Around nine o’clock that morning, the couple washed and got dressed for the day. Tamia laced up her retro 12 Jordans before filling her Gucci backpack with her charger, wallet and the baby Beretta that Nick had tucked in his nightstand. She sat on the edge of the bed as she thought about what she was going say to her mother. The sound of Nick’s keys jiggling brought her back to reality.
“You ready to do this?”
“Yeah. I’m ready.”
“Let’s ride.”
Tamia walked out of the condo with Nick following her. Instead of taking his car, Nick decided to drive his 2017 black on black Range Rover. Tamia hopped in the passenger seat as he took his place behind the wheel. Revving the engine, he pulled out of the parking spot smoothly, turning into traffic, heading towards the highway. Tamia twiddled her thumbs as she looked out the window. She was nervous as hell about facing her mother. She was hurt that her mother had her sisters attacked, but Tamia was more hurt by the fact that her mother wanted her dead as well. Her eyes began to water, but the tears didn’t fall. As they got closer to their destination, the hurt Tamia felt instantly turned to anger.
They pulled into the parking lot of the Hyatt Place Hotel in King of Prussia forty-five minutes later. Nick parked in a spot that was a few feet from the entrance. He killed the engine and stared at Tamia, who was still staring out the window.
“Bae, are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“You know you don’t have to do this. I know you feel like you got somethin’ to prove and you wanna settle this shit, but I don’t want shit to go sideways and you get hurt.”
“I’m not going to get hurt. I’m going to be fine,” she smiled.
Tamia kissed his lips before she got out of the car, heading towards the entrance with her backpack on her back. When she walked inside, she went to the desk and asked for the room number of Olive Mitchell. The receptionist gave her the room number, telling her that the room was on the fifth floor. Tamia thanked the lady before sliding into the elevator before the doors closed. She pushed the button for the floor and anxiously waited for the elevator to get there. When the doors opened, she looked to see what direction the room was in. Making a left, she walked down the long hallway, arriving at the room, which was in the middle of the hall. Tamia knocked on the door and covered the peephole.
“Who is it?” a woman called from behind the door.
Tamia didn’t answer.
Seconds later, the door opened, and Olivia’s mouth hit the floor at the sight of her daughter.
“Surprised to see me, huh?”
Olivia didn’t respond as Tamia pushed passed her, letting herself in the room. Olivia closed the door, securing it with chain.
“Tamia…wh-wha-what are you doing here?” Olivia stuttered.
“I’m here to find out why you did what you did.” Tamia let her anger show.
“What did I do?”
“Come on, Olivia. Don’t play dumb.”
“Olivia?”
“That’s right. After what you’ve done to me and my sisters, you lost the right to be my mother. Now, answer the question.”
Olivia stared at Tamia with a look of shock. Her daughter had never used that tone with her before or called her by her birth name. Olivia was taken aback by Tamia’s attitude, but it was something she had to deal with because if the shoe was on the other foot, Olivia would have the same disposition.
“You know the answer to the question already, Tamia. You went against me when you reached out to your sisters. It took years for me to bury all that pain your father caused me with his mistress, the affairs, and outside children. I knew your father was missing that bitch Cassandra, but when you showed him pictures of Cashmere and her daughter, that was the day I lost my husband! You reaching out to them brought back all that pain and hurt I was dealing with all these years. So, you have yourself to blame for what happened to your sisters. I told them to leave you alone, but I guess you got what you had coming to you.”
“How dare you stand there and blame me for your bitterness and ill feelings towards my father and tell me I got what I had coming to me! I reached out to find my family because I wanted to know them. You kept them from me for years because you weren’t accepting of them. I don’t know the problems you and Dad had or what caused him to cheat, but you need to take some fucking responsibility! My sisters and I could’ve lost our lives behind the shit you had set up and siding with the enemy, of all things, is the ultimate low!” Tamia shouted.
