My Other Baby Mama Box Set

by Dani Littlepage

  “Get the fuck off me!” Baylynn shouted as she tried to break free from Tamia and Nick.

  “Cashmere, calm the fuck down!” Ramsey yelled as he tried to control her.

  Brandi and Cassi’s crying made Cashmere and Baylynn freeze in place. They locked eyes with each other before Bay snatched away from them and marched over to her crying daughter, picking her up along with her purse. She gave them all one last look before she stormed off, finding her way to her car. Baylynn calmed Brandi down before strapping her in her car seat. She got behind the wheel, slammed the door closed and started the car. Baylynn pulled off, heading towards the expressway.

  Baylynn was still on a hundred as she drove back home. The words she had spoken to her sisters with such hate and venom echoed in her mind. With the comments she’d made about them being like their mothers, she hadn’t stopped to think about her being just like hers. The anger she felt instantly turned to hurt as the tears streamed down her face. Baylynn had changed her life to fit in with her sisters and all she could do was blame them for the negative things that had taken place in her life. Even though they didn’t know each other that well, Tamia and Cashmere were the only friends she had. With no man and no friends, who the hell was she going to turn to now?

  71

  After Baylynn’s exit, Cashmere stormed into the house and headed to the bathroom on the first floor to examine her face. Flipping the switch, she stood in the mirror and instantly noticed her busted lip and a small cut next to her eyebrow. Cash was pissed about her lip, but at the same time, she was impressed with Baylynn’s box game. She ripped off a few pieces of paper towel, wet it with warm water and cleaned the blood from her lip and the small cut. Tossing the paper towel into the trash, Cash went back outside to rejoin her family. Tamia was filling them in on what happened when she got comfortable on the blanket and grabbed the fruit bowl.

  “I was wonderin’ how long it was gonna take before y’all came to blows,” Nick chuckled.

  “I had a feelin’ somethin’ like this was gonna happen sooner or later. I just can’t believe she blamed you for what happened in our relationship.” Ramsey grabbed a piece of fruit from the bowl.

  “We both fucked that relationship up. I stayed longer than I wanted to because Baylynn was a part of my business and I didn’t want Cash involved with my street shit. I left Baylynn to be with Cash, but she was fed up and decided not to be with me. I’m glad she gave me a second chance, though.” Ramsey smiled at Cash and she blushed.

  “Even though shit ended badly, it was a conversation that needed to be had,” Tamia stated.

  “Maybe we can finally move on and start building a real bond with each other.”

  “To be honest, Mia, you can build a bond with her if you want, but I’m cool on shorty. When she’s ready to be on some grown woman shit and stop being a bitter bitch, then she can holler at me. Until then, I ain’t got no words for that hoe,” Cashmere replied.

  Everyone was quiet for a moment until Cassi began to cry. Ramsey grabbed Cassi, carrying her inside, and Nick followed them. Cashmere and Tamia remained silent as they ate the food they had prepared for the picnic. When Cash was finished eating, she noticed Tamia was playing with her food. She knew something was bothering her sister and she had a feeling it had something to do with Baylynn’s hurtful words.

  “What’s on your mind, sis?”

  “Do you think I’m coward because I went into hiding?” Tamia locked eyes with Cash.

  “Tamia—”

  “Be honest, Cashmere.”

  She took a deep breath before she answered.

  “You going into hiding and not speaking up sooner was a bitch move, Mia but I don’t blame you for what happened to me. My mom explained to me about Olivia and the history between her, your mom and dad. It’s not your fault what happened, and even if it could’ve been prevented, one of us probably still would’ve gotten hurt.”

  “Do you know I blamed myself for what happened to y’all? You and Bay could’ve died because I waited too long to speak up and I could’ve lost my life in the process. I carried the weight on my shoulder about y’all accidents for almost two months, and just when I was starting to feel better about myself, I learn how y’all really feel about me.” She began to cry.

