“Okay, Ray-Ray, you know there’s a lot of people here---”
“Jaylen,” Ray cut her off. “Take Rye over there to the buffet or something. Let us handle this.”
Jaylen nodded, as he grabbed Rye’s hand, guiding her away. Rye glanced over her shoulder to see Ray-Ray, his two friends, and Dewayne exit the building. The moment they were out of sight, she snatched her hand out of his grasp.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” she growled.
“Come’ere, let me talk to you,” he demanded.
She scurried in the opposite direction, while giving him the finger. When Jaylen realized that she was headed near Konya, he backed off. He definitely didn’t need Rye’s mama in their business.
Dee stood with Konya with worry in her eyes. “Where’s daddy going?”
Rye rolled her eyes. “My daddy is having a talk with him.”
Dee eyed Konya. “Ma, don’t you think that you need to go see what’s going on?”
Konya frowned. “For what? That aint got nothing to do with me.”
“Ma?” Dee pouted. “What if they end up fighting?”
Rye sucked her teeth. “And what if they do? Clearly, Dewayne don’t mind throwing, since he slapped the shit out of me, and all.”
“Ma!” Dee blurted, causing a few people to look her way.
“DeAndra, calm the hell down,” Konya chastised. “Your daddy is grown ass man and don’t me nor you to look after him. Whatever the hell is going on outside has nothing to do with you, so mind your business. Besides, nobody told you to bring him here.”
Rye stood confused, because she could’ve sworn that her mama was on the brink of taking Dewayne’s ass back. “Wait, ma, you’re not going to defend your man?”
Konya frowned. “My man? Where did that come from, Rye? You know damn well that me and Dewayne aint together.”
“But haven’t you been spending time with him, mending yall relationship?”
“No, I haven’t seen Dewayne in person in nearly two months,” Konya revealed.
“What? So, who have you been spending time with, then?” Rye wanted to know, because there was obviously somebody.
Konya straightened her back. “I have a friend.”
Dee’s heart plummeted down to her stomach. “Ma, you’re what? Does your friend know that you’re in a relationship?”
Konya rolled her eyes. “Girl, please. I am single, and free to do whatever the hell I want. My friend knows that I’m newly single so he’s patient with me. But I don’t owe Dewayne a damn thing.”
Dee grimaced. “So, yall are not working it out?”
Konya widened her eyes. “I doubt it.”
“But why does my daddy seem to think differently?”
“Your daddy can think whatever he wants. I have no control over that. But I’ve told Dewayne several times that I’m not feeling it, anymore. Yall are grown now, and that house was so empty. I guess it was easier to try and make it work when yall were there. Yall having stability was my primary goal. I gave yall that, and now it’s time to live for me.”
Tears filled the brim of Dee’s eyes.
Rye shook her head. “Girl, you better not cry, trying to make everything about you. Mama clearly wasn’t happy, and Dewayne be on some controlling fuck-shit. You don’t care that he cut her off financially or anything else. You just know that he’s your daddy and because of that, he can do no wrong. We get that, but you still need to respect the next person’s feelings. What you want doesn’t supersede everybody else’s needs.”
Dee rolled her eyes, as a few tears slipped out. “You’d say that because you got what you wanted.”
“What?” Rye snapped. “The fuck did I get? Huh? Your daddy disowning me? No, was it when he slapped me? How about when he took my car? Or when he tried to get me kicked out of my apartment? Yeah, you didn’t know that, huh? How about he has yet to tell me that he’s sorry for any of that shit? So, if anything, mama’s concerns are legitimate, but I’m sure that she’s not walking away strictly because of me. I’m sure that they’ve had their own problems, but I’m standing here today admitting that I would look at mama different if she goes back. Especially since he’s never tried to really apologize to me. He’s one arrogant bastard to keep showing up, demanding that I let things go, without ever acknowledging that he was wrong. So, fuck him, and fuck you too. If you feeling some type of way, there’s the door.”
“Girl, I don’t give a fuck about this being your shop. You’re not about to talk to me any type of way,” Dee fumed.
