Forgive Me (Sequel)

•Chapter Twelve•

I thought I had experienced Lance pissed before but judging from today I was obviously wrong. The way his usually light brown eyes turned shades darker as he glared at me and the assault of my work desk unnerved me a little. I was half expecting him to reach across the desk and wring my neck or something else malicious. Not that he had ever been violent towards me but I could tell that something in him had chipped.

I was grateful that the only thing that demanded my immediate attention were a few, simple bank reconciliation statements because the encounter left me shook prompting my focus to make an early exit. Although our conversation surrounded his need to see Ameer my mind couldn't help but replay his final words. It stung more than it should've hearing him state that he didn't give a damn about me. This was a man that I'd loved at one point. If I were to be honest with myself there was still a small place in my heart for him. Maybe I felt that way since I'd never really gotten the closure that I needed and him "resurrecting" all of a sudden did nothing to improve the situation.

After completing the reconciliation statements I took a deep breath and reclined in my seat. Squeezing my eyes shut, the tears that I'd been holding back leaked from the corners of my eyes. My sob session didn't last long though as the ringing of my phone shattered the sadness that radiated throughout my office.

"Hello, A'mia Jordan speaking. How may I assist you?" I asked in the most professional tone I could muster at the moment.

"Hi Mrs. Jordan. This is Ms.Lily, Ameer's teacher." She said.

"Is he okay?" I asked, my voice now laced with worry.

"Uhm, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. Would be you be able to come down to the school today?" She asked.

"I can leave my office right now." I stated. Before she could respond I had already shut off my computer, grabbed my handbag and headed straight to the elevator. If something was wrong with my baby I had to find out pronto.

By the time I got to Ameer's school I was surprised I hadn't been stopped by the police and slapped with multiple traffic violations. I was going way beyond the speed limit and ran a couple of stoplights. My heels clanked against the pavement and subsequently the school's tiles as I sped into Ms. Lily's office. I wasted no time inquiring about my son's wellbeing.

"Is everything okay at home Mrs. Jordan?" She probed.

"Yes, everything is fine. Why do you ask?" My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Well Ameer is one of my best students. He usually pays attention and participates in all of the assigned activities. However, yesterday I noticed a change in his attitude. He's distant and keeps to himself. At first I thought he was just having an off day but today has been the same thing." She said. I sighed internally not wanting her to see my reaction. I was almost certain I knew what was bothering him. He hadn't been to the rec center since Tuesday. Although this wasn't the first time he had missed days going there, I knew it was really his father who he had wanted to hang out with. Maybe it was time I got over myself and stop hurting my son.

Rather than heading back to the office I decided to wait around until school was over. Once the final bell had rung I spotted my baby exiting his classroom. Rather than beam with his usual excitement he just looked at me with sad eyes, acknowledging my presence. It broke my heart to see him like that. Once we made it inside my car I decided to see where his head was at.

"What's wrong baby?" I asked as I cupped his cheeks with both hands. He didn't respond verbally he just continued to stare at me with the same sad expression.

"It's okay AJ, you can talk to mommy." I said gently.

"I wanna go back to the center." He said barely above a whisper.

"Let me guess, you want to see your dad right?" I asked already knowing the answer. He nodded yes.

"You can't act up everytime something doesn't go your way, life doesn't work like that, but you can go back next week okay?" He nodded his understanding and perked up instantly, his lone dimple showing itself as he tried to suppress a smile. I chuckled and put the car in drive, beginning our journey home. I hoped Shawn would be home early because we needed to talk.

Once we got home and settled in, we decided to order a pizza and have a movie night. By the middle of the second movie Ameer was knocked out and I struggled to carry him up the stairs and tucked him into bed. Soon after Shawn came in. Loosening his tie and flinging his briefcase onto the kitchen table I could tell that he had had a long day. I sighed knowing that I was about to add to his distress but I couldn't delay the conversation any longer.

"Hey babe." I said as I walked up behind him and gave him a hug.

"Hey love. How was your day? He asked.

"It was okay. How was work?" I questioned. He exhaled sharply.

"I've had better days." He stated.

"We need to talk." I said, releasing our embrace now facing him.

"Aww man, what did I do? He asked.

"Nothing. It's about Ameer. I think it would be a good idea for him to get to know his father." I said, wringing my hands. The scowl that crept onto Shawn's face let me know he was not happy.

"Seriously? He shows up out of the blue and instantly gets to be father of the year?" He asked incredulously.

"I never said that. I just said we shouldn't deny Ameer of his father." I reasoned

He snickered, "Mia I am his father, and why the sudden change of heart huh? Have the two of you been rekindling your old flame behind my back or something?"

"This is where I exit the conversation. You sound real stupid right now." I said, walking away to our bedroom. He had obviously lost his mind and I was in no mood to deal with his accusations. As I flopped down onto my bed I dialed a number that used to fill my call log.