Sylvia #3
“When a man like this puts a claim on you, you don’t block that blessing.
Stop being weird, Sylvia.” She gave me wink before smiling big as hell.
I knew it was from the joy spreading my business would give her but I couldn’t stop her.
She was always a pretty woman and after having four kids and being married for over twenty years she still looked great.
Wearing a t-shirt with the words The Dive on it and jean shorts and sneakers she fit right in with her staff.
“Yeah, stop being weird, Sisi.” Hassan was grinning hard as fuck and I swore he was enjoying this far too much.
I wanted to throw something at him but there wasn’t shit on the table that wouldn’t do him actual harm.
Judging by the way he looked, like he knew what I was thinking, he’d probably catch that shit like a ninja.
“Okay nickname. I’ll be back with your drinks in just a second.” Stephanie snapped her fingers in approval before she sashayed away to get our drinks.
“You know she’s heading back to the phone to call somebody.”
Hassan eased back in the seat and nodded. Which confirmed he’d been planning this. Or at least anticipated this would be the outcome. “Good. I’m not about to let your ass weasel out of dealing with me like you keep trying to.”
“Nobody is trying to weasel—”
“Sneak? Hide? Obfuscate?”
His teasing made me smile and this time I didn’t bother to hide how he affected me. “Will you stop it? I’m being cautious. Let’s not forget your actions are the reason that I’m feeling that way to begin with.”
He seemed to take my words on the chin and waited to speak until after Stephanie sat our drinks down and left.
“I’ll own that. But not all of it. As a man who wants you to depend on him, I can see how my actions that night didn’t convey that.
It left room for doubt which isn’t something I ever want when it comes to us.
So I’m asking for a new start. Not a clean slate cause I want you to hold me accountable for shit the same way I’ll do with you. ”
“I’m sorry for letting my own issues prevent me from reaching out.” I could admit I hadn’t been chasing him down to talk to him and the stress that Dave brought into my life made it easier to write Hassan off than to believe he was genuine.
That smile of his stretched across his face making it clear how much my answer pleased him.
“Look at us talking through our first misunderstanding like adults and shit. It’s only up from here, baby.”
“If you say so.”
“You haven’t agreed though. You giving a nigga chance or is this lunch as far as we go?”
I picked up the menu because I didn’t want him to see my face. If he did he would see how badly I was fighting my desire to scream yes, I’ll be your girlfriend like a teenager.
“I’ll give you my answer after we see how lunch goes.”
He was going to make me strangle him and I would smile in my mugshot. I didn’t have issue with Dave playing games with me. I could handle it and him. But when he decided to drag my kids into this bullshit—that’s where I drew the line.
Hassan and I had enjoyed lunch together that first day and every day since then.
He wasn’t joking about clearing his time to ensure I could see him.
He respected the fact that my kids came first so he tried to see me during the day.
I’d finally exchanged numbers with him and we sat on the phone or texted like teenagers all night.
That was last week and he’d been out of town in Atlanta for a few days checking in with the property his parents owned there.
They had retired but weren’t ready to move back to their home here because they’d become accustomed to the 55+ neighborhood that held every amenity they could need.
I’d asked Hassan what was going on with their house and he let me know the last renters had moved out and he was having parts of it renovated so he could move in.
Hearing that solidified that he did in fact plan to stay and put down roots.
I’d woken up to a message from him telling me to get ready for our date night.
It was Dave’s weekend to get the kids and I couldn’t wait to see Hassan.
I missed him and quite frankly I was horny as fuck.
He’d gotten up to video call with me while we worked out in the morning and I swear it was the sweetest torture in the world.
That man’s body was a work of art. And with the way he kept flirting with me I was glad to be on the same type of time.
If only Dave wasn’t still fucking with my life.
The kids had been waiting for almost two hours for him to come and get them for his visit.
I was angry that I’d tried to force them to go when he hadn’t made the type of effort necessary to keep in contact with them.
I wasn’t quick to blame Bianca for Dave’s bullshit but I had to wonder if he was listening to her.
