Page 13 of Hired By My Rich Baby Daddy 3

I held up my ring finger. “Well, you don’t see a ring, do you?”

“Hold up. So, you turned him down?”

I paused, replaying that moment over and over again because it didn’t make any sense to me how it all played out.

“I told him I needed time to think. Then he started asking what happened while he was gone, so I ended up confessing that me and PB kissed. And girl, he called me a hoe.”

Noree’s mouth fell open. “No… he didn’t.”

“Yes, he did. And then I slapped him. So, I think things are pretty much done between us.” I shook my head. “You know that’s not even how he talks, so I’m still shocked about it. Girl, I cried the whole way over here. You can’t tell?”

“Actually, I kinda can,” Noree said. “I didn’t want to mention it in front of Ozy, but your eyes are a little red and puffy.”

“I wasn’t ready to say yes, but I wasn’t ready for us to be done either, you know?” I let those words linger. “I thought after what I heard on the phone that he was trying to play me. Now he’s saying it was all a misunderstanding, and I don’t even know what to believe.” I looked down at my empty ring finger. “I’m just so damn hurt, but you know me. I bounce back fast. I’m not gonna dwell on it. But damn, it’s fucked up.”

“Yeah, it is,” Noree said. “But maybe he wasn’t your person for real.”

“Yeah. Maybe he wasn’t.”

It got quiet between the two of us for a second.

“So, what’s going on with Ozy meeting my niece?” I asked, nodding toward the living room.

“I told him to give me a moment to kinda decompress and get some food in my system,” Noree said. “’Cause my damn hands and legs were shaking so bad, I felt like I was about to pass out.” She looked down at her phone. “Actually, let me text Ma now, ’cause we’re about to pick Oaklynn up together.”

“Wait… like, together together?”

Noree looked up from her phone.

“Yes, girl. Together.”

“Oh shit! I can’t wait for the deets on that.”

We talked a little more before I rode with her back to the main house. She said she was going to grab a snack, shower, change, and then head out with Ozy. Now that I knew my sis was okay, I headed home. Honestly, I wanted to lie down too, but on the way there, I got the urge to text PB.

ME: I know you’re probably busy, but when you get a chance, can you come see me? I could really use a friend right now.

We were in the back seat of one of the black trucks, riding back to the house. Rah Jr. was laid across my lap, half asleep against my arm. PB was sitting on the other side of the car with his phone in his hand. I couldn’t see what he was looking at, though.

“Oh, so that’s your little girlfriend?”

He looked up from his phone, annoyed already. “Don’t start.”

“Oh no, I’m about to start. Why would you bring me to your brother’s house knowing your bitch was gonna be there?”

“First of all, she’s not a bitch. Second of all, you heard me say I didn’t know she was gone be there. Third of all, me and you not together, and I wanted the kids to enjoy King’s party. I ain’t know shit was going down before we got there or that it was gone end early.”

I rolled my eyes at him and turned to look out the window.

I was beyond pissed. Seeing his little friend in pictures was one thing. Seeing her up close and personal was another. Her arm draped around his neck, his arms wrapped all the way around her waist, him kissing all up on her cheek like I wasn’t standing right there. I had to clear my throat just to get them apart from each other, and that right there was what got me. That was embarrassing as hell, having my man… I mean, my baby daddy, playing in my face like that.

“I don’t like the fact that you did that in front of me.”

“I didn’t do anything. I gave her a hug.”

“Exactly. But that hug was a little too much. Too touchy.”

“Hold on.” He turned in his seat to face me. “We already had this conversation the night I got honored. I let you know me and you not on that type of time. Even after all that crying and pretending to pack a bag, me and you been cool this whole time. So why, all of a sudden, you acting up again today?”