The Boy Is Mine - The Finale (BWWM Romance) Page 7

  “Umm okay.”

  “Come on, let’s chat. I need a drink so let’s go next door.”

  I followed her like a puppy. She was bossy, plus size and black. I never in a million years would have thought it was possible to meet someone just like me. I didn’t know what to say anymore, I couldn’t even remember why I was there. I felt like I was on autopilot as we sat at the bar.

  “So you’re Michael’s girlfriend. I didn’t know that he had a girlfriend but I’m a little happy to see that it’s you.”

  “Thanks, I guess.” I took a look at the huge ring that was on her finger. I remembered she was married.

  She noticed me glancing, “I know what you’re thinking. You’re probably judging me from what happened.”

  “I don’t know what happened. I feel so completely lost.”

  She sighed deeply, “Michael was the man I intended on spending the rest of my life with. We were supposed to get married; he was my soul mate. The problem arose when I found out that I couldn’t have children. It was something he wanted more than anything. He couldn’t envision a life with a person that couldn’t have kids. That caused a lot of problems within our relationship, he then met a woman and she promised him the world. He left me for her.”

  “I can’t believe he would do something so stupid.”

  She looked at me and laughed, “Michael is dumb when it comes to women. He makes really crazy decisions.”

  “Then why were you with him?”

  “Because I loved him, and that’s why you’re with him, too. The fact that he didn’t tell you about me shows that he’s still making crazy decisions. That man is magnetic and it’s hard not to love him but you need to know what you’re in for.”

  “What happened between the two of you anyway?”

  “He left me and married the skank. I was heartbroken and then I met an amazing man. We got married and I was shocked when I got pregnant. I was amazed when I got pregnant again. I thought children were never going to be a possibility for me.”

  “That’s great…but that still doesn’t explain what happened.”

  “Well I stumbled across Michael a while ago and it was like we never parted. I wasn’t upset with him anymore for what he did. I can’t lie, I loved that his marriage fell apart and I loved that I got to rub my new life in his face. But through all of that, I could still feel that pull. I hated it. One ‘catch up’ dinner turned into two. Then we started texting and exchanging phone calls. Then I started sneaking out and lying to my husband. I became a person that I didn’t recognize. Michael and I had an affair.”

  I closed my eyes when she said her words. I didn’t want to believe he was the kind of man that would knowingly sleep with a married woman. I could see why he kept it away from me. I didn’t have a lot of respect for people that do those kinds of things. Marriage is sacred, how could I trust him to be faithful to me?

  “You said Michael was stalking you? What happened? Why did things go so bad?”

  “I’m going to need another drink to tell you that.”

  I called over the bartender and had him give her another Amaretto Sour and I ordered a Long Island for myself. I was almost afraid to hear what she was going to say next. We sat in silence for a while as she slowly sipped. It was weird because I knew that under different circumstances, she was the kind of woman that I would have been friends with.

  “Okay, now that I have more liquid courage in my system. I can tell you what the real deal is,” Maggie began.

  “I feel like I should be afraid.”

  “No, you shouldn’t be afraid. You just may not want to hear it.”

  “Go ahead, may as well get it over with.”

  “I don’t have just two children…I have three.”

  “Okay?”

  “My last child is pretty young.”

  “Are you saying that…”

  “I don’t know if the child is Michael’s or not. But there is a possibility.”

  “Michael left his child?”

  “No, that’s the problem. When I found out I was pregnant, that changed everything. I saw the gravity of what I did. I risked my family over a man that didn’t love me enough to marry me. I jeopardized the happiness of my children and husband because I wanted to take a trip down memory lane.”

  “But if that’s Michael’s child…”

  “It's mine and my husband’s child,” she said. She had an angry fire in her eyes that caught me by surprise. “I told Michael that we had to end our relationship. I didn’t tell him I was pregnant but he found out when he came by my job to talk to me. I wasn’t answering his phone calls or emails anymore and he saw my stomach. I begged him to leave my husband and me alone. I didn’t want to lose everything that I built.”

  “So what did Michael do?”

  “He was hurt. He tried to contact me but I ignored him. He eventually moved to Atlanta.”

  Everything finally clicked in my head. I wondered why he suddenly left New York to come to Atlanta. I was baffled as to why he would choose to stay. He was running from his past but apparently he wasn’t, if he was stalking her.

  “So now he’s stalking you?” I asked.

  She rolled her eyes, “Well it’s not really stalking. He’s been contacting me and saying that he wants a paternity test. He wants to know if my daughter is his or my husband’s.”

  “Do you think that he’s still in love with you?”

