“Why do you look like you’re surprised to see me?” she asked sitting across from him in the booth.
“To be honest, I thought you were going to stand me up.” He licked his lips.
“Why would you think that?”
“Because of how you tried to swerve me again for the tenth time.”
“Whatever Darren,” Cash chuckled. “I’m here now, okay?”
The waiter came over to their table and they placed their order. After the waiter repeated the order back to them, he took off.
“So, what have you been up to since you graduated? Judging by your watch, I’d say you’re doing very well in life.” She held up his wrist admiring his Rolex.
“In the business sense, I’m doing very well. I was promoted to CEO of the marketing company I work for. I’ve only been employed there for almost three years and they felt that I deserved the position,” he spoke with cockily.
“Well check you out. That’s what’s up,” she smiled.
“Yeah but as far as my love life, that shit is stale.” Darren shook his head.
“Let me guess. All the women you go out with are gold diggers, ratchets or have too many kids, right?”
“Yes, yes and hell yes.”
Cash couldn’t help but laugh.
“All these females want is for a man to take care of them. Pay all their bills, keep them laced in the latest fashions and dick them down when they want it. They don’t bring nothing to the damn table but unpaid bills, their kids, problems and pussy.” He shook his head. “I’m just tired of looking.”
She nodded her head in understanding.
The waiter brought their drinks out first before bringing them their appetizers. She sipped her Mango Strawberry Margarita before digging into her stuffed mushrooms. Darren just sipped his beer watching her as she ate.
“So, what’s been going on with you, Miss Cashmere? I see the blogs you post and I must say that I’m very impressed. I don’t read many blogs but your blog on marketing and promotion was very accurate and the tips you provided were right on the money. I guess your company pays you for that, huh?”
“Yeah, I love doing informative blogs but I don’t work for a company. I write them just because. My bookstore will be opening up in a few weeks and I can’t wait,” she beamed.
“Word? What kind of books will you be selling in your store?”
“Urban fiction books and urban magazines.”
“Interesting,” he gulped his beer down.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked wiping her mouth with a napkin before giving him her full attention.
“I just feel like urban fiction novels are just ghetto trash or as my grandmother used to call them smut books. They’re basically all the same and nobody wants to read about drug dealers, drive-byes, strippers and side chicks.”
“Well I hate to break it to you, Darren but that’s the reality of the urban culture and many people can relate to the stories being told in these books and the ones that can’t just read it to get an understanding of that world or to just escape from their own reality.” Cashmere became offended.
“I was just stating my opinion, Cash. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s cool. Don’t worry about it.” She gave him a small smile.
The waiter brought them their food and the conversation didn’t flow as smoothly as before. She gave short answers to whatever Darren asked her and avoided eye contact. She picked at her food until he finished eating and asked the waiter to box up her food before they left the restaurant. Waving good-bye to Darren, she got in her car and watched him as he drove off. She sat there for a while thinking about the comment that he made about urban fiction novels. His comment made her very upset because she felt that urban fiction novels were so much more than that but, it made her think about her own life.
Cashmere thought back to when she was coming up. She had both of her parents in her life but they were never married living in separate houses. She had a happy life and she loved both of parents dearly but as she got older, the secrets that they kept from her were revealed before she graduated from high school. Cashmere learned from her grandmother that her mother was her father’s mistress for years. Cashmere’s mother and father made an agreement that he would be a part of her life until she turned eighteen and after that, he could walk away, which he did.
Cashmere’s grandmother told her the truth about her parent’s relationship and how she had a sister somewhere in the world. She viewed her life differently and viewed her mother as a liar. Cashmere’s mother moved to the South to be with a man she didn’t really care for while her grandmother continued to be there for her. Promising herself that she wouldn’t be a mistress or a side chick to any man, that promise was broken when she learned of Ramsey’s main chick. She then realized that she was following in her mother’s footsteps but was determined to break that chain.
14
Since booking the trip for the two of them, Baylynn couldn’t stop thinking about their upcoming trip to Aruba. She was excited that they would be spending some quality time together without Brandi and she couldn’t wait to get away from it all. She had a lot on her mind and with the way Ramsey had been acting towards her lately, she figured that the trip would be good for the both of them.
It was the middle of the week and she was cleaning when her phone rang. Shocked to see that it was Amelia calling, she hesitated before answering. They hadn’t spoken to each in a couple of months figured that Amelia was calling her for the usual. She didn’t want to answer the phone but she did anyway.
“Well look who decided to call me.”
“The last time I checked, the phone worked both ways, hoe.”
“That’s true. So wassup?”
“Nothin’ much. Just wanted to see if you wanted to hit up the mall or somethin’. Ya know. Hang out like we used to.”
“I’m cool with that. Where do you wanna go?”
“How about we go to Willow Grove Mall? I’m already in the area. So, just meet me here when you can.”
“Cool. I’ll be there in an hour.”
“Aight.”
