by Coco Amoure
“Do you need any help with anything?” he asked. Tyson was oblivious to the thoughts Tia was internally having about him. He was happy to see them finally leave. It was time that he and Ashanti sit down to discuss the paternity test, as well as the living arrangements. He’d already spoken to a real estate agent and Ashanti could move in as early as next week. Taking care of his son was not a problem, but he couldn’t continue to allow Ashanti to live in his house, if he had any plans on getting Delaney back.
“Nah, I’m good. All of our luggage is already in the trunk. I just have to tear mama away from the baby and then we can hit the road,” she chuckled.
“Oh boy, now that may be a problem! She hasn’t put that boy down since she arrived,” he joked.
They proceeded to walk into the house where they found Julia hanging over Ashanti’s shoulder still fussing over the baby. “Come on now, Mama, say your goodbyes and let’s hit the road,” Tia said. Ashanti shot her older sister a dirty look, right before she noticed Tyson standing behind Tia.
“Ok Tia, I’m coming. Now Ashanti you call me if you or lil’ Ty need anything. I still want you to consider coming home for a few weeks,” Julia said, planting goodbye kisses on both Ashanti and the baby.
Tia walked over and kissed her nephew and gave Ashanti a quick hug before ushering their mother out of the door. Tyson walked the ladies to the door and said his goodbyes as well.
Once Ashanti’s family was gone, Tyson walked back into the house and closed the door. Ashanti was sitting on the sofa breastfeeding the baby. He jogged upstairs to take a quick shower and got out of his work uniform. Tyson stripped naked and went into the master bathroom and turned the water on to the right temperature in the walk-in shower. He checked his phone one last time before getting in the shower to see if Delaney had responded to his last text message. Tyson had been texting her on a daily basis and she had yet to respond even once. Giving up was not an option, no matter what it took, he was going to get his girl back…point blank period.
Tyson stepped into the steamy hot shower and welcomed the water as it cascaded down on his tired body. He leaned his head into the stream of water and stood still. His mind was heavy on Delaney, he longed for her touch, her smile, her kiss and most of all he missed sleeping with her each night and waking up to her each morning.
Tyson was so wrapped up in his thoughts of Delaney, that he hadn’t heard the shower door open or even noticed that Ashanti was now standing behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his back.
“Don’t push me away, Ty, I just want to be close to you,” she spoke softly into his ear.
Tyson gently removed her hands from around his waist and turned to face her. Ashanti was a beautiful woman, even after just giving birth a few weeks ago, her body seemed to have bounced back to its original state overnight.
“Ashanti, please get out of here and put your clothes back on. I already told you that we can never be the way we were. How many times do I have to tell you that I am in love with Delaney, and she is the only woman for me?” He said staring directly into her eyes.
Ashanti’s feelings were deeply hurt, but that didn’t deter her from fighting for his affection. She reached down and grabbed a hold of his dick and gently stroked it up and down in between her soft hands.
“Don’t you miss me, Ty? Don’t you miss the way we used to be?” she asked, running her tongue along her full lips.
Tyson could feel his manhood began to stiffen at the touch of her hand.
“Shanti, stop,” he weakly replied. For a quick second, he allowed himself to get caught up in the moment. Suddenly, Delaney’s face flashed across his mind and he pushed Ashanti away from him.
“I said stop! Dammit, leave it alone! Shit ain’t happening with us no more!” he said, turning off the shower and stepping out. It was definitely time for her to move out of his house before he did something he would regret. The attraction was still there even though the love was gone.
Ashanti stepped out behind him completely nude. Tyson tossed a towel in her direction.
“Here, cover yaself up!” he said without looking at her. He quickly dried off and stormed out of the bathroom. Tyson put on the first pair of jogging pants he could find, along with a white tee. When he turned around, Ashanti was standing in the middle of his bedroom floor wrapped in the towel he’d given her. Tears were in her eyes as she intently watched Tyson. His rejection towards her advances hurt Ashanti deeply. She wasn’t expecting him to make love to her so soon after she’d given birth, but she desired some level of intimacy. How could he be so cold towards her, after all the time that they’ve spent together as a couple?
