UNBROKEN (Friends, Lovers, or Nothing Book 5)

by Jackie Chanel

  “What kind of fun? I thought we were coming in to see my parents. Are you playing at Rabbit’s or something? Who are you texting?”

  “Just some friends from school.”

  “From Emory? You were there like a year. You made friends?” I laughed.

  “Yeah, I made a bunch of friends. Now that I’m all famous and shit, everybody who went there in 2000 thinks we’re cool. One of my professors even wants me to do a workshop while we’re here. Aaron is in town too. He’s throwing a bachelor party for Seth tonight at the Pink Pony. I might stop by.”

  “You hate Seth,” I reminded him even though I don’t know why he hates the lead singer of PURE so much.

  “I know,” Aiden grinned. “Pissing him off when I show up at his events is always fun. I wish Paulie were here though. It would be fun to strap up with Aaron again and play a set somewhere.”

  “Paulie and Delilah need some time away from us.”

  “What are you doing to do tonight?” Aiden asked.

  I hadn’t given it any thought since I figured we’d chill then meet up with my parents tomorrow. I was under the impression that this weekend was all about breaking our news to my family, all of them. Apparently, I was wrong.

  “I don’t know,” I answered. “I’ll probably call my cousins and have them come over. I don’t feel like getting dressed up and going out. I can’t drink so what’s the point?”

  “Which cousins?” Aiden asked with his eyebrows raised. “Jordan and Mikayla?”

  I nodded.

  “Maybe you should call Kat and your mom instead and see if they’ll give you a cooking lesson,” Aiden joked. “Speaking of Kat, let me tell you what I did yesterday.”

  Aiden was still scrolling through his phone. I don’t know why it irritated me but it did. I was sure he was checking out the naked THOTS that flood his DMs with pictures and messages. Since Mona taught him Twitter and got all of his accounts verified, he stays glued to his phone. His Snapchat is annoying, Facebook Live is the worst, and Instagram should add an endorsement deal to his growing list.

  “If you want to have a conversation with me, put your phone away. Your fans don’t need to know everything.”

  “A—I was checking my email. I might have a gig in New York next week. They want me to sit in with The Tonight Show band for a week.”

  I rolled my eyes because that wasn’t new information. Aiden as a standing invitation to play with The Tonight Show band and any other band he wants. The man can’t get any more famous than he already is but damn it if he doesn’t try.

  “Are you going to continue with B or are you going to tell me what you did yesterday?”

  “B— Your phone is only in your purse because you had Summer on the plane with you. If you weren’t flying with a toddler, you’d be glued to yours too. And third, stop hiring people to drive you places when I have a fleet of cars and can take you anywhere you need to go. The key to staying a millionaire is knowing when not to waste money.”

  I almost hit him with the “Negro, please!” Aiden has wasted more money on bullshit than some countries spend in a year. He bought an eight million dollar mansion for himself! He’s getting good use of it now since everyone in his family practically lives with him, but before that, it was just him, his guitar collection, and an endless revolving door of women.

  “What do you have to tell me, Aiden?”

  “I told Kat.”

  “You did not!”

  “I had to,” he said absently as he stared at his phone. “Do you realize how pissed she’d be if I didn’t tell her?”

  “Pissed? At you?”

  Words were completely lost to me. I was sure that part of my anger was hormones, part was nerves, but the majority of it was justified.

  “You are so goddamn inconsiderate!” I yelled at my fiancé. “That is my aunt! I told you to tell your family. No matter what you think, Aunt Kat is my father’s sister and not your family! I should have been the one to tell her! You don’t think I love my aunt as much as you do?”

  Then his insensitive ass had the nerve to replay with a glib, “Are you about to cry?”

  “Apologize, Aiden!” I shouted while willing myself not to shed a single damn tear. “I wanted to tell my aunt and you took that moment away from me! Apologize and mean it!”

  Aiden smiled at his daughter who was looking at us as if she was already tired of having us as parents. Then he leaned across her booster seat and kissed my cheek.

  “Sorry. I mean it. Didn’t think you’d be that mad.”

  “What if she already told my parents? Did you think about that?”

  “Relax,” Aiden chuckled. “You don’t have to worry about that. Kat keeps all of my secrets.”