Ending the call, she finished what she was doing and rushed to get ready. Brandi was with Ramsey so she was free for the day. Bay left out the house with her handbag swinging from her wrists and her shades on. She jumped in her car, cranked the volume up and headed towards Willow Grove Mall. As drove to her destination, she felt that Amelia’s call was a little suspicious. The last conversation they had didn’t end well but neither of them would let months go by without calling each other and the fact that they did made her question their friendship. Knowing that she was a little bitter about her relationship with Ramsey because Randall didn’t want Amelia, Baylynn thought she would’ve bounced back by now.
She parked in a spot at the mall thirty minutes later. She texted her friend letting her know she had arrived and Amelia texted back telling her to meet her in Victoria’s Secret. Securing the locks on her car, she switched inside of the mall spotting her friend as soon as she entered the store and greeted her with a hug. Before Bay could speak, Amelia spoke up.
“Look Bay, I think we need to clear the air about some shit before we get started with our day.”
“I agree,” Bay nodded her head. “And I want you to know that I feel bad for what went down between us but you’re not gonna keep makin’ slick remarks about my relationship with Ramsey. I know we were supposed to date him and his brother but Randall doesn’t want you and you need to let that shit go and move on.”
“You’re right, Bay and I’m apologize for that shit. You’re my girl and if you wanna change your life to be with the man you love, then I support you. I won’t say no more slick shit about ya relationship or ya past,” she stated sincerely.
“Aight. Now that we got that shit out the way, what have you been up to?” Bay asked as they walked to the Pink section of the store.
“After you told me that you were done with Nysir, I started
fuckin’ him a few weeks later,” Amelia admitted.
“Damn bitch. You couldn’t wait to fuck my trick huh?” she shook her head in disbelief.
“It’s not like he was your man. I wanted to see what the dick was like and you said you were done with him. So, it is what it is,” she shrugged it off. “We fucked for a month or so then he ended things because he conscious started fuckin’ with him. He still wanted you and felt bad about fuckin’ me behind his friends back.” She rolled her eyes.
Baylynn just shook her head as she continued to shop.
“So, what’s new with you?”
“Nothin’ much. I gotta grab a few things for this trip I’m takin’ to Aruba with Ramsey,” Bay smiled.
“Y’all stay goin’ on trips and shit. That shit must be nice.”
“It is nice. We haven’t taken a trip for a while and we both need to get away,” she said letting out a sigh.
“Uh oh. Sounds like trouble in paradise. What’s goin’ on, girl?”
“It’s Ramsey. I got a feelin’ he’s keepin’ somethin’ from me but I can’t put my fuckin’ finger on it. Every time I ask him a question, it seems like the answers he gives me are rehearsed or some shit. When I ask his family if it’s true or not, I don’t know if they’re lyin’ for him or actually tellin’ me the truth.”
“Girl, now you know his family don’t like you. If Ramsey was doin’ some foul shit, they wouldn’t tell ya ass anyway.”
“That’s true. I guess I’m just trippin’ because I’m dealin’ with my own issues right now and it’s probably makin’ me paranoid.”
“Maybe but if ya got a feelin’ that somethin’ is wrong, that means it probably is. I’m not tellin’ you to go fishin’ for info but if that nigga is up to no go, he’ll slip up sooner or later.”
Nodding her head in agreement, they continued to shop. After picking out a few items, smell goods and some make up, they paid for their things and left the store. As the two-woman strolled the mall, Baylynn began to forget about her problems for the moment and enjoyed spending time with her Amelia. Even though they hadn’t seen each other in a few months, the vibe between them was back to normal. The envy and hate seemed to be gone and it felt like they were starting over again with their friendship.
An hour later, they parted ways promising to link up when she returned from her trip. She arrived home and the happy feeling that was flowing through her body quickly vanished as she pulled into her driveway and saw Renee’s car in her driveway. She parked next to her car, grabbed her bags and walked in the house where Renee and Brandi were watching TV in the living room. Dropping her bags in the doorway, she immediately felt the tension in the room, which was nothing new to her. She smiled as she walked over to Brandi picking her up out of her walker. Bay could feel Renee eyes burning a hole through her and as soon as she sat down, Renee let her thoughts be known.
“Look here, Baylynn. We both know how we feel about each other so, I’m gonna cut right to the chase. There are rumors goin’ around that Brandi ain’t Ramsey’s baby and I need to know if it’s true or not.” She folded her arms over her chest.
Baylynn gritted her teeth as she figured out how she was going to answer the question she was asked. The truth was out of the question so, the lies continued.
“To be honest with you, Renee, I’m gettin’ tired of this shit. You never thought Ramsey was the father of my baby from the moment she was born and I don’t give a fuck about the rumors that are goin’ around. This is Ramsey’s baby and I have nothin’ to hide. The only person I need to prove anythin’ to is Ramsey and if he asks for a paternity test, I will gladly give him one,” she stated trying to sound believable.
Renee didn’t say a word as she rose to her feet walking over to Baylynn and towered over her.
“I hope you got money saved up because when the truth finally does come out, if Ramsey don’t kill ya ass, you gone need a new place for you and ya bastard child to lay y’all head at,” Renee spat before walking out the house and slamming the door.
