XVI
Brooklyn, New York 10/28/2021 (10:00 am)
-Tias Funeral-
The room was still the day of Tia's funeral. Close friends and family attended as well as Colleagues from work. The hearse arrived at the house and they load up any flowers or gifts people have brought to the house. Maria who seemingly was all out of tears to cry emotionlessly accepted the gifts.
"Mi amour, Te extraño mucho..." Maria said softly.
"what did she say?" Rumi asked.
Blue nudged Rumi and sternly whispered in her ear. "she's grieving... don't be rude. Also, she just said she misses her daughter very much."
"Why does she miss her... she's right there," Rumi whispered.
Sir giggled as Blue tried her best to ignore the curious and confused toddler that her sister was. She walked away leaving Rumi and Sir standing in the middle of the room.
Minutes later a hearse and three limos arrived at the house. The family filed into the vehicles while the drivers loaded the hearse with numerous roses. Tia loved roses; they were red, she loved anything red.
"Tia would have loved this Eden rose..." Maria said
Shawn nodded sniffled and rubbed Tias mothers back. "we have to get going, Mrs.Lopez."
"Okay... and what about Beyoncé? is she attending?" Maria asked.
"As much as she wants to she can't, she's laying low right now. Tia worked with law enforcement, she could get arrested at the funeral. I tell you what I will explain everything in the car." He said as he continued to walk out of the house.
Truthfully Maria didn't want to leave Tia's home. It was all so well decorated just how she left it. The colors are so vibrant and bold just like she used to be. The homes plug in's were floral and sweet. Everything there reminded her of her daughter's personality.
"we're going be back after we read her will. Even if you want to spend the night here I'll see to it that it's possible... deal?" Shawn bargained.
Maria smiled faintly and gave Shawn a hug, "thank you so much, my dear."
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"I appreciate you all for coming," Maria said as people left the funeral. She gave hugs to women and men that were paying their respects. Seeing how many people loved Tia really helped lift her spirits up. She looked up and noticed her son was angrily stumbling his yet again drunk ass across the hallway towards Shawn.
"You murdered my sister!" John shouted as he fully charged towards Shawn.
"yo... bro chill I didn't kill anyone."
"YES, YOU DID! JUST LIKE YOU LET BEYONCÉ CLEAN UP YOUR DIRTY WORK, YOU HAD HER KILL SOMEONE NOW SHE'S GOING TO JAIL! AND POOR TIA SHE LOVED YOU UNTIL THE VERY END. YOU SHOT HER?!" He swung at Shawn which prompted him to fully restrain his friend.
"was that a confession?" Gerald who was Tia's co-worker asked detective Jones
"not exactly, intoxicated people can't testify. But we can bring him in for questioning later on."
John continued to hysterically yell and cry as Shawn attempted his best to hold him in place. He grumbled hurtful words under his breath as he was forced to calm down. "I did not kill Tia you hear me? I loved your sister and I loved our unborn son."
"yeah? so who did?" john spat
Shawn watched as a few of the LAPD members stared him down but he continued to perceive himself as innocent. Within that crowd, he spotted detective Jones & Adam in the crowd with a bouquet of floral arrangements ready to give to Tia's mother. The audacity of him to be comfortable enough to grieve the woman he killed...around family and those who loved her most. Shawn couldn't let him leave this funeral alive. Jones thought she was being watched but instantly put two and two together realizing that she wasn't the problem at this moment.
"Actually he's here," Shawn said as he pointed over to Adam amongst the crowd.
John made eye contact with Adam angrily. He felt the venom of revenge as moved towards Adam and followed him out of the funeral house and into the garden. Followed by Shawn hastily moving alongside him.
"Look you can't do anything stupid..." he warned. "Cops are everywhere at this event right now."
"He killed my baby sister..." John spat.
Charging towards Adam he full-fledged knocked him down onto the green grass that was within the garden. Swinging with all his might he punched him repeatedly. "murderer!" he yelled.
Everyone gasped as they witnessed John attacking Adam and yelling out words to criminalize him. He gripped his neck and began to choke him. From behind Shawn was trying to break up the fight but secretly wanted it to continue because he too was angry at what happened to Tia and Lennox.
"Okay okay, that's enough. Sir let him go before I have no choice but to tase you." She pointed her taser gun at John and waited for him to fully stand up before introducing herself. "Detective Jones, I need you three boys to come with me."
