Chapter 25
Twenty-Five
“ Y ou’re just the cutest little girl in the world, Ari,” Rayna cooed, holding the baby in the air. “You get cuter and cuter. You know that?”
I finished up my text.
Me: I have family here now. I would love to talk more about this ASAP. Can I call you tomorrow?
“Here it is.” Sundryia, sitting on the sofa across from me, pulled a box from her purse. Based on the size, I knew it was jewelry.
“Awwww! Thank you!” I cheered. “Sunny, come see what god-mommy got you this time!”
Sunny. At three months old now, it was the name Ishaan and I had fallen into calling our daughter. She had been just that in our world. Sunny brought excitement, joy, hope, and love. Yup . Not only had I loved her more than anything or one on the planet, I loved her paternal grandmother, too. Dr. Patterson had become a surrogate mother to me. Over the first few weeks of no sleep and no general control over my life, thanks to the new princess, her grandmother guided me into getting her on a schedule. She’d been there for me every step of the way.
Sunny gave me stamina for her brother Mehki, too. He was now a senior in high school and busy. He still hadn’t taken to me, but I’d been patient. Mehki seemed to love his sister. When he came home from working his part-time job at the local recreation center, he’d wash his hands and come to find her as soon as he came through the door. He’d also read to her at night sometimes to help when I was folding her laundry or making bottles. Mehki had accepted Sunny. Me? Not so much. I still felt like an interloper in the Alpine mansion.
My daughter propelled my stubborn pace to love her father. When she was born, I was very much attracted to and drawn to him. But with her being here with us, I’m far more fascinated with him. I was still concerned with his safety and valued his company. I made Ishaan talk to me about work. I tried to explore his mind to find truths about who he was. Often, I was able identify the innocent Waldwick native who was kind and generous. But there was something hidden within Ishaan. Something he guarded. In spite of it all, I was in love with him. Beyond in love with the man. Worst of all, I didn’t know what to do with it. I’d never known the depth of emotions I had with him.
“ Ut-oh! ” Rayna glanced my way. “Someone’s getting cranky.”
Automatically, I touched my breast. “Someone’s hungry. She’s been up for over an hour and hasn’t eaten yet. I’ll take her.”
Rayna handed her over. “Off to your mommy, Ari.”
The moment we touched, Sunny tried turning her head. She could smell me. My baby knew I was here to serve her needs. “Hi, Sunny,” I whispered close to her, causing her to mewl as I worked to pull out my breast for her. “I’m coming, lil Momma. Mommy’s right here.” She was beautiful with a head full of jet-black silky hair.
“I love that you’re breastfeeding,” Sundryia noted. “Now that I see how fast you’ve lost your stomach, I regret not trying with the twins.”
While Sunny latched on, in her excitement, her little hand clenched my boob possessively. The sharp pain reminded me Ishaan hadn’t cut her nails. It was a task I found difficult to do, fearing cutting her. Fearlessly, her father would keep them manicured without complaint.
I unfastened her soft hand with the tightest grip. “Girl, I couldn’t imagine doing this for two babies at the same damn time. I’ve heard of moms who do, but it’s work. I’m nothing but a cow these days.”
“I love it for you, though,” Sundryia studied the princess. “Sunny,” she called out to her.
“How did you guys come up with her name?” Rayna asked. “I love it!”
“We worked on it for a couple of weeks. For the middle name, we agreed if it were a boy, Ishaan would name him after his father because he was the strongest man he knew. I was cool with that. If we had a girl, I’d name her after the strongest woman I know. That was a no brainer?—”
“Oh, my God!” Rayna screeched, peering over to Sundryia. “That is too sweet! I agree!”
I nodded at Sundryia with a smile. “She’s done so much with less than most. And she’s always slept on. I’ll always honor my boo.”
Sundryia, not great with compliments, glanced up from Sunny to blow me a kiss. Rayna hugged her encouragingly then kissed her cheek. Sundryia braved through all the affection.
Walking over to the floor-to-ceiling window in her long, wide-leg dress pants and pointy toed heels, Rayna’s hands were in her pockets when she asked, “And what about Ari?”
“Ishaan’s name means the sun—at least one of its meanings. I wanted the baby’s name to have meaning, too. I wanted the energy of her father. So, we had two names for a boy, and Ari was one of two for a girl with the sun meaning.” I glanced down at my beauty. “Ishaan went with Ari, and here she is.” I loved her. Loved every inch of her.
