The text from Ryan said that she and Tiff would meet her at the spa by twelve. With her mind so stuck on Ramsey and his bullshit, she had forgotten about the spa appointment he had scheduled for her. Cashmere didn’t really want to be bothered with anyone, but she felt like a day of pampering might help her feel better. Tossing the covers off her, she stretched before rolling out the bed and headed to the bathroom. Cash ran the water for her bath and poured in some bubble bath. She walked over to the sink to wash her face and brush her teeth. When she finished, Cash stared at her reflection for a minute. Her bruises from the fight had healed, but from her crying so much, her eyes were red and puffy.
After soaking in the hot, steamy bubble bath, Cashmere removed the drain and wrapped herself up in a large towel. The bath was relaxing, and when she walked out of the bathroom, she was in a better mood. Strolling over to the closet, Cash grabbed one of her many sun dresses off the hanger, along with a bra and panty set and a pair of sandals. She left the closet, grabbed her lotion and sat on the bench that was at the end of the bed. As she tied the strings to her halter dress, someone knocked on the door.
“Cashmere, breakfast is ready. Come on outta that room and eat,” Cassandra ordered.
“I’ll be down in a minute, mom,” she called out.
“Okay.”
She put her hair in a high ponytail before putting on her diamond hoop earrings, necklace and tennis bracelet. She had a feeling her mother already knew about her husband’s affair. Cassandra and Renee had gotten pretty close over the past few months and they told each other everything. Admiring herself in the mirror, Cashmere was pleased with how nice she looked in her yellow sun dress. She checked her purse to make sure she had everything before she left her bedroom.
Cashmere walked down the stairs and went into the kitchen where her mother was setting the table and her grandmother was feeding one of the twins. Cassi sat in her high chair, and when she noticed her mom, she smiled.
“Morning, mommy.”
“Good morning, princess.” She walked over to her and kissed her cheek.
“Hey, grandma.” Cash gave her grandmother a kiss on her forehead and did the same to Reema.
Cashmere looked around for Raina and smiled when she saw that she was laying in the pack ‘n play.
“You look pretty, baby girl. Where you on your way to?” Charlotte asked.
“Ramsey scheduled a spa day for me at twelve. I’m meeting my friends there.” She took a seat at the table.
“You should be having a spa day with your sisters, Cash, not Ryan and Tiffany,” Cassandra shot as she filled the glasses with orange juice.
“Don’t start, mom.” She locked eyes with her mother for a moment.
“Cassandra, leave that child alone. She got enough goin’ on as is.” Charlotte spoke up for her as she burped Reema.
“How are you holdin’ up with everythin’, honey? Ya mama told me about Ramsey’s affair,” her grandmother asked with concern.
“I’m okay. Of course, I’m hurt because I was always loyal to Ramsey. Even when he was with Baylynn. I just don’t know why he would fu—I mean, sleep with another woman and possibly get this chick pregnant. Then he decides to tell me about it months later. He said he went to an appointment with her two months ago and that was when I was in the hospital. Ramsey denies the baby because the dates don’t add up, but I don’t know if I believe him.”
“Ramsey told us before he left you’ve been locked in that room for the past two days. He said you haven’t said a word to him since he told you and that he’s been sleeping on the couch. You’re killing this man with your silence, Cash.” Cassandra set a plate in front of her.
“I know he expected me to yell, scream and cuss, but that’s too easy. This is the first mistake he’s made since we’ve been back together, and even though this happened before we got married, he still has to pay for his mistake. I’m going to keep giving him the silent treatment, and when he comes home, he’ll be taking care of the kids like he’s been doing.”
“Are you gonna leave him?” Charlotte placed Reema in the pack ‘n play before joining her at the table.
“I’m not leaving my husband, grandma, I just don’t want him to take me for granted. I love Ramsey, and we’ve been through a lot. There’s no doubt that he loves me, but I don’t want him to make this mistake again.”
“That’s good to hear. You can’t always run at the first sign of trouble. You fight for your marriage, but don’t keep him in the doghouse too long, okay?” Charlotte smiled at her.
