Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
JACOB
A ce was happy to bale the hay for me. The other day when I’d gone to check on him and he wasn’t there, I found out the nigga had made a pussy run and ended up falling in that shit all damn day. I ended up going to the shop and helping him get the tractor fixed so Uncle WJ wouldn’t be on his ass. Big Dawg didn’t play that shit. He was all for having a good time, but when there was work to do, he expected you to handle your responsibilities in a timely manner.
LaTee surprised the shit out of me. I could understand why Mekayla wanted to wait to introduce her to me. She was so sweet, innocent, and trusting. Even if for some reason Mekayla and I didn’t last, I would never abandon her. She was craving a father. Her sperm donor wasn’t shit for leaving this baby. Then again, if he wasn’t shit, that was probably for the best. He could have caused more harm than good.
When we got to the diner, she looked super excited. Mekayla did too. She’d only visited during the week, so she had never seen it jumping like this. They had the other side open that they normally kept closed during the week. My mama immediately saw us enter and made her way to us with a huge smile on her face.
“Mekayla! Hey, baby. How are you?”
“Hey, Missus Jenahra. I’m great. How are you?”
“I’m good, and extremely happy to have a new guest at Jen and Chrissy’s Diner!” She leaned over to LaTee and said, “Hi, sweetness.”
“Hi! I’m LaTee.”
“Hi, LaTee. I’m Jenahra, Jacob’s mother.”
She lifted her arms and hugged my mama around her neck. “That means you’re my grandmother. Mister Jacob said he would be my daddy.”
My mama glanced up at me with her eyebrows scrunched together in an ‘aww, that’s so sweet’ fashion. “Well, yes I am! My other grandbaby calls me Grandma Jen. You’re welcome to call me that, or if you want to call me something else, you’re more than welcome to.”
“Well… I gotta think of something fabulous for you. I like your hair. It’s so long and pretty.”
I swore my mama was blushing from here to Beaumont. LaTee was going to be the life of the party. I could see now that the crowd wouldn’t bother her in the least bit.
“Thank you, sweetheart! Come on and let me introduce you to everybody!”
My mama winked at Mekayla and me and took off with LaTee. “And here I was worried about her being overwhelmed,” I said to Mekayla.
She giggled. “I knew she would show you differently. She loves the spotlight. It’s how I used to be as a kid.”
I smiled at her as her smile faded a bit. I could tell she was thinking about her childhood and the things she felt she missed out on. Pulling her in my arms to bring her attention back to where it should be, I said, “Well, we’re gonna get that Mekayla back, because a nigga like me gon’ always have a spotlight on your beautiful ass.”
“Well, well, well! See… I knew what I was talking about, niece.”
We turned around to see Uncle Jasper standing there with a mimosa and Aunt Chasity on his arm. Mekayla smiled then glanced at me. “Hi,” she said.
“What’s up, Unc?” I said then slapped his hand.
“Jasper,” he said to Mekayla.
Clearly, she’d forgotten his name. “I’m sorry, Uncle Jasper. It’s a lot of names to remember.”
That nigga grinned so wide. I knew it was because Mekayla called him uncle. He reached in and hugged her. When she pulled away, he introduced her to Aunt Chasity, and they hugged as well. The minute she pulled away from her though, she was looking around for LaTee. I could see her starting to panic. I wrapped my arms around her waist and said in her ear, “Look at the dance floor.”
When she saw LaTee dancing with Angel, she took a deep breath. I wanted to tell her she didn’t have to worry about that shit over here, but Uncle Avery came to mind. That nigga was fucking with Nesha, Chenetra, and Shakayla right under everyone’s noses. I hated that shit, too, because Shakayla and I used to hang sometimes. I rarely heard from them now, although Aunt Sharon was still living in Nome. Whenever they came to town, they would blow in and blow out.
