Candace
Jeffery
Chanel P.O.V
I leaned back in my chair at my desk and closed my eyes while taking a deep breath. It had been a long week, and to say I was exhausted, was a complete understatement. I loved my job, but I think I most definitely need to take a vacation or slow down on the bookings for a while. Going to the gym was helping with a lot of the stress, but the fact that I missed the hell out of my man was counteracting that. Trey had been out of town for the past week recording with a bunch of different producers, since he had been getting really antsy about getting his next album out. It had been 5 months since my mom died and Trey had been doing nothing but really dedicating his time to making sure Jessie and I were okay, mentally and emotionally, but he didn't meed to any more. We were doing okay and I had things under control. Just as I felt myself about to doze off in my seat, a knock on my door pulled me back to reality. I sat up straight and cleared my throat before telling the person to come in.
"Umm, Hi Chanel" I heard a voice say and I looked up to see Jeffery.
"Hi" I said hesitantly as I got out from my seat and walked around my desk. I hadn't really expected to see Jeffery again, especially after the last time we spoke, so I was a little surprised that he showed up here. "What are you doing here?" I asked as I motioned for him to come into the room.
"I...uh..I came to speak to you...and to apologize. " he said before slowly stepping inside my office. I nodded but didn't speak, just waiting on him to say what he had to say. I leaned against my desk and watched him take a deep breathe before he spoke.
"First things first, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for walking out on you and your mom like I did. I'm sorry for not every trying to find you until it was too late. I'm sorry for being selfish. I know this doesn't make up for all the time I've missed and all the damage that I've possible done, but I truly am sorry and I'm ashamed that I ever abandoned you two like that. I'm also sorry that I lead you to believe that I truly wasn't ready to bond with you by not telling my family about you. I told my wife, my kids...I'm still trying to figure out how to break it to them, but I do know that I wanna be there for you. I've missed out on so much of your life, and I don't wanna miss anymore of it. So ultimately, I'm just asking if you'll give me a chance, a real chance." He said as I looked in his eyes. He seemed sincere, but the scary thing is that I don't know if he really is or not. To be completely honest, I wanted to get to know him, but I didn't wanna get hurt. I nodded my head as I took in everything he said.
"I...um, well first I want to apologize for how I acted towards you the last time we spoke." I said but he shook his head
"You don't have to apologize to me, you had every right to react the way you did. I should've been a man and owned up to my responsibilities. You also just lost your mother, I didn't really expect you to react kindly because of that. " he said and I nodded slowly
"Well I really don't know what to say. I'm not gonna lie and say that I don't wanna give give you a chance. People change and to be honest I really don't wanna be on my own."
"And I don't want you to be." He paused "If it's okay with you, I want to invite you to dinner at my house. It was actually my wife's idea, she really wants to meet you." He smiled softly "You're welcome to bring a guest, if that makes you feel more comfortable. I know you have a little sister.." he started but I cut her off
"No it's fine. I'll be okay coming alone. "
"So you'll come?" He smiled "Are you sure?" He asked and I nodded in response.
"I want to. I don't have any family besides my sister. It would be nice to meet some"
"You're sister is just as welcome in my family as you are. If you want to bring her to dinner you can" he reiterated causing me bite my lip as I thought. I had the chance to reconnect with my father and I didn't want to make Jessie uncomfortable. We had no idea where her father was, and quite frankly she had no interest in figuring out.
"I'll ask her and see if she wants to come. When are you planning to have this dinner?"
"I think the weekend would be best for my wife and I. And both of the kids will be home too." He said as I nodded.
"Okay, Saturday then." I smiled softly
"Great" he smiled widely. "I'll text you more details later on in the week" he said. I nodded before we stood there in an awkward silence.
"Well, I guess I'll get going now. I'll see you Saturday Channel."
"See you" I gave a small wave before he turned and walked out the door.
***
"Hey, you made it?" Treys voice flowed through my phone speaker
"Yea, I just touched down" Today was Saturday and the day I would finally be having dinner with my dad and his family. "You didn't have to get a car for me too Trey" I smiled as I looked out the window to see a black Maybach and a driver waiting for me.
