15. Ozyris Brentley
A few hours later…
Oaklynn was running around the living room playing with her toys, picking them up, bringing them over to me for a second, then running right back off to go get into something else.
Noree was sitting next to me, quiet, her arms crossed over her chest like she was still trying to hold herself together.
I looked over at her. “You wanna talk about it?”
“Yeah, I do.” She let out a breath. “But just the thought of all this shit is pissing me off.”
“Yeah, I know. I get it a hundred percent.” I leaned back and stretched my arm out across the top of the couch.
“So now what?” she asked.
“We gotta get on it ASAP. Derez said he can schedule a radio interview with The Morning Hour so all this can blow over.”
The Morning Hour? They were one of the most well-known and respected morning radio shows in Atlanta.
“Okay. When?”
“Honestly, he’s been getting calls back-to-back since this morning. Everybody wants a piece of this shit. They all wanna be the first ones to break the story, so the quicker we get ahead of it, the better. Tomorrow morning, I can do the interview. But he wants you there too.”
Her eyes went wide. “Wants me there to do what? I’m not PR-trained. Hell, I’m not trained to do interviews at all.”
“Yeah, but if you wanna sing, if this is the type of life you want, you gotta get used to it.” I chuckled a little, thinking back. “My first couple of interviews, I was nervous as shit too. Eventually, I got over it.”
“Oh my God.” She hopped up and started pacing. “I don’t know what I’d even wear. My hair needs to be touched up, and what about my makeup?”
“All that’s gon’ be taken care of. Ain’t nothing you gotta worry ’bout on that end. But I told him I’d run it by you first.”
“Okay.” She stopped pacing for a second and looked down into my face. I licked my lips, looking up at her. “So, if I say yes…” She paused again. “We don’t have to bring Oaklynn, do we? ’Cause I really don’t want her in the limelight right now.”
“No, I’m with you on that one.” I shook my head. “The main thing Derez wants us to focus on is the song. And he said that, depending on how well it does, he’s interested in talking to the label and putting in a good word to get you signed as a new artist, but only if he can manage you.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Hold the fuck up. Are you telling me I’ll be able to record my own music?”
“In a sense, yeah. You’ll be able to write and record your own music, but there’ll be stipulations.
Unfortunately, in this business, Derez has a lot of say over the sound, the image, which song becomes the single, the cover art, all that.
The label makes the final calls, but he’s tight with the label heads and knows how to get what he wants.
He’ll give you creative control, but only as much as he’s comfortable with. ”
She paused for a moment, thinking that over. “Wow. I… I don’t know what to say.”
“Yeah. It’s up to you, though. I don’t wanna force you to do anything you don’t wanna do.
And if anything, this is all on me. I’m willing to take full accountability for my part in it and speak my truth.
But the last thing I’m gon’ do is let Ginger paint a narrative about me that ain’t true.
Especially with people already feeling like I got a big ego, like I’m not down-to-earth.
A lot of shit has changed since the contest, but people still act like I’m an asshole.
And her face being bruised up ain’t helping nothing. ”
I sighed and wiped my hand down my face. She sat down on the couch next to me and put her hand on my shoulder.
“I’m in,” she said.
I opened my eyes and looked over at her. “You sure?”
“Yeah. I don’t want people thinking you’re a cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater… well, at least in this situation.”
I couldn’t do anything but burst out laughing, and she joined right in with me.
Oaklynn came running over, clapping and laughing too, even though she had no idea what was actually going on.
I scooped her up off the ground, kissed both her cheeks, sat her back down on her feet, and she took right back off across the living room.
“No, but seriously,” Noree said once we settled back down. “I got your back. It’s the least I can do after you let me record a song with you. Annnd, something tells me you put in a good word for me with your manager,” she added, glancing over at me.
“I did.” I smiled. “You got that it factor the industry’s missing. So, I’ll pass your number along to him so y’all can handle business. I don’t gotta be the middleman. You feel me?”
“Yeah, but… what about my size, though?” she said, quieter now.
