by Tiece
“Okay lil girl. Talk,” Nina said as she waited to hear what Macy had to say.
“Well, I think that you and Stephen should get back together. He’s good to you, he’s good to us, and I love when we’re all together.”
“Hm,” Nina said. “Well sweetie, you may need to slow your roll a bit. Stephen is just getting out of a serious relationship.”
“Yeah I know.” Macy said to Nina’s surprise. “He told me this morning on the phone when we were talking. And to be honest, it wasn’t that serious. I knew he didn’t want to be with her anyway.”
“How you know that?” Nina asked with a smirk on her face.
“She’s a fake and she fronts too much.” Macy said causing Nina to laugh out loud.
“Yep, you are definitely my child.” She said with a shake of the head. At that time, Stephen appeared at the room. He’d just walked inside the house.
“I thought I heard you come in.” Nina said.
Macy stood up and walked over to Stephen to hug him. “What’s up, baby girl.” He spoke.
“Hey Stephen.” She spoke back with a smile on her face. She loved Stephen like a father. He’d for sure been way more of a father figure than Rick had.
He kissed her in the top of the head. “You got your things together?”
“Yes sir,” she said.
“Well, go check on your siblings. Make sure they’re ready to go to.” He said.
“Okay,” Macy said as she exited the bedroom.
Stephen looked over at Nina. “Can we talk in your bedroom?”
“Sure,” she said getting up off of the bed and leading the way into her room. She sat down on the edge of the bed, and then looked at Stephen as he shut the bedroom door shut behind him. “So, what’s up?”
“I’ve been thinking.” He said.
“Thinking about what?”
“Us,” he said.
“What about us?”
Stephen took in a deep breath. He knew he had fucked up once that video was played, but he just wanted to make amends with the woman that he really loved.
“I’m sorry about everything.” He started off. “Had I known what was really going on that day I would’ve never left you. You gotta believe me when I say that.”
“I’m not gonna say that I don’t believe that, because I do. However, it still doesn’t cover the fact that you did leave me here like that. What if I’d had a bad reaction to that shit, but you had left. It was a good thing that Scarlett came right after you’d left or no telling what would’ve happened.”
“I know babe and I’m so sorry.” He pleaded with tears on the verge of falling from his eyes.
Nina shook her head at him. He was everything that she could possibly want and need in a man. He had been good to her and the kids, but an unhealed wound was still fresh on her mind. “Seeing that video hurt me Stephen,” she said with tears building up in her eyes. “It was bad enough that Rick had done a number on me, but worse to see that my man walked out on me when I needed him the most.”
“Please forgive me. If I have to spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you I will.” He sincerely said.
Nina sat there wanting to forgive him, but in her heart it was much too soon to forgive any of it. “When I look back at how things played out, it all makes sense now. Faye could’ve been in your ear at work about me and Rick. For some reason that must’ve played on your intelligence, because when you came home,” she said with a slight pause. “Well here,” she corrected herself. “You were cold towards me. I don’t remember much, but I remember you not taking the time to see if I was well or not.”
A tear fell down Stephen’s face. She was right. She was absolutely right about everything she was saying and it hurt like hell to be slapped in the face with the truth. He let his guard down to a woman that never meant him any good, for a woman that he knew had been trying her best to show him that she’d changed. Why would she want to destroy what she’d worked hard to put back together? He shook his head at thinking how stupid he was for not thinking about this the first time.
He stepped over towards her. “I’m sorry.” He said.
Nina dropped her head. Looking at him did something to her. He was certainly a nice looking man, dark skinned and very handsome. His cologne was alluring, causing her to push him back off of her.
“Don’t push me,” he said.
“I need for you to give me some space.” Nina said knowing that temptation was a motherfucker and she wanted nothing more than to taste a little bit of it. However, now wasn’t the time.
Stephen leaned down and kissed her softly around the neck. “I’m sorry.” He whispered.
“I know,” Nina said as she looked up at him.
“I’ll keep saying it until you forgive me.”
“You don’t have to do that. I just need time to think about all of this. I mean, that bitch is out free to still cause havoc if she could.”
“But she won’t.” Stephen told her. “I don’t think she’s going to mess with you ever again after the police drilled her the way they did.”
“Still just to know that she’s somewhere out there pregnant with either your child or Rick’s makes me sick to my stomach.”
“Well, it’s not mine. I told that girl that her baby didn’t make me feel the way I did when you were pregnant with O’Mari and Mya. I just didn’t have that connection for some reason.”
Nina folded her arms and rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t mean that the baby isn’t yours though.”
“Just because she’s claiming that shit doesn’t mean that it is, either. You heard Rick on that video. And what makes it so bad is that I can remember the night when she kept trying to act like the condom had popped. How the fuck could that happen and I not realize it?”