  She gave a sad smile, “Any love Michael had for me went out the window the moment I asked him to turn his back on a child that could possibly be his.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “It was the way he looked at me. He resented me and I know he no longer saw me as the woman he put on an idealistic pedestal.”

  “I can’t really say that I blame him.”

  “I know that it’s easy for you to judge. You don’t know what my life is like, and you don’t know how it feels to make the mistakes that I’ve made. I thought that Michael was my soul mate. He was a chapter in my life that I never got to close.”

  “So you chose to screw him?”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Fuck yourself. Asking him to leave his child is fucked up. He has a right to know if that baby is his, even if that screws up your marriage. The moment that you got pregnant, your decisions were no longer about you.”

  “Oh gosh, this is pointless. I don’t know why I expected you to help me,” she said.

  “I don’t know why, either.”

  “Think about it. If you convince him to leave me alone, you and him can have a perfect life. Do you really want the added drama of a baby in your life?”

  “I don’t know if I want to be with Michael at all after this but I do know that he deserves to be in his child’s life. You don’t get to make that decision for him. How do you not know who the father is anyway?”

  “My husband is white and looks a lot like Michael.”

  I scoffed, “Wow, the two of you have something really interesting going on. Especially considering that I look a lot like you.”

  “I know. But what he and I had is over. I want to move on with my life. Hopefully you’ll be the help Michael to move on, too.”

  “I’m not making any promises. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

  “I’m leaving for New York in the morning. I was hoping to talk to him.”

  “I sure couldn’t tell. Your text messages didn’t show that you were willing to be a voice of reason. You said that he was stalking you, shouldn’t it be easy to get a hold of him?”

  “No, he hasn’t returned any of my calls lately. I got served with papers three days ago about this and I’m trying to stop it before things get out of hand.”

  “Good luck,” I said as I rose from my seat.

  “You have to help me stop him from ruining my family.”

  “Stop blaming him for a decision that the made together. I really do wish you well and I hope that everyone can be okay in the end.”

  “Ju
st think about what I said. You can be happy and free of drama if you help.”

  “Happiness and drama just seem to go together. Have a safe flight.”

  I walked out of the restaurant feeling numb. How could Michael keep such a huge secret like that from me? It was a huge deal and I deserved to know. It was just another example of how he didn’t trust me with his heart. I couldn’t be with a person that could keep that kind of information from me. I wanted him to be happy and I hoped that worked out everything with Maggie but I felt done. I was emotionally exhausted. I would attend the launch of his bar as I didn't want to ruin his big moment but then I was going to cut ties with him. He and Julie could have each other. I hoped for his sake that he didn’t let her go already.

  Michael was the kind of man that you couldn’t hold on too tightly to. He would slip from your grasp. I wondered if he ever had it in him to be with someone forever. I wanted forever. I didn’t want to have to worry if he no longer loved me, wanted someone else or grew bored. I hadn’t settled in love so far, and it made no sense to settle then.

  #Chapter10

  “Are you kidding me?”

  Patrice

  It was finally the day of Michael’s launch. I felt happy for him, I honestly did. He had worked so hard to bring his idea into fruition. I was looking forward to the evening being over with so I could move on with my life. I needed to break up with Michael and focus on what was important.

  I didn’t know if Julie would be at the launch and I didn’t really care anymore. I was going to the event to support Michael and the two of them could do whatever they wanted.

  “Hurry up, you’re already cute girl,” Jasmine said to me through my bathroom door.

  I laughed, “Well I know that already, I just have to make sure everyone else does too.”

  Jasmine was at my place, Cedric was going to come over and drive us both to the launch. I didn’t like the idea of having to stay until they were ready to leave. I already had Lenny on speed dial in case. He promised that he would be available, so that put my mind at ease.

  “I’m surprised you’re coming tonight. Don’t cause a scene if that girl shows up,” Jasmine warned me.

  I smacked my lips, “I’m not worried about her or Michael. However if she steps to me, then I will put her in her place. When I said that I was done, I meant it.”

  “I just can’t believe he didn’t tell you what was going on.”

  “I can’t believe it either but there’s no point in obsessing over it,” I said as I opened my bathroom door.

  Jasmine looked at me sadly, “You really mean that?”

  “I really do. I’ve given our relationship more time, attention and consideration than any other. I keep getting bit in the ass. How much can I take? I don’t deserve this. He has some serious issues that he needs to work out. Maybe we can try again in the future but for now, I need to take a step back and let him sort it out.”

  Jasmine sighed and changed the subject, “I hate Kenneth will miss his brother’s big moment.”

  “Yeah, I know. He would have loved to be here.”

