“Hel o,” She said into the receiver while opening the front door for Jade.
“Is Xavier there?” The woman on the other line asked.
“No, he’s not. May I ask whose cal ing?”
“Tel him Latasha cal ed since you now answer phones and shit!” She said in a snotty tone.
“Whatever,” Déjà said then hung up the phone in her face, “women can sometimes be so ignorant when they have no life.” Déjà made two garden salads one for her and the other for Jade. They turned on the news just to make sure that their men weren’t making breaking news somewhere.
“I told you Shawn didn’t have it al when you were messing with him back in col ege,” Jade said. “He was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.”
“I guess when you’re in love, you become blinded by the obvious.”
“That is true and we both had our share of bad relationships,” Jade said.
“Yes we did, but I’m glad I took a chance on Xavier, although I swore I would never do his kind again, he’s a great man.”
“He’s out the game now, so technical y you kept your promise. When I first started dating Jay they were stil hustling. I must say, I use to do this every night. Staying up late watching the news and praying Jay wouldn’t be on there,” she said. “I was afraid of getting that phone cal saying he was either dead or locked up. I was final y at ease when he told me that he made his last drop,” she said, reminiscing on that night.
“You don’t have to deal with any of that.”
“I guess you’re right, girl!” Déjà said.
“So is he making you happy?” Jade asked, changing the subject.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been happier, Jade. He is the perfect man,” She said now blushing.
“I told you. You know I wouldn’t hook you up with nobody I felt would mistreat you.”
“I know girl, so I guess I have to thank you.”
“You have to kiss my feet!” Jade said, laughing along with Déjà. Déjà tried Xavier’s cel phone again, but it was stil rol ing over to voicemail.
It was three in the morning when Xavier walked in the house to find the ladies passed out on the couch.
Xavier turned his cel phone back on and cal ed Jay to let him know that Jade was at his house.
“I’l be over to get her, dawg,” he said, hanging up.
Twenty minutes later, Jay was knocking at the door.
Jay picked Jade up off the couch and took her home. She didn’t budge. Xavier picked Déjà up and took her upstairs.
He took a hot shower then climbed in bed, cuddling up next to her. She melted in his arms.
The phone rang at 9:30 in the morning. Xavier let it rol over to voicemail. He knew it wasn’t Déjà because she was lying on his chest, so he didn’t bother answering. The phone rang back to back. He snatched up the receiver.
“Yeah,” Xavier answered with anger in his voice.
“Your son wants to see you while you lay up with that bitch!” yel ed Latasha.
“Look bitch, lately I’ve been letting you get away with a lot of shit for my son’s sake, but cal my house again talking slick out your mouth and they going to find your ass floating in Lake Michigan,” he said into the receiver, trying not to wake Déjà. “Drop Jeremiah off at my mom’s and I’l get him in a little bit” he said hanging up on her. Déjà didn’t ask Xavier about what he had done last night. She figured what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. Besides, she knew whatever it was, wasn’t good anyhow.
Xavier picked his son up from his mom around 2
o’clock that afternoon.
“Daddy, can we go to that carnival that’s by the mal ?” Jeremiah asked from the back seat of the Lincoln, Navigator.
“Whatever my little man wants, he gets!” Xavier said, reaching back and tickling him.
“Do you have plans today, baby?” he asked as he rubbed Déjà’s thigh.
“No, I was just going to catch up on my laundry,” she said.
“That can wait. Would you like to spend the day with us?”
“Sure, why not I haven’t been to a carnival since I was his age and I would like to get to know Jeremiah,” she said, smiling at Xavier’s clone.
They got on every ride at the carnival. Xavier won Déjà a big teddy bear and Jeremiah a Winnie the Pooh bear, which was his favorite Disney Character. They went shopping, out to eat at Jeremiah’s favorite restaurant, and went for a walk at the Lake. Xavier popped in a movie for Jeremiah as he rode up Lake Shore Drive. Jeremiah was out before the previews ended.
“You have a wonderful son, Xavier.”
