Never Again, No More 3

by Untamed

  I was glad my back was turned so she didn’t have to see me roll my eyes. So what if he could get the same damn baked bean recipe at Ms. Lily’s house? I knew damn well I had something Ms. Lily couldn’t give him: this Spanish Fly.

  I made my plate, and to show I was a bigger person, I put some of Jennifer’s “world famous” potato salad on my plate. Jennifer and I ended up sitting beside each other because Aldris was sitting between the girls.

  “Hmm,” Jennifer hummed, biting her burger. “You finally learned how to grill.” She laughed, looking up at Aldris.

  He instantly burst out laughing. “Forget you, man.”

  “What is Mommy talking about, Daddy?” Jessica asked.

  He hugged her. “Mommy is just being funny.”

  “I like funny stories, Daddy. Can we hear it? Please, oh please?” Nadia asked, laughing as he tickled her.

  Jennifer put her hand up. “Okay, Nadia coaxed me into it. Well, when your father and I were in college, I used to cook for him all the time, so I asked him to grill for my spring break cookout at my apartment.” She began laughing again. “But here’s the thing. I asked him first, ‘Do you know how to grill?’ and he said, ‘Oh, yeah,’” she shouted exuberantly, and by this time, she and Aldris were doubled over in laughter.

  Personally, I didn’t see shit funny as I drank the rest of my beer.

  “So, the day of the cookout, I was getting everything prepared and having fun with my friends. I asked Aldris when he was going to throw on the burgers, so he got up and lit the grill and nearly burned his eyebrows off. He had so much daggone lighter fluid on the coals he could’ve started a forest fire. We put new coals on, and I asked him if he wanted me to take over, but he swore it was an accident and that he was good. That first batch was literally blackened burgers. Those things were burnt to a crisp. That’s when he admitted it was his first time cooking on the grill. I took over the reins to spare the rest of the food we had and made his butt stand there and learn how to grill hamburgers, barbeque chicken, and hot dogs. That’s how your daddy learned how to grill,” Jennifer said in hysterics as Nadia, Jessica, and Aldris all joined in.

  “So, you taught him how to grill, huh?” I asked after they’d died down.

  She nodded. “Yeah, I did.”

  “I guess you shouldn’t have shown him your cooking secrets,” I said.

  She looked over at me, and I stared right back at her with the straightest yet shittiest expression on my face. Yeah, bitch, you just got served, I thought as I took a bite of her potato salad—which I hated to admit was the bomb.

  Aldris began coughing instantly and got up. “Gotta get another beer.”

  She laughed it off. “Good one. That potato salad is good, huh?”

  “Yes, it is. You deserve your props.”

  “Thanks. Your baked beans are good as well. I’ll have to tell my Aunt Lorraine somebody has the same recipe as she does. She must’ve let her secret get loose.”

  No, this bitch didn’t. Okay, score two points for her. I just laughed mine off too.

  “Great minds just think alike, that’s all.”

  “Yeah, but it’s always best to be original.” She winked at me.

  “Dessert, anyone?” Aldris asked, interrupting my response to that smart-ass comment Jennifer made.

  “Yes, Daddy,” the girls yelled in unison as they got up so he could give them slices of the chocolate cake I had made.

  “You do have one up on me, though, Lucinda. I’m not much of a baker,” Jennifer admitted, getting up to get some cake.

  This time, it was Aldris’ turn to make jokes. “I should tell the story of how you tried to bake me a birthday cake, since you want to put me on blast about grilling.”

  “Hey now, I tried. So what if it fell and it was a little dry?” she joked.

  “A little dry?” he asked, mocking her as he looked at me. “Baby, that thing was so dry, I had to drink a gallon of water just to swallow it, and two gallons once it hit my stomach.”

  “It ain’t that funny,” she mumbled.

  “Oh, you can dish it, but you can’t take it.” Aldris handed both of us some cake. “You know what they say about turnabout.”

  “Whatever,” she said, before taking a bite of my cake. “This is really good, Lucinda.”

  “Thank you.” Now, tell your Aunt Lorraine to top that, biotch!