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Brooklyn, New York 10/28/2021 (1:00 pm)
-AUSA Federal OFFICE -
There they sat being interrogated for what felt like forever. No good cop bad cop routine because Gerald who was a rookie just got promoted to Tia position and was too interested in donuts than the ongoing investigation.
"I had john sign off to an agreement of coming in for questioning once he's sober and were holding Adam until all the information given is proven guilty. However, I still have some questions for you." Detective Jones said as she walked by Shawn and sat down across from him.
She made eye contact and stayed that way, showing sincerity in her face while she spoke. She leaned in and asked: "where is your wife in this scenario?"
By no means did he want to speak on Bey. Nervously he tapped his hands on the table and kept his story the same. "I told you... we had a fight. look I told you everything that I knew the other day... you already got the guy, Adam did all this shit." Shawn spat.
"How did you know where the car would be?" Jones inquired.
She paced back and forth and Shawn watched. He didn't want to give up the fact that Beyoncé found Tia through her cell phone tracker app. That would ruin her alibi. Slowly he weighed out his options while detective jones impatiently cornered him. "you can answer me now or answer me in court, Mr.Carter."
"Fine... Tia's Tesla has a tracker. there's also a location pinger installed in our apple devices. She shared her location before she left with Adam." Shawn honestly admitted.
"Did she have her location shared with your wife?" Jones melded.
"yes but...were like family. It was for Tia's safety. If you think I'm lying I have a camera in front of my house. I'm sure it'll show Tia and Adam leaving out. There's a camera in the Tesla I bought her check the footage and tell me if I'm right. I bet you the whole recording of him murdering her is right in your face." Shawn went on to say.
Jones was fed up, she was seeing that her good cope role was getting her nowhere and wanted to tap into the other side. She started with an approach that outed him for his past sure that he would freak out and give her something credible.
"Shawn isn't it? Shawn Corey Carter? How does it feel to be the world's second most wanted alleged assassin? one that's harboring a woman who shot a man in a nightclub?"
With a smirk, he stood up and gave her one last statement. "I understand why it took Adam 7 days to be put into custody after being a prime suspect of a fist-degree murder, he's white."
He leaned back onto the wall and nonchalantly spoke. "This whole time you've been obsessing over Beyoncé. My wife is innocent Mrs. Detective Paula Jones... and as for me? you can't prove a damn thing. so I suggest you get back to work and crack this case. Check the fingerprints of that Tesla and the security footage I'm offering. Then arrest your so-called law-abiding friend... that I know killed my child and my Child's mother. Capeesh?"
"Capeesh..."
He chuckled and fixed his black suit. "Good... can I go now?"
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TriBeCa, New York 10/28/2021 (4:00 pm)
-JayZ's Penthouse-
She spoke with her therapist June over the phone about her upcoming hearing. She also discussed her newfound teen parenthood role and her expecting pregnancy.
"wow, this is a lot to take in Bey..." June admitted
"oh yeah, and it gets worse...Tia was murdered by her boss...Adam."
Hearing that news almost made June choke on the beverage she wanted to sip on. "she's what?"
"Shawn's been holding it together but I know he's broken up about it...our separate therapist sessions have been keeping him afloat. thank you for that suggestion."
"It's no problem....is Shawn home?"
"no, he went to Tia's funeral with the kids... it's just me and Rowan."
"hi!" Rowan cheerfully greeted.
June smiled and waved back. "aw she's the cutest."
She blushed as Rowan walked into the frame of the camera and kissed her cheek gently. "mom I'm going to the movies. that's cool?"
"mhm... be home by 9 pm okay?"
She agreed and ran into the bathroom to freshen up. June continued to talk to Beyoncé about her love life and work. She was beginning to find a friend in June. It was refreshing that she had someone to speak with that wouldn't judge her.
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Once she got off the phone Beyoncé laid across the couch on her stomach with a pillow supporting her. She knew this was her favorite ways to lay down but she knew once that bump started growing she could kiss that goodbye.
Rowan had been working Beyoncé's nerves all day...asking her for eye shadow advice and lip gloss color advice. She had forgotten that being young and single was actually more of a chore than a learning experience. Staying current was redundant and following trends seemed so overrated.
