As the day went on, Cashmere enjoyed spending time with her loved ones. They finished up all the work that had to be done for the day before they parted ways. After picking up the girls, they drove home and spent time with them as a family. Cashmere loved spending the entire day with Ramsey and she still couldn’t believe that he wanted her to work with him. Just when she thought she had Ramsey figured out, he continued to surprise her. Cashmere was still in awe at how much he had changed over the months and she was more than confident he wouldn’t betray her again.
83
Since she had made up with Manny a couple of days ago, Baylynn was overwhelmed with joy. Not only did she have her man back, but she also had a family. Baylynn never knew what it was like to have siblings or a father growing up. She was used to being an only child and being by herself until she made amends with her mother. Now that she knew what it was like to have a full family, Bay didn’t want to be without them again. She was more than happy that she had made things right with her sisters, but what surprised her the most was the apology she had gotten from their father. Baylynn didn’t expect her father to apologize for not being in her life, but she was pleased he had. She was looking forward to spending as much time with him as possible when he was released from the hospital.
Baylynn couldn’t describe the feeling that flowed through her body when she woke up next to Manny in the mornings. She woke up with a smile on her face and had to pinch herself a few times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. While they were apart, nothing felt right to her and she didn’t want to do much of anything. Baylynn wasn’t the same without Manny, and now that she had her man back, she’d made a promise to never let him go. She never thought her life would be filled with so much love or that she would have people in her life who would stand with her through everything because of how she lived her life and the messed-up things she had done, but Baylynn was grateful for all the positive things that had happened in her life and she wanted the positivity to continue.
Baylynn thanked her boss as she closed the door to his office on her way out. She couldn’t control her smile as she made her way out of the office with her belongings in her hand. As she waited for the elevator to arrive, she did a celebration dance while she pulled her phone out to send a text message to her sisters.
Bay: Guess who got promoted!
Seconds later, the elevator doors opened and she stepped on, pushing the button to the lobby. Baylynn couldn’t control her excitement as she continued to think about her promotion. Fifteen minutes before it was time for her to leave, her boss had called her into his office. Baylynn was shitting bricks at first because she thought she had done something wrong or said the wrong thing to a customer, but when he congratulated her for her work performance, willingness to help other, leadership skills and told her he was promoting her to a supervisor position, she damn near jumped out the chair. Baylynn had only been at her job for a few months and she hadn’t expected to get a promotion so soon, or at all for that matter. That was the first promotion she had ever gotten and she was damn proud of herself.
Stepping off the elevator with her phone in hand, her phone chimed, indicating she had a text. Bay went to her messages, knowing it was her sisters.
Cashmere: Ayyyeee!
Tamia: Congrats sis! What position?
Bay: Supervisor.
Tamia: That’s what’s up! I’m so happy for you!
Cashmere: We gotta turn up asap!
Bay: Thanks, y’all, and yes we do.
Glued to her phone, Baylynn made it to her car, unlocking the doors with the remote. She slid behind the wheel, tossed her things in the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. Revving the engine, Bay drove slowly through the parking lot and into traffic, heading towards Brandi’s daycare. She was all smiles when she saw her mom and couldn’t wait to leave the daycare. After strapping her baby girl in the car seat, Baylynn hopped behind the wheel and drove to see her mother. She hadn’t seen her mother since she’d made up with her sisters and Bay couldn’t wait to give her mother an update about everything that had happened over the past few days.
Arriving twenty minutes later, Baylynn parked in the driveway and killed the engine. She grabbed her phone before she got out to unstrap Brandi from her car seat. As they approached the front door, Baylynn smiled when she heard the oldies coming from inside. The only time her mother listened to oldies was when she was in a good mood. Entering the house, Baylynn saw her mother dancing in the kitchen. Brandi took off running to her grandmother while she closed the front door and made her way to the kitchen.
“Hey, grandma’s baby.” Fateema picked Brandi up, kissed her cheek, then placed her back on her feet.
“Hey, Ma,” Baylynn greeted her with a hug.
“Well, look who finally came home, or should I say, came to visit?” Fateema broke their embrace to look at her daughter.
Baylynn blushed at her mother’s words.
“I’m just here to visit.”
“Oooo! Somethin’ told me you and Manny made up. I knew somethin’ was up when he asked me to watch Brandi,” she smiled.
“Yeah. We made up Friday night. He came to the hospital when we found out that my dad and Cassandra were there.”
“Wait a minute! Charles and Cassandra are in the hospital? What happened?”
“They were both shot Friday afternoon, on their weddin’ day. My dad’s heart stopped and they told us he was dead, but the nurses revived him. They’re both fine and should be comin’ home tomorrow or the day after.”
“Damn! They got shot on their weddin’ day! That’s fucked up!”
“Tell me about it.” Baylynn shook her head.
“I can’t imagine how you felt when they told you he was dead.” Fateema took a seat at the table.
“Oh, we were torn up, Ma.” She sat across from her and Brandi climbed into her lap.
“We? Your sisters were there?”
“Of course. We drove to the hospital together. We’re cool now.”
“Wow. You’ve done a lot in the past few days.”
