Heartbreak And Past Mistakes

by Chenell Parker

  “With what the courts will award me, I’ll be able to buy a home in a nice subdivision and move my mama in with me,” Jena smirked.

  “You must be out of your fucking mind. There’s no way in hell a judge is going to award you that much,” Spencer spat angrily.

  “Yes he will and you know it too. That’s why you ran out here behind me, but you’ve wasted your time and mine. Tell your little girlfriend that we have no deal. And if she plans to marry you, she can be prepared to pay up too. Louisiana is a community property state and your debt will become hers. Me and my daughter can use all the help we can get,” Jena replied as she turned her back on him.

  She waited for about five more minutes before her Uber pulled up. Jena was proud of herself for not crying and even more proud that she didn’t fall for Spencer’s bullshit like she usually did. Maybe being friends with Lyric for so many years finally rubbed off on her. She felt good telling him off and she looked forward to doing it again.

  “Fuck!” Spencer yelled angrily as he walked to his car.

  He had misjudged Jena and she had fooled him. Spencer thought sure that she would be on board after he wined and dined her for the past few weeks. Having sex with her was just a bonus, but even that wasn’t enough to sway her. Jena was absolutely right about what she said and he knew it. With the amount of money that he made every year, Jena would be rolling in the dough. As much as he didn’t want to, he had to call Michelle and tell her that they were back at square one.

  Chapter 35

  “I looked that shit up online and we’re doing it all wrong,” Bronx said as he and Lyric walked around the mall.

  “What do you mean?” Lyric asked.

  “A reveal party is supposed to be for the parents to find out what they’re having. We already know the sex of the baby, so I don’t see the point,” he replied.

  “I know boo, but we’re doing something different. This reveal party will be for the grandparents. We’re both the only child for our parents, so this baby is a first for everyone. I think it’ll be fun,” Lyric replied.

  “Who all are you inviting?” he asked her.

  “I just told you. Only the grandparents and great grandparents are invited. It’s not gonna be a party like that. I want it to be small and intimate. Make sure you reiterate that to your mama. I don’t need her showing up with all her in-laws and friends,” Lyric said as she rolled her eyes.

  She had Bronx running like crazy for the past few days to make sure she had everything that she needed. She wanted it to be nice and she was happy that Melody was letting them do it at her house. She had a nice yard and her father and Bronx were getting on the grill. Lyric had everyone some shirts made up and she couldn’t wait until the following day for them to find out. Nobody cared about the sex of the baby, but they were curious to find out what it was.

  “You better stop trying to come for my mama girl,” Bronx laughed.

  “Boy please. I barely know your mama. I’m only going by what you always tell me,” Lyric replied.

  “She already know what’s up though. She’s only bringing both of my grandmothers with her,” Deuce said.

  “What about this one?” Lyric asked as she picked up a dress to show him.

  “Nope. That shit look tight and it’s still on the hanger,” he replied.

  “I don’t even know why you wanted to come here. You hate everything that I pick up. I can wear one of the dresses that’s in my closet,” Lyric fussed.

  “I like this one,” Bronx said as he picked one up and showed it to her.

  “Army fatigue? Really Bronx? I’m not trying to be around everybody looking like a pregnant GI Hoe. That shit is ugly. I can’t even believe they sell that kind of shit in the maternity section. Let’s just go.” Lyric frowned.

  “Come on baby. We didn’t even look at everything,” Bronx said as he grabbed her hand.

  “We did look at everything. You don’t like nothing,” Lyric replied.

  Bronx kept walking and pulling her along with him. They looked at a few more items until he picked up something else that he liked and held it up for her to see.

  “Look at this one,” he said while holding up a tan colored romper.

  “I like it.” Lyric smiled.

  “Me too,” Bronx replied.

  “Which color should I get?” Lyric asked as she looked at the two other colors that the romper came in.

  “Get all three of them,” Bronx said as he picked up her size in every color.

