Chapter 18 Jamaica #2
“I know that.” I wiped my eyes angrily. “I want to bring Jamie home to him. That’s his son, and he doesn’t need to worry if he’s okay because he’ll be in the next room.”
Tears fell down Peace’s face. “Kody won’t allow it.”
“I don’t care what he wants. That’s my baby. I have the final say, and I’m bringing his son to him. We took fatherhood away from that man all these years, and I’m not taking anything else from him.”
“Then let me bring Jamie. It’s my fault he thought he had a chance with you when his focus should’ve only been on Jamie.
I can’t let you hurt my brother anymore, and he’s weak for you.
Don’t you see that? When he loves hard, he loves too damn hard.
Sacrificing himself and his feelings for everybody but himself, and I won’t let you hurt him anymore. ”
“Peace.” I pleaded and grabbed his forearms. “I need to be the one to bring his son to him. It needs to be me. I could’ve fought harder to make sure he knew he had a son, and I let my judgment of his past behavior interfere with what I know is true about him now.”
His chest heaved up and down, and tears ran like streams over his high cheekbones.
“It was true then. Anything he ever did wrong was to feed us and take care of us. Decided he would do it the right way when he fell for you and worked his ass off. And my actions negated everything positive he’d done that year.
I broke into the house of those people, and instead of owning up, I hid like a little bitch and let my brother take the charge.
The confusion and fear on his face when the police busted through our doors and practically lifted him off his feet, though he was already standing with his arms raised.
My father was yelling at the cops, demanding to know why his son was being arrested, and they hauled him away without saying why.
I knew it was for me. And I did nothing.
Even when I confessed to him while he waited in that courtroom, my brother stood proud and stated that he was guilty, knowing he could get up to fifteen years. ”
“Oh, no…fifteen years?” Freedom, selflessly, was willing to give up fifteen years of his life to protect his little brother.
And I treated him as if Kody were the better man.
He chuckled quietly. “Maybe my mother knew when she named him ‘Freedom’ that he would never conform to what anyone expected of him and would always do exactly whatever he thought he needed to do. Can’t be any freer than that.”
My phone buzzed. Without looking, I knew it was Kody.
“Give me his address, please. We can’t change the past, but we can do better by him now. He needs to see his son. He needs to see me so he knows that I finally see him.” I had to get to him tonight. I couldn’t wait to touch him.
Peace wiped his cheeks with the end of his shirt. “I’ll text it to you.”
I slid under his arms and hugged him tight. “I won’t hurt him anymore.”
He resignedly nodded, and as I hurried back through the sliding doors, Peace yelled, “You might want to ask Kody where he was the night of the invasion.”
My shoulders dropped even lower.
My father and Kody were in the room, flanking Jamie’s bed.
My father stared at the TV watching a basketball game.
Kody was on his phone. Jamie’s eyes were closed, though I sensed he was awake.
He loved these two men. Jamie just vibed more with his other family, and he needed to be around comfort, not just family he loved and respected.
I stepped into the room and beckoned Kody to step outside. My father frowned but remained silent.
Once we were alone and out of the earshot of most people, which was hard in a busy ER in Dallas, I said, “When are they going to discharge him?”
“That’s why I was calling you. Maybe in the next hour. Mom said KJ can spend the night with her and she’ll drive him to school tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
He studied my face. “You’ve been crying, why?”
I shook my head vehemently. “Not right now. I’m going to bring Jamie to his father instead of home when they discharge him.”
Kody’s face reddened. “The fuck you will.”
“Yes, I will. He deserves to be around Jamie, especially now.” I pointed in the direction of Jamie’s hospital room. “You heard my father. He admitted that he lied. He asked us if we’d told Freedom when he allegedly told him years ago. So, is it you who lied or him?”
He seethed, though he answered, “Your father lied to me. I honestly thought Freedom knew and didn’t want Jamie.
I only reached out to Free to see if he had any jobs we could do for him because we needed the money, and I assumed he would help because we were once friends. I didn’t expect this shit storm.”
I shook my head slowly. “We were so wrong, keeping Freedom’s baby from him. It doesn’t matter if he would or wouldn’t have become a big star. Or if my father questioned his worthiness. Freedom deserved to know about his son, and we’re still keeping Jamie from him.”
“Jamie is coming home with us. Freedom can visit him at our house tomorrow. I’ve allowed you too many liberties with Freedom, and that ends now.” He hissed.
“What if I had KJ for fourteen years and you didn’t know. How would you feel? Stop letting your ego or whatever hatred you feel for him get in the way of what you know is right,” I reasoned.
“The fact that I didn’t make a fuss when you went to Nashville with Jamie, or that Jamie can call and visit his father anytime, that is me showing empathy when the man fucked my wife.
” He moved closer to me. “Am I supposed to forget that? This man will be a part of our lives forever. I have no connections with any of the women I’ve dealt with. It’s just you and me now.”
“For how long, Kody? How long is your self-imposed fidelity going to last? You say it like you’re making the ultimate sacrifice for me, when faithfulness in a relationship should be a given.
You’ve been fucking over me since we were dating.
I’ll give you credit for the first six years of our marriage, you were faithful to me, and I allowed myself to fully trust and love you. Then I guess you got bored.”
My phone buzzed again, and I looked at the text from Jamie.
They ready to discharge me.
I pocketed my phone. “I’m too exhausted to argue with another person.
I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell my father that Jamie and I are going to Freedom’s tonight.
I won’t be able to sleep if I can’t keep an eye on Jamie.
I’ll be back in the morning. If Jamie wants to stay there to rest and Freedom can watch him, he’ll stay.
Otherwise, we’ll both be home in the morning. ”
“Go to him, and we’re done.” He jabbed his finger in my face.
“If you’re not ready to tell me where you were the night that Peace broke into that home, I suggest you keep your ultimatums to yourself.” I walked away from him and headed back to the hospital room.