"Merry Christmas, baby boy!" I woke Nas up with an extravagant greeting. I was surprised that he was still even sleep at ten in the morning on Christmas.
"Merry Christmas, mama."
Nasir got up and stretched out before getting up from the bed. "Ooh, I smell food too. What you cook for us?"
I moved from the room door to let him out as I followed behind him. "Your favorite. Strawberry-banana pancakes, cheese eggs, and smoked sausage."
"Ayyye!"
Nas clapped his hands loudly and rushed down the stairs. Despite all the chaos that had been going on, it lit my heart up to make my son smile in any way possible.
"Dad, you're here!" I heard Nasir say from downstairs.
I immediately started to rush down the stairs in a panic. How did he know where we were? Why was he here? How the hell did he did get out of jail so quickly?
When I reached the first floor, I was greeted by my dad who had a stern look on his face. He never liked Christian to begin with, so I was surprised that he let him in.
"It's Christmas, I wouldn't feel right not letting Nas see his dad," he admitted.
That was one thing about my dad that I hated that sort of inherited. No matter how dirty would do us, we'd still try our best to be polite and kind. It was shit like this that always ended up with us getting done wrong.
"It's fine," I whispered as I turned to see Nas on the floor with his father. They were bonding as Nas opened up his gifts. I pulled my phone out from my pocket and started to record my baby boy like I did every year.
"Merry Christmas, Laurie," Christian said to me with his eyes focused heavily on me. It made me feel uncomfortable.
"Same to you," I told him as I kept my phone up on Nas. I smiled at his reactions when he opened a box to see an autographed Clippers jersey from his favorite player, Chris Paul.
"Oh my God! This real, mama?" Nas turned to face me and asked.
"Yep," I nodded happily. "Bam got that for you. Don't forget to thank him later. Ok?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Christian gave me an irritated look with his jaw tightened, but right now I could care less about his feelings at the moment. "Laurie, can we talk right quick?" he asked.
"Not now. Let Nasir finish opening all of his stuff first," I said, giving my attention back on our son.
After opening his gifts, Nas skipped on over to the kitchen to go eat with the rest of the fam while I stayed behind with Christian in the living room.
I was ready for him to leave because the last thing I wanted was to get upset on Christmas. "Laurie, I--"
I stopped him my hand and started to walk to the front door. Whatever he had to say, he could say it on his way out of the house. "Say what you need so you can leave, please."
"Laurie, I'm fucking up. I really am. Last night in that cell, I had time to think about shit and it hit me...I need my family. I need you and Nasir with me."
I looked at him like he had lost his mind because he sounded like such a headass right now. I had to laugh. "Are you fucking kidding me? After having your two kids, a damn miscarriage, getting my ass beat by you, cheated on a countless number of times, and not even to mention your engagement to my mother...you need me? You got life fucked up, clearly," I groaned with a mean eye roll.
Christian sighed and did that pout shit that probably would have got him whatever he wanted from me a few years ago. "Lauren, I love you. Why can't we just start fresh? No more bullshit, just us like it use to be."
I shook my head furiously. "This is my fresh start...without you. Hell, the faster you sign them divorce papers, the better."
The look forming on his face was all too familiar. He was getting angry. "I'm not signing them papers and you know that. Why you making shit difficult? So I messed up a few times, we've gotten through other worse. And don't like my behavior ain't your fault or like it stem from you."
I furrowed my brows at him. Of course he would turn this shit back on me. "Christian, shut the fuck up. You can't never own your shit."
"So, you're saying that our marriage ain't turn left when you forget to check to see if our child was in her car seat properly...own your shit. Fucking murdered Amara and I'm supposed to be the best husband after that shit."
I laughed bitterly trying to keep from tearing up, but it failed. "No, this shit turned left before Amara was even born. Your hoe ass decided to get one of your lil side pieces pregnant and she got an abortion. That shit hurt your little feelings because she aborted your bastard child, didn't it?"
His eyes widened in shock. "What? Cat got your tongue...you really think I didn't know? Christian, you can't hide shit even if you wanted too. Guess what though, you don't have to hide anything anymore because I don't give a fuck. Go back to your battered fiancée and leave me alone."