  “I guess we’re done once you get your shoes,” Lyric replied.

  “It’s about damn time,” he joked.

  Once that was settled, he and Lyric paid for her items and went to Saks to look at shoes. Lyric had retired her heels for a while and she mainly wore flats or low wedges now.

  “Look boo, you should get these,” Lyric said as she held up some Louboutin tennis shoes.

  “Cool,” Bronx said, surprising even himself when it came to Lyric.

  He had never let a female dress him before, but she had been picking out all of his clothes lately. She had good taste, so he was good with it. She picked up some shoes for herself and the attendant went to go get them. They were on their way back to the register when someone familiar caught his eye.

  “Hey cousin,” Sanai said when she walked up on him.

  “What’s good Sanai?” he spoke back with a head nod.

  “Hey,” Sanai said as she waved to Lyric.

  “Hi,” Lyric smiled as she spoke back.

  “I’m mad as hell at you, Deuce. Why weren’t we invited to your reveal party? Grandma got a shirt and everything,” Sanai replied.

  “Lyric didn’t want to do nothing too big. We didn’t really tell nobody about it. We’ll send out invites to the baby shower though,” he replied.

  “Big or small, you know we don’t miss an event in this family. All you have to do is say party and you know we’ll be there,” Sanai noted.

  “It’s not really a party. We already know what we’re having. I just wanted to do something special for the grandparents and they’re the only ones that I invited,” Lyric said.

  She invited Nova and Jared too, but that was only so that they could help her out. She wanted to invite Kierra, but she was sure that the entire ordeal was still too awkward for her.

  “I know everybody else might be feeling some kind of way too,” Sanai continued.

  “Give me the card, so I can go pay for our stuff Bronx,” Lyric said as she held her hand out.

  She wasn’t about to stand there and entertain Sanai a minute longer. There was nothing that she could say that would change Lyric’s mind. Sanai, just like so many others in his family, was messy. Lyric wanted no parts of whatever she had to say. Bronx wasted no time giving her his credit card and Lyric walked away with the sales associate who was holding their items soon after.

  “Look at you all pussy whipped and shit,” Sanai sneered as soon as Lyric was out of sight.

  “It is what it is.” Bronx shrugged without denying her claim.

  “Well, you might want to have a talk with your lil wifey. She needs to understand how we operate in this family. There is no such thing as a private event. That’s not how we do stuff,” Sanai said.

  “She don’t have to understand shit. If that’s what she wants to do, then that’s how it’s gon’ be. She got a big family too and none of them are coming either,” he noted.

  “Yeah, but she wants us to come to her baby shower so she can get some gifts though,” Sanai argued.

  “Girl, you must be smoking dope. This is my first and only child that Lyric is about to have. The fuck makes you think that my baby will need anything from anybody? You don’t have shit your damn self, so you can’t possibly do nothing for me or mine.”

  “It would take you to go get a conceited baby mama. Zina was ratchet as fuck but at least she was all about family,” Sanai replied.

  “That’s exactly why she’s divorced now,” he retorted.

  “You a
nd Zina are not divorced yet,” Sanai corrected.

  “Shit, we might as well be. And don’t compare my girl to Zina. I’m proud to say that they are nothing alike. You don’t ever have to worry about her poppin’ her pussy next to you in the club or going half on a bottle of Hennessey. That’s what’s wrong with y’all now. Y’all keep doing the same shit and expecting different results. How insane is that?”

  “Wow. She got you sounding stuck up just like her. I can already see that she won’t get along with nobody in this family,” Sanai snapped.

  “The good part is, she doesn’t want to nor does she give a fuck. You sound like you’re mad over something that don’t have shit to do with you. Put some of that same energy into finding a job and moving out of your mama’s house. Stop acting like wanting better for yourself is a crime. You and Zina are too old to still have that same mindset,” Bronx replied, right as Lyric walked back over to them.

  “Ready boo?” she asked as he looked at him.

  “Yep,” Bronx replied.