  “Yeah, right. Whatever.” But I couldn’t help but wonder what other secrets my aunt was keeping for her baby boy.

  The Navigator pulled into the turnaround of 1201 Peachtree and the doorman immediately crossed the walkway to greet us. Aiden has owned an apartment this building since his first record deal. We lived here together for years. Man, if walls could talk…

  1201 Peachtree holds a ton of sacred memories, including the first time I realized that I was in love with Aiden. We made love for the first time in this apartment. It’s quite possible this child was conceived here. I will never ask him to sell it.

  “Welcome back home, Aiden! It’s good to see you again, man!” Mr. Charles, the doorman, bellowed and gave Aiden a strong manly hug. Mr. Charles has been around forever and grinned like he was greeting an old friend. He was so thrilled to see Aiden that I know that either Aiden got in very late last night after Mr. Charles had left or he passed out at one of his friends’ houses in a drunken stupor.

  “It’s good to be back. I don’t get home enough.”

  “I thought you woulda sold the place by now and got you a big ol’ mansion in Alpharetta or some place.”

  “Nah,” Aiden grinned. “I got me a big ol’ mansion in Hollywood. I don’t need one here. Did Mona have the cleaning service come?”

  “Yeah, the girls just left ‘bout an hour ago,” Charles answered. “They stocked the fridge and bar for you. It’s all ready.”

  Charles looked at me and smiled. “Sunny Rain! It’s nice to see you, girl. Lookin’ all beautiful and everything! My grandbabies showed me that interview you all did on that television show. This man treatin’ you good?”

  “Hi, Mr. Charles. He’s doing the best he can,” I giggled. “Look at you lookin’ all good. When he messes up, I know where to come.”

  “Hush now,” Mr. Charles blushed. “You can’t be talkin’ to an old man like that. You know I got a bad heart.”

  “You’re too much,” I laughed. “Ain’t nothin’ bad about you.”

  “Where’s the little one?” he chuckled. “Or are y’all travelin’ solo?”

  “I’m right here!” Summer squeaked.

  She hopped out of her booster seat and right into Mr. Charles’ arms. My baby has never met a person that didn’t fall in love with her.

  We chatted with Mr. Charles all the way up to our fifteenth floor apartment. Well, Summer chatted. We just listened. As soon as Aiden opened the apartment door, I suddenly felt exhausted. This pregnancy is starting off rough. I can’t wait until the second trimester when things start to calm down.

  I said goodbye to Mr. Charles then I grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and headed straight to the master bedroom. I don’t know what Aiden and Summer have planned but Mommy needs a nap.

  ***

  “Girl,” my cousin Jordan slurred in her deep Southern accent. “Mama ‘bout died when your mama told her you made that dress Pattie wore at the Essence Awards. You know Mama worships Miss LaBelle. Now, every time Auntie Peaches be talkin’ shit about you never comin’ home ‘cause you work too much, Mama be ‘bout to fight her.”

  “You are so country!” I laughed. “Man, I miss being at home. They talk so differently out in LA.”

  “And you’re starting to
sound just like them!”

  The twins and I were lounging in the living room catching up on all the family drama that I’ve been missing since I live ‘way ‘cross the damn country and whatnot.’ My mother stopped by with a couple bottles of wine to hang out with us. Kat would have come but it’s Friday night and she isn’t leaving Rabbit’s on a Friday night. It feels like I haven’t hung out with my cousins in forever.

  Jordan, Mikayla, and I used to be really close until Erica slept with Jordan’s boyfriend during their first year of college. I refused to take either side because I love them both equally. Erica was wrong for sleeping with Kyle. Jordan had every right to whoop her ass. For a little while, Jordan wouldn’t speak to me since I remained friends with Erica. It was almost a year before we squashed the beef but by that time, I was in New York at Parsons so we still drifted apart until I graduated and moved back home. We’re close now but it’s nowhere like it was when we were teenagers.

  I glanced at my mama who was sitting on the floor. She, Jordan, and Mikayla had long finished the two bottles of pink Moscato, and Mama was working on her third gin and tonic from Aiden’s liquor cabinet

  “Mama!” I laughed. “How long have I lived in LA? You still be talkin’ shit about me?”

