A Trillion to One

by Chenell Parker

  “Oh shit. It’s on now baby. Your book covers came back. This shit is hot too,” Trillion said as he passed her the phone. The covers for all three parts of her book were back and the graphic designer did her thing.

  “I love them. She said she needs a picture for the back of the paperbacks,” Amore said as she read the message that accompanied the pictures.

  “I’ll email them to her,” Trillion replied, right as he pulled up to Leah’s house. He was hoping that his daughter was ready because he was not going inside.

  “This is a nice area,” Amore said as she looked around the neighborhood.

  “Yeah, I was in my second year of the military when I got this house. I thought I would live here forever but shit changed.” Trillion shrugged as he called and told Leah that he was outside.

  “Do you ever think you’ll buy another house one day?” Amore asked him.

  “Yeah, when you give me some babies. We can’t raise five kids in a penthouse,” Trillion smirked.

  “Five! You sound crazy as hell,” Amore yelled.

  “You don’t want kids?” he inquired, hoping that she didn’t say the wrong thing. Trillion wanted a big family since he was an only child. He always said that he wanted his kids to grow up close in age but things didn’t quite work out that way.

  “Yeah but not five. Maybe one or two,” Amore replied.

  “Nah, you gotta give me more than that Love. Don’t worry, I make enough to take care of y’all,” Trillion said, right as Leah walked out of the house with Tristyn. She was dressed to kill in a halter dress with some wedges. Her makeup was light but she looked good.

  “The fuck! That’s your daughter’s mother?” Amore questioned when she got a good look at the other woman.

  A few years had passed but Amore never forgot a face. The scar on her forehead was all the confirmation that she needed to know that she was right. Trillion’s baby mama was the same woman who she and Ciara had fought with all those years ago when they rolled up on her and Viper hugged up outside of the lounge that they went to. Amore remembered Viper bashing her in the head with his gun when she pulled a knife out on her.

  “Yeah, why? You know her?” Trillion asked.

  “Not really but I beat her ass a few years ago before I got locked up,” Amore replied, right as Leah walked up to the car. Recognition must have set in with her too because her face twisted in anger as soon as she got a good look at Amore.

  “Fuck no Trillion! My baby ain’t going nowhere with you and this hoe!” Leah yelled as she grabbed Tristyn’s hand and tried to walk away.

  Trillion was faster than her though. He jumped out of the car before she even made it to the first step. He was calm because he didn’t want to scare his daughter.

  “Don’t do that Leah. You’re scaring her,” Trillion gritted as he looked at the expression on his daughter’s face.

  “I don’t give a fuck. You said you wanted to take her out to eat. You never said nothing about having my baby around another bitch. The nerve of you to even bring that hoe to my house,” Leah raged. When Trillion called about taking their daughter out to dinner, Leah got herself together too, hoping that she could join them. She was livid when she saw that he already had other plans.

  “Don’t get shit twisted. You live here but this is still my house,” Trillion reminded her.

  Trillion hated arguing in front of his daughter but that’s exactly what ended up happening. He and Leah were going back and forth while Tristyn stood there and cried. Amore didn’t want to get involved, but her heart went out to her little friend and she wanted to help. She got out of the car and motioned for Tristyn to come to her. When she did, Amore picked her up and rubbed her back.

  “Don’t cry baby. It’ll be okay,” Amore said as she tried to comfort her. When Leah saw that, she almost lost her mind.

  “Give me my fucking baby! You could never have this bitch playing mama to my daughter,” Leah fumed as she tried to charge at Amore.

  “I’m trying hard as fuck not to do you dirty in front of my daughter. Go inside Leah. I’ll bring Tristyn home tomorrow,” Trillion whispered angrily.

  “No! I don’t want my daughter around none of your hoes. She’s not going!” Leah yelled as she ran up to the car and pulled at the door. Amore had already put Tristyn in her booster seat and locked the door.