I kissed Mekayla’s neck and said, “I promise to protect you and her with everything in me, baby. You have my word on that. Y’all my babies. I love LaTee already, simply because I…”
I closed my eyes and backed away from her some. She spun around to me, her eyes wide and hopeful… like a child… like LaTee. There was no way I could avoid saying it. I’d only told her I was falling for her, but shit, a nigga was all the way in. The minute she said she would give us a chance I allowed my heart to open up to her completely.
“Simply because I love her mother. Baby, the minute you said yes to me, my heart wanted to do the most for you. I love you, Mekayla. Again, that doesn’t mean I’ll be perfect or that I’ll get it all right. My family have drama going on with another family. I might fuck up. But one thing that will remain constant is how I feel for you. I will always do my best to put you and LaTee first.”
She slid her arms around me and swayed to the zydeco music. I kissed her head as Unc winked at me and headed to their table. She lifted her head after a minute or two and glanced at J. Paul as he sang his heart out. She stared up at me as the lone tear slid down her cheek. “I love you too, Jacob.”
She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. That took a lot for her to say. I lowered my face to hers and kissed her lips softly. “Thank you for trusting me, baby. I got’chu. I got both of y’all.”
She glanced at LaTee again, so I asked, “You wanna dance?”
“I don’t know how to zydeco.”
“Come on. I’ll show you. LaTee and Angel don’t know how to either, but they look to be having the time of their lives.”
She smiled. As we headed that way, my mama stopped us. She had an entire tray of food for us. “Come on, y’all.”
I smiled at Mekayla, waiting for her to decide what she wanted to do.
“To hell with dancing, baby. My stomach growling now. Was that shrimp and grits?” she asked.
I chuckled and followed my mama to a table where Rylan, Christian, and KJ were with their wives. Thankfully, it was a ten-chair table, so there was room for LaTee when she finished dancing with Angel. I turned Mekayla’s chair to the side so she would be able to keep an eye on her without it being too hard for her to keep turning around.
She kissed my cheek. “Thank you.”
Once we were seated, I introduced her to Rylan, Christian, Mya, and Cassie. She’d already met KJ. She and Cassie were around the same age, and I noticed that they stared at each other a little longer. “Did you go to West Brook?” Cassie asked her.
“I sure did. I thought you looked familiar.”
“Yeah! I think we had a class together one year. How have you been?”
“I’ve been okay. How about you?” she asked.
“Good. I just got married to this handsome Henderson a little over a month and a half ago.”
“Oh, congratulations,” Mekayla said.
When LaTee and Angel joined us, Angel hugged Mekayla and introduced herself. That was it. I no longer had my woman’s attention. Between Angel, Cassie, and Mya, it was a lost cause. Christian tilted his head, indicating we needed to talk. I leaned over to Mekayla. “I’ll be right back, baby. My cousins need to holler at me right quick.”
“Okay.”
I kissed her lips and followed Christian, Rylan, and KJ out the side door. When I did, they immediately went in. “Look at yo’ lovesick ass!” Christian said.
“Nigga, shut up. What’s up with y’all? How’s everything?”
“You missed the family meeting the other night.”
“Yeah, I was tired, and my ankle was killing me. I been meaning to get updated on everything.”
“Well, Shayla is causing trouble again.”
I frowned. “Cassie’s mama?” I asked for clarification.
“Yep. Stupid bitch. I wouldn’t dare say that shit in front of Cassie, because I don’t like calling a woman a bitch in front of her, but that bitch better count her fucking days,” KJ said.
“What is she doing now?” I asked.
“That bitch is after the Hendersons like we did some shit to her. Honestly, I think it’s more that she can’t stand to see Cassie happy and is trying to do anything to disrupt that. My dad called Watchful Eyes to take that bitch out. She came to our house saying she had proof that the Hendersons killed that nigga Reggie,” KJ said.
“What the fuck? Reggie, the dirty cop?” I asked.
“Hell yeah. I don’t know where or how she got proof of that shit, but her ass gotta go. Jakari said Jericho is a trained assassin, and he will kill her ass without a trace.”