"I know, I just wanted to make sure you were good though"
"I'm great, but you didn't have to do any of this" I smiled as if he could see me. Jeffery owned a vineyard in Napa Valley and I had planned to drive, but Trey insisted on chartering a jet of me and getting me a driver. Though I found it a little excessive, I wasn't complaining. The jet saved me a 5 hour drive and the driver saved me having to rent a car.
"Well, it's too late" he said causing me to shake my head. The plane had finally stopped moving and I was making my way out of the car to the Maybach
"I appreciate it" I giggled. "How's Jessie?" I asked. I told Jessie about me reconnecting with my father and she was really supportive. She actually wanted to meet them, especially when she found out he had kids around her age. She told me that even though she was content living with me, it got lonely so she thought it would be nice to have a bigger family, even if they weren't her blood. Though I was extremely happy she felt that way, I didn't want to bring her to this family meeting because I wanted to make sure Jeff was actually legit. I rather him bring my hopes up and tear them down than the both of ours.
"She's good. Me and her are about to head out in a little bit. " he said causing me to raise an eyebrow
"Oh really? Where are you going?"
"Mind your business. Me and my sister in law are gonna bond." He chuckled
"Well okay then, I hope you guys have fun."
"I'm sure we will. But look, I got some music stuff to handle, so call me later and let me know how everything goes. "
"Okay I will" I said nodding as if he could see me "Love you baby"
"Love you most" he said before hanging up. I smiled to myself as I relaxed into the back seat of the car. The scenery was beautiful here in Napa, and it's funny that in all my 6 years of living here in California, I had never been here. Before I knew it I heard someone calling my name and my eyes fluttered open to see the driver standing outside of the car holding the door open for me.
"Mrs. Montgomery, we've arrived." Alexander said and I smiled before grabbing my things and preparing to get out of the car. As I stepped out, I saw Jeffery and a woman who I assumed was his wife standing in the door way of this big ass mansion. Jeffery had a smile on his face as well as his wife and I couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. I had to hand it to him, my father had good taste in women.
"Hi Channel" Jeffery smiled before stepping up to me and pulling me into a half hug. Over the past week, Jeffery had made it pretty clear that he was serious about developing a relationship with me as he made it a note to FaceTime me, or call me everyday. At first, it was a little rocky as we both seemed to not know what to say to each other, but overtime we quickly grew more comfortable with each other, especially since we bonded over a lot of things that we had in common.
"Hi" I said with a small smile before releasing from the hug. "You must be Mrs. Candace"
"Oh honey, you can just call me Candace" she said pulling me into a welcoming hug
"Are you sure? I don't wanna be rude"
"No sweetheart, it's fine. Call me Candace." She said
"Okay" I nodded.
"I thought you were gonna be here for the weekend" Jeffery said "you didn't bring bags?"
"Yea they're in car"
"Oh, do you want me to get them out and bring them inside for you?" He asked
"Oh, um, I didn't know I could stay here. I booked a hotel not too far away" I said
"You're more than welcome to stay, but if you're more comfortable at a hotel then I guess that's okay." He said as Candace nodded but as I watched him his eyes seemed a little sad.
"Um, I guess I'll stay here" I said walking towards the car and pulling my bags from the trunk
"This is a really nice car honey. Event planning must be doing you right" Candace said admiring the car.
"Oh, it's not mine. My boyfriend sent it for me so I could have some way to get around." I said and she nodded with am impressed expression.
"Come on, I'll show you where you'll be staying." She said before showing me in the house as Jeffery grabbed my over Night bag. I walked in the house and looked around in complete awe. The outside was beautiful, the inside was just as nice, if not nicer.
"Did you decorate this yourself?" I asked and she nodded
"I did"
"It's beautiful. My best friend is an interior designer. She would love this" I smiled
"Well hopefully you can bring her by one day. Does she like wine?"
"Loves it" I chuckled as I followed her throughout the house as she gave me a mini tour.
"This will be your room for the weekend. I hope it's enough" she said looking around at the large room that was almost twice the size of mine.
"It's more than enough" I said smiled "Thank you"
"No problem"
"You have a really beautiful home. I wish I could've gotten a chance to see the inside, I fell asleep on the ride over."
