Give Me The Reason 2: A Love Story (13 page)

Chapter Twenty

It had been several months since Tyson had seen or spoken to Delaney. He’d just left Doc’s on Cumberland after having a few drinks and decided to go by Delaney’s house. He tried to stay away from her, but he just couldn’t. Maybe the drinks he’d just had played a part in his decision to pop up at her place unannounced. It was still pretty early, so he knew she would still be awake.

When Tyson pulled up to Delaney’s townhouse, he noticed a man walking up to her door with flowers in his hands.

Fuck it!
He banged on the steering wheel, pumped up the music in his truck and sped off. He decided to go by Ashanti’s place and check on his little man. Part of him felt bad for neglecting Ashanti all of this time, especially when the paternity results came back naming him as the father. 99.9999% to be exact.

Tyson had a key to Ashanti’s place, but he never used it. He rang the doorbell and waited for her to answer.

“Hey Ty! I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight. Come on in.” She smiled. 

Tyson walked through the door looking for his son. He admired the way Ashanti kept a clean house. It always smelled so good whenever he came by.

“I don’t know why you won’t use your key. You are welcome to come in whenever you want,” she said, while Tyson followed her into the living room.

“And I told you that I’m not using the key unless there is an emergency,” he said, taking a seat on the red micro-fiber sectional.

Ashanti got up and walked into the kitchen. “Do you want something to drink? I was just pouring myself a small glass of wine.” She called out from the kitchen.

“Yeah, but I don’t want any wine,”

“I have a few Heineken’s in the refrigerator, because I know that’s your favorite.”

Ashanti returned with a glass of wine for herself and a bottle of Heineken for Tyson. There was clearly something bothering Tyson, by the look on his face. She couldn’t tell if he was angry or sad, or both.

“Where is Tyshawn? And why are you drinking?” Tyson questioned, taking a huge gulp of his beer.

“Your son is sleeping. He’s been up all day, so hopefully he will sleep through the night. Besides, I’m having one small glass of wine, Ty. It’s not like I’m sitting here getting smashed,” she said, clearly annoyed.

Tyson finished off the rest of his beer in one big gulp. “Well Imma bounce. I just came by to see lil’ Ty, but I will stop by some time tomorrow,” he stood up to leave.

“Wait, let me at least fix you something to eat before you leave,” Ashanti said. She was not ready for Tyson to leave. The baby was sleep and she was bored out of her mind.

“Nah thanks, but I’m good. I ate a little while ago at Doc’s.”

“What’s wrong, Ty, I can tell something is bothering you? You know you can talk to me. We are still friends, right?” Ashanti walked up in front to him, grabbing both of his hands. She felt a small twinge of guilt knowing that she tricked him into believing that the baby was his. However, the feeling passed as quickly as it came over her. Tyson was her man first, and she refused to let him just walk out of her life. Ashanti felt like she deserved his love because she put in the work. This new chick didn’t have shit on her or the amount of years they’d spent together.

“I’m good, Shanti. But I really should go, I’ll holla at you tomorrow,” he said, looking into her eyes.

Ashanti could see the sadness in his eyes and she knew it had to be something to do with that bitch, Delaney.

“Don’t go, Ty, just come sit down and watch a movie with me. Plus, you’ve been drinking and you know how these Cobb County police are,” she said, pulling him towards the sofa.

Tyson’s head was telling him to get in his truck and leave, but his other head was telling him to stay. Thoughts of Delaney laid up with ole boy entered his mind, along with the alcohol he’d been drinking made his decision to stay easier.

Ashanti sat down on the sofa and patted the space right beside her. She was all smiles. Tyson kicked off his shoes, and sat down beside Ashanti.

Ashanti flipped through the movies on Netflix until they both agreed on the movie,
The Wood
staring Omar Epps. Tyson sat back on the sofa and got comfortable.

“Imma go grab you another beer and go check on the baby before we start the movie,” Ashanti said.

“No, I’ll go check on Ty while you get the drinks. I haven’t seen my lil’ man in two days.” He smiled. Seeing lil’ Ty always made him feel better. Tyson walked into Tyshawn’s bedroom to find him sleeping peacefully in his crib. Tyson bent down and softly kissed the baby on his chubby little cheek. He stood there and watched him sleep for a few more minutes before walking out of the room to join Ashanti for a night of Netflix and chill.