  “Tamia, I don’t have no ill will towards you. You made a mistake.” Cashmere moved closer to her.

  “A mistake that could’ve been a deadly one because I was too scared to check my mom and speak up to protect my family!” she shouted as the tears continued to roll down her face.

  Tamia stood up, sliding her feet into her sneakers, wiping her eyes.

  “I’m gonna do what I should’ve done months ago. I’ll hit you up in a few days.”

  Cashmere watched Tamia as she walked inside the house. She wanted to say something to her, but she couldn’t find the words that would make her sister feel better. Cash didn’t know that Tamia blamed herself for her and Baylynn’s accidents. She felt bad that she was carrying that burden along with whatever else was bothering her. Cashmere didn’t know what Tamia had up her sleeves, but she had a feeling she needed to be concerned.

  The shift in Cashmere’s mood made her put the food away in the fridge, fold up the blanket and call it a day. She hoped the picnic would bring her and her sisters closer together, but it had done the opposite. Learning that Baylynn blamed her for her failed relationship with Ramsey made her feel some type of way, but she didn’t regret being with him then and she didn’t regret it now. She was happy with her life, and although she was the side chick for three years, she felt that the pain she’d endured from being a secret and being second in Ramsey’s life was the price she had to pay for deciding to stay with him after she found out he had a girl. Cashmere owned her part in why their relationship failed and it was time for Baylynn to own her part in it, too.

  Cashmere walked upstairs to her bedroom where she found Ramsey chilling in bed, watching TV. She climbed on the bed and cuddled up next to him. Ramsey rubbed her ass as they watched a movie on HBO. When the movie came to an end, Ramsey looked for something else before he started the conversation.

  “I think I know why Baylynn snapped today,” Ramsey spoke.

  “She snapped because she had all that anger built up inside her and she was tired of the façade,” Cashmere stated.

  “That and because Manny said he needed to think about if he wanted to continue a relationship with her. He moved out.”

  “Are you serious?” Cash sat up.

  “Yeah. He called and told me. Finding out she slept with that nigga Nysir for money and she didn’t have to got him thinkin’ twice about bein’ with her.”

  “But she’s not like that now. I can look at her and tell she’s changed and I haven’t even known her for that long.”

  “Yeah, she has, and even though the past shouldn’t matter, it’s hard for a nigga to look past that. Do you know what niggas go through when they decide to cuff a thot? It ain’t easy bein’ with someone who has a reputation like that,” he admitted.

  “But if he loves her, it shouldn’t fucking matter what a nigga got to say. People change for the one they love. She was at the prison to see him just like I was there to see you. Bay gave that nigga a place to stay when he got out and she’s the mother of his child. That shit should count for something!” Cashmere became angry.

  “Look, I’m just lettin’ you know how it is and I’m speakin’ from experience. I got clowned for bein’ with Baylynn, but I didn’t let that shit stop me from bein’ with her. I loved her at one point in time, but that love died when I fell in love with you.” Ramsey stared at her.

  Cash gazed into his eyes and knew he was telling the truth.

  “But he based his decision off her past. He’s not even thinking about everything she’s done to prove to him she’s changed.”

  “We just have to let them figure it out. I think he’ll find his way back to her.”

  Ramsey kissed her lips passionately and Cashmere couldn’t
help but kiss him back. She removed his wife beater and he removed her shirt. He was making his way up her skirt when her cell phone began to ring. “Work” By Rhianna began to play and she knew it was Ashley, the manager at the book store, calling. Snatching her phone from the nightstand, she answered.

  “Hey, boss lady! How are you feelin’?”

  “I’m getting better, Ashley. Thanks for asking. How’s everything going at the store?”

  “Everything has been great. Ryan, Tamia and Ramsey have been comin’ by every day since you’ve been outta commission to help me out around here. The books have been sellin’ like hot cakes and the authors are pleased with the money they’re makin’. Some of the authors sent their new books to be sold in the store, but I know their contracts are almost up and I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to reach out to them to renew their contracts.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll handle it.”