  We all sat there, making small talk and joking with the girls. It dawned on me that I forgot to tell Jennifer about Nadia’s birthday party.

  “Before I forget again, you and Jessica are invited to Nadia’s birthday the Saturday after next at Jumpin’ Jamboree.”

  “Do you mean next Saturday?” she asked me.

  “No, the Saturday after the next one coming up,” I repeated.

  She looked up at Aldris. “You forgot to tell her. Jessica’s birthday party is at Putt-Putt that same Saturday.”

  Aldris hit his forehead. “I completely forgot to tell you, Lucinda. She told me that last week. Maybe we can move Nadia’s party to Sunday.” He looked at me apologetically.

  Okay, now I was just about to get mad, because why the hell should I be the one to move my child’s party just because Jennifer told him last week? I’d been talking about Nadia’s party all month. Besides, there were no Sunday openings, and I’d already paid half down for it.

  “Umm, no. Sunday is full. Besides, I’ve already put a down payment on it. What time is Jessica’s party? I’m sure they aren’t at the same time. We’ll just be some partying people that day,” I said in an attempt to make light of the situation.

  “It’s from one to three p.m.,” she answered as Aldris and I looked at each other. “What?” she asked.

  I exhaled, rubbing my forehead. “Nadia’s party is at one, from one to three.”

  “Okay, so what are we going to do? Because I’ve already paid for the Putt-Putt party. Sunday is no good for me because I have a mandatory meeting that day for work, and I’m helping my friend cook for this dinner party she’s having,” Jennifer explained.

  To me—and probably to Jennifer, too—the real question was, what was Aldris going to do, because the girls could see each other any time they wanted to. In fact, I was positive we’d have Jessica all day that Sunday, since Jennifer just put it out there that she’d be busy. So, the question became, who was going to sacrifice their child’s party, or whose party was Aldris going to miss? We both turned and looked at Aldris.

  Aldris sighed and put his hands up. “Listen, let’s not get in a huff over this. This is what we’ll do. Both girls will have their party. Since it is truly my fault for not relaying the information, I will be the one to do the running around. I will just have to split my time between both parties. I will go to Jessica’s party first and spend about an hour there, and then spend the second hour at Nadia’s party. That way, I won’t miss either of my girls’ special day.” He tickled both Nadia and Jessica. “Is that fair?”

  Jennifer and I looked at each other and nodded. “Fair enough,” we said in unison.

  “Good. Now, I’m going to take my little ladies over here and play with the Frisbee. Come on, you guys.”

  “He’s really good with the girls,” Jennifer said.

  “Yes, he is,” I agreed and began to clean up. “I really hate that Nadia will miss Jessica’s party.”

  “Same here, but I’m sure they will talk each other to death about it. The most important part is that Aldris gets to spend some time with each of them.”

  “Exactly.”

  Aldris played with the girls for a little bit as Jennifer and I packed up all the food and toys. Then, Aldris came and loaded both our cars, then we said our goodbyes to Jennifer and Jessica.

  “Whew! I am worn out,” Aldris said as we drove home.

  “We all are.” I turned, looking at Nadia, who was already knocked out. “Nadia beat us to the punch, though.” I laughed.

  Aldris rubbed my thigh. “I thank you for doing these family days with me. I know it’s
been rough having to adjust to Jennifer and Jessica, but I think we’re all coping much better.”

  “Yeah,” I said, thinking to myself that it was a lot harder than rough, but life was so much easier when I wasn’t arguing with Aldris, so I kept that tidbit to myself.

  Aldris ran his hand up and down my thigh. “You know I am tired, but since Nadia is asleep, I’d love to get into something when we get home.”

  I licked my lips. “I’m sure we could think of something to get into.” I leaned back again and looked out my window.

  “Spill it. What’s on your mind?” Aldris asked.

  Damn. He was beginning to know me all too well. I looked at him and shook my head. “Don’t get upset. It’s just that I want you to keep your promise and share the day with both girls.”

  “I figured that was going to come back up,” he said.

  “I’m not fussing, Aldris. I’m just saying—”

  “I’m not going to disappoint Jessica or Nadia,” he cut me off. “I give you my word. Nadia is just as much my daughter as Jessica is. I just wish that you would see that I feel that way,” he said a little tensely.

