Chapter 30
Cayla
For the next six months, Kass became the means of transportation for getting to work and for Oriana getting to daycare.
Her car seat was now a permanent fixture in the back seat of his car.
Lying next to him every night just felt natural.
And cooking for him felt like something that I had been doing my entire life.
I was looking at the clock, which moved slowly at work.
I had an hour left, and it was dragging.
“Cayla? Can I speak with you for a minute?”
My boss grabbed my attention, causing me to drop the pen that I had been playing with on the table.
“Uhh yeah.”
I wasn’t too sure what this talk would be about, but it was Friday, and honestly, I didn’t need any bad news that would fuck up my weekend.
We walked through the groomer’s part of the clinic as she led the way to her office.
She held her hand out for me to have a seat in one of the chairs on the other end of her desk before she closed the door.
Every time I came late or called in because Oriana wasn’t feeling well played in my head.
I was just now starting to get my life together; I didn’t need a setback. Lord, not now.
“So, Rachel retired, and we need to fill her position. Are you still interested in being a veterinarian?”
I stared at her for a bit, totally shocked by the offer. “Um, yes!”
She smiled before flipping open the folder on her desk.
“Okay, great. So, you will start off as an assistant, and Amanda will train you. Once you get past the course hours needed, you will be flying solo. So, this shift in your position will start on Monday. Oh,” she paused as she picked through the paperwork, “before I forget, here is your pay.” She slid a piece of paper across the desk. “Will that work?”
Seeing all the numbers in the annual salary staring up at me made tears immediately form in my eyes.
“That’s perfect.” My voice cracked as I responded.
“Welcome to the team.”
I stood from my seat and shook her hand. I couldn’t believe this shit; I had to tell someone. I had to share this news.
“And Cayla?” She called out to me right when I went to open the door.
“Yes, ma'am?”
“Take the rest of the day off and enjoy your weekend. See you Monday.”
“You too.”
I rushed out of the office before she changed her mind. There were about thirty minutes left until Kass came to pick me and Oriana up, so I didn’t even bother to pick her up yet. I hit Zynea’s line to share the news. I walked around the block a couple of times while we spoke.
“Congrats, bitch! When I touch back down, I have to take you out. You think Kass would have a problem with watching Ori?”
“Girl, no. He loves her, and even if he’s busy, his grandmother wouldn’t mind.”
Over the months, we had spent some time at his house, which meant time with Ms. Flora. She would toss little hints out about wanting us around more, but I just smiled at her signals because that was something for Kassidy to open the door to.
“Well, ma'am, it sounds like you have a solid little family over there.”
I smiled because I finally felt like I had one. Orion had stepped up to get Oriana more. The child support was coming in, I had just gotten this promotion, and I had a man in my corner who showed up for me every time.
Honk, Honk!
When I looked at the street, I saw Kassidy’s car. He rolled down the passenger side window.
“What you doing, mama?”
“Zy, I gotta go. My man just pulled up on me,” I said playfully.
“I got off a little early,” I yelled to Kass before walking over to the car.
“Bye, girl.”
Zynea ended the line as I let myself into the car.
“They let you off early?” he asked as I put my seatbelt on.
“Mmmhmm, and guess what?”
He tossed his car into park, then gave me his undivided attention.
“I got a promotion. You are looking at Paws and Pals' new veterinarian.”
“Oh shit, mama. Congratulations.”
He leaned over the center console and kissed me.
He yawned before putting the car in drive and heading toward Oriana’s daycare.
I looked at his profile while he drove and realized then that he looked tired.
He was getting up earlier than needed to take us.
Not to mention, my place was further than his to my job and Oriana’s daycare.
He found a park right outside of her daycare and got out of the car when I did.
Usually, he would sit and wait, so I looked over when he popped his door open.
“Where you going, Papa?”
“I’m gonna run to the store real quick while you pick up little mamas.”
I just nodded as I turned to walk into the daycare. Like always, Oriana was excited to see me. It took me a while to come out with her because I had to change her. I started to rush out of the door because I didn’t want Kass to wait longer than he had to.
“See y’all Monday,” I said to the ladies in the center as we walked out.
“Kassy… Kassy…” Oriana started to sing when we made it outside.
“Yeah, mamas, we're gonna see Kass—”
My words stopped mid-sentence when I walked to his car and saw him propped against it, holding flowers and a balloon that said 'congrats.' There was a flower shop and a dollar store at the corner. This fucking man. He had a smirk spread across his face that made me smile.
“Hi, ladies,” he greeted us both.
The way his postal uniform fit him showed off his body, which I loved. The same body that would drag my ass all across my bedroom.
“Balloon…”
I looked down at Oriana in my arms and saw how her little hands were reaching for the balloon in his hand. She was turning two soon, and her vocabulary was starting to widen. Kassidy walked over to us and took her from my arms while handing me the flowers in one slick motion.
“You gotta hold it tight, okay?” He tied the balloon around her little arm for good measure.
“Thank you,” I said before nuzzling my nose into the bouquet.
He kissed the side of my face before leading the way to his car. He opened the car door for me and then put Oriana in her seat. On the drive over to my apartment, he yawned again. A long one this time. I didn’t think he realized just how tired he must have been.
We sat in a bit of traffic, and that gave me the moment to say what I had been thinking since getting off the phone with Zy.
“Papa?”
“Hmm?”
“I feel like you are spreading yourself thin.”
Quickly, he glanced over at me before turning his attention back to the road.
“What do you mean?”
I spoke a little louder because Oriana was in the back, spiritedly yelling while playing with the foil balloon she had.
“You run from your house to mine, and you get up earlier for work. Maybe…” I paused to give myself time to change my mind.
I was scared about repeating history, but this time, I figured things would be different.
