Page 66 of By Your Side


Font Size:

Fine? Check.

Money long? Double check. C-suite check.

Big ass dick? That remains to be seen.

Because I’ve also implemented a five-date rule in my new means of dating. Different caliber of rich nigga means different rules, and I might as well go all the way if Ima be doing all this. Besides, between my evil spawn that is my daughter demanding every single free second of my life, I’ve barely had time to even date the nigga.

This is why I invited him to Denver’s birthday party. All the guys are here, and can interrogate him before I waste any more of my time and data facetiming him, and I can count this as one of my dates.

Which brings me to a whopping three in the last month we’ve been seeing each other.

I glance at him at the dominoes table with Nut, Set, and Turk. Apparently he took a class with Turk when they were in school, so he fit right on it once Turk vouched for him. I guess he lives to fight another day.

“Why you looking so down Mace?”

I turn at Reem’s voice, but beam as soon as he sets Angel down next to my chair. She just started walking, and is such a busybody now. She smiles at Sadé, mumbling baby over and over as she plants her little hands on my knee.

Sadé has deemed Angel worthy, so she just lets her ogle and marvel at her. A true Gemini sun, Leo moon.

Please know I’m dying slowly.

“No reason. I should be happy. Brandon’s passed the test.”

Reem scoffs and takes a bite of his hamburger. “No he ain’t; I don’t like his ass, on Foe. And I know Love don’t either.”

“Fuck Love,” I bristle, and I mean that literally and figuratively.

Angel waddles over to Reem and he breaks off a piece of burger to feed her. Sadé decides she wants that, and her greedy ass starts hollering, per usual.

And since I can’t bust out my phone and play her daddy’s song, I take out her bottle and stick it in her mouth, which settles her into the crook of my arms, for the time being.

“Y’all still beefed out? You know if you keep up this silent act she’s just gonna make herself be heard, or worse, actually kill me.”

I stare into my baby’s face as her long lashes flutter closed. We’re under one of the cabanas in Turk’s backyard, so I took off her sunhat. She’s gorgeous, truly. The color of golden almonds, with big expressive eyes and my mouth.

Everything else is her daddy. That temper. That sensitiveness. Her affinity to grate my nerves.

And unfortunately, I don’t even mean her sperm donor.

For some odd reason, Sadé looks just like Shaddy. It had me digging up younger pictures of Dan, and sure enough they favor each other, too. Enough to explain why a man who shares no DNA with my baby contributed so much.

I slam the door shut on thinking about that nigga and the bullshit video I saw on IG earlier and glance at Reem. “Y’all been deep in this prank war and now all of a sudden you a YT expert. Please. She’s gonna try to kill you whether I talk to her traitorous ass or not… but since I do care about your well-being, I guess I’ll speak when she comes.”

Reem feeds Angel another piece before we both look up at the commotion at the sliding doors.

My throat drops to my ass.

My pussy clenches.

My eyes start seeing red.

There, in the muthafucking flesh, is the traitorous bitch herself.

And the nigga she helped disappear.

God, that nigga’s sexy.

Some bitch has been playing in his head, giving him small plaits instead of cornrows, which lets me know that the video he posted announcing his comeback show is old. Which means he’s been planning this shit.