Page 30 of The Love Dealer

I laughed and shook my head. “You won’t, honestly. He’s a great man and a great father. He will respect you but also treat Trin like she’s his own. He’s like that with all children he meets.”

Nick nodded and released a sigh. “Just as long as he does right by the two of you, that’s all I care about.”

“He will. You can trust that.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “Call me if you need me. If not, I’ll FaceTime Trin in the morning.”

“Okay, be safe.”

Once I closed and locked the door behind him, I made my way back to the living room. Trin was so engrossed with Zo, she didn’t care if I was there or not. Since he had her occupied, I went into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

By the time I was done, their random talking and laughing had ceased, and all I heard was the TV. I went to check on them, and they both had fallen asleep. Trin had her thumb in her mouth, and she was holding on to his right ear for dear life. It was so cute, I had to take several pictures before grabbing my plush blanket and tossing it over them.

Out of nowhere, my eyes watered, and I had to go to my room to compose myself. I couldn’t remember the last time I was this happy. All I could do was laugh quietly and shake my head. It felt… so good… to be home.

epilogue

Zo

Four MonthsLater

“Promise me,”I commanded, looking back at Reka as we headed outside.

She sucked her teeth. “I promise.”

“Say it all together.”

She rolled her eyes and smiled. “I promise I will be on my best behavior.”

With a nod, I opened the door so she could step out first. It was Sabrina and Caprice’s birthday. Sabrina’s sister was throwing a party for her tonight, but she wanted to do something with Caprice today, too, so I had her to meet me at the house.

Me and Reka had finally gotten to a good space, so I was going to let the two of them meet today. Like I said I would, I allowed Reka to live in one of my rental properties. She didn’t have to pay rent, just her utilities and other bills. Reka had started doing hair again, but she was also pregnant, and the nigga who knocked her up was giving her money to blow. It was crazy how different people brought out different versions of you. With me, Reka wanted to be spoiled and taken care of. With him, she wanted his respect, so she hustled more. When I found out she was pregnant, I wasn’t surprised. She wanted another baby, and Reka almost always got what she wanted.

The kids adjusted to the changes pretty well. The hardest thing was Deja no longer living with us full time, but she was around daily throughout the week, and they spent the weekends together with their grandparents, so it wasn’t too bad. All the kids loved Bre and Trin, so today’s meeting between the moms was really the last piece.

We waited outside as Bre pulled up, and I was so nervous, my heart squeezed. I felt like Reka would do right, but you never could say with her. She hadn’t really been sweating me since she found out she was pregnant. I guess she was content now, and I prayed it stayed that way. The last thing I wanted or needed was drama popping off between the two women I knew would be in my life forever.

As Bre got out of the car, my eyes scanned her frame as Reka said, “Damn! That ass so big, I can see it from the front!”

I just laughed at her crazy ass. The blue dress Bre had on didn’t leave much to the imagination. It was tight at the top, the sides were cut out, and the bottom was loose fitting. Even so, her hips were so wide and you could tell what she was working with in the back, even with her wearing something that was supposed to conceal it.

“Be good,” I said to Reka as Bre made her way over to us.

“I will, but damn. Can we have a threesome?”

“Reka!”

“Okay!” she yelled, holding up her hands in surrender.

“Y’all talking about me?” Bre asked with a soft smile.

“We talkin’ about that ass,” Reka replied, circling Bre and shaking her head. “You like women?”

“Aight, Reka,” I said, grabbing Bre’s hand and pulling her in for a quick kiss.

“You said be nice.”

“Yeah, but notthatnice.”

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