I paused for a second and made sure she heard me clearly. “Ain’t shit wrong with it. I love it. So many fans gon’ love you just as you are. I swear, you got it. You’re pretty as hell, and your vocals can blow some of these OG vets out of the water.”
She smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
She leaned in for a hug, then caught herself halfway. “Oop, there I go again, reaching for a hug without even checking if it’s okay.”
“You good,” I told her.
She leaned in anyway, and our faces got close, closer than either of us probably meant for them to get.
Our eyes caught each other for a second before I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her the rest of the way in, her arms going around my neck and holding on tight for a good lil’ minute.
When we finally pulled apart, I grabbed my phone off the coffee table.
“Let me hit him up,” I said, “so he can make sure all that’s scheduled and squared away with my assistant, the stylist, and the station too. Plus, we can get them questions ahead of time and know how we wanna answer them.”
“I’m nervous,” she admitted.
I reached over and took her hand. “Just like you got my back, I got yours, love.”
“Thank you.”
After a minute, she stood up while I was already dialing Derez, the phone pressed to my ear as I waited for him to pick up.
“You hungry?” she asked, heading toward the kitchen.
“What you got?”
“Noodles.”
“What kind?” I quizzed.
“Soy sauce.”
“I don’t think I ever had them.”
“Boy, you don’t even know what you’re missing,” she said, laughing a little.
“I’ll try it, though…you gon’ hook it up?”
“Uh… hook it up how?” She placed her hand on her hip.
“Like boiled eggs, green onions, shrimp, a lil’ seasoning, all that shit.”
“Boy, no. I don’t do all that. I just eat the noodles as is.”
I laughed. “Cool. Well, I’ll take a bowl. And then I gotta dip, get back to King, make sure he’s straight, and handle a few other things.”
“Understood.”
She headed into the kitchen, and I watched her from where I sat as she moved around, grabbing bowls out of the cabinet, then filling a pot with water and setting it on the stove to boil.
Derez picked up on the other end.
I came out of the bathroom and headed down the hall toward Noree’s room. Her door was cracked, so I knocked lightly.
“Come in,” she called out.
I pushed the door open and saw she was finishing up changing Oaklynn. She set Oaklynn back down on her feet, and Oaklynn took off toward the doorway like she had somewhere important to be.
“Give me a second,” Noree said, scooping her back up and carrying her out to the living room.
I leaned against the doorway and watched her set Oaklynn down in her playpen area, surrounded by all her little toys. Then she stepped into the bathroom, washed her hands, and walked back over to where I was.
She stopped in the archway of her bedroom, leaning against the wall where she could still keep an eye on Oaklynn.
“I’m about to head out,” I said. “I already had them questions sent over to your email.”
“Okay, cool. I’ll look over them.”
“I’ll give you a call in probably the next couple of hours so we can practice.”
“Okay. I’d like that, ’cause, baby, my nerves… whew!”
“I got you.” I checked the time on my phone.
“The interview’s at nine in the morning.
A ride gon’ be sent for you, so you ain’t gotta worry about nothing on that end.
Just throw on something chill and comfortable.
Glam and the stylist will handle everything else once you get there.
Be ready by seven. You think you can get your sister to watch Oaklynn? ” I asked.
“I’ll probably have to bribe her greedy ass with a Chipotle bowl and double portions of chicken and steak, but I’m sure she will.” She laughed.
“Aight, bet.”
There was a little bit of silence between us after that. Comfortable, though, not awkward. Then she looked over at me.
“How’d you like your noodles?”
“I mean, they were noodles, shawty.” I shrugged. “You acting like it was steak or some five-course meal.”
She playfully pushed my shoulder, and we both laughed until she quickly pulled her hand back.
“Ouch.”
“You know…I been thinking about what you said,” I told her once it died down.
Her eyebrows went up, her head tilting slightly to the side, a little confused. “What’d I say?”
“About you continuing to be King’s nanny.”
Her eyes lit up a bit, her whole posture straightening. “Okay. So, what do you think?”
“I don’t want you to be his nanny no more.”
“What?” Her eyebrows rose. “That’s not what I was expecting you to say.”
