Page 48 of Sunday

“I did go to see Dr. Vance. Everything went well.”

“I know that shit. I saw the ultrasound pictures, and you recorded his heartbeat so I could hear it later. I want to know what the hell you were doing in that hotel later.”

She sighed. “I had another appointment, CJ. Nothing important or stressful.”

“An appointment with who?”

“Just a friend.”

“What kinda friend?”

Sunday was what I called a little lite-brite, thanks to her mixed parentage. Her face turned beet red as I questioned her.

“A female friend. What do you mean, what kind of friend?”

“I just wanted to know why you were meeting someone at the hotel.”

Sunday slowly walked back to me and tried to sit on my knee again. I wasn’t with that manipulation shit. I blocked her with my arm.

This was the shit that I always feared and why I hadn’t become involved in another relationship after divorcing Taylor. I knew trusting another woman and letting her in would only hurt me in the end. She was lying to me, the same as Taylor had done, and now she was trying to gloss over that shit by being affectionate.

“Oh, I can’t sit on you right now?”

“Not till you tell me what you were up to at that hotel.”

Sunday tilted her head to the side and dropped her mouth open. She took a seat on the opposite side of the table.

“Cedar. Are you serious right now?”

“Dead ass.”

“I would never do anything to hurt you intentionally. You know this, right?”

I smacked my hand on the table with each word.

“What. The. Fuck. Were. You. Doing. At. The. Hotel?”

“I told you I went to have lunch with an old friend. She was in town and staying at the hotel. That’s why she asked me to meet her there because it was convenient for her, and she wasn’t familiar with Cherokee Springs like that. It’s someone who I used to know in high school. It was no biggie and nothing you should be worried about. I wouldn’t cheat on you, CJ.”

I dragged my hand down my face. When I didn’t say anything else, Sunday stood and walked around the table. She moved my arms and sat on my lap.

Her soft, cool hands caressed my face, and she stared into my eyes.

“I love you, daddy. I promise that you mean the world to me, and all I want is you. No one else makes me feel the way you do. I need you to know that.”

“I know that, but I needyouto make sure that you know it. I ain’t fucking around with you, Sunny. My heart can’t take that shit. I might fuck something up the next time a woman thinksshe’s gonna play in my face. I don’t give a fuck if she’s fucking with a nigga or a woman.”

“Baby, trust me, I’m strictly dickly.”

“Yeah, and my dick betta be the only one you’re riding or sucking.”

She moved off my lap, grabbed her chair, and pulled it around to face me. She sat down, pumped her hand upward several times, and ordered, “Get up.”

I did as she said, and she kicked her foot out, knocking my chair over backward.

“Damn, you think you could’ve asked a nigga to move that shit back?”

“Shut up and drop them draws, CJ,” she demanded as she grabbed the waistband of my basketball shorts.

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