Beyoncé
Jay and I were sitting outside on one of the couches, talking about any and everything. We decided to spend the night under the stars, since the weather was nice tonight and we have a beautiful view of the sky from our backyard. It was something we weren't able to do much of in New York, so I was taking advantage. It was almost one in the morning so the kids were sleep, and I was happy knowing we wouldn't be bothered.
"Bey," I looked up at Jay and raised my brow. "I'm sorry." He said. "I'm sorry for all of this. I swear I had no idea, and if I did I would've told you a long time ago."
I nodded. "I know. I'm not holding this against you." I said. "Am I upset that you have a son with the woman I hate more than anyone else in the world? Yes. But you didn't know, and I'm not penalizing you for that."
"This shit just don't make any sense." Jay said and rubbed my back. I laid my head on his chest, letting him vent. I know he needed it. "Why the hell would Gina take Bella if she had a whole ass kid? Mike told me she gave him up and her sister's been raising him all this time, but that doesn't make any sense either." Jay ranted. I kissed his neck and rubbed his arm.
"I don't know baby." I said. I really didn't. This entire situation made absolutely no sense to me, but I was trying to handle it the best way I could.
"Why wouldn't she tell me I had a son? She took two of my kids away from me Beyoncé. Isabella and Jeremiah." Jay said upset. I sighed and sat up, looking down at my husband. He was frowning, so I gently stroked his cheek. We made eye contact and I shook my head.
"Baby, I don't have an explanation for you. If you really want to know, this is something you'll have to ask Gina." I said. "I don't have the answers you're looking for."
"Hell no. If I'm anywhere near that bitch I'll kill her." Jay said.
"I don't know what you want me to do, Jay." I said softly. "Do you want to see your son?" I asked.
Jay looked at me wearily and I shook my head. "Jay, if you want to see your son I'm not stopping you. He's your child. I despise his mother, but I have nothing against him okay?" I said. Jay nodded.
"I hear you, Bey. I want to see him, but I don't know how he feels about me." He said. I nodded because I understood that. "I don't even know if he knows I'm his dad. He might not be with that shit. He probably thinks I abandoned him or something." Jay sighed.
"Well, just take some time to think about it. If you want to have a relationship with him, that's on you. I don't have a problem with it. I won't have to deal with Gina and that would be my only concern, so I'm fine." I told him.
Jay leaned up and kissed me. "Aight. Thank you baby." He said.
I smiled. "You're welcome. You know I'll always support you, especially with something like this."
"I know, and I appreciate it." Jay said, wrapping his arm around my waist. I laid back down on his chest. "I sure as hell don't take you for granted. I appreciate everything you do, Bey."
"I know you do. And I can say the same about you." I rubbed his chest. "I love you, Jay. We're in this together."
Jay chuckled. "I love you too. You my ride or die." He said like a gangsta. I laughed.
"Put us together, how they gon' stop the both of us?" I said in a similar accent. Jay laughed again and leaned down to kiss my forehead.
"'03 Bonnie and Clyde."
"Hov and Bey." I finished smiling. "All I need in this life of sin, is me and my husband."
"Oh shit, remix?" Jay said. I chuckled and shrugged. "Beyoncé always on beat."
"Shut up." I laughed, hitting his chest.
"Damn. Beyoncé always beating me." He rephrased. I rolled my eyes.
"Okay drama queen." I said.
Jay gasped all extra and shit. I held my hand over my mouth to keep myself from laughing too hard. "Boy, if you don't stop."
"You love it." Jay said and grabbed my ass.
"We are not having sex out here." I said quickly.
"How about in the pool?"
I thought for a moment. "Okay." I agreed. Jay hopped up and lifted me in his arms. "Damn, you act like you haven't gotten some in weeks." I rolled my eyes. Horny ass nigga.
"Babe, have you seen yourself? Let me be." Jay said. "You're fine as hell, and a nigga has needs. I'm only human."
I shrugged. "I mean I know my shit is good, but that doesn't mean–" I was cut off by Jay's lips smashing against mine. I moaned and grabbed his head.
We'll catch up later.
