Building Trust Through Our Issues

Chapter Twenty Nine

This is an excerpt from chapter 24 part III. Just to clear up any confusion anybody had about Snake's murder. The bold words should be answers to all your questions and concerns. This is copied directly from the chapter, nothing added or deleted.

"Man, I really don't think this is a good idea. I got a bad feeling about this." I told him as I shook my head, once we were suited up. We had on welder's gear; everything from the mask and rubber boots, to the smock, and rubber gloves.

"I always knew you was a pussy." He said smacking his lips, as he shook his head at me.

"I ain't a pussy, I'm just not dumb." I responded.

"Whatever. Either you're in or you're out. Your choice." He shrugged as he left me standing there and started walking down the stairs to the bottom level of the abandoned warehouse where Man was keeping Snake. I stood there for a moment, weighing my options.

"Fuck it!" I hissed as I threw up my hands and followed him down the stairs. "Forgive me Lord for what I'm about to do."

Hours later we came back upstairs and I was feeling guilty as hell. Darius Carter's body was chopped into tiny pieces. Fingers, toes, arms, legs, ears, eyes, and all other body parts were cut off and destroyed. I used to be a real lightweight when it came to shit like this but I consider myself a pro now. I was sawing off body parts left and right. He was barely alive and hanging on, up until Man ripped out his heart with his bare hands. Man was always specific about how we killed people; he wanted no evidence left and he didn't want the person to be able to be identified.

I made sure I had on my gloves before helping Man clear the area. We secured the building, cleaned up and changed into regular clothes. Once we were finished; Man lit up a blunt and smoked it before setting the building on fire. We watched the flames for a while, before we got into Man's car. Standing in front of that abandoned burning building, I made a vow to God and myself that I was done with everything from my past, for good.

It has been a full year since Aaliyah and Demarcus found out about Emanuel and Jerome's involvement in Snake's murder.

Jerome POV:

"I'm about to leave." I told Aireka as I stepped into the laundry room. She had been in here all damn day washing clothes. I offered to help her but she said she worked better alone and I would distract her. I didn't want to help anyway so I left it alone and went back upstairs to play on the game until Brandy got here with my baby. Today was my day off and all I wanted to do was chill.

I had Alayshia with me for the next week and a half. Brandy and her fiancée were leaving for their vacation in Cancun.

"Okay babe. I'll see you later, be safe." She told me as she folded a large bath towel and put it into the large stack of other towels.

"Damn it's like that? I can't get no love before I go?" I asked, scrunching up my face at her. She smirked before walking over to me and jumping on my frame. "Nah, I don't want it no more." I said rolling my eyes as I placed my hand under her ass to support her weight.

"Big baby." She chuckled as she wrapped her arms around my neck and tightened her legs around my waist. She tried to kiss me but I dodged her kiss, making her smack her lips. "Babe stop, let me kiss you." She said roughly grabbing my face and kissing me.

"So aggressive." I huffed as I rolled my eyes at her. She smirked before leaning in for another kiss. I allowed her to kiss me softly for a few moments before taking control of the kiss. "I gotta go, love." I mumbled once I felt her undo my belt and attempt to unzip my pants.

"But-"

"Imma be late baby, I'll be back soon." She rolled her eyes at me and I laughed at her little attitude. "When I get back, I promise."

"Okay." She sighed. I smirked before kissing her forehead and placing her back on her feet. "You look handsome." She smirked.

"Oh, I do?" I asked running my hand over my waves a few times with a sly smirk on my face. I straightened out my jacket and dusted off my jeans before posing.

"Mmhmm. Good enough to eat." She mumbled lowly as she slipped her hands up my shirt and began rubbing my chest.

"Well, that's my cue to go." I said removing her hands from my body and heading for the door, making her laugh. I knew if I didn't put a stop to her now, I'd be fucking her on this washing machine. That's exactly what her nasty ass wanted too.

"Did you turn the baby monitor on?" She asked going back to folding the towels. Alayshia was upstairs in her room asleep, I'd worn her out by playing with her and running her around all day so she knocked out early tonight. I wasn't complaining. "I don't want my baby to wake up and be scared thinking she's by herself."

"Well go up there with her." I replied.

"But I have to finish all th-"

"Just go upstairs and relax babe. I can finish the laundry when I get back. You been down here all day." I told her as I grabbed her hand and led her out of the room. I turned the light out before shutting the door.

"But you don't fold the towels right. They look all raggedy and sloppy when you fold them babe." She said making me release her hand and flip her off.

"This is why I can't be nice to yo ass." I said mushing her head as I left her and jogged up the stairs to the main level of the house.

"I'm just saying." She giggled once she finally caught up to me and walked me to the door.

"I'm just saying." I said scrunching up my face and mocking her, making her laugh. My baby was so beautiful, I could just watch her all day. "I shouldn't be too long babe, love you." I told her as I leaned down to kiss her before leaving the house.

"Be safe and have fun. Tell my bestie I said hi!" She called to me.

"Okay bae." I yelled.

I was going out to dinner tonight with Mookie so we could celebrate our birthdays together. We still hadn't exchanged gifts with each other and we hadn't seen each other since her party so I offered to take her out to dinner. Even if she didn't want to see me, I knew her greedy ass wasn't about to turn down a free meal and gifts. I was using that to my best advantage because I wanted to talk to her about a few things and catch up with what was going on with my family.

When I got to the restaurant, I was surprised to see that she was already there. "Hey." I said wrapping my arm around her shoulder to hug her and then kissing the top of her head.

"Hello." She smiled, once I slid into the booth across from her.

"You look nice." I spoke up after surveying her appearance. Her makeup was done nicely and her hair was in long waves down her back, but the front half of her hair was in a little bun on top of her head with her edges slicked down. Whatever the hell it was, it looked nice.

"Thank you." She smiled. I ignored the urge to comment on the hickies on her neck that she tried to cover up with makeup. They were dark and big as hell so the little shit that she tried to cover it with didn't do her any justice at all.

"You got dressed up for lil ole me? I feel so honored." I smirked.

"Well, my husband and I went to see a movie before he dropped me off here." She explained to me, making me roll my eyes. "Tonight is usually our date night but since you're gonna be gone the rest of the week, we cut it short so I could have dinner with you."

"Oh, well excuse me." I scoffed. "I knew it was too good to be true anyway."

"Don't do that." She laughed. "I was just saying that I sacrificed time with my husband just to be here with you. You should feel loved."

"Well doesn't your husband have a name?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. If I didn't know Chris, she would've had me thinking the man's name was husband.

"To others he does, but to his wife, his name is husband." She stated.

"Y'all make me sick." I scoffed.

"Good to know, go take some Pepto." She chuckled, making me flip her off.

"Ya eyelids look nice. You did em?" I asked. She looked so pretty, she had put on a little weight so her face was chubbier and she had a natural glow. She looked so happy and it did my heart good because she deserved it.

"No, actually Whitney did it. She's really good. I honestly think she could make a career out of doing makeup." She informed me. She had glitter and shit on her eyelids and all types of other shit but it looked really nice and neat. It was all extravagant looking and whatnot.

"Yeah she did a good job." I nodded.

"I'll be sure to tell her you liked it, I've been getting compliments all night." She smirked.

"I bet." I mumbled. "How are they?" I asked, referring to their family. Austin and I talk but not as much as he and Mookie do. Since Li left, my relationship with Austin has become a little strained, and I can't say that I blame him for distancing himself from me.

"They're good. They moved out of the guest house and into Chris' old house. The mortgage is paid off so they just have to take care of the bills." She informed me.

"That's good." I nodded. Chris had a big ass house and it was in a nice neighborhood. My grand babies would have lots of room to run around and play.

"The babies are big and healthy. Both of them are talking and starting to take steps. AJ is the more active one but Amani talks all day." She said making me smile. I hadn't seen Austin or the kids since their first birthday party, which was two months ago.

I didn't even stay at the party because I knew Aaliyah would be coming later and I didn't want my presence to make her uncomfortable. She made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me so I was just going to give her the space she needed and pray about it. I spoke to everyone, kissed the babies, and dropped off the gifts before going back home.

"Austin's still set on going into the military but I convinced him to wait until the twins were a little older and at least walking. More than likely he's gonna be sent off somewhere after basic training and I know he'll want Whitney and the kids with him. So they'll be away from home with no support. I know it'll be hell for Whitney to take care of both of those babies by herself with no help." She said shaking her head. By the way she rambled, I could tell it was something she had been stressing about.

"I'm sure everything will work itself out. They can handle it." I replied simply. Them niggas decided to be grown and have unprotected sex so they're gonna be grown and take care of their responsibilities. I love them both, but they aren't getting any sympathy from me.

I admit, that since they've been parents, Austin and Whitney have really stepped up as adults. While Austin is at work during the day, Whitney is at home taking care of the household and the kids caring for them teaching them things. Whitney stopped working after the twins were born so she could be home with them and Austin got a second job so they would be comfortable financially.

At times I would randomly stop by with packs of diapers, wipes, outfits, and stuff because I know how expensive it was to raise a child. As much as I wanted Whitney and Austin to do it all alone with no help, to teach them a lesson; Austin was my son, Whitney was my daughter in law, and those were my grandbabies. They weren't going to be in need of anything on my watch. I'd be less of a man and a father if I just let them struggle while I'm sitting on millions.

"Yeah, you're right." She nodded. "It's selfish of me to say, but I don't want him to go. I admire the fact that he wants to serve his country and it's honorable but that's my baby. I don't want anything to happen to him. Why can't he just get a nine to five and be basic like everybody else?" She sighed with a pout on her face.

"Yeah, I definitely understand that." I chuckled as I nodded my head. "It takes a special kind of person to serve in the military. But Austin has a good head on his shoulders and I'm sure he'll be fine. We just gotta have faith in God that he'll keep him safe and protected." I said making Mookie choke on her water. "Are you alright?" I asked handing her a napkin after her coughing fit was over.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You talking about God openly just shocked me a little. I wasn't ready." She said making me smack my lips. "Let me find out you know the Lord." She joked.

"You know what, forget you." I said mugging her as she laughed. My relationship with God has changed drastically this year. I'm making more of an effort and it shows through the way I talk and act now. I'm still a work in progress and I have my issues but I'm not where I used to be. "Have you ordered yet?" I asked her, changing the subject.

"No, I was waiting for you." She replied.

"Hm. Look at you being polite." I smirked.

"Shut up, I'm always polite." She said playfully rolling her eyes at me. Our waitress came over to our table and took our drink orders. I was surprised as hell when Mookie ordered a glass of champagne. I was shook.

"Since when do you drink alcohol on week nights, ma'am?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"It's better than popping pills." She shrugged.

"True." I mumbled. "Did you ever tell Chris?"

"Yeah. He took it surprisingly well. He said he noticed a change in me so he already knew that something was up. He was just waiting on me to talk to him about it." She sighed.

"He was prettying understanding about it?" I asked her.

"Yeah he was." She mumbled.

"At least he didn't go hulk on you." I shrugged.

"I could tell that he was hurt and disappointed in me and that felt worse. I would've preferred him going hulk." She admitted. "He also kinda blamed himself because he felt like he wasn't supportive enough because I was popping pills instead of confiding in him."

That's how you know Chris is a good man. If I was him I would've whooped her ass instead of blaming myself. Mookie would've had to catch these hands. Literally.