She watched as her daughter waltzed about the living room with vintage pieces from her closet and put them in her face next to makeup. Beyoncé couldn't help but laugh at her determination.
"Mom! you can only pick one color... silver or gold?" She said while holding up two charm bracelets.
"Gold and the pink shades would be nice." Exhaustedly Beyoncé suggested and turned back over.
"okay is this cute?" Rowan asked.
Beyoncé nodded yes into her pillow and flagged her, hoping that would make her go away but it didn't... Next was advice on shoes.
"Jesus Rowan I'm tired and I just want to nap.... you're beautiful. You'll look amazing in anything." she spat.
Sensing that her mom was aggravated she took a seat on the opposite side of the couch. "you know... you've only been my mom for about 7 days so ill give you props but I must admit. you're a very moody person."
"I'm sorry it's just that I'm used to being on my lonely when Shawn and the kids are gone."
"it's cool...I was leaving anyways for the night. A group of kids I met on Instagram are going to movie hop tonight. Probably get kicked out of the theatre but that's the beauty of living young wild and free..." Rowan chuckled.
Beyoncé still didn't budge. wouldn't show much emotion to what Rowan went on venting about. The silence was far too awkward for her to try making more conversation so she decided to throw on her ivy park slides and head out early. She walked towards the door while in search of her keys while hearing her mom finally break out from her mute moment.
"maybe I failed you as a mother." Beyoncé sighed.
Rowan walked back and sat on the couch once more. "You didn't fail me... you just started a bit late. I think you're cool."
She began to lightly cry which was a bit unexpected. She didn't want her kid to see her too emotional so she rubbed her face into her pillow before turning face to face with Rowan. "you don't feel upset that the twins and Blue were given the opportunity to bond with me early on?"
"Mom no... I'm blessed that I met you. I love my younger siblings and I LOVEEEE having a family. This is all I dreamt of since I was a kid. You'd be surprised the amount of bible camp and therapy I went through to give me such a forgiving heart. All I'm gon say is Hillsong gospel is not lit and them white people can't cook for shit. " Rowan admitted.
They both shared a hearty laugh and then embraced one another in a hug. Beyoncé was beyond grateful for her kid to be such a mature and sweet person. She unlocked from their hug and smiled at her once more before giving her a kiss goodbye on her cheek.
"Bye mom, I'll be back in three hours, and please please please tell your husband that I'm your kid. He thinks I'm a nanny."
"Okay... I will I promise. I love you."
"I love you too..."
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"Honey I'm home!" Shawn obnoxiously yelled out as he barged into the penthouse letting the kids follow suit.
Just as Beyoncé was finally going to get some rest she was approached by her little gremlins. The twins jumped on the couch yelling for her to wake up but she pretended that they weren't there which frustrated Sir the most. He grabbed a pillow and hit her with it. Clearly suffering from main character syndrome. Blue however stood at the doorway watching the whole thing go down.
"you ain't sleep!" he enticed.
"Baby come and get your boy or imma beat his tiny butt."
He laughed, picked up Sir, and kissed his cheek. "chill out mini-me."
Between her three daughters and son, she just knew this baby she was carrying would top the cake. Maybe that's why she's been so annoyed in the first place. Parenting has been draining her and she could tell Blue missed being the only child.
"Mom where's Rowan?" she asked softly.
"She's at the movies with a few friends. You can text her if you're missing her."
Blue frowned... she shifted her feet and held her head down in disappointment. "I wanted to go..."
"Maybe next time. In the meantime, how about you feed your dog and get started on your homework? I'll start dinner in a bit... sounds good?"
"yeah... but mom can I eat yogurt for now?"
"sure go crazy." Bey smiled and said.
Blue skipped off into the kitchen texting her big sister's phone a mile a minute. Beyoncé watched as the twins followed her around the kitchen asking her questions and attempting to help out. With a smile, she shook her head and laid back down.
"So... Maria missed you today," Shawn mentioned as he sat at the end of the couch.
"Did you tell her I sent flowers?"
"Of course but you know it's not the same...you have to stop hiding baby. I want you to turn yourself in."
"Jay..."
"Monday we're going up to the police department," he said cutting her off.
"I'm pregnant." she spat. "I'm pregnant and Rowan...is my daughter, birth daughter."
