Chapter 61
The next morning, I was fifteen minutes early to meet Ms. Betty. She strolled in five minutes past ten, and I was instantly on edge.
"Good morning, Gianna," she greeted me softly taking her seat.
"Morning, Ms. Betty." I gave her a warm smile.
The waitress came over to take our drink orders before we resumed.
"How are you?" she asked looking into my eyes.
"I've been better," I admitted.
She nodded slowly. "Yeah—I'm sure."
I took a deep breath. "Ms. Betty, I just want to apologize for what happened last time. That whole situation was out of my control, and I feel horrible you had to see that."
"It's not your fault, sweetie.''
The gentleness in her voice relaxed me slightly. For a few minutes, our conversation stayed light. Safer. She asked about the move, and I told her the movers Remy hired had been amazing.
She shook her head knowingly. "My baby is always trying to take care of everybody."
"Yeah," I smiled softly looking down at my coffee. "He really does."
Silence settled for a moment before she finally set her fork down. "Gianna…" she said gently. "Can I be honest with you?"
My stomach knotted instantly. "Of course."
She nodded slowly gathering her thoughts. "I judged you too quickly before. I think as a mother…I panicked." Her eyes held mine sincerely. "But seeing you with Remy and the way Melo gushes about you…" she smiled faintly. "I understand now."
Emotion flickered across my face.
"He loves you," she continued softly. "And maybe more importantly…my grandson loves you too."
My throat tightened. "I love them too," I said earnestly. "I only want to do what's best for them, Ms. Betty."
"I know you do." She nodded. "That's what makes this so hard."
The warmth I had started to feel slowly faded.
Ms. Betty folded her hands together on the table. "When Remy came to pick up Melo yesterday…" her eyes lowered briefly. "Seeing my son bruised up like that shook me."
I swallowed hard.
"And then seeing Melo scared?" She shook her head slowly. "That really hurt my heart."
Guilt immediately tarted creeping in.
"I know Remy." She looked back at me. "That boy loves hard. Always has. And when he loves somebody, he'll put himself on the line for them without even thinking twice."
Every word felt heavier than the last. "Ms. Betty—" I began.
"Let me finish, baby."
I nodded quietly.
She reached across the table, gently covering my hand with hers. "I'm not blaming you for any of this. I truly hope you know that." Her voice softened further. "But I can already see where this is heading if things keep escalating."
My heartbeat quickened.
She continued, "He has a son depending on him. A business. A life he has worked very hard for." Her eyes searched mine carefully. "And I think Remy would risk every bit of it for you if it came down to it."
Tears instantly burned behind my eyes.
"That scares me, Gianna," her voice shook. "Because I don't think he'd even hesitate."
The tears that were burning behind my eyes finally fell. I brushed them away quickly with my free hand.
Ms. Betty patted my hand gently. "You know…you remind me of her in some ways."
"Kendrix?" I asked softly.
She nodded. A distant look crossed her face. "Yeah—that woman—" she let out a soft breath and smiled sadly to herself. "She was beautiful, just like you. Warm. Kind. Loving. Had this little feisty attitude too." She chuckled quietly. "Melo gets that from her."
A watery smile broke free on my face. "She sounds amazing."
"Oh, she was." Ms. Betty nodded. "I loved her dearly.
We all did." She finally removed her hand off mine to pick up a napkin and dab the water underneath her eyes before continuing.
"When she died…" her voice softened painfully, "I watched a piece of my son die with her.
A young father with this beautiful new baby.
Trying to navigate grief, parenthood, and a new business.
He tried his best to smile and put up a good front for us.
" Her eyes lowered briefly. "But that sadness in his eyes…
he couldn't hide that." Her voice cracked as her eyes came back to mine.
"I lost my son for a long time, Gianna."
That line settled heavy between us. Raw and heavy. And before I could even process it fully, she reached for my hands again.
"I'm just now getting my baby back." Tears brimmed in her eyes openly now. "Please…don't let me lose him again. Do you understand?"
Oh God…
My bottom lip trembled and the knot in my throat grew so big I could barely swallow. I understood all too well. Looking at this woman with tears brimming in her eyes, fear in her voice and looking at me like I was the only solution to fix this…
Yeah—I understood.
I swallowed hard, sniffling while trying not to let my emotions overwhelm me. Inhaling sharply, I nodded slowly. "I understand, Ms. Betty." I replied, voice shaky. "You won't lose your son. I'll fix this."
Relief washed across her face instantly. She reached out at grabbed my hands again, tears spilling. "Bless you, Gianna."
Those words broke my heart even more.