When Tyson walked back into the living room, he found Ashanti sitting on the sofa wearing a pair of purple boy shorts and a purple tank top eating a bowl of popcorn. She was looking sexy as hell too.

“Come on, Ty, sit down so I can start the movie. I thought you had crawled in the crib with the baby and went to sleep,” she joked.

Tyson cleared his throat and sat down beside her. He tried his best not to look at her smooth vanilla latte colored thighs.

“Oh shit, I forgot your beer. I was too busy trying to make sure I didn’t burn the popcorn.” Ashanti stood up and all Tyson saw was her juicy ass staring him in the face.

Ashanti was well aware of what she was doing and it was working like a charm too. She saw the way Tyson was staring at her thighs when he sat down beside her.
Boom, got’em! She thought to herself.
Surely his dick was now standing at attention, and she had plans on relieving all of his stress tonight.

She knew Tyson was going to be eyeballing her ass when she walked to the kitchen to get the beer. And she was right too. Tyson couldn’t take his eyes off of her ass.

“Here ya go,” she said, handing him the bottle of beer.

“Thanks,” Tyson said, scooting away from her on the sofa. He knew this Netflix and chill shit was a bad idea. The bulge in his pants told him exactly that.

Surprisingly, Ashanti hadn’t made a move on him at all. Tyson found himself laughing and having a pretty good time with Ashanti. Once the movie was over, Ashanti reached for the remote control to find another movie for them to watch.

“It’s getting late, Shanti, I should get going.” Tyson sat up and reached for his shoes.

“Ty, don’t go. Stay the night, no strings attached,” she said in desperation.

Ashanti stood up and removed the tank top and the boy shorts that she had on.

Tyson fell back on the sofa and stared at her body. She looked amazing after having a baby only four months ago. Ashanti straddled his lap and kissed him gently on the lips. He let out a soft moan as she slowly grinded on his lap.

“Make love to me, Tyson. It’s been a long time and I need to feel you inside of me,” she whispered in his ear.

Alarms were going off in his head, warning him not to go there with her. However, his dick was playing a whole other tune. Tyson wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

Ashanti kissed Tyson deeply, enjoying the way their tongues danced together in each other’s mouths. Tyson’s hands roamed over her shoulders, down her back, and all over her plump ass.

Ashanti reached down and pulled Tyson’s shirt off above his head and tossed it on the floor. Afterwards, she kissed her way down his chest. She slid off his lap and got onto her knees in between his legs. Ashanti unbuckled his belt, unzipped his jeans, and pulled them off along with his boxers.

Once Tyson was completely naked she went to work on his hard chocolate stick. She took him all the way inside of her mouth, until the head of his dick was touching her tonsils.

“Damn, Shanti,” he moaned, grabbing the back of her head. She continued to suck his dick as if her life depended on it. Ashanti was slurping and sucking the head of his dick like it was her favorite lollipop.

Tyson forgot how good her head game was. He laid his head back on the sofa and closed his eyes, as she sucked him into oblivion.

“I wanna hit that pussy from the back.” Tyson said, unable to take much more of her head game.

Ashanti easily complied. She stood up and placed both of her knees on the sofa and bent over, arching her ass high in the air. Tyson pushed himself deep inside of her in one swift movement. Against his better judgment, he entered her raw. He made a mental note to pull out and not release inside of her. One baby was enough.

“Ahhh shit! Yes baby, go deep!” she moaned.

Tyson stoked her wet pussy hard and long. He gripped her by the waist and plunged in and out of her over and over again.

Ashanti was throwing her pussy back on him, and bouncing her ass like she was in a twerk video.

“Yes daddy, fuck this pussy! I missed you so much, Ty. This is your pussy, baby! Yesssssss!!” she called out. He was hitting her spot and she knew at any moment she was going to cum all over his dick.

Tyson tried to block out the guilt he was feeling. Thoughts of Delaney suddenly entered his mind. He knew he should have taken his ass home.

“Fuck me, Ty! Ohhh shit I’m about to cum, baby!” Ashanti was loving every minute of it. She had waited so long for Tyson to break and now she had him right where she wanted him.

“Ohhhhh yessss, I’m cuummminnnng baby!” she yelled, as she came all over Tyson’s magic stick.

