“That’s because you shouldn’t be out here in the dark by yourself. Anything could happen to you, and all of your snappy attitude, kicking and screaming wouldn’t be enough to save you,” Bruiser said, and he was inches away from her face as he argued his point.
“He does have a point, Alise, especially after that guy tried to attack you tonight,” I said, thinking about how many weirdos we’ve had to deal with lately. It was a full-time job keeping them away from Club Elite because everybody and their mother traveled here from all over the state to party.
“I don’t need saving!” Alise argued. “By anyone!” she fussed at Bruiser.
“Sis, he does have a point,” Tameka said. “It’s better to be on the safe side.”
“Not you too!” Alise said to Tameka.
“Thank you,” Bruiser said, calming a little. “I watched you and your friend to the car earlier and thought you were gone. Then, you show back up alone without anyone to look out for you. What if the guy had been lurking around and watched you leave and come back? You have to be more careful than that.”
“I’ll be fine! Just leave me alone,” Alise pouted.
Tameka nudged her, and they looked as if they were speaking in code to each other with their eyes. “Do you have a card you could give Alise so that she can hire you when she does gigs at other clubs?” Tameka asked.
Alise glared at Tameka, and her eyes were screaming, “No!”
“Here,” Bruiser said removing a card from his wallet and handing it to Alise. “It would be best if you hire a guard, and I have some qualified men that work with me.”
Alise reluctantly took the card. “If I hire you, I may not be allowed to leave my house,” she replied sarcastically.
“I’ll let you come out for air sometimes,” Bruiser said, maybe jokingly, but then again Bruiser didn’t tell a lot of jokes.
Alise started to her car, which was only a few feet away. She turned to look at Bruiser before she got in and rolled her eyes. Bruiser hopped in his truck and fired it up, taking off behind Alise in the same direction. I had no doubt that my boy was going to follow her to make sure she got into her house safely.
“What in the hell just happened?” Tameka asked unbelievingly.
“I think my boy Bruise is in love.”
Chapter 10
Tameka
“Hey, Rodney, come on in. I just told the kids to clean their rooms before they leave, so we could have time to talk,” I said as I stepped aside to invite Rodney inside.
“O-kay,” he said slowly. “Is something wrong?” He stood in the foyer looking at me as if he wasn’t sure if I was about to scold him or praise him.
“Come in here, and let’s go sit on the sofa,” I said inviting him to follow me into the living room where I sat on the love seat and he took a seat on the sofa. It felt like a full minute passed with nothing but thick silence before I asked, “Do you want anything to drink?”
“No. I’m fine.” Rodney intertwined his hands together and leaned forward as he looked at me. “Tameka, I can’t remember the last time you invited me inside of your house to sit down, and you’re letting off some weird energy that I can’t read. What’s going on?”
“It’s something that’s been weighing heavy on my mind, and I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it,” I said and watched as a moment of hopefulness entered his eyes.
“You mean about us?” he asked.
“Kind of, but it’s more about the kids.”
“What is it?”
“I ran into Melody twice in the past few months.”
“Oh, her,” Rodney said, and his chest visibly deflated. His dark brown eyes lost all the light they’d had before, and now he was looking at me with a flat expression. “What about her?” he asked.
“I went to the doctor’s office with Tameka a couple weeks ago, and she was there with your baby.”
Rodney’s eyes perked up again at the mention of his child. “Did you see the baby?”
“No. She was there with a couple who she said would be adopting the child. I just want to know why you consented to something like that. Did you once think about the fact that Eva and Kevin will have a sibling out here in the world that they will never get a chance to know?”
“First of all, I didn’t know she was even thinking about giving the child up for adoption. She’s been keeping me in the dark with everything that involves the baby. Frankly, I don’t even know if it’s a girl or boy. That’s how in the dark I am.”
“Wow. Well, yeah, according to Melody, your child is up for adoption if it hasn’t already happened,” I said in a softer tone than before as I realized Rodney wasn’t as callous as I thought in this situation.
“No one is taking my child. That’s not happening, not even over my dead body,” Rodney said as fine lines began to crease his forehead. “I really can’t believe this girl has our child up for adoption. I mean, she already cleared out my bank account and took all the valuables out of the house. Now this.” Rodney’s eyes started quivering as if he were fighting back tears. His health and Melody’s treatment of him were really humbling him.
“Did you sign any paperwork at the hospital stating that you were the father? How can she do this without your consent?” I asked.
“I didn’t even know when the baby was born, so I didn’t get the opportunity to sign any paperwork. During the time she was in labor and having the child, I was still under the impression that I was your husband, and I didn’t care about what was going on with Melody, even though people kept telling me about her.”
Rodney paused and looked into my eyes as if he were searching for the old me, the one that loved him down to the sound of his footsteps after he arrived home from work each day. I was certain he would never find that Tameka again.
He continued, “I still want to fix things with us. I do, but—”
“The only thing we can fix is the way we raise our children together. We can make it the best we can, but there will never be an “us” again,” I said sincerely.