  “Sure do,” Peaches snickered. “You my only baby. I can talk about you all I want. But nobody else better try it.”

  “Auntie, you a mess,” Jordan laughed. “Don’t nobody be talkin’ about Sunny, especially not in the A where all her cousins live. Those shady Hollywood bitches might but that shit ain’t happenin’ here.”

  “I appreciate y’all havin’ my back but I don’t care if people talk about me. They can keep talkin’. Whatever they’re sayin’ ain’t makin’ a bit of difference because my bank account is just as fat as my ass!”

  “Girl!” Mikayla squealed and high-fived me. “You ain’t never lied! That Georgia peach booty is on fleek! I’m tryin’ to have me an ass like that. You ain’t pay for it, did you?”

  “Hell nah!” My mother threw a pillow at Mikayla. “That booty is all natural. She tried that vegetarian shit and whatnot tryin’ to be like those skinny girls in Hollywood. As soon as she ate some of my greens and fatback, that booty came right back.”

  “Auntie drunk as hell,” Jordan teased. “Sunny, why your mama be so turned up when you come home? Any other time, can’t nobody get her out the house except Aunt Kat.”

  I shrugged. I don’t know what goes on with my mother. She keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure.

  I glanced at the clock on the cable box. It’s after two in the morning. I picked up my phone to check if I had any missed calls or texts from Aiden. The fact that I didn’t have one kind of irritated me. I refrained from calling him though. The one thing I’m not trying to do in this relationship was become a nagging wife. He’s a grown man. I shouldn’t have to check on him or worry about what he’s doing when he’s out with his friends. However, a courtesy text from him occasionally would be nice.

  Jordan caught me looking at the phone. “You checkin’ up on your man? Where is he anyway?”

  “He’s hanging with some friends. They went to a bachelor party at the Pink Pony.”

  “Oh shit!” Jordan laughed loudly. “I’m about to check his Snapchat right now. You better check Instagram. You know these THOTS be all over your man. Y’all in Atlanta now with family. We might have to run up on them hoes.”

  “You always ready to turn up.” Mikayla shook her head at her sister. “If we had to turn up on hoes because of Aiden, we’d be in jail every weekend. Can’t you see Sunny stays unbothered? She knows that man ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

  My mother looked skeptical and, while I hoped that she wouldn’t add her two cents, I had a feeling that Jordan had opened Pandora’s Box. I really just want this weekend to go well. Arguing tonight with my mother over Aiden’s partying and occasional bad behavior was not on my agenda.

  “Mama, I see you shaking your head. Please don’t start.”

  “All I’m saying is your baby daddy is wild as hell. All of that drinking and partying he does leads to bad decisions. And you know his friends ain’t shit. They’re always down to get into whatever foolishness he suggests. Look, he ain’t rang your phone all night just to see how you and Summer are doin’. I know y’all are havin’ a good time now but for how long? He’s a good father, but everyone knows that Aiden ain’t husband material.”

  “But he’s fine though!” Jordan hollered. “Goddamn, that boy is fine! Who knew they were makin’ white boys like that?”

  I could have hugged her. She knows I can’t stand when my mother starts going in on Aiden. I appreciate her effort to discourage my mother’s rant.

  “It’s a shame he only has sisters,” Mikayla jumped in too. “I swear, if he had a brother, I’d be ridin’ that thang like a pony!”

  “Shit, I’d be happy with one of his friends,” Jordan replied. “You know the fine ones always travel in packs. His drummer is fine. His keyboard player is fine. Hell, even that dude who tunes his guitars is fine! Hook your cousin up, Sunny Rain!”

  “I will when the two of you bring your asses out to LA. You haven’t come visit me yet. Y’all haven’t even seen my house! And if either one of you say you saw the pictures, I’m gon’ fight you.”

  Relieved that the conversation was no longer on my mother’s opinion of Aiden, the girls and I talked and laughed for another hour or so before we all started to drift off to sleep. Jordan and Mikayla decided to stay over in the guestroom. Mama was too drunk to drive anywhere. I offered her the master bedroom but she insisted on sleeping on the futon in Summer’s room.

  I was the only one who wasn’t drunk so I took a quick shower and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top. Before going back into the living room, I checked to make sure that my mom hadn’t woke up Summer. Both of them were sleeping peacefully.

