~Fifteen

My head swung back, and I reached to be sure I didn’t fall off the table. “Ooooh,” I cried with closed eyes as I held the back of this head. His hat was to the back, preventing my usual grip.

I was ready to come again. His mouth was on my sex, tongue moving fast against my clit as my thighs vibrated around his ears. My shorts were to one calf and the other side to my ankle. Trent couldn’t be patient to unbutton them as he fingered me in the back of the limo the Rogers’ let us use to leave my husband’s surprise party early.

His big hands gripped my hips, pushing my dripping sex into his mouth as his tongue lapped against it. He was inebriated, but not quite drunk. Trent hadn’t been drunk much for some time now, so his tolerance was low. But damn…

“Baby!” I cried with urgency.

I loved him out of control like this. An intoxicated Trent was a reckless lover. His long legs were stretched wide as he leaned over the table shooting pleasure to my core. Secretly, I wanted him rough and all over me. So far, he was hungry for me, wanting me to come in his mouth again.

And I did.

“Trentiiiiiiin…” I cried with the top of my head meeting the inside of the rolling laundry basket.

The explosion was intense. My entire body bristled with pleasure, spine jerked dangerously. It had been so long since we touched like this. Felt like a lifetime ago since I had him. He’d almost worked me off the table. Maybe reckless Trent was here. I wasn’t as flexible as I once had been, before getting pregnant, but my body still curved with femininity at his hands.

He moaned with me, reignited need as though he hadn’t just satisfied it three times. Trent didn’t stop until my body calmed. He raised to stand straight, his beard saturated with my desire and satisfaction. I wanted to taste his mouth. When I attempted to shoot up to do it, my body recoiled, reminding me to take it slow. He helped me up and I immediately pulled him into me by his thick neck and kissed him feverishly.

So lost in his touch, I didn’t help much when Trent pulled up my shorts enough for me to straddle him. He walked around the table and the next thing I felt was a towel placed over my half exposed butt. We were in the laundry room, across from the garage door. April hadn’t made it back home yet and Kyree was across the road with Jordan tonight. But his security was now with us practically fulltime and overnight. They may have not escorted him to Harlem so he could be thrown off, but they certainly followed us home in a car, coming in before we fell out of the limo, kissing in an impassioned fury. The towel was for them.

Trent chose the elevator over the steps. As soon as he hit the button for the second floor, he let me down to peel off my shorts finally. Dropping to his knees, he pulled them from beneath my boots until they were off then tossed into the corner. His warm hands swept up my legs to my hips. He kissed the inside of my thighs. I yanked his hat off and caressed his head. Then his hands pushed up to my waist. Before I knew it, they were en route to my belly. Without hesitation, I grabbed his hands, jerking them up to motion him to rise.

“We’re here,” I murmured, wrapping my hands around his neck so he could lift me.

On cue, he did. We ravished each other’s mouths down the hall, all the way to the master suite where he lowered me on to the bed. I shuffled to my knees and watched him undress. His jacket flew to the floor, hitting the side of the dresser. His shirt landed somewhere out of sight. Trent’s thick appendage was the pleasure of my vista as he kicked out of his Ase Garb’s.

Art. Art! That was the best way to describe his body. The ripples, curves, and slabs of muscles stacked on top of one another creating lust-worthy virility. I wanted him again. Needed him now.

 

“Trentiiiiiiin!” she cried with the top of her forehead skin-on-skin to my neck as I aped her ass, pounding into her from the back.

Her walls were quaking, my sweat was pouring, her shoulders shaking, and my cock swelling. Jade was about to come again. This time, I wouldn’t be able to hold back. The liquor had been wearing off since we left the City and now, I had no barrier to spilling into my wife, shooting my first nut in weeks. I wanted to make it last as long as I could, but Jade smelled good and felt even better. Her pussy gripped me, tightening and loosening. Her voice was scratchy now from screaming and moaning since we walked in the house.

And now I had her where I wanted her. She was on all fours, underneath me as I covered her like a spider, my legs wider and arms outside of hers. I umbrella’d her, slamming into her gooey pussy. Caging her like the beast I turned into for her.

“Uuuuh…” she breathed out as her walls flexed around me.

I pelted hard, bunching the comforter in my hands as I did. I loved feeling her shaking like mad because of me. Her little shoulders knocking against me as she went crazy in pleasure. It pushed me over the edge, and the next thing I knew, I was blasting off.

