REASON
My life changed in a matter of months. If anybody had told me my high school sweetheart would show back up in my life with a daughter I never knew I had and was pregnant with our son, I would’ve told them, “Yeah, aight. A miracle like that only exists in a make-believe world.” However, I would’ve been proven wrong.
Everything not meant for me was phased out so there would be room for the miracles I didn’t see coming.
Another thing that brought me happiness these days was getting to know Rhema and seeing how she was the perfect mix of her mother and me.
She was beautiful, intelligent, kind, and ambitious, even at a young age.
Ember had done a phenomenal job raising our daughter, and I made sure she knew it every chance I got.
I wanted Rhema tied to me in every way possible, so changing her last name to mine was one of the first things I did.
It was usually a three-month process, but with my connections, I had that time cut in half.
I wanted it done before I proposed to her mother, and that’s what I made happen.
The gender reveal started off as the worst day of my life and quickly turned into the best day of my life when I saw Ember.
My Em Baby had finally found her way back to me.
After the shock wore off, I saw she was in danger when she almost fainted, and I sprinted toward her.
It didn’t matter that I hadn’t seen her in years.
Protective mode kicked right back in when our eyes connected.
Finding out all the shit Saje was up to hit me hard, because I never thought she’d be the one to do me foul like that.
That bitch was living multiple double lives and playing like she was a good wife.
Thank God, she hadn’t given me any diseases.
If none of her secrets had been exposed, I can’t imagine how it would’ve been if I had brought my son around her.
Especially after hearing how much she really didn’t want him.
Honestly, if things had gone another route, I probably would’ve ended up killing that bird.
Not only did Saje’s messed-up ways fuck with me, but imagine how I felt when I heard about Basheer.
Many times, I’d vented to the nigga about wanting kids with Saje, and the whole muthafuckin’ time, the busta already had a child with the woman I married.
That threw me way off because that was my dawg, my bro, and one of the only people I trusted with my business.
When I threw his ass in the ocean, I really didn’t give a fuck if he was alive or had crossed over to the afterlife.
Our friendship was dead, so Basheer was no longer my concern.
There was a reason I never had a baby with Saje. All along, my path was leading me right back to the woman who was made for me.
I filed for divorce the day after the gender reveal.
I would never have to worry about seeing Saje’s hoe-ass again because we were leaving this marriage with no ties.
Nothing would get in the way of Ember and me building our lives together.
I didn’t understand it in the moment why everything had happened the way it did, but now I realize it was nothing but a blessing in disguise.
I didn’t care that I was technically still married, but separated, and now engaged to someone new.
There was no doubt Ember was the woman I wanted to be married to for the rest of my life.
I knew it when we were teenagers, and I know it now.
She was for me, and I was for her. And if she hadn’t walked away back then, it was guaranteed that Saje would’ve never existed in my life.
Days after my unexpected reunion, I got some business affairs squared away with UTN and was on my way back to LA, my home, with Ember and Rhema. I had a team of people who would run the network in Miami, and I’d do my part from LA, but, for now, my focus was on my family.
I swaggered into the laundry room and went straight to hug my mama. She was loading the washer with detergent and our white clothes.
“Mama, Ember and I appreciate you washing our clothes, but you know I would’ve done it.”
She stopped loading the machine and looked at me. “Son, stop talking that nonsense. You know I don’t mind. Anything I can do to make you and Ember’s life easier, I’ll do in a heartbeat.”
“I believe you, Ma.”
I took a moment to process her words. Seeing her in this element was new, but it came naturally to her.
How present she was now compared to when I was with Saje was night and day, and it turned out she had good reason to stay away.
It seemed like this was the role she’d been waiting to fulfill her whole life.
When we left Miami, Mama and Doc packed up their things two weeks later and headed to Los Angeles too. The timing was perfect because Doc was retired now and had been talking about them starting a new life somewhere else.
