*Unedited*
Chapter One
2017…
“So you're going to sit here and lie to me?” Bristol barked, the vein in her neck throbbing profusely.
“I ain't lying,” Carti responded casually, rubbing his hand down his fade.
Bristol glared at him, disgusted that he wouldn’t tell her the truth about the other woman in his life. He had been caught red-handed and he still didn’t have the decency to be honest with her.
“So why did the sales lady get me mixed up with Miranda? Me and that bitch don't look shit alike. She was confident that I ordered some shoes and even called me by that bitch’s name.”
Carti sighed. “I don't fucking know. Stop asking me about that bullshit when I told you I don't fuck with nobody named Miranda.”
“You know what?” Bristol angrily snatched her purse from the sofa. “I’ll never fuck with you again. You’ll never get the chance to make me look like a fucking fool.”
Bristol headed for the door but Carti jumped from his seat, grabbing her arm.
“You really about to break up off this bullshit? I told you what the fuck was up. Why the fuck you jumping to conclusions?”
Bristol scoffed, elbowing him in his stomach. “I ain't jumping to shit. The proof is right there in my fucking face and I'm not about to be one of those stupid-ass women, who believe whatever the fuck you tell me. Have a good life.”
“You know what? Fuck it then. Take your ass on then,” he quipped, walking back to his seat.
Bristol flashed him the most painful expression he’d ever seen. She shook her head and headed for the door.
“Don't ever in your life contact me again,” she spat, storming out the room.
Present…
Carti leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes shut. His body was overwhelmingly fatigued as he respired a dense breath. He’d just touch down in Atlanta after spending almost two months overseas for his European tour. Carti was one of the world’s most sought-after rappers. He had been dominating the rap industry since 2010, being deemed as hip-hop’s most influential lyricist.
“Man you look drained. You sure you don't want to skip the shower. I'm sure Fame would understand,” said, Mikey, who was Carti’s personal assistant/cousin.
Carti slowly opened his lids, peering over at him. “Nah, I would never hear the end of it if I missed his damn baby shower,” he snickered.
“Hell yeah,” Mikey agreed. “You ready to see Bristol?”
Carti’s brownish-green eyes glanced forward as thoughts of his true love surfaced. They had met when they were teens but didn’t make their relationship official until they were adults. He had mistakenly handled Bristol irresponsibly and the result of his foolish actions forced her to walk away. It had been a year, three hundred and sixty-five days to be exact, since they had spoken to one another. Although Carti secretly followed her on her social media pages, he still hadn't had direct contact with her, which left him completely blue.
“Yeah, I'm ready to see her ass. It’s time we talked about the bullshit between us.”
Mikey shook his head. “Man don't piss her off at this shower. You know she don't mind cussing your ass out.”
Carti chuckled, reflecting on how Bristol had no problem setting him in his place. She’d always been the one to stand up to him out of all the women he had dealt with. Her feisty attitude was one of the attributes that drew him into her.
“I know and I'm not gon’ be on that shit. I just want to have an adult conversation with her ass.”
“Yeah, a’ight,” Mikey muttered with doubt laced in his tone.
Carti’s body guard, Big L, drove the trio to Atlanta Botanical Gardens where his brother, Fame, and sister-in-law, Dakoda, were having their baby shower. Big L pulled up toward valet, got out the car, and opened Carti’s door. Carti exited the car along with Mikey and the group of men made their way inside of the venue. When they first walked in, it seemed like all eyes fell on Carti. People gawked at him in shock, not believing that a star of his caliber was gracing them with his presence. He was used to the attention at this point of his life, but he sometimes wished he could turn it off and live like a regular person.
“Damn, Fame invited the entire city and shit,” Mikey complained, examining the packed room.
Carti didn’t respond, instead he took in the décor which consisted of a rainbow theme. An array of different color balloons decorated the ceiling. A table of contrasting candies was propped in glass bowls while rainbow cupcakes were displayed on a silver platter. Vibrant flowers were positioned in glass vases, creating a beautiful centerpiece for the tables. The table cloths were also rainbow themed along with the dinnerware.
Carti quickly spotted Fame ambling toward him, wearing his signature stoned face.
“You better had brought yo’ ass to my damn shower,” Fame fussed, giving him a brotherly hug.