“How does J know that?” Christian asked.
“He didn’t know that. You know Uncle Philly is working with them sometimes now. So he knows the inside. He said Ali or Vegas would take her ass out, too, without an ounce of hesitancy,” KJ said.
“So when is it going to happen?” I asked KJ.
“I don’t know. Just waiting on Big Dawg to give the okay.”
“How’s Cassie holding up with all this shit?” Rylan asked.
“It’s about to drive her insane. Hell, we just got over the fact that we’re fucking related, no matter how distant it is. Shayla is really a thorn in her fucking flesh. I hate seeing her so worn down mentally. It’s stealing her joy, and I don’t like that shit. We leave next weekend for a competition, so hopefully, that will take her mind off things.”
“Where is it?” Rylan asked.
“Clearwater, Minnesota.”
“Shit. I thought I would take Mekayla to see you in action, but naw, nigga, naw.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. We’ll be gone for a minute. That’s best, because Cassie would probably fuck Shayla up herself. Jail is looking more and more appealing versus dealing with that woman’s shit. I have never seen that level of evil toward your own flesh and blood in my life.”
I briefly thought about the things Mekayla told me about her mom. She was trifling, too, but Cassie’s mama took the fucked-up cake.
“You heard any updates on your court date, Jacob?” Rylan asked.
“Naw. I probably need to call Mister Berotte or Missus Taylor to see what’s up. I know with all the shit they dug up, it should have been an easy fix.”
“Yeah, but it could possibly be a long process trying to prove a judge is being blackmailed. It won’t hurt to get an update though.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, congratulations on your new relationship,” KJ said. “She’s nice, man.”
“We all have some sexy ass women. Hendersons don’t settle for anything less,” Christian said.
“Hell naw, we don’t,” I added.
I heard a slight commotion then some yelling. I quickly ran back inside the diner, looking for Mekayla and LaTee. When I found them against a wall, I shielded them from whatever was going on. When I finally could see what was happening, I saw Aunt Tiff dog walking a bitch. Aunt Chas and Jess were in the mix too.
Shit. I noticed Uncle Kenny, Uncle Marcus, and Uncle Storm had their guns drawn. What in the fuck was going on? Uncle WJ, my mama, Aunt Olivia, Aunt Aspen, and Aunt Chrissy were escorting people out of the diner.
I glanced back at Mekayla. “Y’all okay?”
She nodded quickly as she held LaTee close to her. “You stupid bitch!” I heard somebody scream.
When the circle cleared, I realized it was Cassie. I know Shayla’s dumb ass didn’t bring her ass back in here. That woman had to be dumb as a bucket of fucking rocks to come back to this diner. She was a bloody pulp on the floor. Mr. Price wrapped his arms around Cassie. I didn’t even realize her family was here. After what Shayla pulled at the wedding, I knew it would be on sight if Cassie ever saw her again.
Well, I guess there was no point in calling Watchful Eyes at this point. Shayla wasn’t moving. I turned to my women. “Let’s go outside, okay?”
Mekayla nodded. I didn’t know why this shit had to happen today. LaTee looked scared as hell, and Mekayla was trembling. I didn’t know if she was nervous, scared, or wanted a piece of the action. She had a deep frown on her face.
Once we were outside, Aunt Tiff barged out of the doors, huffing and puffing. “She got me fucked up!”
Uncle Ryder grabbed her and held her close until she could calm down. I walked closer to her and asked, “Auntie, what happened? I was outside.”
“That bitch, Shayla, Courtney, her mama, and a few of their cousins came in talking shit to Cassie. They even threatened your lady. I’m sorry, Mekayla. Your first time bringing your baby around the family, and it looks like we just rowdy as fuck.”
Mekayla nodded as Aunt Tiff brought her hands to her face and went to her knees in front of LaTee. Baby girl was hiding behind Mekayla for a moment until she saw Aunt Tiff’s tears. She eased from around Mekayla and gently wiped her cheek.