"I'm sorry Mook. Well at least it's in the past. It's all behind you and you can move forward from it, now." I reminded her.

"Yeah." She mumbled.

"So how's everything else going?" I asked.

She was quiet for a while as she focused her attention on her nails. At first I thought she was ignoring me, but I realized she was trying not to cry so I remained silent and allowed her to take her time. Once she got herself together, she cleared her throat and spoke up. "I have my good days and bad days." She admitted. I could tell she wanted to say more but she just left it at that.

"I'm listening." I responded simply.

"I'm trying so hard to accept certain things in my life so that I can move on from them but it's hard. There's a void in my heart and every day that I look at EJ I'm constantly reminded that my Daddy is gone. My Daddy was everything to me and I just miss him so much. It's taking everything in me to not be angry with God. I'm trying so hard not to question him or his will, but it's hard. A piece of me that can never be replaced is gone and it's hard for me to accept that. My heart is broken behind his death and I know they say that time heals all wounds but it seems like it gets harder and harder to deal with each day."

"My relationship with Imani is strained and it'll probably never be the same. I love Imani to death but it'll always be at the back of my mind that she's the main reason for me losing one of my children. Emanuel is in jail, on trial facing twenty years. He was the closest thing I had to my Daddy. Now when I want to hug him I have to wait a month, get on a plane, go through a metal detector, and when I finally do get to see him, we can only touch for a maximum of five seconds. I know that he deserves to be in jail for the crimes he's committed but that's still my brother. I love him and I need him more than ever now and it sucks that he's not here."

"My Mama is trying so hard to be strong for us and for herself but I can literally see her falling apart. It hurts me to know that I can't do not a thing to ease her pain. I'm raising my brother and I enjoy having him around. I love that little boy to death but it pains me to know that he'll grow up not even remembering who our father was. He won't have that many memories of our mother in his early years because she was so heartbroken that she couldn't get herself together to raise her child. EJ won't even get the privilege of knowing how great of a man and father that our Daddy was. I honestly feel like he was cheated."

"Demarcus is gone and I have no idea where he is, how he is, what he's doing with himself, who he's with, if he's safe, or if he's even alive. He has nobody. I loved that boy like he was mine and it just hurts because I just don't want him to feel alone and I want him to be okay. The only people that he had in his life were the ones that betrayed him so I don't even blame him for separating himself from us. I just wish he would reach out to me and at least let me know that he's alive and breathing. I worry so much about his wellbeing and his mental health and there's nothing I can do about it."

"You and Aaliyah aren't speaking and it hurts me because I know that both of y'all are hurt behind a dumb decision. My baby had to experience heart break from her first love and her father at the same time and she's so hurt and broken by it. I can hear it in her voice every time we talk. She has so much anger in her heart and I hate it. Y'all haven't even spoken in over a year and I know that it's affecting you more than you let on Jerome. You raised her and loved her even after you found out she wasn't yours. She was your baby, your princess and now y'all don't even communicate with each other. It's just so messed up. So messed up."

"And poor Chris. He's so patient with me and understanding. Sometimes I feel like I'm not worthy of his love. He's just so good to me and in the back of my head I feel so guilty because I brought him into this crazy family. I don't like bringing things to him because I don't want to burden him with my drama. He's just too good for me and I honestly won't even be mad if he decides to leave m-"

"Don't talk like that Mookie." I said cutting her off before she could even finish uttering the bullshit she was about to say.

"That's just how I feel sometimes Jerome." She sighed.

"Y'all balance each other out, where you're weak he's strong and vice versa. Y'all were made for each other Mookie. Don't doubt his love for you or his commitment to you and the kids. Anybody could see how much he love and cares for y'all. You know y'all perfect for each other, I don't even know why y-"

"Okay Jerome, sheesh." She said cutting me off before I could continue my rant.

"But back to what you were talking about earlier, I definitely know how you feel Mookie. I have a weight of guilt hanging around me. It's so burdening that some days it gets the best of me. I'll leave the house and just go sit in my car and cry. I did something that I can't take back and I regret it so much. I hurt people that I love and it honestly eats me up inside. I know how you feel but I got kids that are looking up to me and depending on me so I keep pushing and I make shit happen. I know things aren't looking too good right now but I promise if you stay strong and hold on to your faith in God, it'll get better. I promise." I spoke up, making her nod her head as she dabbed the corners of her eyes with a napkin.

"I try to be strong because it's in my nature but it's tiring and draining. Anybody else would've lost their mind if they went through half of the stuff I went through but God kept me and he gave me the strength to endure. Even through everything I've been through, I can't complain because I know that it's somebody out there that has it worse than me and would love to be in my position. So I'm just grateful that things are as well with me and my family as they are. There's somebody in this world that would love to trade places with me so I can't get caught up in not thanking God for all that I do have." She said as more tears fell down her cheeks.

"And we know that all things work together for the good t-"

"Yes! Come on word!" She said cutting me off and clapping her hands before I could even finish the scripture. "That whole chapter just gives me peace. Knowing that through it all, God has his hand placed on my life and he's orchestrating everything to align with his will. I just know that all this hell that has happened in my life has a purpose."

"You are so right." I nodded. "Romans 8:18 is one of my favorites too. I be feeling like that whole chapter was written just for us."

"Jerome the simple fact that we can sit here at this table and talk with each other and be on friendly terms shows me God is real. I've tried to kill you on multiple occasions and you've put me through so much pain and heartache but I can honestly sit here and say that I have no ill intent or wishes for you. I have nothing but a pure and Godly love for you." She said making me nod my head.

"And I agree, I thank you for forgiving me and allowing God to place you into my life for the purpose that you served. I owe my growth to you. Again, I apologize for the things that I put you through and I'll forever love you Mookie. I mean that." I told her sincerely.

"You're welcome Jerome. You had a huge role in my growth as well so I thank you for that. I don't say it often but I really do appreciate you and all you have done for the kids and I. While we were in college you helped me with a lot of the issues I had that stemmed from my sexual abuse. You always gave me the attention and spoiling I needed, you also supported my bag and shoe fetish. We made four beautiful children together and you gave me three other wonderful kids. You accept my son as your own and I know it's not easy but thank you for caring for him like you do and making him feel included. Above all, I want to thank you for the hell that went on in our marriage, because had it not happened, I wouldn't have Christopher, Christian or my testimony."

"I appreciate you saying that, thank you." I smirked. "Sometimes I think about all the shit I put you through and it makes me sick to my stomach. At first I was jealous of you and Chris but now, you don't know how happy it makes me to see you happy and it love. I'm glad you didn't give up on love because of me."

"Jerome, my marriage to you had a purpose and I'm glad that God trusted me enough to be obedient to his will. Because now I'm about to tell the whole world all the hell that you put me through." She chuckled. "Baby, I earned my testimony!" She added, making me laugh.

"You know, I've been trying so hard to do it all on my own and to do things my own way but it never works out in my favor. Now that I've put my life in God's hands and stopped playing with him, things are coming together." I explained to her.

"You bout to make me get up and run around this restaurant." She chuckled as she used a napkin to dab the corners of her eyes.

"I'm serious." I smirked.

"I know baby daddy." She smiled.

"We should write a book together, tell our story to help others." I suggested.

"Together?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Together." I nodded.

"Thats confirmation because I've been thinking the same thing. I just didn't say anything about it because I didn't know how comfortable you would be about putting our business out there like that." She admitted.

"Our business already out there." I chuckled as she shook her head before laughing. All of the blogs and magazines have some many damn different stories about why our marriage ended that it's ridiculous.

"Might as well tell them ourselves and make a little money while we're at it." She shrugged.

"Might as well." I agreed. "How's school?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Kicking my behind." She said rolling her eyes, making me laugh.

"I'm proud of you for going back and getting your degree Mook. I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle." I told her, honestly. Before we even graduated from college, Mookie had always dreamed about getting her doctorate degree. I'm proud to see her dream coming true, she deserves this opportunity to focus on her dreams and goals.

"Thanks Jerome, that means a lot coming from you." She smiled.

"I mean it. You sacrificed your dream of going to get your doctorate degree for my career and for our kids and I appreciate you for that. I'm grateful for your selflessness but now it's your turn to be selfish and I couldn't be happier for you." I told her sincerely.

"Aw, baby daddy. You're gonna make me cry again." She pouted.

"Naw, we don't need no more of that." I said shaking my head, making her laugh. "Have you talked to Li, lately?" I asked, changing the subject of conversation.

It had been a full year since Marcus left and Aaliyah and I haven't spoken since. I've tried countless times to reach out to her so we can make amends but she wants nothing to do with me. Mookie has threatened her, Aireka has begged and pleaded with her, Imani and Jeremy are in her ear everyday about it, and even Chris has tried to get her to speak to me but she isn't budging. She's done with me and I honestly can't say that I don't blame her.

It hurts but this is my reality. I'm facing the consequences of my actions and this is the karma that I get. When the Bible says you reap what you sow, it ain't lying.

"Yeah, earlier today." She said softly. "She's doing well, we've started planning for prom and graduation already." She informed me.

"I can't believe my baby is graduating this year." I sighed as I shook my head. It seems like it was just yesterday I was changing her diapers and making her bottles at three in the morning.

"Time flies. It seems like yesterday she was the little seven year old I was meeting for the first time." She sighed, speaking my thoughts.

"Her grades looking alright? Made a lot of new friends? She still in sports and cheering? Any new boys?" I asked, changing the subject. I didn't want to start reminiscing and dwelling on the past because then we would've really gotten emotional. I'm not trying to have all that.

"She's currently making all A's, back on the cheerleading squad and she's really focused on school. She's not dating but she does have a job now. She's working part time at Imani's boutique." Mookie informed me, making me smile. Our waitress came and interrupted us to take our order.

Once she was gone, we picked right back up on our conversation. "Wow. A job? Straight A's? For real?" I asked, raising her eyebrow. It was like Mookie was talking about a totally different person. Aaliyah had definitely changed.

"Yeah. She's really focused." Mookie nodded.

"Does she ... ever ask about me or talk about me?" I asked, hesitantly.

"No, not really." She said slowly.

"Well damn." I mumbled.

"Just give her time Jerome." Mookie sighed.

"I miss her, a lot." I sighed as I placed both of my elbows on the table and clasped my hands together. If I could go back in time and take back what I did, I would do it in a heartbeat. It's wasn't even worth it, I just want my family back to the way it was, Marcus included.

"I know you do Jerome, I'm sure she misses you too. She's just hurting right now, but she'll eventually come around." Mookie said giving me a small reassuring smile.

"I hope so." I mumbled. As much as Mookie tries to encourage me and be positive about the situation, I know that she's still pissed at Manny and I for what we did. I can't say that I don't blame her, we broke this family a part and even if Aaliyah does forgive us, things will never be the same.

"So how are you and Aireka?" She asked me.

"She's still playing games." I replied, rolling my eyes in irritation. Aireka and I had been in this situationship for over a year. I'm happy with my baby and I love her but I'm honestly getting tired of waiting for her. "I'm tired of being used for my dick." Aireka makes me feel like a side nigga. Although I know for a fact that she isn't dealing with anybody else, her not wanting to commit to me, makes me feel lowkey insecure.

"Just give her a little bit more time Jerome. Not to be rude, but given your past history with women, and her upbringing, you can't really blame her for treading lightly." Mookie shrugged.