“Reason, I know I’ve told you this before, but I’m so proud of you.
” She finished putting the rest of the clothes in the machine, closed the washer door, then turned her attention back to me.
“I always knew you were going to do great things in life, but the heights you’ve reached bring tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. Your father would be so proud.”
“Thank you, Mama.”
“That’s not all I wanted to say, son.” She reached over and took my hand. “Years ago, your father and I witnessed something that broke our hearts deeply. Seeing you so broken after your breakup with Ember took a toll on all of us.”
I blinked rapidly to control my emotions.
My mama was taking me back to a time I forced myself to climb out of.
It was a period when I let myself feel everything.
That young love, as everybody called it, had felt like a forever type of love, and it had been snatched out of my life.
No one knew my heart like I did, so what they said didn’t matter.
I couldn’t understand then why Ember didn’t want me anymore, and I never got my answers until now.
Mama squeezed my hand. “I watched you write endless letters to Ember, only for them to get returned to you. But you never gave up. I commend you for persevering through the heartbreak.”
“You don’t know this, but night after night, and every morning, I got on my knees and prayed for you.
I asked God to heal your heart, mind, and soul, and to guide you through a life that would be filled with constant disappointments.
I also prayed for Ember, because even though y’all were young then, I saw how she made you better.
Son, I knew all along Ember was the woman for you.
She’s the woman you deserve, and you’re the man she deserves.
“Throughout the years, I talked to God and told Him that if it was His will, you two would find your way back into each other’s lives.
It might not have happened when you wanted it to, but it happened when it was time.
You two needed to go through your own lessons and tribulations before coming back together.
Now that all that extra baggage is gone for good, you and her can live your lives together with my beautiful and handsome grandbabies. ”
Mama smiled with tears in her eyes.
“I’m a proud mama and grandmother. Thank you, Reason.”
“You’re the best, Ma. I love you.”
“I love you, too, so very much.”
I leaned down and held her for a while.
“Aight, Ma. I’ll let you be while I go check on Rhema.”
She lightly patted my back. “Sounds good. I’m going to finish up here and go relax with Ember and Baby Ramiro.”
Man, life felt good as fuck.
I left and made my way to our backyard toward the mini mansion we called a she-shed.
It was a surprise gift for Rhema’s birthday.
This was my baby’s safe space, where she did all her jewelry making.
After it was built, I bought every jewelry-making supply and material she would need to create.
The look on her face when she saw it was priceless, and I captured her expression on my camera, got it printed, and now it was hanging in my office right next to photos of her brother, her mother, and our family pictures.
I knocked on her door before stepping inside.
The first thing that caught my attention was the lighted glass display where she hung all her completed pieces.
My daughter was so talented, and I could see Rhema turning this into a career one day.
All she had to say was, “Daddy, this is my passion,” and I would have every top jewelry maker across the country mentor my baby.
The world was hers, and she didn’t even know it yet.
“Heyyy, Daddy!” she beamed.
I would never get tired of hearing her call me that. Some days, it even made me tear up. “Hey, my baby,” I finally greeted.
She placed her tool and a piece of wire on the table, then gave me her undivided attention as I sat down next to her.
“What are you making?”
“I’m creating a bracelet collection for men, inspired by you.” Rhema had the brightest smile on her face.
I didn’t expect to hear her say that. Since Ember and my children were in my life, a nigga found himself getting a little sensitive. I admit my family made me feel safe in a vulnerable way. “Thank you, Rhe. I can’t wait to tell the world about my baby’s collection. You ready to sell out?”
“Yesss,” she squealed with excitement and leaned her head on my shoulder. “Daddy?”
“Yeah?”
“Mommy, Ramiro, and I are so lucky to have you.”
Gahdammit, that did it. I rubbed my eyes and tried to wipe away the tears I felt brewing.
“I’m lucky to have y’all too.”
“And I’m happy Shane is out of our lives, too. I couldn’t stand him.”