Tyson pulled out of her and sat down on the sofa. The realization of what he’d just done hit him hard.
Fuck!
Silently he kicked himself for falling prey to Ashanti’s wiles.

Ashanti was still on her knees breathing heavily, trying to regain her composure.

“What’s wrong, baby?” she asked turning around and falling back on the sofa.

“This was a mistake, Ashanti. I’m still in love with Delaney. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Ashanti sat up and stared at Tyson with tears in her eyes. “Really Ty! How are you going to bring that bitch’s name up right after we just made love?”

“I’m sorry, Shanti, but this was a mistake. I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I’ve always been honest with you,” he said reaching for his clothes.

“Is that why you couldn’t cum? Because you were thinking about her when you were fucking me?” she yelled.

“Yes, that is exactly why.” Tyson stood up fully dressed. “Listen Imma head out, and again I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I’ll be by later to pick up Tyshawn.”

“Fuck you, Ty! I fucking hate you!” Ashanti cried. She felt so played and stupid. She pulled her knees up to her chest, hiding her face in shame.

“Bye Shanti,” Tyson said and walked out of the front door.

Chapter Twenty-One

It was Delaney’s twenty-sixth birthday and her mother, Ava, and Uncle Cam were throwing her a birthday party over at her mother’s house. Delaney couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a birthday party and she was amped up about it.

The outfit she was going to wear had been picked out for about a week or so. She’d found the cutest hunter green, hi-lo halter dress online. As soon as the package arrived, she ripped it open and tried it on. The dress fit her to the tee and hugged her curves while showing off her well-toned thighs.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining brightly, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. She loved being a summer baby, because the weather was usually nice which meant she got to wear her favorite dresses almost every day of the week. Delaney wore her hair in it naturally curly state. Instead of putting it up in a messy bun, she chose to wear it down. Since it was her birthday, she applied some eyeliner to her eyes, a little blush on her cheeks, and gloss to her lips. After slipping her feet into a pair of strappy beige flat sandals she was ready for the festivities.

“Tash, are you almost ready?” Delaney called out. Natasha was known for being notoriously late, so she told her to be ready thirty minutes before she was ready to leave.

When she didn’t get a response, she walked downstairs looking for Natasha.

“Well damn! I can’t believe you are sitting there dressed and ready to go?” Delaney joked.

Natasha looked amazing in a blue jean short romper. Of course her cleavage was pouring out of the top of the romper, but that was just Natasha. The rust colored belt accentuated her waist and made her ass look even bigger than it already was.

Natasha stood up and did her famous twirl. “Yasssss, I am dressed, ready, and looking fabulous as ever!”

“You do look great, sis! You better werk that romper, and those shoes are killing it!” Delaney said, admiring the rust colored open toe wedges on Natasha’s feet.

“Thanks best friend, but you are slaying with that dress! Yassssss! Work them curves!” Natasha snapped her fingers in a dramatic fashion.

“Oh Laney, let me make up your face! Please, and don’t say no! This is a special day. Please it will help me in my new venture,” Natasha squealed. Ever since Natasha had been staying with Delaney, she enrolled in beauty school and was taking up cosmetology.

Seeing the excitement on Natasha’s face was priceless. Delaney knew how much Natasha wanted her own identity. She was bored with just being a housewife and wanted more out of life. Hair, make-up, and fashion had always been her thing, so it made perfect sense.

“Well, ok I guess it won’t hurt to wear a face of make-up for one day.” Delaney smiled.

“Great! Let me run upstairs and get my beauty box so I can beat your face to the Gods, honey!” She jumped up excitedly.

Delaney couldn’t help but laugh. Natasha hadn’t been this happy in a long time and it was good to see her genuinely happy for a change.

Jason still wasn’t really speaking to Natasha unless it had to do with their household business. But at least he hadn’t filed for a divorce, so there was still hope.

Natasha came bouncing down the stairs with her supplies ready to make up Delaney’s face. “Ok, have a seat in my chair please, ma’am.”

“OMG really, Tash, is all of that necessary?” Delaney chuckled.

“Oh just go with it, sis!” Natasha scolded.

The two of them talked and laughed as Natasha worked her magic on Delaney’s face. When Natasha was finished, she handed Delaney the mirror.

