Baby Daddy Facade

Chapter 41: Have I found a man?

"Never explain- your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway." ~ Elbert Hubbard

***

Two years later.

Change of scenery, change of familiar surroundings, change mise en sc??ne was all it took ; was all I needed. Moving on and getting over something or someone are two different things and I seemed to be failing dismally at both.

New York was beyond beautiful, a busy city. I liked it here. I liked being close to my family, my brother would baby sit time and again. We would visit my parents every weekend or they would visit us here. Work was hard at first but Derrick was with me throughout the whole way, I could finally say I am the CEO of a legal law firm with plenty of professional lawyers who are always at a client's devoir. I called Richard Le roux every time I had some challenges, he was always willing to listen and assist where ever he could. He had helped me from when I was an intern at his law firm and even now he was still assisting me because he had alot experience and had my best interest at heart. I appreciated all the people that stayed in my life. People who were committed to keeping me in their lives as well.

One of them being Gray, after a year silent treatment, antagonizing animosity, breach of trust breaking, dissatisfaction and the blues; Grayson and Derrick Collins finally fixed their relationship as father and son. I helped them mend their relationship in any-way that I could because the fracas between both parties was also taking a toll on me since I considered both of them to be very important people in my life. Derrick finally accepted his son for who he really is and apologised for hurting him even though he had no knowledge of it. My friendship with Grayson grew rapidly and I trusted him more than anything or anyone he was and is my life line. The twins loved him, he instantly became family with my parents

when I invited him last thanks giving although my father didn't like the idea of his sexuality, he didn't judge him or treat him indifferently.

Alma Le roux was initially someone I had always seen as a friend but I soon realised it wasn't the case in her end of the line. She saw me as a naive girl who was obsessed with her brother. With time you realise who was really there for you and who wasn't as well as who tried to pull you down. It didn't take a fool to realise that she had always been the one delivering the news about whatever Angelo did, most of them being things that would hurt me. Angelo's engagement, Yasmine's pregnancy, she always seemed excited to tell me news that would rip of my heart from my chest and cause me pain. That certainly wasn't a friend. I distanced myself from her over these two years. I congratulated her when she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, I said happy birthday to her, i said merry Christmas, i said Happy thanks giving, she said Happy new year; that's how it was. We didn't have a proper conversation, we just had one of those forced conversations whereby she would pretend she cared about me and ask how i was doing or if I had found a man...typical.

Typical, have I found a man?

Speaking of finding a man, with so much on my plate I hardly had time to do any of that. I won't lie and say I didn't search for a bit because I did but something from my past just seemed to ruin anything and everything. My trust was broken, it wasn't easy for me to trust any man that I dated. I was constantly insecure about many things. Bottomline is all the three relationships I had in the last two years only lasted less than four months before I felt like I couldn't do it anymore. I never had sex with them, it's as if my body didn't want to function in another man's arms and that infuriated me alot. There were many encounters where we would be getting down to it only I wouldn't get aroused, i would instantly get turned off. Grayson set me up on a few disastrous blind dates, which I don't even want to remember besides everything I didn't have time for my love life. I had work and I was also a full time mother, there were just so many responsibilities and my priorities were only set on two and that was my work and my babies.

Well they ain't getting any younger because today is their eighth birthday. I still feel like they are my babies even if they turn fourty they will always my babies.

"The Pearson's son is here and Ray you know how distasteful that little boy is." Cathy alerted me with a frustrated sigh. I smiled because I truly appreciated her as well. Cathy Harrison was my new profound friend well not really new considering we had known each other for about a year and a half now. She was simply a nice person with her beautiful dark melanin skin. Cathy and I met at the twin's school meeting for all the parents. Her daughter Chloe is Ashley's best friend even Ashton was jealous because the girls had became inseparable.

"Ricky will have to behave otherwise I'm sending him back home with an uber." I giggled placing the party packs on the table outside near the pool where the kids where running around in their trunks and swimming costumes whiles others were swimming in the pool.

