Chapter 12
“I’m about to lose my mind. They’ve never been away from me this long. What if they’re over there crying because they want to come home? Do you think I should go get them?” I ranted, pacing the floor in my bedroom.
“Girl, it’s only been five days. I’m sure they are fine, and if you’re so worried, why don’t you call your baby daddy?”
I rolled my eyes at the mention of Keynauri. I still couldn’t deal with the fact that he had basically kidnapped my children. He had only been back in my life for a short amount of time, and I was ready for him to go back where he came from.
“I’ve been texting him for the last five days, and his messages are so short and cold. I damn near had to beg him for a picture of them. He irritates my soul. I never thought it was possible to hate someone so much,” I grumbled.
“Girl, bye. I don’t know who you think you’re fooling, but you do not hate that man. If anything, your love for him is the reason you’re so frustrated. His making this re-entry into your life has had you in a tizzy, and it’s only been a week.”
“Nova, go to hell. I am not worried about that man. The only reason I feel this way is because it feels as if he popped out of nowhere, and now I have to deal with him for the rest of my life.”
“Friend, you are lying right through your teeth. I saw the way you looked at him when the two of you were outside the lounge. You were shocked, but you were also drooling. Hell, I don’t blame you.
The man is fine as fuck, and I know he probably puts bitches through the mattress. He’s a sex symbol now.”
I cut my eyes at Nova to let her know she had gone too far. Yes, Keynauri was fine as hell, but she didn’t need to point it out.
“Don’t give me that look. I have eyes, and my eyes tell me that your baby daddy is fine. You might want to get some act right and go get your man before the hoochies swoop in and fuck him out of his socks,” Nova stated, shrugging her shoulders.
“They can have him. The only thing I care about is him taking care of our kids. What he does in his personal life has nothing to do with me, and I would like to keep it that way.”
Nova added Dominique to the call, and I already knew it was about to be some bullshit.
“Hey, bitches. I can’t believe y’all are going to get pampered without me. I need to hurry up and get back home.” He pouted. Dominique was booked and busy, so he often missed out on our girls’ dates.
“Listen, I added you to the call so you can tell your friend the truth. She’s over here claiming she doesn’t want her baby daddy, and we both know it’s a lie.” Nova instigated.
“Yeah, friend, you aren’t fooling us with your bullshit,” Dominique replied.
“I don’t understand why the two of you think I’m bullshitting. I never said he wasn’t attractive, but I’m not thinking about him. I’m sure he probably has a flock of bitches chasing after him anyway. All I want to do is co-parent,” I explained. The two of them looked at me as if I was lying.
“Girl, you have shed more tears over Nauri in the last week, then you have over your cheatin’ ass boyfriend and his ten mistresses, twelve kids, and two Billy goats.
You were with Que for years, and you moved his things out in twenty-four hours without a single tear in sight.
You don’t think that is suspicious? I mean, did you even like the man? ” Dominique called me out.
Both of them accused me of being too nonchalant about the breakup, but I had no tears to shed.
After I came home from being arrested, Nova and I spent two days combing through Infinity’s social media.
She had been crashing out for days about Que cheating and exposing all his dirty deeds.
When we first got together, he told me he only had two children that lived out of town, but based on Infinity’s screenshots, Que was the father of seven children by five different women.
Infinity also uploaded photos of Stunna’s dick pics in Que’s phone, along with their explicit messages.
Apparently, I hadn’t been looking in the right places, but she uncovered it all.
Their love triangle was all over social media, and unfortunately, my name had been brought up as well.
I hated being in the middle of drama, so I ignored most of the blogs and tea pages to avoid being triggered.
“Exactly, Dom. She hasn’t shed a single tear over Que the Bussy cat, but as soon as Keynauri gives a short response in his messages or doesn’t answer his phone right away, she is a sobbing mess.
Sis, the math isn’t adding up.” Nova interjected.
I wanted to cuss them both out and tell them to go to hell.
“We aren’t trying to make you feel bad, but we want you to live in your truth. If you still love him, it’s okay.”
“I agree with Dominique. There used to be a time when I thought the two of you would have a love story for the ages. You don’t think about what the two of you lost out on?” Nova probed.