“I did what I had to do to get the job done, but I knew those little bitches wasn’t going to die easily. I told myself I was going to get even with the bastards who hurt y’all, but since you still want to side with people you don’t even know over your own mother, I’m gonna help them finish the job,” Olivia smirked.
Tamia stood there with her jaws tight and fist balled. She couldn’t believe her mother, the woman who had birthed and raised her, was talking to her like she no longer cared about her. It was one thing for Olivia to blame Tamia for the problems she caused, but for her to say that she was going to help those niggas kill her and her family, hurt more than ever.
Before Tamia could respond, someone tried to open the door, but the chain stopped it. Snatching the backpack off her back, she unzipped it and grabbed the gun, leaving it inside the bag with her finger on the trigger.
“Olivia, what the fuck are you doin’ in there?” a man called from the other side.
“I’m coming, Simon. Hold on.” Olivia snatched the gun from under the pillow, aiming it at her daughter as she back pedaled to the door and removed the chain.
“Why the fuck you got the chain on the door?”
Simon noticed the gun in Olivia’s hand and looked in Tamia’s direction. A smirk spread across his lips as he walked closer to her with his arm around Oliva.
“What a pleasant surprise. A little mother-daughter reunion, huh?”
“Yeah. She came in here to talk, but we’re done.”
“Well, what you waitin’ for?” He looked at Olivia.
“Huh?”
“Kill her.”
“What?!”
“I know you didn’t think you were gonna let her walk outta here. She knows where we are, which means her father and whoever he has workin’ with him will know where we are. You gotta kill her.”
“I can’t kill my child, Simon. I just wanted to scare her.”
As Simon and Olivia went back and forth, Tamia took the gun out her back pack with her finger still on the trigger. Her palms were sweaty as she held the piece of steel in her right hand.
“Give me the fuckin’ gun. I’ll kill this bitch myself.” He snatched the gun from Olivia, pushing her on the floor.
Before he could pull the trigger, Tamia fired three shots into his chest and watched him fall to the floor. Not letting the reality set in that she had just killed somebody, Tamia darted out of the room and ran towards the stairs. Skipping and jumping down the steps, when she got to the first floor, she tossed the gun in her backpack, zipped it and placed it on her back before she entered the lobby. Tamia walked normal as she made her way out the door and across the parking lot to Nick’s truck that was already running.
“Drive.”
Without asking any questions, he did what he was told. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the highway. As they drove down the street, Tamia saw the flashing red and blue lights turn into the hotel parking lot. Tamia’s heart beat out of her chest as she tried to process what she had just did.
“What the fuck happened?”
“I… I killed Simon.”
73
A week had passed since Baylynn and Cashmere’s fight and Ramsey couldn’t help but notice the change in his wife. Ramsey watched Cashmere make calls to Tamia just for them to get rejected, and whenever she thought about reaching out to Baylynn, her pride would kick in and stop her from doing so. Cashmere tried to act like it didn’t bother her that her and
her sisters weren’t speaking, but Ramsey knew the truth.
Since Cashmere had received the call from Ashley about Darren, Ramsey felt some type of way that this nigga was stalking his wife and sending her gifts. Ramsey believed his wife when she told him they hadn’t slept together, he just didn’t like a nigga disrespecting him in any way, shape or form. When Ashley texted his car, plate number and picture to Cashmere, she forwarded the pictures to his phone. He wanted to send his goons to light his ass up, but this was a personal matter, so Ramsey decided he would handle it himself.
Besides the bullshit with Darren, he still had to figure out a way to tell Cash about Phoenix before she found out on her own. Once he apologized for the way he acted after Cash told him about her and Darren, they made up with five rounds of sex, two new Louis Vuitton bags, and he made her an appointment at the spa for her and two friends. Things were good between them and he just wanted to show her how much he loved her before her love for him turned to hate.