“Yeah, I wanna know the same thing.” Nina said like she was patiently waiting for a more detailed explanation. “I’m listening.”
“Well for one; she slid the condom on my dick with her mouth. We had sex, and when it was over she took the condom off, because she always cleans me up. However, once inside the bathroom she kept saying that she believed that the condom broke. When I asked to see it, she said that she had already flushed it down the toilet.”
“That woman is too devious for her own good.” Nina said. “I just don’t know what to say about that situation. If she’s pregnant by you or Rick that baby will still be some kin to my kids. I have nothing against that unborn child, but that shit pains me in my ass. My kids will never have a relationship with her baby if she’s around. I’m not going to tolerate a woman of her caliber around my kids ever again.”
“She definitely can’t be trusted.” Stephen said. “But, we’ll know for sure once she has the baby. I’ll bet the bank it’s not mine though.”
“Well, let’s not lose all of your money at once.” She teased. “I guess only time will tell.”
“You’ll see,” Stephen said as he sat there now thinking about it all over again. Nah, he mentally thought. That ain’t my baby.
***
Meanwhile, Sheila was inside of her condominium dealing with knowing that Jay was now possibly April’s baby daddy. She’d been crying for the past couple of hours lost in the news that she’d gotten. She had shooed her mom off so she and Jay could talk about it. Unfortunately, once Mrs. Grand left Sheila locked herself up in the room and didn’t want to talk to him. Jay left, apparently to go talk to his father after she wouldn’t come out for him and now it seemed that he was back.
“Babe, open the door up for me.” He begged outside of her bedroom door.
“Why?” Sheila called out in between sniffs. Just hearing his voice was breaking her down. How could he be so stupid to go and ruin their future by having a baby by April’s dense ass?
“Babe, come on open the door. We gotta sit down and talk about this.”
Sheila sat in the middle of her bed with her arms crossed. “Oh do we? I don’t know if I can talk to you and keep my hands to myself. I w
anna slap the hell out of you right about now.”
“Then slap me. I deserve it. I just want,” he paused while taking in a deep breath. “I just need to see you. I gotta know that you’re okay.”
“But I’m not.” She called out then buried her face in the pillow that was sitting next to her.
“Come on,” Jay called out. He knew that Sheila was really a spoiled baby that happened to be a grown woman. Of course she was hurting and now he had to do something to try and get her back on his side. “Babe, please open the door. We’re engaged. You’re going to be my wife someday soon. You can’t keep acting like this.” There was nothing as silence crept in. “Babe,” he called out then the door opened.
“I can’t do this with you,” she cried while taking off the engagement ring.
“Don’t do this. Please don’t do this.” Jay pleaded. His eyes wailed with water and in no time they were falling.
Sheila grabbed his hand. “Take it. I will no longer wear it. The engagement is off.” She wiped her tears, but she knew that it was the best decision for her. She wasn’t going to be looking over her shoulders waiting for April to strike. Clearly something was wrong with the deranged chick and she didn’t want any parts of knowing her any longer.
“Babe please,” Jay said. “That’s why I went to holla at my dad. He wasn’t there, but my uncle was. You know they have the top law firm around here. There has to be something that can be done about that mix up with the paternity tests. They’ll find out what happened since all I keep hearing Luke say is that it was some kind of mix-up at the office.”
“What kind of mix-up? A DNA mix-up? Like the names being switched, kind of mix-up? Like what the hell?” Sheila irritably questioned. “Luke’s daddy performed the procedure, right?”
“He did and I don’t know much else as to what happened after that besides a fucking MIX-UP.” He emphasized feeling like because of this mix-up his life was about to messed up. Don’t worry babe, my dad will get to the bottom of this though.”
Sheila turned to walk back inside of her bedroom with Jay following behind her like a sick puppy. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “That still doesn’t change the fact that it’s over between us.” Sheila said still wiping the never ending tears. “I have nothing against the baby, but I damn show don’t like the mama and that will never change. Why jump into something pretty much already knowing what the outcome will be? Scarlett was smart for leaving Luke because of her and I’m going to follow suit.”
“You obviously never loved me if you’re willing to walk away like this.” Jay said with tears still running.
“I did love you and I still do, but I’m sorry Jay. I love myself more.”
“You can’t be serious.” He said trying to hold her hand.
Sheila pulled away from him. “Please pack your things and leave at your earliest convenience. I’ll be over at my mom’s house.” She said while grabbing her purse.
Jay grabbed at her hand again. “Don’t go. We have to talk about this. What if the mix-up was a mix-up for real? Meaning that nothing has changed,” he explained. “The baby could still be Luke’s for all we know.”
Sheila shook her head. “I highly doubt that Luke would’ve confirmed it if that were the case. Plus, that stupid bimbo had the fucking papers in her hand. The sooner we back away from each other the better it will be on both of us.”