“Yeah, he’s great,” he said, holding her hand.
“He’s the only thing good that came out my relationship with Latasha.”
“So what’s the story on you and her?” Déjà asked as she shifted her body in his direction.
“Wel , to make a long story short,” he said, turning to make sure Jeremiah was sleep. He never talked about Latasha in his presence. “I messed around with her on and off for about two years when she found out she was pregnant with Jeremiah. I was in love with her, but I ran the streets a lot and she didn’t like it. When I was out of town handling business, my guys would cal me and tel me that she was fucking around with this person and that person.
When I would ask her about it, of course she said that people was lying and was just jealous of our relationship,” he said, mocking her.
“Because I loved her, I believed every word she said. Until, one day I came back from out of town from shaking a move. She wasn’t home when I got in, so I cal ed her cel back to back, but she wasn’t answering. She came walking in the door a little after midnight with some bul shit ass story as to why she wasn’t answering her cel . I was pissed for a minute, but I had been gone for two weeks, so I was in need of busting a nut. Let’s just say while I was down below, I stuck my fingers in her and ended up pul ing out a used condom,” he said, gesturing pul ing the condom out.
“You’re lying!” She said with her mouth wide opened and her hand over her chest.
“My right hand to God!” He said, putting his right hand up.
“Oh my God, what did you do?”
“I wanted to beat her ass, but I had to remember she was pregnant which made me even madder because she was pregnant with my son, but out fucking other nigga’s. Of course, that made me question if he was mine.”
“Wel you can’t deny him, he look just like you,” she said, looking back at Jeremiah.
“I took a DNA test for him when he was born, so I know he’s mine, but I hated the sight of Latasha because I later found out that she had done some other foul shit, but I’l let you in on that another time,” he said, exiting the express way. “She real y started acting stupid after I wouldn’t fuck with her anymore.”
“That’s messed up,” she said, shifting her body.
“Yeah, if you think that’s messed up, wait until I tel you the rest,” he said as he pul ed into his garage.
Xavier took Jeremiah up to his room, took his clothes off, and tucked him into bed. He kissed him on the forehead as Déjà stood in the doorway watching him. She walked over to him and kissed Jeremiah on the forehead as wel . Xavier smiled.
“I think I’m in love!” She said, looking down at Jeremiah.
“With who, me or Jeremiah?” he asked, taking her hand and pul ing her close to him.
“Both,” she said as she kissed him on the lips.
“Yeah, wel we seem to have that effect on people!” he said arrogantly. “I can’t speak for Jeremiah, but I love you too, baby.” Déjà couldn’t believe her ears. No man she’d ever dated ever told her that he loved her.
They took a hot and steamy shower. He made slow and passionate love to her for the first time.
~SEVENTEEN~
It was two in the morning when the house phone began ringing off the hook, Jay snatched it up.
“This better be good!” Jay said into the receiver in a sleepy tone.
&n
bsp; “I’m sorry to be cal ing so early in the morning, but I real y need to speak to Jade,” Reginald said into the phone.
“Is everything okay, Reginald?” asked Jay, sitting up.
“No. When I came in from work I found Kate unconscious on the kitchen floor,” he was now panic-stricken.
“What! Did you cal an ambulance?” he said, getting up and waking Jade.
“Yeah, they just took her to the hospital. I’m fol owing them as we speak,” said Reginald.
“Okay man, we’l be right there,” he said, hanging up.
“What’s going on, Jay?” asked Jade.
“Throw on some clothes, baby. That was your pops; he said that he walked in the house and found your mom unconscious.”
“WHAT!” She yel ed. She jumped up, threw on some clothes, and raced out the front door with Jay on her trail.
He jumped in on the passenger side just in time.
“Slow down, Jade! You’re going to kil us,” shouted Jay.
Jade ignored him and punched it al the way to the hospital. When they walked in the emergency room, Reginald was sitting in the far corner of the waiting room.
Cathy was sitting next to him, holding his hand. Jade hugged both Grandma Cathy and her dad before taking a seat, Jay sat next to her.