  I don’t want Aiden to think I was waiting up for him but it’s going to be obvious when he walks through the door anyway. I stretched out on the living room sofa and looked around the apartment. This place is so different from our homes in California. There isn’t a million dollars worth of studio equipment in here or a bunch of expensive furniture and decorations that we really don’t need. It’s so cozy and perfect. We had a good time in this apartment, just the two of us, until he moved out.

  If anything, Aiden storming out of our apartment and catching a flight to LA to live with Paulie was the start of all the friendship drama between us. Looking around the humble apartment, it’s like our lives have come full circle. We’re getting married.

  Even though Peaches didn’t really have a chance to get started, her ‘he’s not husband material’ comment racked my brain. This is not the weekend for him to leave a bad impression on my folks. When he stumbles in here at whatever time he does, he’s going to be loud and obnoxiously intoxicated. I don’t mind when Aiden parties except when he does it at the most inopportune times. It may sound bad but as long as he’s not bothering me or embarrassing me, he can do what he wants.

  The only way I can get over my trust issues with him is to start trusting him. I can’t be the woman he spends the rest of his life with if I don’t. I can’t second-guess his every action when I’m not around. I’ve been there and it doesn’t work for either of us. He’s not Xavier and he’s not Tristan. He’s Aiden and I have to believe that he won’t hurt me like they did.

  We’ve been through so much drama that I don’t think it can get any worse. This time around, I’m a hundred percent in. I love that man too much and I believe that Aiden loves me too much to cheat on me. I want my mom and dad to see that and feel that way too. I want them to see that Aiden isn’t the same man he was even a year ago. I want their blessing. If I don’t get it, I don’t know what I’ll do. How can I marry a man that my parents do not approve of me marrying?

  Chapter 5: I Found a Boy

  I SECURED A GOLD Egyptian cuff on my wrist and fastened a pair of gold hoops in my ears. Daniela wa
s yapping away on the speakerphone while I applied some mascara and lip gloss.

  “And you know Chanel ain’t havin’ it,” Daniela was saying. “I’m glad she and I are on the same page. I thought she was going to be a problem when Chuck got traded to New York. You know she was the Queen Bee in Philly. But I have these New York wives on lock. These stuck up hoes do whatever I say. Garret and I have earned our status here and I’m not giving it up for anyone.”

  “You and your basketball wives crack me up,” I laughed. “Why don’t you and Chanel want to do the show? There’s good money in reality TV.”

  “Chanel is a doctor,” Daniela huffed. “And I don’t need reality TV money. I have RainDrops, my perfume, my champagne, and Garret has been putting three million in my In Case Shit Happens account since we got married. They can keep their hundred grand an episode. I got Birkin bags that cost more than that. Besides, my dad and brothers would kill me if I showed my ass on national television. I may be rich, but that Jersey girl comes out every now and then. I’m not above slappin’ one of these bitches when they try me.”

  “You can’t be acting like that in public,” I scolded her. “You don’t see me actin’ a fool in public with Aiden and his groupies.”

  “We would if you had cameras filming you twenty-four seven. Don’t even act, Sunny Rain. I’ve seen you show out in public over your man. Speaking of your baby daddy, looks like he had an interesting night at the Pink Pony. There are pictures all over Instagram. Did you see them?”

  “No.” I shook my head even though Daniela couldn’t see me. “And I’m not going to. The last thing I need to see is some stripper’s tits all up in my fiancé’s face.”

  “Fiancé?” Daniela yelled. “What the hell are you talking about? Did he propose?”

  Damn, that slipped. Quickly, I told Daniela all about Aiden’s proposal and sent her a picture of the ring. Daniela let out a scream so loud that my phone slid across the dresser a little.

  “Yes! Kat’s baby boy finally put a ring on it! I’m so happy for you, Sunny!” She sounded like she was crying. “The very first time I saw the two of you together, I knew y’all had something special. Even when you were with Xavier, I knew that Aiden had your heart. He may be a problem child.” Daniela giggled. “But y’all are perfect for each other. That man will drink your bath water if you asked him to. Are you going to have a big wedding? Please have a big wedding and not that getting married at the courthouse or in your backyard celebrity dumb shit. Please say you will do me this favor and have a huge wedding.”