Sitting there with her heart beating out of her chest, she sat in the same place for the next hour thinking about the rumor that was started and if there really was a rumor going around. She also thought about Renee’s words and what she could’ve meant when she said when the truth finally comes out. Bay had so many secrets, she didn’t know which truth Renee could have been referring to. She had a good mind to just confess everything to Ramsey before he found out on his own but she didn’t have the guts to do that. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before shit hit the fan, she decided that she was going to ride this shit out until she had no other choice but tell truth.
After Baylynn got tired of worrying, she decided to change and feed Brandi before putting her to bed. Grabbing her shopping bags from the living room doorway, she hung her new clothes in her closet before getting comfortable in bed. As she tuned into the TV, a message came through on her phone. She thought it was Ramsey texting. Bay grabbed her phone opening the text and what she saw made her mouth drop.
The text was a picture of Ramsey with a woman that she never seen before. They were at a restaurant and the girl was feeding him something. Baylynn looked at the number at the top of the screen and she didn’t recognize it. Continuing to stare at the picture, another text came through.
And you thought you were the only one. HA HA HA!!
The picture and the text made her blood boil. She called the number that sent her the text but no answered. She called the number a few more times and got the same result. Bay stared at the pictures for hours. She didn’t know who sent the picture but she had the street mentality believe half of what see and none of what you hear. She wasn’t going to let the picture get to her. She was about to delete the picture until something told her to keep it. Placing her phone back on the nightstand, she continued watching TV like nothing happened.
15
Ramsey slept comfortably in Cashmere’s bed after fucking her crazy throughout the night. His ringing phone didn’t seem to bother him until My Nigga by YG began to play letting him know that it was his cousin was calling. Grabbing his phone off the nightstand, he answered it. He waited for the recording to give him permission to press one so he could talk to his cousin. Once the recording was finished, his cousin’s voice came through the phone.
“Yo Rams. What’s good?” his cousin, Manny, spoke.
“Everythin’ is everythin’ cuz. How you holdin’ up in there?”
“Man, you know this jail shit is just like the streets. So, you know I’m good,” he chuckled. “What’s goin’ on with you out there?”
“Business is always good but my love life is complicated as shit right now.” He sat up in the bed.
“You still livin’ a double life, huh?”
“Yeah, man. I’m at my baby mama’s house now. She’s playin’ nice right now but I know she’s pissed at me,” he said running his hand over his head.
“What the fuck did you do?”
“Both of my chicks are gonna be in the same place at the same time in a couple of days. My other baby mama found out about it and she heated.”
“Damn nigga. How the fuck did you get jammed up like that?”
“Ryan told her ass the truth instead of stickin’ to the damn script but I’ll handle that.”
“I hope you do man. I don’t have women problems but I’ve been writin’ letters to this chick I was fuckin’ with before I got booked and she’s not writin’ me back. It started out with us just fuckin’ but I messed around and caught feelings for her but I guess she ain’t fuckin’ with me.”
“That fucked up, cuz.”
“Tell me about it. What makes shit worse is that I just found out she had a baby. She had a man and shit while we were gettin’ down but I think that baby might be mine,” Manny confessed.
“Damn. Do you need me to help you find her?”
“Naw, man. It’s all good. I got my people on the case.”
“Say no more.”
/> Ramsey informed Manny about the family and spoke in code about the illegal shit he was doing because the conversation was being recorded and monitored. When the fifteen-minute phone call was up, he put on his boxers, wife beaters and Jordan slippers before walking downstairs. Cassi was playing in her walker in the living while Cashmere cooked breakfast in the kitchen. Grabbing Cashmere from behind, he hugged her tightly. He tried to kiss her but she dodged it. He let her go and took a seat at the table.
Ramsey didn’t know that Ryan told Cashmere the truth about the trip to Aruba until she brought it up a week ago. He thought that she would be over the situation by now but she wasn’t. He understood why she was mad but didn’t know how to make her happy.
“How long are you gonna be mad at me, Cash? You know I hate it when you’re mad at me.”
“Until you give me what I want, Ramsey,” she answered bluntly.
“Baby, I already told you that I can’t spend all my time with you on this trip. Baylynn is gonna—
“I don’t give a fuck about her, okay! All I wanted to do was spend time with you on my birthday, Ramsey and I can’t because you’re not ready to give that bitch up!” She spun around to face him. “It’s bad enough that I had to share you for this damn long. I didn’t think I would have to share you on my damn birthday.”
“I’m sorry, Cash. I know I fucked up but I’m gonna make it up to you,” Ramsey pleaded.
“I’m starting to think that’s your favorite line, Ramsey.” She shook her head.
When he couldn’t say nothing else, Cashmere returned her focus back to the stove. Throwing his head back before leaving the kitchen, he walked upstairs to get dressed. His phone rung constantly and he didn’t answer because it was Baylynn and he didn’t feel like being questioned. Once he was dressed, he kissed Cassi and Cashmere goodbye before he left out the house and got in his car. Minutes after pulling off, a call came through on his phone. He sighed when he saw that it was Randall.
My Other Baby Mama Box Set Page 7