"I been faithful to this lady for over a year and she knows it. I've never done that. Ever. What more does she need?" I huffed.

"Well, Jerome just continue reassuring her and being patient with her. Don't pressure her, just enjoy what y'all have and it'll happen naturally. Talk to her about it and I'm sure sh-"

"I know Mookie, this shit is just getting old." I sighed.

"You get what you give out, Jerome. Let's not act like you don't know why she's scared to commit to you." She said raising her eyebrow at me.

"I know why she's scared but I'm saying, I've been proving myself to her for damn near two years." I huffed, getting irritated by the topic of conversation. No matter how much good I do, my past is always lingering in the background to remind me that I ain't shit.

"If you love her like you say you do, you'll wait. If not, explain how you're feeling and just move on. You can't wait forever." She shrugged.

"You're right." I admitted.

"But I still think you should talk to Aireka again. I love my bestie and all, but if a relationship with you isn't what she wants, she shouldn't be stringing you along." She added. I love the fact that Mookie isn't biased at all when it comes to giving us relationship advice. I appreciate the fact that Aireka is mature and grown enough to understand and respect it. Nothing like dealing with a woman and not a little girl.

"Agreed. Taking advantage of my love." I said with a pout on my face.

"Karma." She coughed, making me laugh.

"Speaking of people taking advantage of my love, guess who I ran into the other day at Jamba Juice." I smirked.

"Who?" She asked raising her eyebrow.

"Ashlyn. She's pregnant." I replied.

"Mm. Bless her little confused heart." Mookie said making a face before taking a long sip of her champagne.

Our food was placed in front of us and our drinks were refilled. I grabbed both of Mookie's hands and said the blessing. "Hm, that looks good." Mookie mumbled as she eyed the fried lobster tail that I was cutting into. I already knew her greedy ass was gonna to ask for some.

"It is." I replied, taking a bite. She'd gotten the seafood pasta with asparagus and six ounces of steak. I ordered a twelve ounce steak, a grilled shrimp skewer, a fried lobster tail, and a loaded baked potato.

"Can I just have a little taste o-"

"Gon' head baby. Damn." I chuckled as I slid my plate toward her and allowed her to get as much as she wanted. "We been divorced for almost five years and you still eating off my plate." I said shaking my head, making her laugh.

"That'll never change. Imma forever be digging out of your plate." She laughed, as I rolled my eyes at her, knowing it was true.

"So what else is new?" I asked her.

"Oh I forgot to tell you, Leilani and Rashad are having two girls." She squealed excitedly as she clapped her hands. "Don't say anything yet though, they're having a gender reveal and I'm the only one that knows so don't spill the beans." She said pointing her knife at me.

"My lips are sealed." I agreed as I pretended to zip my lips closed. "So it's two girls, huh? Poor Rashad. Dealing with Leilani is enough and now this nigga about to have three females in the house."

"Don't be talking about my little sister." She said smacking her lips.

"Shut up. I'll talk about you and ya sister if I want to." I scoffed.

"Do you wanna fight?" She asked simply.

"Chill out man." I told her, smacking my lips.

"Scary butt." She chuckled before taking a sip of her champagne. We ate the rest of our food in a comfortable silence before our table was cleared. After ordering dessert, conversation picked back up.

"I've been thinking about retiring?" I admitted. I had been talking to Mike and Stanley about retiring a lot more lately. Stanley has already hung up his football jersey after playing for six and a half seasons. His career ended after a spinal injury. As of now he's healthy but he'll never be able to play football again. Mike has been in New York with the Knicks for the last four years and since he's a free agent, he's thinking about coming back home to retire. We started our careers together and we wanted to end them together.

"Oh wow! Really? Why?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Yeah. I'm getting old and the game is wearing on my body. I can't move like I used to." As much as I love the game, I'm drained from it. Physically, emotionally and mentally.

"I can kinda tell, it shows in your execution." She said making me smack my lips. "I didn't mean that in a rude way, I'm just saying. You're getting a little older and your body isn't quite as athletic and flexible as it once was. That's all." She shrugged. Although she was right, I didn't want to hear her actually say it even if it was the truth.

"I've been at this for a long time." I mumbled.

"Ten years in the game, baby." She smirked as she raised her hand for a high five. I leaned across the table and slapped my hand against hers.

"Yep." I chuckled.

"Well. How soon do you plan on retiring?" She asked me, after taking a long sip out of her champagne glass.

"Well I'm a free agent so whenever I want. I've been thinking about this season being my last one." I said making her eyes widen.

"Wow. That soon, huh?" She mumbled. "Well whatever you decide to do, just know that the kids and I will support you all the way." She smiled.

"I appreciate that." I nodded.

"Just make sure that child support is still paid every month." She joked. Her ass knew that child support was a touchy subject for me.

"You make me sick." I said smacking my lips as I flipped her off.

Mookie only gets twenty percent of my income for child support. I get a 50,000 check from my NBA contract every month. Which is roughly only two thousand dollars for each of our kids a month. Which isn't a lot at all considering the fact that I get an additional 230,000 a month from endorsement and commercial deals.

The majority of my income doesn't even come from playing basketball, it comes from making different appearances, selling and advertising shit, and endorsing products.

In the past, Mookie was getting five thousand dollars a month for each of our kids and eight thousand dollars a month for alimony. Which would equal to up thirty five thousand dollars a month since Aaliyah and Austin were included in our child support agreement as well as our biological kids. With the money she got from child support, she would pay the kid's tuition at school, child care costs, buy them what they needed as far as school supplies, clothes, and shoes. Any other money that was left over was up to her liberty.

But after she married Chris, she lowered my child support and forced me to take her off of alimony. She now only receives eight thousand a month from me since Austin is an adult and Aaliyah is no longer in her care. It's bullshit if you ask me.

"Shut up cry baby." She laughed.

"Leave me alone." I responded.

"Jerome you're the only person I know that's mad about getting their child support lowered and being taken off of alimony. You should be thanking me nigga, that's more money in your pocket. I was trying to do you a favor." She said shrugging her shoulders.

"Stop talking to me." I replied.

"Jerome are you serious?" She asked me, smacking her lips. I ignored her and looked all around the restaurant. Anywhere but at her.

"Jerome I took you off alimony and lowered your child support because it was just way too much. You take care of our kids outside of just paying child support so I didn't feel it was right to suck you dry." She informed me.

"You wasn't sucking me dry and you know it. Even if you were sucking me dry I wouldn't mind it because it was for you and my kids." I explained to her.

"And I appreciate you for being so willing to financially support the kids and I, bu-"

"Shut up Mookie, I don't wanna talk about it." I mumbled.

"Do you want me to raise your child support, would that make you feel better?" She asked rolling her eyes at me. I flipped her off and she scoffed. "You get on my nerves, always trying to argue about nothing." I was silent as I tried to choose my words carefully.

"I just felt unneeded and like you was trying to put me to the side. You had just married Chris and I felt like you was trying to take away my right to financially support my kids. Just cause the nigga has more money than me doesn't mean I can't provide for you and my kids." I spoke up, explaining how I felt.

"You'll always be needed in my life Jerome. We have kids together. It wasn't my intention to make you feel like that. I was just trying to relieve you financially so you wouldn't feel like I was using you or taking advantage of your money." She told me.

"Why would I feel like that when I'm the one that put myself on child support?" I asked with a frown on my face.

"I don't know, I just didn't want you to think I was using you. I was trying to be considerate of your finances and Chris' feelings. I didn't mean any harm." She sighed.

"That nigga don't have no feelings." I scoffed.

"Shut up Jerome, my husband does have feelings." She huffed.

"It's whatever, I understand now that you've explained. I'm not trying to argue with you, we was having a good time." I replied.

"I agree." She nodded. "So what are your plans if you do retire?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Whatever God has in store for me. I'll be set money wise but I'll have to find something to do to occupy my time and keep me busy. Ma used to always say, an Idle mind is the devil's workshop" I shrugged.

"You can be a full time stay at home dad." She smirked. "The kids would love that."

"Hell naw. I'd shoot myself if I had to be stuck in a house with them all day, every day. Nice try Mama." I said shaking my head quickly. I had to give my props to Mookie. She stayed home and watched our bad ass kids every day, unless she had something important to do, then Justycee would be on nanny duty.

I wish Mookie would call Justycee more often to watch the kids so we could get our money's worth. She gets paid for being on call at all times plus a fee for when she watches the kids. Justycee definitely went into the right business because she makes three thousand a month for just being on call.

"Don't do my kids." She laughed. Our dessert was placed in front of us and our drinks were refilled. I put in a to go order to take home for Aireka as well. We finished our dessert and my to go order for Aireka was brought out to us.

"Okay, here's your gift." She said handing me a black gift bag with gray and white polka dot tissue paper. She frowned at me when she noticed I didn't have a gift for her.

"Nigga where's my gift? I know you lying." She said raising her voice a little.

"The dinner was your gift." I lied.

"Gimme my shit back. You got me messed up." She said holding her hand out for the gift bag, with a frown on her face.

"I'm playing." I laughed. "It was too much shit to bring in so it's in my truck. You can get it out when we leave."

"Mm. Whatever." She mumbled.

"Can I open my gift?" I asked.

"Yeah, go ahead." She said picking her phone up from the table and pointing her camera at me. Her flash was on so I knew that she was recording me. I took the tissue paper out of the bag and reached inside of it.

"Yoooooooooo! I'm icy!" I said opening the box and revealing a Rolex with diamonds shining and sparkling every damn where.

"You like it?" Mookie asked, still recording.

"I love it! This bitch is so sexy." I said admiring my new watch.

"Keep digging nigga. You got two more gifts in there." She told me with a smirk on her face, making me raise my eyebrow.

I pulled out a pair of swim trunks, a bikini set, two pairs of sun glasses, along with two pairs of slides. How Aireka get a gift too and it's not even her damn birthday? "This gift is random as hell but thank you." I chuckled as I checked all the tags. Everything was designer. Mookie was the most humble and down to earth, label whore that I knew.

"Open your card." She instructed me. I got the card out of the bag and it had a bulge that was fat as hell. I ripped open the card that had my name written out on the front. A stack of cash and two plane tickets fell out.

Happy Birthday Jerome. You're a hard working man and you deserve to take a load off so we're sending you on a relaxing and romantic vacation with your lady for a week. All expenses paid. It's on us. Have fun in Cabo.

Love,
Chris and Mookie

"Your flight and hotel rooms have already been booked and paid for. The cash is for any other expenses y'all might have." She explained.

"Damn Mookie. Are you serious?" I asked. I could've easily paid for my own trip to Cabo but it's the thought behind the gift that made me so grateful.

"Yep. Happy Birthday." She smiled.

"Thank you Mook, I really appreciate this." I told her sincerely.

"You're welcome, I'm just glad you like it. It's so hard shopping for you, you already have everything." She chuckled.

"That's not true." I scoffed playfully. I paid for our meals and left a tip before we gathered our things and went out to the parking lot. Mookie followed me to my car so I could give her, her several gifts. I placed my gift from her in the passenger seat of my car and popped the trunk so she could get her gifts. She had so much shit I had to bring out the big body Suburban.

"Jerome!" She screamed with wide eyes as she looked at all the bags and boxes.

