Chapter Nine
Ross couldn’t get Ke’yoko off of his mind as he weaved in and out of traffic. He knew her worth and wanted nothing more than for her to be happy. He knew Ja’Rel was dogging her and had been since they’d been together. Who was he to hate on how another nigga treated his bitch? He knew she deserved better though. She deserved him. Even though he couldn’t stand the ground Ja’Rel walked on and didn’t care if he lived or died, messing around with his ex–best friend’s wife was a line he definitely wouldn’t cross. Ross still respected the game enough not to cross that same line. He knew in the end he’d be getting the last laugh.
Ross pulled up in front of his house and had one of the biggest smiles on his face as he looked at Sharae and Rayna standing in the front yard talking to their freaky white neighbor, Holly.
“Look at Daddy’s baby girl,” he said, getting out of the car.
Both Sharae and Holly had huge smiles on their faces as Ross made his way up the walk.
“Dada,” Rayna babbled with a smile as Sharae held her in her arms.
“Hey, baby.” Ross smiled, making his way over to them.
“Hey, baby.” Sharae smiled, leaning in for a kiss.
“Come here, baby,” he said, holding out his hands and waiting for Rayna to come to him. Without hesitation she leaned over toward her daddy’s arms.
“I said hey,” Sharae said with an attitude.
Ross shot Sharae a dirty look and continued playing with his daughter. “What ya doin’? You happy to see Daddy?” Ross asked in a baby’s voice before giving Rayna two big, sloppy kisses on the cheek.
“Hi, Ross,” Holly spoke.
“What’s up, Holly,” Ross spoke back before turning to walk away.
“He’s so fuckin’ rude.” Sharae frowned as she and Holly watched him walk up the front porch stairs.
Ross walked into the house with his daughter in hand and headed straight to the kitchen. “You want a Popsicle?” he asked his baby girl, walking over to the freezer and grabbing her one.
“Why you give her that? She gon’ be sticky and I just got her outta the tub,” Sharae fussed as she walked into the kitchen.
Ross ignored Sharae while opening up the Popsicle, placing it in Rayna’s hand.
“You didn’t hear me?”
“Yeah, I heard you.” Ross frowned. “All you gotta do is wipe her off when she’s done eatin’ it. How hard can that be? You don’t do shit else ’round here,” he said, handing the baby back to Sharae.
Sharae hesitated a little before taking the baby from Ross’s hands. She didn’t want to get that sticky red Popsicle all over her white sundress. Ross peeped the hesitation and shook his head in disgust.
“What?” she snapped. “I’m wearin’ white.”
“You need to get yourself together.”
“I am together,” Sharae snapped angrily, hating when Ross told her that.
“Yeah, okay,” he replied sarcastically and chuckled, getting deeper under Sharae’s skin.
“You get on my fuckin’ nerves!” She frowned.
“Get the fuck out then,” Ross snapped. “What’s keepin’ you here? I ain’t gon’ be around a nigga who gets on my nerves.”
“Gimme the money and we’ll get the fuck on!” Sharae walked over and placed Rayna inside the Pack ’n Play that sat beside the kitchen table.
“We? Bitch, please, Rayna ain’t goin’ nowhere! You can take yo’ raggedy-ass on, though.” He grimaced.
“Shit, I ain’t goin’ nowhere without my daughter,” Sharae said, knowing damn well she couldn’t have cared less about Rayna for real, because she knew she would be well taken care of. Sharae’s biggest fear was Ross moving another bitch up in the house after she was gone and then he wouldn’t give her no more money if she didn’t have their daughter.
“Rayna gon’ be straight.”
“How can I afford to move out anyway?”
“I give yo’ money-hungry ass a thousand dollars a month for you and Rayna’s needs. You think you slick. You shop at Walmart for her clothes while you all up at Saks and them little boutiques for yourself.”
Sharae had been caught. “No, I don’t,” she lied.
“Bitch, you pitiful.” Ross frowned. “All I can tell you is you better start savin’ some of that money that I give you.”
“Where I’ma go, Ross?”
“I don’t know and I don’t give a fuck. You betta ask one of them niggas you fuckin’ if you can move in wit’ them,” he said calmly.
“Why you always accusin’ me of fuckin’ somebody?” Sharae asked, confused.
“Go wipe Rayna off and get the fuck outta my face! You act like somebody stupid,” Ross fussed as he turned and walked out of the kitchen.
Sharae grabbed the baby out of the Pack ’n Play and followed Ross out of the kitchen. “Let’s talk about the bitches you fuckin’,” Sharae fussed.
“Let’s talk about ’em,” he said as he headed up the stairs.
“You a fuckin’ asshole!”
“Now you know it’s a written rule that what’s good for the goose is without a doubt good for the gander,” he said as he walked into their bedroom and lay across the bed.
“Whatever, Ross,” Sharae said, waving him off as she headed into the en suite bathroom to wipe off Rayna.
“Good comeback,” he replied facetiously.
Sharae was so worked up over Ross’s accusations she could barely contain herself. Sharae finished wiping the baby off, walked back into the room, and looked over at Ross, who was on his cell phone texting someone. She instantly got an attitude. Sharae wanted to make their relationship work so bad, truth be told, but she didn’t know how. It seemed like every time she was breaking Ross down he would throw something up in her face and put his wall back up. Sharae wasn’t squeaky clean. She had messed around on Ross a few times and it wasn’t because she didn’t love him or wasn’t satisfied; she couldn’t help it. She was a cum freak. And, plus, why shouldn’t she be allowed to fuck around on him when he was clearly messing around on her every chance he got?
Ross stood up from the bed and kissed his daughter on the cheek. “I’m out. Don’t wait up,” he said, putting his cell phone in his pocket.
“Where you ’bouta go?” Sharae asked.
“Who pays the bills around here? That’s what I thought.” Ross laughed as he headed out of the bedroom.
“Bitch-ass nigga,” Sharae said quietly, while sitting down on the bed with the baby still in her arms.