“Aunt Tiffany is so sorry for scaring you, sweetheart. It’s just… I don’t like bullies, and those people have been bullying us for a long time. It has to stop. I want my family to be free of their foolishness. I really hate you and your mom had to see that.”
“It’s okay, Aunt Tiffany. Are you okay?”
Aunt Tiffany glanced at her swollen hands and closed her eyes briefly. “I’m gonna be just fine, baby. I’m gonna put ice on my hands, and then they’ll be like new. Fighting isn’t always the answer, and I’m sorry I wasn’t a great example of that today.”
“It’s okay.”
Aunt Tiff stood, and she and Uncle Ryder walked around to the front of the diner. I looked over at Mekayla and asked, “What did she say to you?”
“That I must be a simple bitch if I could be with a nigga that was responsible for his girlfriend and baby’s death.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Mekayla?—”
She lifted her hand, halting my response. “I already know she was lying. You already told me everything about that. I was ready to jump in because she don’t know me. People that know me don’t speak to me in that manner, and I wasn’t about to let her do it either. I stood from my seat, ready to get at her, but your Aunt Tiff got between us. When she did, that woman swung and hit her in the face. That’s what led to what you saw.”
“Damn. Where was Cassie?”
“She was coming back from the restroom.”
I pulled Mekayla close to me, then LaTee. “I’m sorry, LaTee. That probably scared you. I’m gonna go back in to get some food for us, and we’ll go back home.”
“I’m not ready to go home, Daddy. Can we go to your house?”
My heart swelled with love as I stooped to her level. “That’s what I meant, baby girl. My house is your house too.”
She smiled and hugged me. I stood back up and kissed Mekayla’s lips. I hoped she was okay and not regretting bringing LaTee out here today. Those fucking people had to be stopped. I gave her my keys to go to my SUV. I went back inside and saw Uncle Kenny doing CPR on that woman. Fuck! I didn’t know who delivered the blow that could have ended it all for her.
Finally, she started breathing, and he and one of his paramedics got her onto the gurney and to the ambulance. Another ambulance had been called as well, because Courtney’s ass was on the floor too. She wasn’t unconscious like Shayla though.
The police had pulled up and was asking my mama and Aunt Chrissy all sorts of questions since they were the owners. The diner was a mess. Our table had been flipped over. I went toward the kitchen, and a cop stopped me by grabbing my arm. I frowned as I turned to him.
“I’m sorry, sir. This is a crime scene. We need everyone to leave out.”
“That’s my mama over there.”
His ass was new. Had to be. I’d never seen him before.
“It’s okay, Randall. He’s family,” another cop said.
He nodded and released me. First of all, he didn’t have to grab my arm to stop me. I gave him a look, letting him know he could have caught hands just now. His ass looked a lil nervous about that shit too. I didn’t interrupt my mama. I just went to the kitchen and packed food for us to eat. I didn’t know if either of them had eaten, but I sure in the hell hadn’t. I was sure to get shrimp and grits for Mekayla, kolaches for LaTee, and boudin and shit for me.
I loaded our to-go boxes in a bag and was heading out when my mama stopped me. “Hey, baby. Are LaTee and Mekayla okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’ll be by when we wrap up this mess.”
“Okay.”
I walked out to see Uncle Jasper talking to my ladies. He was standing outside of Mekayla’s door. When I got close, he said, “Let me holla at’chu.”
I walked away from the SUV and asked, “What’s up, Unc?”
“Jess delivered the blow to that woman’s head that may have taken her out of here. She stomped her. I need you to talk to her. She don’t need to say shit. I know she’ll listen to you and Storm, but he left to get Aspen home. Tiff wants to take the heat since she say it was self-defense. Jess, Cassie, and Chas jumped in. They beat the shit out of that woman.”
Talk about being triggered. I nodded, because all I could think about was my mama taking the rap for killing Joseph instead of Uncle WJ. I had déjà vu like a muthafucka.