  “Cool. Like I said, everything is cool, but what I have to tell you is not business related.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Some guy name Darren keeps havin’ gifts and flowers delivered to the shop, and for the past few weeks, he’s been campin’ out at the store. He’s here when I come in every mornin’ and when I leave at the end of the day. I think he might be waitin’ for you to show up.”

  Cashmere’s heart began to race as Ashley’s words sank in.

  “Okay, ummm, get rid of the gifts and flowers, Ash. If there’s anything you want, you’re more than welcome to keep it. Before you leave, take a picture of the plate and him and send it to my phone.”

  “No problem. Will you be back to work soon?”

  “I hope so.”

  Cashmere ended the call, placing her phone back on the nightstand.

  “Wassup?”

  “Darren has been sending gifts to the store and camping out there,” Cashmere answered.

  They locked eyes with each other for a moment, and she noticed his jaws got tight.

  “Ryan told me she hooked y’all up. So, what exactly happened between y’all?”

  “Nothing. When I moved to West Chester, we went on a few dates, but we never had sex and I never had him around Cassi. Our situation wasn’t that deep,” she confessed.

  “While you were in the hospital, that nigga sent you flowers and put some shit on Facebook talkin’ about no one is gonna keep y’all apart or some shit.”

  Cashmere’s eyes grew wide at his words.

  “Ryan told me he had a thing for me since college, but I never paid him any mind. This nigga is tripping.”

  “When she sends you that info, send it to my phone. I’m tired of this nigga bein’ disrespectful.”

  “Okay.”

  Ramsey got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom, leaving Cashmere stuck with her thoughts. She knew Rams still felt some type of way about her brief encounter with Darren, but she couldn’t help but feel like he didn’t believe what she had just told him. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Cash was no longer in the mood for sex. She changed her clothes, grabbed her laptop and looked over the contracts that had reached their deadline. When Ramsey came out the bathroom, he laid in bed and tuned into the TV. Cashmere didn’t know why his mood had changed, she just hoped that once this situation with Darren was resolved, they would go back to being the happy couple they once were.

  72

  Tamia sat at the kitchen counter in deep thought as the weed smoke escaped her lips. Before she linked up with Nick, Tamia stayed away from niggas who smoked. Needing a way to cope with the betrayal of her mother and the guilt of her sisters’ accidents, Nick introduced her to strawberry diesel. The first time she took a hit from the blunt, she almost coughed up a lung because the weed was too strong, but after learning how to pace herself, she became more comfortable with smoking weed.

  As she continued to smoke, the fight between Bay and Cash, along with the conversation that followed, constantly played in her mind. The fact that her family felt like she did the coward thing by hiding out when shit got real, fucked with her something serious. Tamia couldn’t deny that she should’ve spoken up as soon as her mother told her what she was up to, but she felt like her mother had put her in a position to choose, and that was a decision Tamia had a problem making. She didn’t want to go against her mother, but she did what was needed to save her sisters’ lives. Although they survived, the attacks wouldn’t have happened if she would’ve reacted sooner.

  Taking the last puff of her blunt, she exhaled the weed smoke. The weed had her feeling calm and thinking clearly. Tamia knew the solution to her problem wasn’t going to be an easy one, but it was something that needed to be done to gain the respect of her sisters, and it would make her feel better as well. As she continued to sit in the dark, Nick entered the kitchen a few minutes later. Placing a kiss on her cheek, he sat in the chair next to her and sparked the blunt that was sitting on the counter. Taking a long pull and holding the smoke in his mouth, Tamia watched him as he exhaled the smoke.

  “You done smoked a whole blunt by yaself. I know you in heavy thought. Wassup?”

  “I’m gonna confront my mother in the morning,” she responded calmly.

  “Come again?”