*****
Isabella
The next day
"That's cute." I heard Nala say from behind me. I looked at her and then back at the shirt. "It looks like something you'd wear."
"I don't know, Yellow isn't really my color." I said. Nala shrugged.
"Well if you want it, get it. It's not like it'll put a dent in your bank account." She said. I debated for a few more seconds before deciding to buy the shirt. We went up to the register and I paid for it. While I was putting my card back in my wallet, the lady who rung me up was staring at me. I raised my brow and looked back at her.
"Aren't you Bey–"
"No." I said and grabbed my bag. Nala laughed as we walked out the store.
"Damn, you didn't have to cut her off like that." She said laughing. I laughed too and shook my head.
"I didn't mean to be that rude. I just didn't feel like dealing with it, plus there were people waiting behind me." I said. Nala shrugged and nodded in agreement as we walked over to Kelly and Blue.
"Hey auntie." We both said. Kelly looked at us and smiled.
"Hey, what did y'all get?" She asked. I held up my two bags, one from Chanel and one from Gucci. Nala held up hers from Tory Burch and Dolce&Gabbana.
"What'd you get Blue?" I asked, noticing the small bag in her hands.
Blue reached inside her bag and pulled out a handful of scarves. "They're from Hérmes." She informed me. "I'm getting some shirts to go with them."
"You fly." Nala said and I nodded in agreement.
"Can we go to Givenchy? They have a new line and I want to see it." I asked. Kelly nodded.
"Yeah, let's go." She said. We walked down Rodeo and I waved to the number of people I saw taking pictures. Nala was posing with me and I just laughed. I think I was starting to get used to this.
We were about to walk into Givenchy but a group of girls stopped us. Kelly looked at me and I nodded. "It's fine." I said. She nodded and waited a few feet away with Blue.
"Can we get a picture with you?" One of the girls asked.
"Sure." I smiled. She smiled back and handed her phone to Nala, who looked offended. I rolled my eyes and mouthed for her to do it. Nala sighed and took the photo.
"Thank you!" Another girl said. I told them you're welcome before walking in the store.
"Look at you, Miss Thang." Kelly laughed. I just rolled my eyes.
"Leave it." I said. Kelly shrugged and Nala and I went off without her.
"Is it weird when shit like that happens?" Nala asked me.
"Yeah, sometimes. I think I'm getting used to it though." I said as we walked over to some purses. Nala looked at the bags while I looked at the accessories. There was a wall dedicated to just keychains. They were kinda cute though, so let me look.
"This keychain is two hundred." I said, examining the small puffball. Nala walked over to me. "That's crazy."
"Yeah, but you're rich." Nala said. "Buy it just because."
"Uh, no. I don't need it, definitely not for two hundred dollars, plus my mom would kill me." I said. "Last time I listened to you and bought that $2,000 Louis Vuitton phone case both of my parents got my ass. My mom yelled for like an hour and told me to stop spending her money on dumb shit." I said rolling my eyes. Nala laughed and shrugged.
"Hey, no one told you to listen to me." She smiled. I shook my head as we walked to a different part of the store.
"I know, so I need to stop."
"Well then."
I shrugged and looked through some dresses. A simple black one caught my eye and I grabbed it. "What do you think about this?" I asked, holding it up against me.
Nala looked it over before grabbing the price tag. She laughed. "I think you should put it back because Beyoncé will beat your ass for spending $6,000 on a dress." She said. My eyes widened and I quickly put the dress back.
"Not in this lifetime." I mumbled. Nala laughed and we went off to look at something else.
"Excuse me, miss?" I heard before someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around and saw a man in his thirties looking down at me. He was kinda cute but I'm not eighteen yet so I shrugged it off.
"I see some ladies tonight that should be rolling with–"
"Stop." I said, looking at Nala. She stopped. I turned back to the man and raised my brow. "Can I help you?" I asked politely.
He smiled and nodded, grabbing my hand. "Isabella Carter, right?" He said in his thick French (I think) accent. He kissed my hand and I blushed a little.
"Yes." I said.
"Ah, I thought so. I'm lucky I've caught you, I've been meaning to get in contact with your mother for some time now." He said. Um, for what? "I saw some photos of you awhile back and thought how absolutely stunning you were, and how I had to have you for my next shoot."
