I decided to have the meeting with Jennifer and I at the house. I felt as though she would be my new right hand, so she might as well get a feel of my life as it is. It was mid afternoon. Tyrone had taken India and J.J out to the park so that they wouldn't be in my way. I was just putting the fresh squeezed lemon aid I made and some cookies out on the table when I heard the door bell ring. I looked at myself in the main bathroom and shook my head. I was going to psych myself more than I needed to. I took a deep breath and opened the door.
"Hi!" I said as I opened the door. Not trying to sound nervous.
"Hi, you must be Ms. Mckinney!"
"Please...Call me China." I said as I tried to fake a smile. Another reminder of Jarrod..
Jennifer stood about 5'2, she had light skin and tight eyes. I could tell she was mixed with some type of Asian. She had thick thighs and a small waist. A killer body. She wore a pair of black dress shorts, grey suede nude pumps, and a pink silk tank top with lots of necklaces. She couldn't have been a day over 27.
I shook her hand and told her to come inside.
"You have a beautiful home China!" She exclaimed.
"Thank you! We just moved in about two weeks ago." I told her.
I could tell she wanted to know if I was married, since I said 'we'. She looked down to see if I was wearing a ring, which I wasn't. I saw her face when she realized that I didn't have a ring. I chuckled and tried not to think anything of it.
"So "And She Dreams" is really becoming a success China!" Jennifer said as she took a sip of herlemon aid.
"I know, I'm so excited." I said biting into a cookie.
"Well, my job is going to be helping you get your name out there. I specialize in image management slash publicity and event planning. That means I'm going to be getting you a few meetings here, a few events there, book signings, the whole nine. " She wiped crumbs off of her shorts. "I even have a few things coming up for you that I want to let you in on."
This girl was on a roll. I like her already.
"Jennifer, you are on a roll!" I laughed.
"Call me Jen, or Jenny...and that's's my job!" She said with a smile.
"Okay, Jen! So what do you have planned for me first?"
"Okay, so I was thinking, since you said you just moved in, if you haven't already, have a house warming slash book signing. Invite your family and friends of course, and I will try to get as many 'names' in there as possible. I can't guarantee any big names, right now, but we will start off small and work our way up. How does that sound?" She asked me as she took out a notebook and started jotting down somethings. I don't know anybody, especially since we just moved out here but I didn't mind it being an intimate get together.
"That sounds great Jen. But, I don't know anybody out here yet..."
"Don't worry about that then girl. I got it. How does this Saturday sound?" She asked me, opening her agenda.
"Saturday sounds great."
Jen and I settled for Saturday and talked to each other like we were old girlfriends. I found out that she is married and she has one baby girl who is one year old.We lost track of time and ended up talking, planning, and joking for three hours straight. She left about ten minutes before Tyrone and the kids got back home. I heard the door unlock and I went to greet them.
"How'd it go babe?" Tyrone asked as he kissed me on my cheek.
"It went great. Were having a book signing slash house warming on Saturday. Jen is such a nice woman. We talked forever. I feel like I've known her forever!" Tyrone looked at me and smiled and kissed me on the lips. He could tell I was excited, so he just let me be.
"Did you guys eat?" I asked walking into the kitchen.
"Yeah, we stopped and got hot dogs at Pinks."
"You had my babies standing out there in the hot ass sun, in that long ass line for some damn processed meat?"
Tyrone started cracking up laughing. I didn't find it funny. Pinks lines were always extremly long. I never understood the hype.
"Well they enjoyed it." He said.
"I was thinking China, I'm going to have to be back and forth from LA to Miami. I still have my coffee shop out there and I don't have anybody to look after it while I'm out here...my counseling office...all my clients...it's just a lot to handle. It's going to take so much to move all of that out here and get settled..." Tyrone took his shoes off and sat back on the couch.
"...you didn't have to come out here if you weren't ready Tyrone..." I knew this would come up. But I didn't think that it would come up so soon! "I mean...you know I want you out here more than anything but I guess I was being selfish...you have all this stuff going on for you in Miami and I just made you up and leave." I started feeling bad about my decision. It didn't dawn on me until now.
"Don't put a guilt trip on yourself. I wanted this as much as you..I just got caught up in the moment and everything started happening so soon..." Tyrone took a deep breath and laid his head back on the couch.
"Are we moving too fast Tyrone? Am I moving too fast? Please, let me know. I don't want to be a burden..."