The kids let me know she was indifferent to them so they never did much when they went to visit him.
That broke my heart and I hated that I’d tried to foster the relationship between them.
My phone ringing brought me out of my thoughts and I put the curling iron down.
I was excited about the date that Hassan said he had planned.
The idea of being pursued the way I was had me feeling like a kid again.
The teenager that had only known excuses that really disgusted half assed effort but had sucked it up just because I didn’t know any better.
But this was intentional. Purposeful. And grown as fuck.
I picked up the phone and my good mood dimmed seeing the name flashing on the screen.
“Why are you calling me?”
I attempted to keep the hostility out of my voice but I felt annoyed that this man was once again interrupting my life.
I made sure that the kids had cell phones and ways for him to communicate with them so calling me wasn’t necessary.
The only way we normally communicated was through the parenting app so I didn’t understand what he wanted.
“What’s the attitude for, Sylvia?”
My brows immediately dipped into a scowl because I couldn’t understand why he was questioning me.
“Because you’re late. The kids are waiting for you and you’re calling me. What’s going on?” Even as I spoke the words I could feel dread wash over me. Like I was being braced for something terrible.
“I’m not coming.”
My heart stopped at his words and I had to bite down on my lip before I let him bring me out of character. I took a deep breath before I let my emotions get the best of me.
“And why is that?”
“Because you seem to have a whole lot of free time nowadays.”
Immediately I knew what this was about. Having seen his family while I was out with Hassan I could only imagine what bullshit they fed to him.
Hell, the whole town had been talking about Hassan’s return home which was immediately followed up with him spending every lunch hour with me.
I swore we had to switch up where we were eating because folks around here started crowding The Dive so they could watch us eat.
Dave had his own thing going on and when I hadn’t heard shit from him in the last week, I figured Bug had been wrong when she said he was going to act stupid.
I guess I was the one wrong about Dave. Wouldn’t be the first time.
Even still, it wasn’t any of his business what I did in my personal life.
“Are you serious right now?” I leaned against the marble vanity countertop to face the window. I don’t know why but I was trying to will him to be joking and pull up in the driveway at any moment.
“Yeah. I think you should spend time being a mother instead of out here hoin’ with some random nigga.”
I chuckled trying to keep myself from stooping to his level. He wanted to get a rise out of me but I refused. That disrespect wouldn’t slide though. “You have to be out of your fucking mind to think you can talk to me this way.”
“What way? The truth hurts to you?” His tone was getting harder and I knew that Dave would continue to poke until he hurt my feelings or had me screaming or cussin’.
“No it doesn’t hurt. You’re the reason our marriage failed. You cheated, multiple times. You decided to be selfish and spend what little money you did earn on another bitch. You brought me home a disease and you think I’m a ho? You have some fucking nerve.”
“Ain’t shit you can do about it is it? You think you gone dump them kids on me so that your weekend is free? Where that make sense at?” He was laughing like he’d been waiting to say this shit to me and I was already gathering my argument to amend our custody arrangement.
“It’s what you agreed to in court, dumb ass! And getting your kids every other week when this town is smaller than ten thousand people and you live fifteen minutes away is nothing to brag about.” I took another breath because he was winning and I was losing my cool.
“Well, I won’t have to worry bout any of it now.”
“So you’re gonna be a deadbeat all because I’m not sitting around miserable?” I needed clarity so I didn’t feel bad about amending our custody agreement.
“You have far more shit to do with your time. Single mothers out here failing their kids because they’re more worried about chasing dick.”
My laugh echoed in the bathroom because he couldn’t be fucking serious.
“Single mothers aren’t failing, they’re unsupported and having to carry the burden of two people because fathers are absent.
Don’t try that shit with me, Dave, because you’re not going to make me feel anything but anger.
Which you deserve. But that’s okay. The kids already don’t think that much of you.
You’re simply solidifying their bad opinion of you. ”
“It ain’t like you not doing it already. Shit, I bet you got that nigga trying to play daddy to my fucking kids.” He was damn near yelling by the time he got done talking and it was clear he didn’t understand how fucking stupid he sounded.