"Your next shoot?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yes, I work for Givenchy as a campaign photographer. I'm shooting our next ad in a few weeks and I wanted you to model in it." He told me.
"Oh shit." Nala mumbled. I looked at her and shook my head.
"I don't know, I would have to talk to my parents about it." I said.
"Completely understandable. Listen, here is my card," He handed me his card and I looked at it. Leonardo Kélil. Interesting. "Whenever you've spoken to them, please contact me and let me know. It would be an honor if I were able to have you in this shoot, but I respect whatever decision Mr. and Mrs. Carter may make."
I smiled. "Okay." I said. "I'll be sure to let you know, Mr. Kélil."
"I appreciate it, Miss Carter." He looked over at Nala and she winked at him. Oh god. "Eh, we will be in contact, yes?" He asked, quickly looking back to me. I wanted to laugh but I didn't.
"Yes sir." I nodded.
"Wonderful. I hope to hear from you soon." He said before saying goodbye and walking away.
I turned to face Nala. "Did you really wink at him?" I asked once he was out of earshot.
Nala shrugged. "Hey, he's a fine man if I do say so myself." She said. "I was prepared to hop on that if he was interested."
"Ooookay." I said rolling my eyes. "Let's go find Kelly. I'm hungry."
"Okay. Same." Nala said and we headed out.
*****
I walked in the house a few hours later. Blue was staying with Kelly for the night so it was just me. We literally shopped until we dropped because my ass was exhausted. It was only five but I was ready for bed.
I quietly made my way to my room and sighed happily. I managed to make it up here without being stopped by anyone, which is rare. I took my bags into my closet and set them on the floor. I would deal with them later. When I came back out my parents were sitting on my bed. I kinda wanted to throw a temper tantrum because I really thought I was slick. I swear my mom hears everything with those big ass ears. Damn!
"Isabella, sit down." My mom said when I tried to sneak back in my closet. I silently groaned and slowly walked back out. I took my sweet time making my way to the bed and sat down, leaving some distance between us. I've been kinda avoiding them since my dad dropped the whole 'I have a son with Gina' thing last week. I expected my mom to pack his bags and throw them in the pool or something but she's been surprisingly calm about the whole thing. I, on the other hand, am just really confused. Not so much confused about how it happened, but more so about how I should react. I'm mainly confused because if Gina has a son that's the same age as me, why did she kidnap me in the first place? So many questions and zero answers.
"What's going on?" My mom asked.
"Huh?"
"Huh?" She mocked me. I sighed. "You know what I'm talking about. What's up with you lately?"
I shrugged. "Nothing." I said.
"Isabella, I'm not doing this with you right now." My mom said. Damn, I know not to play anymore when she says that.
"I just think the fact that you have a son is weird." I said looking at my dad. "Like.... I don't know how to feel about it you know? It's just crazy. Are you gonna have a relationship with him, is he gonna live with us? I have several questions."
"Why didn't you ask me this sooner?" My dad asked. I just shrugged. He sighed. "Well I want to have a relationship with him, yeah. I don't know about him living with us, that hasn't been brought up yet. I'm just focused on meeting him right now, just to see what's up. I don't know what Gina's sister has said about me and I need to make sure we're straight. I don't want him thinking I abandoned him, because that's not what happened."
"Yeah." I nodded. "I get it."
"If he were to come around, would you have a problem with that?" My mom asked.
"Not really. I just think it's weird, that's all. I don't have a problem with him. I don't even know him, so I can't." I said.
"That's true." My mom nodded. My dad did too.
"No matter what happens, you're still my baby girl and I won't love you any less." My dad said.
"I know, dad. I'm not worried about that." I said. "I just hope he's not an asshole."
My mom smacked my arm. "Language."
"Ow, gosh sorry." I rubbed my arm and frowned. "It slipped." I said. My mom just shrugged.
"You weren't exactly a ray of sunshine when you met us either." My dad said. "'Get the fuck out of my room.'" He mocked me and they both started laughing. I just looked at them.
"Ok, anyways." I mumbled, rolling my eyes. "I had a reason, you know. I wasn't being evil just because."