“I’ll try not to, grandma.” Cash smiled back.
Cassandra sat down at the table and blessed the food before they dug in. The French toast, cheese eggs, sausage links, grits and fresh fruit were delicious and Cashmere made light work of her food. Wiping her face with a napkin, Cashmere got up, walking over to the sink to wash her plate and eating utensils. She kissed her mom, grandma and kids before heading to the door.
“Cash, I know you and your sisters are at odds right now, but I think you should reach out to them. Tamia is having a rough time right now, and whether you believe it or not, she needs you and Baylynn. Just think about it.”
“I’ll think about it, Ma. I’ll see y’all later.”
Cashmere walked out the door with her purse swinging from her arm. Reaching inside for her keys, she unlocked the car doors and slammed it shut when she was inside. Cash revved the engine before pulling out of the driveway. “I Get the Bag” by Gucci Mane featuring Migos blasted through her speakers as she did sixty on the expressway. This was the first time Cashmere had been out of the house since she had come home from the hospital. She was happy about being out, but due to her accident, she kept glaring through her rearview mirror to make sure no one was following her. As she got closer to her destination, Cassandra’s words began to get to her. She wondered what was going on with Tamia and how bad it was. Although she wanted her sisters to hit her up first, it seemed like she was going to have to take the high road and make the first move.
Cashmere arrived in Downtown Philly minutes later and was surprised that she was able to find a parking spot on the busy street, but she had. Paying the kiosk, she placed the ticket inside her car on the dashboard so it could be seen by the parking authority. Cash locked her doors with the remote and headed inside the spa where Ryan and Tiffany were waiting for her. They stood up to hug her and Ryan told the receptionist they were ready. One of the employees came out and escorted them to the back and they changed out of their clothes and into the robes they provided them. They got their deep tissue massages first, then their facials. When it was time for them to get their manis and pedis, all the tension that was in her body was gone and she was very relaxed.
The trio sat in the massage chairs as the nail techs started on their feet. Cashmere checked her Facebook messages and she was beyond happy. The authors were more than satisfied with the money they were making by having their books sold in her store, and they wanted to renew their contracts for another six months. Cash replied to the messages, letting them know she would be emailing them the contract renewal forms later on that day before she placed her phone in the pocket of her robe.
“Why you so quiet, Cash? You really haven’t been talking much since you got here,” Tiffany questioned.
“I just got a lot on my mind. Me and my sisters had a fight, and on top of that, Ramsey and I are having problems,” Cash sighed.
“Cashmere, I’m not going to hold you. I still can’t believe that Baylynn is your sister,” Ryan chuckled.
“I can’t imagine how you must feel having a thot for a sister,” Tiffany laughed.
“I thought y’all were going to fight at your welcome home party. I thought she was going to snap at the sight of you and Ramsey together,” Ryan added.
“I still can’t believe Nysir paid that hoe for sex. I had to kick his ass to the curb because I don’t want no nigga she had.”
“I know that’s right,” Tiffany agreed.
“First of all, you bitches are not going to talk about Baylynn like that while you’re the fuck around me. Yeah, we might’ve had a fight, but that so-called thot is still my sister and you will watch what you say about her around me,” Cashmere fumed.
Tiffany and Ryan looked at her with a look of shock on their faces. Cashmere began to shake her free leg and she was ready to leave. She couldn’t believe they would sit there and talk shit about Baylynn like she was just going to allow that shit to slide. They all remained quiet as the nail techs finished their feet. Taking a seat at the nail station, Cashmere’s blood was still boiling. She thought back to what Ramsey had told her about the chick he’d slept with causing a scene at the shop and she wondered if Tiffany knew about Ramsey’s affair
“Did you know?” She looked in Tiffany’s direction.
“Know what?”
“About Ramsey’s affair?”
“Wh-why would you ask me that?” Tiffany stuttered.
“Ramsey told me that the girl came to the shop and thought Randall was him, so I’m going to ask you again. Did you know?” Cashmere glared at her.
