“What about Baylynn?”
“Of course, he’s not ready to leave her yet but the weekend we just had was the start of something great.” She couldn’t hold in her smile as she mentally replayed her weekend.
“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Now maybe you can stop moping around this house and get back to opening your bookstore,” Ryan nudged Cashmere in the side.
“I guess I could do that, huh?”
“Uh yeah.”
They burst into laughter. Ryan got up from the couch and grabbing Cash’s bag before she walked upstairs while Cash grabbed Cassi and followed suit. Carrying Cassi to her room, she placed her in the playpen that was in her room. They unpacked her bags and when everything was put away, Cash freshened up for the day while her bestie got Cassi ready. After putting her hair in a ponytail, she grabbed her Gucci handbag and made sure she had everything she needed before she left out of her room. Cashmere walked downstairs where Ryan and Cassi were waiting on her. The three of them left the house, strapped the little one in her car seat, hopped in the car and pulled off.
After graduating from Temple University, Cashmere wanted to put her degree in Communications to use by doing an internship at a major news broadcasting company but after discovering that she was pregnant, she focused her attention on social media where she did informative blogs on random subjects. After a few short months, she became popular on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and that’s when she discovered the many authors of Urban Fiction. With her timeline filled with book promotions, Cash decided to check out a few titles on her Kindle and she loved the books she read. Sending friend request to the authors she read on all her social media sites, she searched for their books in the known bookstores but the store didn’t carry none of the books she read. That’s when she came up with the idea to open her own bookstore.
She worked on getting her bookstore open throughout her pregnancy. Ryan helped her pick out a location as well as decorating and selecting the books for her store. The last month of her pregnancy, Cashmere put everything on hold and once the baby was born, Cassi became her focus putting her bookstore on the back burner.
Finding a nearby parking spot on South Street forty-five minutes later, Cash released Cassi from her car seat and placed in her on the stroller that Ryan retrieved from the trunk. She unlocked the gate and the door to her store then brought it to life with a flip of the switch. They walked by the empty shelves heading straight to the back where her office was. She took a seat at her desk, powered up her computer and got to work. They spent an hour creating a store contract and another hour reaching out to authors about having their books sold in Cash’s store. They were both surprised by how many authors agreed to have their books in her store.
After a successful day at the bookstore, the ladies decided to call it quits for the day. Once the shop was locked up tight, Ryan secured Cassi in her car seat before she hopped in the passenger seat as Cash placed the stroller in the trunk. Jumping behind the wheel, she started the car driving to North Philly to drop Ryan off at her mother’s house. Ryan promised to call Cash sometime during the week before getting out the car. She waved bye to her bestie as she drove home.
When Cash pulled up to her house, she was surprised to see Ramsey’s car parked in front of her house. She got Cassi out of her car seat before locking the car door and walked in the house. The smell of fried chicken hit her nose as she headed straight to the kitchen and the sight she saw brought a smile to her face. To see Ramsey cooking dinner was something she never thought she would see and it tickled her.
“Hey bae.” She kissed his lips.
“Hey Cash. I bet you weren’t expectin’ all this tonight.” He pulled her close to him.
“I damn sure wasn’t but I love what I see,” she smiled.
“Go put Cassi in her crib while I set the table.”
“Okay.”
She quickly carried Cassi to her room and turned on the lamp. Cassi was sound asleep but that didn’t her from changing her diaper and changing her into her pajamas. Cash kissed her baby on the forehead before she left the room walking back downstairs where Ramsey had two candles lit on the table and the kitchen light dimmed. Cashmere couldn’t do anything but smile as she walked over to the table and Ramsey pulled out her chair before he sat down. She admired the food and was taken aback by how delicious the meal looked. The fried chicken, string beans, mashed potatoes with gravy had her stomach growling and she didn’t hesitate to dig in.
“This is really good, baby. I didn’t know you cooked.”
“What can I say, ya man is full of surprises,” he smirked.