"Well if you want, Jeff can take you out on the horses and show you around. I would love too but I'm sure Jeff would want that bonding time." She said and I nodded
"I'd like that too"
"Great. Well, I'll give you some time to get settled in while I go finish cooking. The kids should be home in a few hours. They're out doing whatever teenage boys and girls do." She chuckled before leaving me alone. I looked around the room before walking over to the window on the far end of the room. This room was on he second floor and the view of the vineyard from here was beautiful.
"You like it?" I heard a voice behind me say. I turned to See Jeffery standing with my bags in his hand before he slowly placed them on the floor.
"Yea, it's beautiful. I thought you said you owned a few bars?"
"I do. I also own this vineyard but the winery is just a little hobby on the side." He shrugged
"This looks like more than a little hobby" I chuckled.
"Yea, I guess. Ive always loved wine so I guess to me this really isn't a job." He said and I nodded taking note of another similarity between us.
"So how was your drive up?" He asked
"I actually didn't drive, Trey chartered me a jet and he also got me the car." I said and he nodded
" He really takes care of you huh?"
"Yea. He always has"
"That's good. How long have you two been together?"
"Well only a few months. We got back together after my mom died."
"Back together?"
"Mhmm. We were together in high school but we broke up once I got to college. He cheated." I said and he drew in a sharp breath
"Sorry"
"No need to apologize. You didn't cheat on me" I said
"True, but no one deserves that." He said and I nodded
"You're right. But we've moved past it. I don't really like to dwell on it. He's not the same person he was when it happened"
"That's good."
"Candace said that we could go out on the horses tomorrow and tour the vineyard? Can we?"
"Sure. We can do anything you want. I thought you were bringing you're sister along"
"Oh, she didn't wanna come." I lied not wanting to reveal that I didn't exactly trust him.
"Oh okay."
"I'll try to get her to come next time" It was silent before I chose to speak again. "How did you and my mom meet?" I asked and a small smile grew on his face.
"You mind if I sit on the bed?" I shook my head
"No go ahead. It's your house"
"Yea, I know but I'm very anal about people besides me and my wife sitting where I sleep. Especially in clothes we've been outside in" he said causing me laugh because it was evident I got that trait from him as well
"I'm like that too. But this is your house so you can do whatever you're comfortable with" I said not trying to overstep my boundaries. He nodded before taking a seat on the love seat by the bed instead and I went to sit beside him.
"The way your mom and I met wasn't special at all. We met at the park near our house. That's what we did back when your mom and I were growing up, we hung out outside and we weren't texting all the time" he said making me laugh
"But yea that's pretty much all it was. I was playing ball and she was hanging around with her friends so I went to go talk to her, swept her off her feet." He smiled as he slowly shook his head. "I really should've treated her better. We were great together but I got scared."
"Well, you can't keep beating yourself up over it. It's in the past. You've got more kids and a wife, can't keep dwelling on it."
"Yea I know. Its just easier said than done you know? I knew I messed up in not trying my to find you and I feel like a coward."
"That's understandable. But I'm here now and hopefully you're genuine in your actions." I said
"I am. I really want you to be a part of my life. I've always felt like something in my life was missing and I know you're it." I nodded
"I don't really know what to say" I said sheepishly and he shook his head
"There's nothing for you to say. You don't have anything to prove in this situation." he said. We continued to speak for a while before Candace told us that the food was ready.
Jeffery walked me down to the dining room where Candace and their two kids were seated at the table. They turned around to look at me and suddenly I felt nervous. They were meeting me for the first time and I didn't want to give them the feeling that I was intruding on everything they've known for the last 17 years.
"Khloe, Kaiden, I want you guys to meet your sister, Chanel." Jeffery said with his hands on my shoulders. They both looked at me for a moment before smiles appeared on their faces and the two of them stood do meet me.
"It's nice to meet you big sis" Kaiden said pulling me into a hug
"Thanks. You too" I smiled softly before hugging his, well my sister.
"Hi" she smiled pulling me into a hug "I can't believe I have a big sister" she beamed causing me to laugh
"I can't believe I have twin siblings" I said before looking at Jeffery and seeing a smile on his face as he stood next to Candace. She had a smile on her face and though I've only known her for about a few hours, something seemed off, almost as if her eyes had a little bit of sadness. But, like I said, I don't really know her so I can't really judge. I made a mental note to find her after dinner and pick her brain a little bit. I didn't want to be intrusive, and I didn't want to ruin Jeffery's relationship with his wife with my presence.
