“You have it smelling good in here, baby,” he said as he peeked over my shoulder.
“Scrambled eggs, sausage, and wheat toast.”
He kissed my neck. “Good, because I’m starving. Where are the kids?”
“They’re with Montie. He’s keeping them for the rest of the week.”
“Why so long?”
I humped my shoulder. “He said he missed them. The kids wanted to stay with him, too.”
“Oh,” was his only reply.
I took his hand and held it. “I will try to work on us,” I said and squeezed his hand tight.
“Thank you, Destiny. That’s all I need from you. I will handle the rest.” He wrapped me up in his embrace and squeezed me tight.
I stayed in his arms that morning, until every insecurity I had about our love drifted away.
Chapter Fourteen
Destiny
Mama Knows Everything
“Mama, we started dress shopping at 10 a.m. It’s after 2:00 and I’m tired.”
“I have to go in one more store and then I’ll know which one I want to choose,” Mama said as we walked into Nordstrum’s. She had tried on at minimum eighty dresses already that day.
“If you haven’t found the right one by now, maybe you should just skip the party altogether,” I told her. “Nothing in life should be this complicated.”
“Baby girl, you should know by now that I spend a day just looking around and then I go home and make a decision when I’m looking for dresses. What’s the fun in shopping if you just go in and pick up the first thing you see? It’s supposed to be an experience, so stop being faint at heart.”
She laughed at my exasperated look that included sweat beads on my forehead. I had dressed nice in a ruffled shirt dress, pulled my hair back into a long ponytail, put on sunglasses and comfortable flats. My hair had frizzed; I shouldn’t have flat ironed it since I was going to sweat it out walking from store to store on every clothing strip in Miami. And my clothes were sticking to me though it was late fall and only seventy degrees out.
“You have no sympathy for the pregnant,” I
whined.
“Oh chile, a little walking around isn’t going to hurt my grandbaby. If anything, I’m helping you both. What you should be doing is looking for some maternity clothes, so you can keep looking good during your pregnancy,” she said.
I draped my hand over my belly lovingly.
“Oh, I can’t believe you’re having my third grandchild. You were always much braver than me. I stopped after I had you. Too much pain.”
“Mama, I only got pregnant because I wanted to share a child with Jacob. I wanted to be the one to give him his first child,” I said. A piercing strike shot through me with the realization that Justine was carrying his first child.
“I know you wanted to give him his first child, baby girl. That’s why you should have let me get my hands around that scandalous little heathen’s neck when I was about to wear her out the first time we met. Then, none of this would be happening,” Mama breathed fire as she spoke. “I don’t want to talk about her. I’ll get another migraine. When John first told me that she was pregnant and claiming Jacob as the father I had to lay down for the entire day. I was sick.”
“Mama, I don’t want you getting sick about what Justine does.”
“I wasn’t sick about what she did. I was sick because I didn’t whoop her butt the first time I saw her.” She rubbed her temples, looking stressed. “I just get so upset at the thought of someone messing with my only child. You’re the best thing I created. I’m proud of you for being such a great daughter,” she said and smiled.
“Thanks Mama.” I cheered up. “I’m not afraid of Justine. She’s behind bars where she belongs.”
“It’s just the thought that a murderer attacked you and was obsessed with your husband, so much so that she snuck him while he was sleeping to get pregnant.”
“You believe Jacob, Mama?”