“Get dressed, Imma go check on the baby. Oh and we need to talk sooner than later,” he said and rushed out of the room and down the stairs.
Ashanti walked over to the dresser and picked up her cell phone. After scrolling through the list of contacts, she located the number she was looking for and hit call.
“Yeah, it’s me. You know that thing we discussed when I was in the hospital? Well I need for you to make it happen! Get in touch with whoever you need to, and let me know when it’s a good time for me to take the baby in for testing. Sooner than later!” she warned and disconnected the call. If she couldn’t win Tyson fair and square, Ashanti didn’t mind playing dirty. Little Miss Delaney better get ready for battle!
Chapter Fifteen
The sun shone brightly through the kitchen bay window, as Delaney sat down at her customized built-in breakfast nook enjoying a cup of coffee. After several phone conversations with Chris, she finally decided to take him up on his offer to take her out to lunch. They talked for hours at a time on his off days. She hadn’t laughed this much in a long time and it was a welcomed distraction from all that she’d been going through lately. It felt like old times, when they would sit around for hours talking about nothing and everything.
Delaney finished the last of her morning coffee and placed the cup in the dishwasher after a quick rinse. Afterwards, she headed upstairs to her closet and threw on a pair of jean shorts and a green tank top, so she could take her puppy, Diamond, out for a walk. She was trying to kill some time before it was time for her to get dressed for the lunch date with Chris.
The cool morning breeze felt good, so good in fact that Delaney felt like jogging, something she hadn’t done in a long time.
“Come on, Diamond, let’s jog a little bit this morning,” she said to her little Yorkie. Having this extended time off from work allowed her time to do some of the things that she used to love to do.
When Delaney and Diamond returned back to the townhouse, Delaney headed straight upstairs and jumped in the shower. The light jog left her feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. She actually had more energy after the run than she did before.
The indicator light on her cell phone was blinking which meant she missed a call or text message. Delaney entered the pass code and saw she had three missed calls from Tyson, one missed call from Chris, and two text messages. The first text was from Tyson begging her to talk to him. The second text was from Chris confirming their lunch date.
She deleted all of Tyson’s text messages and phone calls from her log and shot Chris a quick reply to let him know that they were still on. Apparently, Tyson didn’t have any plans on giving up any time soon, but Delaney knew this about him anyway. He was persistent from the day they met, so what made her think he’d just walk away so easily? Her feelings for Tyson hadn’t diminished in any way, she still loved him deeply. Every night she lay in bed alone, she craved his body and she missed his touch even more.
Delaney finished towel drying her hair and applied her favorite Almond Cookie body oil by Carol’s Daughter to her skin. Since it was such a beautiful, sunny day, Delaney chose to wear a tangerine spaghetti strap sundress. The dress clung to her curves nicely, along with a pair of multicolored flat Hermes sandals. Messy buns were one of her signature looks, so she complimented her look by putting her hair up i
nto a messy bun. The last thing left to do was apply some lip gloss to her lips, and she was ready to go.
Delaney admired herself in the mirror to make sure her look was on point before grabbing her cell phone and clutch off of the bed.
“Why am I so nervous?” she said out loud to herself. Shaking her head, Delaney headed out to go meet Chris with a huge smile on her face.
***
Earlier that week, Chris told her they were having lunch at Ray’s On The River in Sandy Springs. Delaney told him she would meet him there, because she wasn’t ready for him to come to her house just yet. When she pulled up, the parking lot was packed as usual. Delaney immediately spotted Chris standing in front of the restaurant waiting on her. A big smile spread across his face when their eyes met. Delaney threw up her hand and quickly waved at him. The valet driver opened her door and she gave him the keys as he handed her a ticket.