"I know, I'm just messing with you." My dad chuckled.
"Mhmm." I remembered meeting the photographer guy earlier and jumped up. "Oh! I have something to ask you guys." I said and went back into my closet. I had to find the card, it was in one of my shopping bags.
I did some digging and found it a few minutes later. I walked back out to my room and handed my mom the card. "This photographer that works for Givenchy's campaign ads asked me if I could model in his next shoot." I said.
My mom looked at me and raised her brow. "You want to model?" She asked.
I shrugged. "I haven't thought about it before but it might be fun."
My mom nodded and looked over at my dad, who shrugged. "Well I don't really have a problem with it, but I would have to talk to this photographer and find out exactly what you'd be doing." She said and I nodded. "We'd have to set up a meeting and discuss what you'll be wearing, how much you'll be getting paid, who else is involved, where this shoot is." My mom listed off. She kept going on about something else but I was focused on the paid part. I forgot all about getting paid, lit.
"Bella, are you listening?" My mom asked. I looked at her and nodded. "What did I just say?"
"That you loved me and wanted me to be happy." I said smiling. She lightly smacked my arm. "Ok, no I wasn't."
My mom rolled her eyes while my dad laughed. "I said that you need to think carefully before you make a decision. This may lead to other people being interested in having you model for them, which you can always say no if you don't want to, but it's a high possibility that you'll be receiving offers if this is something you're serious about."
"I don't know, mom. Like I said I haven't thought about it before today, but I'll think carefully before deciding anything." I said. My mom nodded.
"That's all I ask." She said.
"And if you do this, I'm coming to that meeting too." My dad said. "You're not about to be in anything showing your stomach or too much leg."
I rolled my eyes. "So a robe?" I asked.
"I was thinking more of– Bey, what are those nun outfits called?" He looked at my mom and she laughed.
"I don't know babe." My mom smiled.
"Daddy." I whined. "Don't embarrass me."
"Okay, I will." He said before kissing my head and leaving my room. My mouth fell open and I looked at my mom.
"He won't." She said. I just shook my head. "You'll be fine. I'll keep him under control."
"Just keep him home." I mumbled.
"Um, yeah right." She laughed and stood up. I just looked at her because I didn't see what was funny. "He's your daddy and he's going to be protective, you know that. But I'll make sure he isn't acting a fool, I promise."
I sighed loudly. "Fine."
"You acting like you had a choice." My mom chuckled. I pouted because she was right but I wasn't going to admit it. "Aw, don't sulk baby. Trust me when I say you'll be alright." She said and kissed my forehead.
"Okay." I said.
"You want to watch a movie with me?" She asked. I looked up at her and shrugged.
"Sure, what are we watching?"
"What do you want to watch?"
"Fighting Temptations?" I suggested.
"No." My mom said.
"Carmen?"
"No."
"Goldmember?"
"No."
"The Pink Pa–"
She put her hand over my mouth and raised her brow. "I know what you're doing child, cut it out. We're not watching any of my movies." She said before moving her hand.
"Why not?" I pouted.
"It's weird for me." My mom said. I just shrugged. "Pick something else."
"Fine. How about Legally Blonde?" I said. I loved those movies.
"Okay." My mom agreed. I smiled and followed her out of my room. We walked downstairs to the theater and I immediately headed for the candy bar.
"Do you want anything?" I asked while my mom got the movie set up.
"Get me a Snickers and a strawberry slushee." She yelled back. I nodded and did just that. I carried everything back to our seats and put our drinks in the cupholders. I sat down and got comfortable, grabbing the blanket laying over the seat and putting it across my lap. The movie started playing and my mom sat down next to me. I handed her the Snickers bar.
"Thank you." She said, kissing my temple.
"You're welcome." I replied. I laid my head on her shoulder and ate my M&Ms while we watched the movie.
*****
Jay
A few days later
I heard my phone ringing and groaned. I tried to tune it out and get back to sleep since Bey had me up all night, or should I say Peaches.... but anyways the point is I'm tired as hell.
"Answer the damn phone." I heard Beyoncé say. I sighed and sat up, reaching over to grab it. Let me not piss her off right now.