“Fuuuu—”

With a shaky arm, Jade reached back and pulled my face into hers, kissing me, swallowing my groans. Damn… She felt like magic, curving underneath me. My abs strained as I curled over her. I never copped to it, but Jade knew her kissing me while I’m coming drove me crazy. She was boss with it. Taking my load and my cries.

She pulled from my mouth, and I was out of breath.

“You my wife…Jade?” I could hardly speak.

Jade pushed further onto my dick, wiggled her hips, and moaned, “Forever my big guy.”

I stepped out of the bathroom and saw Jade sitting up in bed, fingering her hair while looking into the mirror over the dresser, across from the bed. I pulled the comforter back and crawled in, kissing her shoulder before laying back on the pillows.

“You good?”

“Mmmhmmm,” she hummed, still flicking her hair curls although she was about to knock out. It was late.

“I mean the baby.”

In the shower, I started feeling guilty about being rough. I shouldn’t have had sex with her after drinking so much.

“The baby’s perfectly fine, Trent,” she sang, being sarcastic. “I am, too, in case you care. It’s been me going without. Not the baby,” she spoke while looking at herself in the mirror.

Jade loved playing in her hair.

I stumbled, not knowing where to go from there. I did ask about her.

But had the baby in mind…

“Ky left his iPod and his father’s been blowing him up. Maybe letting him go over there to stay the night was a good idea after all.”

I hoped she wasn’t asking me for an answer. After the way Ryder showed out at Ky’s party, I had nothing for him. Now, I understood Jade’s concerns about him. He had no more grace with me. The kid would never get that off again. Ky’s father or not, Ryder would get handled.

“Your weave’s dope. I like that natural look you got going.”

“It’s not a weave. It’s pregnancy hair, and I love it.”

“Say the word! I can give you some more. Have it coming all down your back, if you want.”

“Trent…”

I chuckled, liking to tease Jade.

“A’ight. I just wanted to loosen you up for what I’m about to tell you.”

Her arms went down to her folded lap and she turned to face me.

“You’ve been in and out and we’ve been off. And you were tempted to sleep with someone else. Now you want to separate, but you can’t.” She dipped her chin. “Because I filed the marriage license and you saw it for yourself. We’z married now.”

I cocked my head to the side, not finding that cute.

“Don’t start that, J.”

“What? Don’t start what?”

“Don’t start that foolishness about me being tempted with other chicks. The only temptation I suffered from was not ripping your lil coochie shorts off, back in Harlem, in front of everybody.”

“Trent!”

“Oh, now it’s, ‘Trent’.” I shook my head. “Don’t say stuff like that, J. You gotta speak life into us, not fear of me cheating and pass it off as a joke. This thing is serious to me, man!” My voice may not have been raised, but I was getting upset.

After the way I’d just gone crazy on her, she brought up cheating, of all things.

She leaned over and kissed me. Her little fingers combed my beard, making my sacs tingle.

“If it’s about the baby, I’ve already told your PR people,” her soft tone was soothing.

“Who?”

“Elle?”

“When?”

“Last night. It wasn’t planned. We’ve been in touch about the party for months, and last night I called her with last minute details and it came up.”

“How did something like you being pregnant come up?”

She shrugged. “The last thing she asked was if there was anything else she should know. I knew she was referring to the party, but if felt like the right thing to do.” She paused for a second or two. “I hope I didn’t step on your toes.”

My head went back and eyes stretched. “Nah. I just didn’t expect you to do that.”

Jade sighed. “I’m trying. I really am. I just…it just caught me off guard, is all. No, I didn’t want a baby this soon. My plan was to get you to a more trusting place emotionally. And maybe we could have thought about a baby in a couple of years. But I’m ready to tell Ky. I asked Elle to wait until Monday to send out the press release.”

“So soon?”

Jade shrugged again. “I’ll have a gown selected soon. It will be maternity. I don’t want your wedding day to be overshadowed by false scandal of a trap baby. I’m hoping the news of the wedding will eclipse the pregnancy talk.”

I nodded. We agreed not to make the wedding date public and even sent that request to our guests in the invitation.

“Listen, J.” I sat up. “About the wedding: I don’t know how to say this…”

“Just say it,” her tone was clipped, eyes chased mine.

I nodded again and licked my lips.

