonna be on the road with you as well? They can help me when they aren’t doing things for you.”
I considered her offer, thinking it wasn’t such a bad idea.
Lyric was good with children, and we could always hire extra help.
Logic was my business partner and hype man, but East was one of my producers, so he didn’t really deal with anything outside of the music.
I asked him to come along with me so we could work on some new songs while we were away from home.
Other than that, I was sure he wouldn’t mind helping where it was needed.
“I’ll talk to them to see if they’re cool with helping out. My flight leaves tomorrow for my interview with GMA, and then I have a photo shoot with MediaHeart Magazine and Reverb. I need to talk to Naiari so I can get these flights booked.”
“Let me know how it goes. I’m about to check on Symphonee and the kids.
Breakfast is ready, so you can eat whenever you’re ready.
” Lyric got up from the table and exited the kitchen.
I sat there in my thoughts for a moment.
Everything in my life was happening so fast, and there was rarely any time to sit and think.
From the moment they released me from jail, I was on the move. I was grateful for my blessings, but I needed to book a vacation as soon as possible.
I decided to get our conversation out of the way so I could make whatever arrangements I needed. As I ascended the steps, I whispered a prayer that things would go in my favor. The last thing I wanted was for the two of us to be at odds.
“Damn, you don’t know how to knock?” Ari shrieked, wrapping her towel tighter around her body.
“This is my room, and there isn’t anything I haven’t seen before.” I shrugged as if I was unbothered by her nakedness, but my dick stiffened.
“I don’t care if you’ve seen it a million times. It is rude to barge into a room. I could have been in here playing in my pussy or something.”
My dick jumped from the image alone. I needed to hurry up and get her out of my space before I made a decision I would regret.
“Aye, it’s your world, ma. Anyway, I need to holler at you about something.”
Ari eyed me curiously before she responded.
“What is it?”
I scratched the back of my neck, trying to find the right words.
“I leave for New York tomorrow.”
“What does that have to do with me?” She interjected.
“Well, if you let me finish, I could tell you.”
She raised her hands in mock surrender, causing her towel to drop to the floor. My eyes locked on her sexy frame and freshly waxed pussy. My mouth watered as if someone were tempting me with my favorite snack.
“Are you gonna talk, or are you gonna continue to stare at my pussy? This is why you should have knocked, creep.” Ari huffed while removing one of the outfits tucked in the shopping bag on the bed.
I made sure my assistant went to the store this morning to ensure Ari had clothes and hygiene products, since she ruined her clothes from the night before.
“Whatever. As I was saying, I have a full schedule lined up, but I’m not ready for the kids to leave. I know I was supposed to bring them back home today, but I need more time with them.”
Ari slid a pair of black leggings over her bare ass, and I had to close my eyes to get my dick to go down.
“Can you get to the point. I feel like you’re dragging this conversation out, and I’m tryna figure out why.”
“I talked to Lyric this morning, and she agreed to watch the kids while they travel with me. We have plenty of help and resources, so they’ll be well taken care of while we’re gone.
You can talk to them as much as you want, and it’ll give you more time to yourself.
I think it would be a win for everyone,” I rambled.
She had me feeling like a little kid trying to convince my parents to let me walk to the corner store by myself.
She snapped her bra in place, then pulled her T-shirt over her head. The silence was deafening, but I wasn’t ready to accept defeat yet.
“Are you gonna say something?”
“I’m not sure what you want me to say. Are you asking me for my permission or telling me what your plans are?”
“I want us to be on the same page. I realize I didn’t handle things right the first time, and I apologize for the way I blew up on you.
Everything happened so fast, and seeing the twins caught me off guard.
There were a lot of emotions coming out at one time, and I could have done a better job regulating my feelings.
They need both of us, so I want to make sure we have a solid co-parenting foundation. ”
Ari scoffed, which caught me off guard.
“What is with all of the sounds? If you have any issues with my request, just let me know, and we can find a compromise. The only reason I’m pressing the issue is that I don’t want to be away from them if I don’t have to.
The last thing I want to do is inconvenience anyone, but I’m not ready to let them go yet. ”
This time, she gave me a sympathetic look before taking a seat on the side of the bed.
“I’ll let them go, but only on one condition.”
“And what condition is that?”