"Hello?" I answered, rubbing my head while the woman on the other end talked. "Hold up, what?" I said. Beyoncé rolled over and looked at me while I finished up the brief conversation. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can. Yeah, alright. Thanks man."
I hung up and looked at Bey. "What was that about?" She asked.
I sighed. "You know how Gina's sister has Jeremiah?" I said. Bey nodded. "That was Mike. He said that Gina's lawyer called him because Jeremiah was at the hospital alone for hours. His aunt died in a car accident yesterday, and if I don't go get him and bring him back here he'll go into foster care." I explained. "I don't want my son in foster care Bey, not if I can prevent it." I said. "Mike flew out to Virginia Beach, so he's there with him now."
"Oh, wow." Beyoncé sat up. I watched her facial expressions carefully as she thought. A few minutes later she sighed and looked at me. "I mean, there really isn't an option. You have to bring him back here, that baby isn't about to belong to the state." She said. "He can live with us."
"Are you sure Bey? We haven't even met him yet." I said. Of course I wanted my son to live with me if he could, but I didn't want Beyoncé or my girls to be uncomfortable with him around.
"I'm sure, Jay. Go get him. We'll figure everything out later." She nodded. I sighed and kissed her cheek.
"Thank you baby." I said while climbing out of bed. I went into my closet and grabbed some sweats and a t-shirt to put on. I packed myself a small bag in case I'd have to stay overnight. I slid into my Jordans and walked back into our bedroom. I went over to Beyoncé and gently grabbed her face before kissing her slowly. "I should be back by tomorrow night. I don't know what all I'll have to do to get custody of him, but I'll call you when I know what's going on. I love you."
"Okay, and I love you too baby." Bey kissed me again. "Text me when you land."
"I will." I nodded. I grabbed my phone and headed out.
*****
Hours later...
The car pulled up at my lawyer's firm and thanked my driver before getting out. I nodded my head at the small group of paparazzi that was waiting outside and walked in the building. Mike had locations all over the U.S., including Virginia Beach. I was thankful because it made this meeting a hell of a lot easier and saved me several plane rides.
"Mr. Carter, nice to see you." The receptionist greeted me. I nodded.
"You too." I said. I headed towards the elevators and hit the '5' button. I said a silent prayer on the way up, for myself and my son. I just hope he doesn't resent me for not knowing him all these years, because I would've if I could have. I would never abandon any of my children, whether they had a crazy ass mama or not. That's still my kid.
I walked down the hallway to Mike's office and knocked on the door. It was open, but I always knock before entering a room. Basic etiquette.
"Jay, come on in." Mike said. I walked inside and saw Gina's lawyer and a woman I haven't met before sitting in front of his desk. Mike told me he'd be here, but I still wasn't happy about it. I took a seat next to the woman because I couldn't stand that nigga. "You already know Mr. Harris," He nodded towards Gina's lawyer and I gave him a short nod. "And this is Mrs. Smith, she works for child services."
I shook her hand. "It's a pleasure." She said and I nodded, saying the same.
We looked back at Mike. "So, what do I need to do to get custody of my son? He won't be going into foster care, that's not an option. Bey and I agreed that he would live with us." I explained. "He'll be taken care of."
"Really?" Martin, Gina's bitch ass lawyer said. I looked at him. "I mean, you're just gonna agree that easily?" He asked. I looked at him like he was stupid.
"What do you expect me to do man? That's my kid and I plan on taking care of him." I said. The fuck did he think I was gonna do?
"Well excuse me." He said and sat back. "Gina didn't think you'd be so accepting."
"Gina don't know me." I replied. Martin just shrugged and I sighed. "Mike?" I said, looking back at him before I punched this nigga in the face. "What do I need to do?"
"Um," He motioned towards Mrs. Smith and she pulled out a few papers.
"I just need you to sign these. The papers are just documentation of your parental rights over Jeremiah. They're granting you full custody, you're aware of this right?" She asked and I nodded.
"Yes." I said and grabbed the pen from Mike. "You read over these?" I asked him. Mike nodded.
"They're exactly what she said they were." Mike said. I nodded and signed the papers.