“You can’t leave me,” he said still holding her arm. Sheila just looked back at him as she wiped her face.
“I’m sorry Jay, but yes I can.” She gently pulled away from him and walked out of the bedroom. Jay was so pissed off at how things had turned out that he threw the ring against the wall and hollered out with disgust. From the looks of things the engagement was certainly off and Sheila Grand was not taking him back as long as April continued to carry that baby by him.
Chapter 6
Gwen walked into the house just as Scarlett was exiting her bedroom pulling on her animal print American Flyer luggage by the handle. She rolled the bag in the living room while looking over at Gwen.
“Well hey you,” Scarlett spoke.
“Hey,” Gwen spoke back with a smile. “Where are you headed with your suitcase?”
“I’m heading out of town with Troy for the night.” Scarlett said.
She smiled while talking to Gwen thinking that she really did look good sober. Her coarse hair had already started thickening back up & she’d already started gaining a little weight on her frail bones. “Where have you been?” she asked her. Gwen looked over at her as she headed to the refrigerator. Scarlett could see where she got her big brown eyes from. For once she could clearly see them. “Well Gwen?”
“I went to the park to catch some chill time.” She said grabbing a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. “The Patron in this refrigerator show looks good,” she said looking back at Scarlett with a smile.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Scarlett said with an unnerving side eye.
“My name is Gwen Harper and I’m a recovering alcoholic. You better do something about that damn Patron in your refrigerator before I do.” She laughed, but was very serious.
“Gwen sit yo ass down somewhere.” Scarlett said while walking over to the refrigerator and grabbing the bottle of Patron out of it. “I wish you would lose focus and drink something.”
Gwen sat down on the sofa thinking and looking like a sad puppy dog. Damn, I shouldn’t have said anything.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Scarlett said with a shake of the head. Talking to Gwen was like talking to a child sometimes. “Did you hear me? I said you better not drink any liquor and mess up your sobriety.”
“Well, what if I just sniff something? That’s different don’t you think?”
“Gwen,” Scarlett impatiently said as she walked in her bedroom and hid the Patron. Five minutes later, she was walking back out. She sat down on the lounge chair across from Gwen. “Tell me that you were just kidding? You’re doing so well.”
“Okay, I was just kidding.” She said with light laughter. “It feels good to be sober. I can’t lie. I feel refreshed and rejuvenated. I can taste my food now, I can enjoy a good hot shower, and I can see things clearly now,” she said with a pause and then started right back. “Just like I see that ring on your finger,” she said in awe. “Damn, Scarlett let me see that.”
Scarlett blushed and held her hand out for Gwen to see the ring. “Do you like it?”
Gwen nodded her head. “I love it,” she said. “It looks good on you.”
“Thanks Gwen,” Scarlett said with a smile.
“So, do you feel that you’re ready for marriage?” Gwen asked out of sincerity.
“I guess you can never be fully ready for anything, but I’m ready to spend the rest of my life with Troy. I can’t lie. I really do love him.”
“I know this might sound funny coming from me, but I’m proud of you and the woman that you’ve become. I’m sorry for making your life hell. I had no right and that’s probably why I’m walking around here with this shit.”
Scarlett frowned. “What shit Gwen?”
“This dead man’s disease,” she said speaking on the fact that she was HIV Positive.
“Don’t call it that. You’re getting the proper care that you need, you’ve cleaned your system up, and you’re not on the streets anymore. You’ll out live us all. Just watch and see.”
Gwen smiled as she looked at her beautiful daughter. Scarlett definitely had a lot of her looks. She was just too fucked up and fragile for anybody to be able to see it. Now that she’d been clean for a couple of months their features were certainly starting to favor each other.
“That yellow Maxi dress looks good on your dark complexion.” Gwen complimented her.
“Well thanks,” Scarlett said. It was a very unusual conversation. Quite strange to Scarlett, to say the least, but she was definitely enjoying it.
“I just want you to be happy, Scarlett. You deserve that much.”
&nb
sp; “Wow, Gwen. I pray you stay sober forever. Hearing you say that means the world to me. I appreciate it.”
Gwen sat there with that smile on her face, but it had turned about as fake as a three dollar bill. “I’m sorry to pry in your love life, but what’s up with the other man that you’d been talking to?”
“Luke?” Scarlett asked.
“Yep, that’s him.” Gwen said. “What happened with y’all? I mean are you sure that you’re completely over him?”
Scarlett sat there for a moment as she thought about it. “I am,” she said but wasn’t really sure of it herself. She did love Luke. He was the first man that showed her the kind of attention that she craved. He took her places in public, introduced her to his family, and treated her kindly. However, when the shit came crashing down it came down at once and at fast speeds. Their relationship would probably never be the same. She’d been disappointed by him way too many times in so little time.