After Joie left for the night, Gunner and Misty ate all of their food and were showered and in bed at the mark bedtime Joie told me. Gunner went to bed on his own, but Misty wanted me to lay with her. We watched Good Burger on replay until she fell asleep. I tried waiting up on Joie. But I wanted the shuteye myself. The ringing of my cell phone woke me, making me raise up beside sleeping Misty. Hassan was requesting to FaceTime me and I got up and left her room, then answered.
The video call connected and Hassan was smiling wide. "Finally you answered. I called bout ten times."
I pulled down the notification bar, witnessing the several calls from Hassan and it going on two in the morning. It made me wonder where Joie was, or if the date went good.
"Sorry, I was sleep." I said, plopping down on the living room sofa, "Why are you smiling so big?"
"We going to the Finals baby!" Hassan shouted in excitement.
Even though I was still tired, I was just as excited for him. "That's so freaking great baby! The Cobras take the finals."
"Man, I'm happy as hell! You don't even know baby. Star player, rookie in the league, and now going to the mufucking Finals."
"I'm really proud of you."
Hassan exhaled sharply, snickering happily. "Where you at, your sister's?" he asked.
"Yeah. Watching the kids while she went on a date."
"A date? Okay! And where my baby?"
The front door unlocking pulled my whole attention there. I sat up as the door opened and Joie was finally home. "Let me call you back babe," I don't wait for answer before I hung up and jumped up from the couch.
Joie looked drained. She carried her heels in her hand and that alone made me worry. "Jojo, are you—Whoa!" I caught her before she could fall to the ground and she started sobbing immediately. That is one thing Joie never does. "Hey. Hey. What happen?"
Joie was so choked up she couldn't speak. "Okay. It's okay." I hugged her, rubbing her back in soothingly. "Talk to me."
"All I wanted.. was to be a mother to her," She managed to say raising her head. I assisted with drying her eyes. "I sheltered her to keep her out of shit because Tanika and Joel didn't give a fuck. I fed her. Clothed her. Protected her. I done shit just for her to make sure she was good and what I get? Several stabs in the fucking back."
I knew she was talking about Aqua. "What else did she do?"
Joie chuckled bitterly. "Kut knew, Andi. He knew someone was snitching and he seen that fed come to my house that night because he wanted to come talk to me about the snitch situation. And guess who gave him the idea to come right when that fucking fed came?"
I shook my head, knowing. "Fucking Aqua."
"Aqualetta—The person that supposed to be my sister. We share a mother. And she makes it like I was the snitch. I almost was killed tonight.. thrown off a twenty story building." Joie laughed and that shocked me.
"Joie, what!?"
"Can you believe that the only reason I'm here is because of this," She reached into her pouch and pulled out two pregnancy tests. YES+ and PREGNANT. "I'm carrying the baby of a man that was going to throw me off a building with no hesitation and kill me for the second time. And you want to know the worst thing? I can't even get an abortion this time because he knows. Just my fucking luck."
I wanted to ask more questions, but she had enough. I stood up, bringing her up with me. "Let's get you in bed. We'll talk more in the morning."
It took about an hour and a half for Joie to fall asleep, while I stayed awake. With everything that happened to her during that date and what Aqua allowed, I was livid about it. I wanted to find her and whoop her ass like some random chick on the streets because that's what she's been asking for.
If I do happen to see her, that will definitely have to happen.
I just shut off the kitchen light after making a pot of coffee when there was a knock on the front door. I wondered who could be over this late, raising up and peering out the peephole. It was a male I didn't recognize, but something about him made me open the door and see what it was about.
"Can I help you?"
He looked at me, offering a friendly smile. "Hello. I'm Nick, a friend of Joie's. She around?"
Nick. That name sounds familiar. "She's sleeping right now. Is there something I can help you with?"
"Uh.. na' I'll come back."
He started walking away, and that's when I remembered why his name was so familiar. "Wait," I came out the screen door. "Nick, Joie's P.I. You helped find her mother back then."
"Yeah. Tell her I came by."
"Listen, I'm her sister. Andi Gathers." I introduced, "I know if she's bringing you around again it's about her mother. Our mothers. They ran together. At least that's what we hope. Any information you have you can trust me with it. Joie and I agreed to do this together."
Nick appeared skeptical, staring me over. "Joie trust me."
"She trusts me too," I said.
Nick takes a moment before handed me a small envelope. "Address inside. I hope y'all get what you need."
"Thank you so much."
Nick nodded before he left, and I returned inside. I opened the envelope and seen the city and state they were in within the address.
Pinedale, Wyoming
"Why Wyoming?" I wondered quietly.
The time came around for Gunner and Misty to get ready for school and to keep from disturbing Joie, I whipped them up a quick breakfast and helped Misty get ready, while Gunner assured he had it himself. Misty picked out her choice of outfit and I done her hair in the bathroom.
"Where's Jojo?" Misty asked, while I whipped her hair in three part high buns.
"Jojo's really tired. You'll see her after school, okay baby?" Misty nodded, and I finished her hair. I put gold clips in her buns before we left out the bathroom to head out. "Carrot, come on."