“Daddy, what happened?” Jade asked with tears in her eyes.
“I don’t know, babygirl. When I came home she was unconscious on the kitchen floor,” he said with tears in his eyes as wel . “I cal ed 9-1-1 and tried CPR, but honestly I don’t think I was doing it right. When the paramedics arrived they administered CPR and they were able to revive her, but they stil needed to bring her here to run some tests.”
“So she is conscious now?” she asked with relief in her voice.
“Yeah, she was conscious, but she was stil kind of out of it,” he said.
“Lord I just pray this isn’t life threatening,” said Cathy, starring off into space.
“Me too Grandma,” Jade said as she rubbed her grandmother’s back.
They waited for what seemed like forever for the doctor to tel them something. Jay hated to see Jade so upset. He tried everything to keep her calm. She final y cried herself to sleep. After about two hours, the doctor final y came out and over to where the family was sitting.
“Hel o, I’m Dr. Gilbert,” said the doctor, shaking Reginald’s hand.
“How is she?” Reginald asked afraid of what the doc was going to say.
“It seems that Mrs. Rivera suffered a Transient Ischemic Attack, also known as a mini stroke,” he said, flipping through his chart. “We doctors like to cal it a warning stroke.”
“What caused this? Does she have epilepsy or something?” asked Jade.
“Usual y, it’s caused by a temporary clot in an artery which causes a part of the brain to not receive the amount of blood that it needs.”
“You said temporary, so does that mean the clot wil go away or something?” asked Cathy.
“Yes, that’s the difference between a TIA stroke and a major stroke, there is no permanent damage,” said Dr.
Gilbert.
“So is she awake? Can we see her?” asked Jade.
“Yes, she is awake but she’s under anesthesia, so she may seem a little out of it, but you may see her,” he said, gesturing for them to fol ow him. They only al owed two visitors at a time, so Jay and Reginald let Jade and Cathy go in first. Kate was sitting up in the bed taking a sip of water when they walked into the room.
“How do you feel mom?” asked Jade, giving her mom a kiss on the cheek.
“Aw, I’m fine, baby. You didn’t have to get out of bed in the middle of the night. My granddaughter needs you to get your rest. She can’t grow if you’re not sleeping,” Kate said, lecturing Jade as usual.
“How do you know it’s a girl mom?” asked Jade, putting her hands on her hip.
“Mommy’s know everything.”
“Yeah, wel this mother didn’t know that her daughter was il , so you can through that theory out the window,” said Cathy mockingly.
“What happened mom?” Jade asked as she fluffed Kate’s pil ow.
“I don’t know Jade. Last thing I remember is that I was washing dishes. I had just taken some aspirin because I had a pounding headache and then I woke up on the floor with paramedics hovering over me.”
“The doctor said you had a mini stroke!” said Cathy with worry.
“I know, he talked to me. I have to take better care of myself. Lord knows I want to be around to spoil my granddaughter,” She said, rubbing Jade’s plump bel y.
Jay and Jade left the hospital a little after seven that morning. Reginald took Cathy home then went back and stayed until Kate was released the fol owing day.
~EIGHTEEN~
Déjà and Jeremiah had gotten real y close over the past couple of months. Latasha didn’t like the fact that Jeremiah was around Déjà. Déjà would watch him when Xavier was working late at the club. He loved seeing them together. There were times when he would come home and find Déjà and Jeremiah on the couch sleeping so peaceful y together. Jeremiah adored Déjà, and so did Xavier. He had never had a woman to make his dick hard and his heart heavy just from the sound of her name. He was use to women dating him because he was loaded and could buy them anything they wanted. He knew once he got out the game he was going to settle down with one woman that loved him and not just his money; he felt Déjà was that woman.
It was nine at night when Déjà strol ed into Jade’s house turning on the news to check out the headline. Déjà and Jade were going to meet the men at the club later that night. Jade was now six months pregnant so she had to wear maternity clothing, but she stil looked good. She was rocking a black maternity blouse, a pair of AB leggings and a pair of AB wedges. Déjà was dressed in a pair of BP
skinny jeans and a BP blouse and a pair of BP pumps.
