by Tosha Damaya
"Yes. He purchased the flowers from the store. They had our logo. No one knows Trenton, so he could've came in and left without any issue."
Zeke started to pace the room. The lawyer in him was coming forward. "He never responded to the divorce papers. We've been trying to contact him and his lawyers, but they've been giving us the run around."
"How did he get the address?" Ethan asked.
Sydney looked at her brother in law before voicing her thoughts. "I think Destiny provided it to him. Her whole goal in life is getting rid of Johari. Think of how much of our lives are inside of a phone. Ours is even linked to our bank account and email. Destiny could have sent him a crazy text, and he could have contacted her."
The thought didn't even cross Johari's mind. Destiny needed her ass whooped again. This time, she wouldn't regret it.
"So, what's the plan?" Sierra enquired. She was ready and hyped to do something about Trenton being in town.
Everyone started throwing out different ideas. Johari just listened. She took a moment and looked around the room at the five people that she considered loved ones. She considered Sydney and Sierra her best friends and Zeke and Ethan brothers. The man sitting beside her, rubbing his thumb across her wrist was the type of man she should've married. She loved everyone in the room and couldn't risk Trenton hurting them to get her. Her heart melted with appreciation that they all cared so much for her and were trying to help, but she didn't see a way out of this situation besides leaving.
She stood and stopped the chatter in the room. "I'm leaving Austin. That's the plan."
"No!" Sydney shouted.
"Your ass is staying right here," Sierra added.
"Jo, we claimed you as family, so we're not letting you run away," Ethan commented.
Zeke smiled. "Ditto on everything they said."
Jonathan stood and held both of her hands in his. "I'm not letting you leave."
“Jon, there's no other choice."
"Then, I'm leaving with you."
She shook her head from side to side. "No. You can't give up…you—"
Jonathan shut Johari up by smashing his lips against hers. He didn't care about anyone else in the room witnessing their display of affection. He gave her an extensive demanding kiss that was meant to make his point come across. He wasn't letting her go, no matter what she said. They were in this together.
Zeke smiled towards his wife making Sydney roll her eyes.
Sierra jumped up and pointed at them. "I knew it! I knew it!" she shouted. "Ethan, I told you they were fucking in the bathroom!"
Ethan shook his head in amusement. He didn't believe his wife because she was completely wasted the night of the party.
Johari's face instantly became crimson with embarrassment due to Sierra's accusation. "You told her?" she whispered to Jonathan.
"No."
"I caught his nasty ass coming out of my bathroom," Sierra informed her. "Ethan, you owe me $100." She held her hand out as her husband took a hundred out of his wallet.
Jonathan noticed the exchange. "You bet on us?"
Sierra wiggled the hundred-dollar bill. "Yup."
"Shame on you," Zeke chastised playfully. Sydney hid her smile behind her hand.
Johari was thankful that they were taking the attention off her issue with Trenton. "I'm going to miss this."
Jonathan tipped her chin in his direction. "You're not going to miss anything."
"That's right," Sierra said. "I think you should stay and we should trap Trenton. Use Jo to set a trap and beat his ass when he shows up."
They all stopped and stared at Sierra. "What?"
"Sierra, we can't jump the man," Sydney said.
"Why not? He beat Jo for years and is now stalking her; why can't we repay the favor? Does Daddy still have his shotgun?" she asked Jonathan.
Zeke looked at Ethan. "When she's on trial for murder, don't ask me to be her lawyer," he whispered to his brother.
Ethan sighed. "She's been watching a lot of Snapped and Killer Couples on the oxygen channel.”
"Sleep with one eye open."
"I do."
Sierra stood with her hands on her hips. "Are you telling me that no one wants to give Trenton a little pay back? Jon?" she asked.
"Sis, I would love too, but I can't risk getting arrested. You have to think about our lives here."
"He's right," Zeke stated. "The only person that can really do anything is Jo. If Trenton came after her, she has a right to defend herself, but even that can be risky."