“This view is everything,” Rayna mused, gazing out at the Atlantic Ocean from Ishaan’s suite at KAHRI Resort in Atlantic City.
We’d all gathered here for Valentine’s Day weekend. Azmir and Ishaan worked yesterday then celebrated that night. Even now, on a Saturday, those two were working. Maaz and Sundryia brought the twins and their nanny so they could celebrate alone. The Jacobs’ kids stayed back home as they had school yesterday. It had been great having dinner together last night as a group. Tonight, the girls and I were going to Kimya’ , one of the clubs here at the resort, for our alone time. It would be my first “on the scene” post-partum event. As I gazed at Sunny feeding from me, anxiety built.
“I said the same thing when we checked in. Even though it’s cold as hell out there, staring at the water makes you crave a tropical vacation. Y’all have an ocean view, too, Rayna?” Then Sundryia sucked her teeth and shook her head. “Look at me asking that stupid ass question to the woman who owns the damn resort.”
Rayna laughed shyly then nodded. “We have a two-level.”
“Damn!” Sundryia barked.
Rayna looked my way. “I’m surprised Ishaan doesn’t, too.”
“We talked about this suite last fall when we were down here. Ishaan didn’t opt for one when they opened because Dr. Patterson and Mehki rarely come down as a family. She’ll come with her friends, but never the three of them together, though there are three bedrooms here.”
“Well, he can always change his mind,” Sundryia suggested.
I shook my head. “I’m in no rush. This place holds sentimental value.”
Rayna turned from the window with hiked brows. “How?”
“Next month will make a year ago that I…” I glanced down at Sunny who was sipping and staring me dead in the face. “…had copulation here with an unidentified COO.”
Rayna gasped. “I thought that happened in Vegas at HAYDAR !”
I smiled, seeing I had Sundryia’s attention, too. All eyes were on me, including my princess. “That was the first time. We met up again.”
“Did y’all know each other’s names the second time?” Rayna asked. “Didn’t you give him a fake one?”
I nodded. “I did. I gave him a fake one twice. Back in Vegas and here.”
“Bitch, you little whore!” Sundryia hissed, aghast.
I tossed my head back and laughed so hard.
Rayna tossed her thumb my way. “And she laughs.”
When I could breathe, I wheezed, “Because it’s funny. Our story is wild.”
“How wild?” Sundryia demanded.
“He thought I was a prostitute,” I hooted again, bringing my palm to my big ass mouth. “He’s going to kill me!”
Rayna click-clacked over to us from the window. “Are you kidding me?”
I shook my head, still laughing.
“Yo, you two fucked in February in Vegas and then again the next month in March and all the while, he thought you were a prostitute?” Sundryia was completely taken.
I nodded again, stroking Sunny’s cheek. “Horrible. I know.”
“Nope. That’s kind of hot to me. Dang!” Rayna murmured, staring at nothing in particular.
“That’s his thing?” Sundryia asked. “Ishaan likes prostitutes?”
“Don’t be a douche, Sundryia.” Rayna rolled her eyes.
“Look. I don’t know the man. I only know he makes beautiful babies—babies I wanna take home with me.” I could see the love in her eyes as she peered over to her namesake.
“Sometimes, I feel like I don’t know him either,” I admitted.
“What?”
“Get the hell on, Hayden!”
Rayna and Sundryia remarked, respectively.
“For real. I’m not joking.”
“Not with the way you be all over his ass,” Sundryia hissed. “I saw you last night.”
“It’s the way you look at him, Hayden,” Rayna shared dreamily. “It’s so darn cute. You guys are gonna end up with a sibling for Ari here.”
Another baby. Ishaan continued hinting about it. The demand was overwhelming for me. I shook my head, feeling my emotions topple without warning.
“Hang on.” Rayna’s caramel face wrinkled. “What’s going on?”
Fighting back the tears, I focused my attention on my beautiful Sunny. I didn’t want to cry over her. I managed to whisper, “I’m in love with him.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Sundryia asked.
“Yeah,” Rayna affirmed. “Ishaan is a great guy!”
“According to you last year, he was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” I reminded her. “And now I think I get it. I get that duality of personality. I see the embodiment of benevolence and violence coexisting in one human being.”
Rayna made her way over to me on the sofa, wrapping her arms around Sunny and me. “I live with the same man every day. I’ve built a life with him—a family. It truly is…” she hesitated. “It makes them good at what they do. Their duality gives them an exceptional lifestyle. It isn’t much different for a police officer or a detective. After seeing the vile they do, it creates new brainwaves. It creates that other person. But when they’re connected to humanity—to strong women like you and me—it balances good and evil. It keeps them responsible.”
