Chapter 31
Cayla
Ileft the door unlocked for Orion to come right in.
I’d had a long week of training in my new position.
Once I told my boss that I was moving, she told me to take today off so I would have a three-day weekend to get moved in.
When I got off last night, Kassidy and I stayed up late packing.
He went home last night because he wanted to paint Oriana’s new room and give it time to dry before we brought over things from my apartment.
He had gone into work early so he could work a half day.
When he got off, we were going to grab a U-Haul and start moving things over to his place.
Ms. Flora was so damn happy when we told her that we would be moving in. Everyone was thrilled with this news.
It was a warm feeling to know that everyone was genuinely happy for us.
Orion shocked me with his offer to take Oriana to daycare this morning.
But his offer couldn’t have come at a better time.
Kass had given me taxi money to take Oriana to daycare and back home, since he knew he would be tied up at work.
I could give him back his money because Orion was saving me a trip.
There was a light knock at the front door.
“It’s open.”
Oriana was having a cranky morning, so after I got her dressed, I laid her across the couch, and she went back to sleep.
“Is she ready?” Orion asked once he was through the door.
“Mmhmm, cranky as hell, but she’s ready.”
“You moving?”
I noticed his glance go to the corner of the room where boxes were stacked, ready to go. When I walked past him to go into the kitchen, I could feel his eyes on me. I was wearing leggings and an oversized T-shirt, with running shoes. I was dressed to move furniture and things around.
“We are,” I confirmed.
I was packing Oriana’s bag for daycare when I felt his presence in the kitchen with me.
“Where to?”
I gulped harder before I responded. “About twenty minutes from here.”
“Alone?”
Orion was prying, and it gave me a nervous feeling in my stomach. We had both moved on, so I shouldn’t have felt this way, but I did.
“No, actually.” I paused because I didn’t know how he would take this next piece of information, but it was something that had to be shared. “We are moving with my boyfriend.”
I looked over at him, and he was shaking his head up and down like he was trying to process the moment.
“You look nice,” he complimented.
His response was completely off-topic, but I think that was his way of coping with the information I had just shared.
I just stared at him because I didn’t know how to react to that.
He was looking deep into my eyes, and it was making me feel…
making me feel something that I couldn’t quite explain.
It was uncomfortable, for sure, but it also gave me butterflies.
He turned and walked into the living room. Once he was out of my presence, I exhaled. When he came back to the kitchen entryway, he had Oriana tossed over his broad shoulder. She was still fast asleep.
“Thank you.” I finally thanked him for taking her to school.
I handed him the baby bag, and he took it.
“I miss you.”
The way he was staring into my eyes made me nervous as fuck. I didn’t know what was going on in his life that had him confessing all these things, but I couldn’t get wrapped up in his charm. I wouldn’t.
“Orion…” I whispered.
“I miss you, Cay,” he said again, but this time he stepped closer to me.
I just shook my head as he closed the space between us.
Looking at him pulled at things I had buried a while ago.
Before I could create some space between us, he kissed me.
I stood there as our lips interlocked. I put my hand on his chest and did a light little push to make him give me back my personal space.
“You need to leave.”
Looking at him standing in my kitchen reminded me of how I wasn’t even supposed to be in this damn kitchen.
If he had never fucked up what we had, I would have still been under his roof.
Our family would still be whole. Now, when I was trying to pick up the pieces, I came across a man who helped me do that.
He helped make me whole, and I’ll be damned if I let the nigga who had broken me mess that up for me.
“You need to get the fuck out.”
I didn’t yell because Oriana was still fast asleep, but my tone was stern. I meant business, and I needed him to know that shit as well. He squinted and stared me down. I could see a glimmer of sadness in his pupils, but that didn’t have shit to do with me.
“Cay…” His tone was pleading, but I wouldn’t allow myself to fall for that shit.
“You need to go. If taking Ori to daycare is a problem now, I will do it myself.”
“No, it’s no problem.”
I walked past him and opened the door. “Then leave.”
When he stood on the other side of the door, his ass looked like a sad puppy, but I couldn’t feed into that. He was standing there with Oriana over one shoulder and the baby bag over the other.
“I can drop her back here later, too.”
“Cool.”
Before his ass could respond, I closed the door right in his face.
I stood on the opposite side until I heard his footsteps walk toward the stairs.
Five minutes later, I covered my mouth as tears streamed down my face.
The last thing I wanted was to do anything to betray Kassidy.
He was too damn good to me. I was breathing heavily as I let my tears flow.
I went to the kitchen, and then my thumb hovered over Kassidy’s name.
He had to know. I wouldn’t even feel right if he didn’t.
The crazy thing is, Oriana had a Family Friday event next week, and I wanted to invite Orion so he could formally meet Kassidy.
He ruined what I was trying to make a wholesome moment.
He was never the bigger person with me when it came to coparenting, but I was trying to be.
I was trying to make this shit work, and he crossed the fucking line.
Kassidy had to know. Right when I was about to press his name to call him, Zynea’s name and picture flashed across my screen.
I answered so quickly that I could have broken my thumb sliding the bar across the screen.
“Hey, girlie. Are you still packing?”
She was supposed to meet me at my place in a bit and help me box away the last of my things.
“Zyneaaaa…” I whined.
“Are you crying? Why are you crying?”
“Orion…” I couldn’t even get the shit out.
“Now what the fuck did his lame ass do now. Girl, fuck that nigga. I am so sick of that ma—”
“He came and picked up Oriana for daycare and kissed me while we were in the kitchen,” I quickly said.
“You should have gotten a knife and sliced him.”
I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Her tone was serious as hell, but I knew she was joking somewhere in her stone voice.
“There goes the laugh I was looking for,” she said with that stiff tone much softer now.
“I gotta tell Kassidy,” I admitted.
“Ehh… I say take it to your damn grave, but I understand wanting to be transparent. You shouldn’t do it over the phone, though.”
“I agree.”
“Well, do you want me to still come over and help you pack, or do you want me to give y’all space and just meet you at the new place later?”
“You can just meet us at the other place. I’ll send you the address now.”
I didn’t have much left to pack, so it didn’t make any sense for her to come here.
After quickly sending her the address, I told her that I would keep her updated on when we were heading that way.
Once she was off the phone, I blasted music and waited for Kassidy to get here.
I didn’t know how to come out with it, but I knew it had to be said.
I didn’t think I’d be able to be in his presence without him knowing.
Half the day had passed, and I damn near had the whole apartment packed down by the time Kassidy rang the bell.
I pressed the buzzer and paced back and forth by the front door as my stomach started to knot up.
The creak the door made as it opened was something I had never noticed before.
I guess I was paying attention to every little movement and noise because my nerves were on edge.
“Hey, Mama,” he greeted as soon as he walked through the door. “We packed up here.”
When I looked at him, he had excitement in his eyes that I was about to feel bad about putting out. He closed the space between us and kissed my forehead.
“Where’s little mama?” He looked down the hall.
Whenever he walked through that door, she would run in his direction, chanting his name in her own little made-up tune.
“I’m waiting for her father to drop her back. He came and picked her up this morning.”
“Okay, cool.”
He looked at all the boxes I had in the corner, and I could see him sizing up which boxes would be easy to pick up. I felt like I had to vomit, but I had to get the words out. He had to know.
“He picked her up and kissed me…”