Rye gritted her teeth, prepared to go off. Noticing the conflict, Blue swiftly stepped in. “Rye, baby, let’s go over for a second,” he urged, leading her away.
“I’ma break that fuckin’ bitch’s neck,” Rye seethed.
Blue placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I hear you, but just calm down. For me, please. Today is your day, man. So, fuck all the negativity. Block that shit out.”
Without warning, Blue’s hand was knocked off Rye’s shoulder.
“Come’ere, man,” Jaylen urged, grabbing Rye’s hand. It was taking everything in him to remain calm.
“Nooo,” Rye dragged out. “Leave me alone, Jaylen.”
Blue frowned. “Aye, she said let her go.”
Jaylen squinted. “Who the fuck is your bitch ass talking to?”
Seeing the fire in his eyes, Rye knew that she had to something, before he exploded and ruined her event. “Okay, Jaylen, let’s go the back.” She pulled him away from Blue.
Together they traveled to the back, which held a storage area that led to her office. Once they were behind closed doors, Rye released his hand.
“The fuck is wrong with you?!” Jaylen immediately went in. “Why the fuck is that bitch ass nigga here?!”
She furiously placed up a hand. “Hold the fuck up. You show up out of the blue. Didn’t come home last night. Turned off your phone. But now you hear screaming and shouting about a nigga?”
He angrily licked his lips, as he tugged at his slightly sagging Robin’s jeans. “Fucking right. I aint never gonna stand for the disrespect. That nigga aint got no business here and you should’ve dismissed him the minute you laid eyes on him. I’d be wrong if I strangled your ass back here, huh?”
“Strangle me? Nigga, fuck all that.” She waved him off. “Where the fuck were you last night? Huh, Jaylen? Tell me that!”
He gripped the bridge of his nose. “I was at Amir’s.”
“Amir’s?” she pursed her lips. “You expect me to believe that bullshit?”
“It’s the truth. I got drunk and passed out.”
“You got drunk?” her neck jerked back. She balled her fist, as she thought about knocking the daylights out of him. “I’m so fucking mad right now, I can cry.”
“Bae, my bad.” He approached her.
“Jaylen, step the fuck back before I pop your ass in the mouth. Seriously,” she gritted. “What pisses me off more than anything is that I’m feeling like the lame bitches I always laugh at. Crying and pleading for a nigga to do right. This aint me, and I didn’t ask for this! You don’t have to lie to kick it. If you’re feeling smothered, say that shit. If you changed your mind and wanna do you, say that! Cause I got my own shit. You’re the one who throws a bitch-fit every time I try to go home. We don’t have to do this! I’m not begging you to fuck with me. This baby don’t mean I gotta be with you. The next nigga won’t have no problems playing step daddy. Please believe it.”
He shook his head. “Stop being overly dramatic, man. I’m not thinking about moving forward without you with me. That’s on everything I love. If anything, I was feeling a way and got drunk. That’s my bad. I should’ve carried my ass home before I went too far.”
She sucked her teeth. “You think hearing that shit makes me feel any better? I know your childish ass aint trying to tell me that you got drunk and passed out because I didn’t wanna fuck last night. Nigga, I am carrying your child. My body is going through all types of changes. My fuck
ing feet are swelling and my back hurts. So, no, I don’t wanna fuck all the time. And if you can’t deal with me without your dick inside of me, that’s a real fucking problem!”
His head fell back, as he groaned. “It’s not like that. You thinking way too deep. I fucked up and I’m sorry for that.” He lowered his head to lock eyes with her. “I tripped out, but it won’t happen again. I promise to God.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I bet it won’t, because you aint getting another chance. Fuck you!” she stormed out of the room, before quickly blending into the crowd in the middle of the salon.
Rye was considering going to search for Ray-Ray to find out what happened between him and Dewayne, but once again, someone was grabbing her hand.
“You okay?” Blue questioned with concern.
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Say, you think it’s a game, huh?” Jaylen growled, as he stepped between them. “You really playing with me, right now.”
