Sterling #3
His voice had risen angrily and I wasn’t about to allow that.
“You gave up more than money when you left your marriage for your side chick. You gave up the money that you would’ve potentially made in order to be free and you gave it to me.
But once you saw that I wasn’t going to be actively letting you dip into it, you left me too.
So no, Dad, I don’t think that bringing your wife, who hates me and your other children who don’t know me is really the best idea when you say you’re trying to fake being a good father and meet my boyfriend.
Now, I’ve got dinner to finish and since this is how we are leaving things, I don’t expect to hear from you for the holidays but I hope you enjoy them all the same. ”
I hung up before he could say anything else but didn’t take the extra step to block his number.
I knew it was coming but part of me hoped he would just leave me the hell alone.
I ran my fingers through my hair gripping the stands so that the bite of pain would provide me with the focus I needed not to let him get to me emotionally.
It was a terrible habit I’d picked up when I was younger and I prayed I didn’t fall back into those same habits since so much about my life was currently unbalanced emotionally.
“It wouldn’t have been a problem to let him come to the game.”
I jumped realizing that Aldrich was home and he had clearly heard some part of the conversation.
His curls were slicked back off his face but I could tell it was still damp after his shower.
He was in exercise shorts and a t-shirt and was barefoot.
Since his duffle bag wasn’t slung over his shoulder I assumed he’d left it by the door.
“Shit, you scared me. For you to be so big you don’t make noise when you move. ”
He only gave me a half smile as he tossed his keys and phone on the dish on the counter.
I was happy to see he was making use of it and wasn’t annoyed that I’d taken it upon myself to put it there.
He was so used to just tossing stuff around that he often forgot where he put things since he didn’t designate a spot for them.
When I had to help him look for his keys for the second time in a week I got the dish.
“I get paid to have light feet and quick moves.” He bent down to brush his lips against mine and I almost thought we were going to avoid mentioning what he walked in on.
That was until he pulled back and stared at me with his creamed-coffee brown eyes, staring intensely into mine. “We gone talk about that, right?”
“Is this a must-do type of situation?” I was being playful but I was also serious as hell. I hated talking about my dad or my mom. They weren’t sore spots but it was still hard not to feel some type of way when the people who created you didn’t really fuck with you.
“I’m saying I have a simple solution but you seem like you’re going to fight against it.
So either you think I’d have a problem or he’s a problem.
Either way, I feel like a conversation is needed.
” His arms went around my waist, his hands gripping each ass cheek as he glanced over at Ami’s monitor to make sure she was still asleep.
“You want to eat now or wait until after?”
“What you make?”
“Clam chowder.”
His eyes lit up and he smacked my ass in appreciation. Aldrich burned more calories than anyone I’d ever been around and I couldn’t imagine if he was someone like Runt. “Oh, you made some real shit? Bet, I’ll fix the plates, go sit down.”
“Aldrich—”
“Nah. You know as soon as you get comfortable she’s gone wake up and want all your attention. And your hardheaded ass will give it to her to avoid this shit. You cooked, so I’ll serve. Sit.” He pointed to the table that I’d already set like I needed directions on how to get there.
I battled the urge to answer, yes sir cause he had that energy that made it seem like he wouldn’t take no for an answer. And I liked it a little too much.
I sat down at the table and watched him move around the kitchen grabbing bowls, plates, crackers and the ladle to actually plate our food like he knew what he was doing. He carried them both to me and sat down, took my hand to bless the food and then started to watch me.
“So what’s the deal?” He took a bite of soup and when he started to nod and didn’t bother to say anything else as he ate, I knew he liked it.
“He’s a deadbeat and I don’t fuck with him well enough for him to be wanting to come down here.”
Another nod, another bite, and I smiled at his nonverbal appreciation of dinner. When he came up for air he hopped up to grab drinks from the beverage drawer and came back to the table. As he handed me a sparkling water, he got back to business. “There’s something else though.”
“It’s the way he did it. Trying to use our broken relationship, that he broke, to get a free vacation for him and his family.” I swirled my spoon through the thick soup getting annoyed all over again.
“What was his reason for coming? To check on you?”
“Yeah. That and he’d been seeing me around you and he wanted to make sure you were good and I was living well.”