"Go ahead and open everything, make sure you like it all while I still got the receipts." I told her. I watched as she went through all of the bags with a big smile on her face. She looked like a little kid on Christmas. One of the ways to Mookie's heart was through shoes and bags so what better way to get there, than through Gucci, Chanel, Christian Louboutin, Giuseppe Zanotti, Louis Vuitton, Gianvito Rossi, and Yves Saint Laurent.

"My heart can't take it. This is too much." She said clutching her chest. Dramatic ass.

"Happy Birthday baby mama." I smirked.

"Aw, you love me." She cooed.

"Of course I do." I told her.

"Thank you Jerome. I love everything." She smiled as she turned to face me.

"Good, I picked it out myself." I smirked.

"Nu-uh!" She said eyeing me.

"I swear! The only help I had was Chris going through your closets and making sure I didn't buy anything that you already had." I told her, making her laugh.

"You did a great job Jerome, I love everything." She grinned.

"I'm glad you like it." I nodded with a smirk on my face.

"Well thank you for dinner and my gifts baby daddy. I had a nice time with you and I enjoyed your company." She said wrapping her arms around my torso and hugging me.

"Anytime Mama, thank you for not turning me down again." I said making her smack her lips before she smacked my chest. I've been trying to take Mookie to dinner for weeks and she's been dodging me but I know it's because she's been busy with her school work and the kids.

"Shut up Jerome, I've been busy with stuff, it honestly wasn't on purpose." She laughed as she pulled away from me. My arm remained around her shoulder and I kissed her forehead before finally releasing her.

"You need me to take you home or is Chris on his way?" I asked, not seeing his car in the parking lot.

"Nigga he's already here. That's him parked right beside us." She said pointing to a white Rolls Royce with that tags still on it. This bitch was sexy as fuck.

"So y'all got a new car?" I asked raising my eyebrow at her. These rich ass niggas stay with new shit.

"Yeah. It was my friendiversary and birthday gift to him." She explained. "How'd I do?"

"How'd you do? Shit you did great!" I scoffed.

"I was kinda nervous that he wouldn't like it because he's not flashy." She shrugged. Chris was the most basic ass millionaire that I'd ever met. This man wears gym shorts and white t's every damn day but got enough money to take care of the whole damn world.

"This nigga been sitting in the parking lot the whole time?" I asked with a frown on my face. He should've just came in and ate with us if he was gonna be here the whole time. I wish I would sit my black ass in the damn parking lot for an hour and a half.

"No Jerome. He went and trained with one of his clients and he came back to pick me up. He just got back." She explained making me nod my head.

"Oh I was bout to say." I mumbled as I walked up to the driver side window. Since it was dark outside and the windows were so darkly tinted, I couldn't tell if Chris was looking at me or not. "Open up bitch." I said tapping on the window.

"What? Ugly ass hoe." Chris asked me, rolling down the window enough for me to see the top of his head. I flipped him off and he rolled down the window a little more.

"Help me get this shit out my trunk." I told him. He got out the car and came to the back of my SUV.

"Hell naw, you gon have to follow us home. All this shit can't fit in my car." Chris said shaking his head as he looked at all of the bags and boxes.

"You're gonna have to build me some more shelves for my closets, babe." Mookie told him with a grin on her face.

"Y'all make me sick." He said rolling his eyes.

"Get y'all asses in the car so I can follow y'all home. I got a lady to get home to." I told them as I checked my watch. It was getting late and I knew Aireka was waiting up for me.

"She don't want yo ass." Chris joked.

"Fuck you! Okay, fuck you. Go to hell my nigga and burn." I told him as I flipped him off before getting in my truck.

Once we got there, I used my expert driving skills and backed up their long ass driveway. After helping Chris bring in all of Mookie's gifts, I peaked in on the kids and kissed them to death while they slept. They were the cutest little things. I sure did make some cute kids.

"Thank you again for dinner and the gifts. Get home safe, goodnight." She told me as she hugged me.

"You're welcome. I appreciate my gifts as well. Hopefully I can trap her with a baby before we come back." I grinned.

"Jerome what the h-"

"Chill! I'm playing." I laughed as I raised my hands in surrender. I wasn't joking but Mookie didn't need to know that. Her and Aireka were besties so I know she'll go running her mouth to Aireka and ruin my plans.

"Mm. I don't trust you, you're known for doing dumb stuff like that." She said smacking her lips and shaking her head at me.

"I only trapped you twice. Shut up." I replied. It was clear that I got her pregnant on purpose with Jr and Arianna. The twins were honestly a surprise but I was grateful for all of my kids and I loved them all the same. They were mine and nobody could take that away from me.

"And it still didn't work. Poor tink." She laughed loudly, making me roll my eyes and flip her off.

"Gimme all my shit back." I said trying to push past her and get back into the house.

"Nooooooooo. I'm just playing, I'm sorry." She laughed as she pushed me back outside.

"Big head ass get on my nerves. Goodnight." I mumbled as I waved my hand at her while I walked toward my truck.

"Goodnight!" She yelled to me. The drive to my house didn't take long at all, our houses were only about ten minutes away from each other. It worked out well for us as coparents but at the same time we still had our privacy.

I grabbed Aireka's food from the passenger's seat and headed into the house. All the lights on the first floor of the house were out, which meant she was either getting ready for bed or already in bed. Once I locked up the house, I finally made my way upstairs to our bedroom, I discovered Alayshia in our bed. The door to our adjoining bathroom was open and I could hear the shower running.

"Hey Daddy's big girl." I mumbled as I picked Lay up and kissed her forehead. She stirred in her sleep a little before burying her face in my neck. I walked the short distance to her room and laid her down in her toddler princess bed. "Love you." I whispered as I kissed her cheek. I covered her up, turned her night light on and left her door cracked open.

After undressing, I slipped into the shower with Aireka. She was in her own little world so she didn't even realize I was in here with her. With a smirk on my face, I watched as she rapped along to Lil Kim while washing her body.

Oh. You want a freaky gurl? Welcome to Kim's World. You ain't gon' wanna leave. Just like a kid at DisneyWorld. My deep throat'll have you squirtin' like a water gun. Coochie overflowin' like somebody let the faucet run. Bust one nut, I ain't done. I got more cum'. Friends? Tell' em all to come. We gon' have some mo' fun.
Yeah. Chew on me like some bubblegum. I'll lick you like a lollipop. Once you taste my honeybun. It's our lil' secret. Just like my underwear. You know pain is pleasure. Can you make me shed a tear? Smack my ass, grab my neck. Got 'em cummin' everywhere. I'm a freak so I don't care. Just don't get none in my hair. Now he callin' me wifey And he wanna introduce me. Takin' me on shoppin' sprees. He wanna buy me Gucci. Zoomin' like a blue sea. On the back of his Suzuki. And I ain't even sex 'em. All I did was let him eat my,
Coochie

I had my arms folded over my chest and my eyebrow raised as I waited for her to finally turn around and see that I was in here with her. This shower was so damn big she didn't really need to turn around and she had this music so loud she didn't hear me get in.

"Ah!" She screamed once she finally turned around to get out. She placed her had over her chest and sucked in a few deep breaths before smacking the shit out of me. "You scared me!" She yelled before hitting me again. I got out of one abusive relationship with Mookie, just to get right into another abusive relationship with Aireka. Ain't this some shit?

"Bae don't cry. I'm sorry." I chuckled as I pulled her into my chest. Her bottom lip was poked out and her face was scrunched up. "I didn't mean to scare you." I lied as I kissed the side of her face and tried not to laugh.

"Move Jerome." She said trying to get out of my grasp. I allowed her to walked past me, but only so I could push her forward and slide into her, causing her to hiss. The only reason that I was comfortable about sliding right into her is because I knew what she was doing with the handheld shower head before I came into the bathroom. As I suspected, she was already wet and ready for me. "No babe." She whined as she tried to get out of my grasp. "I-I have a shoot in the morning a-a-and I-"

"So." I mumbled, cutting off her words with a hard thrust, causing her to yell out. "Miss me?" I asked, wrapping my arm around her waist and then thrusting into her repeatedly. I felt her clench her muscles around my dick so I just remained still momentarily so I wouldn't cum. "Huh?" I asked, pulling out and entering her roughly after a few seconds of being still.

"Y-yes." She struggled to get out. "S-s-sl-ooow down babe." She said placing her hand on my thigh and trying to push me away. I grabbed her hand and pounded into her mercilessly a little while longer before finally pulling out and smacking her ass.

Once she stood up and turned around to face me, I picked her up and walked her to the wall. Our eyes connected instantly as her back hit the shower wall and a look of ecstasy crossed her face. I watched her as she closed her eyes tightly and bit down on her bottom lip.

"Open ya eyes, love." I demanded as I pushed deeper inside of her, causing her to gasp and scrape her nails across my back. "Look at me."

"Nu-uh." She moaned out.

"Why you can't look at me?" I asked, slowly pulling out of her. Her arms left my neck and made their way to my hips, holding me close to her. Trying to prevent me from pulling out of her any further. "Huh?" I asked grabbing both of her hands and pinning them to the wall above her head. My hips held her up and her legs were securely wrapped around my body so she wouldn't fall.

"Cause you make me feel different and fuzzy inside and I don't like it." She informed me with a pout on her lips. Her eyes were still closed and she had a frown on her face.

"I love you too bae." I chuckled before pecking her lips. She tugged at her hands so I released them and she instantly wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I know you do." She mumbled quietly.

I pulled away from her embrace to look at her and frowned when I noticed that her eyes were still closed but she had tears rolling down her cheeks. "What's wrong? Why you crying?"

"I don't know what's wrong with me? I'm so scared and I try so hard to be more loving but I can't! I don't know how." She cried. A lot of the reason Aireka couldn't commit to me the way she wanted to was because of the way she was brought up. She wasn't born into a very loving or affectionate family so she doesn't really know how to love because she was never taught or shown how to love.

"Bae don't cry, you got a shoot tomorrow, we don't need you with puffy eyes." I joked as I used my fingertips to brush away her tears. Her tears were still flowing but she cracked a small smile. "I know how you feel about me and I know what you've been through in your past relationships. Our history and my history of infidelity doesn't help either. That's why I'm being so patient and understanding, I'm just not trying to pressure you." I explained to her.

"I'm trying Jerome, j-just don't give up on me yet. Please, I need you." She pleaded as she buried her face in my neck and held on to me tight as hell.

"Never bae. I'm not going nowhere." I assured her.

"Promise?" She mumbled.

"I promise." I said looking her in the eye as I rubbed her back. She slowly smiled at me before wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing my lips. Once we finished our round in the shower, I took her into the bedroom and got started up again.

After eating her pussy until she came twice, I slid up inside of her and made love to her until I couldn't go any longer. I had busted three nuts inside of her already but her shit was way too good for me to just stop after that. So I kept on until my dick literally quit on me.

When I pulled out of her for the last time, she almost instantly fell asleep. I cleaned her up before getting my sweaty ass in the shower. Once I was clean, I got in bed with her, pulled her close to me, said my prayers and took my black ass to sleep.

"Bae wake up, I made you breakfast." Aireka said shaking me awake. My eyes remained closed for a few more seconds before finally opening them. "Good morning baby." She said before pecking my lips. "I'm about to leave for the airport. Alayshia is already dressed and her hair is done, she's eating her breakfast and watching cartoons in the kitchen." She told me before leaning in to kiss me again.

"I thought I was taking you to the airport?" I asked with a frown on my face.

