Page 78 of Tangled Hearts
“The fuck?” Rock laughed when he saw the massive golden cow.
Knycole snickered because that was her same reaction when Hov first brought her. Thinking about him and all the new places they experienced melted her heart. Every major turn in her life involved her son’s father. Goosebumps covered her arms when Hov played on repeat in her mind.
They took their seats with goofy looks on their faces.
“I’m May, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight. Can I start you off with drinks?” May smiled. She was short and cute with a warm personality.
Knycole looked at Rock waiting to see if he was going to order for her. With his face in the drink menu, she sighed with sadness. “Um, I’ll just have a margarita. Top shelf.”
“And for you?” May smiled at Rock.
“Uh,” he looked over the drinks. “Let me get a double shot of whiskey.” That seemed safe and manly. Fine dining was all new to him. He didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb, so when in Rome, do what the romans do.
“What are we celebrating tonight?” May’s eyes glowed. She was naturally a flirt and didn’t mean any harm. “Her?” her head nodded to Knycole before she winked.
“I’m a free man,” Rock said simultaneously. He didn’t read the room.
May straightened her back, slightly confused. She never stumbled though and caught the energy. “Well, congrats. I’ll have your drinks out in a minute and will take your food orders then.”
Knycole wanted to cry. The night started off on the wrong foot and it seemed the shit wouldn’t get any better. It was such a disaster all she could do was laugh. A light snicker escaped her lips and her shoulders bounced. “Wow!” she shook her head.
“What’s up?” Rock asked, sliding his phone from his pocket before looking up. Shakeisha had been blowing him up and he knew she was ready to blow a gasket knowing he was somewhere laid up with Knycole.
Knycole was rendered speechless even though she had a ton of things she could say. It felt pointless so she kept it all to herself. “Nothing. You know what you ordering?”
Rock typed away on his phone, ignoring her.
“Rock!” Gaining his attention, her head cocked to the side to read his expression. “You good?”
Licking his full lips, Rock forced a smile. “Yea… you?”
No!she screamed on the inside. “Yea, I’m good.”
They spent the rest of the night barely talking to each other. Rock texted like a maniac on his phone prompting Knycole to scroll social media. Date nights with Hov didn’t compare and with every passing second she yearned for her baby daddy more.
CHAPTER 20
Noir sat in her office,going over contracts. She was so behind on work and needed to see when her sponsorship videos were due. For the last week, she’d been cooped up with Christian while he tried to get their relationship back on track. It felt good to see him beg and grovel but every time they found solid ground; his baby mama was blowing up his line. Noir felt like Chanta was trying to throw the baby up in her face and that pissed her off even more. It was bad enough the nigga cheated on her. But to add a baby was cruel.
Thinking about his daughter always seemed to put her in a sour mood. Tears rimmed her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. Noir was tired of crying.Andarguing. She wanted her life to go back to the way it was but that seemed so far away, it was insane.
When she was done prioritizing which videos she needed to do next, she just sat there. Her eyes scanned her beautiful office that she cried about. A snicker escaped her lips reminiscing on how Christian used to give her any and everything she wanted. When their first interior designer gave her push back, he fired her and found someone else to do it. It was decked out in pink everything but still had a grown-up, professional feel to it.
So much of her young, twenty-two-years-old, life had been filled with him. Christian came into her life and showed her what it felt like to be loved properly by a man. No, he wasn’t without flaws and on many occasions, she had to check a hoe about him. Still, she understood their age and what came with his lifestyle. He got better over time and stayed faithful and true to her. Or so she thought. Chanta popping up with a whole baby threw Noir for a loop. It felt like betrayal the way her man kept it from her and because he let the bitch keep it.
Wallowing in her feelings, Noir felt dumb. The way her heart ached; she knew it was time to throw in the towel. She just couldn’t. She felt like Beyonce on Ring the Alarm. Noir would be damned if she let another bitch come and take her place. Childish, she knew. Petty, yes she was. She just wasn’t ready to walk away and give Chanta the keys to the castle. On the other hand, Noir died a little inside every time she saw that bitch’s name on his phone.
The sound of a notification from her phone released her from the shackles of her broken heart. A smile lifted her eyes when she saw it was a message form Cash. She was so proud of him. He’d done what he said he was going to do. That was something a lot of black men didn’t get to experience where they were from. Any time she passed a picture of him or heard his songs, her heart swelled knowing he was so deserving.
$:Homeboy?
Like a kid in the candy store, Noir couldn’t stop smiling. When he reminded her that she was his homeboy, it took her back to them being kids. Cash had always been about Noir. Still about Noir. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her and showed that every day. Cash had been the sounding board for her when shewanted to vent about her love life. And like the real nigga he was, he never threw dirt on Christian’s name.
Noir:What, boy?
$:What I told you ‘bout that boy shit? Do I need to send you a pic to remind you?
She giggled while her coochie thumped.
