“I can’t just tell her the truth, Tiffany. It ain’t that fuckin’ simple. If I tell her that, I know for a fact I’m going to lose her and I don’t want that.”
“You should’ve thought about that before you fucked that bitch. You better tell her before the wedding because I’ll be damned if I let her walk down the aisle and she doesn’t know the truth.” Tiffany lifted Cassi off Randall’s lap carrying her upstairs.
The twins sat there in silence stuck in their own thoughts. Ramsey was pissed that Tiffany just went off on him the way she did but every word she said was true. He thought back to the situation that happened in Aruba and how he asked his family to lie for him. Throughout his entire relationship with Cashmere, his family stuck by him and covered for him while he was with Baylynn. He didn’t want to put his family through that again. Ramsey knew he was going to have to man up and tell Cashmere the truth about his infidelity but first he wanted to talk to Phoenix first before he confessed anything to his wife to be.
“I always thought Tiff was the calm one out of all of us. I can’t believe she snapped on me like that.”
“Now you see what I’ve been dealin’ with for the past few days.” Randall chuckled.
“You know, I was prayin’ that me smashin’ shawty wouldn’t come back to bite me in the ass but it damn sure did. I went from havin’ two baby mama’s to one and now I might be back to havin’ fuckin’ two!” he ran a hand over his head.
“And the fucked-up part is, you don’t know shit about shawty. All you know is that she works at the prison. You don’t know what type of chick she is outside of the work place. You might’ve knocked up a psycho, bro.”
“Don’t make shit worse, man.” He shot him an evil glare. “How the hell am I supposed to explain this shit to Cash? I done put her through enough already. I know she’s gonna be done with my ass after this.”
“You can’t make that decision for her but you do have to tell her and if she leaves, who’s to say that it will be permanent? You’ll be surprised how strong someone’s love is.”
Tired of being depressed by his actions, the twins went into the basement where they watched movies in the home theater where they smoked weed and had a few shots. Hours had passed when Tiffany, Cashmere and Cassi found them and the couple decided that it was time to go. Tiffany gave Ramsey the look of death before they walked out basement finding their way out. As they remained in the basement, Ramsey and Cashmere’s focus was on the movie screen but his mind wasn’t there. He still had a problem on his hand and he hated what he had to do to solve it. He would lose his mind if he lost his family and he was going to do everything he could to prevent that from happening.
53
Tamia sat on the king size bed with her knees to her chest as she cried hysterically. She had been staying in the Microtel Inn & Suites for a few days to escape the problem she created. Tamia hated what she had gotten herself into but what she hated most was the problem she created for Baylynn and Cashmere.
When Tamia started her mission to find her sisters, all she wanted was to get to know her family and have an unbreakable bond with them and that’s what she had with both of her sisters. When Tamia decided to have a relationship with Baylynn behind Cashmere’s back, she told herself that she would break the news to Cashmere at the right time but it never came. Whenever they linked up, they would be having a good time and Tamia knew that if she mentioned Baylynn’s name that it would be a problem and possibly raise suspicions. Her plan was to break the news to Cashmere at the dinner but it was too late because she had already found out.
The night of Cashmere’s wedding planning meeting, Tamia had missed it because Baylynn asked her to help her pick out an outfit for the dinner. She declined at first but after she thought about all the times she was there for Cashmere, she figured that if she wasn’t there for her that one time, it wouldn’t make a difference even if it was an important meeting. When they were on their way home from the mall, Tamia didn’t know she had called Cashmere by a mistake until she had gotten home that night and she cursed herself and every time Cashmere called, she declined it. She didn’t know what to say to her and she didn’t want to hear what her sister had to say either.
A couple of days after her and Baylynn had went shopping, she decided to go see her to let her know that Cashmere knew the truth about her and who she was. When she had parked in front of her house, she had gotten a call from her mother and what she was told devastated her. Her mother informed her that the dinner party was really a decoy and that she was going to have her sisters, their parents and her father killed that night. Tamia begged her mother not to go through with her plan but there was no talking her down. Her mother vented about how her father made a fool of her by having outside kids, having a mistress for half of their marriage and how Tamia reminded her of all the wrong her father had done by reuniting with her bastard sisters. Before the call ended, her mother thanked Tamia for finding them because if she hadn’t she wouldn’t be able to get her revenge. Crying her eyes, she drove off barely able to see the road and when Baylynn called, she ignored her calls as well.
It was the day of the dinner and Tamia’s heart was heavy with guilt. She blamed herself for what was going to happen tonight and she was beating herself up for not seeing the signs early on. Tamia’s mother, Olivia, had been sour since Tamia discovered the suitcase with Cashmere’s pictures in it. When Tamia informed her mother that she had reached out to Cashmere and how they had hit it off, Olivia didn’t share her excitement and was mad that Tamia disobeyed her. Olivia always had something slick to say about her sister whenever Charles or Tamia brought her up. The turning point was when Charles shared the news about Baylynn being his daughter. Tamia noticed that her mother stopped being home as much and whenever she was on the phone, she quickly ended the call or walked into another room. When Charles suggested that they should have peace offering dinner, Olivia agreed to it but her sudden change of attitude didn’t alarm Tamia. She figured that her mother wanted to be mature about the situation. Not kill the people she had grown so close to.