"Now where's my son?" I asked. Mike stood up and motioned for me to follow him. I said goodbye to Mrs. Smith and walked out.
"He's sitting in the break room, I left him with some snacks and a water. He said he wasn't hungry but I gave it to him anyways." Mike said.
"What does he seem like? Personality wise?" I asked. I thought back to what Bella said and hoped he wasn't an asshole either. That wouldn't fly with me and I'd have to get him in check before I took him home.
"Polite. He didn't say much, which is understandable." Mike said and I nodded.
"Aight."
We walked into the break room and I saw Jeremiah sitting on the couch. He was staring at the tv, watching ESPN. I smiled. That's what I like to see.
"Jeremiah," Mike called out. Jeremiah looked over at us. He didn't seem fazed by me, which I guess was good. He wasn't swearing at me like Bella was either, so that was also a plus. "This is Shawn Carter, your father." Mike said. He nodded and looked at me.
(Jeremiah ^)
I walked over to Jeremiah and dapped him up. "So, you're my dad." He said. I nodded and sat down next to him.
"I'll be in my office Jay." Mike said.
"Aight." I nodded. Mike left and I focused on my son. "I know you probably tired of hearing this, but how are you doing?" I asked him. With everything going on, I needed to make sure he was alright. I know he's dealing with a lot and I don't need him stressing.
Jeremiah shrugged. "I don't know man. My aunt just died, I found out Jay Z's my dad, and apparently my mom is some psycho woman that kidnapped one of your kids." He said. I nodded, yeah that was pretty accurate. "It's a lot but I'm trying to deal with it as best as I can."
"That's good. I get that this is overwhelming, and I'm sorry all of this happened at once. I was hoping to meet you under better circumstances." I said. Jeremiah just shrugged. "But I want you to know that if I had known about you sooner, I would've been in your life. I wouldn't have ignored the fact that I have a son. I would've been here for you, aight? I want you to know that."
"I figured. I don't hold anything against you, Mike explained everything to me. You didn't know." Jeremiah said. "I wish I would've known about you sooner too cause I just thought I had deadbeat parents this whole time. My auntie tried to tell me otherwise but I didn't believe it, why should I?"
I nodded because I understood what he was saying. I know what it's like to grow up without a parent, but I couldn't imagine both. My mama was my rock, I wouldn't be where I am today without her.
"I'm gonna be your dad now though, aight?" I told Jeremiah. He looked at me and nodded. "I'm gonna take care of you like I should've been doing. How do you feel about moving out to California with me and my wife?" I asked him.
"I mean I don't really have a choice." Jeremiah said. "But yeah, that'd be cool. I appreciate it, you know? When I heard about my aunt I thought I was screwed. I didn't think I had any family aside from her."
"You have me, and you have my family." I said. I wrapped my arm around Jeremiah's shoulder and kissed his head. "I got you, aight? I don't want you to worry about anything else. You're taken care of."
"Okay." Jeremiah said softly. "Thanks."
"It's no problem." I said. I stood up and so did Jeremiah. "Let's head to your aunt's house and get your stuff packed up, aight?"
"Yeah." Jeremiah nodded. "Dad?"
I smiled when I heard that. "Yeah man?"
"Is my aunt getting a funeral?" He asked. I turned around and looked at him.
"Do you want her to have a funeral?" I asked. He shrugged.
"I just want her to have a nice burial. She didn't have many friends, so maybe not a funeral. But I want her to be buried somewhere nice and all that." Jeremiah said.
I nodded. "Okay, I'll take care of it."
"Okay, thank you."
"You're welcome." I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and we walked out the break room. I went back to Mike's office and saw that Gina's lawyer and Mrs. Smith were gone. "Mike, we're heading out." I told him.
"Okay, but I need to meet with you again before you head back to California." Mike said. "When are you leaving?"
"I don't know, I need to get things situated for his aunt's burial and then we'll head back." I said. "By Friday at the latest."
"Ok, you know where I'm staying right?"
I nodded. "We're staying at the same hotel Mike." I reminded him.
"Oh yeah," Mike chuckled. "Alright, I'll see you Jay. Bye Jeremiah."