“And he thought that approach was going to warrant a flight and a vacation?” Aldrich’s laugh was deep, the kind that let me know he was happy with how I handled the situation because my father wouldn’t have been welcome here.
“I guess his stamp of approval was supposed to move you into seeing to his every need.”
He raised his eyebrows thoughtfully before shaking his head. “That’s actually not a bad approach if I thought he was worth it. But seeing that you don’t even fuck with him he couldn’t get a hello from me.”
“That deep?”
He moved his chair closer to mine so that he could rest his hand on my thigh.
“You’re a damn good judge of character, Tesoro.
I’m not about to sit here and act like you don’t know who to keep close and who to push away.
Especially with your people. That was some real ho shit though.
Manipulative as hell to do that to your daughter.
He shouldn’t be okay with doing that to you because it leaves you open for other men to do it to you.
Nigga couldn’t even be inventive with his reason for coming.
At least fake dying like Anthony’s mama tried. ”
I’d gasped when Aphrodite told me that lady was saying she was ill to try to extort money from them. There had to be a special place in hell for people who were okay with playing with their health just to grift.
“Right? Letting him come to a game to cheer on a man he doesn’t know off the back of his daughter he doesn’t even communicate with. I probably would’ve felt better if he would’ve tried harder with his faux concern. It pisses me off that I wasn’t even worth a good fucking lie.”
Aldrich squeezed my thigh forcing me to look at him.
His eyes were soft, his concern displayed clearly.
“Aye, we're not about to do that. We're not letting other people’s bullshit make us feel anyway about ourselves. We're not internalizing that shit, Ling. He fucked up so he misses out. It’s that simple. I know how I move with Ami isn’t always right but the last thing I ever want her to feel is that she’s the cause of it.
How she got here wasn’t ideal but I’m thankful with each passing day that I got the chance to love her.
I wouldn’t trade that for anything. And if your punk-ass daddy doesn’t see the benefit of you, that’s a him issue. ”
“First of all, you’ve been more involved with Ami than I’m sure my father ever was. My mother had no issue with reminding me she was the parent that stayed although I know they had a day and night nanny so they could both continue on with their careers.”
“They told you that?” He looked appalled that neither parent even tried to spare my feelings.
“Yeah. She wanted me to see that she had made so many sacrifices for me but all it showed was that she didn’t have a maternal bone in her body.”
He finished the bowl of soup and put his forearm casually on top of his head. “Damn. You should be far more fucked up than you are.”
I laughed sarcastically as I felt my desire to finish my dinner return. “Thanks…I guess?”
“Nah, not like that. I mean yeah, like that, because we all fucked up. I definitely don’t have any room to talk about people who are emotionally scarred and damaged.” He gave me a pointed look so I knew what he spoke of.
“Scarred maybe but not damaged. That’s letting the wrong people win.”
“Yeah, I get it. But you should probably use some of that same info for yourself don’t you think?” He folded his arms across his chest and I could see the fatigue from eating settling in his eyes.
“Stop making sense, Aldrich.”
“My fault. I’ll let you wallow next time.”
I threw my napkin at him, which he allowed to hit him in the face. “Just say you don’t like me and get it over with.”
“I don’t like you, Ling, I love your fine ass.”
My spoon dropped back into my soup, and I slowly raised my eyes to look at him. He was looking at me with a mixture of hungry, adoration, and a bit of fear on his face. Like he’d been waiting to say something but was now scared at how I was going to respond.
The tears were in my eyes before I could think to stop them. When they fell down my cheeks I didn’t bother to wipe them away because my mind was on being brave enough to tell him I feel.
“I love you too, Aldrich.”
“Not enough to call me Money though.”
I laughed and rolled my eyes at his never being satisfied. “That’s reserved for special occasions.”
“Facts. Call me Money when I’m putting in work like they do when I’m on the field. I can’t think of one more special than right now.” He moved from his seat and when he got on his knee in front of me my brain began to go haywire. Ain’t no way in hell he’s about—
His fingers went to my waistband before he looked at me questioningly.
I nodded my permission as I lifted my legs grateful that he wasn’t doing something rash and also happy that I was going to be flying really high soon.
He spread my legs wide and eased my panties down my lips. “Let’s see how long it takes for you to scream, Money, Tesoro.”