With tears still streaming down her face, Tamia used the hotel phone to check the messages on her voicemail. She had a total of twenty voicemails and she listened to them all. The majority were from Baylynn and her father but the last message really touched her. It was from Cashmere.
“Hey Mia. I’m sure you figured out that I know the truth about Baylynn and even though I was mad at first, my mother helped me see the bigger picture. I just want you to know that all is forgiven and I’m looking forward to seeing you tonight. I hope that you’re okay and I can’t wait to see you. I love you sis.”
Tamia hung up the phone and cried some more. She was happy that Cashmere decided to go to the dinner and the fact that she was big enough to forgive her meant a lot to her. She knew her tears weren’t going to help the situation. So, she dried her eyes and tried to figure out what to do. Powering up her cell phone, she found Nick’s number and hit the call button.
“Damn shawty! I ain’t heard from you in days. If you ain’t want to fuck with me anymore, all you had to do was tell me.”
“Baby, it’s nothing like that. I’m having family problems and I need help.”
“I’m listenin’.”
“My sisters, their moms and my dad are gathering for a dinner at my house and my mother is trying to kill them. I don’t know how though but I need you to patrol my block and tell me if you see anything suspicious.”
“Your moms is tryin’ to kill Cashmere and her parents?”
“Yes. And Baylynn and her mom. All of them are going to be at my parents’ house tonight for dinner.”
“Baylynn is your sister too. The Baylynn that set up my homie?”
“Yes.
“That bitch can die for all I care.”
“Nick!”
“Aight. Aight. I’m just jokin’ but I got you though.”
“Thank you, Baby. I’ll call my Baylynn and Cashmere to let them know what�
��s going on and tell Ramsey and Randall.”
“No doubt. Shoot me the address to ya parents’ crib.”
“Okay.”
Ending the call, she texted the address to Nick before she called Baylynn. It was the weekend and she knew that she wasn’t at work. Her call rung all the way through before it went to voicemail but she called her again and she picked up.
“Oh, my goodness Tamia! Where the hell have you been? I’ve been blowin ya phone up like you my nigga or somethin’.”
“I’ll explain all of that later. Where are you?”
“I just left the nail salon. I’m about to go home and chill until it’s time for the dinner.”
“Baylynn, listen to me. I’m not sure if dinner is still on but I need you to be careful while you’re out traveling.”
“What’s goin’ on.”
“I’ll explain that later but please be careful.”
“I will—
POP! POP! POP!
The gunshots made Tamia jump as she continued to hold the phone to her ear.
“Baylynn?! Baylynn?! Say something please!”
The call ended and Tamia sat frozen in place with her phone still to her ear. She couldn’t believe that somebody shot her sister in the middle of the afternoon. The tears began to roll down her face but her ringing phone brought her back to reality. When she saw it was her dad, she quickly answered not giving her father a chance to talk.
“Dad! I think something happened to Baylynn!!
54
Cashmere woke up that morning in a good mood. After having a long talk with her mother, the night before, she decided to forgive Tamia for her actions. Cassandra convinced her that things aren’t always what they seem to be and that Cashmere should give her a chance to explain herself. She called her sister first thing that morning and when the call went to voicemail, she decided to leave her a message in hopes that she would call her back. Cashmere hadn’t heard from Tamia in days and she hoped that she was okay.
Spending most of the day in bed, she was happy to be finally getting out of the house. She was growing tired of being on bedrest and was praying that her little bundle of joy would hurry up and make her entrance into the world. Cashmere was happy that she had a break from Cassi for a few days thanks to Renee. After she stormed in her telling her that she was taking her grandbaby the previous day, Cashmere didn’t bother to argue and thanked Renee for taking her. Waddling over to her walk-in closet, she chose one of her Nike sweat suits to wear and pair of Air Max’s. She wanted to dress up for the occasion since this was the first time that she would be seeing her father in years but she didn’t feel like going through the trouble.
Once she was dressed, she put her hair in a ponytail and put on her hoop earrings. Grabbing her purse, her phone began to ring and she smiled when she saw it was her Dad calling. After learning about Baylynn being her sister, she called her father the following day. What was supposed to be a five-minute phone call ended up lasting for two hours. They talked about everything under the sun and her father even apologized for walking out of her life. She thanked him for getting Ramsey out of prison and she wanted to ask him to walk her down the aisle at her wedding but decided not to. The love that she once had for her father came back just with one phone call.
“Hey Dad. I’m on my way out the door now.”
“Dinner is cancel, Cashmere! I need you to meet me at St. Francis hospital in Delaware. Baylynn was shot!
“Oh, my God! No!” she gasped. “Umm. Okay. I’ll meet you there. I’m going to call mom and let her know.”
“Your mother is with me. We’ll see you there.”
“Okay.”