“Jaylen, don’t do that.” Rye held her head in frustration, thinking that her blood pressure was probably through the roof with all this drama.
Ignoring her, Jaylen focused on Blue. “Homie, I need you to vacate the premises.”
Blue stood stiffly, refusing to leave with his tail tucked. Their last encounter still haunted him, as he felt like he’d allowed another man to punk him. Blue never claimed to be a street cat, but he was nobody’s pushover. Therefore, as much as he was there to cheer Rye on, he was also there to redeem himself. A part of him was awaiting Jaylen to jump stupid. He wanted all the smoke today.
“I haven’t heard Rye say shit, so I aint going nowhere, unless that’s what she wants.”
Jaylen wore a hard face, as he stared blankly off in the distance. “Look, I’m not about to argue with you. Let’s step outside and handle this, right now.”
Blue nodded. “Let’s go.”
“Let’s go?” Rye repeated, as both guys headed to the door. “Yall can’t be serious, right now.” She followed closely behind them. Unfortunately, for her the salon was so packed that no one standing around realized what was happening, so she was left to handle the situation on her own, as she tailed them outside.
Blue was seemingly hyped, as he removed his shirt.
Rye arched her brows. “Blue…don’t do this. This aint even your style. Just walk away. You got too much to lose, if this goes left.”
Hearing Rye voice concern about ole boy had Jaylen heated. “Fuck this bitch ass nigga. You wanna fuck with him or something?” he got in Rye’s face.
“No,” she immediately answered, as she noticed him touching something at the small of his back. “What…what are you gripping behind your back?” she stuttered.
Jaylen glared down at her, before his eyes casted down to her stomach. Her belly was hard and round, reminding him of the life they had growing inside of her. No matter how mad she made him, he could never place their child in harm’s way. “Take your fucking ass back in the shop.”
“Not until you leave,” she held.
“Leave?! You got me fucked up!” he barked, while Blue paced up and down the sidewalk shirtless, drawing attention to himself.
“Jaylen, you cannot fight this man in front of my shop. That’s bad for business. I would never fuck with your money like this.”
Jaylen nodded, as she sighed with relief. “I aint gotta do nothing right in front of the shop. Me and that nigga can walk further down, in front of that nail shop.”
Rye palmed her face, as she shook her head.
Blue tossed his shirt over his shoulder. “It’s nothing. Let’s do this shit.” He stomped down the sidewalk.
Jaylen calmly headed in the same direction. Rye was a bit rattled by his demeanor. He didn’t appear to be preparing for a fight, and Blue seemed oblivious to this. He stopped short of the nail shop, as he stood right in front of an alleyway.
“What’s up?” Blue got into a boxing stance.
Swiftly, Jaylen marched over. In the blink of an eye, he’d snatched a pistol out from the small of his back, before bashing it across Blue’s head. He then followed up with blow after blow, until Blue was leaking.
“Jaylen!” Rye squealed.
“Talk that shit now, nigga!” Jaylen barked, as Blue staggered to the ground.
Showing no remorse, Jaylen hocked up and spat on him, before delivering a vicious kick to his ribcage.
Rye shook her head, feeling bad for Blue. She was about to tell Jaylen that she was going to tell Ray-Ray about his reckless behavior, until she noticed something move in the alley. Tipping closer, she squinted.
“The fuck?” she mumbled, as she noticed Dewayne slumped over, sitting against the wall. His shirt was bloodied, but he was alive, as she noticed his round belly rise and fall.
Rye knew then that none of the men in her life had any sense, and she was throwing her hands up. Apparently, it didn’t matter what was going on and how she felt. They were going to do what they wanted, regardless.
Chapter 29
Rye’s eyes popped open, when she tried to roll over in her sleep. Undeniably, she’d gone to sleep in her bed alone, but she could clearly feel some strong arms wrapped around her now. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Jaylen sleeping peacefully, as his chin rested on her shoulder.
“Your bitch ass got a lot of nerve!” she chided, while jerking her shoulder away from.
Groggily, he opened his eyes. “What’s up?”