“I know, and I hate that I realized how wonderful you are too late.” Rodney blew out a deep breath and sat back in the chair. “So she told you that she was about to give my child up for adoption, huh?” he asked with sadness in his eyes.
“Yes. Sorry Rodney, but that’s not the worst part. She mentioned something about the people paying her money for the child. She said that you were her money ticket when you were married and that now she’s going to get money for the child since you can’t support her anymore.”
“Wow.” Rodney’s eyes opened wide, and I could see his thoughts swirling as that news blew him away.
“I know. I felt the same way when she told me.”
“I have to find out what I can do to stop this legally. I can’t let her do that to my child.” Rodney sprang to his feet and started pacing in front of the sofa.
“You have to get a lawyer,” I said.
“Why did I ever cheat on you and sleep with that girl?” he asked then stopped pacing and covered his mouth as if he’d slipped up and said that.
“No, it’s okay. I’m over it now, but you could have chosen someone better to cheat with. Melody was a heartless little bitch then, and she is heartless now. The way she talks about the child, I don’t think she needs to keep it even if there is no adoption. And I must admit, for a while, I wondered if you would be any better than her. When you were with her, your worst qualities showed when it came to caring for our children. She brought out the worst in you,” I stated.
“Sad thing is, some of those memories have come back to me and brought me to my knees. When I have a flashback of Eva crying in her room and me not even asking her what’s wrong but instead making her clean the house, I get sad at how little I cared about her feelings. If going through this whole brain injury situation has taught me anything, it’s taught me who really cares about me and how to be better to the ones that matter,” Rodney said.
“I cared about you a lot when I was your wife, and now I car
e about our children and their wellbeing, which means you have to be a good man to be there for them.”
“You’re right, Tameka.”
“So fight for your other child. Show all three of your kids that you’re there for them and raise them as family,” I said.
“I will do that. Thanks for letting me know what was going on because Melody has been avoiding talking to me. It seems she’s told you more about what’s going on than she’s told me.”
“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have gotten involved, but it devastated me when she came up to me talking about giving away your child. It was the oddest feeling to be defending a child my ex-husband had with his mistress, but that child is my children’s blood brother or sister, no matter how I feel about it.”
“You know me better than I know myself right now, Tameka, so you should have known this isn't something I would do. I've done a lot of things that were wrong, but I'm working on myself, and I hope you can see that.”
“I do see it, and I commend you.”
Rodney cracked a small smile and stood up. He walked over to stand in front of me and reached out and grabbed my hand, guiding me up out of my seat. He embraced me, but this time the embrace wasn’t an attempt at him being romantic. It was an embrace of friendship and understanding, and I accepted it. It was hard to put my guard down around Rodney, but I tried to in that moment.
“Thank you for being a great mother, Tameka.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, smiling back at him.
“And…for being a great wife,” he added. “Even though I blew it when I had you, I think you deserve to know that you were great to me. You did everything right; I just didn’t meet you halfway.”
Rodney’s innocent stare gradually morphed into an intimate glare, and he hugged me again, tighter, leaning so that his face pressed against the crook of my neck as his breathing intensified. He always had to blur the line.
“Rodney…” I said, leaning away from him.
“I’m sorry for messing up our marriage, Tameka,” he said as he took a deep breath and dipped down as if he were going to kiss me on the mouth.
I pushed back from him and yelled, “Kevin , Eva! Come on down. Your father is here!”
“I crossed the line again… I didn’t mean to…it’s just—” he started explaining.
“Rodney, that door has closed a long time ago for us. I just wanted to let you know what Melody was up to, and you can handle it accordingly.”
“I still owe you an apology.”
“Accepted.”
“Dad!” Kevin and Eva rushed into the room both with the same giddy enthusiasm over seeing their father.
Rodney hugged them, and we all talked for a while. After Rodney and the kids left, I decided to take a quick shower and get dressed. I was already late meeting Kemara, Alise and Jayne for lunch so I headed to the car, deciding to call Jeb as I pulled out of the driveway.
“The deal is done, baby! It’s official,” Jeb said as soon as he answered the call.
“Really?”
“Trey is investing in the Atlanta location, and the new building has already been picked out.”
“Awe babe, that’s awesome! I can’t wait to see it.”
“We’re celebrating tonight, so be ready!” He paused for a minute and started mumbling off instructions to someone in the background. “Look, I have to run. I’ll be home at about four for a few hours before I have to come back to the club tonight. We’re going to celebrate here.”
“Okay, see you then. And babe?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“What are you thanking me for?” he asked.
“For being the man you are.”
“And thank you for being the woman by my side. See you tonight.”
***
“It’s about time you made it,” Jayne said as I sat down at the table where all my girls were enjoying cocktails and laughing. “We were over here making bets about how late you would get here.”
“Oh, funny.” I glared at Jayne then eyed Kemara and Alise. “I had a talk with Rodney, and that had me running late,” I said and waved the waiter over to order a glass of red wine.
“Rodney? What on Earth is he up to now?” Alise asked with a smirk on her naturally beautiful face. She never wore make up, and if she did, it was barely there.