  Staying true to my no-arguments pact, I threw my hands up in surrender. “Okay. Okay. I believe you. You asked what was on my mind, so I told you. You gave your word, so I’m cool with that.”

  He looked over at me. “You sure about that?”

  “Drop it, Aldris. Yes, it is what it is.”

  For the rest of the ride home, there was nothing but silence between us.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Ryan

  “Baby, please talk to me. Ryan, are you awake? I know you’re awake. Baby, please,” Charice kept repeating as she gently continued to stir me.

  Hell no, I wasn’t asleep. How could I be with her yapping in my fucking ear and pushing on me? I didn’t want to talk to her. I wouldn’t even have been in the same bedroom with her if she hadn’t cried and begged me to stay in there. Yes, I was still pissed off about finding her at Lincoln’s house. How was I supposed to believe that they didn’t have shit going on when she was calling me his name during sex and then I find her waltzing out of his house? How would she feel if it were me?

  I was beginning to wonder if this relationship was even worth the fucking trouble anymore. I loved Charice, I did, but the fact remained that the more I looked at shit, the more it was apparent to me that she had feelings for Lincoln. She could tell me she didn’t until she was blue in the fucking face, but one minute she couldn’t stand him, and the next she was sitting in his house. Yeah, I understood how the story went down. The delivery company fucked up the address, and she assumed Lincoln was being cruel. I got that. What I didn’t get was why my wife was in his house, especially since I didn’t observe one damn delivery truck in his yard when I drove off. Okay, so she said he told her the story about how he was awarded custody of London. Yada. Yada. Yada. Who cares? I felt sorry for Lauren, but that was Lincoln’s business and Lincoln’s problem. The true question was, why did Charice care? I’ll tell you why. She still had feelings for that nigga.

  I didn’t know if she thought I was dumb or blind or both, but I knew when a woman had feelings for a man—especially Charice. One thing I was not going to do was put my heart on the line for her, after all these years, then watch her rebuild a relationship with Lincoln. I just didn’t know what to do about it, so I’d been ignoring her all week because I was so angry and so hurt. A part of me was hoping if she felt that I was pulling away from her, she would straighten up and realize what she had in me. But, an even bigger part of me was just plain damn hurt. I’d never truly loved another woman more than I loved Charice, and I didn’t know how to deal with that. I’d be damned if she was going make a fool out of me the same way Iris did. My pride, my ego, my confidence, and my heart were all being shattered by the one woman I never thought would hurt me. Charice. My wife.

  “Ryan?” Charice said through a tear-strained voice. “It’s been a week.”

  “Charice, it’s three o’clock in the damn morning. Go to sleep.” The harshness in my tone made my position known as I refused to face her.

  Ignoring that fact, she continued her plea. “I haven’t slept in a week. All I want to do is make things right between us again. I’m your wife, Ryan. How could you continue to treat me this way?”

  Now, that made me get up, and I nearly jumped out of the bed. I was so pissed off. “Are you shitting me? I can’t believe you’re fucking for real right now. You’re the one sneaking over your ex-fiancé’s house and calling out his name during sex. What the fuck are you talking about, you can’t believe I’m treating you this way?” I yelled, the anger in my heart evident.

  She huffed as if she were just completely fed up. “I wasn’t sneaking around, and I don’t know how many times you want me to apologize for calling out Lincoln’s name. My God. Sometimes you act as if you’ve never done shit to me. The amount of shit I’ve had to forgive you for pales in comparison to your reason for being angry with me.”

  I was fired up now. Well, if you push the right buttons, you start to see a person’s true feelings. Now, she was going to see mine. “Nice, Charice. Real nice. Wasn’t it you who said you’d long since forgiven me for my past?”

  She put her head down and nodded. “I wasn’t trying to bring up old stuff—”

  “Yep. I do believe that was you,” I spewed, interrupting whatever excuse she was about to drum up. “I remember hearing you say it. At least I wasn’t married to your ass then. Hell, we weren’t even together then.”

