My mind started to work overtime. Fiancée? What the hell. This could not be happening. This was not going to happen. I needed to come up with something quick and fast. I knew that the blackmailing thing was only going to go so far, but I was hoping that either he got tired of paying me and gave into fucking me instead or just told JaNair the truth and once she dumped him for good, he’d finally come running to me.
I talked to ol’ girl for a few more moments, trying to get as much information as I could. After coming up with nothing but what she had already told me, I went to the bathroom, handled my business, and thought of a plan.
JaNair
I looked out into the crowd and scanned the many faces that were in attendance. Some I knew, some I’ve seen before, and some I wouldn’t remember two days from now.
Once again, Jerome outdid himself with this whole birthday celebration. First, it was the mountain of gifts, and now the Las Vegas-style party I said I wanted awhile ago.
I turned around and looked at everyone sitting in my VIP section. With two other parties going on in the area, we still had enough room to have fifty more people come up here.
I looked at Li’l Ray and LaLa in the corner having a heated conversation about all the greasy food she’d been scarfing down since we got here. I laughed at how protective he was about her and the type of foods she was feeding their baby. Toby and Niecey were on the dance floor, and surprisingly, he was grooving and swaying his hips perfectly to the beat. Who would’ve thought a white boy could be so smooth? I could tell by the way he looked at her the whole time that they were dancing that he had some type of feelings for her. Niecey’s face seemed to be glowing as well. She looked happy. Way happier than I ever seen her whenever Big Will was around.
My attention turned to Jerome who was talking to Gerald and his date. At first, I thought it was going to be kind of awkward, being that Gerald and LaLa hung out before, and they were both here with new people, but like Jerome explained, they weren’t meant to be, and both of them understood that.
“Hey, Jay, I just wanted to come up here and wish you a Happy Birthday. This is my friend Genelle. Genelle, this is the birthday girl JaNair,” Ryan said as he introduced me to the Ciara look-alike standing next to him.
“Thank you, Ryan, and it’s nice to meet you, Genelle.” She shook my hand but didn’t say anything. The vibe that I was getting from her felt kind of weird, like she wanted to say something to me, but Ryan told her not to.
“Um, I hope you don’t feel uncomfortable being here. Ryan and I haven’t dated for a while, and we’re simply just friends. His cousin and I are best friends, and since we still see each other sometimes because of her, I invited him.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s nothing to do with that. I know you are in a relationship with that fine-ass brother right there.” She pointed at Jerome, who happened to look up at that moment and smile. “Whew, that man is gorgeous.” Ryan cut his eyes at her and started to pull her away, but not before she left without a few more parting words. “If I were you, girl, I’d watch my man around all this trifling females . . . even family.”
I scrunched my perfectly arched eyebrows as I watched her and Ryan walk out of the VIP arguing. That shit was hella weird, but I got over it.
I went and grabbed my purse and pulled my phone out. Semaj’s ass still hadn’t texted me back. Since we got here, I’d texted him again, thanking him again for the gift that he sent me. I was overexcited when I opened it up while I was in the bathroom and saw what it was.
“Happy Birthday, cousin,” broke me from my thoughts. As much as I didn’t care too much for Mya right now, I was glad to know that she came after I extended the invite and was doing OK.
“Thank you, Mya. You look nice tonight.” I wasn’t lying. She did. The two-piece red crop top and pencil skirt looked good on her. She had on some black pumps, and her hair was in a slick ponytail going to the back.
“Thank you, thank you. You look good yourself. Then again, you should since you’re the birthday girl, right?” I nodded my head, not sure if I should take that as a compliment. “What are you drinking? Your next drink is on me.”
“Oh no, you’re good. Jerome paid for bottle service for the whole night, so I don’t need anything else to drink. But check you out, offering to buy me a drink,” I said joking around.
“Is that all you think I can buy you? Because if it is, you’re sadly mistaken. I can buy you a bottle just like Jerome,” she said with a smirk on her face.