“Damn you look good, Laney!” Chris said, taking in her beauty. It was as if time stood still, because she hadn’t aged a bit. Her velvety brown skin was smooth and clear, and she still possessed that same sparkle in her green eyes.
Delaney blushed. “Thanks Chris, you are too kind. You’re looking good yourself,” she said, giving him the once over. Chris had always been good looking. He wore a pair of dark blue jeans, a plaid button down shirt, along with a dark blue blazer. Delaney always admired his sense of style. Chris was more of a clean cut pretty boy, with a dazzling smile. It surprised her how comfortable they both seemed to be in each other presence after so much time had passed.
“Shall we go in?” he asked, as he placed his hand on the small of her back guiding her towards the door.
Delaney simply smiled and walked ahead of him. “Oh and don’t be looking at my ass either,” she joked.
Chris laughed out loud, because that was exactly what he was doing. “Ain’t nothing changed, girl, you remember how I used to follow you around when we were younger, just so I could get a look at that ass.”
The hostess approached them in the midst of their laughter. “Good afternoon, and welcome to Ray’s On the River. How many people are in your party?” she asked. Delaney never understood why they always asked that question, when clearly there were only two of them standing there.
“Just the two of us,” Chris answered, wrapping his arm around Delaney’s shoulder. He stood proudly beside her with a big smile on his face.
The hostess reached for two menus. “Great, please follow me.” She smiled brightly.
“Can you please seat us outside?” Delaney requested.
“Sure,” the pretty hostess replied, as she led them outside on the terrace.
Once they were seated, Chris reached across the table and held Delaney’s hands inside of his. He looked deeply into her eyes and simply smiled. Being in her presence again after all of these years felt like a dream come true. He’d dreamt of the day he would be able to see her again, without all of the pain and hurt.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
The waiter came over to take their drink orders before Chris could respond.
“Good afternoon, my name is Justin, and I will be your server today. What would you all like to drink?”
“Two sweet teas with lemon and two glasses of water,” Chris said ordering for both of them.
“Ok, I will be right out with your drinks. Would you like to order an appetizer now or do you need more time to look over the menu?” the server asked.
Chris looked at Delaney and she shrugged her shoulders.
“We need a few more minutes to look over the menu,” Chris replied.
“I was thinking about how long I’ve waited for this moment. I’ve missed you so much, Laney,” he confessed, once the server walked away.
“Come on, Chris, I know you’ve had plenty of women since we dated in high school.” She chuckled.
“I’ve had my share, but none of them compared to you or made me feel the way you did. I know we were youngins, but you’ve always held a special place in my heart. Girl, I’ve been chasing you since elementary school.” He smiled, flashing his pearly whites.
“Chris I have to be honest with you. When I walked into your bedroom that day and saw you literally fucking Yvonne, it crushed me. My heart was broken and I felt so stupid for thinking that you were different from all the other guys. Not to mention my daddy issues. But I trusted you, I mean I really trusted you,” Delaney said, patting her hand on her chest for emphasis. “So to find you in such a compromising position changed me in so many ways. I made a vow to never love again or trust another man. I dated several men, but I wouldn’t allow anyone to get close to me. Finally, one day I met someone, and to make a long story short, I fell in love with him. I opened up my heart to love again. However, needless to say it ended with my heart being broken for a second time. I said all of that to say this, I am not looking to rekindle anything between you and I. I just want to make myself clear.”
Chris patiently listened to every word that she spoke. The look in her eyes still held the pain of the past and he wished he could take all of her pain away. The server returned with their drink orders and asked if they were ready to place their lunch orders.
“Ok, ma’am, let’s start with you? What will you be having today?” The server smiled.
“I would like to order the shrimp and grits,” Delaney said handing the menu to the waiter.
“And you, sir?” he asked Chris.
“I will have your jumbo lump crab cake meal,” Chris replied, handing his menu to the waiter.