They had to be. This time around, I had my own money.
Good money, and if things didn’t work out between me and Kassidy, I now had the means to go anywhere I wanted in the city.
“Maybe we should all be under one roof.”
When we stopped at a light, he looked over at me. “Like living together?”
If I wanted to change my mind, that question right there would be my way out.
“Yes,” I said confidently.
He didn’t say anything, so I turned to look at him and saw that his high cheekbones were raised.
“Nana said this months ago,” he let out with a chuckle.
That woman had been trying to put this in motion.
“You’re the one with the space, so ultimately, it's up to you.”
“Hell yeah. We’re doing this.”
He placed his open palm onto the center console, and I put my hand into his. The rest of the drive to my place was silent except for Oriana playfully losing her mind in the back.
Orion
“Orion, I swear I can explain.”
I sat on my sofa with the paper I had just taken out of the envelope open in my hand. Probability of Paternity: 0%. The words jumped off the fucking page.
“Just let me explain.”
Brandi’s words echoed in my ears. Olivia was five months old, and I finally did what I had been putting off since she popped out of Brandi’s deceitful pussy.
I got a DNA test on all my children. It was nothing against any of their mothers; it was just a precaution that I took for myself.
When Olivia was born, I wasn’t in the right headspace.
It was a few days after my mother’s birthday, which was close to when she had died.
I was all over the place, and her being born was honestly the silver lining in the dark clouds that seemed to linger over me.
“Who the fuck is her dad?”
My tone was calm as fuck. Too calm considering the circumstances. When the space between us was quiet for too long, I looked up at her.
“The question isn’t fucking rhetorical, Brandi.”
Her eyes darted around the room like the answer to my question was hidden somewhere on the walls.
“I uh…”
“You don’t know, huh?”
I chuckled, although wasn’t shit funny because this was what the fuck I got. It was obvious that Brandi was never ready for a child. She must have wanted a new accessory or something. Better yet, she wanted a fucking meal ticket.
When I stood from the couch, she jumped, and that pissed me off. I had never put my hands on her before, and the women before had touched every damn wall in this house. This shit right here, I could have put my hands around her neck and squeezed until her eyes popped out of her head.
“Ain’t nobody gon’ touch your ho ass. I want you out, though, before I get back. Grab your fatherless little baby and get the fuck out.”
One thing about me was that when I started not to give a fuck, I didn’t care who was caught in the middle and could get hurt. Her daughter didn’t do shit, but I’d be damned if I kept a lying, ho ass bitch around me or if I took care of a kid who wasn’t mine.
“Where am I supposed to go?”
I looked at her with my face screwed like somebody had run through the room, holding a platter of shit.
“I don’t give a fuck where you go. It just better not be here by the time I get back.”
I folded the paper, placed it into the pocket of my sweats, and grabbed my keys off the table in the foyer before making my exit.
I made sure to slam the door on the way out, knowing it would wake her baby up.
As predicted, when I walked over to my car, I heard the baby wailing in the distance.
I sat in my car for a minute. Cayla had sent me a picture of Oriana last week, and she was running around the house with this little balloon tied to her arm.
In that moment, I wanted to be around my family. One of my real babies. It was early on a Friday morning, and I knew Cayla was probably getting Oriana ready for daycare.
Good morning. Can I take Ori to daycare today?
I thought I would have to call Cayla just in case she didn’t text back. When I saw the three bubbles pop up in our text thread, I knew she was about to respond.
Cay: Uh… yeah, that’s fine, but only if you can be here in about thirty minutes
I appreciated her working with me, especially since I was coming at the last minute with this shit.
On the short ride over to her, I kept glancing at the front door camera and seeing Brandi taking her stuff to the curb.
Some light-skinned nigga in a XXL truck was helping her put her things into the trunk.
It could have been an Uber driver or her real baby daddy.
Whoever the nigga was, I honestly didn’t give a fuck.
On the way
Her read receipts were on, so I saw that she read my message as soon as I sent it.
When I made it to Cayla’s block, finding a park was a hassle.
After circling the block for a third time, I just double-parked right in front of her building.
My phone started ringing, which caused the annoying noise to come through all the speakers.
I pressed the button on my steering wheel to answer for my brother.
It was too damn early for his ass to be calling me.
“What, nigga?” I answered on the third ring.
“Well, damn. Good morning to you, too. What you on?”
“About to pick up Ori and drop her at daycare,” I said.
“Oh, ya ass must be trying to get in Cayla’s good graces.”
I smiled a bit because that wasn’t my intention, but it did look good for me to offer.
“I mean… if I do, I do.”
“Yeah, I’ll go to the store for bacon in a bit…. Sorry, bro.”
I rolled my eyes because I knew Omari was talking to Lucia. After all that bullshit, he probably pushed her away for a month or two, and then she was back around. I tried my hardest not to judge because, as I sat outside of Cayla’s building, I thought about getting her back, too.
“Well, good luck with that. I was calling to check on you for real. We've both been distant, and considering what season just passed, I understand.”
I nodded as if he could see me. Ever since Ma died, we’d had this stint of being distant from one another around her birthday.
“How’s my new niece?”
I didn’t even get a chance to fill his ass in because, lately, I had been floating around in my own little world.
“Not ya niece. That’s a story for another time, though. Let me hurry up and pick up Ori before Cayla changes her mind.”
“Damn… yeah, we can talk about that shit later. Babe, I said I’m going. Chill!”
“Bye, nigga.” I hung up on his ass before he and Lucia got into it.
I quickly ran into Cayla’s building to get my baby girl. I rang her buzzer and then patiently waited for her to let me up. Once I was allowed access, I skipped the stairs by two because I was excited to see Oriana. I think a piece of me was excited to see Cayla, too.