Carti chuckled. “Aye, why y’all got all this rainbow shit in here?” he questioned with crinkled brows.
“What are you trying to say, Carti?” Mikey instigated.
Fame jerked his head back, kissing his teeth. “Man, don't come at me like that. This was Dakoda’s idea and rainbows have other meanings silly-ass nigga.”
Carti laughed. “Bro, I thought your gay-ass was tryin’ to tell me something.”
Fame cut his eyes at his younger brother. “Man, I’ll murder yo’ ass if you come at me like that again. Then I’ll be at your funeral, crying like I ain't did shit.”
Carti cackled, but his laughter halted when his mother, Tawny, approached him with a tight-lipped expression on her youthful visage. Her angry, brown eyes bore into him fiercely as her heels clicked against the marble tile. Her short hair was styled effortlessly and her makeup was on point. Diamonds covered her neck, wrist, and ears and her curvy body was covered in a multi-print maxi dress.
“So your phone doesn’t work now?” she hissed, folding her arms across her chest.
Carti slightly rolled his eyes. “Mama, you know how it is. Sometimes my phone be fucking up and shit.”
“I don't want to hear that shit,” she clipped. “I've been calling for a week straight and your ass has been ignoring me like I ain't your mama. The next time you need me, I swear I'm going to give you my ass to kiss.”
“Tell his ass, Mama,” Fame instigated.
Tawny attempted to walk away, but Carti grabbed her arm before she could leave. “My bad, Mama, damn. I've been busy and I ain't had time to do shit. Forgive me.”
Tawny’s hooded eyes surveyed him up and down before smacking her lips. “A deposit will do.”
Carti rolled his eyes. “That’s all your ass want is some money, but because I was wrong, I’ll do it.”
She smirked. “Hmmph.”
Tawny sauntered away, causing Mikey, Fame, and Big L to laugh hysterically.
“Mama always punking you. She could never come at me like that,” Fame boasted.
“Oh yeah?” Carti eyed him. “I bet I know somebody who can though,” he retorted, eyeing Dakoda across the room.
Fame followed his line of sight and chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you got me there, but still, I ain't that soft though.”
“Whatever,” Carti quipped before heading toward Dakoda.
He could feel all eyes on him as he made his way across the room. He caught a couple women snapping pictures of him and whispering to the people next to them. Before he could reach Dakoda, his niece, Kimora, ran up to him.
“Hey, Uncle Carti,” she greeted him in her sweet tone.
She was dressed in a cute rainbow-themed dress and her hair was braided with beads. Carti picked her up and kissed her cheek.
“What's up, Mo-Mo? I thought you was gon’ come see me perform last week,” he teased her, tickling her belly.
She squirmed with laughter. “I was but my daddy said I had to go to school. I'm going to come see you next time, okay?” she promised as if she had it all figured out.
“Yeah, that’s cool.”
With Kimora still in his arms, Carti approached Dakoda who was having a conversation with her mother, Darshay. Dakoda was clad in a white one-shoulder gown with her small baby bump poking out from her dress.
“Well, well, well, look who took time off his busy schedule to greet me with his presence,” Dakoda teased.
Carti laughed, giving her a hug. “You know I always show up for my fam. What’s up, Darshay?”
“Hey sweetie? How was the tour?” Darshay asked.
“Man, I'm tired as hell,” he drawled, rubbing his hand over his fade. “I’m probably about to take a vacation somewhere.”
“Well, you deserve it. You and Fame are always working. Hell, I even have to schedule time with my own damn man,” Dakoda joked.
Darshay waved her hand. “Girl, stop exaggerating.”
“I'm for real,” Dakoda shrugged. “I really have to pencil some time in for me and the kids.”
“Aye, where is Bristol?” Carti asked, his eyes scanning the room.
Dakoda pointed to a table near the wall. “She’s right there.”
Carti’s vision caught the seductive presence of Bristol and he couldn’t resist licking his lips. She was still so beautiful, so pure that he couldn’t help but gaze at the woman, who virtually held his heart captive in the palm of her hand. He had been a fool in the past, not taking care of Bristol’s heart the way he should have. He regretted the day she walked out of his life and took a part of him with her.