Misty slipped on her backpack just as Gunner came to the front with his on and we start to leave out and I was locking the front door.
"Uncle Kyan!" The kids screamed happily, making me turn around quickly.
Kut was crouched down, grinning and hugging Gunner and Misty. What is he doing here? The nerve of him to even show up here after nearly ending my sisters life.
I walked up just as Kut stood up. "You're out early, aren't you?"
Kut looked at me. "What up Andi. I came to take em to school."
"Na. That's what I'm here for. Come on guys."
The kids looked at me. "Can we ride with Uncle Kyan, pretty please!?"
"Not at all. Go get in my car." I refused. I didn't trust Kut and for damn sure I was not trusting him with these kids.
Gunner and Misty were sad about and hugging Kut before going to my car that I unlocked.
"We must gotta problem.. Andi." Kut mentioned.
I placed my eyes on him. "As.. aged as you are, I thought you would be wiser than what you actually are."
His brow lifted. "Scuse me?"
"Your beloved new sister in-law, you know, the one that mind fucked you almost had you murder—for the second time—the one person that has always had your back despite what you put her through. She would never snitch on you. All she's ever done was protect you." All fear I felt for him left for a moment as I stepped up to him, "The snitch: Aqua. The whole time. You should really have a talk with your brother."
I offered Kut a tightlipped smile, walking out of his face. He can think on that by himself.
After I dropped off the kids, I returned to Joie's and she was up in the kitchen, eating on a piece of toast. "Morning," she greeted me.
"Morning love. Do you me to cook you something else? Shrimp grits? Scramble up some eggs?"
Joie shook her head. "I barely even want this. I'm just eating it."
I understood that. "I was like that early in my pregnancy. Everything made me want to throw up."
Joie chuckled with me, but I could tell last night still bothered her. "How're you feeling?"
"Just another day, right?" She said, biting into her toast.
My heart aches for her. "What do you want to do?" I wondered, "As excited as I am to be an Auntie to a baby coming from you, I'm not gonna ship you keeping it if it makes you miserable. That's unfair to you. We had your back in college and we will now."
"Honestly, I don't know.."
I could feel that she didn't, so I would save that conversation for when she was ready. "Okay. There's actually something else."
"Like what?"
I retrieved the small envelope and gave it to her. "Nick came by. Address for Tanika."
That lifted her mood as she pulled out the paper and looked it over. "Of course Wyoming."
"Why there?"
"Who's finna be searching in Wyoming?"
"You're right. Do you think they're both there?" I wondered.
"I guess we'll find out."
Later on that day, I was at my office with Kinsey discussing our upcoming business pertaining to my nonprofit when someone entered, my head turning in that direction instantly and seen the male that came in. He carried a Starbucks bag and cupholder and greeted the locksmith.
"Good morning," he greeted coming my way with a smile.
This visit was a surprise. "Morning, Winston."
"I just wanted to stop by and visit my beautiful daughter," he said and Kinsey decided to give us privacy. "Brought you some Starbucks. Norms told me you love the brown sugar expresso."
"Yeah I do," I confirmed and accepted the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmeal Shaken Espresso. "Thank you."
"Brought you food too. What's that about?" Winston asked referring to the locksmith.
"Getting new locks, adding in a buzzer."
Winston nodded. "How you been? Where my granddaughter?"
"I been good, keeping myself occupied with this. And she's with her Dad for a few days."
"Needed a break?"
"Not one I wanted," I rolled my eyes playfully and he chuckled. "I love having her around. But I'm learning to share with the other parent."
"Best to have a peaceful coparenting relationship," he voiced and eating on his breakfast sandwich.
And he would know about coparenting how?
I chuckled inwardly. "Right.."
"I know I never experienced the whole coparenting thing," He must've read my mind. "But I would assume it would be better for the child."
"Yeah, definitely."
"Have you ever thought about contacting your mother?" He asked out of the blue, which made me raise a brow. Why?
"Not at all," I lied with no hesitation.
"Why?" he wondered, "I know what she done you probably can't forgive, but you should at least try. You shouldn't carry that hurt."
"..I'll consider it."
Winston bringing up my birth mother today of all days after possibly finding out her location with Tanika, it didn't sit right with me.
This pop visit after not seeing him for weeks didn't sit right with me.
"I can help you," Winston offered. "I don't mind."
"Why would you do that?" I questioned, "Won't that cause problems in your marriage? Hell, me coming into the picture has your wife feeling some type of way."
"You're my daughter. What's important to you and for my grand daughter I will do that. Forget who it upsets. If you ask for my help, I will do that." He mentions, staring me in the eyes.
I forced a convincing smile. "I'm fine, Dad."
Winston's brows lifted immediately, smiling and taken aback. "You actually called me Dad."
"I guess I'm getting used to having a parent in my life. That's okay? Me calling you that."
Winston grabbed my hand, kissing the back of it. "Of course I'm okay with it. I'll never leave you."
I held my smile until Winston glanced for a second and it faded away quickly. He was trying to play me into finding my mother and that only confirmed my suspicious—he only appeared in my life to find Lizzie, and sadly for him, I'm going to flip the script and stay ahead of him.
I need to get to Wyoming.
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