Chapter 16
The late-afternoon sun stretched low across the neighborhood.
It brushed everything in a honeyed glow that made the area gorgeous for a fall day.
The air was crisp, definitely sweatshirt and legging weather.
It still reminded her of a faint summer with the warmth that was experienced today.
Kids’ laughter echoed somewhere down the street, and every now and then a leaf skittered across the pavement.
Tachina sat on the porch steps, sneakers kicked off, enjoying the gentle breeze on her freshly painted toes.
After work, she had stopped by the nail shop for a manicure and pedicure that was much needed.
Bedside her, Addison lounged, sipping on a steaming cup of chai with her hoodie pulled up over her hair.
They watched Kian pedal furiously down the driveway on his bike. His tiny little legs pumped like he was training for the Tour de France.
“He looks like he’s fleeing the scene of a crime.” Addison chuckled.
Tachina laughed with her.
“He rides that fast because he feels he can beat any of the cars that are going down the street.” She sighed. She’d had this conversation with her son in the past. He swore up and down he could go faster than any other vehicles.
“Well, I doubt it. Are these cars even doing the speed limit?” Addison asked.
A car had just sped down their neighborhood that had both of them hollering at the driver. Not that the person probably heard them with as fast as they had flown by.
“Don’t let him hear you say that. It will be like issuing a challenge,” Tachina muttered.
“Maybe they need to put a speed bump on the street,” Addison suggested.
“We’ve petitioned for one. Haven’t received the approval yet. Plus, I don’t know…the kids might think it will be fun to run over it with their bikes.” She chuckled.
Kian skidded to a halt and glared at them suspiciously. He tilted his head to the side and studied them.
“What I do?” he asked.
“Nothing, baby,” Tachina called out. “You are looking good out there.”
“I know,” he said proudly, then pedaled away.
“Okay then, little man,” Addison sputtered. She shook her head then took another sip of her chai. She waited until Kian wasn’t paying them any mind. She then leaned over and nudged Tachina with her elbow. “Spill it. What’s wrong with you?”
Of course her bestie would detect that something was bothering her. It had been a minute since they had just sat and chilled together. Even though they’d seen each other at the party, it had been a working event for Addison. After the party, they’d both been quite busy with work and other things.
Tachina glanced down at her fingers and blew out a deep breath. She reached out and picked a few pieces of lint from her leggings.
“I did something dumb,” Tachina admitted.
“I knew it,” Addison squealed.
Tachina whipped her head around to her friend who immediately caught what she’d said.
“I mean, not that you did something dumb, but I knew there was something bothering you.”
“Yeah, smooth that out,” Tachina teased. She smiled and blew out another deep breath. “You ain’t got to act so excited about it.”
“Nothing cheers me up more than watching another grown woman have issues she needs worked out who isn’t me,” Addison said.
She took another sip then turned her body to face Tachina.
She waited, but when Tachina hesitated, she rolled her eyes and gently shoved Tachina’s shoulder.
“Don’t make me wait fifty-eleven years. Out with it, woman! ”
“I caught feelings for him,” Tachina mumbled.
“For Vic.” It wasn’t a question but a statement. Addison knocked her hood off her head and tucked her long, thick hair behind her ear. “Girl, we knew this was going to happen.”
“Who the hell is we?” Tachina gasped. “And there were no feelings before this. We were co-parenting, mature, worked as partners, all for the good of Kian.”
“And the both of you always eye-fucked each other the moment you were in the presence of the other,” Addison added in.
“We did not!”
“Did, too. Hell, the way you two would look at each other had me needing to reach for my vibrator.” Addison snickered.
“Girl, whatever. I did not need to know that.” This time it was Tachina’s turn to roll her eyes. She looked down the street. Kian made his way back toward their house. He was of course speeding, as usual. “Most people wish they got along with their child’s father like I do.”
“That they do, and now that you allow him to hit it since he’s not with his girlfriend, he’s getting the best of both worlds.”
“Addison!”
“I’m just being honest. You know I will never lie to you,” Addison said.
Tachina’s shoulders drooped a little.
“Were we that obvious?” Tachina asked quietly.
“Yup. Everyone could see it. We all just been waiting for the two of you to realize it.” Addison tipped back her cup and finished off her drink. She set the empty cup down behind her on the porch. “You are obviously just now figuring it out, but has he?”
