“Then why did you have her in your car?” Joi narrowed her eyes at him and East groaned.
“I didn’t have her in anything. Vega got out, she got in. She wanted to inform me she was carrying a baby that wasn’t mine?—"
“Why?”
“Because her stupid ass thought I would care, shit I don’t fucking know.”
“Do you?” Joi peered at him hard and East groaned again before he shook his head, gripped her chin again, and kissed her.
“Come on? My mom’s waiting on us.”
“You didn’t answer me.” Joi glared at East who only chuckled and stepped back giving her space to move.
“And I’m not going to because you know the answer already. Now come the fuck on so we can go. We need to get this done so we can pack.”
As much as Joi wanted to protest, she wasn’t worried about Nae and she was excited about flying to Miami with East, Vega, and Nyelle. So her only response was to roll her eyes as he rounded his car. After they were both inside, East pulled off, using one hand to steer his car while the other protectively rested on Joi’s thigh. She was his new normal and East had no complaints about any of it.
The pitiful lookthat Priscilla delivered to her son had her chest tight. She knew there were no right words to express how disappointed her firstborn was because of the lie she kept all these years. Grateful for the cheerful laughter of her daughter’s high pitched voice from the living room, Priscilla glanced in that direction briefly but long enough for her to witness Joi sittingon her knees while Kelsey circled her, draping a hot-pink feather boa around her shoulders.
“She’s good for you, Eastland.” Accepting his mother’s distraction, East glanced at the two and chuckled. Joi seemed to be right in her element, unbothered by the excessive style of dress up his baby sister had her engaged in. His eyes left the scene and landed on his mother again. The two were at the kitchen table. The same spot where they’d sat months ago when she returned from her in-house treatment.
“Why did you marry him after he…” The muscles in East’s face, shoulders, and back all tensed when he paused at the thought. His eyes turned dark before he continued. “That shit doesn’t make sense, Ma.”
“I didn’t have a choice. I was nineteen years old and pregnant.”
“By a man who fucking raped you,” East gritted, thinking about how he was conceived.
“And my parents didn’t care. All my father cared about was his image and my mother only cared about pleasing him. You think I wanted to be in that position? They made me and he promised to take care of me. They believed him.”
“Did he?” East glanced at her, searching for answers that his falsified childhood didn’t provide. Nothing seemed real to him anymore, but a lot of his life was beginning to make sense, like why he never met his grandparents or why his mother never talked about them.
“In some ways, yes, but in a lot of ways, no. He’s the reason I’m like this, but in his eyes, he didn’t do anything wrong. I was his girlfriend and he wanted sex. When I said no, he didn’t care. It was like that for years after, but we were married and I was his wife, so he expected it. When I finally broke, he blamed me and left.”
East processed what she was saying, and another round of anger pushed through him. “You didn’t have to put up with that shit. You didn’t have to stay.”
Priscilla shook her head and laughed sarcastically. “And what was I supposed to do? I didn’t have anything but him. It wasn’t about me. I had to think about you. I was already ruined. I wanted you to at least have a normal life. Your father loved you, even if he hated me.”
East gritted his teeth again. “He’s a gotdamn rapist. That’s how I got here. That shit isn’t love, Ma, fuck that.” East’s tone was low but harsh, causing his mother’s chest to tighten.
“He loved you, baby. Regardless of how you got here. You are loved.” Priscilla placed her hand on her son’s arm, and when their eyes met, hers were pleading while his were filled with anger.
“I don’t blame you but don’t you ever in your fucking life fix your face to defend him to me. I can accept a lot of things, but not that.”
Nodding, she agreed and East inhaled, releasing it slow. “Ma, I love you. I just need you to be okay. Let that shit go. Be honest and let them really help you this time. I can’t think straight if I’m worried about you and Kelsey. Promise me that you’re gonna think about that.”
“I am and I also promise you that I’m gonna be okay. I just need some time to figure things out. Don’t give up on me.”
East smirked and closed his eyes before he leaned her way and kissed her cheek. “You know I can’t do that. I love you.”
“I know and I love you too.” Priscilla smiled at her son, feeling a peace she hadn’t felt in a long time. Not since before he was born. The only other time she had felt it was the first time she held him in her arms. No matter how he was conceived, she never regretted having him.
“I’m gonna be out of town for a few days. You think you’re gonna be alright?”
“Boy?” She grinned. “I’m grown. I might have my issues but I’m gonna be fine. I don’t need you babysitting me.” She rolled her eyes at her son who snorted through a cocky laugh.
“You sure about that?”
“Eastland,” she warned, causing him to shrug.