“Yeah. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Why not?” she asked, her nose crinkling.
“’Cause I want you.”
“Okay, but I want that job. I need that job.”
“I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. You and my baby.”
“You saying that like you’re planning to be my sugar daddy or something.”
“I’m serious as hell. I ain’t telling you no lie, love. I want us to be able to co-parent without all that toxic shit and communicate about whatever we need to when it comes to Oaklynn. But I don’t wanna close the door on us.” When she didn’t respond, I asked, “Do you?”
She chewed the inside of her cheek for a second. “I’m not saying I wanna close the door either, but this situation is messy, Ozyris. We come from two different worlds. That’s something we already know.”
“Love, that two-different-worlds shit ain’t even gon’ matter after tomorrow.
Soon as that song hits the radio, everybody gon’ wanna know who you are.
Then once they find out you got my baby?
Shit, they gon’ be all in your business.
” I crossed my arms, smirking a little. “You already in my world, Noree. You just ain’t realized how deep yet.
So, you gon’ have to find another excuse. ”
She laughed. “I guess so.” Then her expression shifted. “Damn. That sounds scary.”
“It will be at first, but you got this.”
“Okay, well… can we at least get past tomorrow before we start talking about closing and opening doors?”
“Aight. We can do that.” I nodded, then studied her for a moment.
“But don’t get shit confused, love. Me wanting you don’t mean I’m not still hurt.
Every time I look at Oaklynn, I think about everything I missed.
I can’t get none of that back.” I shook my head.
“So yeah, I want you. Bad. But I’m still tryna figure out how to forgive you. ”
“I know,” she said softly.
“Nah, I don’t think you fully do.”
She nodded, her eyes filling with tears. “And I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
We stood there staring at each other. When her eyes dropped to my lips, mine did the same.
“I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“The same thing I was scared of before when it comes to you. The unknown. I don’t know what this is or what it could be…I don’t know why I can’t shake you or why I feel the way I feel. I just don’t know, Ozy.”
“I ain’t asking you to have it all figured out right now. Hell, I don’t either. I just know I want you, and I’m not about to keep pretending I don’t.”
“But you just got out of a relationship.”
“Yeah, I did. And I ain’t gon’ sit here and act like Ginger was never there for me, because she was. But outside of that, everything between us was built on bullshit. That ain’t the same as what I feel when I’m with you.”
She didn’t say anything, so I uncrossed my arms and stepped back.
“I don’t want you upset with me,” she said.
“I’m not upset with you. Frustrated? Yeah. Still hurt? Hell yeah. But I meant what I said. I’m willing to figure this shit out.”
She gave me a small smile. “So am I. I’m just not ready to rush into anything.”
“Aight. I can respect that.”
I checked the time on my phone again. “For real this time, I gotta head out. And if it’ll make you feel better, you can keep working until I find somebody else.”
I leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
“Oaklynn can stay with you in the guesthouse on the days you work. That way, you ain’t gotta keep taking her back and forth to your mom’s, and it’ll give me more time with her.”
“You sure?” she asked apprehensively.
“Hell yeah, I’m sure. I just found out I got a daughter. Of course I want her close to me.” I nodded toward Oaklynn. “Whatever she needs out here, make a list. I’ll have it handled.”
A small smile appeared on Noree’s face. “Okay. I’ll do that.”
I walked over to the playpen and scooped Oaklynn up, hugging her against my chest.
“Daddy gotta go handle something, pretty girl.”
I kissed both her cheeks until she giggled, then tried to sit her back down. The second her feet touched the floor; she reached both arms back up toward me.
I laughed and picked her right back up. “See, now you making it hard for me to leave.”
I kissed her one more time before handing her to Noree.
“I’ll call you.”
I made it to the door before stopping and looking back.
“Oh, one more thing. We can get that DNA test handled after the interview tomorrow. I got somebody who can pull up to my crib and take the samples. I’ll pay to have that shit expedited. You cool with that?”
She nodded without hesitation. “Absolutely.”
“Aight. Bet.”
Then I headed out.