  “You heard what I said. This whole situation with my mom and how I handled things is eating me up inside. When Baylynn called me a punk, I thought she was just speaking out of anger, but when Cash said that me going into hiding was a bitch move, that shit hurt. I’ve been trying to tell myself I did the right thing, but I’m just lying to myself, Nick. The only way I’m gonna feel better about this situation is to confront her.”

  “Damn, baby. I didn’t know ya sisters’ words got to you like that.” Nick took another pull from the blunt.

  “If you wanna have a face to face with ya moms, I’m all for it, but you know you’re gonna be goin’ against ya dad. He told us to monitor their moves and take notes. Addressin’ her might compromise the plan.”

  “You know I wanna get the motherfuckers who did this just as much everybody else, but this shit with my mom has to get handled now. I got a lot of questions that I need answered and I’m not waiting to get them,” Tamia stated sternly.

  “Say no more. We’ll shoot up there in the morning.”

  They continued to talk as they finished the rest of the blunt Nick was smoking. Feeling the sudden urge to eat, Tamia reheated some leftover lasagna for them to eat and grabbed two cans of Pepsi from the fridge. Once she was seated again, they devoured their midnight snack within minutes. Instead of going back to the bedroom, they grabbed a blanket and got comfortable on the couch. Nick turned on the TV and put on Pandora. He put on Monica radio because he knew that was Tamia’s favorite singer. He wasn’t with the R&B shit, but he dealt with it because his lady liked it. “Why I Love You So Much” began to play and Tamia snuggled closer to her man.

  “Nick?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Have you ever done anything like this before?”

  “Cuddle and listen to slow jams? Hell naw.”

  Tamia couldn’t stop her laughter.

  “Why not?”

  “Because relationships ain’t never been my thing, ma. I’ve seen so many of my homies get played by bitches who was supposed to be wifey and I told myself that would never be me because I be damned if a bitch I’m rockin’ with have me lookin’ like a fool in these streets,” he chuckled.

  “You’re talkin’ about how my sister played Ramsey when they were together, right?”

  “Yeah, but I’ve seen it happen to other niggas, too. Like Chris Brown said, these hoes ain’t loyal. So, whenever I was dealin’ with a chick, I treated them accordingly. I told them what it was from the door and if they caught feelings, I cut they ass off and found another one,” Nick shrugged.

  “Well damn.” She looked up at him.

  “So, it’s safe to say that this is your longest relationship.”

  “And my first.”

  “What made you want to be wi
th me?” Tamia questioned.

  “Besides the fact you bad as fuck, when I drove you home, I knew you were someone I wanted in my life. You’re smart, loyal, family oriented and faithful. Most women can’t hold my attention for real, but you did, and even though chicks be comin’ at me while I’m in these streets, you’re still the only woman I think about and the only one I wanna be with.” He looked down at her.

  Tamia was speechless. She didn’t know if that was the weed Nick had smoked that had him talking like that or if that was how he really felt about her, but his words had touched her heart and had her ready to cry. She never knew how he felt about her and she didn’t bother to ask. Tamia felt like they came from two different worlds and she didn’t think Nick would be interested in her for that long. She figured she would make the most of their time together until he left her for someone else, but that wasn’t the case at all. Tamia had fallen in love with Nick the first time they made love, but she never told him how she felt, and even though he didn’t say the actual words, Tamia knew he loved her, too.

  “Wow.”

  Nick chuckled at her expression.

  They continued to stare at each other as the light from the full moon shined through the window. Tamia had never been in love before, so the way she felt and the love she had for him was a new and scary feeling. She knew relationships weren’t perfect because of what her parents had gone through. She just hoped that her relationship didn’t come with as much pain.

  “I know,” he spoke, bringing her out of her trance.

  “Huh?”

  “I know you love me, Tamia, and I love you, too.”

  “Get out of my head, yo,” she blushed.

  Tamia kissed his lips, pushing her tongue into his mouth. Nick held her tightly as they got lost in each other. As they brought their kiss to an end, they went back to cuddling and listening to music. They talked for a few more minutes before Tamia drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.