Sierra sat back down and sulked. "Then, what do you wimps want to do? Jo, you aren't leaving and taking my brother with you, so you can stop suggesting that," she said when Johari opened her mouth to talk.
"We'll make sure she's never alone. You can move in with one of us, whenever you're at work one of us will be with you. We'll treat Jo like we did Syd last year. We can't make Trenton leave, but we'll make sure he doesn't have access to Jo while he's here," Zeke suggested.
"Don't trust anyone. If family or friends pop up, don't believe they're there for you," Ethan added.
"Yeah, don't be gullible like Syd," Sierra commented.
Sydney pinched her sister in the side. "How was I supposed to know about Alana?"
"Who's Alana?" Johari asked.
"The crazy bitch that kidnapped Sydney because she was obsessed with Zeke's dick."
"Sierra!"
She looked at her sister. "What?"
Ethan walked over to his wife and placed a hand over her mouth. "You can stay with me and thugnificent here. She isn't going back to work. It can get a little loud at the house though."
"Because of Sammie?" Jo wondered.
"No, because my wife has a big mouth," he chuckled. "Jon, you can stay too. I can see that you're not willing to be away from Jo. We have three extra bedrooms at the house."
"Thanks."
↔
The women started packing up Jo and Jon's belongings while the men were on the other side of the room talking amongst themselves.
"We should see if Demetrius can figure out where Trenton is staying," Zeke stated.
"I don't think D is in any mood to work. He has so much going on with his wife and baby," Jonathan stated.
Zeke and Ethan looked at him sideways. "What do you know?" Ethan questioned.
Jonathan shrugged his shoulders. "I work at the hospital. Nothing but gossip is swerving around that place revolving around his situation."
"So, you know...." Zeke asked.
"Everything," Jonathan answered. "Today he's getting the results back for the DNA test. Staff have bets on if he's the father or not."
Zeke took a deep breath. "After all this drama is resolved, we need a vacation. Demetrius doesn't have any family; we should go support him."
"You two go," Jonathan said. "I’m going to stay with the girls." He didn't want to let Johari out of his sight.
Ethan started singing and dancing. "You got, you got it bad."
Zeke chuckled at his brother while Jonathan just overlooked Ethan silliness. "I can admit it. I love her," he said looking at Johari across the room.
He was happy that whatever Sierra was saying was making her laugh.
↔
Johari walked into the bathroom and collected her toiletries. Sierra followed behind her still throwing out suggestions.
"I know a man that will give us a gun for the low. When Trenton pops up, pop his ass a few times."
Johari laughed again.
Sierra started fixing her hair in the mirror, she couldn't wait to get rid of all the baby fat. Ethan liked her new curves, so she was just working on getting her tummy toned. She playfully nudged Johari in the shoulder. "So, what's your secret? You got my brother, Sean and your husband chasing after you," Sierra stated when Johari looked confused.
"There's no secret," Johari replied. She only wanted Jon.
"I bet it's the light skin," Sierra mused. "Thank God I have a man that loves this chocolate goodness," she said dancing in the m
irror.
Johari laugh again. "I love you, Sierra."
Sierra hugged Johari. "I love you, too. That's exactly why you're staying right here with us. Now, we need to plan a wedding, so we can be official sisters. But before that starts, there's one important thing you need to know."
"What?"
"I'm the pretty sister," Sierra said blowing a kiss at the mirror.
Chapter 16
In Washington D.C., Sean took a deep breath before tapping the door of Yolanda's apartment. He was a proud man, and it took a lot out of him to come and apologize to her.
He knocked again when she didn't answer. He called ahead to make sure she was home. He was surprised when she opened the door with a smile on her face.
"Sean," she stated, stepping to the side to allow him entrance.
"Yolanda."
She shut the door and giggled. "Are we really going to do this whenever we come into contact? We have to be cordial while dealing with this situation."
Sean knew that it was true, and he didn't want things to be uncomfortable between them. "You're right," he replied with a tight lip.
