13. Voyage Ridley
Chapter 13
Voyage Ridley
“Jovani, this doesn’t look like Orlando, Florida?”
It had been two months since I got my daughter back. I was so obsessed with my girl that I didn’t let her leave my side. We were all headed to a family vacation at Disney when I got a call from my doctor asking me to come in and get checked. Scared the shit out of me too. I let Jovani convince me to let Atlantis fly ahead with Grams, Rainah, Jeovanni, Jonah, Jordan, Rainah’s cousin Ashton, Baela, Ida Mae, Ms. Alisa, Deuce, and Sammi. The twins rented a villa on the Disney property, and I couldn’t wait. We were celebrating Atlantis’s first birthday late since she’d had an emergency surgery on her birthday. Girl scared me to death when she walked up to me one day with her fingers bleeding. The day of Baela’s birthday, three weeks before her own she just got up and started walking. I was elated that I hadn’t missed that milestone. Her walking caused me constant stress though. She’d cut herself on glass trying to grab noodles out of Jovani’s pantry and the cut nearly separated one of her merged fingers. After arguing on the matter, we decided to get the surgery that separated my baby’s limbs. I was on the fence about it because her having the birth defect is the reason why Jovani was able to find her in the first place. Had she been born perfect, no telling where my baby would have been sold off to.
So, we let the family fly ahead while we went to my OBGYN. I wanted to scream when the nurse let us know calling was a mistake and that the twins were fine. Yes, I was pregnant, and yes, it was twins. Identical twins. Jovani claimed he knew all along because twins were all he could make. Jovani put me in a jet apologizing over and over like it was his fault the Doctors made a mistake, and when he gave me some award-winning head while we were thirty thousand miles in the air, I was good. I’d already FaceTimed everyone around Atlantis, and seeing my baby in her cute Minnie swimsuit as she ran through the gorgeous villa had me itching to get to her. That excitement faded when the plane landed, and I noticed this wasn’t Orlando.
The truck we were in the back of slowed, and I saw that we were parked in front of a nice two-story home. I turned to face Jovani, who had his palm on my belly. I was getting big fast and embraced it all. I missed the first eleven months of Atlantis’ life, and although that made me sad, I was ready to get to do that God awful newborn stage. We’d moved in with Jovani at his beach mansion. Since I took a leave from the bookstore, wanting to spend every waking minute with my baby girl, we spent our days at the beach, on Jovani’s boat cruising the waters, dining at the best restaurants Ausnor had to offer, and shopping until our hearts were content. Eventually, I would get back to reading and trying to figure out how to get more black authors on the shelves, and I would probably take the Praxis, too, but right now, that was all on the back burner.
Jovani also sexed me like a starved animal every damn night. I was for sure paying what I weighed in coochie. The good life came with a price; my girl below paid it nightly and sometimes daily.
“Jovani! Why are we not at the Villa? Please, I need to be with Atlantis-”
“Aye.”
Jovani had a voice that made my pussy moist. It was like fucking genie in a bottle. He spoke and I did whatever the fuck he said.
“Hmmh?” My eyes fluttered. I was so ready for Orlando that I wore Minnie biker shorts, a sweatshirt, and matching pink Minnie Crocs. We weren’t going to the first park until tomorrow, but still, I was ready. I knew my feet would be burning by the end of the week since we planned to do five parks, including Universal, and two water parks during our ten-day vacation.
“You trust me?”
“More than anything,” my heart panged as I spoke the truth. I’d fallen so head over heels with this man that it didn’t scare me that I’d gotten pregnant and fell in love with him faster than I did Dutton. With Jovani, I had no worries. I didn’t even know when the last time I saw a bill. He loved my mind, body, and soul. I couldn’t get enough of this man. Rainah and I often bantered over who had the better twin. I did for sure. But that rock on her finger begged to differ. Even though the Bendetti twins shared the same face, they had different personalities. My twin was funny and forever laughing me out the panties. Life was extraordinary, but there were days Jovani and I fought because my daughter wanted to be in his arms instead of mine. They’d formed an unbreakable bond, and while she called him Dada, I was still Yemon drop Bish. We were working on that, though.
“Okay. We still going to Disney. We just had to make a pit stop in Jagoda Bay.
“Jagoda Bay!”
I clutched my chest, thinking about how far I was away from my child. Jovani tugged at my hand, gently placing it in his. I’d bought him a matching Mickie shirt, and even though he fussed, he put it on. Jeovanni clowned us when he got a peek at it on FaceTime, but I thought we looked cute.
“Hey. She’s fine. Girl is good. She is surrounded by muhfuckas that ain’t gone let her out of their sights. You don’t have to worry about that no more,” he kissed my lips.
I liked to be near my daughter because I was afraid that she would be taken from me again. I hadn't had a depressive episode since I got her back. Babies no longer triggered me. My life was perfect. To perfect, but I still had nightmares of the day she was snatched.
Jovani led us out of the truck. There was a Benz parked in the driveway that looked like it needed a wash. I still had my Hyundai, but I also had a Range Rover and a Lamborghini, thanks to my man.
Pushing the door open like he owned the place, I kept my lips shut as Jovani pulled me inside. If my man said to trust him, that’s exactly what I would do. I didn’t get the chance to scope out the interior because I’d stopped dead in my tracks.