I didn’t know what that was all about, and I never got the chance to ask, because as soon as I opened my mouth, four waitresses walked into VIP holding a big-ass cake, with what looked like a 100 sparklers on it.
“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear JaNair (BFF, Bae, Baby Mama), Happy Birthday to you.”
I looked at Toby’s crazy ass and shook my fist at him. I don’t know when and or why he started calling me his baby mama, but if Jerome didn’t get mad at it, neither did I.
I had just blown out all of the sparklers on my cake when Jerome took my hand and got down on one knee. My throat became dry as hell, and my heartbeat started to speed up. I looked around the small circle that seemed to unknowingly form around us.
LaLa, Niecey, Toby, and even Tangie who had just gotten there had smiles on their faces. The only person who wasn’t wearing one was Mya. She didn’t even try to disguise the smug look on her face when we locked eyes.
At that precise moment, the last few months begin to flash through my mind. In each thought that seemed to replay, the way Mya’s ass would twist her face whenever Jerome and I were together started to stand out more and more. It was either that or she’d say something slick at the mouth that usually included Semaj’s name somewhere in the mix.
I looked at her again, and it was obvious that she had some things she wanted to get off of her chest. So me being the caring cousin that I am, I just had to find out. Yeah, I was about to ask her in the middle of Jerome’s proposal, and low key, I probably could’ve waited until he was finished. But at this point, I really didn’t give a fuck.
“JaNair Simone Livingston, will—” was all Jerome got to say before I cut him off.
“Aye, Mya, what the fuck is your problem?” All eyes turned to her.
“What do you mean, JaNair? I’m standing here watching your man try to propose to you like everyone else.” She looked around the crowd, then back at me. When her eyes traveled over to Jerome, he looked at her with a scowl on his face, then quickly turned his head. I took note of that little interaction, then turned my attention back to her. Something was definitely up with this bitch, and I was about to find out what.
I walked up to her with my hand on my hip and invaded all of her personal space.
“I wanna know what the fuck is your problem? I’m looking around at everybody’s face, and I see nothing but smiles. However, when I look at yours, all I see is animosity. Are you angry about something, Mya?”
“She’s jealous!” someone yelled while coughing at the same time.
I ice grilled the idiot for a moment, then waited for Mya to answer my question.
She looked at a belly-rubbing LaLa who was discreetly trying to shake her head no. She looked at Jerome again, and he still ignored any form of eye contact with her.
“So?” I asked, starting to get the feeling that something was about to pop off.
She smirked. “Yeah, Jay, I have a problem. But it doesn’t have anything to do with being jealous of you,” she smugly said as she started to walk around me. “You see, my problem happens to be the same one that you have.”
I reared my head back and cocked it to the side. “And what problem would that be?”
“Jerome fucking your so-called best friend and possibly getting her pregnant.”
The shit she had just said to me didn’t really register with me until I saw Li’l Ray take his arm from around LaLa and mean mug the hell out of her. She tried to grab his face and say
something, but he turned around and stormed out of the VIP section.
I looked over at Niecey and saw Toby firmly grab her arm trying to keep her from getting to a laughing Mya.
“Baby, please . . . Let me ex—” was all Jerome managed to get out before my open palm connected to the side of his face. I hit him so hard that his lip started to bleed. The shocked look that he had on his face told me that not only did he hear that shit, he felt it too.
“Bitch! Are you crazy?” he yelled as he stalked toward me. Before he could get any closer, Toby grabbed my arm and pushed me behind him.
“Rome, man, you know I will always have your back, and you’re like a brother to me. But trying to attack a woman who only reacted to the shit you caused is not gonna fly while I’m here. Let me take you home so you can cool down, and if JaNair’s up for talking to you in the morning, you can do it then. Cool?”
After looking around at all of the shocked faces, Jerome nodded his head and then turned his attention back to me. I wanted to say something real slick but didn’t get the chance to due to LaLa’s ear-piercing scream.
