Page 12 of Phase Two

“I do,” she answered softly, “Thank you for l-l-l-l,” Shani closed her eyes and pushed out a hard breath. “Letting me stay here.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I did it for you, and I did it for our kids. I know you hated me for a long time, and maybe I deserved it. Just trying to right some of my wrongs by being a good person.”

“Cereal.” She didn’t respond to my statement.

Standing up, I went to the pantry and got the cereal that my daughter brought specifically for her mom. I grabbed the milk from the fridge and a bowl from the cabinet. Once the bowl was placed in front of her, I went into the bedroom to get her bib. Shani looked down as I approached her with it. I knew she couldn’t wait to get back to normal. Even though I wasn’t the most religious person, I prayed numerous times that she would make a full recovery.

Sitting down, I scooted my chair closer to her and started feeding her the cereal. I noticed dried saliva on her cheek and made a mental note to wash her face and brush her teeth when she was done eating. The entire time I fed Shani, we sat in silence. Memories ran through my head like a movie playing on a television screen. I remembered the good and the bad. Each time she went into labor. The time she was mad at me and got an abortion behind my back. When I went and got a Benz, and she flattened my tires an hour later. That one made me laugh.

“You used to be mean as hell. You remember I came home with that new Benz, and you slashed the tires? I hadn’t even had the car for two hours man.”

The corner of her mouth lifted into a slight grin. “You won’t about to r-r-r-ride your hoes around.”

“You know I was young and dumb back then, right?”

“H-h-heavy on the dumb.”

The way I laughed was crazy. It was taking some fight, but Shani was coming back. The doorbell rang, and I knew it was her mother. I got up to let her in.

“Hey, Carter,” her mother spoke in a low tone. “She in a good mood today, or have you seen her?”

“She walked into the kitchen all by herself. I’m helping her eat some cereal now.”

“Oh.” I could hear the shock in her tone. As we made our way into the kitchen, she started apologizing. “I’m sorry I’m late. Tanya’s car wouldn’t start this morning, and I had to wait on Earl to come get me.”

I cleaned the kitchen and left for work. It was a rare day that I didn’t have court. I had transitioned into taking high profile cases. Not because I wanted the attention but because after all the work I’d put in, I had earned the right to charge prices that some might view as astronomical. There weren’t many that could afford my services. And that allowed me to take on fewer clients and still live well.

I was past the days of working from sunup until sundown. I was giving law three more years, and then I was going to retire. I had some investments, a 401k, Roth IRA, and two savings accounts. By the time I retired my home would be paid off. I had been doubling up on payments for the past two years.

In the car, I thought about Alise. I was human. There would definitely be times that I pissed her off or possibly even hurt her feelings, but I had no intention of doing her dirty. Only time would tell where we ended up but one thing was for certain, and that was that I was going to prove to her that I was nothing like the fuck niggas that she had dated in the past.

CHAPTER 5

ALISE

I heard Lauren’s car pull up, and I smiled while clapping my hands lightly. I had been waiting on her for the past hour. I knew it would be a hard day for her because she had gone to file for divorce. I didn’t tell her about my run in with dummy, but he was so angry that he called her and outed himself. Lauren then had to deal with the embarrassment of knowing her husband was running around town with his mistress like the shit was cool.

She had asked Jada to watch Kiara for her, and I got the idea to surprise her. I came over and set everything up. Lauren told Jada that she didn’t have time to cook before she left, so to just feed Kiara some nuggets and fries from the freezer. Kira was a picky eater, but I got her to try some homemade smashburgers and fries.

When Lauren entered the house, I could tell that she had once again been crying. Her eyes were red and the bags underneath her eyes told me that she wasn’t sleeping. “What is all this?” her jaw slacked as her eyes darted around the room.

I had brought her a vase of flowers, edible arrangements, a brand-new robe and silk pajama set, some bath and body oils, and a cute pair of bedroom shoes. The items were on the couch in a gift basket along with a bottle of wine.

“I cooked. Jada just gave Kira a bath, and she’s going to put her to bed. The door is closed, and you aren’t allowed in the room. Let someone help you for the night. Eat, sip this wine, take a long, hot bubble bath, and turn in early. The kitchen is clean, so is the living room, and your bedroom. I even got you a cake. It’s in the kitchen. Today, I’m catering to you.”

“Oh my God. I can’t believe y’all love me this much,” she placed one hand flat on her chest. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’re going in that kitchen to eat before the food gets cold. You might not have an appetite, and you have the right to feel however you want to feel but eat. We can’t have you starving yourself. I’ll go ahead and pour you a glass of wine.”

I grabbed the gift basket off the couch and walked into the kitchen to get a glass. Breakups were rarely pretty, and they damn sure rarely felt good. Lauren was going to feel it for a minute, but I prayed she never got so lost from having a failed marriage that she forgot who she was. Lauren was a good person and an even better mother. He didn’t deserve her.

Lauren’s plate had already been fixed. While I was pouring the wine she sat down at the table. “My mother said I’m a fool to let that woman have my man.”

The frown that contorted my face probably made it look like I was in pain. “Girl respectfully, don’t tell me anything your mother said that might cause me to slip up and be disrespectful. Nobody is doing that shit. He left you. And never let a man tell you more than once that he doesn’t want you. Let lil’ flamin’ hot Cheetos have his worthless ass.”

“Every time I start feeling like things might actually turn out okay, she says something that triggers me. She acts like I chose this.”

I didn’t respond because I was serious about trying not to disrespect her mother. I placed the glass in front of her and placed the cork back in the bottle.