"Evan be careful there.." I yelled at the little redhead boy who sat on the edges of the pool clearly afraid of the water.

I had bought this house only because the twins pestered me about wanting a huge pool. They had last seen their father six months back. Richard and Martha would always request that they come spend their summers in Los Angeles and honestly I didn't mind because I could get some work done while they were gone but I would miss them dearly because the house would be dead silent without them.

Whenever they went for their summer vacation at their grandparents place, i knew they would also get some time to spend with their father. I had not laid my eyes on him ever since the incident at the airport last time I heard Yasmine had lied about the pregnancy, i don't know much and I didn't want to meddle in his private life, i clearly had mine to mind. I knew I made the right decision because we couldn't just pretend nothing had happened for the past seven years that he had not deliberately hurt me time and again. I couldn't let that go just because he let left his fianc??e on the altar for me. I needed to start over, i needed a do over and that's what I had achieved in the time I had cut him off from my life. I was

so used to having him around that it took sometime to accept everything that had happened and let it sink in. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

"Sorry I'm late, you know how crappy Tim's car is and he still won't sell it because his dead grandpa gave it to him." Grayson said rolling his eyes. "Hey Cathy." He said hugging Cathy then me right after. "Where are those little rascals ?" He removed his shades placing his two gifts on the table.

"The jumping castle." I replied with a smug on my face, i was honestly happy with the way thing were right now in my life. Tim soon showed up placing his own gift on the table. He greeted us with warmth. Tim was always a nice person, i actually considered him a friend considering he was my best friends boyfriend. Timothy Howe, his full name. How could I forget when Gray met him at a charity event in Seattle. He couldn't stop blabbering about the young man with short brown hair with wavy curls that almost covered his beautiful facial features. His gentle warm brown eyes seemed to have hit Grayson with a cupids arrow.

"They should get all dried up now and get inside because it's time to cut the cake." I said cheerfully.

"I will get that done while you fix everything inside." Cathy suggested.

"Anything I can do." Tim asked giving me a gentle toothy smile.

"No, everything is already done you can grab some drinks for yourself and Gray." I smiled walking away, i instantly turned back to Grayson and Tim. "And Gray no alcohol this is a eight year olds party." I added making Gray roll his eyes.

"You are no fun, Queen." He waved his hand hesitantly sitting on the chairs near the pool. The sun was all out so it was a good day to have a the pool party. The kids seemed cheerful about it.

While fixing and getting the huge cake from the refrigerator there was a knock on the door. I was caught off guard so I nearly dropped it but thankfully, I placed it on the kitchen island. Walking towards the door, I hesitantly opened without checking the peep hole. My heart instantly started pumping faster, it seemed like it hadn't done that in years or maybe i was just getting paranoid.

He looked so different, if not more handsome with his defined cheekbones that had a bit of stubble. His neatly combed jet black hair, he had always been tall but now his chest was much broader.. had he been working out? Even from under the suit you could see his defined muscles. He always looked magnificent in a suit but now he seemed more matured. His forest green eyes met mine and I held my breath. Why was I feeling like this? The warmth between my thighs was intense, it had been long since I last-

"Hi Raina." He took me out of my daze. It sounded as if I had not heard his voice in years.. ofcourse you haven't dummy.

"Uhm hey Angelo, how are you ?" I opened the door a little wider for him.

"I'm fine thanks, i hope you don't mind me arriving unannounced, i was here first business and I just thought why not spend this year's twins birthday with them." He gave me a smile that seemed to boil my insides. Nothing had changed, he was still the same Angelo just more matured in so many ways.

"Uh- you are right on time. We were about to cut the cake." I said with haste. It had been years and I just didn't know how to act around him.

This is still the same man whom you used to suck off so act normal because you both have been way too comfortable with each other. - my conscious mocked me.

The kids were already set around the huge table, thankfully Cathy had already done my part by adding the cake to the table. This wasn't a huge party there were just fourteen kids from the twins school and some from church.

"Follow me." I told him taking ahold of his huge gifts, my fingers slightly grazed and electric shocks seemed to travel both our bodies.