“Oh. You don’t want to come back home?” She asked, sounding disappointed.
“It’s just dad, and I made an arrangement before you, and I made up. And I like living with him. I’ve never lived with him before, and this a chance for us to really bond more.” I added.
“I see,” She said.
“So, you’re not coming back, ever?” Alexis asked, and I could see the tears forming.
“Don’t cry, Lex. you know, I’ll come over to visit, and we can have a sleepover with Janelle.”
“And you know you are always welcomed to come over to my house. Whenever you want to come over, just let me know.” My dad said, shocking us all. Alexis didn’t say anything, but I could see the smile on her face forming.
“My little baby is growing up, and I have to get used to that.” My mother said as she walked to kiss my forehead.
Knock - Knock
“Another guest? Visiting hours are almost over, and Janelle is down in the nursery.” I said while rolling my eyes. I appreciated all the visitors, but I needed a break before I really embrace this mommy’s life. It’s been nice having nurses come in and even my family, but it’s only temporary, and I want to enjoy this moment while I have their help.
“It may be Chianne.” My mother said. I saw Eric’s face light up in the corner of my eye as he focused his attention on the door.
“Come in!” I said and regretted instantly.
“I didn’t know your whole fam was in here,” Jemar said as if he was scared or something. I rolled my eyes.
“That’s good, we all need to talk.” I heard a voice behind him say. Jemar walked in first, and a light skin woman walked in behind him. She was wearing a pinstriped pantsuit with black, red bottoms and was carrying a black Chanel purse. She looked and smelled like money.
“Hi, who are you?” My mother asked. The whole room was now tense because after looking at Janelle all day, it was apparent as to who Jemar was. I looked at Wayne, who was mugging Jemar hard, he made eye contact with me, and I gave him a look to let him know to chill. He nodded and moved next to me, as well as my dad and Eric.
“I tried to call Bre before we got here, but her phone went straight to voicemail. I’m sorry, I’m Chastity- Jemar’s mother. I’m sorry we’re just meeting like this, but I couldn’t sit back and allow Jemar not to be here for this moment. That’s not how I raised him.” She offered a friendly smile, but I wasn’t feeling it. That’s not how I raised him? You raised the damn devil.
“Aretha- Bre’s mother. Kingsley, her father. Eric, Wayne, Raquel, and Alexis, her siblings. It’s nice to meet you. We definitely need to talk, but now is not the time.” My mother said.
“I know, but I just wanted Jemar to at least come up here to see his daughter. I wanted to see her, too, if I can. I know you don’t know me, and I know it may be hard to believe, but I just learned that I had a grandchild on the way, a couple days ago. I was told that you were due at the end of the month, so I thought I had time to reach out.”
“Yeah, I was due at the end of the month, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, I delivered early,” I said and made sure to look directly at Jemar. He kept his eyes on the floor, avoiding eye contact because he was guilty as hell.
“I’m not aware of what happened between y’all, but Jemar will be apart of his daughter’s life. He’s not going to be a deadbeat, like his father,” She said. I saw Jemar mug on her, hell we all saw him.
“Look, that’s nice and all, but that’s Bre’s choice to make. I’m not sure what you know or what you don’t know, but Jemar isn't going to be around my child or grandchild unsupervised.” My mother said.
“Definitely won’t,” Wayne said. Jemar made eye contact with him but quickly looked away once he saw the death stare Wayne was giving him.
“I’m not aware of anything that transpired, and I hope we can talk about it one day. I didn’t come here to start anything. I just wanted to see my granddaughter.”
“And you want a DNA test, too?” Quel added while folding her arms across her chest.
“No, that’s not necessary. We actually stopped past the nursery and saw Janelle. We didn’t know what Bre named her, but once I saw Janelle in her bed, I knew she was Jemar's. She looked just like him when he was a baby. I wouldn’t be claiming her as my grandbaby if I wasn’t sure.”
“Man, let’s just go. They already have their judgments about me because of her,” He said as he pointed in my direction.
“Right, we do! You’re a coward who’s hiding behind your mother because you can’t face us like a man. I would have more respect for you if you came in here with your head up and admit to everything you’ve done to my daughter and grandchild while Bre was carrying her. You could at least offer an apology, but we don’t want it. You don’t even look like somebody who is sorry about their actions. Your mother forced you here and would probably force you to be a dad too. Hell, she’ll probably be more of parent to Janelle than you will ever be. Thanks for coming, but it’s time for y’all to leave. If Bre decides to let him be in Janelle's life, she’ll reach out, but for now, leave my daughter and grandchild alone!” My dad barked. To my surprise, Jemar's face softened up and actually looked remorseful. He knew what my dad was saying was right.
“We’ll leave, but I just want you to know that