“So how long do I have you for? I know you have to go home to her.” She rolled her eyes at the thought of Baylynn.
“Actually, I don’t have to go home. So tonight, I’m all yours, bae.”
“Wow. I don’t know what to say Ramsey,” she beamed.
“Don’t say anythin’. Let’s enjoy the night.”
They talked as they enjoyed their dinner and Cashmere couldn’t believe what he had done for her. Not only did he prepare a delicious meal for her but instead of him leaving her like he always did, he was going to spend the night with her. After dinner, they washed the dishes together before they crashed on the couch watching movies for the rest of the night before they fell asleep. As bad as she wanted to fuck Ramsey, she was content with just laying on his chest as he held her in his arms. She was loving this new side of Ramsey and she was more confident than ever that she would be his main chick very soon.
10
Baylynn couldn’t wait for her man to return from his trip so she could show him how much she missed him. Even though she fucked all weekend while she was in Atlantic City, that didn’t stop her from giving her man a proper greeting when he returned home. After fucking like rabbits for a couple of hours, Ramsey presented her with a new jewelry set from Tiffany and Co along with a few new purses from Nordstrom’s. She was more than pleased with her gifts from her man and she instantly felt like shit for spending the weekend with another man. Baylynn decided right then and there that she had to get her shit together.
She enjoyed spending the day with her family as they just chilled in the house for the day but her mood shifted from happy to pissed when Ramsey got dressed claiming he had to link up with Randall to discuss business. After kissing him goodbye, she coached herself through her attitude telling herself that he was making moves for his family. The more moves he made, the more money she got to spend. Just the thought of him coming into more money comforted her as she went back to watching TV.
For the next month, she spent more time being a mother and girlfriend putting her old ways on the back burner. If she needed to make a run or just to get out the house, she took Brandi with her instead of calling Renee. She even took an interest in learning how to cook the basic foods. When Bay first started her mission of being a homebody, she didn’t like it at all. She felt that being stuck in the house with a baby was for the birds but when she thought about how she wanted to be a better woman for Ramsey, she began to get comfortable with her new lifestyle.
When it came time for her to do her drop offs on the weekend, she was busier than ever. Instead of delivering to the regulars, she now had three more states she had to travel to; Maryland, New York and Virginia. Baylynn was on the road every weekend now and even though she missed her every other weekend schedule, she was cool with all the money that was coming in. As much as she was working both on the road and at home, she always made time for her man and daughter.
After a long weekend of being on the road, she was exhausted when dragged herself in the house early Monday morning. Walking into her bedroom, she smiled when she saw Brandi and Ramsey sleeping peacefully in the bed. Bay took a quick shower before climbing in the bed with her family snuggling up next to Ramsey who wrapped his free arm around her and kissing her on the forehead.
“I’m glad you made it home safely, Bay. Is everythin’ cool?” Ramsey mumbled with his ey
es closed.
“Yeah. Everythin’ is good, baby. No problems at all,” she said softly. “You and Brandi must have had a lot of fun over the weekend.”
“Yeah, we did,” he chuckled. “We had a lil family gatherin’ at my mother’s house this weekend and had a ball.”
“Renee would wait to have a family gatherin’ while I’m out of town.” Baylynn sucked her teeth.
“Come on now, Bay. It’s not like it was planned. It was a spur of the moment type of thing.”
“Yeah right, Ramsey.”
The room fell silent as they laid there in their own thoughts. She was a little upset that she couldn’t attend the family gathering at Renee’s. She understood Ramsey’s family couldn’t stand her but she wanted to be included in the family activities. Baylynn was about to drop the subject until she thought about the baby she saw at Renee’s house last month. She had forgot to ask Ramsey when he returned home from his trip with Randall and figured now would be a good time to ask.
“Ramsey?”
“Huh?”
“When I went to pick Brandi up from your mother’s house last month, I saw another baby there. I didn’t get a good look at her but I’m just curious about whose baby it is. As far as I know, Brandi is the only baby in the family. Randall and Ryan don’t have kids and your mother don’t seem like the type to just babysit anybody’s kids.”