Carti watched intensely as she held a conversation with a young woman next to her. Her smile was infectious, causing his mouth to form into a faint smirk. Bristol had always been attractive, but ever since she’d left him, she held a glow that caused him to be jealous because he hadn't been the one that provided it. Her caramel-toned skin was smooth and blemish free. Her ruby red tresses hung down her back in messy curls. Her face was beautifully made up with just the right amount of makeup. Bristol’s doe-shaped eyes were decorated with a soft gold shadow and her lips were coated with a nude gloss.
Carti allowed Kimora to slide down from his arms and then proceeded toward the table where Bristol was seated. Her sweet scent instantly seeped into his senses as he stood over her. She looked back and stared at him for a moment. Carti wondered what was going through her mind as she studied him with her shimmering eyes.
I hope her ass don't front me off. I would hate to act a fool in this baby shower.
Just as he finished his thought, a smile emerged on Bristol’s face. He breathed a discreet sigh of relief and held his arms open.
“Can I get a hug?” he asked.
Bristol stood without saying a word and wrapped her arms around his neck. Carti pulled her closely to her chest and swaddled her body in his arms. Her touch instantly calmed his overactive nerves as their body temperatures became reacquainted again. The void that had haunted him for an entire year seemed to fill suddenly. Even though their interaction was just for a moment, Carti basked in it, never wanting to let her go.
Bristol slowly pulled back, snatching Carti from his temporary serene mood.
“How have you been?” she asked in a soft tone.
He continued to devour her perfect frame with his eyes. He had to relish this moment since he hadn't seen Bristol in the flesh in so long.
“Shit, you would know if you were right by my side,” he responded with humor laced in his tone.
Bristol playfully rolled her eyes. “Don't start, Cartier,” she warned, referring to him by his real name.
“What?” he feigned innocence. “You know I'm speaking the truth.”
“You're speaking nonsense actually. Anyways, how have you been for real?” she asked once more.
“You know me,” he grinned. “I'm good like I've always been. I've been missing the fuck outta you though. I ain't seen your ass in a year. That’s a long fucking time, don't you think?” he quipped.
Bristol took a step back, sighing deeply. She folded her arms over her perky breasts, causing Carti’s member to stiffen immediately.
“I really hate when you do that,” she muttered.
“Do what?”
“I hate when you make me feel like the bad guy. As if you weren't fucking around on me and giving the bitch access to your accounts,” she seethed, shooting him a death stare. “Did you forget how you played me? You led me on, pretending to be this faithful man, when you weren't shit the entire time we were together.”
Carti swallowed hard, licking his lips. It was true; he had fucked up royally with Bristol. After begging her to give him a chance, he’d broken her trust by dealing with his side piece Miranda. Miranda was a girl he’d met on the road and they had kept in contact ever since. She would often come out to his shows or meet him in a state where he was working. Carti had established a connection with Miranda and he never let her go once he and Bristol became serious. When Bristol found out about Miranda, she left him and never looked back.
“I fucked up. I'm man enough to admit that, but I make better decisions when it comes to that part of my life now. Bristol you know you miss me.” he grabbed her hands, holding them tightly.
Bristol swiftly pulled her hands away from his grip. “Yeah, I miss you, but that doesn’t mean I have to be with your cheating ass.”
Carti chuckled, rubbing his hand over his mouth. “Listen, I'm not trying to get you started right now. It’s not the time or the place for this discussion.”
“Yeah, you're right,” she agreed.
“Can I see you later on?”
Bristol offered him a knowing look. “Now you know I'm not going there with you. Let’s just be cool and you do your thing and I do mine. We don't need to be in each other’s presence right now.”
Carti pulled his bottom lip between his teeth before looking around and stepping into her personal space. He stared at Bristol for what seemed like hours before he spoke.
“Aye, me and you got real ties to each other. This ain't no bullshit-ass relationship like you making it seem. We took vows with each other or did you forget that part?”
Bristol’s eyes lowered in shame as she picked at her bright pink nails. Carti placed his index finger under her chin, lifting her face to meet his. He didn’t want to play that card with Bristol but he had to remind her that they were more than what she perceived them to be.
“I need you to stop overlooking that fact, Mrs. Anthony. We’ll talk about this when I stop by your place later,” he assured, kissing her forehead and walking away.
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