Bey sat up and handed him the paperwork confirming her pregnancy from her doctor and also her paternity test. Both positive and Bey was positive that she was in for a fucked up pregnancy.
"That explains why the kid creepily looks like you." he chuckled.
Hitting him in the chest while laughing with him Bey came to a serious standstill. She turned to him still a bit confused. "what are we going to do?"
"We stick to the plan... turn yourself in, we let the lawyer speak for you and we get out of this bullshit together. The trial is only one week. You can do this. I'll be there the whole time okay?"
Reluctantly Beyoncé nodded, she then sharply exhaled before putting up the paperwork. Her husband couldn't quite read her body language but could tell she was emotional. She's been hiding her feelings lately...a tad too well. She stood up and brushed her feelings off going straight into full mommy mode heading into the kitchen to prepare dinner. "okay so who wants seafood?"
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Shawn's phone rang in the middle of dinner, alarming Bey but she said nothing and continued to feed the twins. She ignored the alert the first go-around but it was too obnoxious to not bring it to his attention the second time it went off on facetime mode. She glanced at the phone and then glanced at Shawn before speaking up.
"you gon get that?" she spat.
"uh yeah... I'm going to step away aight? I'll be right back."
He excused himself from the table and headed towards the living room to speak privately on the phone. Beyoncé watched him and his body language from afar while he talked.
"Shawn Carter... what a pleasure," Alex said cheerfully
"You're calling while me and my family are eating dinner, what's up?"
"oh I know...in fact, I know everything but... that's not what I called you to talk about. I'm here to talk about that favor of yours. Did Beyoncé agree to do my show with no pay?"
Shawn gulped nervously, he felt his wife from across the room staring him down and observing his body language so he tried to keep his cool. He also knew that Beyoncé would never do anything for free but this was the only way to get his help.
"yeah... she will do your show."
"Okay good... so we found a way to get that judge of yours to sway his interests to Beyoncés favor. A little friendly leverage to keep him in line." Alex grinned into the phone.
"you promise she will only be in there a week?" Shawn said concerned.
"You have my word, Mr.Carter. I may hate you but Beyoncé is how ill be making my money. I cant make money from a convict."
Shawn nodded, he then looked around to make sure he wasn't in earshot and continued to ask. "So what's the plan?"
"We kidnapped his son. If Bey goes to prison we simply... you know. kill him and then we kill the judge."
"Alex are you crazy? You can't just do that shit..." Shawn raised his voice slightly. His change of tone made Bey look up once more, she took it upon herself to head over towards him.
"Mr.Carter I'm a criminal. not a kind negotiator nor a businessman. People either do as I say or they die. You needed my help...I'm helping. Next time say thank you."
Beyoncé finally made it over to Jay wrapping her arms around Jay trying to get a glimpse of who was on the phone with him but he quickly hung up. He pulled her in and kissed her passionately trying to distract her interrogating whims.
"mmm... baby stop. Who was that?" she asked.
"nobody Thu... just work calling."
She mocked him followed by a sarcastic laugh. "nobody Thu... just work calling...Fucking liar. once I find out imma cuss you out you hear me nigga?"
Shawn moved closer to Bey and spoke low into her ear. "I'll tell you after you come home with your charges dropped. I'll tell you everything but right now you cant know. I'm protecting you."
"protecting me? I don't need your help if it requires you to sneak around." Bey hissed.
Hearing that stung Shawn. The venom from her words coiled deep inside him. He forced himself to brush it off because he knew deep down that whatever he was doing was for her and she would thank him later. Even though she didn't understand that now.
"five days... you have my word that's how long you'll be arrested okay? I called in a favor."
"Baby...what did you do?"
"Honestly I don't know yet. I can't tell you anything else yet but I promise you I will make sure you're good. aight thu?"
Bey nodded, exhaled, and hugged her husband tightly. She felt silly, not trusting her husband but given current events, it's been hard to see clearly or understand reality. Everything around her had been shifting at such a fast pace and she hadn't felt like herself in months. She missed doing shows, being active with her artistry, and attending events. Now all she does is discuss ways to stay out of prison.
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Later that night Shawn cleaned the house and freshened up the furniture with febreeze spray to make sure there wasn't a fish odor lingering around. He wanted Bey to relax but her mothering nature wouldn't allow her to do that. Beyoncé followed him around and made sure he did all the tasks correctly, even went with him to take the trash out and didn't lift a finger.
