4. Smoke #4
“Mmm.” A soft moan escaped against his lips. “We should go back home and take a nap.”
“I told the kids we’d take them to the park.” His lips lowered to her neck before he pulled back to look into her glittering eyes. “Just for an hour or so.”
Ayla liked that he’d been trying lately to be a more present father.
She saw how busy he was with work, but he was learning to carve out time for them.
It wasn’t a complete turnaround, but they were making progress.
Kara was going to be spoiled no matter how the dice rolled considering she was the only little girl amongst a bunch of men.
Kyro had resorted to raising hell mostly at school now.
“I guess I can’t argue with that.”
Kong pushed himself off the wall. She was still holding his hand, leading him toward the seating area of the restaurant when a tall figure emerged from the men’s bathroom.
Ayla damn near pissed herself when she came face to face with Qassen for the first time since catching him with his fiancé.
His eyes spread like two saucers, eventually roaming to her hand in Kong’s and how possessive he was in her space.
“What’s up, Lala?” he greeted her, appraising her in the denim skirt, crop top, and wedges.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, looking around to see if she was being Punk’d.
“My mama invited my grandparents into town for the draft. We’re having brunch,” he told her as a murderous glint filled Kong’s eyes.
“Enjoy,” she replied, no kind of pleasantry in her tone when she narrowed her eyes at him.
When she brushed by, he and Kong sized one another up.
“Can we talk for a minute?” Qassen stopped her.
“What could we possibly have to talk about, Qassen? What would your pregnant fiancé think?” Ayla joked.
“Look, that shit wasn’t what it was. Turns out the baby ain’t even mine,” he confessed, throwing his arms up.
“Well, I can’t seem to find any empathy for you or your situation. We don’t have anything to talk about.”
“So, after two years together, that’s how it is?” he challenged, watching Kong’s jaw tighten from the interaction.
He didn’t know the details of Ayla’s love life and didn’t care to. This fuck nigga was irritating him, though. Kong removed his hand from hers. She was obviously in her feelings regarding the situation because her palm was starting to sweat.
“If you need to talk, say the word.”
“Kong, I—”
“Let him speak his piece. I’ll be at the table.”
She watched him slip away before fixing her glare on Qassen.
She gave him points for still looking good.
Waves on swim, sideburns and goatee perfectly lined.
He was casual in slacks and a navy button-up shirt as he palmed one of his fists and bowed his head.
Ayla thought Kong might feel a way about this, so she didn’t want to give him too much of her time.
“What is it?”
“I fucked up. I miss you.” He tried to reach for her hand, and she swiftly moved it out of his reach.
Scoffing, Ayla’s deep brown eyes roved over him in contempt.
“What exactly do you want me to do with that?”
“I been calling you. Texting you, even trying to DM you. You blocked me on everything,” he argued.
“For good fucking reason,” she sneered. “The only reason you’re saying any of this right now is because you got played.” She aimed a finger at him.
“Even my mama been asking about you. She couldn’t stand Leah when I brought her around—”
“Oh, so your raggedy ass mama knew about the bitch too and was smiling all in my face?” she taunted, tucking her arms across her chest.
Qassen’s expression cracked like an egg before he nervously stroked his forehead. Nothing he was saying was coming out right. He tried to come up with a speech for when he did see her again, but it was all jumbled in his head now that she was in his presence.
“Do us both a favor, Qassen. Move on. There ain’t shit between us but resentment at this point.”
“Because of that thug ass muhfucka you walking around with?” His thick brows drew together in anger.
He hadn’t expected her to move on and be glowing and shit so soon.
She was supposed to be somewhere miserable, waiting by the phone for him to call, eating gallons of ice cream.
Now she was even finer than he remembered.
The insecurity behind her gaze was replaced with the confidence that always rested inside her.
Being with Kong had made her realize that she’d been downplaying who she was to cater to a man, and that wasn’t how she wanted to live her life.
“That would be none of your fucking business. You lost any rights to information about my life.”
“So it’s just fuck us and everything we had?”
“Pretty much,” she quipped. “I gotta get back to my table. Good luck getting drafted.” She stuck both thumbs up and backed off.
He had her mixed up with another bitch. What did he honestly think was going to happen after he humiliated her?
Karma wasted no time spinning the block on him with Leah.
By the time Ayla returned to the table, the staff was coming over to start clearing plates.
Kong had his phone to his ear as he rose from his chair.
Ayla couldn’t say for sure because he was a few feet away, but the distance suddenly felt like more than space.
She slung her crossbody bag across her chest while Inari and Coast stood with Kyro and Kara.
“What took you so long?” Inari wondered.
“Take one guess.” Ayla spotted Qassen over her shoulder moving to a table in the far back where his grandparents and mother were seated.
A blaze of fire smoldered in her sister’s stare, and as soon as she looked like she was about to move in his direction, Ayla reached for her arm.
“Don’t!” she hissed. “He’s not worth it.”
“What’s not worth it?” Coast asked, picking up one of the last brown butter madeleines off a plate. “Who is that?”
“Her no-good ass ex,” Inari growled. “You need to let me go upper cut his ass or something.”
“For what?”
“Well, what did he say?” Inari slipped out of her grip.
