Chapter 6

6

E lias

The Following Monday

I’d been in a mood since Saturday night. Hearing Amanda say she was finally ready to be in a relationship fucked with me. I wasn’t sure if it was my ego or what, but I was pissed. All these years later and her ass finally wanted to do right after doing me wrong. How was I going to handle watching her be the woman I knew she could have been all along for another man? I couldn’t even entertain her saying she wanted to be with me because that was bullshit.

It wasn’t just her cheating and partying a lot that kept us apart, but it was more so the fact that she didn’t know how to truly be a partner. I knew her upbringing had a lot to do with that, but it was also the fact that she wasn’t willing to try. And I could respect that. We were young, so I didn’t trip over her not wanting to invest in herself or a man. However, the way Neko and I were raised made me a different caliber of man. Our mentalities and values were different.

Even when I was just in a sexual relationship with a woman, I took care of them better than some husbands took care of their wives. The last five years had been spent getting into a routine that worked for us, and I wasn’t willing to get my hopes up and risk fucking things up for one-sided love. I sincerely wanted a complete family with a wife and at least two or three more kids. I had no confidence I could get that from Amanda, regardless of how much I wanted it with her at one time. So if I had to watch her be with someone else, that was even more motivation for me to find my wife.

As I made my way into the office, I decided to call Amanda to warn her in case she got a text or call from the school about EJ. It took a while, but she answered dryly, and I wondered if it was because she was asleep or feeling some type of way about how our night ended too.

“Were you sleep?”

“No. What’s up?”

Chuckling, I stepped off the elevator. “I was just calling to let you know the school might call or text you about EJ. He wasn’t feeling well this morning, so I let him stay home.”

“What’s wrong with him?” she asked, concern dripping from her voice.

“I think it was something he ate yesterday. He was throwing up and shit and had a slight fever. I had to stop by the office to grab some things to work from home, then I’m grabbing him some broth and crackers and heading back.”

“If you need to work, I can go and be with him, E.”

“Nah, I got my little man. I just wanted to let you know. It shouldn’t take me more than thirty minutes to get everything I need, so he won’t be there alone for too long.”

She sighed. “Alright, but if you need me to go over there, just call me.”

I felt like she was going to go over anyway because that was the kind of mother she was. She might not have been the most warm and nurturing person to anyone else, but she was that and more for our son.

“Your ass finna go to my house, ain’t you?” She giggled. “Mandy…”

“I’m already dressed, Elias. I’ll leave when you get there. I promise.”

“Mhm.” That was a lie. “I’ll see you in less than an hour.”

“Alright. Get him some Pedialyte too. I know you probably have Gatorade already, but he don’t need that sugar if his stomach is upset.”

“Aight, gotcha.”

As I disconnected the call, I took in the sight of Fiona behind the receptionist desk. Kyle made me aware that he’d hired her, but she was supposed to be on Neko’s floor, not mine. Fiona wasn’t my type physically, but she was beautiful. She was short, petite, and slim. Her skin was light, face freckled, and hair ginger in color. I loved all women, but anyone could tell my type based on the woman I had a baby with.

Amanda was dark chocolate, curvy as fuck, and had distinct, black features. From her dark eyes and juicy heart shaped lips to her fat ass—no one questioned her beauty or ethnicity. Fiona was African American and Irish and had one of the prettiest faces I’d ever seen, but she wasn’t a woman I’d intentionally choose to pursue.

“Good morning, Mr. Peterson.” Fiona greeted me, making me chuckle.

“Good morning. What’s going on?”

“Well…since I mentioned knowing you, Kyle decided to put me on your floor instead of your brother’s since he isn’t here. If that’s okay…”

“Yeah, that’s cool.”

“Great! I arrived an hour early to talk to the previous floor assistant.” Fiona turned slightly and grabbed a travel cup of coffee. “She gave me some insight on you and the floor, including how you liked your coffee. Here.”

My steps were hesitant as I walked over to the large oval desk. After accepting the cup, I looked down at it briefly before taking a sip. The shit was perfect.

