“She’ll what?”
I stared at the glass centerpiece on the coffee table of the two naked bodies hugging. “Never mind. I think I’ma speak to the Honors about seeing a picture of her,” I told him, going back to what I was saying.
“Bruh, you already signed a contract.”
“It don’t matter. You know as well as I do that money talks.”
“True, but I knew you would renege on your word about remaining anonymous. What type of assistant would I be if I wasn’t ten steps ahead of you? The surrogate they’re considering already signed a contract. And on that paper, she declined any release of her photo.”
“Man, fuck all that. Get Nehemiah or Amara on the phone.”
“Don’t be no difficult client now. I can vouch for them. They are handlin’ your case with care, my nigga. Making sure you get exactly what you asked for. You hired me to do a job right?”
I didn’t respond. I continued staring at the book that had a list of checkmarks next to the documented characteristics I had given them during our meeting.
“You gon’ be straight. They ain’t gon’ do shit to ruin their reputation or do anything to fuck over one of the richest Black men in the United States. Nehemiah and Amara are protecting their clients on both ends.”
Basheer was right. I hired each of them to do a job. I knew how it felt when people tried to switch shit up with my company. Needless to say, I couldn’t do that to the next person when I hated it being done to me.
“Nigga, you work for them or me? You over here sounding like Nehemiah and Amara’s spokesperson and shit,” I jested, causing myself to laugh.
He burst out laughing.
“Just know if any of this shit goes sideways, you better be ready to take care of a newborn.”
Basheer stopped laughing. “Say what? That baby gon’ have yo’ blood running through ’em. And you know what that means?”
I lifted my brows. “What?”
“I’m suing yo’ ass for child support.”
We both doubled over in laughter.
Basheer and I continued discussing the plan regarding the surrogate, then we hit the L.A. streets. I showed him my old neighborhood, shared stories, and visited spots I used to frequent. We drove by my old friends’ homes. This moment was more for me, but Basheer rode along and let me reminisce about the good ol’ days. Back then, everything felt simple. Now I was building a future that didn’t look anything like the one I planned.
CHAPTER 16
EMBER
“Are you sure you don’t want to crash in my living room for however long you need to?” Cassie looked concerned after I told her I was getting evicted.
“I don’t want to crowd your space.”
“Girl, please. You can’t ever crowd my space. Ember, y’all don’t have anywhere to go.”
My eyes twitched. “I’ll figure it out, Cass.”
She wasn’t taking my word for it. This was why I didn’t want to tell her about my problems. I hated feeling like a burden. I also didn’t want to sleep under the same roof as my friend and her husband. Not saying anything would happen, but I’ve never been the type to put myself in a situation where a woman might wonder if I would mess with her man.
“Have you heard back from Little Miracle Surrogacy yet?”
“The last I heard from them was the day of the examination. Cassie, I told you. Nobody’s lining up to pick me as a surrogate. I’m sure they see plenty of desperate women every day. I’m not the only one who needs a lump sum of money to save the day.”
“That’s your problem. You’re always thinking nothing good could ever happen for you.”
“That’s been my life. Nothing life changing has ever happened.”
“It just ain’t your time yet. That’s all. My life hasn’t always been easy either, but deep down, I feel like the best is still coming. I feel the same for you.”