“The baby belonged to Ryan’s best friend from College. Ryan is the Godmother of the baby and she was watchin’ the baby for her friend that weekend,” Ramsey sighed. “Now go to sleep with ya nosey ass.”
She giggled as she got comfortable on his chest and drifted off to sleep. A few hours later, she felt little hands scratching up her face knowing it was Brandi. Baylynn opened her eyes and was faced to face with her smiling ray of sunshine. Bay planted kisses all over her face, causing her to giggle. Looking over on the nightstand, she smiled when she saw the tray filled with food and orange juice. By the food he left on the nightstand, she knew that Ramsey left for the day.
“Damn, I love that man,” she smiled.
After eating her breakfast, she washed Brandi and freshened up before Bay got both of them dressed for the day. With a packed baby bag on her shoulder, she placed her cell phone in the side pocket of the bag and grabbed her keys. Placing Brandi on her hip, she walked out the door.
After securing the little one in her car seat, Baylynn got behind the wheel and started the car. Before she could pull out of her driveway, her cell phone rung. She reached in the back seat for the bag grabbing her phone. She sighed when she saw it was her mother calling.
“Hello mom,” she answered dryly.
“Damn! It’s like that?”
“Hell yeah. The only time you call me is when you want me to take you somewhere or you need money.”
“You know me so well. See you when you get here.”
She placed her phone in the cup holder before pulling out of the driveway and into the street not being able to believe how her mother just called her out of the clear blue and expected her to come get her. She couldn’t do anything but shake her head as she drove to her mother’s house.
Baylynn and her mother, Fateema, didn’t have the best relationship since she kicked her out when she got pregnant. She made sure she gave her mother whatever she asked for every month and did whatever her mother needed her to do so Fateema would leave her alone. She had many issues with her mother but that didn’t stop her from being there for her even though Fateema never asked about or wanted to spend time with Brandi.
Pulling up to her childhood home thirty minutes later, she spotted her mother on the porch talking to the neighbor next door. Fateema shut her conversation down when she spotted her daughter before jogging down the steps and hopping in the car. Bay’s mother had the same smooth chocolate skin as her but she was a little taller than her daughter. She rocked a short natural hair do with blonde highlights and had enough curves to drive both young and older niggas crazy. She was only in her late-thirties and she looked more like Baylynn’s sister than her mother.
“Hey girl. I see you still look good,” she smiled.
“And I can tell by the smell you’re still smokin’ weed and drinkin’.” Baylynn rolled her eyes.
“You know how I do.” Fateema took a sip from her flask.
“Where do you wanna go, mama?” Baylynn asked, rolling her eyes at her mother.
“Let’s go hit the mall up. I gotta grab a few things.”
“Grab meanin’ steal or grab meanin’ buy?”
“I’m buyin’ my shit, bitch. I don’t steal no more.” Her mother became defensive.
“Don’t get no attitude with me. Shit, I had to ask. I don’t know what type time you be on.”
Baylnn pulled out of the parking spot and drove slowly down the block. She tore up the highway until she reached the Cherry Hill Mall in New Jersey. Parking in the mall parking lot, she pushed Brandi in her stroller while her mother walked beside them entering the mall. As they shopped, she kept a close eye on Fateema. Bay wanted to give her mother the benefit of the doubt but she just wanted to be sure that she wouldn’t steal anything. As she watched her like a hawk, she noticed that Fateema kept staring at Brandi for long periods of time but couldn’t figure out why.
After shopping for a couple of hours, they decided to hit up the food court to get something to eat. Bay gave her mom her food order and the money to pay for it before she went to the restroom to change Brandi’s diaper. Once the diaper was changed, she washed her hands before left out and spotted Fateema at a nearby table in the food court.