Tiffany dropped her head to the floor, then picked it back up to answer her.
“Yeah, I knew. When Ramsey told me and Randall the truth, I told him I would tell you if he didn’t confess by the time y’all got married. When y’all came home already married, I thought he told you and that you had still decided to marry him. I’m sorry, Cash,” Tiffany pleaded.
Cashmere shook her head.
“You are fucking unbelievable. This is the second time you kept a secret from me and that’s two times too many for me.” Cashmere shook her head.
“Cash, don’t be like that. You know you’re my girl. I was trying to give Rams a chance to tell you.”
“I don’t care. If the shoe was on the other foot, I would’ve told you no matter what my husband or whoever else told me not to because you’re my friend and I wouldn’t want you to be left in the dark, Tiffany. It’s nice to know who my friends are.”
Tiffany and Ryan tried to plead their case to Cashmere, but she tuned them out. Almost three hours later, Cashmere walked out of the spa without saying a word to Tiffany or Ryan. She got in her car and headed home. Ryan and Tiffany called her back to back, but she didn’t answer. When she arrived home, she saw a car she didn’t recognize parked in her driveway. After locking the doors to her ride, she took a look inside the unknown car and saw a car seat in the back. She didn’t know too many people with kids and she figured it had to be Baylynn.
Entering the house, Cash closed the door behind her and went to look for her family and found them in the backyard. Baylynn was holding the twins while Cassandra pushed Cassi in her buggy.
“Hey, y’all.” She smiled at them.
“Hey, baby girl. How was the spa?” Cassandra questioned.
“I don’t want to talk about it. Where’s Grandma?”
“In the guest room, taking a nap. I’m trying to tire this one out so she can take a nap.”
“Hey, Cash.” Baylynn smiled at her.
“Hey, Bay.” Cash took a seat next to her.
“Ya girls are too adorable.” Bay looked down at them.
“Thank you. It must run in the family.”
“You ain’t lyin’.”
They laughed.
“Do you mind if we go inside and talk?”
“Sure.”
Cashmere grabbed one of the babies and walked towards the house with Baylynn following her. They walked into the living room and sat on the couch. Cashmere stared at her babies who were wide awake and she couldn’t help but smile.
“Cashmere, I just wanna apologize for the part I played in the fight. I was pissed off about Manny and I blamed you for my faults and I’m sorry,” she expressed with sincerity.
“I’m sorry, too, Baylynn. I didn’t mean what I said about you and your mom. How we came to know each other was messed up, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.”
“I don’t want it to. The only friend I’ve ever had is dead and before she died, I found out she was extortin’ money from me. I thought it was a stranger sendin’ me pictures of you and Ramsey, but it was her all along. She was always jealous of me and Ramsey’s relationship, but I never thought she would try to break us up. Then, after I set Ramsey up, she threatened to tell y’all where I lived if I didn’t give her money. When I found out what she did, we had a fight and I ended our friendship.” Baylynn fought back tears.
“Damn. Bitches can be ruthless.”
“Tell me about it.” She shook her head.
“I might’ve lost my friends today,” Cashmere confessed.
“Ryan and Tiffany? Y’all are like the Musketeers.”
“Yeah, well, I had to cuss them heffas out for talking about my sister.”
“What did they say about Mia?” Baylynn got hype.
“Not Mia. You.”
“You cussed out your best friends because of what they said about me?” Her expression changed to shock.
“Yes, I did. You’re my blood, and I told them they needed to put some respect on your name when they’re around me,” Cash stated with authority.
“You really stuck up for me?”
“Of course, I did. You’re my sister. Besides that, Tiffany knew about the affair Ramsey had with some chick at the prison he was locked up at and the bitch didn’t tell me. I just found out from Ramsey a couple of days ago.”
“That nigga did what?” Baylynn shouted.
Cashmere nodded.
“The girl is pregnant, but he said the baby isn’t his.”
“That nigga got some nerve. He’s gonna make me kick his ass.”
“You’ll have to kick his later. We have to find Tamia and find out what’s going on with her.”