Her question made me pause as I tried to gather my emotions. The truth was, it was all I used to think about for a long time. Then I realized I needed to snap back into reality and face the facts. As much as I loved Keynauri, we weren’t meant to be together.
“At one point, I loved him with everything inside of me. He was one of the only people I could count on in life, but things changed. I cried a lot when I was pregnant with the twins because I was heartbroken and wanted him to come home. After a while, I realized I needed to move on with my life. He wasn’t coming home, and there were two babies who needed a healthy momma.
“I’m happy Keynauri has gotten his freedom back, but there is too much pain and bad blood between us. I think the best thing we can do for our children is learn how to co-parent effectively.” My eyes began to water, but I refused to cry. He didn’t deserve any of my tears.
I hated the way his presence in my life unearthed so many emotions I attempted to bury over the last few years. I spent so many years trying to erase him from my memories, and now he was back, shaking my foundation.
“Yeah, okay. We’re not here to judge you, and I got your back regardless.
I’m about to get dressed for our lunch date.
Call that man so you can check on your babies.
I can see that sad ass pout on your face, and I don’t have time for your bullshit today.
We are about to go to the spa, grab some drinks, and enjoy our day.
Now get off my phone, heffa. Put on something cute and comfy and get ready!
I love y’all. Dominique, I’ma call you back later . I need you to help me with my makeup.”
“I got you, boo. I’m about to go out for drinks, but I love you both.
Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do while I’m gone, and remember to wipe from front to back.
I can’t be hanging around stank pussy bitches.
Bye!” Leave it to them to put a smile on my face.
I still didn’t have all the answers, but I was going to try to look at the positives in all of this.
Nova and I were scheduled to be at the spa at two o’clock, and it was currently a quarter to one. I took a shower when I woke up, so the only thing I needed to do was get dressed and do something to my hair. We were getting facials as well, so makeup wasn’t needed.
Since we were gonna be pampered, I decided to keep my attire simple with a two-piece olive-colored athletic outfit, which consisted of leggings and a crop top.
I examined myself in the mirror and couldn’t help but admire my body.
The twins helped me fill out into my grown woman's body.
Although I was still considered slim-thick, my hips were more defined, and my breasts and booty were larger.
Once I was satisfied with my outfit, I tossed my hair into a bun, put on some lip gloss, and slipped into my matching slides. My toes were freshly manicured with white polish. The gel polish lasted much longer than the regular one, which was great for someone who was constantly on the go like me.
As I sat on the edge of the bed, I gripped my phone in my hands.
Nova made very good points, and I couldn’t keep avoiding the inevitable.
At the end of the day, I wanted to speak to my kids, and Keynauri was the only way to do it.
My finger lightly tapped the FaceTime button.
My leg bounced as I waited for him to pick up.
“What’s up?”
The sound of his voice pissed me off and made my pussy thump at the same time. I rolled my eyes the moment they landed on his devilishly handsome face.
“I’m calling to make sure my babies are still alive over there.”
There was a frown on his face for a second, but it was soon replaced by an arrogant smirk. The camera shifted and landed on three matching faces covered with ice cream and what I assumed was chocolate sauce.
“Say hi and tell your worrisome momma that you’re alive.”
“Hi, Mommy! We're alive, and we’re having so much fun!” Kiaya squealed, then licked the sprinkles off her spoon.
“Momma. Our dad’s house is huge. It’s way bigger than ours, and he even has a basketball court so I can practice,” Keyaire informed me. He was much calmer than Kiaya, but I could tell he was excited.
“I’m happy you guys are having fun. I miss you, though.
” My lip poked out, seeing how happy they were.
A part of me expected them to be sad and ready to come back home.
We didn’t have a huge support system, so they rarely spent much time away from me, unless they were with my momma or at school.
Luckily, they were on summer break, so I didn’t have to worry about them missing school.
“We miss you too. You should come over to our dad’s house. He has a lot of rooms. You can sleep in one of them,” Kiaya suggested matter-of-factly.
“Umm, I don’t know about that. When are you planning to come home?”