  “Call the police then because she’s coming with me,” Trillion said as he walked over to the driver’s side. Amore reached over and unlocked the door for him as Leah continued to act a fool.

  “Give me my baby!” Leah screamed as she banged on the window.

  Trillion ignored her as he backed up and drove away from the house. His heart broke when he looked back at his daughter and saw her wiping the tears from her eyes. She was too young to understand what was going on and it wasn’t fair that she was being put in the middle of adult drama. Trillion stopped the car once he turned the corner and got out to talk to her. Tristyn was almost four but she was very smart for her age. Trillion explained everything to her in a way that she would understand and she seemed to feel better once he did. Seeing his baby smiling again was all that Trillion wanted. He started driving again, preparing to bring his two girls out to eat.

  “I’m good on the food Trillion. You can just take me home,” Amore spoke up after being silent for a while.

  “Don’t do that Amore. I’m sorry about what just happened, but I didn’t know that you and Leah had a previous run in. We had a perfect day. Don’t let her ruin it,” Trillion begged as he grabbed her hand and kissed it.

  “It’s always some bullshit,” Amore sighed in aggravation.

  “I know Love but that’s life. Perfection is unrealistic,” Trillion replied.

  “Nobody knows that better than me,” Amore said.

  “Exactly how do you know Leah? Why did y’all have a fight?” Trillion asked.

  He listened as Amore ran the entire story down of her and Leah’s run in. He and Leah always dated other people when they broke up, so he didn’t feel no kind of way about her having dealings with Amore’s ex.

  “Had I known that Ciara was fucking him too, I would have let Leah beat her ass out there,” Amore said.

  “It’s crazy because I remembered her telling me that she fell down the steps to get that scar on her forehead. That shit didn’t even sound believable when she said it,” Trillion laughed while shaking his head.

  He took Amore and Tristyn out to dinner and to the mall to do some shopping. Aside from the drama with Leah, the rest of the day was perfect. He didn’t even ask Amore if she wanted to come back to his house because that’s where he wanted her to be. When they got there, Trillion had a few emails to answer. Amore volunteered to give Tristyn a bath before she took her own. Once Trillion was done, he took a shower and went to his bedroom to join Amore in bed. When he didn’t see her, he went to Tristyn’s room and found them cuddled up in bed sleeping. After snapping a picture, Trillion picked Amore up and turned on his daughter’s night light.

  “I didn’t realize I fell asleep.” Amore yawned when he laid her down in the bed.

  “Yep, in the wrong bed,” Trillion said as he laid down and faced her. He pulled Amore closer and wrapped his arm around her waist. They just stared at each other for a while, neither of them bothering to say a word. Amore’s heart was pounding in her chest and she was afraid. She swore that she would never fall in love again but that’s exactly what she was doing. She couldn’t help it since Trillion made it so easy. He was everything that she ever wanted in a man, apart from his skin color. Amore never saw herself dating outside of her race but none of that mattered to her. She and Trillion weren’t a couple yet but she was no longer opposed to the idea.

  “Shit feels too good to not to be official,” Trillion said as he seemingly read her mind.

  “Ask me,” Amore replied, surprising him as well as herself.

  “When you first told me your story, I knew that you deserved better. I want to be the better that you deserve
. I want to take care of you, financially and emotionally. I want to make you happy and be the reason you smile. Let me show you that I deserve you too. I promise to make sure that you never regret it,” Trillion said as he looked into her eyes and stroked her cheek.

  Amore wasn’t the mushy type but she felt like crying. No one, not even her own mother, had ever said anything so beautiful to her before. Viper was only affectionate when he fucked up or wanted sex. His idea of romance was buying her a purse or some expensive shoes. Being with Trillion was different but in a good way. Amore deserved to be happy and she was going for it.

  “I’m about to suck the skin off your dick,” Amore said, making Trillion laugh.

  “Damn. Is that a yes?” Trillion asked.

  “Hell yeah. I’m all yours boo,” Amore replied as she kissed him.

