I hung up, locked my phone, and prepped the soundboard for Rome to hop back in.
“You know you really are sprung, right?”
I looked at him and he lifted an eyebrow like he was daring me to deny it. Shit. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I’d never felthow I felt with Myome for anyone else. I could see this marriage shit working out long-term. I cared about her, her health, and her happiness and wanted to contribute to the betterment of all of that in any way I could. I loved spending time with her and thought she was smart and funny. Hell. Not only did I see her chilling with me and my family long-term, but I could see us having our own one day too. She’d be one hell of a mother and she made me want to make sure I’d always be one hell of a husband and father as well.
Hearing her conversation with her parents reiterated that I needed to stay on top of my cash though. That comment about me not being able to keep her afloat fucked with me and was also why I’d agreed to get on something with Bino. If I needed to start rapping again and not just producing to provide for ’Yome, that’s what I would do, whether I was excited about it or not. Shit. She was worth being uncomfortable for… and if that willingness to do things I didn’t want to do and the desire I had to grow and provide for someone who wasn’t a member of my biological family wasn’t what love was to a nigga like me, I didn’t know what was.
“If you know I’m sprung, why aren’t you doing this shit right so I can be on time for her performance?”
Rome chuckled and nodded. “I’m ready.”
“Let’s do it then.”
I started the music and locked in so I could get him wrapped and jump back to Merch before letting Alan play on the damn microphone for thirty minutes.
I bobbed my head as Myome and her group performed on the festival stage, my eyes going from her performing to thecrowd, back and forth. She was doing well. She looked good and sounded better. The crowd wasn’t huge but they weren’t a big name so that was to be expected. There was a good amount of people for where they were and they all looked happy about the performance. There were phones up and people even knew some of the lyrics. I was proud.
I took a quick video of her while she walked toward me and winked before falling into the next part of her choreo. I put a wedding ring on it and posted.
“Drix?” A hand touched my shoulder and I did a double take.
Fuck.
“Monica,” I said stiffly, nudging her hand from my arm.
She giggled and rolled her eyes. “I can’t touch you now?”
“Hell nah.” I took half a step away from her. “I actually don’t even want you speaking to me without witnesses present.”
“You don’t think that’s being dramatic?”
“Nah. You told people I beat yo’ ass, Monica.” I crossed my arms over my chest, my eyes still planted on Myome.
“I dropped the charges.” Monica took a step closer to me.
I resisted the urge to argue with her. If she didn’t see an issue with trying to send me to jail, cool. I just wanted her to shut up talking to me.
“Look, I’m not stalking you, Drix. I actually go on stage next and just happened to see you standing over here by yourself, so I decided to come over and tell you I was sorry.”
“I hear you.”
“But do you forgive me?”
“Does it matter?” I looked at her.
“Yeah, it does. I mean, before we started arguing and cheating on each other and being toxic, I genuinely loved you, Drix. I hate that I did you like that and I just… I’m sorry, alright?”
“I hear you.” I looked back at Myome who’d apparently caught sight of us together because she kept glancing over.
Monica tried to bait me. “You hear me but you don’t forgive me?”
“Man, look, if you want me to tell you I forgive you so you can live with yourself, cool. I forgive you. Is that it?”
Monica exhaled and nervously shifted on her feet.
“Honestly, no. That isn’t it. Drix, I miss you and was hoping we could maybe meet up somewhere after the concert and talk about everything.”
“I’m married, Monica.”