"You were, but you were sleeping so good that I didn't want to wake you up so I just called an Uber. You need your rest for the game tonight anyway babe." She explained, making me cut my eyes at her.

"But I wanted to take you." I stated, making her sigh.

"Fine Jerome." She huffed. "Can you be ready in five minutes?" She asked me.

"Yeah." I replied.

"I can't miss this flight Jerome." She warned.

"I'll be ready." I assured her.

"Okay, I'll wrap your plate up and you can eat it on the way there." She said getting off of the bed. After she left our bedroom, I got out of the bed and walked my naked ass to the adjoining bathroom. I washed my face and brushed my teeth before quickly dressing in a plain t shirt, and a pair of basketball shorts. I put on a pair of socks before slipping my feet into my Gucci slides. I grabbed my phone off the dresser and made my way downstairs.

"Hi Daddy!" Alayshia said running to me and extending her arms so I could pick her up. She had the biggest grin on her face and I couldn't help but to smile as I picked her up.

"Good Morning Daddy's Big Girl." I told her as I blew on her cheek and tickled her belly to make her laugh.

Brandy and Alayshia ☝🏽

After taking Lay upstairs and allowing her to put on her shoes and use the bathroom, I carried her out to the car and watched her buckle herself into her car seat before getting behind the wheel of my BMW. Aireka was rushing me and giving me time limits but here I was waiting on her ass. I was getting impatient so I blew the horn at her a few times and she came out a few minutes later with a mug on her face.

"Nigga don't blow no damn horn at me." She said smacking her lips as she slammed the door shut. She huffed and puffed as she put her seatbelt on.

"There a child present, watch your mouth." I smirked at her.

I watched as she rolled her eyes at me and slyly flipped me off. "I'm sorry Lay, Nannie said a bad word but I won't do it again, okay." She apologized as she turned to face Alayshia.

"Okay Nannie, no more bad words." Lay nodded her head.

I pulled out of the driveway and the whole ride to the airport, Aireka fed me the breakfast she cooked. Breakfast potatoes, eggs, bacon, and strawberries. "Bae why you feeding me these little ass bites of food like I'm a damn child or something?" I chuckled.

"I don't wanna make a mess in your car." She laughed before feeding me a strawberry. After fighting light traffic, we were able to get to the airport a little early.

"I'll see you tonight." She said grabbing her Chanel backpack from between her legs.

"You don't want us to walk you in?" I asked her.

"No, Lay is sleep and I don't want to disturb her." She replied. Alayshia is a light sleeper and it doesn't take much for her to wake up. A penny could fall and that girl would get up with a quickness.

"So! She can get up." I said scrunching up my face and turning around. "Get up Lay." I said hitting her leg, causing Aireka to smack me in the back of my head.

"Jerome don't wake her up. Stop it!" She said smacking her lips as she narrowed her eyes at me. I laughed quietly as I turned back around in my seat and faced her.

"See you tonight and if I don't get to talk to you before the game, good luck." She told me as she leaned over the console and kissed me.

"Good luck on your shoot and have a safe flight." I told her as I pulled away from the kiss to look at her. Her eyes held eye contact with mine before they eventually dropped to my lips. She nodded her head and I leaned in to kiss her again. "Love you." I told her before pecking her lips repeatedly.

"I gotta go bae." She giggled as she pulled away from me and kissed my forehead. She stretched her body to the backseat and kissed Lay before grabbing her backpack and getting out of the car. She waved to me and blew me a kiss before turning around. I watched her until she was safely inside. Lay and I waited in the parking lot until she text me, notifying me that she had boarded the plane.

***

After dropping off Aireka at the airport, Lay and I went back home to take a nap. After we woke up, we played in the playroom for a while with her kitchen. I was a customer at her restaurant and she was serving me imaginary food that she cooked. Brandy called me on FaceTime so she could check on Alayshia and talk to her.

Once she got off the phone with her mom and was tired of playing, I gave her a snack and let her watch a movie while I showered and got ready to report for tonight's game.

For right now I was just going to put on sweats and a plain shirt. I still had to do some other things before reporting to practice so I wouldn't put on my suit until later.

I was thankful that Aireka picked out my suit and packed my bag for me last night so I didn't have to worry about it when I got back home. After running a few errands and taking care of business, I headed to Mookie's house to see my kids and drop off Lay.

"Daddy! Daddy! Hi! Daddy Hi!" Arianna yelled excitedly from the front door of the house. She was bouncing up and down with anticipation as she waited for me to approach her. I wasn't even out of the car good. As soon as I was within walking distance, she ran off the porch and into my arms.

"Hi Pooh." I chuckled as I picked her up and threw her in the air a few times. Once she was finally back in my arms, she wrapped her little arms around my neck and then rested her face against mine. "I missed you baby girl." I told her honestly.

"I miss Daddy too. You no leave Arianna no more." She said shaking her head as her eyes filled with tears. Arianna had gotten used to seeing me everyday and being able to spend time with me while I was in off season. But now that I'm in the thick of basketball season, it's hard for me to balance working and seeing my family everyday.

"Sissy don't cry." Alayshia said tugging at my sweatpants. I leaned down and picked her up as well so she wouldn't be left out. I watched with a small smile on my face as Lay hugged her little sister, to comfort her.

"Hi Sis." Arianna told her as she rubbed her eyes with her fists. She had a pout on her face and although she was crying, she was still the cutest little thing.

"Daddy's sorry, Pooh." I told her as I kissed her tears away. "Daddy has to go to work a lot so I can't see you as much but I'm gonna try to see you more, okay."

"Okay Daddy." She mumbled.

"You love Daddy?" I asked.

"Yes, I love Daddy." She nodded her head with a pout on her face.

"Daddy loves you too." I told her, making her smile. "And Daddy loves you." I said kissing Lay, making her laugh. "Y'all go play while I talk to Mama." They ran off holding hands and I followed them into the house. As soon as I stepped foot in the house, the smell of heaven hit my nostrils.

As I was walking to the kitchen, I heard That's What I Like, by Bruno Mars playing loudly. She was at the stove moving her hips to the beat of the song as she sipped out of a champagne glass and stirred something in a pot with the other. She was so focused on what she was doing, she hadn't even realized I was in here with her. After recording a few Snaps of her, I finally decided to make my presence known.

"Where you coming from? You all dressed up and stuff." I asked walking further into the kitchen. I held in my laugh as I watched her jump a little. She picked up her phone and cut the music off.

I could tell that she had just gotten in because she still had on her Giuseppe heels and her Givenchy bag was still on the island. She was looking thick and healthy, like a medium sized strawberry shake.

"Well hello to you too." She said bending over to check on something that was in the oven. My eyes lingered on her ass momentarily before they shifted the other way. She took her apron off and wiped her hands on it before turning to face me.

"My bad." I chuckled as I stepped to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder to hug her. "Wassup. How's your day going so far?"

"Good. I had an early meeting and I'm just now coming home from class. You?" She replied as she briefly leaned into my embrace before we pulled away from each other.

"We just came from dropping Aireka off at the airport." I told her. Mookie agreed to watch Lay for me the rest of the day since Brandy was on vacation with her little fiancée, Aireka had a shoot, and I had to report for tonight's game.

"Oh okay." She nodded. "Arianna was so excited to see you. When she heard the gate alarm go off she just knew it was you." She chuckled.

"That's my baby girl." I smirked. "Where's Chris at?" I asked.

"His family is in town for the dress fittings so he's getting them situated before they all come over for dinner tonight." She informed me.

"I still can't believe Momma Hawkins is getting married." I said shaking my head as I chuckled to myself. Chris raised all types of hell when Kenneth proposed to Ms. Yolanda. It took a lot of talking to him to get him to finally realize that his mom was grown and she was going to get married whether he approved or not. The quicker he accepted it, the easier it would be to deal with in the long run.

"I know." She sighed. "My poor baby be so sad walking around here. Acting like he's losing his best friend or something." She chuckled as she shook her head.

"Well she is finna move out soon." I shrugged. I knew exactly how Chris felt. Having your own mom's attention being taken away from you and being placed on another man is tough.

"Well if my Mama ever tries to date another man, imma make his life a living hell. Nobody can replace my Daddy." She said matter of factly as I shook my head at her. "Leilani and I have already began plotting and planning just in case."

"Mookie that's not fair." I told her. "Like you told me when my Mama moved on; just because your Pops is dead doesn't mean her life has to stop too. You know Eric would want Mama D to be happy." I reminded her.

"No he wouldn't." She mumbled.

"Yes he would and you know it." I smirked as she rolled her eyes at me. "I don't think you'll have to worry about her looking for anybody else any time soon, though."

"Yeah." She sighed.

"So what you cooking?" I asked, changing the subject. I didn't want to dwell too much on the subject of her dad because I didn't want her getting sad. His birthday just passed and she didn't do well at all. She laid in the bed and cried all day. Then, in the middle of the night she flew all the way to Texas to the cemetery where his body was buried, without telling any damn body.

We tracked her down by the Find my iPhone app that was on her phone. Chris couldn't do much because he was on a flight trying to get to her. Leland and Tasha went to go pick her up so she wouldn't be out there by herself at night, but she wasn't having it. They had to call Emanuel to talk some damn sense into her. She eventually allowed them to take her to Tasha and Manny's until Chris was able to come and get her. I've never been so stressed and helpless in my damn life.

"Chicken and dressing, greens, macaroni and cheese, yams, cornbread muffins and black eyed peas. There's a banana pudding in the refrigerator but I don't know if I should make a peach cobbler or not, to go along with it." She replied, making my mouth water.

"Yeah, go ahead and do both. A lil peach cobbler never hurt nobody." I shrugged.

"Your greedy butt just wants some." She laughed.

"You damn right." I scoffed as I watched her pour the big pot of macaroni into a large pan and smooth it out evenly.

"Well I can't guarantee that there will be food left over but the food is almost done. If you can spare about thirty minutes I'll make you a plate to go." She offered. I looked at my watch and I honestly didn't have any time to spare but my hungry black ass was not about to pass up on some of Mookie's cooking.

"Yeah I can wait." I lied.

"Lying ass." She said shaking her head at me as she poured a whole damn bag of shredded cheese on top of the pan of macaroni. I almost fainted when she opened up another bag and sprinkled it on as well. She added seasoned bread crumbs, paprika, and a little melted butter before putting it in the oven to brown. I could taste it already.

"A few minutes won't hurt." I shrugged. Before she could respond to me, the alarm beeped, signaling that somebody was driving through the front gates of the house.

"Daddy's home." She sang before sticking her tongue out and doing a little dance. I rolled my eyes at her and she laughed before facing the stove. She lifted the top to the greens that were cooking and stirred them around. She used a fork to taste them. "Mm. That meat is so tender." She mumbled.

We heard the garage door open and a big grin spread across her face. "My baby!" She yelled loudly. She placed the top back on the greens and ran out of the kitchen. I sat down on the stool at the island and waited for them to come back. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out to see I had a text from Aireka.

Baby😻🔐: bae 😕

Yes love?

Baby😻🔐: I don't think I'm gonna make it back in time for your game.

Something happen?

Baby😻🔐: yeah ... the shoot is running late and I'm contracted to stay until we have all the shots.