Ramsey woke up early that morning to have his daddy time with his three little women before he left to meet up with his brother. He woke Cashmere up by smothering her with kisses. When she was fully awake, he went into the bathroom and ran the water for his shower. When he was finished with his hygiene, he got dressed in a pair of black True Religion jeans, a black Gucci shirt and a pair of all-black high-top Louis Vuitton sneakers. He put on his watch and chain before brushing his hair and splashing on Polo cologne. Getting a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he smiled at his reflection. He tucked his phone and wallet in his pockets and walked out of his bedroom with his keys in hand.
Ramsey walked down the stairs and found his wife in the kitchen, listening to Eve’s first album on her phone. Cassi was in her high chair, waiting for the food to get done while the twins chilled in their pack ‘n play. Ramsey smiled as he watched his wife maneuver in the kitchen. He found it amazing how she was able to cook and keep the kids from crying until the food got done. When it was just Cassi, it wasn’t that hard to maintain, but now that they had three children, Ramsey thought it was impossible.
Walking up behind her, he kissed and sucked on her neck, causing her to moan. Cashmere turned her music down as Ramsey continued to suck on her neck.
“Mmm, you better cut that out before you don’t make it out of this house.” She turned around to face him.
“You know I love you, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you know you’re the only woman I wanna be with.”
“Yes, bae. I know this already,” she blushed.
“When I get home later, I need to talk to you about somethin’, okay?”
“Okay.” She looked at him confused.
Ramsey gave her a quick kiss.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, Ramsey.”
He gave Cassi and the twins a kiss before walking out the front door and getting behind the wheel of his car. Starting the engine, Ramsey put the car in drive and pulled out of the driveway. As he headed to Philly to meet Randall at the youth center, he thought about how Cash was going to react when he told her that he had fucked another bitch while he was in jail and gotten jammed up in a pregnancy scam. He envisioned her in an all-out rage and him possibly ending up in the hospital. The thought alone made him think twice about confessing his sins, but he knew he had to tell her.
He pulled up to the center and parked in the first spot he saw, which was in the middle of the block. Locking the doors, Ramsey jogged up the stairs and into the building. He couldn’t help but smile at how the center was coming together. There were pictures of Barak and Michelle Obama hanging in the main hall, along with other black celebrities who were from Philly like Will Smith, Jill Scott, Eve, Patti LaBelle, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Hart. He admired the photos for a few more minutes before he walked into the office where his brother and mother were.
“There goes my other handsome son.” Renee stood up to hug him.
“Wassup, Ma?” He smiled as he hugged her tightly.
“Nothin’ much, just hangin’ out because I have nothin’ to do. Plus, I wanted to see how things were comin’ along with the center. Randall spends more time here than he does at the shop.” She released him.
“I gotta get this place together. The grand opening is two months away.”
Ramsey gave his brother a handshake before taking a seat in one of the chairs.
“How’s Cash and my grandbabies?” Renee beamed as she leaned on the desk.
“They’re good. The twins are gettin’ chunkier every day and Cassi is startin’ to speak in full sentences. I guess she’s growin’ up faster these days because she’s a big sister now.” He shook his head.
“Cash is good health-wise, but she ain’t speakin’ to Tamia or Baylynn.”
“What happened?” Randall asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Baylynn and Cash got into a fight last week. Baylynn blamed Cash for fuckin’ up our relationship, then she made a comment about them bein’ like their mamas, and when Cash said she was a hoe just like her mama was, they started boxin’.” Ramsey through his hands up.
“Damn!” Renee placed her hand over her mouth.
“Cashmere told Tamia that goin’ into hidin’ was a bitch move and that she shoulda spoke up and they haven’t talked to each other since.”
“That shit was bound to happen, bro. Ya ex and ya wife are sisters and them actin’ like they like each other and shit wasn’t gonna last for long. They needed to get that shit out the way. Hopefully, they won’t be beefin’ for long.”
“I never could stand Baylynn, and I still don’t like her, but bein’ as though she’s still family because she’s datin’ Manny, I will learn to respect her and not be so mean to her when I see her. It’s gonna be hard as hell to do, but I’m gonna try,” Renee stated.
