Page 98 of Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming

“Believe it, baby. And I’ll tell you something else. She had her first child a year ago. I’m a pop-pop.”

“Was that the little chubby-cheeked cutie you were looking at on your phone?” Bridget asks.

“You were watching me while I was on my phone?” Silas grins.

Bridget averts her eyes. “Uh … kind of.”

Silas chuckles. “Yes, that’s my grandbaby Summer.”

“She’s adorable. She has you wrapped around her little finger, doesn’t she?”

Silas blows out a raspberry. “Pfftt. Her, her momma and her auntie. I don’t stand a chance with my girls. I give them everything they ask for and more.”

“That’s so sweet. I was a daddy’s girl, and I always wanted Tanya to have that type of relationship with Lamar. But he just was …” Bridget trails off.

“Selfish. The word you’re looking for is selfish. Lamar wasn’t interested in being a father or a husband unless it benefited him.”

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“I know far too many men like that. What happened between you two?” Silas asks.

“Let’s see, he cheated on me with the heffa he’s now marrying. And she’s only eight years older than our son.”

Silas sips his beermosa before his face turns sour. “Yikes.”

“I know, right? We were married for seventeen years. We have two kids; seventeen and fifteen. And for a large portion of our marriage, I was the breadwinner. Then he just tossed me aside when he found someone who would worship him instead of support him.”

“Are your kids going to the wedding?”

“Nope. They’re staying with their grandparents that weekend.”

“And what about you?”

“I’ll be there. I’m flying out next month,” Bridget says.

Silas furrows his brows. “For closure?”

“Revenge.”

Silas smirks. “I’m intrigued. Please explain.”

Bridget adds Tabasco sauce to her eggs. “Lamar and I are both authors. We bonded over our love of words. I started getting some attention as an indie author, and it led to biggerthings. I’m now a traditionally published author. He felt entitled to some attention of his own. So, I helped him, and he let it go to his head. Until one day, he decided he didn’t need me anymore.”

“You want me to kick this nigga’s ass?”

Bridget laughs. “No, that’s not necessary. My revenge plan will do just nicely. He hasn’t seen me in a while, and I want to walk in and make him feel like the fool he is.”

“What exactly did you have in mind?”

“Aside from me looking radiant, I have to walk in on the arm of a fine-ass man. I know Lamar, and me walking in alone says, ‘Fuck you, I’m good,’ but me walking in with another man says, ‘Fuck you, I’m good, and oh, look! It turns out you’re easily replaceable.’”

Silas lets out a hearty laugh.

Bridget joins him, then continues, “He’s a competitive, insecure asshat. It’ll kill him to see me with another man.”

“Is that where I come in?”

“Honestly, I was hoping so, but I didn’t want you to think that was the only reason I was crushing on you.”