AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She exhales, pushing her hair behind her ear. “Okay, umm, I just wanted to apologize about what I said that day.”
“What did you say?”
Even though I know exactly what she said, I was going to make sure she repeated it. She didn’t get to give me some half ass apology. It doesn’t matter that I already know this apology is bullshit. She wants something. It’s the only reason she’s here.
She shifts her weight and glances over my head before looking back at me. “I shouldn’t have said you were jealous. It’s obvious you’re not.”
“Very damn obvious,” Trina adds.
Raina bites down on her bottom lip. What is obvious is that Raina is definitely here on some groveling shit. Because there is no way she’s not responding back to Trina, those two have never gotten along.
“Anyway,” Raina says clearing her throat. “We’re having a birthday party for MJ this weekend and we’re hoping you and Gabe will come.”
I look at Trina, and she’s staring at me. Without saying a word, I relay to her how odd this is. And her silent response is that she doesn’t trust them.
Turning back to Raina, I plant a smile on my face. “Okay. Text me the details.”
She smiles for the first time since popping up. “Great, I’ll see you then. Oh and ummm, congratulations.” She says the last part as an afterthought before scurrying away.
As soon as Raina is out of sight, Trina turns to me with her arms folded over her chest.
“You know they want something right? That bad ass boy has had five fucking birthdays and they’ve never invited G.”
She’s not lying. Usually, mom makes up an excuse about it being too ‘loud’ for Gabe to come to the party. So why suddenly do they want him there?
“Yeah, I smell BS too. But, I won’t lie, I’m kind of interested in what they want.”
“Most likely money. Since I won’t be in the country, thankfully you’ll have baby daddy there with you incase shit pops off.” She turns her attention to Gabriel. “You got her back, right?”
I turn in time to see him dip his chin.
“Good,” she says. “Because I don’t trust them.”
Neither did I. However, a curious part of me really wanted to see what they wanted. The other part of me was still hoping that maybe I’m wrong. Maybe, after our time apart they genuinely wanted Gabe around again.
The only way to know for sure is to go to the birthday party.
***
We parted ways with Trina and James. By now they were probably on their flight to Dubai.
Instead of sitting at some loud busy restaurant, I opted for a more intimate graduation dinner. We were having a picnic at the park. Gabe got his Chick-fil-A and Gabriel and I got barria tacos from a shop not too far from the park.
I was lying on the blanket, belly full, feeling absolutely happy. Gabriel was sitting behind me rubbing his arms up and down my thighs as we watched Gabriel blow bubbles with his bubble wand.
“Are you happy?” His hand stills on my thigh at my question.
I know it came out of the blue, but I was just wondering if he felt the same way I was feeling. This moment, here with him and my baby boy was the purest form of happiness.
“I never thought about happiness before,” he says.
Tilting my head, I look up at him. He’s squinting as he stares off in the distance.
“Were you never happy with your brothers and Priest?”
“Yes,” He answers quickly. “I was happy with them. Although I spent much of my childhood waiting for the happiness to end. I was convinced that it wouldn’t last. I knew at some point the happiness was going to be taken away from me. It usually was. Because I was always on guard, I didn’t learn to appreciate those times until we were much older.”
“And now?” I sit up between his legs turning my body slightly to face him better. “Are you happy?”