“I’m looking for your father.”

Her forehead wrinkled. “My father? How do you know my father? I’ve never met my father.” Her eyes went out into the room.

“I don’t know him. But I thought I could find him in case you wanted to.” I pulled her chin to face me. “Do you want to?”

Her eyes danced around my face as she thought about that. Jade’s facial muscles loosened before tightening again.

“I never thought about it—at least since I’ve been a kid. George…” she didn’t say anymore.

“I know. He’s held you down, but I know you always say you wish you had somebody to stand up to ya moms and balance her point of views. And now with you getting married and having another baby and all, I thought it’d be nice to have all the pieces to your puzzle in front of you.”

A single tear slipped from her hazel eye. “You think about me like that?”

My face wrinkled. “Like what? Wanting you to have it all? Doing anything I can to make you whole like you do for me?” She was bugging. “I wish I could do more.”

Jade’s eyes closed and more tears came. She swiped them with a hand before looking at me again.

“I don’t know how you’ll find him.”

“I got somebody good looking into it. Could hear back something as soon as tomorrow. What you do with the info is up to you.”

Jade took a deep breath, eyes going out into the room again.

“I reached out to George.”

“Word?”

She nodded. “I knew they’d be receiving the invitation soon and I wanted him to hear the news from me first.” My eyes fell to my lap. “He said he’s spoken to you and you told him about the wedding and the baby. Thanks, Trent.” My eyes rolled up to hers. “I know you tried bridging the gap between my stubborn mom and me.” She bit her lip. “I’ve been praying about it. Especially because I asked George to walk me down the aisle.”

“What he say?”

Her cheeks went up and mouth pushed out as though she was about to cry. “I think he cried when he said yes.”

Whoa…

“Glad he’s stepping up again.”

Jade nodded as she scooted down the bed to lay on my chest.

“Me, too,” she whispered.

“Oh! It’s hot in here,” April spoke up as we traveled through the small Pennsauken home. I sniffled with my chin in the air, smelling barbeque. It wasn’t stale in odor as Cora Mae’s, but it was…dead. No pictures on the walls, minimal furniture, and at least two cats striding stealthily around. “You back here, Brenda?”

No one answered, but the sound of music lured April to the back of the house and I followed, curiously. Stephanie Mills sang, “What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin’?” louder and louder as we approached the kitchen. The screen door was closed while the main one was open. April headed out there.

Soon, I could hear the crackle from the grill. Brenda was out there dancing over it with her back to us. She was stiff, but healthy as her shoulders swayed and left fingers snapped. It was a warm April afternoon. Nice enough to cook out. 

“Brenda, girl, you ain’t hear us comin’ in?” April called out to her again, this time getting her attention.

Brenda turned with a bottle of Corona to her mouth. Her eyes drew wild, but everything else froze as she registered her guests—well, April. That’s when Brenda recognized her. I didn’t wait. I moved in front of April with my forehead stretched and eyes just as big as hers.

“You couldn’t make it to your son’s birthday party, Brenda?”

For a flash, I caught a feature of my husband’s in her face. Faint, but stark recognition.

Brenda’s betrayed eyes tossed to April.

Then she addressed me. “Who you think you talkin’ to? I’ve been busy!”

“Busy?” She wanted to go there.

“Yeah.” She turned to face us. “You talkin’ about a party; I been sick back here lately. But I ain’t gotta explain myself to you, little girl.”

“You didn’t look sick a couple of weeks ago at Trick’s birthday party at that strip club in Delaware.” I moved to rest on one hip. “Wasn’t too damn sick to cook all the food for it!”

Brenda’s eyes shot over to April again.

“I ain’t know you cooked the food,” April tried clearing her name.

I stepped closer. “You were caught on this phenomenon called social media, Brenda. Trick and his girlfriend have all the pictures of you putting out the food you cooked for over fifty people—at a party my husband wasn’t invited to, by the way. Ones showing you helping the strippers get ready for their little dance for Trick, and you getting a lap dance yourself. You been admitted since all that action? Ain’t nobody post about it, so I really don’t know.”

Again, Brenda glanced confused eyes over to April. Yes, I had ambushed her, but April wasn’t the culprit. I’d been visiting Trent’s family’s pages since I met them, thinking it would bring more understanding to the man I’d fallen helplessly for. This morning, when I’d searched their pages to see what was more important than them at least calling to say they couldn’t make it; I saw Trick posting about his sister putting food on the grill in this nice spring weather.

