“Aww,” she said sweetly, “Seth turned you into the help, huh?”
I didn’t blink. Didn’t move. But I felt that one. Before I could say what I really wanted to, Serena stepped in.
“Okay, that’s enough,” she said, positioning herself between us. “Imani just wanted to see S3. It’s been over a month. Seth’s had him cooped up in this house.”
“And you know why,” I shot back, glaring at her.
She sighed, her patience obviously thin. “That doesn’t make it right, Stormi. How would you feel if you hadn’t seen Shiloh in over a month?”
My jaw clenched. The mention of Shiloh alone had me ready to snap. “That’s different and you know it. Imani agreed to this,youwere there. She said she was okay with S3 staying while she was out in Vegas. Seth didn’t make that decision alone.”
Serena folded her arms. “Yeah, well, she’s back now.”
And just like that, I understood. This wasn’t about S3. This wasn’t about motherly concern. This was about control. A bitch’s ego. What territory she thinks she might have.
I pulled out my phone and typed a quick message to Seth:
Your mom brought your baby mama home. Come handle this. Now.
My thumb hovered for a second. Then I hit sent. Whatever peace was in this house before. It just left with the sound of that door closing behind them.
“The fuck this tramp doing here?” Jo’s voice rang out like a gunshot as she came down the stairs, cradling a freshly bathed Shiloh in her arms, steam still rising off his curls.
Imani turned toward her slowly, arms crossed.
“Last time I checked, this was my son’s house,” Serena voiced, calm but firm, like she was waiting for a reason to snap.
Jo didn’t miss a beat.
“Oh, baby, when he put that ring on my daughter’s finger, it became their house. What’s his is hers now. Everything except that bitch right there.”
She tilted her chin toward Imani, stepping closer like she was ready to lay hands. I didn’t even hesitate. I reached out and gently grabbed Shiloh from her arms before things escalated.
“Jo, it’s fine,” I said quickly, adjusting Shiloh. “S3’s in the bath right now. He’ll be down soon. You can stay for dinner if you want.”
“You cooked?” Serena asked, eyebrows raised like she was genuinely confused.
“Yeah,” I replied simply.
“Huh. Didn’t know you could do that,” she shot with a smug little smile before walking into the kitchen like it was hers.
Jo narrowed her eyes, watching her go. “Oh, mother-in-law on one today,” she muttered, starting to follow behind her.
I reached out, grabbed her wrist. “Jo, just… let it ride. Please.”
She looked at me like I asked her to swallow fire.
“She don’t know me,” she said low, teeth clenched. “I might’ve changed my ways, but I will still cut a bitch about you. Tell her don’t test me, Stormi.”
“I know, Jo. I know. Let’s just keep the peace tonight.”
Jo shook her head but relented. “Oh, I keep a piece. Hell, Seth got a few stashes around here. Showed me where they were at.”
That pulled a laugh out of me. God, I needed that.
And of course, right on cue, Imani decided to speak.
“Oh, the ghetto this has become,” she muttered, brushing past us on her way to the kitchen.