  Trillion stuck his tongue in her mouth and deepened the kiss that she’d initiated. Jordon always told him that he fell in love fast and maybe he was right. The way Trillion saw it, life was too short to play games and waste time. Unlike Jordon, Trillion wasn’t afraid to go after what he wanted. He knew that Amore was special when he first laid eyes on her and he was right.

  “O h, my God! Why did I ever agree to this shit? I’m gonna throw up,” Amore said in a panic as they ascended.

  “Relax baby. Look at me. Don’t look down,” Trillion said as she held him tighter.

  Amore was shaking and he was starting to regret his decision. He was trying to introduce her to something new but he wasn’t trying to traumatize her.

  “I don’t know why I keep letting you talk me into all this white people shit,” Amore said nervously.

  “Stop always saying that stupid shit Amore. A smoker never knows which cigarette will give them cancer. A drinker never knows which sip will ruin their liver. You don’t have to be a certain race to enjoy life. You need to live baby,” Trillion replied.

  “I am living. I let you drag me on an airplane two weeks ago,” Amore reminded him.

  “Exactly. You were scared then too but you had a good time,” Trillion pointed out.

  He had some business to handle in Key West, Florida and he took Amore with him. She was nervous as hell to be flying for the first time but she did great. She chilled in the room when he went to his business meeting but they had a ball after that. Jet skiing, full body massages and sunset cruises were all new to Amore but she had a great time. She felt like she was finally living and not just existing.

  “You know I’m afraid of heights Trillion. I don’t know why you keep doing this to me,” Amore argued.

  “Open your eyes and look at the view,” Trillion said once the hot air balloon ascended higher.

  “No, I can’t do it,” Amore said as she shook her head. The basket that they were standing in felt very sturdy but Amore was still scared to death.

  “Come on Love. Open your eyes,” Trillion requested again.

  Amore reluctantly opened one eye and looked around. She held on to Trillion tight as she took a step forward to look down at the ground below. Admittedly, the view was beautiful but she was still afraid. Trillion and the man who was operating the balloon looked unbothered and that kind of made her loosen up a little.

  “My cousins are gonna kill you if something happens to me,” Amore joked.

  “Stop playing with me, girl. You know I got you,” Trillion assured her.

  “Always,” Amore replied as she gave him a kiss. Viper used to tell her that all the time but she believed it when Trillion said it. His actions showed it and she could let her guard down with him.

  Trillion was happy to see that she was starting to feel better. He wasn’t supposed to have his phone turned on but he didn’t care. He snapped a few pictures of himself and Amore and made a video to post to Instagram later. As soon as they made things official, Trillion announced it on his page. His followers were loving Amore and she now had a little over twenty-five thousand of her own. Her edits had come back from her books but it was taking her a while to go over them. She was still looking over book one but Trillion wasn’t rushing her. He was happy to see that Amore was interacting more because that was the key to getting her name out there. People loved when he posted pictures or videos of their daily routines. The only person who seemed to have a problem was Leah. She called Trillion at least thirty times a day for nothing at all. She wouldn’t let him talk to Tristyn and he hadn’t seen her in over a week. Trillion popped up over there a few times but she always acted a fool when he did. He didn’t want to have his daughter in the middle of their mess and that’s the only reason why he didn’t walk up in there and take her.

  “Is your cousin still getting out Friday?” Trillion asked once he was done taking pictures.

  “Yes and I can’t wait.” Amore smiled.

  “Do you need anything for her?” Trillion asked.

  “No, she said that she’s good. AJ’s brother, Abe, is doing a splash party in the park Saturday and he’s making it her welcome home party too,” Amore replied.

  Dallas was finally being released from prison and they couldn’t be happier. Chanell was making her a cake, along with a cake for her brother-in-law’s event. Amore was happy that things were looking up for her cousin as well. AJ had found a store front with reasonable rent to lease out for her cake business. He paid the first three months of the rent and had someone come in and paint. Amore chipped in with AJ to get her a commercial oven and she was ready to go. Chanell was excited but nervous to be opening her own business. She kept prolonging the opening date, but AJ wasn’t having it. He spent too much money for her to play games, so she finally decided to open that following Monday. Dallas was going to be her receptionist, so that worked out fine. The best part of it all was Chanell finally being able to tell her boss off like she’d been wanting to.