Its cool. Good luck

Baby😻🔐: I'm sorry Jerome. 😞

No worries

Baby😻🔐: if I can't make it, I'll definitely still be watching and cheering you on. I'm still your number one fan. 😘

Thank you bae. I love you

Baby😻🔐: I know baby, thank you for loving me, even when I'm unlovable 😩 good luck tonight 😍😍😍

😘

I couldn't lie and say that I wasn't bummed out about Aireka not being at my game, because I definitely was. Since Aireka and I have been "together" she's never missed a home game, but somehow this game was overlooked by her manager and she booked a shoot that was out of state.

"Wassup Jerome." Chris greeted me, interrupting my thoughts. Since he still had Mookie in his arms, I simply slapped hands with him.

"Nothing much, wassup with you?" I asked.

"Just chilling." He replied simply.

"Babe, can you keep an eye on the food while I go change real quick?" Mookie asked him.

"Of course. Take ya time baby." He replied as he settled her back on her feet. They kissed each other before Mookie grabbed her purse and headed up to their bedroom.

"Why you looking so damn depressed?" Chris chuckled as he sat across from me.

"No reason." I shrugged.

"Whatever you say." He replied.

I remained silent for a few moments before finally opening my mouth to tell him what was wrong. "It's nothing serious. Aireka might not be back in time for my game and I'm kinda fucked up about it." I explained.

"She got you this fucked up about potentially missing one game?" He asked, leaning toward me and raising his eyebrow. I nodded my head in response and he chuckled as he shook his head. "She got you whipped as hell."

"Like Mookie don't got you whipped?" I scoffed as I rolled my eyes at him.

"I mean, I am. But you over here damn near about to cry because she might miss one of your games." He snickered.

"Fuck you. I don't know why I told your ugly ass anyway." I said flipping him off as I got up from the table to go find my kids.

"Nigga I was playing, dang. Calm down." Chris laughed, making me flip him off again. Before I could leave the kitchen, Mookie came back downstairs dressed more comfortably. A small ass pair of Nike shorts, a tank top, and Gucci slides, to be exact.

"Imma go and chill with the kids, let me know when the food is ready." I told them as I left the kitchen. After playing around with the kids for about half an hour, Mookie called me into the kitchen. I kissed my kids goodbye before going into the kitchen to get my to go plate.

She had changed into a different outfit, did her makeup, and fixed her hair since Chris' family was on their way over for dinner. "Let me ask you something." I said following behind her as she walked to the kitchen.

"What?" She asked, dishing out food into a to go plate for me.

"Why you got on six inch heels just to walk around ya own damn house?" I asked, making her flip me off. "I'm just curious." I chuckled as I shrugged my shoulders. I wasn't going to lie, Mookie looked good as hell. That damn skirt was gripping her just right and those shoes made her legs and feet look sexy as fuck.

I just didn't understand why she had on a whole outfit, a face full of makeup on, and her good wig on just to be in her own house. Chris ass had on a pair of black joggers, a shirt, and a pair of slides and this girl was dressed to the nine. Her damn lipstick and eye makeup even matched the color scheme of her shoes. I just don't understand.

"Because I'm grown." She replied simply.

"Let me get a picture of your toes and feet in them shoes before I go." I said pulling out my phone and going to my camera.

"No! Move, with your nasty ass." She said smacking her lips as she turned around so I couldn't see her feet. Eventually she let her guard down and I was able to sneak a few pictures in while she finished fixing my plates.

"Thank you, I'll see you later." I told her as I accepted the plate and hugged her.

"You're welcome." She replied. "If it's too late for you to come get her after the game, Lay can just spend the night with us. I don't mind."

"Cool, thanks." I smiled. Just as I was about to get my shit and leave, Chris' family arrived. I didn't want to be rude and just leave without speaking, so I waited around.

"How do I look, bae?" Mookie asked Chris as she did a full spin and placed her hands on her hips. "Should I go change?"

"No baby, you look beautiful." He told her as he wrapped his arms around her and grabbed her ass in his hands. I gagged as they began to kiss.

"Hello! I'm still in here!" I announced loudly.

"So." Mookie shrugged before leaning up to kiss Chris again.

"Fuck both of y'all." I said smacking my lips, making them laugh. 

One by one, they all came into the house and I watched as Mookie greeted everybody with a big hug and kiss. Friendly ass. After speaking to everybody and briefly catching up with all of them, I said my goodbyes and left.

I made sure to hug Chris' Aunt Leslie a little tighter and longer. To be honest Ms. Yolanda and her sisters could all get the business but it was just something about Aunt Leslie. Black don't crack, especially if you don't do crack. As evil as Ms. Sheila was before she died, she sure did made some beautiful ass daughters.

(Rachel, Chris, and Jon are all siblings. Drew is Rachel's husband. Shawn is Chris' cousin. Savannah is Jon's fiancé ☝🏽)

I took my black ass home, showered and got dressed as quick as I could. After making sure I looked good and grabbing my bag, I grabbed the shake Aireka made for me this morning from the refrigerator and left the house. I was already running late as I headed to the arena, but I didn't want to miss the whole damn game altogether. I was not trying to pay that five thousand dollar fine.

Thankfully there wasn't much traffic, which was surprising. There was always hella traffic on game days, but not today. After parking, I walked through security and into the arena with my headphones plugged in. Cameras and phones were flashing everywhere and I just kept my head down with a blank look on my face to avoid people trying to talk to me.

Once I finally made it back to the locker room, I was greeted by my teammates and all of the coaching staff. Coach was right in the middle of the team talk when I walked in. All of my other teammates were already suited up and ready to hit the floor.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Jackson." Coach Walton said nodding at me, I nodded back in response as I made my way to my locker station.

"I apologize for being late, I was dealing with a family situation." I lied.

"Not a problem. Ready to get this work in?" He asked me, making me nod my head.

"Always!" I smirked, as I sat down.

"That's what I like to hear." He told me before continuing on with our team talk. While he ran his mouth, I got suited up as fast as I could. I was halfway listening to Coach and halfway trying to prepare myself for tonight's game.

"Let's go out there, defend our home court and get us another win, fellas. This is Laker nation and nobody steps in our territory and takes a win from us." Coach said pumping us up and getting us hype. "Lakers on three. One, two, three."

"Lakers!" We answered back.

"One, two, three."

"Lakers!"

"One, two, three."

"Lakers!"

"Alright, let's get at em!" Coach Walton yelled.

***

We were entering into the third quarter, coming back from halftime and we were down twenty six. After listening to Coach Walton get in our ass the whole halftime and chew us out about playing stronger defense and not overturning the damn ball, we were all ready to get on the court and turn this game around.

So far I only had 12 points for the first half and almost half of them came from free throws. I think I was off because Aireka not being here was kinda fucking with me. I'm the type of guy that needs to be shown attention and support. I'm really a needy type of nigga and I'm not afraid to admit it. Regardless of me being in my feelings, I really needed to step my game up.

Two of our all star players weren't in the game. One of them was ejected from the game in the first quarter due to technical fouls and the other was injured. I was old and tired as hell but even if I had to do it all by my damn self, I was going to win this game. I wasn't about to lose a home game. Especially not to the damn Bucks. That was out of the question. My old tired and raggedy ass got out on the court and gave this game my all.

In the third quarter, we were able to cut into their twenty six point lead and it was now only a four point game. That was nothing to us so Coach sat me on the bench so I could get a little rest before the last quarter.

"Eyes on the ball nigga, stay focus." I yelled as one of my teammates almost had a turnover. His little young ass was trying to show off his handles and be fancy and almost got the ball stolen right from under his nose. I can't lie and say his handles aren't sick but sometimes he gets caught up in showing off and he ends up throwing the ball away or out of bounds.

I had a towel over my head and my body was hunched over as I focused on the game. I was analyzing my teammates, trying to notice their weaknesses so I could let them know and they could tighten up.

"Good rebound boy! Way to hustle!" I yelled loudly as I clapped my hands. As I sat back down in my seat, I felt something hit the back of my head. I ignored it because I figured it was fans just trying to get my attention or one of the Bucks' fans trying to get me off focus.

"Oooooooh! That was nice! That's what I'm talking about nigga! And one!" I yelled as I got up from my seat and clapped. We had tied the game up and now with a foul being called, we had two free throws to shoot.

It happened a few more times and I finally took the towel off of my head and turned around with a mug on my face. "Hi babe!" I heard a voice yell. I looked in the direction that the voice was coming from and I instantly smiled when I saw Aireka waving to me with Alayshia on one hip and Arianna on the other. "I made it babe! We're here!" She yelled excitedly as I waved back to them.

Them just being here was my motivation to go even harder during this game. I sat the rest of my break period out, just mentally preparing myself for what the hell I was about to put my body through.

"57 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists, 6 steals, and 2 blocks. Wow! What a game. We haven't seen such an outstanding performance like this from you in a long time, Jerome. What changed in you tonight?" Doris asked me as she put the microphone up to my mouth. It was loud as hell in this arena so I had to lean down to be able to hear her.

"I definitely challenged myself tonight. With D. Russell being out and Swaggy being in foul trouble, I knew that I had to step up." I replied simply as I tried to catch my breath. I couldn't even lie and say, I wasn't tired as hell. I was drenched in sweat and my jersey was soaking wet. My black ass might as well spend the night in a cold bath tonight, because I knew my body would be sore as hell tomorrow.

"Will we see more of this Jerome Jackson or was this a once in a lifetime performance?" She asked making me chuckle.

"You'll definitely see more of this Jerome." I smirked as I nodded my head. "Hopefully." I added, making her laugh.

"There were rumors of you retiring, any truth to those rumors?" She asked, catching me off guard a little. I know I had been thinking about it a lot lately but the way I played tonight had me second guessing the thought of retiring.

I paused for a moment before answering her question. "Nah, not after tonight." I responded, making her laugh. We ended up blowing the Bucks out by 38 points.

"Alright Jerome, go and get you some rest. Congratulations on the win, you played a great game." Doris told me as she patted my back. I laughed at the look on her face when she realized that her whole hand was covered in my sweat. I gave her my towel to wipe her hand on before heading to the locker room.

Before I could get there, I was stopped left and right by people wanting to talk to me, wanting pictures, and autographs. No matter how tired my body was, I just couldn't say no. Although I was ready to take a shower so I could get this press conference over with, eat my food, and get my black ass in the bed.

"Daddy!" Arianna cheered as she waved her pompoms at me. Her and Lay had their little cheerleading uniforms on with the matching pompoms. My babies looked so cute. Aireka had Alayshia in her arms since she was asleep and she was holding onto Arianna's hand.

My girls.

"Hi Pooh." I smiled as I picked up Arianna and kissed her cheek making her grin. "You look cute." I told her as I flipped the collar to her leather jacket.

"Thank you Daddy." She grinned.

"Good game Daddy." Aireka said leaning into me and allowing me to peck her lips. Before she pulled away, I kissed Lay as well.

"Thank you baby." I smirked. "I appreciate you for coming and bringing them. You don't know how much your support really means to me." I would've loved for the boys to have been here too but it was a school night.

"Aw. Of course bae. I'm your number one fan, always and forever." She grinned.

"Always and forever." I repeated with a small smile on my face before softly kissing her lips.

"Arianna is sleepy Daddy." Arianna whined. It was late and it was way passed the girl's bedtime.

"Uh-oh. I guess that's our cue." Aireka spoke up, making me smirk. "Tell Daddy bye and give him a goodbye kiss." She instructed.