"How do you feel?"
"I don't know Tyrone...This is all so new to me..."
"Well...I thought I would be able to stay out here with you, JJ and India...but I just got so caught up. Amazing, Intelligent, and Beautiful woman on my arm, her beautiful kids...this beautiful house. I guess I got so caught up in it all that I forgot about my life back in Miami."
"Tyrone, please don't worry about us. I told you that you already do more than enough for us. You need to go back to Miami and handle what you need to handle. We will be out here. We're not going anywhere. You can come and visit us, and we wil visit you. It'll be alright..."
I sat down on Tyrones lap and kissed him on his lips firmly.
"You know you're an amazing, strong, and beautiful woman right?" Tyrone asked me as he flashed that gorgeous smile of his.
"You know you re a beyond amazing, handsome, and heaven sent man right?" I asked him and wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him.
I thought about everything that Tyrone was telling me earlier. It never dawned on me until now that the man totally gave up his life in Miami to cater to my kids and I. Although I appreciate him beyond words, he can't keep doing this. He puts himself last. He's so selfless, and that's what makes him so amazing. I wanted to tell him about Jarrod but I didn't know when the right time was. He was down the hall in the bedroom making arrangements for his flight. He said he would stay out here for my book signing event and that he would leave for Miami later on in the week.
"Row row row youre boat, gently down the streammmm, merrily merrily merrily merrily...life is but a dreammmmm..." I was giving JJ a bath, India had fallen asleep a few hours ago and I didn't want to wake her up.
"Mommy, my birthday is coming up." JJ said to me as he stuck a foam alphabet to bathtub.
"Yes it is! How old are you going to be?" I asked him.
"FIVE!!" He yelled withe excitement.
"Not so loud sweetie. Your sister is sleeping. What do you want to do for your birthday?" I asked him.
"I want a pool party, and I want lots of toys." He said to me.
"You got it lil man." I said as I took him out of the bathtub and wiped him down with a towel.
"Wheres daddy?"
My heart dropped. Damn. What is it about today!
"Um..daddy is back in Miami..."
"Why isn't he here? Why didn't he move with is? Is Tyrone my new daddy?"
"No, Tyrone is not your new daddy JJ. He's just mommys friend." I avoided his first two questions.
Now that Jarrod isn't locked up anymore I had no reason to keep the kids away from him. I had a lot of thinking to do. There was so much going on.
Tyrone was engaged in his iPhone texting away when I walked into the bedroom. I had on a tank top and a hot pink lace thong. It was a hot summer night and I wasn't in the mood for much clothing. I looked through my dvd collection and put in Soul Food. After I turned off the lights I got into bed next to Tyrone. He hadn't looked up from his iPhone since I walked in. He didn't even acknowledge my presence. I scooted my self under him but he wouldn't take his eyes off that damn phone.
"Who are you texting like that?" I tried to joke around with him.
"Uh..Shanice just texted me." I moved away from him and looked at him.
"What did she want? Something doesn't settle right with me when it comes to her."
"She was just wondering how things were going with the house and what not." I smirked and rolled my eyes.
"You two must be talking about more than that the way your eyes are glued to the phone like that." I said to him and I watched the movie previews which I have seen over a million times.
"We're just catching up..Chill out." Tyrone said as he got up and went to the bathroom.
I really didn't like the fact that Tyrone was associating himself with Shanice. I could see right through her and I knew that something wasn't right about here. I was about to relax and watch the movie when my phone vibrated. I checked to see who it was from...Jarrod. I took a deep breath and grabbed my phone from the night stand. Tyrone was in the bathroom and I didn't hear anything, so I assumed her was still texting Shanice. I shook my head and looked at the text message.
Jarrod
//I know you may not believe me when I tell you, but I really am a changed man China. I want you back in my life. I need you back in my life. You're a good thing and I let you slip away. I want you and my kids in my life. I can't go on any longer knowing that you're out in California with Tyrone...with my kids. We still have time to undo the divorce. Please China...I want to make this work...don't make you beg me...I love you...
I didn't realize that I was crying until I felt the warm wet tears falling down my cheek. I didn't think Jarrod still had this affect on me. As much as I tried to put it behind me I did want to make things right with Jarrod. I just got so carried away with my life with Tyrone.
He does need to be in his kids life...and I do still love Jarrod.