“What was all that ruckus? Is everything okay?” Willow, my best friend and another psychiatrist, asked when she came out of her office.
“Everything is fine now. Mr. Richards had a moment is all.”
Willow shook her head. “We seriously need to inform Kenzi that we need to hire security as soon as possible. We don’t need a situation like last time to happen.”
“Yeah, I’m going to call her tonight. She just touched down in Tennessee, so I don’t want to bother her right now.”
“Okay, but get on it as soon as possible, Autumn. I don’t need you shooting a patient and be in prison. Jail is not for us pretty girls.”
“It would be self-defense, so jail won’t be an option.” I laughed but was very serious. There was no way I could spend a minute in jail. I wouldn’t shoot to kill, but I would wound their ass.
“Yeah, okay. Just be careful,” she warned.
“Gotcha, toots. Drinks tomorrow night?” I asked.
“I’ll check my schedule, but we should be good to go.”
“Okay. Let me prepare for my next client. I’ll see you later.”
“Okay.”
We both went back inside our offices as I sighed in exhaustion, ready for this day to hurry up and end.
Just a few more hours to go.
“This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine,” I sang to Taylor as I danced with her in my arms. Her little laughs filled the living room, and I smothered her with kisses.
“Are you hungry, baby girl?”
“Hungee, hungee!” she repeated.
I laughed. “Okay. Let’s get you some food before your daddy comes to get you.”
I walked her to the kitchen and placed her in her high chair. I swear, every day I got to see her pretty face brought me so much joy. Her daddy may have been a womanizing prick, but the one good thing that came out of our marriage was Taylor Amore Irving.
There was a time I loved Chris dearly. It wasn’t until after medical school that I had to do four more years of residency training, and things between us began to go downhill.
We married right out of college and moved to Ann Arbor to start our lives together. He was there, cheering me on all throughout medical school until I started my residency.
That was when the long hours and late nights started to get to me, and I wasn’t as active with him as I wanted to be. I tried to keep up, but I could tell he was checking out.
At first, it bothered me that he didn’t understand how bad I wanted this and how close I was to getting my medical license, but after a while, I realized I couldn’t please him.
The arguing started, and then things felt robotic.
The last year of my residency, I ended up pregnant, he ended up cheating with his assistant, and we ended our marriage.
We were good co-parents, but if I never had to see or talk to his ass, it would be too soon. Chris always made it his business to try to piss me off, but I never let it get to me.
I had been celibate going on two years, and I was fine with that. Niggas these days weren’t worth the ball sacks they spewed out of.
I warmed up Taylor’s mac and cheese, made her some homemade applesauce, and cut up some chicken nuggets for her. Being a mother had been one of my life’s greatest joys. When my career got too crazy, coming home to her made everything better.
After she finished eating, I took her to the bathroom to get cleaned up, just as the doorbell rang. I purposely took my time getting her together before I went to answer the door.
When I opened it, Chris stood with a slight frown.
“Why’d it take you so long to open the door?”