"Night Night Daddy. Arianna love you." She told me as she grabbed my face and kissed my lips, making me chuckle.

"I'll see y'all at home, be safe. Love you." I told them as I put Arianna down. "You need help to the car?" I asked her. She was holding Lay, her purse, and the girl's backpack while trying to hold Arianna's hand.

"No baby, I can manage." She replied, making me roll my eyes.

"Aye Ron, make sure she gets to her car safe please." I called to the security guard that was at the end of the tunnel.

"No problem Jackson. That was a hell of a game you played." He told me, making me smirk. He said something into his walks talkie before placing it back on his belt.

"Preciate it Ron." I called. I kissed them all one last time before going into the locker room so I could shower. I wasn't trying to get fined for being late to this press conference.

"Retirement my ass!" Mookie yelled in my ear as I drove home. "Nigga you played your ass off tonight!" She had been going on and on for the last ten minutes about how well I played in tonight's game. She was reciting back plays and everything.

"Thank you Mook, that means a lot coming from you." I said sincerely.

"I'm really proud of you Jerome, you haven't played like that in a while. You showed up all the youngins tonight." She told me.

"I did, didn't I?" I chuckled.

"Hell yeah you did." She scoffed.

"I appreciate it." I told her as I smirked.

"Alright, it's time for me to go on to bed. I have an early class in the morning, I just called you to congratulate you." She yawned.

"Well thank you for calling me." I told her as I pulled up to my gate. I rolled down the window and typed in the code. I watched as the gates slowly opened, allowing me to pass through.

"No problem. Kiss my babies for me. Love you." She told me.

"I will, love you too." I replied.

"Night." She responded before ending the call.

After parking my car in the garage, next to Aireka's, I just sat there for a while reflecting. I've come a long way in the past year and a half and although I'm not where I should be in life, I'm thankful that I'm not where I used to be. God has a plan for my life and I'm ready to fulfill what he has for me at all costs.

THREE MONTHS LATER:

Aireka and I had all of the kids with me since Chris and Armoni were preparing for Momma Hawkins' wedding. London and Christian were with Chris and Mookie because they were in the wedding as well. London was one of the flower girls and Christian was one of the ring bearers.

"Y'all get ready to go!" I called to the kids as I walked through the lower level of the house. Jr was down here glued to his phone and the twins were upstairs in their room.

"Where we going Dad?" Jr asked me.

"Out." I replied simply. I was taking the kids to Chuck-e-Cheese and then to Sky Zone. I got some good news this morning so I was in the celebrating mood.

I jogged upstairs to go find the rest of these damn people. "Put on some shoes and let's get ready to go. We leaving in five minutes." I yelled. I walked passed the boys room and had to do a double take. "What the hell? Y'all got ten minutes to clean all this shit up or both of y'all getting whooped! Y'all know them toys aren't supposed to come out of the play room." I said sternly. "You hear me?" These little bad ass niggas completely destroyed their room. There was toys and shit everywhere.

"Yes sir." Jaylon mumbled. I looked over to Jaydon and he had a pout on his face and his arms were folded over his chest.

"Do you hear me?" I asked jacking him up by his shirt and bringing him up to my level. He nodded his head as his eyes watered. "I can't hear you." I gritted out.

"Yes sir." He mumbled.

"Clean up this damn room." I told them as I put Jaydon back on his feet. "Don't make no damn sense." I mumbled to myself as I walked out of their messy ass room.

"Hi Daddy!" Lay waved to me as I walked into the bedroom Aireka and I shared. Lay was in between Aireka's legs as she did her hair.

"Daddy! Where you go?" Arianna asked as she ran up to me. I picked her up and threw her into the air before kissing her.

"Daddy had to go to work." I told her as I made my way over to the bed and sat next to Aireka.  Basketball season was over but we were in the thick of trading, the draft, and contract negotiating. Thankfully I was able to take care of my business easily. I got what I wanted and much more without too much of a hassle.

"Hey bae, how was your meeting?" She asked me as she leaned over to hug me. I wrapped my arm around her waist and buried my face in her neck and kissed her. "That tickles." She giggled before pushing me away.

"It went good." I replied.

"Good? That's it? I don't get any details?" She said smacking her lips.

"I signed for 70 million." I informed her.

"For how long?" She asked as she placed a big bow in front of Lay's bun. "Go play until it's time to go, girls." She instructed them. I smiled as I watched Alayshia grab Arianna's hand as they ran off to play with each other. I honestly love the bond they have. I know when they get older Alayshia, London, and Arianna will be thick as thieves. They're already inseparable.

"Two years and I requested a no trade clause in my contract. I started my career here and I'm gonna end it here." I stated as she cleaned up the mess from doing the girl's hair. She left the room briefly to put the things away.

"That's good babe." She said as she returned to our bedroom. "As long as you're happy with your decision, I am too." She said making me smile as I leaned over and kissed her lips.

"You know what else would make me happy?" I asked, making her raise her eyebrow.

"What?" She smirked, leaning in closer to me. Her ass was probably thinking I was trying to be nasty. Nope, not this time.

"If you would stop playing games with me." I said matter of factly. She was silent for a long time as she avoided eye contact with me.

"I'm just not ready Jerome." She sighed.

"You really confuse me." I stated as I squinted my eyes at her. "You're comfortable with living in my house, spending my money, fucking me whenever and wherever, helping me take care of my kids, driving my cars, and taking care of my household but yet you're not ready for a relationship. News flash my nigga, we are in a relationship whether you like it or not."

"Jerome you-"

"I'm not trying to start an argument or nothing but we've been doing this shit for a year. Don't you think it's about damn time to stop playing with each other?" I asked. She didn't say even anything, she just stared at me before getting up from her seat and leaving the room. I shook my head as I watched her leave.

I love Aireka and I would give anything to be with her, but I don't know how much longer I can wait for her. This shit is getting tiring.

***

"Mama you look beautiful." Jr told her as he gave her a hug. I watched as the kids hugged her one by one before I finally hugged her. We were all here for Ms. Yolanda and Kenneth's wedding but the kids were bugging me about seeing their damn Mama since they haven't seen her in two days.

"I'm surprised they haven't killed you." Mookie chuckled as we pulled away from each other. I had all the kids with me. All of them. London and Bam included.

"Nah. None of them kids can fold me." I smirked, making her scoff.

"Nigga you used to cry because you thought Arianna didn't like you. Boy bye." She laughed making me roll my eyes at her.

"Whatever, where Chris at? I was gon take y'all picture with the kids." I told her.

"He's talking to Ms. Yolanda. He should be back in a minute." She informed me.

"Well I'll wait until after the ceremony. Don't fall trying to be cute." I smirked, making her roll her eyes at me.

"Goodbye Jerome, don't jinx me!" She huffed, making me laugh. I ushered the kids back into the beautifully decorated sanctuary. We were sitting in the Bride's section on the right side of the church, right in the middle. We were close enough to the front to see everything going on and close enough to the back to leave, just in case one of these kids started acting up.

"Why you looking all sad?" I asked Aireka, before brushing an eyelash off of her cheek.

"I'm just sleepy." She responded. She got in early this morning from a flight in Jamaica where she was booked to shoot a music video. My poor baby hadn't been to sleep all day.

"We can go home after the ceremony so you can get some rest, baby." I told her. Tomorrow morning she had an appearance to host a day party in Vegas.

"No, I wanna go to the reception too babe." She protested.

"You're the one that's sleepy." I shrugged. "It's whatever you wanna do."

"We'll just go for a little bit. I know the food is gonna be bomb." She replied, making me shake my head.

"Greedy butt." I chuckled.

We only waited a few more minutes before the lights were dimmed a little and music began to play. The pastor, Kenneth, and the groomsmen came down the aisles and stood at the alter. I couldn't help but to crack up laughing at the look on Chris's face. This nigga was so pissed off. How you in a wedding but you mugging everybody in the damn audience? Only Chris.

Lost Without You by Bebe and Cece Winans began to play and everyone's attention was turned to the double doors at the back of the church. They finally opened up and Rachel came slowly walking through the door, Drew had a big ass smile on his face as he watched his wife walk down the aisle.

Once she finally reached her place at the alter, Mookie came walking in next. Her gorgeous ass was wearing the hell out of that dress. I watched Chris as his mug turned into a smirk as he watched her. Last to walk down the aisle was Jonathan's fiancé Savannah. She looked real pretty and her booty was out of this world.

I guess I got caught staring a little too hard because Aireka pinched the hell out of me. "Don't play with me." She mumbled, giving me a look.

"My bad." I replied before clearing my throat. I focused my attention back on the wedding and noticed that the previous song ended and now another one was playing. You Are My Ministry by TD Jakes and Shirley Murdock was now playing softly. My Mama used to play the hell out of this song.

"The bride is coming, the bride is coming." Andrew Jr yelled as he and Bam came down the aisle ringing bells. After they reached the alter, London and A'Mya came out with their basket of flowers and tossed them to the side until they reached the end of the aisle and took their places at the alter. The minister asked everyone to stand and we all stood and faced the back doors.

The doors slowly opened revealing Shawn and Ms. Yolanda. I couldn't even sit in this church and lie. Momma Hawkins was wearing the hell out of that dress. Kenneth better know what he's doing because Ms. Yolanda was fine as hell. Point blank period. Ain't no debating it. End of story.

One of her arms was linked with Shawn's as she carried her bouquet of flowers in the other hand. She had a big smile on her face as they walked slowly down the aisle. I snuck a glance at Chris and I could distinctly notice water in his eyes. From experience I knew they weren't tears of joy. His Mama was getting married and more than likely she was gonna get her back blown out tonight. This nigga was sad as hell and he had every right to be.

Once the ceremony was over, the wedding party remained at the church to take pictures and the all guests went to the reception for the cocktail hour. They were lowkey taking a long time but I didn't really mind because the food was free and good as hell.

"You want that?" I asked, pointing to the chicken and waffle skewer Aireka had on her plate. She shook her head at me before she simply pushed her plate in front of me.

"Daddy, can I have some?" Arianna asked me just as I was about to put it into my mouth. I rolled my eyes before giving her a small piece and eating the rest before she could ask for more. I was glad Alayshia was with her Mama cause she would've been begging too.

"Could everybody stand to their feet and help me welcome Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Wilson!" Leilani said into the microphone as everybody clapped and yelled once they made their big entrance. The wedding party followed after them and took their seats at the head table.

Kenneth and Ms. Yolanda shared their first dance to Ribbon In The Sky by Stevie Wonder before mixing and mingling with everybody while dinner was served. I had baked chicken, asparagus, mashed potatoes, and corn. It sure was good.

"Hi babies, I'm glad y'all could make it." Ms. Yolanda told us as she came over to our table. I wiped my mouth and stood up to hug her and so did Aireka.

"Hi Nana!" Arianna grinned. "You pretty Nana!"

"Thank you Pooh, so are you." She told her as she kissed her forehead before moving on to hug and kiss Jr and the twins.

"Jerome." Kenneth said nodding his head at me after he had hugged Aireka.

"Wassup man." I told Kenneth as I slapped hands with him before hugging him. "Take care of her." I said resting my hand on his shoulder. "Or else." I added.

"Of course." He replied simply before he and Ms. Yolanda moved on to the next table. I sat back down and scarfed down my food.