“Nothing, except Melody’s shenanigans,” I said and sighed.
“What is she up to now?” Kemara asked.
“I just told him about her putting the baby up for adoption. He didn’t know,” I said, rolling my eyes at how trifling Melody could be.
“That trifling little bitch,” Jayne said.
“You read my mind,” I replied.
“Which one, Rodney or Melody?” Kemara chimed in.
“Melody. She knows she should’ve told that man before she put his child up for adoption. Where they do that at?” Jayne fussed.
“Well, I told him everything she’s been saying to me, and he’s going to get a lawyer to help him figure it out. Chances are he can nullify the adoption because she didn’t notify him of it. We’ll see,” I said as I accepted my glass of wine from the waiter and took a sip. “Dang, this hits the spot right.”
“Remember, we’re talking about Rodney here. Does he really want the kid?” Kemara asked.
“He said he does, and I think it’s important for our children to know their siblings too,” I stated.
“Yeah, a child should know they have siblings. What Melody is doing is selfish, but it’s no different than what she did when she started sleeping with Rodney, knowing he was your husband,” Alise said with frustration in her tone.
“Right. What more can anyone expect from her?” Kemara chimed in.
“Now, she doesn’t even want his child. But she wanted him when he was out there working in corporate America making that shmoney,” Jayne said, rubbing her fingers together while mimicking Cardi B.
“Right, and now she’s looking at him sideways because he has to recover from the accident,” Alise chimed in.
“That’s how side chicks do,” Kemara added.
“Wait a minute. I don’t like the little homewrecker, but let’s not blame all of it on her. It was Rodney’s ass who was out here in these streets chasing Jeb down when he got in that wreck. What woman in their right mind would take his ass back after he was out here stalking his ex’s boyfriend?” Jayne asked. “I know like hell I wouldn’t.”
Everyone at the table raised their glass to that.
“You have a point there,” Alise said.
“And speaking of taking a man back. I guess I’m going to have to steal my security guard crush back from you. That damn Bruiser has been watching you like a hawk since you hired him, and you won’t give the man any action,” said Jayne while giving Alise a playful side-eye.
Alise sighed. “He said he was going to assign one of his men to work for me, but every time I put in a request for a guard, he shows up,” she said, frowning.
“Don’t act like you don’t know why my man is there,” Jayne teased. “And besides, you keep calling back, knowing that he’s going to be the one to show up.”
Everyone at the table looked at Alise because it was true. She was always complaining about Bruiser, but yet she kept hiring him to be her security.
“You can have him back, Jayne,” Alise said. “The man is nerve wrecking.”
“I bet he can wreck something more than your damn nerves, whew chile.” Jayne took a sip of her water. “I need to cool down.”
“Yeah, cool your hot and bothered butt down,” Alise said, and we all laughed.
“Alright, so let’s just change the subject,” Kemara interjected. “Who knows what I should do for little Bryce’s earache. He’s been whining about it for a few days, and the antibiotics the doctor gave me aren’t helping it.”
“I see what you did there,” Jayne said. “You know we all love little Bryce, but Alise needs to shit or get off the pot.”
“Stop it, Jayne! You’re sounding as stalkerish as that crazy man who was the catalyst to me ‘needing’ a bodyguard,” Alise said, looking at Jayne as if she were trying to understand her intent. “If you want the man, I will hook you up.”
“I’m only kidding with you, Alise. I’m trying to push you to see what’s right in front of you. A hunk of Hulk Hogan, The Incredible Hulk-built man who’s ready and willing to give you everything you’ve been singing about,” Jayne said.
“Ah, another subject change is needed,” Alise said as she looked at Kemara to save her.
“Is that Rochelle girl still trying to get with Jeb?” Kemara asked, and everyone turned and nosily looked at me.
“No. Jeb handled that situation, and she hasn’t been at the club lately,” I informed them. “But you should’ve known the answer to that because, if she was still disrespecting me like that, I would have been locked up in somebody’s jail.”
“Well, I’m glad Jeb handled it,” Kemara said.
“I’m glad you brought that up though. I have some good news!” I said and turned up my glass to drink another gulp of wine.
“Well, are you going to make us drink shots for it, or are you going to tell us?” Jayne asked.
“What is it, Tameka,” Kemara chimed in.
Alise didn’t say anything; she just sat there patiently waiting for the news.
“Well, before I left home, Jeb told me…” I paused for dramatics. “That the deal went through! He is opening another location in Atlanta!”
“Now see, that is great news that I can get down with!” Jayne said.
“I’m so glad for him. Tell my cuz congratulations,” Kemara added.
Alise raised her glass. “Okay, we finally have something to drink to.”
With that bit of news, we enjoyed drinks, light conversation, and friendship for the next few hours. When we were finally ready to leave, I was walking out of the restaurant behind Alise when in walked Jeb’s father with a big brute man.
I opened my mouth to speak to the men but thought better of it when Jeb’s father looked at me like he’d seen a ghost and then shook his head. The guy with him had his eyes glued on me, and he scowled as if he wanted to claw my eyes out.
Safe Place Series Page 22