"Bey you need to be resting. This coming week is going to be stressful for you and our baby." Jay said softly.
Bey chuckled and followed him into the house without a care in the world. She was just happy to be underneath him. She soaked up each moment and like a puppy didn't want to leave his side. She knew she would miss him and they hardly have alone time as is because of the 50-leven children that ran amuck throughout the house.
"Ever since Tia passed you tried so hard to be intimate with me... I talked to June and we both agree that you're not ready. And I think you're using it to cope."
"Bey come on man...." he interrupted. "I want to be closer to you... I promise it's not about Tia."
"promise?" Beyonce reiterated while moving closer to him.
"yeah, Thu... I swear."
She faintly smiled and pulled her husband in for a kiss."Hmmm...remember when we first met? We were in Mexico at a VMAs kickback? I was what...20 years old?" Beyoncé asked.
Shawn nodded. "you kept asking me to swim and I couldn't."
"yeah... so your dumb self wouldn't go past 4 feet, claiming you didn't want to get your chain wet. that was real smooth...."
They both laughed. At that moment the pair realized that their spark never disappeared. They just needed a reminder of what they were fighting for.
"I waited two years for your bougie ass." he joked.
"mhm, and you're lucky. I gave your corny ass a chance. Now we have three kids that look like your side of the family."
"what's that supposed to mean Giselle?" He said with a furrowed brow.
Beyoncé teased him flirtatiously, he pulled away to continue cleaning but she pulled him right back in. "oh, nothing....Mr.Carter. unless you want it to be."
"Girl stop playing with me..."
"or what?" she bantered.
Shawn smirked, he loved it when his wife talked back to him. It turned him on the most when she would get full of herself and talk her shit. He playfully picked her up and sat her on the kitchen island. "you want to find out?"
"you know what I want?" she softly growled into his ear. "I want you to fuck me in every corner of this penthouse... starting in this kitchen."
Devilishly he grinned at the statement. Letting his hands travel underneath her oversized tee he slid her thongs to the side revealing her perfectly waxed pussy. "damn... a whole week without this?" he chuckled
Beyoncé giggled along with Shawn before drawing him in close and kissing on his neck getting him back in the mood. Her raspy voice moaning his name in his ear made his dick grow.
"Get off the counter and turn around," he ordered, whispering in her ear.
And she did as told as he wrapped his arms around her. He slid his right hand between her thighs making his way to her clit. He rubbed on her clit slowly watching her go insane. "say you want it." he challenged.
"mmmm... I really want it, daddy."
"Damn I can tell..." he remarked.
She was undeniably wet, all she could do was blush at how he reacted. Shawn then halfway slid up Bey's T-shirt and started rubbing his dick up and down against her slit. Eventually teasing her by sliding the tip of his dick in and out of her while kissing on her shoulders.
"what about Rowan? She hasn't come home yet...what if she catches us?" Bey questioned
Usually, she was pretty reckless when it came to her sex life with her husband around the house because Blue and the twins were so young but now that there's a 19-year-old in the picture things were going to change, at least until She goes away to college.
"I'll keep a lookout... and right now we are just fine."
Beyoncé felt herself getting all hot and worked up from being teased so she grabbed his dick herself and slid it inside of her. Her wetness made it so easy for him to invite himself deep inside of her. She let out a gasp of pleasure as she attempted to stand up straight in lieu of adjusting to his size, but Shawn grabbed the back of her head. Lightly gripping her hair, he pushed her body into the perfect arch, drilling her over the kitchen counter. The rough way that he handled Bey really turned her on and he kept going, spanking her, gripping on her body just right, and talking her through her impending orgasm.
"Keep it right there...please Jay" she moaned out.
He planted soft kisses on her back as he fucked her roughly, keeping the balance of the two. Knowing she was almost at her peak he full strength picked up his wife and instructed her to straddle him. With her legs and arms now fully wrapped around him she was pressed against the wall in the foyer and fucked right there. The speed increased as she moaned out R-rated slurs that made her feel even dirtier than before. Trying to keep her voice down was the hardest. She was praying that none of her kids would decide to want a late-night snack and come down the steps.
