Chapter 36 #2
She sighed deeply while rubbing her belly. “I just want everything to be in place before she comes. My husband is amazing with making everything happen for me, but I also don’t want to sit around and do nothing.”
“You’re not just sitting around and doing nothing. You’re doing the biggest job there is right now, Britain. Just let your man handle it. When has he ever led you wrong?”
“Never.”
“Exactly!”
“Ugh,” she groaned. “I hate when I have to tell him he’s right.”
“A little birdie once told me acknowledging that you were wrong keeps your marriage healthy.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, hating that I was using her advice against her. “When the hell did you get so wise?” she jested with a light scoff.
Laughing, I shrugged my shoulders lightly. “Jazzy is all grown up now.”
A smile grew on her face, and she sat up. She cupped her hands around mine while looking me in my eyes. “I’m so proud of the woman you’ve grown into. I met you when all you thought about was money, cars, and bags－”
“Damn! Was I that superficial?!”
“Not blatantly!” she quickly reassured me.
“You were just young, inexperienced, and trying to figure things out on your own instead of following the playbook your brother wanted you to. You stressed us the hell out, girl, but a part of me is happy that you stuck to your guns and always did what you wanted to do. If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have met Ahkeem. ”
When people would say everything happened for a reason, I never paid much attention to it until I thought back to how things played out in my life.
Rebelling and going against Priest sent me on a journey in life that I don’t think I would have ever embarked on had I done what was expected of me.
It didn’t make a lick of sense while my life was going to shit, but it made all the sense in the world now.
“Ahkeem is literally God sent, Brit. I don’t feel like I have to be in survivor mode when I’m with it him… like I can finally breathe.”
“He makes you feel safe. Like you don’t have to think and worry about anything. That’s what happens when you’re being loved correctly. From day one, Ahkeem has shown he’s been about you. That man doesn’t play about you, Jazzy.”
My face heated up, and the fact that I didn’t have on any makeup allowed Britain to see my face tint red. “I know, and that’s why I have to give him a baby.”
Recently, I opened up to Britain about our miscarriage, and she had been guiding me through the heavy emotions I felt from time to time.
She experienced a traumatic loss when she gave birth to her stillborn daughter Dreux before she got with Priest. That pain wasn’t anything to take lightly, but she persevered through it.
“Everything will happen in due time. Don’t rush it. Give your mind, heart, and body time to heal. We were blessed with amazing men who understand and cater to our every need, even if it means pushing their own to the back burner for a little while.”
“Life is going too smoothly. It’s kinda creeping me out.”
She laughed while waving me off. “You’re happy. You deserve it, Jazzlyn. Don’t question it.”
“We’re getting the house down the street too.”
“What?! Really! Oh, I can’t wait to help you decorate!” she excitedly let out before flinging her arms around me.
Her excitement was so damn contagious that I ended up cheering and squealing too. We rocked side to side in our embrace, and once I felt her give me a tight squeeze, my brows bumped together. “Brit… you alright?”
“Mhm.” She nodded her head. “Jazzy?”
“Yeah.”
“My water just broke,” she nervously eased out, prompting my eyes to widen before a loud gasp aired out of me.
“Britain, stop playing!”
“I’m serious!” she replied before getting up from the couch. Lo and behold, there was a wet spot on their expensive-ass couch. “Look at my couch! We might as well burn it ‘cause nothing is gonna get that out!”
I grabbed her shoulders, fixing her attention back onto me so she wouldn’t end up spiraling about the couch. “Screw the damn couch, Britain! You’re about to have a baby!”
“The hell going on?” Priest and Akeem emerged from the man cave with concerned looks on their faces.
We both had our eyes wide as we looked back at them. “P, my water just broke,” she told him, which caused his and Ahkeem’s eyes to widen as well.
“You deadass?” Priest rushed to her side and set his hands on her rounded belly.
She nodded vigorously while looking up at him. Once he got confirmation that it wasn’t a false alarm, a wide ear to ear smile panned onto his face.
“Baby girl said fuck that due date, she comes on her own time,” Priest chuckled before dropping down to kiss her stomach. “I’m ‘bout to be a girl dad!”
“Get her to the fucking hospital before she has my niece in this living room!” Ahkeem panicked while pacing the floor.
I busted out laughing because my husband was in more distress than Britain. He was usually so chill, but the thought of Britain giving birth had him about to shit himself.
“Keemy, calm down. I’m fine.”
“You sure? I ain’t never been around nobody giving birth.”
“Son, she’s good,” Priest laughed. “Jazzy, take her upstairs to get changed. I’m ‘bout to go pack the car.”
I okayed him before taking Britain’s hand to lead her upstairs. “Aye, what y’all need me to do?!” Ahkeem called out behind us from the living room.
“Sit your ass down somewhere before you pass the fuck out!” Priest ordered him.
