The Ex Project by Nia Arthurs

Chapter Nine

Yolanda walkedon shaky legs to the truck and watched carefully as Marcy rolled on. After she’d climbed into the passenger seat, she buckled up and stared straight ahead.

“What was that—”

“Focus on driving.”

“He was just—”

“Eyes on the road.” She pressed a hand to her chest and felt her heart racing. “You need to concentrate.”

Marcy pulled at the levers within arm’s reach. “I can talk and drive.”

“I’d prefer if you didn’t.”

“Does my sister know you’re dating Tay-Tay’s coach?”

She knows I slept with him.“It’s not a big deal.”

Wrong.

So wrong.

All Duane did was put his big, strong arms around her and she melted into his embrace like she belonged there. It felt… magical.

Which was insane.

And a little pathetic.

She’d been with plenty of men. And she remembered being with them. Why was Duane lighting her body up? Why couldn’t she remember what those glorious lips had felt like against her skin?

Marcy gasped. “Does Tay-Tay know?”

“No.” She frowned in her direction. “I don’t want him to find out.”

“Why? He adores Coach Marden. He talks about football like eighty percent of the time. I mean, when he bothers speaking to anyone.”

“Coach Marden and I won’t be together for long, so I don’t want Tay-Tay to find out about our… relationship.” Was it a relationship? It felt more like a ‘situation’. “It’ll only confuse him.”

“Why won’t you be together for long? He’s ten times hotter than Devon and a hundred times nicer. Plus, he actually likes kids.”

“Devon likes kids.”

“Devon barely likes his own kid.”

“That’s not true,” she said, unsure of why she was defending him but feeling like she should. “He likes Tay-Tay. He just… doesn’t like the responsibility that comes with him.”

“Well, let’s just pony up the Father of the Year award,” Marcy mumbled.

Yolanda laughed.

“Next question—”

“You ask too many questions.”

Marcy opened her mouth to continue her interrogation, but Yolanda was saved by her chirping cell phone.

She lifted the device and her smile dripped off her face.

Devon.

Although she wanted to keep ignoring him, she answered gruffly. “What do you want?”

“I’ll be back in the city tomorrow. Let’s meet up.”

“No.”

“I want to talk to you.”

“Whatever you need to say can be shared right here.”

Devon huffed. “Are you really dating that guy?”

Yolanda would have burst out laughing, but the irritation clogging her throat kept her silent.

“He’s Tay-Tay’s coach. Have you thought about how that’ll affect our kid?”

“All I think about is Tay-Tay. How dare you insinuate otherwise?”

“That coach is shady. I can tell.”

“Oh, you can? What exactly is shady about him?”

“He—”

“And why didn’t you pick this up when you signed Tay-Tay up for football without my permission?”

“He’s got a good act. That’s why he fooled me.”

She rolled her eyes so hard she gave herself a headache.

“I don’t want my boy around someone who’ll take advantage of his mother.” Devon paused. “I think we should take him out of football practice.”

Yolanda went tense. “No.”

“As the father, I get to decide.”

If Devon was in front of her, she would grab him by the neck and choke him. “Is that your only responsibility as a father? To make ridiculous demands because you’re jealous?”

“There are other football teachers.”

“Tay-Tay’s already attached to this one,” she hissed. “He just got off a break. He wants to prove himself to his teammates and you’re not getting in the way of that.”

Marcy made a sound in the back of her throat. Is Devon bothering you?

Yolanda looked at her and shook her head. He’s unbelievable.

“That’s another thing I disagree with,” Devon said loudly. “Why should my boy be punished for defending himself? Boys fight. It’s a part of life. That coach is teaching them how to be pansies.”

“I don’t care about your ridiculous ‘boys will be boys’ mentality. My son will learn to handle his problems with intelligence rather than violence.”

“Yolanda, you’re being too soft on the boy. What if he turns out to be a crybaby, huh? What will you do then?”

“If our son grows up to be an honorable, well-tempered man who’s unafraid of expressing his emotions, I will count that as a job well done. A job you had little to do with.”

“Is that why you’re dating that coach? Because you’re looking for a daddy for Tay-Tay?”

Her anger spiked. “Whether I am or not is none of your business.”

“So you are.”

“Oh my go—what if I am, Devon? What if I want a man to be in my son’s life who doesn’t make promises and let him down? What if I want someone who doesn’t have to be dragged to court to pay his child support, hm? What if I want someone I can rely on when I have places to go and Tay-Tay needs supervision?”

“I’ll be that man.”

She snorted.

“It’s true, Yol. Just give me another chance. I’ll be the man you and Tay-Tay deserve.”

“Are you saying that because you really mean it or because you don’t want me to date other people?”

“No one can replace me in my son’s life, Yolanda. Both of you are family. You belong to me.”

She pulled the phone away and glanced at Marcy. “How much will it cost me to repair this truck if I throw my phone through your windshield?”

“You can afford it, but we’ll have to custom-order a new windshield and I won’t be able to drive until we ship it in,” Marcy whispered. “It’s too much hassle for me.”

Damn. Yolanda forced the phone back to her ear. “If you have nothing intelligent to say, I’ll end this conversation here. Goodbye, Devon.” She hung up.

Marcy frowned. “Can’t we find some way to quietly get rid of him?”