Tossing her phone in her bag, Cashmere walked as quickly as she could down the stairs snatching her keys off the hook as she walked out the door. She unlocked the door to her car, got in and stated the engine. Plugging in her ear phones, she called Ramsey to let him know what was going on but he didn’t answer. She called him again and got the same result. She backed her car out of the garage and pulled off down the street heading towards the expressway. Cashmere tried not to jump to conclusions or let her anger get the best of her but something was telling her that Ramsey was up to his old tricks again. Even though she was doing everything that she asked and catered to her every need, she noticed that something wasn’t right. Whenever they were chilling together, his body was with her but his mind was somewhere else. She would be talking to him about something and he wouldn’t hear a word she said. His drinking and smoking had increased and he was spending more time in the basement then he was with her whenever he was home. When he first came home, she was always underneath and now he barely kissed her hello. Cashmere knew that he was a little stressed but she didn’t think that it would get to the point where he didn’t want to be around her.
Halfway to her destination, her phone rang. Glancing down at her phone, she saw it was Ryan calling and answered.
“Hello!” she answered annoyed.
“Damn girl! Why you answer the phone like that? What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, girl. I’m just frustrated right now. Your brother is not answering his phone and I need to tell him that I’m going to the hospital because my sister was shot.” She maneuvered through traffic.
“No! Tamia was shot!”
“Nooo. Baylynn.”
“What the fuck?! Wait a minute! How—what—when did you find out she was your sister?! You’ve been holding out on me, Cash?!”
“Ryan, I apologize but I can’t get into that right now. Just call your brother and let him know that I’m going to St. Francis Hospital in Delaware to see her.”
“Okay.” I’ll tell him.”
Thank you. I’ll talk too you—
BANG!
“Awww shit! What the fuck!!” Cashmere screamed out.
“Cash, What was that noise?”
“Somebody just slammed into the back of my car!” She looked in her review mirror.
The car that hit her swerved into the lane on the left of her crashing into her car again causing her to swerve into the next lane. Regaining control of her car, Cashmere drove faster to get away from the car but the car stayed on her ass. With her eyes shifting between her rearview mirror and the road, she slammed on the brake to avoid hitting the car in front of her but she didn’t stop in time. Slamming into the back of the car in front of her, and the airbag erupted hitting her in the face before the truck that was following her slammed into the back of her car knocking her unconscious.
55
Ramsey left the house by noon that day with his mind racing a mile minute. He was supposed to be meeting Randall at the Youth Center to approve the changes that were made to the building but when he got a call from Phoenix telling him to meet her at Maggiano’s in King of Prussia, he jumped on the expressway without hesitation.
When he arrived at the restaurant, he spotted Phoenix sitting at the table in the middle of the restaurant and walked over to her. Taking a seat at the table, they stared at each other before she took a deep breath and began the conversation.
“First I want to start by saying thank you for meeting me here and I want to apologize for snapping on you the way I did that day at the shop. I thought I had scared you off but when Isiah told me that you wanted to talk to me and gave me your number, I was relieved.” She smiled.
“I appreciate the apology and I let my brother know that you’re sorry.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The nigga you snapped on is my twin brother and the scene you caused almost ended his relationship but I took care of that.”
“Damn! I feel so foolish right now.” She chuckled while shaking her head. “I should’ve known there couldn’t be just one of you as sexy as you are.”
“Look, Phoenix. We need to discuss how we’re goin’ to handle this whole pregnancy thing.” Ramsey folded his hands on the table.
“Oh, well, that’s simple. We’re going to raise our baby as a family. I’m going to be
a stay at home mom and you will provide for us.”
“Shawty, are you high right now?”
“No, Ramsey. I’m very serious.”
“Let me set ya ass straight on a few things because you really don’t know me. I have a fiancée and one-year old daughter at home and I am expectin’ another little girl any day now. I’m not leaving my family for a chick I don’t even know and even if we did have time in, I still wouldn’t leave my family. So, you need to think of somethin’ else.”
“So, the family I wanted to have with you, you already have with someone else?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t believe this shit. I thought that once you got out, that you would have ditched that bitch like all niggas do when they get out but you done put a ring on that bitch finger.” She expressed angrily.
“Hold up, before I fucked you, you weren’t even checkin’ for me. Don’t tell me I fucked ya ass that good that you done planned our lives togethers already?”
Phoenix folded her arms across her chest.
“You’ve got to be kiddin’ me, yo?”
“Ramsey, getting pregnant by you wasn’t my plan, okay? I just wanted you to fuck me but I always told myself that if I did get pregnant, I would already be married or get married before the baby was born. I can’t raise this baby without a father. Not at the age of thirty-five and I’m not getting an abortion and adoption is out of the question.”
“Look, I can’t marry you, Phoenix but I will be there for the child.”
“I guess that will have to do for now. So, since you’re about to get married, I guess that means I can’t get no dick, huh.”
“Sorry shawty. I’m stayin’ faithful to my wife.” He got up from the table.
“Did you tell her about me yet?”
My Other Baby Mama Box Set Page 25