  Looking at me as if she were tormented by my pain, she mouthed the words “I’m sorry” as if they were lodged in her throat. Still, I wasn’t letting up. I was determined to make her understand that all of this was her fault and not mine. I refused to take any blame for the state of our marriage.

  “During this marriage, I’ve been nothing but fucking supportive, faithful, and loving, and you treat me like this?” I yelled, pacing the floor.

  Desperately, Charice jumped up and walked toward me. “Baby, that didn’t come out right. I’m just frustrated—”

  I threw up my hand, thwarting her words again. I was on fucking fire, and if she wanted the gospel, I was here to give her the sermon from Alpha to Omega. “I’ve forgiven you for fucking and almost marrying a man who was supposed to be my best friend, not to mention accepting his daughter as my own even after I lost my only little girl. Then, you have the audacity to throw up my past—”

  Charice put her hand up defensively. “Wait a minute, baby. Maybe you’re going a little—”

  Oh, she had the nerve to want to get defensive? Oh, hell naw. “Oh, please. At least the majority of my dirt was done when you were nothing more than a jump off to me.”

  As soon—and I mean as soon as—I said that, I regretted it. Sure, I was pissed, but I never wanted Charice to feel like I ever thought of her as a jump off. I was doing my dirt because of the type of person I used to be, and because of that, I did treat her like a jump off, but I never truly viewed her that way. Deep down, I always cared for Charice because I knew she was real, that she loved me, and she was the mother of my kids, so for me to say that was just downright cruel. I felt bad instantly. Despite all that was going on, she was my wife.

  Charice gasped so loudly that I thought her heart stopped. Crocodile-sized tears began to fall, and she couldn’t even speak.

  Realizing that I’d fucked up, I rubbed my hands across my face. “Shit. Charice. Oh my God.” I walked toward her. “Baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—” I reached for her trembling hand.

  She slapped my hand back, and in one swoop, sucker-punched me. “Fuck you,” she hollered. Charice put her robe on and grabbed her pillow.

  “Wait. Baby, what are you doing?” I asked, running over to her, still holding my throbbing cheek. Damn. She hit harder than a nigga.

  “Since I’m so unworthy to be the great Ryan Westmore’s wife, I’m going to move into the guest bedroom until I can find me, our sons,
and my bastard daughter a place to live. I didn’t need you to help raise your kids when I was a—how’d you say it? Oh, yeah, a jump off—and I don’t need you now.”

  “Wait,” I yelled, blocking her at the door. “No, I was wrong. I really don’t feel that way. I never did. I was just hurt and talking out of the side of my neck. C’mon, babe.” I caressed her shoulders.

  “Get your hands off of me,” she said tensely. “You made your feelings very clear, and for once, I’m listening. I can’t believe I thought anything about you had changed. You are still the same self-serving son of a bitch you were in high school. If the only reason you married me was because you wanted your ego stroked to say you’d won me from Lincoln, or because you were fighting demons because of your lack of involvement in Charity’s life before she died, then please don’t do me any favors. I’m done begging for love from any man, but especially from you,” she yelled and stormed out of the room.

  As soon as she did, I heard Lexi crying and went to the nursery to check on her, but Charice was already in there. “We probably woke her up. Let me rock her to sleep. She likes that,” I said, reaching for her, but Charice clutched her tighter and walked away.

  “Stay away from me and my baby,” she said angrily.

  “Charice.”

  “Ryan.”

  Man, if looks could kill. Rather than argue in front of Lexi and upset her any further or risk waking my boys, I walked to the door and turned to leave. “Lexi is my daughter, and you’re my wife. That hasn’t changed.”

  “Not yet anyway,” Charice said and slammed the door in my face.

  Great, Ryan. Just great. You idiot, I thought. I walked back to our bedroom, dejected. Rather than force her into my arms, I’d probably pushed her right back into Lincoln’s. I sat on the bed, thinking about what I could do to turn my marriage around. Then, I noticed my cell phone blinking. It was weird because I hadn’t noticed it before I went to bed.

  I picked it up and read the email. A smile spread across my face. This was sure to clear things up. My plans had been finalized. Charice was now the owner of her own dance studio. I was going to make her lifetime dream come true. There was no way she’d hate me after this. No way.