That hit a nerve. She covered her face for a moment. Embarrassed. Had she made a fool of herself? She dropped her hands and stared down the driveway where Kian now circled his way back to the sidewalk.
“I don’t even know if he truly wants me,” Tachina admitted.
“Girl.” Addison snorted. “He’s practically housebreaking you. Decorating his home with you. Scheduling playdates at his house. Men don’t keep women around they don’t want.”
“It’s not that,” Tachina argued half-heartedly. “We have just been trying to conceive another baby.”
“How many nights does it take to conceive? I know I don’t have kids, but I don’t think it takes weeks of getting dicked down to make a baby.” Leave it to Addison to be blunt but truthful.
Tachina thought of all the nights they had been spending together. Heat filled her at the thought of the climaxes the man gave her at night and then waking up in the warmth of his arms.
She had fallen into something without realizing it was happening. Every time she’d left his house, she’d already missed the weight of his arm around her, or the kiss at the base of her neck, or the feeling of his breath skating across her skin.
He made the world feel lighter. It truly seemed as if they were partners in every aspect of their son’s life now and each other’s.
“I guess this is definitely getting complicated,” Tachina admitted.
“You think?” Addison snorted again.
“And what’s making this even worse, is Sydney is trying to come back into the picture.” Tachina swallowed thickly. That was what truly bothered her. He had been with this woman for years. Could he just walk away from her?
“Oh, we talking about little Miss Righteous Blondie? Miss I’m Better Than You Because My Heels Were Made in Italy?”
“Don’t forget, because my perfume smells like a rich person’s ghost,” Tachina added.
“Right!” Addison shrieked laughing. “Like she dipped herself in generational wealth and condescension.”
“I couldn’t believe that woman had the nerve to show up at Kian’s birthday party,” Tachina said. The wind blew gently again, pushing her hair into her face. She pushed it behind her ear to keep her vision clear to watch Kian.
“You should have seen my face when I saw her, but honey, she didn’t show up for Kian,” Addison said. “That was a chess move. To send a reminder that she’s still around.”
That’s exactly what Tachina had thought.
“And what if he gets back with her?” Tachina mumbled. She couldn’t even believe she was saying this out loud. But this was Addison she was speaking with, so she could share her most deepest fears and be vulnerable.
Addison stared at her for long moment to force her to make eye contact again.
“Why would he? He’s already doing everything he didn’t want to do with her. He didn’t want to have babies with her.”
Oof…her friend’s brutal honesty hit again.
But it was the truth.
“And you, he wants all the time. He wants you in his clothes. He wants to kiss your forehead in the morning.”
“He hasn’t kissed my forehead yet.” Tachina sniffed.
“Oh, I’m sure it’s coming.” Addison lifted her chin.
There was something about this woman that reminded Tachina that she was a confident woman. That was why they were besties. When one felt down, the other would be there to lift the other up.
“That’s his shirt you have on, isn’t it?” Addison asked.
“It’s comfortable,” Tachina protested. She thought of the morning he’d tossed her his shirt. She’d worn it practically all morning and had taken it home. She had said she would wash it and bring it back.
She hadn’t.
“It’s advertisement that he’s handling business in the bedroom,” Addison deadpanned.
“There is no such thing.”
“It is when you look good in it. A man wants to see his woman in his clothes. Believe me. It does something to their brain chemistry,” she said.
Their conversation halted as Kian skidded to a halt near them.
“Mama!” he called out. “Auntie Addie! Watch this!”
He took off down the driveway at full speed. Tachina’s heart jumped; she nearly yelled for him to slow down but stopped herself. He was doing exactly what five-year-olds were supposed to be doing—having fun.
At the edge of the driveway, he yanked up on the handlebars. The front tire lifted two inches, maybe three, before it plunked back down on the sidewalk. He braked and threw the bike down on the ground.
“Did you see that?” he screeched.
Both of them leapt to their feet and cheered like he’d won an Olympic medal.
“Oh my God! An X Games champion in the making!” Addison screamed. “Are you signing autographs?”
“I think we need to call ESPN so that they can see how talented my baby is!” Tachina laughed. “You, sir, are amazing!”
“I know.” He grinned. Of course the little stinker was cocky with his talents. He hopped back on his bike and took off.
“Tell him to aim for four inches next time,” Addison whispered loudly.
“Hell, no. Not trying to have him break his skull.”
“Then three and a half.” Addison giggled.