Oh, they do barbeques, but can’t acknowledge my husband?

No. This had to be confronted.  

“What I do ain’t none of your damn business! I ain’t gotta explain myself to you. I ‘on’t even know you.” She peered over to April again. “What’s this mess you bringing my way, April?”

“I just thought if we could talk—” April tried until I stepped in between them.

“You’re right: you don’t owe me anything, but you do owe my husband just an ounce of respect when he’s being celebrated—hell, just acknowledge the man’s alive. He’s your only living son, Brenda!”

“I ain’t none of your business, girl!” she yelled.

“And thank god for that!” I adopted her tone. “But let me tell you how this is going to go. You will be at that wedding, and with bells on. You will congratulate him. And you will dance with my husband at his reception!”

“Husband? Wedding?” I heard from behind me. Trick walked up on us, carrying plastic grocery bags. “Shit you saying don’t even make sense. Don’t bring that shit here.”

His face was twisted, and lips snarled, exposing his missing tooth. Trick was…ugly. Plain and simple. Beautiful ebony skin wasted on played out cornrows, baggy clothes, and thug persona. When he smiled, I saw traces of the Baileys in his face. Trick resembled Brenda, and not Shank so much.

Thank goodness for Trenton Jackson’s strong DNA…

“Oh!” I breathed. “You can speak when you see me. Nice to know. It would’ve been better to get a regret about you not coming last night instead of you being a no show.”

“Here you go with this. First he sent you down to bitch about Christmas gifts. Christmas gifts! Now, he crying ‘cause ain’t nobody come to his ritzy ass party. Sick of this nigga’s bitchin’!”

“First of all,” I stepped closer to Trick, who stood guard near his big sister, “Cora Mae showed in a damn wheelchair with her bestie and daughter. Second of all, Trent doesn’t bitch! What’s a bitch is how you don’t even speak to him. How you two grew up together like brothers, but for some reason you can’t stand to sit in the same room as him. How his mother”—I regarded Brenda—“the one who’s supposed to be his first love and protector doesn’t even speak to him! And I heard about that hospital incident.”

My eyes went back to Trick. “If he was such a bitch, why didn’t he tell me that? Huhn? Could you imagine Cora Mae never calling to check up on you? Never wishing you a happy birthday? Merry Christmas? I don’t have a great relationship with my own mother, but she instinctively connects to me through our DNA! This woman is about as heartless as a cuckoo bird!”

I gazed straight into the eyes of Brenda Bailey. “You know what a cuckoo bird is, Brenda? You should be well versed with your kin! They are some of the worst mothers in creation. They leave their eggs with other species of birds to nest for them, then go back to their commitment-free lives as though they were never one with their offspring. You, my dear Brenda, are a cuckoo bird!”

“Hold up, man!” Trick stepped to me, his battered face screwed with rage. “You ain’t gone be running up in here—”

I practically jumped in his face. In just seconds, April shrieked and took me at the arm. But I was not afraid of Trick.

“YOU WILL BE AT HIS WEDDING ON MAY TWENTIETH AND GRACIOUSLY OR ELSE THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY!” 

“Or else what?” he challenged me.

“Now, hold up, Trick!” April tried. “Jade, don’t forget about the baby!”

Trick backed up slightly, his eyes dropped inadvertently to my waist. I turned to Brenda, catching her doing the same thing in her stupor.

“Yup. I’m pregnant.”

“No surprise here,” Trick spat. “Just a matter of time before you got what you wanted anyway. Dude’s a fuckin’ sucker,” he hissed, rolling his eyes.

That incensed me even more.

“Maybe he should’ve gone with a busted one like yours,” I returned.

“Jade!” April shouted.

“A busted one that’ll beat ya lil ass!” Trick shot back. “I’ll call her over here now!”

I snorted. “She could try. And after I’m done mopping the ground with her wrinkled face, I’ll tighten her weave!” My chin was in the air, daring Trick.

And when I expected him to reach for his phone and call, he didn’t. Trick just stood there. I wouldn’t back down. I may not have come from a tough neighborhood, but I’d been top of my class when learning from Ryshon and his hood ass people. Yes, I was afraid of losing my baby. Even more afraid of losing Trent when he learned how it happened, but Trick liked accusing people of being soft. I wanted him to know I was not.