“
Wow!
I look amazing! You did a great job, sis. I’ve never seen myself like this before,” Delaney said, admiring herself in the mirror. She pursed her lips, making all kinds of model faces.

“You look absolutely beautiful, Delaney! I think I outdid myself!” Natasha smiled proudly. She couldn’t wait to finish her classes and become a certified cosmetologist. Hair and make-up was definitely her niche.

“Wait, wait…let me take a picture of you for my portfolio.” Natasha walked over to her purse and fished out her iPhone. In her opinion, iPhones had the best cameras.

After taking several head shots of Delaney, Natasha saved the pics in a file labeled
my portfolio.

“Well, let’s get going chick!” Delaney said.

The two beauties hopped in Delaney’s black Infinity and headed to her mother’s house.

“Tash, you know Jason is going to be at the party, right?” Delaney asked, cutting her eye at Natasha. Uncle Cam was fond of Jason and he’d invite him. Plus, Delaney and Jason had been friends since middle school.

“Yeah, I kinda figured he would be. You and he have been friends a long time. I’m cool.”

“Ok sis, I just wanna be sure you’re cool with it, because it may be a little uncomfortable for you to be in the same room with him while y’all going through this separation.”

“I’m good, Laney, really I am. This is your day, so it’s all about you. I can handle being in a room with Jason for a few hours.” She smiled, and turned the radio up.

***

Delaney pulled her car into the driveway and noticed there were already several cars parked in front of her mother’s house. As soon as they stepped out of the car, they could hear the music playing and smell the grill going.

“Uncle Cam must be on the grill already,” Natasha said, closing the car door.

“Yeah, well you know how much he loves to cook out. It could be twenty degrees outside and he will still fire up that grill.” Delaney laughed.

Delaney turned the doorknob to her mother’s house, and opened the door.

“Hey everybody!” she yelled, over the music.

“Oh my baby is here!” Ava squealed. She had the biggest smile on her face. She thanked God religiously every day for sparing her baby girl. Their relationship was so much better and Ava was grateful for the opportunity to right some of her wrongs.

“Happy birthday, baby!” Ava hugged Delaney tightly. She rolled her eyes at Natasha.

“Mama, be nice. It’s my birthday and Natasha is my best friend.” Delaney nudged her arm, pleading with her to be nice to Natasha.

“Huummmph, hey,” Ava grunted and threw up her hand.

Natasha flashed a fake smile and walked away in search of Uncle Cam. Ava could kiss her ass as far as she was concerned.

“Mama, why you gotta treat her like that? What has Natasha ever done to you? I can understand your issue with Auntie Dana, but what does that have to do with Tash?” Delaney asked.

“Girl, come on here and speak to your company,” Ava said, changing the subject. She wasn’t trying to get into a discussion about her issues with Dana’s daughter.

Delaney was happy to see many of her family members, neighbors, and even some of her high school friends were there. After speaking and hugging everyone, she walked out back on the deck to find her favorite uncle.

“There’s my girl!” Uncle Cam smiled proudly. “Happy birthday, my beautiful baby girl” he said, wrapping Delaney up in his large arms.

“Hey, Uncle Cam!” Delaney smiled brightly, kissing him on the cheek. Nothing compared to the love her favorite uncle had always shown her.

“So has anyone heard from daddy?” she asked looking around. Earlier in the week she’d spoken to him and told him to come by Ava’s house for her birthday party.

“Uh no, I haven’t seen or talked to Cane in quite a while,” Cam said, walking back over to the grill. Delaney simply frowned and shrugged her shoulders. Maybe he would be a no show today, like he’d been for most of her life. Oh well, she had her best friend, favorite uncle, and her mother, so all was well in her world.

Suddenly a feeling of sadness crept up on her when she thought about Tyson. How she wished he could be there celebrating her birthday along with the rest of her loved ones.

“Why the long face, baby girl?” Cam asked, noticing the hint of sadness in her green eyes.

“Oh nothing really. Just wish Tyson could be here. But I’m ok.” She faked a smile.

Cam knew better and he knew she wasn’t alright. That is exactly why he invited the young man to Delaney’s birthday party.