“I will put your orders in and they will be out shortly,” Justin said, before turning and leaving them alone to continue their conversation.
“I hear you, Laney, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart for what I did to you that day. If I could take it all back, I would. I was young and dumb. It saddens me to know that because of me you have such a hard time with relationships.” Chris was hoping for another chance with her, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen. It appeared he would have to settle for being just a friend. Chris didn’t even try to hide his disappointment. He wanted her back and it saddened him when she made it clear that she didn’t want the same thing. It wasn’t that he was expecting her to automatically jump back into his arms, but he was hoping for a chance to show her how much he loved her.
“It’s not all your fault. My trust issues started with my father. I don’t blame you, Chris, really I don’t. To be honest, I am not over my ex and I still love him very much. My focus at this time is solely on me and my career. Maybe love isn’t for me,” she said, taking a sip of tea. It would take a blind person not to see how much she still loved Tyson. The tone of her voice and the expression on her face said it all.
Chris smiled and once again he reached for her hands and squeezed them tightly. “Laney, if you still love this dude why don’t you try to work things out?” Secretly, Chris was hoping that things didn’t work out between them. He would definitely be there to pick up the pieces. He made a vow to himself that if she ever gave him another chance, that he would never hurt her again.
Before she could answer, she was interrupted by someone speaking to her.
“Well look what we have here.” A voice called out behind Delaney.
Chris glanced up with a puzzled expression on his face. The dude looked familiar, but he couldn’t figure out where he knew him from.
Delaney slightly turned around in her seat to see Drake coming around the corner. She rolled her eyes and turned back around. He was the last person she wanted to see after the way he’d treated her Natasha.
“Hello, beautiful, you are looking lovely as ever! I’m happy to see you out and about and feeling better. You gave everyone a scare,” he said, lustfully eyeing Delaney.
“Hello and thanks,” she dryly replied.
“It’s nice to see you again too, Doc. Forgive me, but I can’t seem to remember your name right now,” Drake said extending his hand to Chris.
“
Dr. Clark, but just call me Chris.”
“I just happened to look up and see the beautiful Delaney from my table. I’m here having lunch with a friend, but I wanted to stop by and say hello,” Drake said, staring at Delaney. Her beauty took his breath away every time he saw her.
“Thanks for stopping by Drake,” Delaney said without looking at him. She sipped on her tea wishing he would disappear before she snapped on his grimy ass. Delaney’s whole disposition seemed to have changed. She wore a disturbed expression on her lovely face. The nerve of Drake’s grimy ass to even approach her after the way he’d treated her best friend. Did he think Natasha wouldn’t tell her?
Drake pulled a business card out of his pocket and placed it on the table next to Delaney.
“Give me a call later, beautiful, I would like to talk to you about something.” He winked and walked back over to his table. Drake noticed her indifference towards him, but her attitude still didn’t deter him, he found it to be quite amusing. Drake believed in the chase.
Delaney had a disgusted look on her face and Chris couldn’t help but notice.
“So what’s up with dude? How do you know him?” Chris asked. Chris had to admit, he’d never seen anyone as brazen and bold as Drake. He approached Delaney as if he had some claim to her.
“He is my ex boyfriend’s business partner.”
“I recall seeing him at the hospital when I was talking to Natasha and Jason, but we didn’t have any words. I think he has a thing for you, Laney. I mean he was damn near drooling all over you,” Chris said.
Delaney ignored his last comment, giving him a look that said clearly to drop it. She wasn’t in the mood to discuss Drake. After they finished their meal, Chris paid the tab and they stood to leave.
Drake’s eyes met Delaney’s on her way out of the restaurant. The bastard had the nerve to lick his lips and wink. The female he was dining with, turned around and smiled weakly at Delaney. He was always with a different woman, but was constantly hitting on Delaney on the low. She just couldn’t figure out what his angle was. Did he really think that she would even consider entertaining his clown ass?