"Bye Mike." Jeremiah said and we headed out.
"Shit." I said when I saw the paparazzi outside. It was three times the size as it was when I came in. I looked at Jeremiah and saw his face. "They're harmless, they just want a picture." I assured him.
Jeremiah nodded slowly. "Uh, okay." He said.
"Just ignore them, don't say anything back and get in the car." I said. Jeremiah nodded and I patted his back. "Aight, let's go."
I kept my hand on Jeremiah's back until we were in the car. He didn't look too shaken up, and I was thankful. Bella didn't handle the paps as well the first time. "You okay?" I asked him.
"Yeah, that's crazy though." Jeremiah said.
"Yeah it is." I agreed. I remembered something I saw when I was signing the papers earlier and smiled at Jeremiah. "Your birthday was a few days ago." I said.
Jeremiah chuckled. "Yeah, the big 16."
"What did you do to celebrate?" I asked him. "Anything special?"
"Yeah, I had a kickback with some of my friends on the beach." He said. "My auntie put it together. It was really nice."
"That sounds cool. I'm glad you had a fun." I said and Jeremiah nodded. "You hungry?"
"I guess." Jeremiah shrugged. "I could eat."
"Aight, how about I take you out to dinner for your birthday?"
Jeremiah looked at me. "You don't have to do that."
"Yeah, I do." I said. "What did I tell you earlier?"
Jeremiah sighed. "That I'm your son and you got me." He said.
"Exactly. So I'm taking you out for your birthday, aight?" Jeremiah nodded and so did I. "What's your favorite place to eat at?"
"It ain't that nice, it's just a fast food place." He said.
"What's it called?"
"Schlotzsky's. It's a sandwich joint." Jeremiah said. I nodded and told the driver to take us there. "Wait, we don't have to go." He said quickly.
I looked at him. "Didn't you say it was your favorite?"
"Well yeah, but you can't just walk up in there." Jeremiah said.
"Why?"
He looked at me. "You're Jay Z." He said.
"And? I'm your dad and I'm going to take you to your favorite place to eat. It don't matter who I am. The sooner you learn that, the less questions you'll ask." I told him. Jeremiah shrugged and nodded. "Got it?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "People are gonna go crazy though."
I shrugged. "Let them."
"Aight then." Jeremiah chuckled. About ten minutes later we pulled up at Schlotzsky's and got out.
"It's not even that busy." I said as we walked in. Jeremiah looked around and nodded.
"Yeah, you right."
We ordered our food and sat towards the back.
"So, tell me everything I need to know about you." I said to Jeremiah. He finished chewing his sandwich.
"Well I'm a sophomore, I play football, basketball and I'm on the track team. I'm an Honors student, and I've only been in trouble twice. I listen to music a lot, I'm into art, like paintings and stuff. Oh, and I work at Smoothie King." Jeremiah said.
"Damn." I said. "I missed a lot."
Jeremiah shrugged. "Yeah but it's not your fault."
"I know. What did you get in trouble for?"
"Is that all you heard?" Jeremiah laughed. I shrugged and smirked. "Fighting, but the other guys started it both times."
"Hmm, aight. You don't fight anymore though, right? Because that ain't gonna fly with me or Bey." I said.
"I don't fight anymore." Jeremiah nodded.
"Good." I nodded. We talked for a few hours, Jeremiah told me all about his childhood and what he had planned for the future. I know I didn't know everything about him, but I was glad I was getting to know my son better. I was also relieved to know he was genuinely a nice guy. I knew Beyoncé and the rest of the family would like him, well I wasn't sure about Bella, but I was sure everyone else would.
"You ready?" I asked Jeremiah once it started getting busier. I noticed people taking pictures and the news that I had a son wasn't out yet, so I knew we probably needed to go.
"Yeah." Jeremiah nodded. I threw away our trash and we left before it got too chaotic.
"How about we head back to the hotel, then tomorrow we'll pack up your stuff and plan your aunt's burial?" I said once we were back in the car.
"That's cool with me." Jeremiah nodded.
"Okay." I nodded and told the driver where to go. I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes, sighing.
Off we go.