“You young people need to learn how to work things out and quit all this running away when things get tough. I wished someone would have given me the same advice when I was younger. If so, the relationships in my life would be a whole helluva lot different.” The moment he was sharing with Delaney felt so natural. Being her biological father was different from the role he’d always played in her life.

“But Uncle Cam, Tyson has a baby with another woman. A woman I didn’t even know existed. He says he doesn’t have any feelings for her, but I know for a fact that she still has feelings for him. A situation like this can get messy and I’m tired of being hurt. Sometimes it’s just easier to be alone,” she said, looking down at her hands.

Cam used his index finger and lifted her head up by her chin. “Baby girl, do you love him? I mean really love him, unconditionally?”

“Yes, Unc, I do.” She blushed.

“Well then work it out, baby. Nothing worth having comes easy.”

The talk with Uncle Cam made her feel so much better about things. Maybe reaching out to Tyson and seeing if they could work things out wasn’t such a bad idea.

The rest of the day went great. The food was delicious, the music was bumping, and everyone was having a great time. Delaney noticed she hadn’t seen Natasha in a while, so she went looking for her. When she walked into the kitchen she saw Natasha talking to Jason, but it appeared as if they were having a heated argument on the low.

“Hey Jason! Glad you came through, bruh!” Delaney squealed, embracing him in a hug.

“Hey there, Laney, you’re looking good! Oh and happy birthday by the way.” He smiled.

Natasha had tears in her eyes, which concerned Delaney.

“I will be right back. I need to use the bathroom,” Natasha said, hurriedly walking away.

“Is everything ok, Jason? Both of you look upset right now,” Delaney said, her voice laced with concern. Her heart broke for her friends. She hoped they’d be able to work through their issues and come out okay.

“Laney, this shit is just hard for me. You of all people know how much I love that woman, but the thought of her fucking around on me and getting pregnant is way too much,” Jason said, rubbing his hands over his face.

Delaney could see the raw pain in his eyes and it broke her heart. She never imagined Jason and Natasha’s relationship being on the brink of a break up.

“Jason, just so you know, I didn’t know anything about the affair or I would have warned her against it. But in Tash’s defense, she really does love you. I’m not making any excuses for what she did, but I know she regrets it every day of her life. I truly understand your pain, but I can also understand Tash’s pain as well. My prayer for you and Natasha is that you both sit down and hear each other out. You may be surprised at what you hear. Just think about it.”

“Yeah well, maybe next time she will think twice with the next man she’s with. Laney this marriage is over.” He scowled. Jason refused to let Delaney’s words affect him. In his mind Natasha was the blame. There was no excuse for her infidelity.

“Give it some more time, Jason. Don’t file for a divorce too hastily. I love you and Natasha so much, and I am praying that y’all can work things out,” Delaney said, gently rubbing his arm.

“Well, let me get going. I just wanted to come through and wish you a happy birthday. Oh and give you this.” Jason handed Delaney a beautifully wrapped package.

Her face lit up, because she loved receiving gifts. “Thanks Jason! You’re the best, bruh!”

Natasha walked back into the kitchen with bloodshot eyes. It was evident that she’d been crying.

“Here you go,” she said, handing Jason a to-go plate.

“Thanks.” He took the plate from her hand. “Imma holla at y’all later,” he said, turning to leave.

Natasha’s heart shattered into a million pieces. She hadn’t seen his face in so long, and the moment she did all they did was fight.

“Hey boo, are you going to be ok?” Delaney asked, wrapping her arm around Natasha’s shoulder.

“Yes, sis, look let’s talk about this later. This is your party and we are supposed to be having a good time celebrating. My marital issues are not important right now.” She forced a smile to ease Delaney’s mind.

Suddenly, Natasha’s face lit up and a huge smile spread across her face. “OMG, Delaney look, turn around.” She pointed.

Delaney’s eyebrows rose in confusion.
Did Jason come back or something?
She thought to herself. When Delaney turned around, she was face to face with Tyson. He looked sexy as hell rocking a pair of long beige cargo shorts and a pullover crisp white Polo.

“Happy birthday, beautiful.” He smiled, flashing his dimples. Tyson had the biggest smile on his face as he held a giant arrangement of flowers in his hands.

“These are for you,” he said, handing Delaney the flowers.

“Thank you!” She smiled, taking the huge flower arrangement from him and placing it in the center of her mother’s dining room table.