Page 7 of The Love Dealer

“Where mine at?” Reka asked before I could even get started.

“I figured you weren’t hungry since you hadn’t cooked anything.” Drawing my attention to Caprice, I told her, “Say grace, Price.”

When she was done, they all started to eat. Reka stood over me with her arms crossed over her chest, but she wasn’t saying shit, so I ignored her and ate.

“How was everyone’s day?” I asked after my first bite.

“So you really didn’t fix me anything to eat?” Reka interrupted.

“Ain’t that what I said?”

Chuckling, Reka left the dining room, but I knew that wasn’t the end of the conversation. The kids and I continued with our dinner. As soon as they were done, they went back to cleaning their respective areas while I made my way to the room. Reka was on her side of the bed, pouting, and I had to grit my teeth to keep from chuckling.

“You order you something to eat?” I checked. It wasn’t like she didn’t have any money. I gave her ass a weekly allowance to spend how she saw fit.

“Like you care.”

“I do care.”

“Then why didn’t you fix me something to eat, Alonso?”

“The same reason your ass don’t have shit for me to eat when I get off work.”

Her eyes rolled as she sat up in bed. “I don’t like to cook.”

“Neither do I, but I like to live, and I have to eat to do so, so I cooked.”

“Yeah, but you made everyone something except for me. That was fucked up.”

“Look, you’ve made it clear that you don’t give a fuck about the shit I ask you to do, so I’m not doing for you anymore. I’m tired of investing more than you in our home and this relationship. You need to get your shit together, Re.”

“Or what? Are you going to break up with me because I don’t fix you dinner? I’m not your damn chef or your mama. You a grown ass man, Zo. If you want something to eat, you can fix it yourself!”

“I did,” I replied calmly. “You’re mad because I didn’t fixyouanything. You don’t see the problem with what you just said?”

“That’s different!” she yelled, leaping to her feet. “If I would have fixed me and the kids something to eat and not you, you would have flipped your shit.”

“You damn right. Let me come in this house after working all damn day and you fix everybody a plate but me.”

“Fuck you, Zo. Every week you complain about what I do or don’t do in this house. If you ain’t satisfied, then put me out!”

With a low chuckle, I shook my head and went over to the closet. “Don’t test me, Reka. I’ll put yo’ ass out for real.”

“Then put me out, but you better believe I’m taking our kids with me.”

“Nah, that’s where you wrong. You only gave birth to one, and she for damn sure ain’t going nowhere with you.”

“Try me.”

At the sound of that, I left the closet so I could look into her eyes. With Reka, she was always so with the shit you couldn’t tell when she was serious or just playing. I looked her frame over, stopping at her face. The red bone that I’d fallen in lust with years ago had a frown on her face that told me she was serious. Her eyes rested low, probably because of the thick, long ass lashes she had on. Her mouth was in a tight line without a trace of a smile.

“What happens between us has nothing to do with Deja. If you leave, she’s staying here.”

“She might stay with you temporarily because I don’t have anywhere to take her, but she will be coming with me as soon as I find a place.”

No part of me wanted to be separated from any of my children, but if it meant being at peace, I might have to let things play out however they were going to play out. The old me would have backed down and let Reka talk her shit, but the more I talked to Bre, the less I felt the need to do so. I had no problem talking to Bre and flirting because I knew that’s all it would ever be. And because I couldn’t have Bre, Reka was the most comfortable option. But comfort and history were starting to mean less and less to me.

“Do you want to be with me or not?” I asked. “If you do, things have to change between us. If not, we need to separate.”

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