After I sat down, we said a quick prayer and we began to eat.
"So, Channel, Jeffery tells me you're an event planner. What made you wanna do that?" Candace asked
"I'm not sure. I guess I've always loved putting different events together. I was really active in my church as a kid and I always put together different events from concerts to banquets. Then when I got to college, I was the event coordinator in most of the clubs I joined. I didn't really know I could make a career out of it until I got there."
"That's great and it's good that you made a nice career out of it Jeffery says. I heard you just did a party for Trey Songz, that's exciting."
"Hold on, you worked with Trey Songz?" Khloe asked with wide eyes causing me to laugh
"Mhmm" I said chewing my food.
"No way. Can I meet him?" she asked
"Wow. You're so thirsty" Kaiden said with an eyeroll causing Khloe to scoff
"Shut up, I bet if she said she worked with Rihanna you would wanna meet her too."
"I could set that up too" I said egging her on
"For real?" Kaiden smirked
"Oh look, who's the thirsty one now"
"Be quiet, with ya crooked hairline. That's why ya lace front lifting." Kaiden said before they started going back and forth causing me, Jeffery and Candace to laugh.
"Welcome to the family honey" Candace said while shaking her head. We sat around the dinner table for about another hour more just talking and getting to know each other. The more we talked, the less awkward I felt but I couldn't help but think about how different this all was. I was never used to Sunday dinners with my family, and it was something I always wanted. To be honest, the fact that they seemed so comfortable with me made me feel hopeful and I hoped we could do this more often, with Jessie included.
After we finished eating, Khloe and I helped Candace with the dishes before heading upstairs and spending some more time getting to know each other, with Jeffery and Kaiden included. Now I was walking out of the shower and preparing to get in bed until I heard a knock at the bedroom door.
"Come in" I said as I got under the covers. The door creeked open and I saw Candace peeking her head in.
"Hi. I just came to check on you. Jeff is passed out but I just wanted to make sure you were okay before you went to bed." she smiled
"Im good" I nodded "Thanks for checking"
"Alright, well, Jeff and I are just down the hall. Knock if you need us, and if you get hungry or anything during the night, you're welcome to anything in the kitchen."
"Okay. Thank you, and thank you for having me."
"You're welcome honey. You're welcome anytime." she said and I was a little hesitant to ask my next question but I did anyway.
"Are you sure? Earlier when I was meeting Kaiden and Khloe you seemed a little sad."
"Oh" she said with a frown. "I guess I'm still trying to take this all in. Jeff told me he had a daughter but I guess today, meeting you, just made it all real. It's a little weird because I feel like I've been lied to for our whole marriage. But I understand everybody deals with different things in different ways, and I definitely have things in my past that I'm not proud of."
"Oh" I said not wanting to pry. We just met and quite frankly it wasn't any of my business.
"But mostly, seeing you today made me happy, especially since the kids took to you so well. Growing up, I've always wanted a house full of kids and it was so easy getting pregnant with those two, but after that it was just miscarriage after miscarriage, and after a while, I just couldn't get pregnant. Seeing you today reminded me of that, but I don't want you to feel bad. The memory of it made me sad, but you're presence makes me happy. I've always wanted more kids and God answered my prayers, with you" she said and I saw her eyes getting glassy
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry " I said remorsefully
"It's okay honey" she said wiping away the few tears that spilled "Its just nice to have another voice to fill up this house. That is, if you continue to stay around. I know you're still trying to get used to this, but I really hope you do. Jeffery is really glad that you're around, and I know you're still trying to judge his character, but he really is a great man and a great father. If you really give him a chance, he'll prove it. I also know that I can never replace your mother, but I'm here for you if you need anything at all" she said while touching my hand
"Thank you. I really appreciate it" I said
"No problem sweetheart. But I'm gonna get out of here and let you get some sleep. I know it's been a long day for you."
"Good night" I smiled
"Good night honey" she said before getting up and leaving the room. I smiled softly to myself as I thought about the day, it had gone much smoother than expected and I was happy that I let my guard down, I just hoped it didn't bite me in the butt. I settled into the bed and pulled the covers over me getting ready to go to bed. I grabbed the tv remote and turned the tv on and watched reruns of The Fresh Prince before falling asleep.