“Bet! I’m just gone stay down here!” My poor husband didn’t know what to do with himself. I could only imagine how he was going to act when I went into labor.
“You scared?” I asked Britain as I helped her slip on her Ugg slippers.
She shook her head. “Just nervous and stressed the hell out. The nursery isn’t even put together yet. I waited until the last minute. Now look.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. Ahk and I will stay back to finish everything you haven’t yet. Just worry about bringing Eden in safely and peacefully,” I talked her down before she worked herself up.
“Thank you so much, Jazzy.”
I helped her waddle down the stairs while Priest was hauling their pre-packed hospital bags and baby bag into the car.
I could see Priest had some nerves. Overall, though, he was excited and ready to meet his baby girl.
He aided her with getting into the car and made sure she was comfortable before kissing her lips.
“Ready to have my baby again?”
Eagerly, she nodded her head. “Ready! I love you, P.”
“I love you too, Gioia.”
“Y’all steady wasting time. Eden could slip out any second!” Ahkeem hollered in the driveway.
Britain held her belly as she laughed uncontrollably at him. “I told you I’m fine. I’m not even contracting yet.” She wiped her tears.
Ahkeem and I hugged her before shutting her door. “Be safe. You got this, Big Mama.”
“Remy is picking Genesis up from school today to keep him for the weekend, so don’t worry about picking him up.
Do me a favor and make sure them furniture people put my daughter shit together right.
If my baby fall through her crib, I’m gone hunt them motherfuckas down and break my foot off in they asses,” Priest said to us with a serious look in his eye.
“We got you, bro. Go have your baby.” Ahk dapped him up before they shared a brotherly hug.
“‘Preciate it. Aye, Gioia, what’s that shit you be saying? Sprinkling baby dust?”
“You mean you’re sprinkling baby dust on them so they will be next,” she giggled from the front seat while chomping down on the snacks she packed in her hospital bag.
“Yeah, what my wife said.”
Ahk and I laughed, thanking him before they pulled off in the direction of the hospital. Not even a couple minutes later, both of our phones chimed with a text from the family group chat.
Brit-Brat: Guess who water broke on a random Friday two weeks before her due date? This girl! We’re having a baby! P and I are off to the hospital. We will be sure to let everyone know when little miss Eden makes her grand arrival.
“She couldn’t wait to send that text,” Ahk chuckled.
“She really couldn’t.”
After all the furniture and crib were set up in Eden’s room, Ahkeem and I thanked the builders, and he walked them out. When he returned to the nursery, I was hanging up all the clothes Brit got Eden on the cute little pink hangers. Ahkeem joined and helped me.
“Can I be honest with you?” He broke the comfortable silence we were having.
I nodded, encouraging him to go on. “I want what PJ is having right now. With Saphir, I wasn’t there because Brooke and I had a complicated situation.
Although we weren’t together, I would have loved going to the doctor’s appointments, helping her through labor, hell.
.. even taking them cheesy-ass maternity pics so Blue could look back on them. ”
I giggled lightly as my eyes gravitated to Brit and Priest’s maternity photos that were mounted up on the wall of the nursery. They were breathtaking; however, Priest’s mean ass was smiling like it hurt. I just knew Britain got on his case and forced him to smile.
“I’m saying all that to say, I hope we on the same page still. I wanna give you enough time to get back to yourself and pursue your dreams, but I don’t wanna lose sight of the picture we’re painting together. At the end of the day—for me—this the goal.” He gestured around the nursery.
I hung up the last set of baby clothes I had in my hand before wrapping my arms around his neck.
“It’s the goal for me too, baby. I know I wasn’t aligning with everything we planned together in the beginning, but that was because I was running off fear.
I’m not telling you I want a baby just to appease you or for your forgiveness after the abortion.
I genuinely want to have your children, Ahkeem.
You’re the love of my life. I wish every day that we didn’t lose our baby from the crash and kidnapping.
I was ready, and things would have been perfect. ”
My eyes scorched, and tears were threatening to fall.
I always tried to keep it together when talking about my miscarriage, but whenever I had the conversation with Ahkeem, I just couldn’t help but feel extra vulnerable.
Everything was perfect. I had finally come to terms with what I wanted.
Ahkeem forgave me for the abortion I had years ago.
We discussed plans for the future, and I decided to take a step back from Club Reign.
Everything was falling in line. Then we got hit with a fucking curveball.
Although Giselle and now Silas were dead, the thought of them caused a level of hatred to surge within me, a level I didn’t think was even possible. I lost more than my fucking car that was totaled on the road. Ahkeem and I lost our baby, and that hurt me to my core.
“We still got time to get things right.” He wiped my tears before pecking my lips. “They sprinkled their baby dust on us. We up next, Lovey.”
He always sought an opportunity to be lighthearted whenever conversations got heavy because he knew I didn’t like getting in my feelings too much. I dapped him up with a laugh. “We up next, baby!”