Downplay| Jordan Clarkson & Quincy Brown

•t w e n t y n i n e •

His face remained calm, but he wanted to break Jordan's legs. Even if Yara didn't love Jordan, he could see in her eyes that Jordan had changed something in her.

"Yeah, everyone would've because he doesn't deserve you or Jahi. Why the fuck didn't you say something the first time Yara?"

"I thought it was a one-off Amari, honestly, you should understand wanting to see the best in someone. Matter of fact you should applaud me because you know how hard it is for me to do that, to trust people like that."

"I do, and I'm sorry that you chose the wrong person, but Yara you should have told me earlier."

"I deal with things on my own Amari, you know this."

"And you don't have to, you should know that. Anyway, so what are you doing about LA then? All of you and Jahi's stuff is here. Are you going to go back?"

Yara shrugged before she began to rock as Jahi started to fuss. His mop of black curly hair brushed against her cheek, and she inhaled the sweet scent of baby as his tiny fingertips rested against her clavicle. Her baby was her point of sanity these days, the one good thing that came out of that relationship.

"I don't need to. Tina will spearhead things and the main office can be this one. My job is very flexible, so I'm not worried about that. The U-Haul pretty much brought my life here two days after I'd left."

"Yeah, Ebony's brothers and Elisa are real ones for packing up your apartment for you."

"They are, they also didn't want me to have any chance run ins with Jordan. Everyone was blowing my phone up when I sent out the cancellation notices including Jordan. It was too much, and I couldn't handle that."

"I want a chance run in with him." Amari gritted his teeth making Yara shake her head.

This was why she also didn't tell Amari all the details. He'd just settled the legal blunder that brought him here, he was back on track, and she didn't want an assault or murder charge to send him back. Uncle Gregory also was spared from the details of her broken engagement for the same reasons.

"That's not even necessary Mari. He's still Jahi's father so I've contacted him about co-parenting and what not. He usually diverts to us, and the conversation ends. I'm just securing all my interests because right now, Jahi is my world, and he does have a father that he deserves to know and make his own decisions about."

"I can't knock it. Just let me know when that nigga comes around so I can be here too. If he thinks he can do anything to you two, he's in for a surprise."

Yara smiled fondly at her brother's aggression. Amari the protector, as always. She bounced Jahi before she glanced at Payton's discarded scarf on Amari's counter.

"So, you and Payton are serious?"

The question was loaded. A month ago, Amari had made some realizations and one of them was that he was ready to settle down and start a life. His therapy had helped him a lot and Payton furthered the healing. She was a breath of fresh air and before Yara had come and he'd closed on this house, he'd been staying in hers. It started out as an animal attraction, pure instinct, and low inhibition but as time passed, he realized that she had a beautiful mind and spirit. Payton knew the horrible things he'd done, and she didn't judge him. She alone had dragged her out of the abyss his guilt had driven him into. He didn't think he'd find another person like that again. Her smooth dark skin and pearly white smile stayed on his mind.

"Honestly, I think she's the one Yara."

This stopped all of Yara's motions as she gently rested Jahi into his bassinet Looking toward her sibling, she couldn't help but smile at the serenity that crossed his face. Based on that look alone, she knew he may have been right.