The White Billionaire's Baby (BWWM Interracial Romance) (2 page)

“Thanks for coming,” I said as I held the door open for her.

“
No problem, I’m just happy that you didn’t blow me off.”

“
I wouldn’t do anything like that,” I said as I escorted her to the table.

“
It’s good to see that you still have manners,” she laughed.

“
My mom raised me well.”

“
That’s what I’m trying to do with Jason.”

“
Would you like a glass of wine?” I asked as I poured her a glass.

“
Umm sure.”

We sat in silence for a few moments as we took small sips of the robust red wine. I hated being at a loss for words. I was used to being in complete command of situations, but this was something that I didn’t have any control over. I had to tackle this the same way that I tackled everything else because it was the only way that I knew how.

“So what do you want?” I asked.

“
So you’ve just cut right to the chase,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“
I don’t want to waste your time and it’s clear that we need to face this head on. Jason has been here for over 3 years, and I’m ready to get the ball rolling because I’m late,” I said honestly.

“
It hasn’t been easy raising him all by myself. Actually, it’s been a huge struggle doing it alone. I need money to help support our son, and that’s really all that I want.”

My lips pressed into a straight line because I planned on being more than a walking ATM for my son. I still regretted the way that I met and ignored him when I first met him. I was going to become an active part of his life, and I felt fortunate that he was still pretty young.

“That’s not a problem but I refuse to be a deadbeat dad. I will be a part of his life from here on out.”

“
I’m glad to hear it and that’s really what I hoped for. I didn’t want to ask more of you than what you were willing to give; I understand that this is a shock. Maybe you can take him out this weekend?”

“
That would be great, I’m ready to get to know him However, I do have to say that I’m engaged to be married, and nothing will change that,” I explained.

She gave a wave of her hand, “I don’t want to ruin your family. I just want to give Jason the opportunity to get to know the other part of his family.”

“Good. I’ll talk to my lawyer today, and we’ll work out how the money situation will work. Don’t worry about it; I’ll make sure that the both of you are very well taken care of.”

She smiled appreciatively, “I’m not worried about it. Thank you.” She rose from the table, “I guess I’ll be hearing from you soon?”

“Yes, very soon. Please allow me to escort you out.”

**

I had to get out of the house to calm my nerves while Kyle was seeing Jane. I did my best to be a big girl when he asked me if I wanted to go with him. I wanted to say ‘hell yes’ but the rational portion of me wouldn’t allow me to. It was something that he needed to do alone, and my presence would have only made things tense.

So I went to see my friend Cynthia because I knew that she would make me feel better. She was a beacon of light in a dark world. I know that’s being overly dramatic, but the positive energy that she gave off on a consistent basis was baffling. I was happy because soon I wouldn’t have to drive to the hood anymore to come and see her because Kyle agreed to move her and Sandy into a better apartment. The fact that he was willing to do that for my friend’s only made me love him more. He treated them as if they were my family and at this point they were all that I had. My mother was a complete basket case and so I relied on my friends for love and support.

“
Camille calm down,” Cynthia said in a soothing tone.

I had just finished telling her about everything that had occurred with Kyle and his son. I was trying not to overreact, but I felt fortunate that I didn’t have to hide my feelings with her. She never judged me for my tears, and she always made me feel better. That was a lot more than I could say for my friend Sandy. Sandy always gave you the raw and unadulterated truth even when it was unwarranted. It was also her version of the truth and her thinking could be pretty warped. However, she really loved me, and I loved her back. I’m sure that I had my qualities that she couldn’t stand either.

“I’m trying to calm down but I’m freaking the hell out on the inside. It’s tough trying to keep a calm exterior when I feel like breaking down whenever I think about it,” I admitted.

“
Have you ever considered telling him the truth about how you feel? He strikes me as the kind of man that can take the truth. You aren’t doing your relationship any favors by with-holding your feelings,” she said with an extreme amount of patience.

“
You’re right but that’s easier said than done. This is pretty new for him too, and I don’t want to add to his stress.”

“
You won’t be adding to his stress. He will probably be happy that you’re finally being honest with him. Trust me; he knows that something is wrong with you because you wear your heart on your sleeve. He loves you, and this is something that you can work though. This isn’t the first time that something like this has happened in a relationship, and it won’t be the last. He has a kid, so what?”

“
But what if he wants to get back with her since they already have a child together? Kyle is an honorable man and it would be the ‘right’ thing to do,” I said emphasizing my words with finger quotes.

“
Girl, that’s not the honorable thing to do. They’ve been out of contact for years for a reason. It sounds like he knocked her up and moved on. It doesn’t seem like they had a relationship based on anything other than sex. He loves you, and you’re who he wants to be with. He’s been through hell with you and back, and he’s not going to let that slip through his fingers.”

“
I hope you’re right,” I said as I leaned back on her couch, “Have you gone apartment hunting yet?”

I smiled when I saw excitement enter her eyes, “Yes I found an apartment in the Hyde Park area. I’ve always wanted to live there; do you think that it will be too pricey?”

“He didn’t put a cap on how much your rent could be. So feel free to pick wherever you want.”

“
I know but I don’t like to waste people’s money. He really doesn’t have to do this, is he sure?” She asked.

“
He’s absolutely positive so stop trippin’.

“
Okay.”