I glanced down to see his fists balled up like he actually had the nerve to try some shit in my father's house. "Christian, you heard her. Leave and have a Merry Christmas," I heard my father say from right behind me. I hadn't even noticed that he was behind me.
Christian stayed put, but his loosened. "We're not done talking," he said to my father in a monotone.
"Yes, you are. You can go or I can escort you out." My father casually pulled out his pistol from his waistband and held it in his hand while he crossed his arms across his chest.
Christian shook his head and went to open the front door to leave. "Y'all on some bullshit today..."
"No, I'm about that action today. Take your ass home and go tend to your senior citizen fiancée."
My dad quickly closed the door and put his gun back in his waistband. He looked over at me and sighed before pulling me in for a much needed hug. "You okay, baby girl?"
"Better now..."
He nodded and pulled back to wipe my tears from my face. "Go to the bathroom and clean your face off. I don't want Nas to see you like this."
I simply nodded and went in the bathroom to see that I looked like a hot mess. Just as I was finishing up wiping my face, Brandon was trying to FaceTime me. I sat down on toilet and answered it.
"Merry Christmas, handsome," I said when I saw his milk chocolate self pop up on my screen
His frown turned upside down and he cracked a smile. "How you be doing that?" I arched my brows in confusion as to what he meant.
"Huh? What you mean?"
"Been kind of pissed since I got here and soon as I get on the phone with your gorgeous self, a nigga start smiling."
I laughed softly and shrugged. "It's cause you luuuuh me," I teased him about what he told me yesterday.
He shook his head with a smirk that showed his dimple. "Merry Christmas to you too," he said ignoring my statement before licking his plump lips.
"So, why are you upset? Is everything okay?"
Bam smacked his teeth. "I really wanna talk about something else. Nas enjoyed his gifts?"
"Yes, he did. A Clippers jersey though? So lame..." I joked with him and he cackled at me.
"I meeaaan, can't get the kid a Lakers jersey when they best player is the water boy," he rebutted quickly and I playfully rolled my eyes at him.
"Whatever. He really loved that and the video games. How you got the CP3's autograph though?"
He shrugged me off. "Benefits of being a former a college basketball star and a police officer, I guess..."
"Mhm, stunt on me then sir."
"Never that. I'm just noticing that your eyes are red. You've been crying?" he asked me with a stern look. I didn't even want to tell him the issue because I already know how he is.
"Happy tears," I lied. "This the first time in a long time that I've spent Christmas with my dad and his family. Didn't realize how much I missed it," I told him. Bam nodded slowly.
It felt like he was trying to figure me out, but he decided against speaking on his thoughts. "Ah, I see," was all he said.
"What?" I asked him.
"Nothing. I just want to be there with y'all."
My cheeks flushed red. "Aww, you miss us. See, I knew you were a big softy at heart. You just be trying to flex."
He smiled using all of his canines and I was pretty sure that was a first. The man was just a beautiful being inside and out. "Anyway, I got a gift for you. You just have to wait until you get back to LA to get it because it's not ready yet."
"Ooh, what could it be?" I tapped my finger on my chin as if I was guessing.
"You're not going to guess, I assure you," he said as his face suddenly hardened with anger.
"Bam, what's really going on down there?"
"Nothing good. Got into a fight with Kyle's dumb ass. Now, this morning I jus--it's too much, Laurie," he vented.
"I hate when you try to keep everything inside and never want to share with me. You're there to listen to me when I'm going through it. Let me be here for you."
Bam got up from wherever he was sitting and moved. "I did some digging and I know who shot BJ, Lauren," he said with a stressed look.
"What?! How? Who?"
"Reed, my new partner," he mumbled in disappointment.
Vote, comment, and whatever else ;)
Christian talking crazy or does he really think he has a chance to get Lauren back?
How about all that tea Lauren spilled for all of us? My cup runneth ovaaa😂😂☕️
So, this shooting situation...I wanna know what y'all think. Reed shooting pre-teens or---never mind, just wait.😜😎