“Mm, this is good. Thank you, Fiona.”

“You’re welcome. I’ve gone ahead and taken the liberty of opening your planner and setting the files you’ll need for today’s meetings on your desk.”

“Actually, I need to work from home. Can you call everyone I have a meeting scheduled with and see if they don’t mind it being virtual? If so, set up Zoom links. If not, reschedule for at least three days out.”

“Sure. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. And thank you for preparing the files. That means I can leave now instead of having to do it myself.”

“You’re welcome. Let me know if you need anything else. Otherwise, I’ll see you when you get back to the office.”

I stared at her for a while before heading to my office. So far, she was off to a surprisingly good start. Her taking the initiative to come in early and meet with Chassidy was a good look. Really, I shouldn’t have been surprised. Declan had a reputation of always being two steps ahead, so of course his daughter would operate the same way.

Delcan and I met while I was getting my masters. He was a guest speaker, and I admired meeting a black man who had acquired wealth that wasn’t passed down through his bloodline like other races. I’d always felt like that was the biggest drawback for my race, and seeing someone like Declan not only make it out the hood but become a billionaire and create that wealth for his family was inspiring. It was exactly what I wanted to do.

He became my mentor and invested in me so I could invest in others. The money I used to get my first several commercial and residential properties plus N.E. Art had come from him. In exchange, he had a share in the firm, and I helped train his investors and also made bids on businesses on his behalf. It meant a lot to me that he trusted me with his investments, and so far, I hadn’t steered him wrong.

After checking a few emails and gathering the files, I headed out. Declan had arrived with balloons and flowers for Fiona since it was her first day. They made plans to have lunch together, then he decided to walk out with me.

“How’s she doing so far?” he asked as we stepped onto the elevator.

“I haven’t been here long, but she made a good first impression. I’m sure she’s going to be fine.”

“Good. I’m counting on you to take care of my baby girl while she’s in your care.”

“Come on, D. You know I got her and you.”

He nodded his agreement before changing the subject, and we made small talk as we continued down. Before going our separate ways, he mentioned a company he wanted me to look into for a future investment. I agreed and decided to call Fiona to have her write it down for when I came back. Until EJ was good, I would only have the mental capacity to work on meetings with buyers and gallery owners on Neko’s behalf. Everything else would have to wait.

As I suspected, Amanda ended up staying all day, even though I insisted I could handle it. EJ had a little energy at the start of the day, but the more he purged, the weaker he got. I entertained him by reading to him and watching TV until he went to sleep. At that point, we took turns checking on him when we heard him in the bathroom and getting whatever he needed. She warmed up the broth I’d gotten him, and he drank a little of that. Thankfully, he was able to keep it down, so that was a good sign.

I wasn’t expecting her to fix us dinner, but I appreciated it. I loved soul food, and Amanda could throw down in the kitchen. Her ass was the reason I had to get as serious as I did in the gym years ago. I’d gained a lot of weight and was determined to turn it into the lean muscle I had today. As we feasted on fried chicken, sweet potato cornbread, a turnip and mustard green mix, and rice and gravy, my soul was at peace.

I didn’t realize I had been staring at her until she chuckled. “What are you looking at?”

For a few seconds, all I could do was blink. Shaking my head, I lowered my head to my plate.

“You’re beautiful.” I wouldn’t tell her I was thinking about how my little girl would look with her long lashes, long and thick natural hair, high cheekbones, and pretty golden undertone.

“Thank you, Elias,” she cooed. “I guess I can leave now since he hasn’t thrown up in a few hours. You didn’t want me here anyway.”

I chuckled as I chewed a thick piece of cornbread. “It’s not that I didn’t want you here. I just wanted to make sure you knew I wasn’t putting work above him.”

“Oh, I wasn’t worried about that. It wasn’t like I was doing anything. I didn’t mind coming to help you with him at all.”

“You being here did allow me to take the meetings I needed to, so thank you.”

She smiled. “No thanks needed. We’re a team.”

Yeah…When it came to our son. That was always the case. If only we could be a team when it came to each other too.