“I’ve been callin’ her for the past couple of days, but she sends my calls to voicemail. Dad and your mom told me that Olivia, her mother, was arrested last week for the death of her boyfriend, but they think Tamia might’ve killed him.”
“No fucking way! Tamia wouldn’t kill anybody.”
“That’s the same thing I said, but my mom told me she saw Tamia comin’ out of the hotel they were stayin’ at minutes before the cops got there.”
“Oh my goodness! Yeah, we need to find her.”
They put the babies down in their swings and Cash pulled out her phone and sent a text to Randall, asking for Nick’s address. A few minutes later, he texted back with what she asked for. Cash and Bay agreed to go to Nick’s crib tomorrow afternoon. As they continued to connect with each other, Baylynn gave her sister the tea about her parents, Olivia, and the people involved in their accidents. Cashmere was blown away when she heard how Olivia had hooked up with their dad’s enemy and planned the attack against them. She understood why Olivia was angry with their father, but to go as far as to have his children killed was a bit extreme. If Tamia had killed Simon, she had every right to, but they still had to worry about Simon’s son and the rest of his flunkies. Cashmere and Baylynn were worried about their sister and they couldn’t help but wonder if Tamia had the heart to bring Simon’s life to an end.
76
Visions of her pulling the trigger and the sound of the gun going off played repeatedly in Tamia’s mind as she stared at her bedroom ceiling. She still couldn’t believe she had actually killed a man. Tamia knew she had killed Simon in self-defense, but she was still shaken up about what she had done. Tamia stayed in the condo she shared with Nick all week long and didn’t care that she could only see the outside from the windows. She was scared out of her mind and thoughts of her going to prison were starting to settle in. The only person who knew she had murdered Simon was her mother and, sad to say, Tamia didn’t know if her mother would snitch on her or not.
She thought back to the conversation she had with Olivia and she was no longer angry at her mother for what she had said. After she analyzed her mother’s words, Tamia realized that Olivia’s words didn’t match her actions. If Ol
ivia wanted her dead, she would have killed Tamia when Simon told her to. Instead, she backed down and told him she couldn’t kill her child, even after she pulled a gun on her. Tamia was indeed hurt by Olivia’s words and actions, but she knew her mother still loved her, but she didn’t understand why Olivia had said those hurtful words to her. All she wanted was an apology from her mother, but Olivia couldn’t even give her that.
Her phone ringing interrupted her thoughts and she had a feeling it was her sisters calling yet again. Baylynn had been blowing her phone up for days and Cashmere had been calling her all night. Tamia wanted to answer the phone to tell them she was fine and to leave her alone, but she didn’t. When she looked at her phone, she saw that it was her dad calling. Knowing that she couldn’t ignore his call, she answered.
“Good morning, dad.”
“Good morning, Tamia. How are you doing?”
“I’m…okay,” she lied.
“Just okay?” Charles challenged.
“Yeah. I mean, I’m happy to be alive, but I wish my mood could be better.” She sat up in bed.
“What’s wrong, baby girl?”
“Just thinking about Mom and wondering when all of this is going to end. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder,” Tamia sighed.
“I know, and it will all be over soon, I promise. Speaking of your mom, I was calling to let you know she’s in jail for killing Simon. Olivia told the cops he attacked her and she shot him in self-defense.”
“Oh my God!” She placed her hand over her mouth.
“Yeah. The judge sentenced her to ten to twenty years. So, your mother won’t be getting out for a long time.”
“Why would she do that?” Tamia whispered.
“What did you say?”
“Oh…nothing. Dad, let me call you back.”
Tamia quickly ended the call before jumping out of bed and pacing the floor. She couldn’t believe that her mother had taken the rap for her and was going to spend so many years in jail for something she hadn’t done. Questions filled her head as to why Olivia hadn’t turned her in and why she had thrown her life away. Tamia wanted to say that her mother had done it out of love, but she felt guilt had driven Olivia to take the fall for her.
My Other Baby Mama Box Set Page 37