More tears followed, and I stood up, resolute in my decision. I walked past a red-faced Kody and my father, who called my name in confusion, trying to figure out everything that was happening.
I sat back down with my lawyer. “I’m pleading guilty.”
Lucky for me, my judge was a fair white man who saw the child in me…the humanity in me, and sent me to Laredo instead of jail.
And every time he ran for office, I sent him a substantial donation to ensure he remained in office, giving other youth like me another shot at life.
That was the last time I’d seen or heard from Kody until he called me, asking for forgiveness for a youthful indiscretion and saying he needed help with his failing business. My mother taught me to give others grace and offer forgiveness before she died.
I gave him both.
Kody Griffin would not receive any more gifts from me.
Had he been a true friend, I would’ve never stepped to his wife, though she’d been my love first. I would’ve accepted my loss and kept my focus on my son.
He’d thrown the gauntlet with his weak-ass threats to kill me.
And I wouldn’t stop pursuing Jamaica until she wore my name.
“Your guests are here.” My housekeeper announced from behind me.
I turned around, and Jamaica stood there with clasped hands while my housekeeper walked away. “Peace is showing Jamie around to give me enough time to speak to you alone.”
“What are you doing here?”
“At the airport, Jamie got scared at the last minute and begged me to come here with him. So, I did. KJ is spending time with his father because we still haven’t told him. Hope you don’t mind me crashing.”
“No, I don’t. It’s probably for the best that you’re here. You’re his mother, and he needs you.” If I didn’t look like a plum fool, I would’ve run to her. Instead, I smiled and approached her.
She shook her head and started backing up. “I see that look in your eyes. I’m not doing anything with you.”
I caught the tail of her red t-shirt, pulled her to me, and kissed her cheek softly. “Wanna bet?”
Jamaica’s eyes darkened with lust, and I released her shirt and headed back into the house to find my brother and son. Leaving her with something to think about.
“Damn him and damn my stupid body.” Devastated by his seductive yet sweet move, I remained on the veranda, cursing my weakness for him. On the plane, I kept preparing myself for seeing him again when I didn’t expect to see him. Determined to remember my vows and that he was my past. One weekend was all he would ever get.
And all Freedom had to do was breathe, and I’m hooked.
Everything in the last twenty-four hours had been a blur. I’d been so nervous that I hid my hands underneath the dining room table, and Kody kept pressing his hand on my thigh to stop the shaking.
I’d decided that I wouldn’t say whether or not Freedom knew. I didn’t want Jamie to start off by feeling like his father didn’t want him. I kept it strictly focused on the fact that we were high school sweethearts and he’d gotten into some trouble and had to be sent away. I decided to raise him on my own becauseI didn’t want to be with someone caught up in the streets. He’d been stunned that Peace was really his uncle and that his father was none other than one of his favorite stars. Kody remained quiet, though I felt the tension bouncing off him. This couldn’t have been easy for him, and I held his hand throughout the conversation that went surprisingly well. Jamie immediately wanted to go to Nashville with Peace and meet his father. Kody reluctantly agreed. He didn’t want to be the spiteful and mean parent.
We were all set. KJ and his father would camp with the Boy Scouts, and I would have the weekend to myself. Then, while Peace waited for him outside the terminal, my usually independent son suddenly needed me. With tears in his eyes, he begged me to go with him after initially denying me when I asked, placing me in the line of direct temptation of Freedom Cade.
Now, standing on the veranda of his lovely mansion, I feared I would fail. He was a temptation that I had to learn to ignore, given that we were connected for life.
“Jamaica, come here,” Freedom called from another room, as if this were our norm and this were our magnificent house.
“Where are you?” I giggled. “This house is huge.”
“Follow my voice.” He began humming.
The lyrics for the song he hummed were on the tip of my tongue as I listened to his voice grow stronger or weaker. “Dude, you are not hummingBump and Grind? R. Kelly canceled.”
He chuckled. “His songs still bang.”
“Why don’t I hear Peace or Jamie?” I asked as I drew closer to a partially open door.
