Chapter 3
I picked up my ringing phone from the counter and saw Leo’s name flash across the screen. I hurriedly answered as I bounced my baby girl in my arms.
“Hello?”
“Hey, what’s up? I see you called me a few times. What’s wrong?”
Is he serious?
“Leo, I have to go into the office today. I need you to come be with the kids for about an hour.”
“Babe, you know I can’t leave work right now. We’ve been getting calls all day. We’re about to head out now to go put out a fire.”
“Leo, I need you! You know Ms. Shelly is sick. I don’t have anyone else.”
“Can’t your mom keep them?”
My teeth gritted. “You know she’s on vacation with my aunt.
She won’t be back until this evening. Amir isn’t equipped to watch them, and Raeley stays too busy.
I don’t ask for much, but it would be nice if their father didn’t act as if he didn’t purposely impregnate me, then act like I fucked myself and created them! ”
“Oooh, Mommy said a bad word!” Chloe exclaimed.
Shit.
“Bad word, bad word!” Carlee chanted in my ear.
“Don’t mind Mommy, baby. Eat your lunch.” I placed Carlee in her high chair, then walked out of the kitchen.
“Alicia, I’m sorry I can’t be there whenever you need me. I’m going to give my mom a call and see if she can come over to keep them for a minute.”
“You cannot be serious. Your mother hates me. Do you really think she’s going to drop everything to come help me?”
“Well, what do you want me to do, Ali?”
“Be here! Do your job and help me with these children we’ve created. They have more than one fireman, Leo.”
“Listen. I have to go. I’ll call my mom.
She’ll come. I promise.” The line disconnected, and I swore I wanted to hurl my phone across the room.
Since Ms. Shelly had gotten sick, I had to postpone the anniversary trip.
I needed to meet with my new client, and my cousin Raeley was busy at the hospital.
There was no way I could ask my little brother, Amir, to watch my kids.
I’d come home to crayon markings on the wall and my kitchen looking like a raccoon raided it.
Frustration coursed through me because, while Leo may have made me breakfast in bed, bought me flowers, and gifted me a new iPad for our anniversary, that didn’t make up for his lackluster parenting skills.
Somehow, I knew he was lying about there being a fire.
I promised I wasn’t trying to downplay his job, but I knew Leo like the back of my hand.
I knew when his ass was lying because he always rushed me off the phone when he didn’t want to keep lying to me, or he’d leave the room when he didn’t want to answer me.
The shit was getting beyond ridiculous, and I was afraid we’d never recover from the rough patch we were having.
My phone rang in my hand. I looked down at it, seeing my mother-in-law’s name on my screen. I rolled my eyes and put on the fakest voice I could muster when I answered.
“Hey, Mama Leanna. How are you?”
“I’m fine. So, you do know how to pick up a phone,” she stated.
“What do you mean?”
“Why is my son calling me, asking me if I could come be with the kids for an hour? You don’t know how to pick up a phone to call and ask for yourself?”
Here we go.
“I do. I literally just got off the phone with him.”
“Don’t go bothering him while he’s at work. He’s out trying to make a living for you all. You should have called me first instead of calling him.”
My mouth twisted in disgust. I swore I couldn’t stand that lady. If my kids didn’t love her, and vice versa, I would have cut her ass off a long time ago.
“I understand.”
“Now, what time do you have to leave?”
“I need to leave in the next hour.”
“Mm. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
“Thank you, Mama Leanna.”
She hung up on me.
Stupid, bird-face broad.
I sighed deeply as I went back into the kitchen to finish loading the dishwasher.
I knew better. Leo had to be talking negatively about me to his mother for her to think she could talk to me that way.
It honestly hurt my feelings that she treated me like that.
I had been nothing but kind to that woman since I started dating her son back in college, and all she’d ever given me was attitude.
There had been many occasions where my mother had to speak to her about the way she treated me. Talking to me as if I were incompetent earned her a nice cursing out from Anika Dancy. My mom played about a lot of things, but her children and grandchildren were never one of them.
Leanna didn’t like that my mom told her she would slap what little edges she had left off her head if she continued to talk to me crazily, and that only made the lady hate me more.
Leo knew that, so for him to call her to come over and keep the kids was crazy to me, but I had no other options until my mom made it back from New York that evening.
I was going to make one last attempt to salvage our marriage.
Even though we couldn’t go to the cabin that night, I was going to do something romantic for us.