“Took you long enough,” Melissa Bendetti said, standing, and for the first time, she wasn’t in high heels. I’d bought her a pair of Crocs to match our theme, and Jovani swore his mother wouldn’t wear them. Here she was, Maleficent ears, Crocs, and a matching silk wrap dress that stopped below the knee. Only my man’s mother could make Crocs look expensive. It was a running joke that Melissa was just as cold as the Disney villain.
“Oh my God!”
Dutton was strapped to a chair with duct tape sealing his lips. Sweat poured from his hairline as tears sprang from his eyes.
“Ma what you do to the nigga?”
Jovani grinned as he hooked an arm around his mother and kissed her forehead. I was glad to see that they’d gotten close. Melissa was intimidating as hell when I first met her. Baela swore she was going to be one of those moms that acted like they were fucking their sons but, that wasn’t the case. She was cool and spoiled her grandkids rotten. She and Ms. Mitchell, though, were like World War III every time they were in the same space.
“He tried to run, so I had to do what I had to do.”
Dutton mumbled to get my attention, but I didn’t look his way. Jovani came back at my side and placed his hands in mine. I kept my attention on him.
“I would take the tape off but, we not trying to hear shit you have to say. You tried to sell my baby for profit instead of getting you some real money like a real nigga. I did my research on you and your fertile dick ass have been busy. That’s your hustle. Getting women pregnant and taking the fucking kid. Jovani lifted his gun, and Dutton tried to break free.
“Baby-”
“All of our heads went in the direction of the voice, and when I saw a pretty girl with swollen lips rubbing her eyes come into the living room, only then did I give Dutton my attention. Von and Jeo had hunted down as many kids as possible and placed them back with their families including Amanda’s. She took her daughter and moved right back to Idaho with her people. Jovani let me know that all of the Human trafficking rings had been shut down, at least the ones he had connections to, but seeing Dutton with a girl let me know he was still in the business of making women mothers and snatching them up.
“Oh hell nawl! This bitch?”
Jovani looked from the girl to his mom, who only shrugged.
“I saw her back there and figured we’d get to her next.”
The girl looked as if she was trying to determine whether she was dreaming or not as she looked at us all.
“Jeovanni?”
“Bitch after all this time you still don’t know us apart?”
“You know her, baby?” I asked now in defense mode.
“Baby?” She frowned.
Her eyes landed on my belly, and it looked like her soul left her body.
“So I had to abort my twins, but she gets to stay pregnant? Who is this basic hoe?”
“Celine shut the fuck up. I see your love and flip flop ass still looking for your next meal ticket. You was mad at my brother for having twins when you don’t even know this nigga was gone get your pregnant steal the baby and dip.”
Jovani’s frown deepened.
“Wait, you got her pregnant with twins?” I was trying to make sense of it all.
“Allegedly, baby. It don’t even matter. They been flushed out and blended like a smoothie.” Jovani bent and kissed my lips.
“And leave yo fucking lips alone. If you insert any more in them bitches they gone pop.”
She rubbed her lips together.
“Wait why are you all dressed in Disney shit? Y’all look a mess and where-”
Zip Zip.
Celine’s body dropped with a thud as Melissa ended her life.
“She screwed both my sons. I couldn’t stand to hear that slut say another word.”
“Y’all shared her?”
“Baby that’s old shit. Back when I was fucking with peasants. I got a Queen now.”
That was enough to put a smile on my face.
“Do you have anything you want to say to him, daughter-in-law? My grandchildren want me to get in the pool with them. It's nearing Girl’s nap time, and I want to catch her as soon as she wakes up.” Melissa smiled.
“She not taking a nap on vacation. The jet still running. Soon as his ass is in hell we outta here.”
Locking eyes with Dutton, the anger, pain, and betrayal I once felt when it came to him had disappeared. I’d found love. I’d found my daughter. I’d found a life I’d been meant to live, where I woke up and went to bed to crystal blue waters and white sand. Dutton had tried to break me, but he’d failed.
Taking a step in front of him, I leaned in so that he could hear me clearly.
“I’m fucking a rich nigga now. And he adopted your daughter,” looking down, his lap was soiled.
“Pissy ass.”
Standing, I gave my man the nod, and he let off his rounds into Dutton’s body.
We left the house, hopped in the truck, and headed to the hangar.
“Aye, I forgot to tell y’all I don’t do roller coasters.”
“So you’ll kill people, but you’re scared of a ride?” I teased.
Melissa bumped his shoulder.
“You’re your mother’s son for sure. I like to keep my feet planted on the ground as well. But for my grandbabies I’ll suck it up.”
When my phone rang, I opened my purse, which I’d left in the truck. Seeing it was a call from Atlantis’ iPad, I nearly broke my finger to answer.
“Hey, pretty girl,” I cooed.
I could only see the top of my baby’s curls. She was still learning to hold the iPad correctly.
“Yemon drop! Bish!”
Melissa and Jovani snickered, and I cut my eyes at them. They’d fucked Atlantis Bendetti up for sure. Potty mouth ass.
The End!
Happy Mother’s Day!!!