Always the Baker

Chapter 2

2

B rax

The past six months had been hell thanks to Amalia. Apparently, it wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be to replace me. She’d gone from uncaring to obsessed. Almost every other day our names were being mentioned on blogs and social media because of something she’d said or old pictures and videos she’d shared.

At first, it was comical. Now, I was past the point of anger and well into indifference. Her last stunt was telling the world she was pregnant. Of course I knew that wasn’t true. Even if it was, it wasn’t my baby, because we hadn’t been together in six months. Unless she’d done a phenomenal job of hiding her belly, there was no way in hell a baby was inside. Still, instead of defending myself against the claims online, I decided to let her fall into her own trap.

My legal team advised a meetup and pre-delivery paternity test at the facility of our choosing. As I waited for her to arrive, I listened to my mother’s wisdom. Between her and my father, they were the only two people on this earth who had the ability to keep me calm and focused on the bigger picture when I was ready to shut down or crash out. As indifferent as I felt about Amalia, I was still frustrated as hell by the situation. Instead of positive buzz about my newest song, it was buried under her bullshit. It didn’t matter how many times my agent tried to tell me all publicity was good publicity; I’d worked too hard to craft the version of me that I wanted people to see just for Amalia’s greed to cause her to try and ruin that.

“Do you have any idea why she’s doing this, Son?” Ma asked.

I shook my head and shrugged even though she couldn’t see me. “Money. She tried to move on and I’m guessing her suitors weren’t as generous as I was. Or maybe they were more controlling. Either way, she came back wanting to try again. When I told her no, that’s when she started acting crazy.”

“If I were you, I’d have her sign something to muzzle her ass,” Pops said in the background since Ma had me on speaker. “Even if you have to throw a little change her way to silence her. If that’s what it takes for you to regain the narrative and keep your peace… do that.”

I took his words into consideration. Devin told me Amalia had arrived, so I told them I’d catch up with them later. Ma said a quick prayer for me that instantly soothed my tired soul, then I ended the call. Between the quick tour I did, promoting my new three song EP, and Amalia’s bullshit, I was exhausted. The mental and emotional strain was starting to affect me physically.

As soon as I handled things with her, I planned to go to one of my favorite cities—Rose Valley Hills. It was a three hour drive away from my hometown of Memphis. While there, I didn’t plan on doing any work, but I knew there was a chance I’d still have to make appearances.

As I waited for Amalia to enter, I pulled the blunt from behind my ear to smoke. I needed to be as calm as possible to not lose my temper with his girl. I didn’t want her to think my rage meant I cared about her and our breakup. The only thing I cared about in this situation was my reputation and respect, and where I came from, niggas died and killed behind both. It was in her best interest to leave me the fuck alone before I called a few of my homegirls and sent them on a trip to LA to test her temperature. I’d try things Pops way, and if that didn’t work, I’d lower myself to meet her on her level and handle it the best way I knew how.

At the sound of her heels clicking against the tile, Devin asked, “You wanna put that out in case she is pregnant?” The look I gave him caused him to lift his hands in surrender. “Sorry.”

Devin was a great agent and one of my oldest friends. The personal bond we had often caused him to blur the lines and think he had more of a say in my life and actions than he actually did. When the door creaked open, Amalia made her way inside. Her eyes were shielded by large glasses, and there was a gray snapback on her head. The puffy sweatshirt she had on was the complete opposite of how she usually dressed, and I assumed it was her attempt to make it look like she was concealing a nonexistent baby bump. Even in a sweatsuit, she had on heels and blinding jewelry. All I could do was simper as I took a pull from the blunt, unsure what I ever saw in her beyond her sex appeal and beauty.

“Hi.” She spoke softly with more humility than she had the last time we talked.

“Wassup?” My head tilted as I looked her over. I tried to extend my hand to reach her belly, but she quickly grabbed my wrist. “You carrying my baby, right? Let me touch.”

Her breath came out hard and shaky as she looked around the white room that was filled with my team. “Can we talk… alone?”

“Anything you want to say in front of me, you can say in front of them.”

Shoulders slouched slightly, she stepped more in front of me. Her voice lowered as she confessed, “It’s personal.”

Even though I didn’t feel like she deserved the grace, I granted it, because that’s the kind of man I was. With one bob of my head, the room cleared in seconds. Amalia sat next to me on the couch.

“You blocked me on everything. It’s ridiculous I had to do all this just to get in the same room with you. I went to your show, but they wouldn’t let me in—”

“I don’t want the reasons you felt compelled to drag me on social media and spread lies. Are you pregnant or not?”

“No, I’m not. I just wanted to see you. I wanted to apologize. The way things ended between us… I was… I’m sorry.” She turned slightly and took my hand into hers. “I was so silly for letting you go so easily. You were the first man I met in the industry that was trying to have a real relationship with me. The first man that was treating me with love and respect. Clearly I wasn’t used to that.” The soft chuckle she released as she removed her shades so I could see her eyes softened me toward her, but it wasn’t going to change anything between us. I’d had time to look back on our relationship and realized she never did actually like me. Too many times people stayed in relationships because of love, loyalty, or need with people they didn’t like or couldn’t even stand. I vowed to never do that again. “I said all that to say I want us to try again. I’m sorry I had to spread rumors about us and me being pregnant, but it was the only way I knew I could get in the same room as you.”

Pulling my hand from hers, I looked toward the camera that was in the room, recording the conversation.

“Aside from us being able to have a good time, there was literally nothing between us for us to try again. I’m sure there are plenty of men out here who would jump at the chance to take care of you. Just keep trying until you find the right one, because it will never be me again.”

We stood at the same time, and she grabbed my arm, causing me to add, “This whole conversation has been recorded. If you say anything else about me or post any old pictures and videos of us to make it look like we’re together, I will post that video and let the world know the truth.” Her mouth opened and snapped shut. “Now how much is it going to cost for you to leave me alone, Amalia? Because the money is all you care about… right?”

Her head lowered as I continued. “If I pay for the BBL, will you leave me alone?”

The sound of her sniffling as she avoided my eyes caught me off guard. “You don’t have to give me any money. I really just wanted a second chance.”

I found that hard to believe. Even if she did, I was convinced she didn’t want me for me; she wanted me because of who I was in the industry.

“That’s not gonna happen,” I assured her quietly. “So this is the last time we’ll see each other then, yeah?”

I watched the range of emotions that covered her face before it hardened. With a huff, she stomped out of the room. All I could do was assume she was in agreement. If not, I’d cross that toxic ass bridge when we got there.