I had already purchased his gifts since he thought I didn’t buy him anything, and I made sure to pull out the food to prepare a three-course meal for us. I was excited, and I prayed everything would go well.
Leanna arrived thirty minutes later, as promised.
She didn’t say much to me, but I didn’t care.
The sooner I could secure my client and get back to my children, the faster I could get her out of my house.
I could have met with them over Zoom, but I wanted our first meeting to be in person so we could get better acquainted.
I just hoped that by the time I returned, Leanna would pack up her shit and disappear.
By the time I made it home, Leanna had made it her business to stay a little longer than she normally would.
I simply ignored her ass and went to prepare my babies’ bags so they could go with my mother.
I called Nora as I packed the last bag to see if she wanted to come over and have a pre-anniversary drink with me because I knew Leo wouldn’t be home until eight that night.
She answered on the third ring.
“Hey, friend!”
“Hey. What are you up to?”
“Not much. In the middle of packing because I’m going out of town for a few days to celebrate our wiiin.”
I laughed. “Okay, ma’am! Where are you going?”
“Nowhere special. Just to Traverse City. Are you all ready for tonight?”
“I’m getting there. My mom is on her way to get the kids. I’m going to use this weekend to get my marriage back on track.”
“I know that’s right. I hope it all works out for you, friend. You deserve love and happiness. How many years will it be again?”
“Thirteen.”
“The big one three!”
We both laughed.
“Yeah, I was going to ask you to come over for a drink, but I see you already have plans. Let’s pray for many more.”
“To many, many more, darling. Let me go ahead and finish packing, toots. I’ll call you when I get there.”
“Okay, love. Talk to you soon. Love you!”
“Love you more, sis.” We said our goodbyes as I picked up the kids’ bags to take them downstairs. They were all in the living room, playing with their toys and watching Blimpie. When Leanna saw me, she stood and grabbed her purse from the table.
“I guess I’ll be going now. Make sure you have my son’s dinner ready when he comes home. He’ll be hungry when he does make it home.”
I frowned. “You don’t have to tell me that, Leanna.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said, you don’t have to tell me to cook a meal for my husband. He eats well every night, and so do our children.”
“Don’t get snippy with me, Alicia. I don’t smell anything cooking.
You’re so busy trying to get rid of your children that you haven’t even prepared anything.
” She scoffed and headed toward the door.
“Now I see why he’s never home.” She opened the door and then looked at my babies. “Bye, Grandma babies. I love you.”
“Love you, Grandma,” Carsyn said.
“Love you!” Chloe followed up.
“Lub you!” Carlee mimicked.
She smiled at them, then looked at me before she walked out the door. I wanted to tell her old ass off, but I just let her miserable ass walk out the door, and I slammed it behind her. I couldn’t stand her tacky ass.
Three hours later, my mom pulled up to retrieve the kids. She walked in, looking renewed and refreshed with a huge smile on her face. My brother Amir walked in behind her as I kissed his cheek.
“Ugh. What’s this on your face?” I asked, rubbing the light mustache over his top lip. He grimaced and moved his face away from me.
“I’m a grown man.”
“Boy, please. Sixteen is hardly grown. You still have shit streaks in your drawers,” my mom said, rolling her eyes at him.
“Really, Ma? You always trying to embarrass me.”
“You embarrass yourself, Son.”
I laughed. “Hey, Ma,” I greeted, hugging her tight. I missed her.
“Hi, my love. Why do you look so sad?”
“I’m not sad.”
“It looks like it. You should be twirling around with a smile on your face. Thirteen years of marriage is something to celebrate. Your daddy and I didn’t even make it that far. You should be proud.”
“I’m fine, Mommy. Just a little tired from running around all day,” I lied.
I wouldn’t dare tell her what Leanna said to me.
Mama had been looking for a reason to drag her, and it just wasn’t worth it.
I’d never hear the end of it if Leo found out his mother got her ass beat by mine.
Therefore, I would keep her nasty attitude toward me, to myself.
“Mmm. Hi, Nana’s babies! Y’all ready to have some fun with Nana?” she asked, and the kids cheered. “Well, come on! I missed you guys.”
The three of them hurried toward the door as Amir grabbed their bags.
I kissed them all, said my goodbyes, then went around the house to clean up.
Once that was complete, I ran a nice, hot bath and soaked my limbs.
After, I pulled out the sexiest lingerie I could find, sat at my vanity, and applied a light beat to my face.