“Oh my God, I think my water just broke,” she said as we all rushed to her side.
“Are you all right, LaLa? Do you need anything?” I asked kneeling in front of her. She nodded her head and started to scream again. That concern I was just giving her was all an act. I really didn’t give a fuck how she was doing, to be honest. I just needed some way to get close to her without her suspecting anything.
After Mya dropped that little bomb about Jerome possibly being her baby daddy, she knew to keep some space between us. That’s why I didn’t get a chance to slap her right after I slapped Jerome.
“Are you sure you’re OK, LaLa?” I asked looking her in the face.
When she nodded her head again and gave a quick smile, I nodded my head in return. Before I got up to give her some breathing room, however, I raised my arm up and sent my fist flying into her nose.
Blood instantly started to gush out. The oohs of some of the guests that were still in VIP started to echo throughout the confined space.
I didn’t even look back to see the damage that I’d done to her face as I grabbed my clutch and jacket. The only thing that was on my mind was getting the hell out of there. My mental was so gone right now, I was liable to beat that damn baby outta her ass.
After making sure I had everything in my hand that I came with, I headed out of the club and to the limo.
Not even caring that the driver was obviously on a smoke break, I jumped in the back of the sedan and slammed the door.
“Uh . . . Where to, ma’am?” he said as he sat in the driver’s seat.
“LAX.”
He turned around and looked at me. “You don’t want to wait for the rest of your—”
“No! LAX, please,” I said as I closed the partition.
Once it finally registered to this fool that I didn’t give a fuck that we were leaving the rest of my party behind, he put the key in the ignition and revved the engine up.
When the limo started to move, I opened up my clutch and took out my birthday gift from Semaj. A small smile began to form as the round-trip ticket to Texas stared me back in the face.
“I’m on my way, J2, and I’m really ready this time,” I said to myself. Closing my eyes, I let the thoughts of tonight’s event and seeing Semaj’s smiling face lure me to sleep.
LaNiece
“Aggggggggh!” I cried out in so much pain. Not only was my nose gushing out an insane amount of blood thanks to JaNair, but these contractions I was having every ten minutes had me ready to die.
“LaLa, I need you to stay with me. I know you’re contracting right now, and it’s hurting like hell, but I need you to hold your head back so we can get control of this nosebleed and calm you down so your blood pressure doesn’t skyrocket,” Tangie said as she kneeled down beside me.
“Can . . . someone . . . please . . . call . . . my . . . mama,” I managed to get out between breaths.
“I think your sister already did.”
I looked to my left and saw Niecey pacing the floor with the phone glued to her ear while Toby was in the corner having what seemed like a heated conversation with Jerome.
“Did . . . Li’l Ray . . . come back . . . yet?”
Tangie looked at me for a quick second, sheepishly smiled, then turned her attention toward the EMTs rushing into the lounge. I didn’t know what that was about, but by that look on her face, I could tell that the answer was no. While Tangie briefed the paramedics on my condition and my mind drifted off to Li’l Ray, another contraction hit me a lot harder than the first and had me doubling over in more pain.
“Breathe, LaLa . . . breathe,” I heard someone scream.
“How can I breathe?” I yelled back. “With your hand and this towel covering my face, it’s kind of hard for me to do that shit.”
I didn’t mean to snap at the young girl like that, but when everything that caused this moment started to flash before my eyes, I got mad all over again. Mya was foul as hell for blurting that shit out like that. I couldn’t wait until I dropped this baby. I had something real special for her ass and couldn’t nobody on God’s green earth save her from it. Not only did she screw up JaNair’s special moment, she probably cut any hope of my and Jay’s friendship ever reconciling. I knew that bitch was up to something the minute I saw her ease her ho ass into the VIP section. I should’ve said something then, but didn’t.
“What the fuck is she doing up here?”
“Who you talkin’ ’bout?” Li’l Ray asked as he took another sip of his drink.
