Page 82 of Buy Back My Love

“Nigga, please.”

“Mommy? Daddy?”

Both of us shut up at the sound of JJ’s voice. I checked the rearview mirror again and found him watching us.

“Don’t fight.”

Hannah turned around first. “We not fighting, baby.”

“Yes y’all is.”

I almost laughed, even though none of this shit was funny. “We done, lil’ man. Ain’t nobody fighting.”

He stared at me like he ain’t believe my ass, and I couldn’t even blame him. I kept my mouth shut after that, and Hannah did the same. Every couple seconds, I checked the mirror and caught JJ staring out the window, sniffling every now and then. I ain’t want him hearing no more of our shit. He had already seen enough for one day.

After a while, JJ’s eyes started getting heavy, and once he settled against the side of his car seat, Hannah finally spoke again.

“So what now?”

I kept my eyes on the road. “What you mean?”

“She know now. Ain’t no more hiding me or my kids. So what now?”

“I gotta talk to Lee.”

Hannah gave a short laugh and looked out the window. “Of course you do.”

“We got fifteen years, Hannah.”

She looked at me for a second before turning toward the window, and that was the end of the conversation.

When I pulled up to the house, JJ was damn near asleep in the back seat. Hannah got out, opened his door, and unbuckled him. He reached for her, and she picked him up, settling his head against her shoulder while I stayed behind the wheel.

She made it a few steps toward the house before stopping and looking back at me. “You coming in?”

“Nah.”

“Where you going?”

I glanced down at my phone. “I’m finna make sure Lee ain’t got that nigga in my fucking house.”

Hannah stood there staring at me for a second. “JB.”

“What?”

“Don’t go over there doing no stupid shit.”

I looked at her, but she wasn’t backing down.

“I’m serious.” She shifted JJ higher on her hip. “You already reached for that gun once today. You got kids to think about.”

My jaw tightened. “I ain’t finna do shit.”

“That’s what niggas always say right before they do some stupid shit.”

“Hannah, I said I got it.”

She kept watching me like she ain’t believe a word coming out my mouth. “Whatever, JB. Just remember you got people depending on your ass.”