Chapter 30 Thad
THAD
The house was nice. I’d give myself that.
Four bedrooms, three baths, a backyard with enough space for a kid to run around eventually. Quiet neighborhood in Frederick, far enough from the city that nobody would ask questions, close enough that I could get there when I needed to.
I watched Kacey walk through the living room, one hand on her belly, the other trailing along the walls like she was trying to feel if it was real. She was six months along now, showing heavy, that pregnancy glow making her skin look like honey in the afternoon light.
She was fine. Always had been. Thick in all the right places, pretty face, knew how to take care of a man. We’d been rocking since high school, and she’d held me down through all of it—the come-up, the grind, the late nights building the club from nothing.
But damn if she wasn’t getting on my nerves lately.
“Why can’t I just live in the city with you?” She turned to face me, arms crossed over her belly. “I don’t understand why I gotta be all the way out here.”
“I told you, babe. I got too much going on right now.” I walked over to her, put my hands on her shoulders, gave her that look that usually made her melt.
“The club just opened. The casino deal is still in the works. I’m working eighteen-hour days trying to make sure we’re straight.
You really wanna be stuck in some apartment waiting for me to come home at 3 AM? ”
“I’d rather be stuck waiting for you than stuck out here by myself.”
“It’s not forever. Just until things settle down.” I kissed her forehead. “This is for us. For our family. You know I got you.”
She softened a little. She always did. Kacey was easy like that. She wanted to believe in me, so she did. And it made my life a whole lot simpler.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
I pulled it out and saw the Mehar’s name flash across the screen.
Kacey saw it too.
“Who the fuck is Mehar?” Her whole energy shifted, arms dropping to her sides, eyes narrowing. “And why she calling you?”
“Chill.” I silenced the call and slipped the phone back in my pocket. “That’s my cousin Prime’s future sister-in-law. She works for the casino.”
“She calling you at 7 PM on a Tuesday about casino business?”
“Yes, Kacey. That’s literally what I just said.” I kept my voice calm, unbothered. “You’re being paranoid.”
“I’m being paranoid? You got me in a house forty-five minutes outside the city, you barely come see me, and now random bitches calling your phone—”
“She’s not a random bitch. She’s family.” I stepped closer, cupped her face in my hands. “You’re carrying my baby. You think I’d do anything to jeopardize that? Come on, now. You know me better than that.”
She searched my eyes for a long moment. Looking for the lie. But I’d been doing this too long to slip up over something this small.
Finally, she exhaled. “I’m sorry. I just… I miss you. And being pregnant got my emotions all over the place.”
“I know, babe. I know.” I pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back. “Just trust me, aight? I’m handling everything. You just focus on keeping my baby healthy.”
She nodded against my chest.
My phone buzzed again. Mehar. Again.
“I gotta take this,” I said, pulling back. “It’s about the casino. I’ll be right back.”
I stepped outside onto the porch, waiting until the door closed behind me before I answered.
“Hey, you.”
“Thad!” Mehar’s voice was bright. Eager. “I’ve been calling you. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’ve just been busy. Work stuff.” I leaned against the railing, looking out at the quiet suburban street. “What’s up?”
“Nothing, I just… I missed you. I haven’t seen you in a few days.”
A few days. Like that was a lifetime. This girl was getting attached fast, much faster than I’d planned. At first it was cute, the way she lit up when I walked in the room, the way she looked at me like I was the best thing that ever happened to her. But now it was starting to feel like pressure.
“I missed you too,” I lied. “I’m actually about to head your way. Give me like an hour?”
“Really?” I could hear the smile in her voice. “I thought you said you were busy.”
“I am. But I can make time for you.”
“Okay! I’ll be here. Maybe we can finally go out tonight? You keep promising…”
“Yeah, we’ll see. I’ll be there soon.”
I hung up and stood there for a minute, doing the math in my head.
The house had cost me damn near everything I had saved. Furnishing it, setting up the nursery, making sure Kacey had everything she needed—that shit added up fast. The club was making money but not enough, not yet. The casino deal was still months away from paying out.
I wasn’t broke. But I wasn’t sitting pretty either.
The thing about being a Banks but not really being a Banks was that everybody assumed you had money.
Prime and Quest and Justice—they had Banks Reserve.
Generational wealth. Their father built an empire and left it to them on a silver platter.
Me? I was Alex’s brother’s kid. Close enough to the name to get in the door, not close enough to get a piece of the pie.
I had to build my own shit. And I was building it. But it was slow, and it was hard, and in the meantime I had two women expecting me to be something I wasn’t quite yet.
Mehar wanted dates. Dinners. Romance. All that shit cost money I didn’t have right now.
Kacey wanted security. A home. A future. That’s why I bought this house I could barely afford.
And me? I just wanted to keep all the balls in the air long enough to actually make it.
I checked my reflection in my phone screen. Fresh cut. Jawline sharp. Yeah, I was still that nigga. I just had to finesse my way through this rough patch.
An hour and fifteen minutes later, I was at Mehar’s door.
She answered wearing some little shorts and a tank top, no bra, nipples poking through the fabric. Her hair was down, that blonde balayage framing her face. She looked so fuckin’ good. Much better than Kacey was lookin’ with that big ass belly.
“Finally!” She threw her arms around my neck, pulling me inside. “I was starting to think you forgot about me.”
“Never that.” I kicked the door closed behind me, letting my hands slide down to her waist. “You look good enough to eat.”
She giggled. Actually giggled. Like a schoolgirl. “Stop. I barely did anything.”
“You don’t have to do anything. You’re naturally fine.”
She ate that shit up. They always did.