  He took the bags that she handed him and walked away, leaving Sanai standing there looking and feeling stupid. She was too damn messy and she had him fucked up thinking that he was going to stand there and entertain that dumb shit she was saying. Zina played that with them but things were different now. Lyric made it known from day one that she wasn’t big on in-laws and he understood why. It didn’t matter if she didn’t fuck with his people because he didn’t fuck with a lot of them either.

  ***

  “Baby, you sure wasn’t lying about her messy ass. She talked about everybody in her family and I don’t even know the people. I can see that me and her will never be friends,” Melody whispered to Lyric while referring to Bronx’s mother.

  “I told you and this is only your third time seeing her,” Lyric replied.

  She and Melody were cleaning up after their guests once they ate their food. They still hadn’t revealed the gender of the baby but that was coming soon.

  “And don’t be trying to let her hog the baby either. This is me and your daddy’s first grandchild too. I don’t want my grandbaby to know her more than it knows me,” Melody said.

  “Don’t start ma. She owns a few daycares, so she’ll probably have the baby when I go back to work. You know I’ll make sure you see the baby every day and on weekends,” Lyric replied.

  “That’s all I want and we won’t have no problems,” Melody promised.

  “Just be nice ma. You don’t have to be her friend but y’all do share a grandchild,” Lyric said.

  “I talk my shit, but I’ll never make anybody feel uncomfortable. Besides, I like her mama, so she gets a pass,” Melody replied.

  “I like her too. It’s hard to believe that her kids are the way they are and she’s so cool,” Lyric noted.

  “That’s how it be sometimes. You’re kids aren’t always a reflection of you,” Melody replied, right as Bronx walked into the house.

  “Come on baby. I’m ready to get this over with, so my mama can get going. She’s driving me crazy,” he fussed.

  “How? What is she doing?” Lyric asked.

  “She keeps asking me to give her a hint like she got more than two choices. It’s either a girl or a boy.” Bronx frowned.

  “I don’t even blame her. I’m ready to find out too,” Melody replied.

  “Okay, let’s get this over with,” Lyric said as she dried her hands after washing them.

  She looked online for days trying to find a cute idea to reveal the gender of their baby to the grandparents. She wanted to do something where they could all participate and she found the perfect one. She ordered a filled pink and blue pinata with enough strings for all of them to pull. Jared and Bronx hung it up and Nova was in charge of recording everything for Lyric to post on Instagram. The grandparents to be wore the shirts that she had made for them and they were ready. Deuce’s paternal grandmother already had great-grandkids but she was still excited. She knew that her son would have been overjoyed had he still been alive to witness it.

  “Is it time yet?” Wanda asked when Lyric and Bronx walked outside together.

  “Yes, it is. Start recording Nova,” Lyric told her cousin.

  “I’m so nervous,” Melody said as they all got up and stood near the pinata.

  “Why? Is it more than one baby?” Lenard asked.

  “No!” Both Lyric and Bronx yelled at the same time, making everybody laugh.

  “I was just asking,” Lenard chuckled.

  “Okay, y’all grab a string. On the count of three, I want everybody to pull,” Lyric instructed.

  When they did what she told them to, she and Bronx counted to three. Once they pulled the strings and saw all the blue confetti and plastic sports balls come out, they went crazy.

  “It’s a boy!” Melody screamed.

  “I’m getting a grandson!” Lenard yelled as he and his wife hugged each other.

  Wanda was crying, so Bronx went over and hugged her too. “I just wish your daddy could have been here to see this. I’m so happy right now,” Wanda said as her son wiped her tears.

  No matter how much his mother drove him crazy, he loved her more than words could express. She had her ways, but she was his only living parent. He couldn’t remember a time when Wanda wasn’t there for him and he appreciated her.

  “I wish he was here too ma, but things happen the way they do for a reason. I try not to question that,” Bronx said as he hugged her tighter.