“Yeah. The dudes who caused our accidents are no longer livin’, and Tamia knocked out the chick who tried to pin her baby on Ramsey,” Baylynn chuckled.
“Get outta here! Tamia?”
Bay nodded in agreement.
“Cash robbed her and gave the money to Nick so he could replace the window the girl broke, tryin’ to get to Ramsey. My sisters are wild.”
“I see. It seems to me y’all ain’t that different after all.”
“I guess not. Oh, Ryan and I decided to put the past behind us and try to be friends. I don’t know how long that’s goin’ to last, but since she’s cool with Cash, I told her I was willin’ to try,” she shrugged.
Fateema’s eyes grew wide.
“After all these years, she finally decides to be cool with you?”
“Yeah. Cash cussed her and her friend out for talkin’ shit about me. She apologized to Cash, but I don’t know if her friend ever apologized.”
“Daammnn! Cash cut her best friends off and cussed them out for you?”
“I was surprised when she told me, too, Ma. Her and Ryan always been close and she hadn’t even known me for that long and she stood up for me. When she told me that, I knew she was real and she cared about me.”
“That’s what you’re supposed to do when it comes to family. If someone is talkin’ shit about ya family, you’re supposed to defend them. Especially if the person they’re talkin’ about is not around. Cash did the right thing because when you have family, you really don’t need friends,” Fateema stated.
“You’re right about that, Ma.” Baylynn nodded in agreement.
“What else do I need to tell you? Ooo, I got a promotion today!” she squealed.
“Awww, Bay! Congratulations!” Fateema stood up and hugged her.
“Thanks, Ma. I’m so happy. I’m gonna be a supervisor.” Baylynn broke their embrace.
“Well, check you out. Your first prom
otion. I think we should toast to that.”
Fateema went over to the cabinet and grabbed the bottle of White Henny and two shot glasses. Filling up the glasses, Baylynn carried Brandi into the living room and turned on the TV to keep her occupied for a few minutes. Baylynn turned off Fateema’s oldies before walking back into the kitchen. Her mother handed her the shot glass and they both tossed the drink back. The alcohol burned her chest a little, but Baylynn welcomed it. They talked for a few more minutes before Baylynn went upstairs and packed some of the things she needed.
When she returned downstairs, Baylynn told her mother she was moving in with Manny and that she could stay in the house for as long as she wanted to. Fateema was happy for her daughter, but she was sad to see her go. Baylynn promised Fateema she would visit her a few times out of the week before placing Brandi on her hip and picking up her duffel bag. Kissing her mother goodbye, she left the house and secured the little one in her car seat. She placed her bags in the trunk before hopping inside the car, starting the engine, and backing out the driveway.
As she drove to her new home, a cheesy smile appeared on her face. She couldn’t wait to get home and tell Manny the good news about her promotion. It felt so damn good to be going home to the man she loved again, and every time she thought about being with Manny, butterflies entered her stomach. Baylynn was in love with Manny and she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life without him. She had a feeling he wasn’t ready for marriage, but whenever he was ready to make her his wife, Baylynn would be ready to say yes.
84
Tamia was up bright and early when she received a phone call from her father. He told her that he and Cassandra were being released from the hospital that day and he wanted Tamia, her sisters and the kids to meet them at their new home in Villanova, PA, which was a half-hour away from Philly. Tamia offered to picked them up, but he assured her that their ride would be arriving for them at ten o’clock. When the call ended, she sent a text to her sisters letting them know what the move was for the day. Baylynn texted back saying she would be over after work, but Cashmere replied that she would be there to welcome her parents’ home. A few seconds later, Charles texted her the address to the house and Tamia saved the address in her GPS.
As she got dressed, Tamia couldn’t help but laugh at the way Nick was snoring up a storm. Since he’d started helping the twins get everything in motion for the grand opening of the youth center, his time was divided between doing something positive and the negative, which was running the streets. Tamia didn’t know how to feel about Nick’s street activity. On one hand, she was attracted to the fact that he was a boss and well-known and respected in the streets, but like all women, she couldn’t help but worry about his safety. Tamia wasn’t the nagging type, but she made a mental note to ask him what his plans were for their future and his.
After lacing up her Gucci sneakers, she grabbed her phone before heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her and her man. Tamia went to her music app and went to her playlist she created that was all rap music. She put on “All the Way Up” by Fat Joe and Remy Ma and began making their breakfast. For the past few days, Tamia had been in a great mood. Helping out the fam with the youth center and seeing the positive effect it had on the community already made her want to be more involved. The group of girls Cashmere had paid for passing out the flyers returned the next day with their forms signed, looking for more work to do, and they wanted to help out for free. When they finished with their assignments, the group of girls, Cashmere and Tamia chilled together, and the women treated them to lunch before sending them home for the day. Tamia liked hanging out with the girls and she was ready to sign on full time. She still had her job with her magazine company, but she didn’t need to be at the office. Her boss sent her topics to write about throughout the week and she would submit them by the deadline. Tamia knew that working with kids, especially teenagers, would be a handful, but she was ready for the challenge.
“Good mornin’, sexy.” Nick grabbed her from behind, kissing her cheek.