I murmured, “Was his ex, Mandy’s, connection not enough?” Rayna’s spine straightened. “You mentioned her at Azmir’s party, too. Did Ishaan kill that lady?”
“Why would Ishaan off her?” Sundryia appeared so confused.
“She cheated on him,” I answered. “A lot. She shitted on him pretty badly. I mean… There’s some shit I’ll keep between him and me, but she was a fucking terror in a skirt.”
“Enough for him to kill her?” Sundryia asked. “Ishaan’s a killer?” She glanced over to Rayna for answers. “I mean… He did give sniper vibes that night we met at Azmir’s party, but… Damn!”
I peered over to Rayna, too. She dropped her eyes to Sunny’s little feet. I followed suit and found her dozing off. Feeding time was almost over.
My phone vibrated with a text notification.
EbWi: Sure. I’m looking forward to it .
I tossed the phone on the sofa dismissively and murmured, “Rayna, you told me that night in my apartment how you’d heard about him and Mandy. You said she cheated on him a lot and she was killed in a car accident. You said people wondered if Ishaan had anything to do with it.”
Sundryia’s brows knitted and she nodded. “Yeah. You damn sure did, now that I think about it.”
Rayna shrugged. “I was just saying what I heard. I never gave much thought to it because, again, Ishaan has always been a good dude to me. He’s ‘regular’ around me. Human,” she explained defensively.
“Yeah, but I told y’all Kenny showed up to my job in October.”
“Yeah,” Rayna agreed to remembering.
“What I didn’t tell y’all is he mentioned Mandy. He said Ishaan killed her.”
“That Kenny nigga—or whatever the hell his name is—sounds like a hater. Rayna said it was a rumor. Was he arrested? Was he tried for it? Did the cops even question him?”
I looked at Rayna, who shook her head, confirming my thoughts. “I’ve never heard he was questioned or arrested. No.”
“That’s what I mean! People just be throwing out wild accusations. I see it more than ever now that I’m with Maaz. They were reporting about Maaz and Rhonda fuckin’ behind my back. Not only is she his cousin, but she’s gay as fuck. People just say stupid shit. I know killers,” Sundryia declared. “I know street niggas who pop-pop-pop and sleep well at night. No disrespect, but Azmir ain’t no street nigga no more. Him and Ishaan ain’t no killers. They’re shot-callers. At best, they call up the shooter.”
“You think, Sundryia?” I asked with full sarcasm.
I knew what I knew about my baby’s daddy.
“Hell yeah!” She motioned for me to give her Sunny as I unlatched her from my nipple. She was asleep and still sucking, but not to feed. Sunny was using me as a pacifier. I tossed Sundryia a burping cloth to prepare her. “In fact,” she continued, waiting for me. “…you know who gives sniper vibes?”
“Who?” Rayna asked.
Sundryia and I stood, and I handed off her goddaughter.
“Shi-Shi’s baby daddy. That nigga has given dark vibes since the day I met him on his boat with you, Maaz, and Azmir.”
“Jas?” Rayna smiled. “He is the kindest thing in the world. So attentive to Shi-Shi. He’s such a boss himself. He’s just…reserved.”
“He’s a pop-pop-pop nigga. He’s the one Azmir and Ishaan would call to erase a life. Trust me. I used to run with a few cats like that!”
Laughing, Rayna dropped her face into her palm. “Okay. Back to you, Hayden. I don’t know that side of Azmir’s business. If I had to go with my gut, I’d say Ishaan’s a good guy.”
“Just ask Azmir,” Sundryia demanded.
Rayna inquired, “Ask him what?”
“Did Ishaan kill his ex!”
I snorted, “Azmir wouldn’t have much knowledge on that. Considering the timeframe, they may not have known each other at the time of Mandy’s death. At best, Ishaan was a name on Azmir’s desk as a prospect for the role.” I shook my head. “Anyway, I’ve got too much shit on my mind with this man. I’m so damn happy to get on a dancefloor tonight and shake my ass as if he doesn’t exist!”
“And that, we will do!” Rayna affirmed.
As Sundryia patted Sunny over her shoulder, awaiting a burp, she winked. “And with that tight ass body, no one would know he exists. You lost all the weight and the bump.”
I nodded. “Breastfeeding and bustin’ my ass in his home gym. That and Sunny have been full time jobs.”