“So are we going out tonight?” She looked up at me with those hopeful eyes. “You promised last time…”
I had promised. Multiple times. But taking her out meant spending money I didn’t have, and more importantly, it meant being seen in public. Word getting back to people. Questions being asked.
Mehar was supposed to be a temporary distraction. A little fun on the side while Kacey was pregnant and out of commission. I wasn’t trying to wife her up or take her on real dates or introduce her to anybody. She was just… entertainment.
But I couldn’t tell her that.
“I know, baby. And we will. But I just had the longest day…” I pulled her closer, pressing my body against hers.
“Can we just stay in tonight? I need to decompress. And honestly?” I dropped my voice low, let my lips brush against her ear.
“I’ve been thinking about you all day. Couldn’t focus on shit. Just kept picturing you… this body…”
I felt her melt against me. Too easy.
“We can go out tomorrow,” I added. “I promise. Tonight I just want you.”
She bit her lip, already gone. “Okay. Tomorrow though. For real.”
“For real.”
I kissed her then, deep and slow, walking her backward toward the bedroom. She responded like she always did—eager, hungry, desperate to please. Part of me appreciated it. The other part was already bored.
See, Mehar had a body that was stupid. Curves for days, ass fat as hell, titties sitting right. The kind of body that made niggas crash their cars trying to get a better look. But in bed? She was limited.
Always had to be on top. Always had to be in control. Wouldn’t let me hit it from the back, wouldn’t do missionary, wouldn’t do anything where she wasn’t running the show. First few times, I thought it was sexy. She was a confident woman that knew what she wanted. But now?
Now it was getting old.
I knew it had something to do with her ex.
That Ahmad nigga who used to beat on her and take that pussy.
She’d told me bits and pieces, enough for me to understand that she had trauma around being vulnerable, being dominated, being out of control.
And I played the supportive boyfriend role perfectly.
Told her I understood. Told her we could take it slow. Told her I’d never pressure her.
But inside? I was counting down the days until she’d trust me enough to really let go.
They always gave in eventually. I just had to be patient.
We made it to the bedroom and she pushed me onto the bed, climbing on top of me with that look in her eyes that was part desire, part fear, part need for control. I let her take the lead, let her set the pace, let her think she was running things.
She rode me slow at first, then faster, her hands planted on my chest, her head thrown back. I watched her body move—those hips, that ass, those titties bouncing—and tried to enjoy it. Tried not to think about how much better it would be if I could just flip her over, grip those hips, and—
But nah. Not yet.
I’d get there. I always did.
She came with a shudder, collapsing against my chest, breathing hard. I finished a minute later—not my best work, but good enough.
We lay there in the dark, her head on my chest, her fingers tracing lazy patterns on my skin. I stared at the ceiling, already thinking about tomorrow. About Kacey. About money. About how long I could keep this juggling act going.
“That was amazing,” Mehar murmured.
“Mmhmm.”
“I’m so glad you came over. I needed this.”
“Me too, baby.”
She snuggled closer. “Tomorrow we’re going out though, right?”
“Yeah. Tomorrow for sure.”
Lie. Easy as breathing.
I’d have a “work emergency” in the morning. Something with the club. She’d be disappointed but understanding because that’s who she was, a good girl who believed the best in people, even when they didn’t deserve it.
Especially when they didn’t deserve it.
She fell asleep not long after, her breathing going soft and even. I lay there for a while, enjoying the silence, when my phone lit up on the nightstand.
Kacey.
11:47 PM.
Mehar stirred beside me. “Who’s that?”
“Nobody. Just work.” I reached for the phone, silencing it. But she’d already seen the screen.
“Who’s Kacey?”
“Someone who works at the club.” The lie came out smooth, automatic. “Bartender. She’s always got questions about the schedule.”
“At midnight?”
“Service industry, baby. Weird hours.” I kissed her forehead, already sliding out of bed. “Go back to sleep. I’m gonna take this outside so I don’t wake you up.”
She looked at me for a moment with something flickering in her eyes that might have been doubt, but then she nodded and rolled over, pulling the covers up to her chin.
I grabbed my phone and stepped out onto her balcony, closing the door behind me before I called Kacey back.
“Why you ain’t answer?” Her voice was tight and strained with anger.
“I was asleep. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to hear your voice.” A pause. “I’m lonely out here, Thad. This house is too big and too quiet and I miss you.”
“I know, babe. I miss you too. I’ll come see you again tomorrow, aight?”
“Okay. What time?”
“I got some stuff to handle in the morning but I’ll be there by the afternoon.”
She sighed. “Okay. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
I hung up and stood there in the cold night air, looking out at the city lights in the distance.
Two women. Two sets of expectations. Two sets of lies.
I couldn’t keep this up forever. Eventually something would give. Kacey would get too suspicious, or Mehar would get too clingy, or they’d find out about each other and blow up my whole situation.
I needed an exit strategy.
Mehar was the obvious choice to cut loose. She was fun, but she wasn’t carrying my baby. She wasn’t building a future with me. She was just… a distraction. Something to pass the time while Kacey was pregnant and emotional and not giving it up like she used to.
But cutting her loose meant potentially pissing off Prime. And I wasn’t trying to burn that bridge, especially not when the casino deal was still on the table.
So for now, I’d keep playing the game. Keep both of them happy, or at least happy enough. Keep the lies straight and the balls in the air.
I looked back through the glass door at Mehar sleeping in her bed, peaceful and trusting and completely clueless.
She really thought I was her knight in shining armor. The man who saved her from that attack. The man who listened to her talk about her dead sister and held her while she cried. The man who was going to give her the love she’d never had.
If she only knew.
I almost laughed.
Almost.