Hearing another man’s name piqued my interest. I didn’t remember Ember mentioning that name. “Who is Shane, and why can’t you stand him?”
Rhema lifted her head and gave me a look like maybe she had said too much.
“It’s okay. You can tell me.”
“Shane is Momma’s ex-boyfriend.”
That immediately angered me. I had a whole-ass wife while we weren’t together, but I couldn’t handle knowing my Em Baby gave another nigga her time while we were apart.
“What was wrong with him?” I asked, trying to act like hearing about Ember having an ex-boyfriend didn’t bother me.
“Daddy, he was creepy.”
My heart raced as a muscle jumped in my jaw. “Why? Did he hurt you?”
Whoever the fuck Shane was, he was gonna be a dead muthafucka if my daughter said this nigga did anything to her. Rhema was quiet, like she didn’t want to answer my question. I wasn’t leaving until I got to the bottom of why the fuck my daughter said that pussy nigga was a creep.
“Rhema.”
“Please don’t get mad.”
Too late. My blood was already boiling, and I hadn’t heard what happened yet. “Go ’head, baby.”
“Mommy said Shane was staring at me one night while I was getting dressed.”
I fought hard to remain calm in front of her, but I was on fucking fire, ready to find that nigga and murk his bitch ass. I didn’t want to lash out in front of Rhema and make her think she couldn’t talk to me about anything.
She continued. “Daddy, I thought Momma was going to hurt Shane. She went crazy and kicked him out.”
I was happy to know that Ember didn’t stay with that sick muthafucka after that happened.
“Did he do anything else?” I asked, my breathing stopped after I asked that question, scared of what her response might be.
He had already crossed the line by looking at my daughter inappropriately, but I wanted to know everything, because that fuck boy was fasho going to pay when I found out who he was and got my hands on him.
“No,” she said, and I believed her.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
All kinds of emotions ran through me, but the one that stood out the most was guilt. I felt bad that I wasn’t there to protect them from niggas like that. If I had kept trying to find Ember, no one else would have had the chance to get near her or Rhema and do no shit like this.
“Baby, I’ll be right back.”
“You’re not mad at me, right?”
“Of course not, Rhe. You didn’t do anything wrong. If anyone ever does anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, I need you to come straight to me, okay?”
She nodded.
“Promise me.”
“I promise.”
I kissed her forehead and stepped out, ready to fuck a nigga up.
After retrieving my phone from my pocket, I placed a call to one of the guys from my old crew that I used to roll with in LA.
“Reason St. Pierre,” Lenny answered.
“What’s good, Len?”
“Over here lookin’ through a case file. You?”
I lowered my voice. “I need you and Dell to find someone for me ASAP. The nigga did some shit, and now he gotta see me.”
Lenny and Dell were brothers who went from hood rascals to the hood’s biggest detectives.
In a low tone, Lenny asked, “Do you need us to handle it?”
I knew exactly what he meant. Without any questions, the brothers would be ready to ride for old times’ sake. If I gave them the word, their roles on the force didn’t mean shit. The uniform would be off, and street justice would take over.
“Nah, I got this one.”
“You got his full government?”
I paced back and forth on my well-mowed lawn. “Not yet, only a first name, but I’ll work on getting a last name when I get off the phone.”
“We got you, bro. Just keep me posted.”
I ended the call with Lenny and stepped back inside Rhema’s she-shed. She was back at work, cutting more wire.
“Rhe, do you know Shane’s last name?”
“Um…” She thought about it for a while before saying, “I think I heard Momma call him Shane Hawkins one day.”
I instantly pulled out my phone again and sent the name to Lenny. Once he confirmed that it was received, I put my cell away and pulled Rhema in for a hug.
“Rhe, I’d do anything for you, Momma, and Ramiro. I promise to never let a soul hurt y’all. I love you so much.”
She wrapped her little arms around me tighter. “I love you too, Daddy.”