  “Now it’s time for the baby shower. Y’all let me know whatever I need to do,” Mildred said as she walked up and rubbed Lyric’s almost six month pregnant stomach.

  “We got it ma. Melody and I decided to hire somebody to do everything,” Wanda spoke up.

  They all sat around and talked for a while longer before everyone left to go home. Nova and Lyric helped Melody inside while the men cleaned up the yard. Once the house was back in it’s original condition, Melody and Lenard saw the rest of their guests off.

  “Did your mama tell you that she had some houses that she wanted us to look at?” Deuce asked Lyric as he drove.

  “No, she didn’t tell me anything,” Lyric replied as she looked out of the window.

  “What’s up Lyric? I feel like you’ve been stalling with this house thing. You don’t even seem like you’re interested,” Bronx noted.

  “I don’t think I’m ready to give up my house just yet,” Lyric confessed as she looked over at him.

  Bronx kept a straight face, but his heart plummeted in his chest when she said that. Lyric was still holding back on him, even though he tried to do everything to make her feel secure.

  “Since when Lyric? We’ve been talking about this for over a month and you never said anything before,” Bronx pointed out.

  “I’ve never lived with a man before and I’m just not sure that I’m ready to,” Lyric replied.

  “We live together right now,” Bronx argued.

  “No, you spend some nights at my house and that’s a big difference,” Lyric corrected.

  “I’ve been there for over two months Lyric. Just keep it real with me. You’re still holding on to what I did and you haven’t forgiven me yet.”

  “I forgave you a while ago. Trusting you is what I’m having trouble with,” Lyric admitted.

  “I’m doing everything that I can think of to prove to you how much I want this,” Bronx said.

  “I know you are Bronx and I’m trying. You know my history with relationships and it’s not the best. I can’t afford to keep making the same mistakes that I made in my past. I’m about to be someone’s mother and I have to put him first. Truthfully, I don’t even know if we would have made it this far if I wasn’t pregnant. Buying a house together is a big step and I just need to make sure I’m really ready for that,” Lyric replied.

  “I don’t know what else to do Lyric. This is never going to work if you don’t trust me and I need this to work. Walking away from you is like losing oxygen and I need to breathe baby,” Bro
nx said as he grabbed her hand and looked at her.

  Just like he’d told Zina, he couldn’t decide how Lyric chose to repair what he broke. He was the villain in the situation, so he could never try to play the victim. If only Lyric could see him from the inside out, she would know that his heart only beat for her.

  “I’m trying Bronx, I swear I am,” Lyric said.

  “That’s good enough for me baby,” he replied as he kissed her hand.

  “I’m sorry boo. I know how much you looked forward to buying your first house. Don’t let me stop you though, Bronx. You can still move forward with your plans,” Lyric said.

  “Not without you and my son. I told you that we can go as slow as you want to as long as we don’t stop. I’m not going nowhere,” he swore as he pulled up to her house.

  Lyric had been praying on it like her mother told her to. She couldn’t deny that she loved Bronx, but she wanted to trust him just as much. As crazy as it sounded, she didn’t think that he would do anything to hurt her but she was afraid to take that risk. As her grandmother always said, only time will tell if it was time well spent. All Lyric had to do was sit back and wait.

  Chapter 36

  “Is there anything else that you need me to do Lyric?” Sabrina asked as she stood in the break room and talked to her and Nova.

  “No, I’ll use the company card to get the cake and a gift card from all of us here. Everybody can still bring their own personal gifts too though,” Lyric replied.

  Sabrina asked her about giving Jena a small baby shower at the job, but she had to run it by Mr. Malone first. He gave Lyric the okay to use the company’s credit card to get everything that they needed. Nova was getting her parents to cater some finger foods and Sabrina and another receptionist were going to decorate. Jena was almost eight months pregnant and Lyric didn’t know that they were that close in delivering their babies. She had just made six months and she was just as big as Jena was.

  “I think we should tell her. You know, just in case she wants to dress up and stuff,” Nova suggested.