“
So make the phone call and go check it out. If it’s what you want just let us know and have them invoice Kyle for a year’s worth of rent.”

“
Oh my god, I’m so excited. I swear I’m never moving back over here,” she said.

“
Good that’s the plan. Also have you put in your two weeks’ notice at the diner? Your training starts next week at the restaurant. It’s my hope that you’re manager in a few months. He’s hired on someone temporarily to teach you the ropes.”

“
Yes yes yes I’ve put it in. This is all pretty damned surreal and I don’t think I’ll believe it until it all happens.”

“
It’s happening and trust me I know the feeling. But it’s time for me to get out of here. If you need me call me.”

“
Alright girly, I love you,” she said as she rose to her feet to give me a huge hug.

“
I love you too.”

I walked out of Cynthia’s house, and all I felt was disdain for the neighborhood that I’d grown up in. It chewed people up and spit them out with no remorse. When people from my neighborhood made it out of there it was in spite of it and not because of it. The area was downright evil and designed to eat you alive. My decision to move to the southern suburbs was the best that I could have ever made for myself. That move drastically changed my life forever.

“Hey Cam,” I heard a voice say behind me.

I turned around to see Rico. He was one of Marcus’ flunkies, and I wasn’t in the mood to entertain his bullshit.

“Hi Rico,” I said as I continued to walk to my car.

“
You know it’s pretty fucked up what you did to Marcus. He loved you and took care of you and your crack head ass momma for years. This is exactly why I don’t trust females now,” he said.

I wanted to ignore him, but something about what he said struck a horrible cord within me. Maybe it was because of the guilt that I still harbored for putting Marcus in jail. It was a hard pill to swallow but it was either him or me, and I made the tough decision. The truth was that I would have never did to him what he did to me. I watched him have a baby and move on with someone else, and I didn’t cause him one fourth of the grief that he caused me.

I turned around, “Shut the hell up. You don’t know anything about what happened between me him. Furthermore, me and Marcus took care of each other. If it wasn’t for me your raggedy ass wouldn’t have had a job. Do you really think it’s smart to talk shit to me? Especially considering what happened to Marcus? Who is going to protect you now Rico?” I asked angrily.

He looked stunned, and I was satisfied by the dumb look on his face. I didn’t wait for a response as I got into my car. It felt good to let out some of my frustration, and I didn’t feel bad for unleashing a bit onto him. He didn’t have any right to speak to me whatsoever. I never liked him because I’ve always thought that he was a sleaze ball. He had at least 4 children by 4 different women that I knew of, and only God knew the rest. I hated people that didn’t take care of their children, and that’s probably because of the way that I grew up.

I hoped that that Kyle was home when I got back to the loft because I’d worked myself into a tizzy, and I needed him to make me feel better. I also wanted to know about what happened and about the progress of the bar. I would have to make sure that I kept my feelings suppressed until I figured out what was going on with him and Jane. Cynthia’s words flowed through my head, and I knew that she was right, but communication was something that I was going to have to work on.

When I came in I asked Sarah if Kyle had arrived yet and she assured me that he was upstairs. I smiled happily as I headed to the elevator. It’s funny how a person can become your world in such a brief period of time. I knew that I could make it without him if I had to, but I just didn’t want to. He was a beautiful surprise, and I was sure that I had built up some incredibly good karma in a past life in order to meet a man like him. It was about so much more than money although that was an amazing bonus.

I dropped my purse on living room sofa and went in search of Kyle. He was in his favorite spot of the house, upstairs on the balcony. I stepped out and took a seat on the opposite side of him at the table.

“
Hey darling,” he smiled.

“
So how did it go?”  I asked.

“
And I thought that I was direct,” he laughed.

I smacked my lips, “Whatever, just spill it.”

“I had a really positive meeting with Jane. She expressed that she was having some financial problems.”

“
Oh really?” I said sarcastically.

“
I know how it looks, but raising a child can be expensive. Luckily that’s something that she won’t have to worry about anymore. But she and I have a good understanding about what is going to happen from this point on.”

“
What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“
I mean that I explained to her that you and I are going to get married, and nothing is going to change that. I won’t abandon my son, but this isn’t going to put a dampener on our plans either,” he said with sincerity in his eyes.

“
I’ve really needed to hear that again. I’m sorry if I’m coming across as needy, but for some reason I just feel so fragile right now. I think it may be because of everything that we’ve just been through,” I said as tears began to form.

“
No need to cry. We’re stronger than all of this, and it will be okay,” he said as he stood to his feet to come over and hug me.

“
I know, it’s really silly to cry to about but I’m just so afraid that something catastrophic is going to happen. I’m constantly waiting on the other shoe to drop.”

“
You can’t think this way because it only brings more negativity. I need you to believe that we can make it through anything because we will.”

I lay my head on his shoulder and tried to pull myself together. I heard someone clear their throat.

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” Bill said.

I was startled and jumped slightly at the voice of Kyle’s lawyer.

“It’s okay Bill, I asked you to come over and so you’re not disturbing us at all,” Kyle told him. “I asked him to come over so that I we could draw up the paperwork for child support payments as well as setting up a trust fund.”

“
Oh, do you need me to leave?” I asked.

“
Please stay, I want you to be a part of this,” he said. “Bill please come have a seat and let’s get started.”