Yolanda grinned. He was being stubborn. "You're still the same." She left Sean standing in the entranceway and walked towards the kitchen. "I was finishing dinner. Do you want any?"
Sean followed her into the small kitchen. "I'm not staying long."
"Why not?" she asked while stirring the pot of grits. She loved having breakfast for dinner and did at least three times a week. "What other plans do you have?" Her back was to him, so he couldn't see her grin.
"None."
"Then, you can stay. It's late. The only thing you can do is go to your hotel and stare at the walls." She left the stove and pulled two plates out of the cabinet.
"Yolanda."
"Sean," she repeated in a masculine voice. "Shut up and sit down. You ran around all day looking for Destiny. Take a break."
It was tempting, but he couldn't waste time. "I can't. I was planning on going to a few night clubs. Destiny likes to go out, and maybe she's there."
"Or maybe she's not in D.C., at all." Yolanda commented while fixing two plates of eggs, bacon, grits and toast.
"What do you mean?"
She carried the plates to her dining room with Sean following behind her. "She could've been heading here and never made it. Destiny might still be in Texas and her friend could have sent you on a wild goose chase." She put the two plates on the table.
Sean seemed shocked.
Yolanda pulled his arm and pushed him toward the table and forced him to sit down. "Why are you so surprised? You were a teenager once. Why would her best friend tell you the truth?"
Yolanda sat down and started eating. "Eat," she demanded, pointing her fork at Sean.
He dipped his fork into the grits and took a bite. He couldn't stop from moaning. "This is good.”
Yolanda beamed with pride. "It is. I don't live in the south anymore, but I will never stop loving grits," she agreed.
Sean continued to eat. "I haven't eaten any this good since..."
"Since me?" she finished with a smirk. Yolanda was in a playful mood and enjoying playing with Sean. "I was young, but I could still throw down in the kitchen."
"My girlfriend can cook really well, too."
"The same girlfriend whose call you denied yesterday at lunch?" she questioned him so innocently.
He didn't have a comeback, so he continued eating until his plate was clean. Yolanda sat back in her chair and wiped her face with a napkin after she was finished.
"So, you said over the phone that you wanted to talk," she said breaking up the silence.
Sean cleared his throat. "I wanted to apologize for yesterday."
"You were being a jackass, but I'm over it."
That surprised him. He thought that she would hold a grudge. "Really?"
"Yes," she confirmed. "Life is too short to be angry about the little things. I feel like I need to apologize for the past, as well. The way I left was wrong. I wasn't happy, and I could have handled things differently."
Sean felt like this was the best opportunity to get answers. "Why did you leave?"
"I felt lost," she whispered. "I was never given the opportunity to figure out who I was. I was a baby when we met Sean, and I had no business doing the things I was doing with you."
Their thoughts went back to the past when they met at the mall eighteen years ago. Sean was attracted to her instantly and Yolanda was amazed that an older man wanted her. All her friends were jealous of her boyfriend that was finishing medical school to become a doctor.
"I didn't plan on getting pregnant with Destiny. I went from finishing high school to becoming a mother and then wife. It was too much for me to deal with." Her parents were furious with her surprise pregnancy and forced her and Sean to get married.
Sean didn't have an issue with it. He wanted a wife and family, but, of course, he was in his twenties. "I didn't realize you felt that way, Yoyo," he said without thinking. "I meant Yolanda," he corrected a second later.
"It wasn't an everyday feeling. We had some good times, and I truly love my daughter," she explained. She didn't want Sean to think that their entire time spent together was horrible. "Could you imagine having a child at eighteen?" she asked.
"No. I was too busy partying and getting ready for college," Sean admitted.
"Exactly. I never got to experience any of that. You knew what you wanted out of life. You were already set on a career and the type of life you wanted. I didn't have a clue."