“Man, get the fuck outta here. My sister don’t need this stress. She sick.”

I took a deep breath. “Oh, I’m about to leave this hell hole. I can feel misery crawling up the walls and I don’t want to carry it out with me. But let’s be clear on May twentieth. You both will be there to support Trent!”

Trick’s face twisted again. “And if we don’t? The fuck you gone do?”

I switched hips. “I got the baby and soon will have the name and authority. This house is in his name. He pays the taxes on the property. I will have your cuckoo ass out of here so fast after saying I do, you’ll be looking for a new nest to rest your damn self.” I was sure to keep my voice eerily low as I shot bullets at both of them through my eyes.

I lied, and on so many levels. Earlier, I’d once again, revealed Trent’s and my true marital status. And there was no way my hopelessly loyal husband would evict his mother. I had no say in the matter. Unfortunately for these two, they didn’t know the truth, because they weren’t in touch with him.

“Jade, I think you just took it too far,” April chimed in. “Brenda can’t afford to be on the streets in her condition. Where she gone go? To Cora Mae’s? There’s no room there. Plus, they’re both sick.”

April was playing along. She knew full well Trent didn’t possess a hard bone in his body for his mother. He’d been secretly awaiting reciprocity from her.

“That will no longer be my problem,” I growled and walked towards the door to leave back out through the house.

I made it the front door before I heard, “Yo, hold up, man.”

His tone was gentler, but my skin still crawled. The only person I allowed to call me man was Trent. It was never demeaning from his lips. It was just a lack of etiquette, I understood from the start.

I paused with my hand on the doorknob.

“A’ight. You ain’t gotta look at me, but you could listen. I know the shit between my sister and Trent seem fucked up. And it is. I swear, I been kicking it with her about it since I been home. I ‘on’t know why it ain’t never bother me before…nah.” He caught himself. “I do know.” Yeah. He did. Shank’s attention… “But that ain’t neither here nor there. What you need to know is my sister got some shit with her, but it’s legit.”

That’s when I turned my head to look at him.

“I ‘on’t know if he told you, but some years back, Brenda stopped rocking with all us: Mommy, Shank, me—everybody. My brother died and Trevor did, too.” Trevor… He was Trent’s older brother. “And I thought that messed her head up. But I found out from her when I got outta the pen that Brenda ain’t all right up here.” He pointed to his head.

My face folded, confused.

Trick glanced around the narrow hall for listeners, I supposed.

“It’s getting worse,” his voice was lower. “The doctors put her on meds.”

Trent never mentioned a mental institution he was trying to see her at back in February.

He technically never mentioned much of anything…

“That’s why she was hospitalized a few months back?”

“Nah. She kept having strokes. The doctors didn’t know why.” He scoffed. “None of us know why she ain’t got no signs of the two she had. The doctors’ even shocked.”

“So, what does that have to do with her mind? Her neglect didn’t begin at the top of the year.”

“She got a lot of stuff wrong with her head. She go in and out. I got word she was out in the streets at night, talking to herself when I was down. My homies told me how she would…” Trick’s eyes fell and he switched stances, appearing pained. “She was going through the trash. Then a day or two later, they seen her driving to work like nothing ever happened. She did it once since I been home, and I got word of it. Two o’clock in the morning, she out there, talking to herself, over trash bins. She ain’t know who I was, but I was able to get her back here to get cleaned up. Her fridge and freezer was stacked with food.” Trick shook his head, ghosted.

“You mean to tell me Brenda has some form of mental illness?”

He nodded. “I took her to the doctor after she came to and told me she been fighting it for years and it’s getting worse. The doc said she had to get on and stay on meds or she gone be walking around without a brain, basically. Sometimes, it look like she already do. She hate the medicines, but they keep her sane—zoned out most times, but sane.”

“That’s why you’re here,” I breathed, finally adding it all up. “How long you say she’s been struggling with this?” This could answer why she’d been neglectful of Trent for so long.

Trick shrugged while shaking his head, his eyes cast down to the floor. “I ‘on’t know, man. The doctor said he met her like ten years ago. But Brenda been wildin’ for longer than that.”

“It’s progressing.” I spoke toward the floor, mind going. Then a thought occurred. My eyes swung up to him. “You have to tell Trent!” I was animated, but not loud. “He needs to know about his mother.”