“Oh, listen to this, the girl… Leah, the baby she’s carrying isn’t his. I don’t know how he found out but looks like that bitch was playing him for that NBA money.”
“Get the fuck out of here! See, that’s what the fuck he get. Okay, so I don’t need to fuck him up. Life is doing that just fine. The hell did he want with you?”
“He apologized, but I ain’t falling for that shit. I don’t have time for a lying, manipulative nigga like that in my life.” Ayla rebutted.
“That’s right,” Inari agreed, bobbing her head. “Let’s get the hell out of here before I change my mind.”
When their group reached the parking lot, Coast thought she was going to slip into Kong’s car and ride back to the house.
Mozzi wasn’t in the mood for her shit. His pain level was increasing, so he wanted to go home and take a nap before the meeting took place later.
With nothing else pressing to get to, he thought that was the best move considering the events of the night prior.
He damn sure wasn’t about to lay down without her nearby.
“Trouble, you get in that car, and I’m fucking you up! Bring yo’ ass!” he ordered, stopping at his car door and pulling on the handle.
“You don’t run shit, Moses!”
Ever since she heard Audiemar call him that, she’d been on his ass with it. She knew it irked his entire soul, and she did it anyway.
“I’mma run my foot in yo’ ass if you don’t come on!”
An irritated scowl stretched over her face, and she said her goodbyes before stomping over to his car. Ayla eased into her seat once she got Kyro and Kara situated in back, and Kong waited behind the wheel, his cell phone still propped against his ear.
“Yeah. I’ll be there in a few. I got you.” His tone was gentle with whoever he was speaking to.
She remained curious as he started the car without so much as a glance her way.
The whole ride to the park was filled with tension as thick as fog.
Since he didn’t seem to want to engage in small talk, she looked out her window and enjoyed the view.
Kong found a space to park and shut his car off, but Ayla realized they were a couple of blocks from the park.
“Is everything okay?”
“I gotta go take care of a few things. You can take the car back to the house. One of the guards is going to give me a ride where I need to go,” Kong reported. “Pace is going to stay here with y’all. If you see anything, or something feels off, let him know.”
“And where are you going?” she prodded, somehow figuring she already knew the answer to that question.
“To the hospital to check on Nay. She called and asked to see me. Shit is complicated—”
“No explanation needed.” Ayla unbuckled her seat belt.
“What about you and your situation back there?”
“What about it?” she shot back as she lowered both feet to the ground. “If you want to know something, Kong, all you have to do is ask. I don’t have anything to lie about.”
Swiping his hand down his face and beard, he avoided her staring at him over her shoulder.
He didn’t want to get into this right now.
His head was already fucked up having to compensate Nay.
Seeing Ayla with another man didn’t sit well, and a familiar feeling he hadn’t felt in a while recurred.
Jealousy. He respected that she was a virgin, but even thinking about another nigga touching or kissing her left him squeezing the steering wheel until his knuckles were ready to pop.
“You right… and it’s not you. I just got a lot on my mind right now. I appreciate last night, and everything you do for me and the kids.” He finally swung his head in her direction, but he’d tossed up a shield which reflected to her as an empty stare.
“Why does this sound like you’re leaving a customer review? You really going to sit there and downplay what’s happening between us?”
“I just think we should leave things as they were. You as the chef, helping with the kids until this nanny situation is solved, and—”
“And then what?” she demanded, eyebrows beetling down. “We just go back to normal, like nothing happened?”
Kong’s silence was loud.
“Fine. If that’s how you want it.” Nodding, Ayla hopped out of the truck.
Even though her feelings were hurt, she wasn’t going to allow him to see it.
She’d learned a long time ago how to shove her true emotions down.
Hell, she’d mastered the shit. She only felt stupid because she had given him a piece of herself that she had saved for so long, only to have him reject her immediately after.
It would have been easy to cry or even go off on him, but what would that solve?
She met up with him at the back of his G Wagon, and he handed her his key fob.
Without another word, she moved past him.
Kong reached for her arm, pulling her toward him and staring down into her gorgeous face.
“I’m not good for you, Lala.” It was the first time he’d called her that, and it warmed her heart. “You damn near fucking perfect… and I come with a lot of baggage.”
She yanked out of his grip.
“That’s the thing, Kong. I never asked you to be perfect, and I damn sure ain’t. Contrary to what you might think… I’m also not stupid.”
“I never said—” His brows squinched together, insulted by her statement. “You got your whole life ahead of you. What happened last night can’t happen again. I’m not doing this to hurt you—”
“Tuh.” She looked him up and down, stomach tanking at the realization that this man she’d given herself to was exactly like the rest. “Well, you failed. Lucky for you, I don’t set the bar too high for people.
” She yanked the driver’s door open to his car and climbed into the seat without another word.
Kong flinched when his door slammed shut.
Ayla drove off slowly, leaving him in her parking spot, staring after her and his children.
He meant that last part. It was reckless to go there with her, but he couldn’t help himself.
He only prayed he hadn’t fucked her up beyond repair after taking such a sacred part of her.
Women like Ayla were few and far between.
He knew that for a fact. Having the honor to be her first blew his mind.
Although he knew he couldn’t be with her, he selfishly didn’t want anyone else to take his spot either.