  “Him and Nikki are doing really well. They just moved again to a bigger place.”

  “So I heard, as if they needed it!”

  “They didn’t need it at all but whatever Nicole wants…”

  “Nicole gets,” I laughed.

  “Her job just keeps her so damn busy.”

  “I know, she texted me earlier and told me that she missed me. She’s such a sap.”

  “Oh hush, you know you like it.”

  “I do.”

  We heard Cedric outside honking like a maniac. Jasmine rolled her eyes.

  I grinned, “Oh please, you know your man gets all crazy when it comes to you. He wants to see that beautiful face.”

  “That’s not all he wants to see,” she swayed suggestively.

  “When are the two of you going to cut this out?”

  “Hopefully never.”

  I hoped that they never cut it out either. Their love gave me such an immense hope. I wanted to be that in love with someone one day. I had hoped it would be Michael but that didn’t seem to be where my future was headed.

  Thinking about Julie and our last conversation pissed me off little. Before we got into the car, I looked at Jasmine and said, “If Julie is there, it could be messy if she says anything out of line. I think that I have one more night of ratchet-ness left in me.”

  “Patrice, you better not.”

  “Just keep her away from me and we’ll be fine.”

  We arrived at the bar about twenty minutes later. I mentally prepared myself for verbal war. I wasn’t going to hit Julie but I was going to rip into her so badly that it felt like it. My cruel intentions were put on hold when I saw the red carpet outside of the bar with a huge step and bouncers outside herding a line that went around the block.

  “Damn, Michael went all out didn’t he?” Cedric asked.

  “He sure did. I’m just glad that we don’t have to stand in that long line,” Jasmine responded.

  “Let’s just get inside.”

  I pulled my VIP pass from my clutch and walked to the front door with the love bird couple in tow. After we handed over our passes, we took photos and went inside. We walked back to the roped off VIP area and Michael greeted us with champagne.

  “Congratulations, friend!” Cedric said loudly as he gave Michael the masculine hug that men are famous for.

  Jasmine gave him a hug and congratulated him on the amazing job. I was too busy looking around for Julie. I wanted to know if I would be putting an end to any trouble for the evening.

  Michael walked over to me, “If you’re looking for Julie, she’s not here.” He kissed me on the cheek.

  “What happened to her?”

  “I went to see her the night we were at the bar and I fired her on the spot. I’m sure there will be some contract issues and I’ll have to pay her out of her contract but I don’t care. I can’t work with someone like that. She’s out of my life for good.”

  I gave him a silent nod. I was a little impressed but that was null and void because of the information that I knew. I had to do my best not to slap him across the face. The old me would have done it already. I was annoyed because he was standing in my face and pretending that everything was okay, and it wasn’t okay. I had to remind myself that this was his launch and it wasn’t the time or place.

  “That’s nice,” I replied.

  He gave a slight frown, “I thought you’d be happier.”

  “You’re going to have to do a lot more than fire some slut to make me happy.”

  “What do I have to do?” He asked.

  “How about being honest with me for once?” I glared at him.

  He had a dumb look on his face. I shook my head, “Let’s not hash anything out here. It’s your night. So what are you going to do about a manager?”

  “I’ve already interviewed and hired someone. I think he may be even better for the job, actually. He has an impeccable track record and he doesn’t have to use his body to get what he wants.”

  “Wow, I don’t know how you’re going to make it without having a hot blonde by your side. Who is going to manage your bar in the mean time?”

  “I am,” I heard a familiar voice say behind me. I turned around and Kenneth was standing there in front of me with a grin on his face. He was dressed in an impeccably tailored gray suit and had an earpiece in his ear.

  “Oh my God!” I exclaimed before I gave him a huge hug, “What are you doing here?”

  All of us exchanged hugs.

  “It was always the plan for Ken to come over for the launch and stay for a week. When I told him what happened, he said that he could stand in and help out,” Michael explained.

  “Hey, that’s what family is for…free labor,” Ken grinned.

  Cedric gave Kenneth a playful slap on the back, “You told me on you weren’t able to make it. You suck, dude.”

  “Yes, you do because he�
��s been pouting like a child since yesterday,” Jasmine said.

  “Sorry bro, we wanted it to be a surprise.”

  Jasmine’s brow furrowed, “We?”

  Before Kenneth could respond, we heard the most annoying and glorious shriek behind us. There was only one person in the world that could produce that wretched sound. I turned to see Nicole dressed in an all-white dress. She looked amazing, like an angel. Tears sprung to my eyes as the three of us ran for a group hug. It had felt like ages since we’d been together.