“Don’t what’s up me, Jaylen. What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Man,” he yawned. “I went home and seen that you wasn’t there. I called your phone but you didn’t answer. So, I came here. Used my key, came in, and laid down. Anything else?”
“Anything else?” she laughed cynically. “Are you fucking insane? Clearly, I’m not fucking with you, so I’m trying to figure out why the hell are you in my damn bed.”
“Cause I can’t sleep in my bed if you aint in it.”
She pursed her lips. “Yeah, okay, but you can sleep in another bed without me in it, just fine, right?”
“Not at all. I slept on Amir’s couch, because I was drunk, girl. Had I been in my right mind, there was no way that I could’ve slept over there.”
“Whatever. You better do some readjusting, cause I don’t know who you’ll be going to be with at night, but it damn sure won’t be me.”
“Then I won’t be sleeping,” he declared.
She giggled. “You a real clown, you know that?” she scooted to the edge of the bed and sat up.
He got up and sat next to her, ignoring her last comment. “Where you going?” he gazed down at her feet.
“To the salon. I’m meeting with the two braiders I hired along with the shampoo girl. I wanna go over a few things with them. Plus, I booked a few appointments today.”
“Nah, I think you need to chill.” He grabbed her foot, placing it in his lap. “Your feet are swollen. You don’t need to be standing up, doing no hair.”
She smacked her lips in agitation, as he began massaging her foot. “That’s what I have a stool for, and a chair. I won’t really be on my feet.”
“Nah, that aint gon work for me. That’s why I had suggested you waiting to open the salon, ‘til after you had the baby. You rushing to work for what?”
“What you mean? I have to work to live. Did you forget that I have bills? The rent aint free around here, don’t you know?”
He sucked his teeth. “Man, girl, watch out. For months now, I’ve been giving you enough money to pay all your bills and then some. You haven’t even touched them twenty racks Ray gave you. Raven gave you the salon space, so it aint like you dry paying rent for a space that you aint using. And you need to let this apartment go when your lease is up. It’s no need for it.”
She gave him the side eye. “Let this apartment go? Why would I do that when I aint fucking with you?”
“But I’m fucking with you, and it’s a waste of money to pay for something that aint never gonna be yours. My family
is all about owning shit. You family now, and we aint giving these people no more money. And the baby aint staying here. It’s no room for him.”
“Or her,” she added.
“Nah, man, I said what I said. Aint no room for him.”
“Yeah, whatever.” She removed her leg out of his lap. “I’m about to get ready. I gotta go.”
“Okay.” He nodded. “I’ma get ready too.”
She arched a brow. “Where are you going?”
He shrugged. “To work with you.”
***
“Rye, I thought that your ass was in here working,” Keyasia chattered, as she sauntered through the door with Corian on her hip.
Rye was sitting in a custom-made chair that Jaylen bought for her and had her legs propped up on a small ottoman. There was an appetizing seafood salad sitting on her lap, as she stuffed her face. Dressed down, she was comfortable in her black Nike leggings along with a Braxton Boy lifestyle t-shirt, with some cute Chanel slides on her feet. Per usual, her hair was slayed, as she wore the front pulled up into a sleek ponytail.
She lifted her head, while chewing her food. Surprisingly, Key had walked in with Taraj, Maya, their kids, along with another chick, who had an infant on her hip. Without a doubt, Rye knew that she was looking at Jaylen’s old flame, Jazel. She’d seen the pretty big booty bitch in enough pictures to know her when she saw her.
“I am working,” Rye finally replied to Key. “Working on this food.” She stuffed a jumbo shrimp into her mouth.
“What’s up, Rye?” Taraj spoke. “You think that you can squeeze me and Mya in today?”
Rye nodded, as she continued to eat.
Key squinted. “How are you gonna do that, when you’re booked solid?”
Rye gulped down some apple juice, before replying. “Girl, my braiders are life changing. They both braid tight and fast. Cuts my time in half. Half of these broads have been coming in here with wigs, so I’ve been doing frontals, which is simple.”
Taraj nodded. “That baby aint slowing you down one bit, huh?”
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