“So how does it feel to be pregnant?” Déjà asked, sitting at the dining room table.
“Like I swal owed a watermelon,” Jade answered, taking a seat across from her.
“That’s what it look like too!” Déjà said laughing.
Jade laughed along with her.
“Aw, you got jokes?”
“I’m just playing girl, you look good.”
“Oh, I know,” Jade said with self-confidence.
Jade and Déjà pul ed up to the club in Xavier’s Range Rover. Latasha was standing outside with one of her girls when they stepped out the car, tossing the keys to the valet. Latasha was looking at Déjà with her nose turned up.
“Damn, Xavier must be pussy whipped,” she said, laughing and slapping five with her girl. “That bitch could never be me though. I got the baby, so I’m set for the next eighteen years.” Déjà looked at her and laughed. She refused to stoop to her level, but she didn’t know how long that attitude would last. Déjà and Jade were sitting at the bar having a drink when Latasha and her girl Sade walked up and spoke to Jade while ignoring Déjà. Jade just looked at her and laughed.
“Aw, it’s like that, Jade?” Latasha said, leaning against the bar.
“Yeah it is. If you can’t speak to my girl then don’t say shit to me either,” she said, turning toward Latasha and her girl.
“Your girl didn’t speak to me, so why should I speak to her!” She said in a nasty tone.
“You don’t have to speak in third party as if I’m not sitting here,” said Déjà.
“Was anybody talking to you?” said Latasha.
“You were talking about me and if you’re smart you would walk the hel away while you stil can,” Déjà said, getting irritated.
“Bitch, I’l walk away when I get good and ready to.
That’s what you fail to realize, I’m the one with the baby by Xavier, so I’l be in the picture until my son is eighteen so get use to my face, trick!” Déjà was trying to keep her cool, but this bitch definitely knew how to press her buttons.
“The way things look, I’l be around for a while as w
el , so you better get used to my face and I’m not going to be too many more bitches.”
“You gonna be as many as I make you, Bitch!” Latasha said, handing her handbag to her girl. Jade knew her best friend, so she knew that Latasha had just crossed the line by cal ing Déjà another Bitch. Déjà was a classy chick, but she was stil from the westside of Chicago, so she stil knew how to put a bitch on her back and that’s exactly what she did.
Jay and Xavier were finishing up some paperwork that was faxed over earlier about an upcoming event. After agreeing on the entertainment for ladies night, Jay grabbed two glasses from his personal bar and a bottle of Remy Martin.
“We’ve done so much shit in the past, dawg. We done had pussy after pussy and here we are settling down with just one woman. Who would have thought?” said Jay, handing Xavier a cigar and a glass fil ed to the rim.
“I hear you man, but dawg, a woman like Déjà don’t come along every day,” said Xavier.
“Sounds to me like it’s getting serious?”
“Yeah man I’m fal ing in love with her.”
“Is this the same dude that was cal ing me a chump when I fel for Jade?” Jay asked, flopping down on the sofa in his office.
“Yeah, not only is she beautiful and have a banging body, she’s educated man and she treats me like royalty, not to mention she loves my son and he adores her,” he said. “She’s definitely wifey material.”
“Oh shit, dawg, you thinking about popping the question?”
“It has crossed my mind,” he said with a smile.
“What you going to do about Latasha?” asked Jay.
“Old girl is off the chain, cuz. You know she real y gonna trip if you marry her.”
“Fuck her! I’m stil pissed about that stunt she pul ed back at the crib. She lucky I let her dumb ass breathe after that,” he said, getting angry al over again.
“She’s no longer al owed at my crib. I told her to drop my son off at my mother’s and I’l get him from there for now on,” he said, walking over to the one way window.
“I hear you man. I’m trying to figure out how to deal with Mona without catching a case. I know Déjà told you about her spray painting bitch on Jade’s front door a while ago? Jade was pissed at me for about a week.”
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