Now, if I can just keep her father from murdering me, I’d have it all .
Walking her on my shoulder, I patted her back. “Come on, Sunny. Give daddy a big one.”
She’d been bathed, changed, and fed. I didn’t like the little burp she’d given me earlier, so I’d been trying again to get more air to leave her belly. The problem was, Sunny was sleepy as hell. It was late, so bedtime had been competing with her cooperation. I did the dipping-walk thing from my bedroom to the living room and now, finally, to my office.
“C’mon, Sunny. One more.” I kissed her cheek.
Then, I shifted my attention to the monitors. I had to tap a few buttons on the keyboard to get the right feed. Kimya’ was live and popping tonight. It was where Hayden and her cousins decided to hang out. While I would’ve preferred the aquarium, a restaurant, or even the spa for their girl’s adventure, they wanted a club. I moved the knob on the panel around in between patting Sunny’s little back. Then I located them. Well, I located John, Rayna’s assigned security, first. He looked conspicuous. The girls were still in their VIP section. Sundryia and Rayna were on their feet dancing as Hayden did it in her seat while sipping on a drink.
“Slow down, Washington,” I murmured to myself.
I left the office and the moment we stepped out into the hallway, Sunny let out a big one. Then a smaller burp followed.
“That’s daddy’s baby,” I encouraged softly, heading to the bedroom.
Once there, I placed her inside the crib then kissed her little head. My eyes brushed passed Hayden’s phone on the nightstand. She’d forgotten it, likely overwhelmed by getting ready for her big night and pre-gaming with her cousins before they left out of here. I lay in the bed catching up on the WAWG network. Wil Cunningham be chopping niggas up .
Hayden’s phone vibrating was distracting as hell. I ignored it for a long while, understanding her mishap. And eventually, because of the hyper-curious motherfucker I could be when it came to Hayden Washington, I grabbed the phone after it wouldn’t stop buzzing. Her password was weak as hell being Sunny’s birthday. It was her mother calling and her girlfriend, Letisha. Then, I found my exploring ass in her text app. Nothing seemed impressive until I saw a thread with an EbWi. The name or code was definitely odd.
I swung the door open before she could punch in the access code. Her eyes were low and posture less than graceful. After grabbing her breast pump bag, I bent down, grabbed her legs, and scooped her off her feet.
“Ishaan!” she screamed while laughing.
I slapped her ass, catching her bare cheeks in the short dress. “You’re gonna wake Sunny.”
“ Oop! Shit!” she whispered. “Ishaan!” Hayden wouldn’t stop laughing.
I struck her again. “Shut the fuck up, Hayden.”
That made the silly girl laugh even more. This time, she tried keeping quiet.
“Is my baby up? I’m filling up again.”
“Why didn’t you pump recently?” I asked, stalking to the back of the suite.
“I got tired of running out of the club, all the way down to the empty hotel room and back again. Doesn’t matter. I’m gonna dump what’s in my boobs.”
Ignoring her, I crossed over into the room and placed the bag on the floor. Then I walked her over to the bed and tossed her onto it. Hayden’s silly ass covered her mouth as she snickered deliriously. Her thighs were partially open, exposing her thong. I took her at her legs and pulled her down the bed. Her gasping responses while trying to keep quiet almost had me break character. Hayden was nerdy, even when drunk as hell.
Pulling her thighs apart, I roved my tongue down her slit.
Her upper body soared into the air. “Shit!” she moaned. Then she collapsed, slamming her back onto the mattress.
I licked and licked again, tasting a combination of pussy, urine, musk, and perfume. When my tongue slipped beneath the lace and found her cave, her liquid desire coated it. Hayden’s hands were at the back of my head, and her thighs were widening even more to make room for me. I stabbed inside her pussy with my tongue, fucking her into a cadence. Reckless mewls left her nostrils as she tried being quiet, but her drunken persona wouldn’t allow her to be.”
“ Mmmmm …” she moaned. “Ishaan.”
I took her gelled excitement up to her clit and circled my tongue against it. My heart began to race, dick swelled. The sound of her crying like a wounded animal turned me on so fucking bad. When I began to suck on her pearl, Hayden threw her pussy in my face. I cupped her ass and nibbled on her swollenness.
“ Oooh! Baby…” she moaned. “I love you so fucking muuuuuch .” She groaned deeply and easily.
My head popped up and I looked at her. Her entire body froze. She didn’t return my stare. That’s when I knew Hayden realized her slip.
“Can I have you raw?”