"this pussy so damn good...fuck" he grunted
Each stroke brought them closer to a climax. Once Beyoncé's grip weakened he took her from off the wall and just bounced her up and down on his dick. His arms were fully locked, he held her tightly and watched her facial expressions as she shamelessly fell into submission. Riding out her orgasm creaming on his dick again and again.
"I love you s-soo much." He stuttered as he climaxed with her.
It took a while for her to come down from her personal high... she kissed Shawn a few times as she was being put back on her feet. "I love you too..." she whimpered softly.
She was both physically and emotionally at a sexual peak at this point but it didn't stop her from living out her wildest fantasies while the kids were fast asleep. She headed into the kitchen grabbed the bottle of Dussé in the liquor cabinet and poured Jay a shot. "So...Round 2?" Beyoncé suggested.
"Damn...what's gotten into you, Bey?"
"I mean since you asked.... you're the reason why I'm such a bad.... bad girl Mr.Carter." she flirtatiously teased as she led him to the next part of the house she planned to fool around in.
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TriBeCa, New York 10/29/2021 (1:00 am)
-JayZ's Penthouse-
After hours of lovemaking, the pair wore themselves out and decided to crash on the living room couch. Tipsy and restless from all the Dussé that Beyoncé made him sip because she clearly couldn't, he woke up and put a quick marvel movie on to add to the white noise. His wifey however fast asleep and swaddled up underneath him. She pulled on the blanket to make sure she was fully covered leaving some of Jay's body exposed to the cold draft.
"Damn Bey share the covers," he mumbled.
She groaned in response as her husband evenly spread the comforter amongst the two of them. Once he was done he pulled Bey in and held her closely, caressing her body while kissing her forehead.
"I love your annoying ass so much." softly he spoke into her ear.
Time passed slowly as he fought his sleep. He started to doze off until he heard a noise that was eerie to him. A high-pitched creek against the living room's wooden floor made him sit up. It was very clear someone was sneaking around.
"Blue?" Jay called out into the darkness but there was no response. He then reached over to the lamp nearby by him to turn it on, revealing Rowan standing there mischievously.
"Hey... how's it going?" She nervously said.
"it's 2 am, Rowan where are you coming from?"
She was a bit taken aback at Shawn's stern fatherly tone. She glanced at her mother who was in a deep sleep and sighed in relief. "look I was out with friends and my phone died... I couldn't get a uber back in time. The prices spiked."
Shawn chuckled, remaining calm he decided to give her a little advice. "You're lying and the only reason I know is cause Beyoncé makes that same damn face when she's guilty. You Knowles girls cant be sneaky for shit."
"I'm not lying I-"
"Your mother gave you her Benz for the night so why would you need a uber?"
While stuttering Rowan realized that he was seeing right through her antics. She then decided to just come clean. "I went on a double date...." she admitted. "you'd love him actually, he's funny and smart and he's really good at voice impressions." she gushed.
"Why'd you lie about that?"
As bad as she wanted to end the conversation she knew she had to continue being honest. Without a second thought, she threw her hands on her hips and snapped back. She couldn't let him think she was in control, even though she was wrong. "Because I'm not ready to be judged by you guys...not yet at least. I kind of like this narrative that this is a fresh start." Rowan admitted.
Shawn saw in her eyes the sincerity she had which made him sympathize. He believed that Rowan was a brilliant kid and needed to enjoy the thrills of being a teen but given the circumstances of their family's affairs lying about anything is off-limits. All he could think about was something bad happening to her. The last thing their family needed was another tragedy.
"alright...I won't tell your mom okay? Just please be honest with us. It's okay for you to date and it's okay for you to use our cars. You just can't lie, our family goes through enough. We like to handle our shit with all cards on the table."
"got it..." Rowan nodded and then handed the car keys over to her stepdad.
"Oh, and Rowan... welcome to the family."
She smiled brightly and so did he. Finally, she had a place where she could find solace at. Being smothered with parental lectures made her happy. She learned to appreciate the things that peers her age would've taken for granted.
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no couples therapy needed, the carters are sorting out issues and communicating.
Rowan is dating but.... who was Beyoncé dating when she was pregnant with Rowan?
Being pregnant in jail sounds awful, how is she going to survive a week in confinement?
What do you believe will happen next?
✨Don't forget to comment and vote! ✨