“You ‘on’t think I need help with this? My moms ain’t gone help. She sick. I ‘on’t know how long I can do this by myself. This shit is crazy as hell. I done lost my second brother. Ain’t no way I’mma leave my sister hanging like this. But Trent like staying all up in his feelings. I been wanting to reach out. I’m the one making sure people call him when she go in the hospital. But he always gotta bring his sour feelings into the shit. Brenda ain’t gone change. She been fucked up in the head since me and him was kids. I don’t get why he think that’s gone change.”

“So, you get mad at him?” My voice shook with high emotions. “He has no idea. Trent thinks he’s a bad seed. Do you know what that does to a kid…when they carry it into adulthood?” I whispered.

Trick waved his hand in the air. “He fuckin’ piss me off with his attitude. Everything ain’t about him—at least not right now. She don’t get outta bed sometimes. Fuck I’m supposed to do with that?” I wanted to verbally cut him, but something in my gut understood his struggle. Trick was angry, but not at Trent. He was angry at the universe for the unexpected burden of his sister. “She make me swear all the time not to tell nobody. I gotta have my girl sit here with her when I’m at work. Her bad days are fuckin’ bad, man! The doctor talking about her checking into a spot for a few weeks here and there.”

My chest heaved as I tried to guard my emotions. The pregnancy made me cry all the time, but I couldn’t blame the baby on this one. This was messed up. I was angry for not being able to blame Brenda for her neglect of Trent all these years. She’d probably been struggling with this before having children. It sounded like it was progressing.

“Look,” Trick’s beckoning tone broke me from my reverie. “I ain’t got no beef with Trent. I don’t. I swear. I know we had our beef a long time ago, but I told Shank while I was in the pen, I was droppin’ it. That’s what I wanna do but—I…I just don’t know…”

His eyes were to the floor again.

Trick didn’t know how to make up with his nephew. He’d been on the outs with him so long, and their lives were on stark opposite paths. Trent probably intimidated Trick. And so unnecessarily.

The first tear fell.

“He’s really…really sweet,” burst from my lips. “And not in a ‘bitch’ kind of way. Trent is generous and funny…and a good listener and compassionate…” My eyes bounced around as I tried running down all of his amazing qualities. “And he’s oh, so patient. He really is,” I whispered. “He’s just got a little baggage from not being connected to you guys. People think his life is perfect because of the money and fame, but I swear to you, he would be better off if he never got that, but had you and Brenda…Shank and the rest of your family in his life. He doesn’t even have his father.” The tears wouldn’t stop.

I felt helpless. Why was I begging Trick to extend the olive branch? He was probably less emotionally developed than Trent. He’d had a rough life in the streets of Camden, leading to a long bid in prison. Trent was sure incarceration had hardened Trick even more.

“What y’all in here talking ‘bout?” April’s round frame bustled into the narrow hall. “We gotta go, Jade. Gotta pick up those rolls for dinner. I don’t wanna hear Kyree’s mouth or Trent’s.”

She didn’t look up as she breezed past, opened the door, and left out. After paying Trick a final glance, I was on her heels. We were nearly three houses down the block before the truck was in sight.

“A damn cuckoo bird, Jade?” she cried in her soprano octave. “A damn cuckoo bird?”

“Am I in trouble?” Ky asked with a grin, but I knew he was a little shook.

His moms and I never called him to “talk.” So, I got why he stopped in the doorway of the living room first.

What was crazy was how we’d hung out today while Jade and April were running errands. When I realized I would miss morning worship because I overslept, I made a last minute call to get fitted for my tux. Tessie Bell had been on me about it for a couple of weeks, so I took Ky with me to get measured for his. We had a good time. So, being called into the “formal” room to speak to his moms in front of me had to have him nervous.

“No, baby,” Jade’s voice was soft as she shook her head. “Come sit down next to Mommy.” She patted the seat next to her on the love seat.

I was stretched out across from her on the long couch. The room still felt new to me. Jade had turned it into something unrecognizable. She did her thing decorating the place.

“Hey,” she started cheerfully, but I could feel her anxiety. “Trent and I want to talk to you about a change that’s about to take place around here.”

“Auntie April’s leaving?” he asked. Jade shook her head. “We moving?” There was panic in his voice, concerning me.

“Nah, man,” I spoke up, not liking that image, especially if it didn’t include me moving with them. “Nothing like that.”

