Page 7 of Ride
“Is that the only reason you wanted me to call?”
“Duh,” Winter laughed.
“See, this is going to cause me to hang up on you.” I opened the side drawer in my bedroom, seeing an old picture book.
“How is my nephew doing?”
“He’s good, in bed now.”
“Good, I won’t keep you long. I’m annoyed you didn’t come over. You could have met my date.”
“You had a date?”
“Yep, nothing serious.”
“Coming from you, that means he will not get a call back.” I flipped through the high school photos of me, a few friends, and Brett.
“Girl, the men out here are trash. He wanted me to look into paying on his child support.”
I fell over in laughter. “Stop lying, Winter.”
“Listen, I might be a lot of things, but a liar is not one of them. I politely escorted him to the door and wished him good luck.”
“How many kids he got?”
“Girl! I didn’t ask. The moment he said child, I started walking.”
I yawned, feeling myself doze in and out of sleep.
“I can hear the sleepiness in your tone. Call me later so I can meet my nephew.”
“Sure Thanks again, Winter.”
“No problem.”
Winter disconnected her line. I placed my phone on the charger and laid flat on the bed, going back in time to my younger years. Even though I was only twenty-eight, and that wasn’t old, it still felt weird to see pictures of myself in high school, happy and carefree with Laikin. I only wished he had put more effort into being a one-woman man, instead of a playboy.
Chapter Three
Laikin
On the way to the Pierce Motors Stadium Racetrack, I got a surprise call from Brett, asking why I didn’t mention picking up his sister and nephew the other day. “Bro, you of all people, know when it comes to your family, I will always come through.”
Brett grunted, barking at something in the background. “Man, Amena is so hardheaded. You can't tell her nothing.”
I hadn’t had the chance to sit down long enough to catch up with him because of practice.
“True.” I heard laughter from Kayne.
“Kayne’s over here now watching his favorite shows. Already have a few chicks who want to babysit.”
“Don’t tell me you're pimping your nephew for dates.” I laugh at his idea of getting a woman, especially when people think I’m the playboy out of the two of us.
“Shit, he’s handsome like his uncle. Gotta let the ladies know what the future kids will look like.”
“Boy, you stupid. Did Amena get her car fixed?” I stopped in the reserved section for staff, removed my keys, and took my bag out of the back.
“Pops has his friends looking into it right now. Happy she got away from the fuck up husband of hers.”