"You look so beautiful bestie." I heard Aireka say just as I was shoveling a spoonful of corn into my mouth.

"Thank you, so do you." Mookie smirked as she hugged Aireka before taking Arianna out of her lap and kissing her. "Hi boys, you guys look handsome." She smiled.

"Thank you Mama." They all replied in unison.

"And what about me?" I asked, joking with her. Regardless of her answer, I knew that I looked good and I didn't need her to tell em. I know I'm sexy.

"You alright." She replied simply.

"Hater." I chuckled.

"So how does everything look? Leilani had us up all dang night making sure everything was in place." She said rolling her eyes.

"It looks really great. Leilani did the damn thing with all this." Aireka said looking around the building. There were tons of people here, Chris had a big ass family and they all came in from down south for the wedding. Kenneth didn't have a lot of family but he was well known and respected in the community so there were hella people here.

"It's alright." I responded simply, mocking her.

"Shut up Jerome, it looks beautiful."

"Yeah it does." I admitted. "Maybe she can coordinate our wedding." I said making Aireka look at me with a blank look on her face.

"I'm gonna go, I'm pretty sure Chris just called my name. I'll talk to y'all later." Mookie said clearing her throat before passing Arianna back to me and leaving quickly.

"I'm ready to go." Aireka mumbled.

"We haven't even gotten any cake yet." I said smacking my lips. There was no way I was about to leave this damn reception without getting any cake. It looked to good to pass up.

"Oh well. We got cake at home." She replied as she picked up her purse and then stood up from her seat. "Kids let's go, kiss Nana and everybody else goodbye." Aireka instructed.

I watched as the boys went off and hugged everybody goodbye before coming back to our table. Aireka led them to the exit and I finally got my black ass up and followed behind them once they left the ballroom. The ride home was filled with silence between Aireka and I. The kids talked but Aireka and I ignored the hell out of each other.

We worked together to get the kids bathed and into bed but we managed to not say a word to each other. I wasn't mad at Aireka, I was just frustrated and fed up with her. I showered and put on a pair of gray sweat pants before going down to the basement.

I was trying not to be pissed but the more I thought about that cake I was missing out on, the more pissed off I became. I turned the TV on and caught Hip Hop Squares just as it was coming on.

Can you save me a piece of cake.

Baby Momma😈: Yeah. I'll bring it to the house when I pick up the kids tomorrow.

Thanks

Baby Momma😈:👍🏽

Get home safe and don't be out too late.  Be home by 10:00

Baby Momma😈:🖕🏽

🤷🏽‍♀️

Baby Momma😈: Bye Jerome, I'm grown with a husband and five kids.

I chuckled to myself as I put my phone in the cup holder that was in my recliner. I took a sip of my drink before focusing my attention back on the TV. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs so I turned the TV volume up even more than it already was. The kids were all sleep so I knew that it was nobody but Aireka.

It was clear that I came down here to get away from her so we could have some space apart from each other. Unless she was coming down here to make peace, I didn't even want to hear what she had to say because I wasn't trying to argue with her.

"You coming to bed, babe?" She asked me, raising her voice so I could hear her over this loud ass TV.

"Yeah, I'll be up there in a minute." I replied simply.

"Oh okay, well I'm about to shower and then I'll probably go to bed." She informed me.

"Um, okay." I said blankly. She paused for a second and I could feel her staring at me but I kept my eyes trained directly on the TV. I was frustrated as hell with her and I wanted her to feel my irritation.

"...... Goodnight Jerome." She sighed as she came up behind me and kissed the side of my head. I didn't even lean into her embrace or acknowledge her kiss like I normally would've.

"Goodnight." I mumbled to her. Shortly after, I heard her feet slowly climbing up the stairs.

***

After meeting up at the gym with Chris and having a conversation about what happened last night, he made me re-evaluate a lot of stuff. Myself included. He made me realize that I couldn't take my frustrations out on Aireka when it was my choice to be with her, already knowing that she had commitment issues.

I'm the one that signed up for this relationship, fully aware of what I was getting myself into. But just like Mookie said, I have the choice to leave the relationship if I see it going nowhere or I have the option of staying and waiting until she's finally ready to commit to me. But I can't take my anger out on her in the process of waiting. It's not fair to her and it's not healthy for us as a couple.

After taking all of the kids to school and then working out with Chris, I went out to breakfast with Justycee and Devon before going to get a pedicure and then picking up my dry cleaning. I had a very productive morning and now I was ready to have a sit down with Aireka. As soon as she got back from Vegas we were having a talk. I needed to let her know how I was feeling about our "situationship" and also apologize for how I treated her last night.

When I pulled through the gates of my house, Aireka was waiting on me on the front steps. I was honestly shocked as hell to see her, she was supposed to be on a plane to Vegas. She was still in bed when I left this morning and I expected her to be gone when I got home.

She was sitting on the front steps with a frown on her face, she looked like she was trying her hardest not to cry. I was racking my brains trying to remember if I had done anything to piss her off lately but I couldn't come up with anything. She couldn't still be upset from last night. She doesn't hold grudges like that but then again she has her moments where she can be hella stubborn.

Maybe something from my past came up and she wanted to confront it. Or she could've run into one of my old hoes and they got into about me. She also could've found my porn collection. Whatever it was, I just prayed it wasn't anything major.

I slowly gathered my things and got out of the car. My day had been good so far and I wasn't trying to ruin it by arguing with her. I took my sweet precious time walking to her and as soon as I was within arms reach of her, she jumped up into my arms. My dry cleaning fell from my hands onto the ground as I placed my hands under her to support her weight.

"Baby I was so worried about you!" She cried as she tightly wrapped her arms around my neck. I frowned as I rubbed her back, trying to console her. I ain't never seen her shed this many tears in my whole entire life.

"Why? What's wrong with you? Did something happen?" I asked her. I was confused as hell. She kept trying to talk but each time she opened her mouth she would bust out into fresh tears.

"Breathe bae, take your time." I told her as I kissed her forehead. She tightened her arms around me and rested her forehead in the middle of my chest until she calmed down. "Okay, now tell me what's wrong." I said sitting down on the steps, with her in my lap, after her tears had dried up.

"I had a dream that something happened to you and when I finally woke up you were gone and you weren't answering your phone or texting me back. It kept going straight to voicemail. I was so scared Jerome." She rambled quickly.

"Aw baby I-"

"You know my dreams come true, Jerome." She said working herself up again. I pulled her into my chest and allowed her to cry as I slipped my hand up her shirt and rubbed her back. I couldn't even disagree with her statement. The only dreams that Aireka remembers are the ones that end up coming true.

When Aireka and I first started messing around, she dreamed that I would get drafted and become a millionaire. She had that dream without even knowing that I actually played basketball. She had a dream she would have a daughter and exactly a year later Aaliyah was born. A few years after Li was born, Aireka had a dream that her father had gotten shot and had died. Less than a month later two servicemen delivered a flag to her mom's house and explained that her dad had been killed during combat in Afghanistan. The same thing happened with her grandfather; she had a dream he died and the next morning he was found dead. He had a heart attack in his sleep.

Thankfully her latest dream hadn't come true; she had a dream that one of Whitney and Austin's twins died in a car wreck. Hopefully that one will never come true along with the one she just had about me.

"Baby stop crying, you making me sad." I told her as I cupped her face in my hands. I wiped away her tears with my fingertips but they kept coming. She still had tears running down her cheeks and a snot bubble forming but she was still the prettiest girl in the world to me. My baby.

"Jerome you don't understand. That dream felt so real and when I woke up and you weren't there or answering your phone it scared me so much. I thought I had lost you." She sniffled.

"Aw, I'm not going nowhere love. You can't get rid of me even if you tried." I smirked before kissing her lips.

"Promise?" She asked.

"I promise, babe." I nodded. "I love you."

"I love you too." She said making me look at her in shock. I'd been telling Aireka that I loved her for a whole year and this is the first time that she said it back and meant it.

"Excuse me? What you just say?" I asked raising my eyebrow at her and widened my eyes to make sure I heard her correctly.

"I love you." She said as a blush formed across her cheeks and a sly smile crept up on her face. Just hearing those three words come from her, had my heart full. "I guess that dream made me realize how much you mean to me and how much I do love you. I'm not scared anymore and I wanna be serious. No more games bae."

"So you gon' stop telling people that you single, in your interviews now?" I asked gripping her ass in my hands, making her smirk. She rolled her eyes playfully before nodding her head. "So you gon' actually look me in the eyes when I'm making love to you?" I asked her with a smirk on my face, making her blush as she nodded her head again. "You gon' let me actually introduce you to people as my girlfriend now? You mean I can actually shout you out and post you on my page without you getting mad, now?"

"Yes Jerome." She giggled.

"You gon let me marry you?" I asked, getting serious. She bit down on her bottom lip and held eye contact with me.

"Yeah." She finally replied. "I'll marry you babe."

"You gon let me get you pregnant as many times as I want? Have as many kids as I want?" I asked, placing a kiss on her neck.

"Jerome ... you know that my tubes are tied. I can't have anymore kids." She sighed after a long pause of silence.

"So. Nothing is too hard for God. Stop doubting my nigga. If he want us to have kids, we having kids. Forget them tubes." I said making her laugh.

"I love you Jerome, I really do." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around my torso and laid her head on my chest.

"I love you more baby." I replied, kissing her temple.

***

After spending the rest of the morning making love to Aireka, I decided to come to the homeless shelter because I figured Mookie would be here. I was right because her Bentley was parked in her reserved spot. "Aye Mookie! Guess what?" I said busting into her office after unlocking the door.

"Jerome! What in the hell?" Mookie yelled as she pushed Chris away from her. This nigga had her all bent over the desk. From the looks of it, he was beating her shit something serious. She quickly covered her body with a random piece of paper from her desk. It took everything in me not to bust out laughing because that little ass piece of paper was doing nothing to hide her body.

"Oh shit! My bad y'all." I chuckled as I stood in the doorway. "Continue what y'all was doing, I'll be in the hallway when y'all are done." I said backing out of the room and closing the door behind me.

I waited in the hall for a while before Mookie finally came out, fully dressed. Them niggas must have actually finished what they were doing. I said it to be funny but I didn't really think they were going to continue. "You look nice." I commented.

"Mm. Thank you." She replied as she cut her eyes at me playfully before crossing her arms over her chest. "What did you need to tell me?"

"Guess what." I grinned.

"What Jerome?" She asked.

"Guess!" I huffed.

"I don't know." She shrugged.

"Aireka finally decided to stop playing games with a nigga. We're official and she finally told me that she loved me." I said proudly.

"What? Oh my gosh. Jerome that's great! I'm so happy for you guys!" She smiled as she hugged me. "What made her finally decide to tell you how she felt?" She asked.

"She said she had a dream something happened to me an-"

"Wait, what?" She asked with a frown on her face.

"Yeah I know, well anyway she wa-"

"Jerome this is serious. You know the majority of her dreams come true. You aren't concerned at all?" She asked, cutting me off again.

"Nah, not really. God got me and if anything does happen it's because he allowed it. I'm not really tripping." I shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She sighed. "Just be careful, you got too many kids for anything to be happening to you."

"You make me sick." I laughed.

"Well I'm happy for you Jerome. All I ask is that you do right by my best friend. Keep her happy and love her the way she's supposed to be loved." She said seriously.

"Of course." I scoffed.