Staring expressionlessly at the ceiling, her eyes closed when she cried, “Ishaan!” She knew what I was asking. I wanted her pregnant again. A pregnant Hayden existed in the best days of my life. Her lips twisted. “I’m not on birth control yet.”
“Okay.” I gently tapped her thigh. “Get a condom.”
Hayden grew hot as fish grease. I knew her well enough to know. She may have been drunk, but her insecurities regarding me were always lurking. On top of that, she wanted a nut—a nut I’d just interrupted. Finally, she moved. Hayden turned over and crawled to the top of the bed. She opened the drawer and froze. I took the time to wipe my face with the back of my hand so I wouldn’t look like a complete idiot.
When she didn’t move, I called out to her. “Hayden.” She didn’t answer. “Hayden.”
She reached inside for the red velvet box. Then she turned to show me.
Here we go …
“I know you don’t trust me.” I was nervous as fuck, palms misting. “And shit. I don’t even know what I’m doing here.” I went speechless for a while. All I could hear was my heavy breathing. “I don’t even have a ring. That’s my mother’s wedding ring in there. When I told her I wanted you to have what you wanted, she told my dumb ass not to come empty-handed.”
“So, you were planning on doing this down here?” I nodded. “Why tonight? Why not last night?”
Valentine’s Day .
“Because I know you don’t trust me.”
“And yet, my drunk ass is here telling you I love you and meaning it.” She spoke through gritted teeth, “I’m fucking in love with you!”
“And I don’t ever want to live without you. I never want to miss a moment of your life…Sunny’s.”
“Do you love me, Ishaan?”
She was definitely drunk. Hayden would never ask me that with a sober mind. She was too guarded.
My eyes locked low on the comforter. “More than I love myself.”
“So, you wanna get married?”
“I want you. And Sunny.” Then I thought more. “And more babies.” I turned my head, feeling crazy as hell. Needy as fuck.
“And I want you, Ishaan. I want you so bad, I think about crazy ass extremes and lengths I’d go through to keep you.” Her face fell, hanging from her neck. “Not in a desperate way. I mean, I’ll never pin you into a space you don’t want to be or anything. You can always co-exist with Sunny?—”
Anger flared and I took her at the legs again and yanked her down the bed. “Would you stop with that shit?” I barked. “It’s me and you. Yes, there’s Sunny. But you’re my fuckin’ co-star. Why can’t you trust me to prove it to you?”
“You can?” She reached for me.
I shook my head. Yeah … Hayden may have been drunk, but I knew. “You don’t get it.”
“I do. I love you.”
“Tell me what to do so you can trust me to love you.” I shook my head again. She had me standing on my knees with a hard dick and pussy-stained lips begging her for her truth. “How can I prove myself to you? How can I show you I’m protecting you—have protected you—even when you have no knowledge of it?”
After gazing into my eyes wordlessly, she opened the box. Hayden tried the ring on the correct hand and finger, but it was too small. She removed it then kissed the ring and placed it back in the box. Her eyes were low and hungry when she licked her lips. Hayden leaned over her opened thighs and kissed me with her tongue as I held her at the ankles.
When she pulled back, she whispered, “Finish what you started if you want to convince me.” She lay back, resting her weight on her palms.
I shook my head. “I don’t wanna finish eating your pussy.”
Her tight eyes blossomed. “Why?”
“Because you don’t squirt in my face no more, Boo-baby.”
Her head fell back. “Because I’m not pregnant anymore, Ishaan,” she groaned.
“So, you’re finally picking up what I’ve been putting down.” I stood to get the condom from the drawer.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” She picked up her mug and smirked while peering out of the window. I could sense her nervousness as she did and could understand why. The woman was fucking ruthless. “You string me along for months to make this request?”
“You said you’d do anything to keep your family,” she reminded me in the most feminine purr.
“Fucking my man while you watch? Are you serious, you disgusting voyeur?” I caught my volume and glanced around the small tea shop.
The short white woman who looked uncannily like Linda Hunt from the show, NCIS, was behind the counter, writing into a booklet. Then there was a Black guy, brown skin with big droopy eyes, engaged in a crossword puzzle.
We were at a tea shop in Harlem on a Thursday night. I’d left work to meet her. I needed a discreet location and thought of this place at the last minute. Lucy and I had been here a few times over the years. She was the one who put me on to the tea shop serving limited but tasty foods. Funny thing was, each time we came, the place was empty. That made the spot perfect for this evening.