“Are you conspiring murder right now?”

“Noooo.” She smiled brightly. “If I wanted to kill him, I’d spike his smoothie when he comes to our truck expecting freebies.”

Yolanda held her head. “It feels like our son is more mature than he is.”

“Look on the bright side. At least Devon’s handsome.” Marcy stopped the car in front of her parents’ home. “Paired with your incredible genes, Tay-Tay is going to be extremely good-looking for the rest of his life.”

“You’re right. I should be grateful for the small things.”

“Amen.” Marcy dipped her head.

The front door opened and Giselle’s mother rushed out. She wrung her hands nervously, watching from afar as Marcy made her way down the ramp of the van and wheeled onto the driveway.

“Mom, you can relax. I’m not going to fall off.”

“Every time you leave in that van, it feels like my heart flies out of my chest. Do you have to be so independent?”

“I can’t be your baby forever, mom.” Marcy flapped her hands. “I gotta spread my wings.”

Yolanda drew close to Giselle and Marcy’s mom. “Thanks for watching Tay-Tay for me.”

“Thanks for going with Marcy to her doctor’s appointment.”

“No problem.” She planted her hands on her hips. “Did Tay-Tay give you any trouble?”

“Oh, my honorary grandson is a dream. He just sits quietly and plays on his phone.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I know. He can do that happily all day. It’s a struggle to get him to focus on the real world.”

Mrs. Stone chuckled. “Are you coming in?”

“No, I need to get going. I have an event at my sister’s art gallery tomorrow and my hairdresser is coming by to re-do my weave.”

“I see.” Mrs. Stone smiled prettily. “Do you need me to watch Tay-Tay tomorrow?”

“Cole’s mom already offered for him to come over.”

Mrs. Stone pouted. “You could have asked me.”

“I know, but he and Justin are really close. And I thought you’d want a break.”

“I love having Tay-Tay around. Especially since Giselle is dragging her feet to get married and have babies. That girl. When I was her age, I would have jumped on someone like West so no one else could have him.”

“She’ll get married when she’s ready, ma.”

Mrs. Stone shot Marcy a dark look. “You, stop encouraging her.”

Marcy rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, don’t be afraid to send my grandbaby over here, Yolanda. I love having him around.”

“Got it.” Yolanda couldn’t help but smile. Tay-Tay was surrounded by warm people who loved him dearly. Although she’d just met Cole’s parents recently, they already felt like a part of the extended family. Tay-Tay was loved. He didn’t need Devon to grow up into a good man, right?

“Here he is.” Mrs. Stone grinned broadly when Tay-Tay emerged with his school bag. Her son stumbled through the grass, his eyes on his cell phone. Yolanda scowled. One of these days, she’d hide that phone and force him to play outside the old-fashioned way.

“My handsome boy,” Mrs. Stone cooed over Tay-Tay who let her pinch his cheeks without complaint. “Come back soon.”

“I will.”

Marcy waved her goodbyes.

Yolanda blew them a sweeping kiss and dropped her arm over Tay-Tay’s shoulder. He tried to wiggle away, but she held fast and pressed the side of her cheek against his head.

Her baby was growing up so fast. She remembered when he was tiny enough to fit in the crook of her arm. Now, he was shooting up like a weed.

They climbed into the car and she closed her eyes for a second.

“Did something happen?” Tay-Tay asked, pulling on his seatbelt.

“No.”

He peered at her face. “Dad called, didn’t he?”

“How did you know?”

“You get wrinkles right here.” He pointed to the space between her eyebrows. “It happens every time you talk to him. You look tired.”

She cupped his cheek. “It’s just been a long day, baby. That’s all.”

“Mom?”

“Hm.”

“Have you ever thought of…”

“What?” She started the car and drove.

“Getting back with dad?”

She almost slammed on the brakes.

“Coach Marden said he used to fight with a guy on his old team. The guy beat him up and hated him. But, eventually, they talked it out and became good friends. Coach Marden said he gave a toast at that guy’s wedding.”

“Tay-Tay, your father and I—”

He blinked up at her, his dark eyes full of innocence and his nose upturned.

She bit down on her bottom lip. How could she look into those eyes and tell him there was no hope?

“Do you miss your dad that much?” she whispered.

Tay-Tay shrugged. “I guess.”

“Are you still upset about the comments he made the other day?”

“He said I wasn’t good enough to go pro.” Tay-Tay glanced outside. “But if he was around more, if he actually came to my games, maybe he’d say something different.”

Yolanda’s heart broke. It didn’t matter if West, Cole, Duane or any other male mentor stepped in. Tay-Tay wanted his biological father and, as his mother, she would make sure that happened.

When they got home, Yolanda picked up the phone. With trembling fingers, she dialed Devon’s number.

He answered immediately. “Yol?”

“I’m seeing Tay-Tay’s coach.”

He went silent.

“But,” she chewed on her bottom lip, “if you meant what you said earlier, about doing better and actually showing up for our son, I’ll consider it.”

“Consider what?” Devon whispered.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Yolanda knew Devon was only making promises to get into her good graces, but it was a motivator, wasn’t it? Maybe this time, his paternal instincts would kick in.

“Consider what, Yollie?” Devon pressed.

“I’ll consider… giving you another chance.”