My eyes went to Jade for help. I didn’t know how to do this type of break-the-news-to-a-kid thing.

Jade’s neck swung until her chin raised in the air sideways. “Ummmmm…” Her brows met and I saw her swallow hard. “KyKy…” Her eyes skirted over to me. “We—no. Me. Ummmm…” She licked her lips and I saw the tears collect in her eyes.

“Ky, we’re having a baby,” I blurted. Kyree’s head swung over to me. “It—she’ll be here before you start third grade this year.”

The room went quiet. Kyree turned back to his mother, who had tear tracks by now.

“A baby?” he asked.

Jade’s head nodded hard and she wiped her cheeks, trying to force a smile. She couldn’t speak.

Pain struck my chest. Just as I’d been at the start of this pregnancy thing, I struggled with not taking Jade’s regret personal.

“It won’t…just be us anymore?” Ky still wouldn’t look at me.

My eyes went wild. I thought he wanted a brother or sister—not necessarily by me, but still.

What did I do?

All of a sudden, I felt like the odd party out. This was between the kid and his moms. But I couldn’t leave. This was my life, too. Why did I feel like I’d betrayed him?

Jade looked away, choking on a cry. 

Kyree turned to me with heavy eyes. “You said it would just be us for a while.”

My chest puffed as I sucked in crazy air. Kyree was including me.

“Dude—”

“What happened to the wedding? You’re not getting married no more?” he asked, voice still sad.

Ky, I bagged ya moms already…

I wanted to shout it to the world. Jade was a chosen woman, not a baddie that plotted to catch my seed. She was my wife. I wish I could share that with him. Maybe when he got older I could.

“Yeah. We’re still doing the wedding. It’s for all of us. It’s how we’re gonna announce to the world we’re an official family.” I tried for a smile.

Kyree sat back in his seat. His eyes went straight ahead.

“You don’t want the wedding anymore?” I asked.

Jade kept her head turned. Her shoulders trembled, telling of her crying. I fought to ignore it.

“Yeah. But my Daddy said it ain’t really gonna happen.”

“What? The wedding?” He nodded. “Ah, man.” I tried to laugh that off. “That’s in the bag. Remember, we shopped for our tuxes today.”

Ky never looked at me, but he nodded again. 

Sniffling, Jade rejoined the conversation. “Listen, Ky. No matter what you hear, Trent and I love each other and will be together for a very long time. Unless you hear it from us, you can’t believe it. Got it?” Kyree nodded, but with his eyes on his moms. She wiped her running nose. “Trent’s very popular, and you know this. So, when that many people know you, some make up mean things about you and the people you love. Trent’s a part of our family now. And,” She looked down at her belly, but didn’t touch it. She still hadn’t let me touch it. “now we’re adding one more to our tight circle.”

“Then why’re you crying, Mommy?” he sounded about to cry, too.

“The baby makes me cry,” she lied. Even if she was hormonal, Jade didn’t want my baby. “She makes Mommy crazy.” She tried to laugh. “Okay?”

He nodded. “Okay.”

“Can I get a hug?” With a wet face, she opened her arms.

Kyree stood and hugged his mother. I watched her squeeze him tight with closed eyes and a fresh round of tears, not knowing how to feel about it.

Ky walked over to me and held his hand out for a high-five. “At least it’s a girl and she can’t come in the cave. Right?”

A slow grin opened on my face, showing my silly grill. Dude never failed to make me smile.

“You know it, man.” After smacking his little hand, I grabbed him up in a hug.

Kyree walked out of the room with heavy shoulders. I could tell he was just as confused as I was. If Jade was good with having the baby, why did she act so sad? Almost as soon as he turned the corner for the foyer, Jade stood from her sofa and walked over to me. Her knee hit the cushion right next to my thigh and she curled underneath me.

“You would’ve thought I just told him he missed when Brielle stopped by his house.” She tried to laugh.

“Nah. He’s sad because you’re sad.” My arms were stretched out on the back of the sofa and armrest.

“I’m not sad, Trent,” she tried to argue.

“Oh, right. You’re just angry with me and disappointed in yourself,” I repeated her line to me last month when she told me she made an appointment to find out if she was really expecting. “Big difference.”

I was being reckless, I knew it. But I couldn’t help it. I was sick of these ups and downs. My baby was here. She would be loved, too.