“Mya’s trifling and thirsty ass. She looks like she’s up to something too.”
Li’l Ray laughed. “How can you tell that? From what I see, she’s up here just like we are, celebrating her cousin’s birthday.”
“Nigga, when was the last time you saw Jay and Mya together?” He thought about it for a second, then shrugged his shoulders. “See, that’s what I’m talking about. I don’t even think JaNair invited her to this party either, so why is she here?”
“You females kill me. Let that girl enjoy herself. Look, it’s obvious Jay ain’t tripping, or she wouldn’t be talking to her right now.”
He nodded his head in their direction, and sure enough, the distant cousins were having some kind of awkward-looking conversation. I watched as both Mya and JaNair put on their fakest smile and exchanged pleasantries. Their interaction looked so forced and fake, I could only imagine what they were saying to each other.
Yeah, that bitch is up to something, I thought to myself as I watched Mya’s gaze slide over to Jerome’s every few seconds.
Twenty minutes, five songs, and two cranberry juices later, the waitresses of the lounge finally brought JaNair’s lavish cake out. My stomach, which started to hurt after we ate all of the different foods, was now feeling a bit queasy. I was so ready for this night to end so that I could go home and lie down.
“Are you okay?” Li’l Ray asked as I grabbed my stomach and his shoulder at the same time. As a sharp pain shot through my belly, I gave a quick smile and head nod, just to avert any type of panic from him.
A few minutes later, another pain shot through my back which had my knees buckling a bit. When Li’l Ray looked at me again with concern laced across his face, I mustered up all the strength that I could and acted as if everything was still OK. I knew I should’ve said something then, but I wanted to see JaNair’s face when she got her big surprise.
Jerome going down on one knee with a small black velvet box in his hand had everyone in the VIP gasping at the same time. The look on JaNair’s face was indescribable, and I couldn’t tell whether she was shocked or annoyed. When I followed her line of sight and saw the expression on Mya’s face, I just knew some shit was about to pop off.
Even though we were mad and hadn’t talked to each other in a minute, that twin telepathy thing Niecey and I sometimes had must’ve kicked in. Either that or she must’ve notic
ed what was about to happen because she and Toby came and stood next to me.
When JaNair started to question Mya about the look on her face, I just knew she was about to tell Jay about her and Jerome fucking around. But when I heard her say “Jerome fucking your so-called best friend and possibly getting her pregnant,” I could feel all the color drain from my face as the pressure that was building up at the bottom of my stomach suddenly released and went spilling all down my legs.
I reached out for Li’l Ray after Mya revealed my dirty little secret, but was met with a scowl and him shrugging his arm from my hold. Not even bothering to look back, he stormed out of the VIP area.
“Ray . . . RayShaun!” I cried out, only to be ignored.
“LaNiece, we were able to stop the nosebleed, but now we need to get you to the hospital,” the young paramedic said, breaking me from my thoughts.
“Hospital? But why?”
She looked around at everyone standing around me. “Um, we need to take you to the hospital because your water broke, and it seems like this baby wants to come out tonight.”
“WHAT!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. “It’s too early. I have two more months to go.” I was becoming scared now. I didn’t have anyone by my side, and I didn’t want my baby to be premature.
“That’s why we’re on our way to the hospital now. We’ve already called your doctor and informed him about what’s going on. He’s already in the delivery ward waiting for your arrival.”
I didn’t know what to say or how to feel after that. Li’l Ray was nowhere to be found, and I even managed to lose sight of Niecey and Toby as the EMTs pushed me through the lounge and into the ambulance that was waiting for me outside.
The ride to the hospital was short. We got there within fifteen minutes. When we got to the room that I would be delivering in, the first familiar face I saw was my mother’s. JaNair was supposed to be the second person I allowed to witness the birth, but we all know that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon. I was so happy that I finally had someone there with me that I started to cry while the doctors and nurses stood around me telling me to push.
What Bae Won't Do Saga Page 21