  “I wish I could come but I got a lot of shit on my plate. You better behave yourself out there too,” Trillion said as he kissed her cheek.

  Trillion had a warehouse where all of his merchandise was stored. He and Jordon’s offices were at the warehouse but Jordon managed the day to day business. He was the one who oversaw the shipping and handled the employees. They had a lot of new merchandise set to be delivered and Trillion wanted to be there to make sure that everything ran smoothly. He had a few things on back order and he wanted to make sure that those orders got fulfilled first. He ran out of merchandise faster than he could get it but he wasn’t complaining.

  “I got a man boo. Them niggas can’t do shit for me,” Amore replied, pulling him away from his thoughts.

  “Chill with the N word Love. You know how I feel about that,” Trillion reminded her.

  “When are you getting Tristyn again? I be missing her,” Amore said as she continued to marvel at the scenery around them.

  “I’ve been trying but Leah is still on that bullshit. She calls me all day but she never wants to put my baby on the phone.” Trillion frowned.

  “You need to stop playing games with that hoe and take her to court. Your daughter is not a bargaining tool for her to use as leverage. I hate bitches like that,” Amore ranted.

  “I hate that it has to be this way but that’s exactly what I might have to do. It’s bad enough that I missed her entire pregnancy and the first three months of my daughter’s life. I’m not missing out on anything else,” Trillion said.

  “That hoe better not play with you. I’ll spank that ass again if I have to,” Amore threatened.

  “That’s what’s up. Baby trying to fight for her man.” Trillion smiled as he pulled her closer.

  He stood behind Amore and hugged her as they took in the scenery around them. That was Trillion’s second time being in a hot air balloon but it had been years since he did it. Jade begged him to take her for her birthday one year when he was still in the military. As soon as he got a two-week vacation, that was one of the first things that he did. Now, he was making happy memories with Amore and he was hoping that everything with them worked out. It had only been a few month
s but he hoping for forever.

  Leah wiped a few stray tears from her eyes as she looked at the videos and pictures that Trillion had posted on his page the day before. She was hoping that his fling with Amore was temporary but that wasn’t the case. Trillion had always been spotted out and about with other females so that was nothing new. What was new was the post that he’d made confirming that he and Amore were official. Amore was just his type with her flawless chocolate skin, thick thighs and fat ass.

  Leah’s heart broke when she saw the professional pictures that they had taken. What hurt even more was the fact that Trillion looked happy. Leah hadn’t seen him look like that since Jade was around. He was doing things with Amore that he hadn’t done with her in years. Some things, he had never done with her at all. To Leah, the worst feeling in the world was watching the person you love fall in love with someone else. All the years she’d given him were never enough. Leah had done so much to keep Trillion in her life but that was the one place that he didn’t want to be.

  “Daddy!” Leah heard Tristyn yell excitedly, prompting her to jump up from her bed and rush into the living room.

  As soon as she walked into the living room, she spotted Trillion holding their daughter with a big smile on his face. He wasn’t going to be smiling for long and she was going to make sure of it. He had her fucked up if he thought she was going to be miserable while he walked around enjoying life. If nothing else got him in line, Leah knew that keeping Tristyn away would do the trick. Trillion didn’t like to argue in their daughter’s presence so he never put up much of a fight when she didn’t let him take her. She found out that his father and step-mother were getting their daughter on his behalf, so she didn’t let her go with them anymore either. Amore even had their daughter wrapped around her finger and Leah wasn’t with that. Tristyn talked about her all the time until Leah made her shut up.

  “What are you doing here?” Leah asked as she looked over at him. She didn’t care that it was his house. He would never put her out as long as she had Tristyn.