“Good morning, baby. How are you feeling?”
“I’m pretty well rested, I guess. I woulda slept longer if you didn’t have this kitchen poppin’.”
Tamia looked back at him and smiled.
“I see you’re dressed already. You goin’ to the center?” he questioned as he grabbed two glasses and plates from the cabinet.
“Naw. My dad and Cassandra are coming home today and they want me to meet them at their new house. Cash is meeting me up there with the kids and Bay is coming up after work,” she stated, turning the stove off and grabbing a plate.
“Okay, cool. Where they livin’ at now?”
“Out Villanova.”
“It’s nice out there. Ya pops must got some guap because those houses out there are expensive.” Nick grabbed his plate full of food and sat at the counter.
“Really? I’ve never been out there. How do you know about that area?” she quizzed as she fixed her plate.
“I had to pick up a package out there a few times when I was a worker.” Nick answered.
As she took a seat at the counter, they quietly ate their food as the music played in the background. Tamia felt like it was a good time to ask him about their future, so she broke their silence.
“Baby, do you think we’ll ever get married someday?”
“Where did that come from?” he questioned, taking a break from his food.
“I mean, I know we haven’t been together that long, but I just wanted to know if you had plans for our future and yours,” she spoke softly.
“I’m gonna be honest. Before I met you, I hadn’t set any goals for my future, I just wanted to be a boss in the drug game. When Ramsey stepped down and put me in charge of shit, I became just that, but since I got closer to you and seein’ how Ramsey is with his family, I’ve been thinkin’ about settlin’ down myself.”
“For real?” Tamia smiled.
“Yeah. I love comin’ home to you at night and wakin’ up to you in the mornin’. I also love bein’ able to slide in that pussy whenever I want.” Nick licked his lips, making her blush.
“But, for real, though, I love you, Tamia, and when the time is right, I’ll make you my wife. I promise.” Nick grabbed her hands and kissed them.
“I love you, too, bae, and I’m ready when you are.”
The couple finished their breakfast and placed their dishes in the sink. Tamia kissed her man goodbye before stuffing her phone into her pocket, grabbing her purse and heading out the door. She exited the building and jogged to her car. After slamming the door shut, a text came through on her phone. Removing the phone from her pocket, she checked the text from Cash saying she was on her way. Tamia replied, So am I, then found the address in her GPS. Pulling out of the spot, she headed towards the highway.
Tamia gazed at the houses in awe as she continued to drive to her parents’ house. The houses were big and beautiful with well-manicured lawns. A few minutes later, Tamia arrived at her destination and her mouth dropped as she drove through the gates and parked on the side of the driveway. Cashmere pulled up seconds later and parked on the opposite side. Killing the engine, Tamia got out of the car and headed over to her sister, who was getting out her car.
“Are you sure we’re at the right house, Mia?” Cash hugged her sister before opening the back door.
“We both here, ain’t we?” Tamia walked to the trunk to get the stroller out the trunk.
“I’m just saying. This is a big-ass house for it to be just Mom and Dad living here.”
“I was thinking the same thing, sis. I guess we’ll find out when they get here.”
Cash placed the twins in the stroller and Tamia placed Cassi on her hip as they walked around to the back of the house. Their eyes lit up at the sight of the pool and the Jacuzzi. There was a pool house back there along with lawn furniture. The house as well as the pool area was surrounded by trees, grass and manicured bushes. They sat in the lawn chairs and a
dmired their surroundings some more.
“This shit is nice,” Cashmere said as she glanced around in amazement.
“Yeah, it is. Why did they buy such a big house, though?” Tamia questioned.
“Because we needed a bigger house for our growing family,” Cassandra beamed as she and Charles stepped into view.
“Grandma! Grandpa!” Cassi leaped off Tamia’s lap and bolted to her grandparents.
Tamia and Cashmere got up and greeted their parents with hugs and kisses. The twins smiled at them from their stroller as Cassandra and Charles kissed their little cheeks.
“Where’s Baylynn?”
“She had to work, but she’ll be over when she gets off,” Tamia answered.
“I’m sure y’all want to see what the inside of the house looks like, so follow me.” Charles led them to the front of the house.
As they entered the house, the girls couldn’t believe the sight before them. The house resembled the homes that could be viewed in magazines and TV shows. The main floor held a two-story foyer, a formal living and dining room along with his and her offices. There was a large gourmet kitchen near the sunken family room that contained floor to ceiling French doors with access to the rear patio and a breakfast room. The upper level had several sitting areas and six bedroom suites with their own bathrooms. The lower level featured a media room, a full bathroom, bar, gym, wine cellar and space for storage. The home was all out gorgeous and they were beyond satisfied with their parents’ new home.
“Damn! Y’all got me ready to move in,” Cashmere commented as they strolled through the first floor.
“I can’t even lie, this house is way better than our old one. Speaking of the old house, what happened to it?” Tamia asked.
“I sold it. I didn’t know what you wanted to do with your things, so I put them in a room upstairs, along with your mail. Everything else that was in the house is in storage, just in case you wanted to go back and get something,” Charles responded.
My Other Baby Mama Box Set Page 42