Baylynn decided to feed her baby girl first before she ate. It was quiet at the table as they stuffed their faces with Chik-Fil-A. Glancing at her mother, she noticed that she was staring at her daughter again. Bay was fed up with the staring and decided to speak up about it.
“Why do you keep staring at her like that?” she snapped.
“Like what? Like that ain’t Ramsey’s daughter?”
“What did you just say?”
“You heard me. Yeah she favors him a little but that’s not his baby and you know it,” Fateema spat.
“How the fuck are you gonna tell me who my baby daddy is? You need to figure out how to be a mother first before you start tryin’ to figure out who my daughters father is,” she hissed. “You didn’t even acknowledge my daughter at all today or ever if you wanna be honest. So, why do you care about who her father is?”
“Because you prance around like ya life is so great and ya ass is really livin’ a lie. Who you think you foolin’, Baylynn? Don’t nobody believe for a minute that ya ass is no longer a thot. I’m sure you still sellin’ pussy behind that niggas back. You ain’t shit.”
“And neither are you, Fateema. I guess I get it from you,” she expressed with hatred.
The women stared each other down for a few minutes before they looked away. Fateema then reached in her purse pulling out a stack of mail and placing it in front of Baylynn. At the top of the pile, there was a letter from her cuddy buddy that was in jail and Baylynn’s heart sunk to her feet but she played it off like she wasn’t bothered.
“Looks like ya past came back to bite you in the ass,” she chuckled.
Rolling her eyes at her mother’s remark, she finished feeding Brandi and was ready to cut the outing with her mother short. She snatched her mail off the table before they left the mall and Baylynn dropped Fateema off at her house without saying good-bye. Her mother didn’t even look back as she walked up the steps and disappeared inside the house.
When she arrived home, Baylynn carried Brandi in the house placing her in the crib before grabbing the shopping and baby bag out the car. Walking into her room and dropping her shopping bags at the foot of the bed, she sat on the bed pulling out the stack of mail Fateema gave her. She removed the letter from her cuddy buddy from the pile and stared at it for a moment as she remembered how they met.
Baylynn met her cuddy buddy, Manny, when she was doing a drop
off in Delaware a year and a half ago. She felt something between them when their eyes met but she didn’t feed into it for two reasons. One, she was being watched and two, she felt like it wouldn’t be good for business. A few months after meeting Manny, they spotted each other at a club in Philly and the rest was history. She informed Manny that she had a man but all he wanted was to fuck and nothing more and that was cool with her. Whenever it was time for Baylynn to do a drop off to Manny, he would meet her at the hotel she was staying in and they would fuck until it was time for her to handle business.
This affair lasted for months and Baylynn didn’t have plans on ending it but shit got real when she became pregnant. She had been fucking both Ramsey and Manny back to back, so, when she found out she was pregnant, of course she didn’t know who the father was. She figured at that point, it was time to end things with Manny but when she tried to get in contact with him, he stopped answering her calls. Overhearing that Manny was in jail while Ramsey was on the phone one day, she thought she was in the clear. Bay was cool with him being in jail. That way, her secret would be kept but when she first laid eyes on Brandi after giving birth, she knew deep down that the baby wasn’t Ramsey’s but she wasn’t going to admit it to anyone and she’d been living with the lie ever since.
After minutes of staring at the letter, she ripped it open and read what Manny had to say.
Dear Bay,
How have you been? I know you haven’t heard from me in a year or so and I know your probably wondering how I got your mothers address but I’ll tell you about that at another time. As you can see, I’m in jail and I’m gonna be here for a while. I got caught with some work on me but I later learned that one of my workers snitched on me but that’s not why I’m writing you. I’m writing because I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I got in this hell hole and I know I told you that all I wanted was to fuck when we first got together but I fucked around and caught feelings for you. I don’t know if you still with ya man or not, but I wanted to know if you could write me. I would call you but I don’t know ya number. I know I’m asking for a lot but if I don’t hear back from you, I guess I will have the answer to my question.
My Other Baby Mama Box Set Page 5