Sean felt like shit. He was selfish when it came to getting Yolanda all those years ago. He was just as taken with her as she was with him. He was the older guy that she bragged about and she was the arm candy he showed off to all his friends. Age didn't matter to him; he loved her and was excited that she got pregnant with his baby. He should've considered her feelings. "Why didn't you talk to me?"
"When? You studied and worked all the time."
"I don't care, Yoyo. We could've hired a nanny and you could've went to school and experienced college. Don't you know that I would've did any and everything to make it work?"
One of the biggest regrets of her life was leaving. "I thought I could deal with it, but I couldn't. By the time Destiny was eleven, I reached my breaking point. I left to go find myself, but I had every intention of coming back for Destiny, and when I did—"
"I wouldn't let you have her," he finished.
Sean and Yolanda were lost in each other's eyes. So many unspoken words were said between them. She was sorry for leaving, and he was apologetic for not letting her in Destiny's life. They wished they could change the past, but they could only create a better future.
"I'm sorry," they stated at the same time.
Yolanda smiled. She stood from the table and grabbed their plates. "Let's have a drink. It's been a stressful couple of days."
She went and grabbed a bottle of wine and called Sean to join her in the living room. She handed him a glass as he sat down beside her. "Tell me about her. I want to know everything I missed."
Sean smiled. His daughter was a troublemaker, but he still loved and adored her. "Destiny's smart, beautiful and a handful. Book smart because she lacks common sense," he said with a chuckle. "I once told that girl to call for emergency and she asked me for the number."
He and Yolanda shared a laugh. "Tell me more," she urged.
"She's spoiled and it's my fault. I knew that the teenage years were going to be tough, but she's on a whole extra level of tough. She doesn't take no for an answer and goes after what she wants, which can be a good or bad thing."
"More."
Sean continued to talk about Destiny. He broke down each year and told Yolanda everything he could remember. She smiled and listened to every word he said. He talked about her first dance, first days of school, first time getting arrested. He broke down the good, bad and the ugly when it came to Destiny.
"I can't believe she did that to your girlfri
end," Yolanda stated after Sean told her about the snake and Destiny stealing Johari's phone.
"Believe it. Johari is amazing, but Destiny dislikes her. No matter how much I tried to get her to like Jo, it never worked."
Yolanda felt a pang of jealously when Sean spoke of his girlfriend. She wanted Sean to forget all about her. Seeing him again ignited old feelings she had. "I have an idea," she announced.
"Okay,"
"You said that Destiny still has her phone, right?"
He nodded his head. "She's not answering my calls."
"But maybe she'll answer mine. I'll call her and leave a message. Maybe she'll call me back."
Sean figured it was worth a shot. He took his phone out and gave Destiny's number to Yolanda. He watched as she dialed it on her phone.
"It went straight to voicemail," she whispered. She waited for the beep to leave a message. "Destiny, it's your mom. I was told that you were looking for me. I'm worried about you, baby. Call me and let me know you're okay." Yolanda ended the call disappointed. "I thought it would work." She put her phone down on the coffee table.
“It might. I hope she calls back and tells us where she's located." He was thinking the same thing as Yolanda. Destiny might still be in Texas or somewhere in between D.C. and Texas.
Sean finished his glass of wine and stood to leave. "Thank you for letting me come over. It was a very interesting evening. I learned a lot." One thing for sure is that if he had another daughter he would raise her differently.
"No problem. Come back whenever or just call. I'll let you know if I hear from our daughter."
Yolanda waved goodbye and shut the door. She leaned against it and took a deep breath. "That man is still fine," she whispered to herself. She was tempted to ask him to stay but didn't want to seem too forward.
She picked her phone up and decided to send Destiny a text.
It's your mother. Please call me.
She waited and didn't get a response. Giving up, she headed for bed.
↔
It's your mother. Please call me.
In a hotel back in Austin, the message was received but not by Destiny. Trenton held her phone in his hands and deleted the incoming call and text. He wasn't done playing with Destiny yet.
He quickly put the phone down when he heard her coming out of the bathroom.