“Again, you said anything.”
My head fell to the side. “ And again , you’ve been stringing me along for months for this shit, Ebonee?”
It had started in the DM on Instagram . A week after Sunny was born, Ebonee appeared in my “Request” folder because we weren’t following each other. She congratulated me on giving birth. When I wondered how she knew, I later learned Rayna and Sundryia had posted pictures of Sunny when they’d visited her in Alpine.
I’d still been feeling uneasy about leaving Ebonee open-ended about the embryo. My feelings for Ishaan were increasing by the day. Sunny had bonded us more than I’d expected. Last month, a couple of weeks after our Valentine’s Day weekend in Atlantic City, Ishaan had taken Sunny and me out to an early dinner. Afterward, we stopped by Andreatta’s Promises . To my surprise, we had a backroom appointment with one of the head jewelers. He had several rings waiting for me to choose from. He took my size and preferences, and two weeks later, it was ready. Yet, I hadn’t seen it.
Either way, I was grateful. Aside from my nascent feelings for the man, shit was still complicated with Ishaan. The women in his past concerned me. So, of course, I’d been communicating with the only one alive. I’d been begging her not to move forward with her final embryo installation.
“You’ve been practically harassing me about my reproductive decision.”
“I’ve been asking you not to further complicate my life—his life—your life—our daughter’s life! Keep things simple. See things from my perspective. Ishaan and I are together now. If you two were together and my pending pregnancy was optional, how would you feel?”
“Easy for you to say. You don’t have fertility issues. I may never be able to have children.”
“You don’t know that. There are so many options available for you.” God knows I’d researched them all. “We don’t even know that you can’t carry your own embryo. Just because it didn’t work those two times last year doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.”
“And yet, you’re here, telling me not to see it through,” Ebonee argued.
I shook my head. “I’m telling you to see it through with another man.” When she didn’t respond, I continued, “Ebonee, you’re beautiful, successful, and smart with incredible sex appeal. You can make this same arrangement with another man matching your accomplishments.”
“I had that, Hayden. And as you know, the universe was busy creating other elements at the same damn time. I didn’t do anything wrong. Technically, I’m not the complication. You are. Ishaan consented to the agreement. Your presence in all of this was consequential. Your choice left you pregnant by a stranger. Baby girl, Ari, was not agreed upon or planned. Mine and Ishaan’s decision gave us three viable embryos. Do you see the difference between the two of us here?”
Twisting my lips, I nodded humbly. Ebonee was right. Sunny was never intended. Ishaan being a precious love of mine was never the plan.
But they’re mine …
I’d do anything I could to keep what was mine as unalloyed as possible.
“Ebonee, Ishaan and I are real now. I understand the concept of our intersecting. But think about now. What can I give you now to make this right?”
Shrugging and shaking her head while she glanced down at the table, Ebonee parted her mouth to utter, “I’ve sat and thought about this for months. What would make me feel justified in wasting my opportunity at motherhood. I’m sure it’s watching the father of my potential child give his passion to the woman whose heart he’s captured. Maybe if I can see her as beguiled as I was the first time Ishaan and I fucked, I can feel better about leaving him the hell alone. I’ll never speak to him again.”
I spat, “Can I have that in writing?”
“Of course. I can draw up the paperwork and send it over. After this, my friendship with Ishaan will be terminated forever. It’ll be best for my mental health.”
“But watching us?” I whispered hard.
“You said anything .”
“Yeah. Like money. A car. Jewelry. Hell, give me something I can take out a second mortgage on my home for,” I shared through gritted teeth.
“This isn’t about you. You have your baby.” Ebonee shrugged. “Okay. Don’t take my offer. I prefer my child anyway. I don’t even know why I entertained you all this time. I guess, at best, you can see I’m open-minded. But to hell with it all. I want my bundle of joy, too. Have a nice life, Hayden.”
When she shifted in the booth to leave, my heart turned over in my chest and lungs disappeared. Desperation coated me and I grabbed her hand. “How? Where? You can’t come to Alpine. He won’t fly out to L.A.”
With a wicked smile on her glossed lips, Ebonee’s eyes circled. “I have a pitch meeting here in Manhattan next month.” Her beam broadened from a revelation, it seemed. “Ishaan has a birthday next month. You can reward us together.”
“I’m not fucking you. You will not be in the room with us or near him.”
“I don’t fuck women either, Hayden. And I wouldn’t start with you. Don’t flatter yourself.”
Bitch!
Ebonee left the booth.