“Manny told me they weren’t together anymore. He said he couldn’t handle her past or some shit like that,” Randall chimed in while looking at the computer screen.
Renee looked at Ramsey for confirmation and he nodded.
“That boy knew what kind of girl she was when he met her. Her past shouldn’t matter as long as she’s tryin’ to change. That nigga act like he ain’t gotta past.”
“Is it true that Ryan’s boyfriend and Baylynn used to get down while she was with you, Rams?”
“Yup, and he paid her.”
“So, that shit is true. I thought it was somethin’ she heard. No wonder she kicked his ass to the curb.”
“Damn, and we didn’t even get a chance to talk to him to ask him about his homie,” Ramsey sighed.
“No worries. He’s meetin’ me at the shop in a couple of hours for a haircut. Manny and Nick will be there, too, so we can get some answers from his ass and see if he was involved with that bullshit,” Randall added.
“Wait a minute. Y’all think Nysir might have somethin’ to do with Cash’s, Tamia’s and Baylynn’s accidents?” Renee asked with wide eyes.
“His homie played a hand in it, along with some other dudes. We just wanna find out what he knows,” Ramsey admitted.
“This shit is too much for me. I’m about to go see my grandbabies. I’ll talk to y’all later.”
Renee kissed her sons on the cheek before leaving the office. The room fell silent as Ramsey slipped into deep thought about Cashmere again. Randall noticed his brother was thinking about something heavy and he wanted to know what was on his brother’s mind.
“You a’ight, bro?”
“Naw, man. I might need a place to stay for a while.”
“You know you’re always welcomed at my crib, but why would you need a place to stay?”
“I’m gonna tell Cash about Phoenix tonight and I don’t know how she’s gonna react. So, just in case she kicks me out, I’m gonna need a place to stay.”
Ramsey locked eyes with Randall, who looked like he was ready to kill him.
“I can’t believe you still haven’t told her yet.” Randall shook his head.
; “I think you like doin’ shit the hard way, bro. Me and Tiff thought you told her before y’all went to City Hall to get hitched. Did you think about how this was gonna affect Cash and Tiffany’s friendship when she finds out that she kept another secret from her? You’re always thinkin’ about what’s best for Ramsey. You don’t never think about how ya actions or decisions effect the people involved. Like I said, you’re welcomed at my crib, but whatever happens, you brought that shit on yaself, Rams.”
Ramsey didn’t have shit to say because his brother was right, like always. He didn’t think about any of the things his brother had mentioned because all he was worried about was himself. Thoughts of Cash’s and Tiffany’s friendship ending began to fuck with him. Ramsey thought back to Cashmere’s birthday trip to Aruba and how he asked everyone to lie for him when Baylynn popped up. Although he didn’t ask her to keep his infidelity under wraps, there shouldn’t have been anything to tell. If Ramsey would’ve kept his dick in his pants, Phoenix wouldn’t have gone to the shop looking for him and wouldn’t have gotten Randall caught up in his mess. Whatever doubts he had about telling Cash quickly faded.
“I apologize for gettin’ you and Tiff involved with my bullshit, bro, and thank you for openin’ up ya home to a nigga.”
“Whatever, man. Just tell my sister wassup before she kills everyone involved with this shit,” Randall chuckled.
“A’ight, man.”
They shook hands and jumped into planning the grand opening for the center. Randall called around to catering companies while Ramsey looked for a DJ and a photographer. After booking the entertainment and photographer, Randall finally chose a caterer for the event. They discussed the activities that would take place and they decided they would have face painting and simple art projects for the kids to do. Once the face painter was booked, Randall showed Ramsey the membership application to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything and he gave it his stamp of approval. Pleased with the progress they’d made, Randall locked up the center before they hopped in their cars and headed over to the shop.
My Other Baby Mama Box Set Page 35