The mean mug Jamari gave me had me shivering. I didn't know why he gave me that look when he should have looked at his sister that way. This was why I never wanted to interfere in anything with his siblings. I never wanted his siblings to think I didn't want to participate or talk to them. However, to keep the peace in my relationship, I'd rather not talk about anything with Rylie. That was something Jamari should do.
"No, Rylie. I think whatever you need to talk about with boys. You should do it with Jamari," I stated.
With my arms folded, I stared out of the window, not saying anything to anyone else for the remainder of the ride. Truth be told, I wasn't in the mood to do anything anymore. Jamari had ruined it for me. He tried to get me to talk, but I had nothing to say right now. It was the look he gave me. I wanted to know that I mattered in the kids' lives, too. We'd been dating for a while, and the kids loved me. Why couldn't I talk to them without him?
I sighed deeply, knowing I shouldn't get in my feelings over this. This was supposed to be about the kids today. I'd just talk to Jamari about it and let him know that from now on, he would handle the kids on his own.
The rest of the ride was ridden in silence. When we arrived at the arcade, I was happy to escape the tension in the car. Tension I hadn't caused, but it was there tenfold. I had to empty my bladder because the baby wanted to tap-dance on it. We still hadn't come up with a name yet. I wrecked my brain every day to think of one, but none came to me yet.
Jamari paid for all of us, and the kids went their own way. Rylie took hold of Zach's hand and said something to him. He nodded, and they were out of sight.
Jamari turned to me and grasped my upper forearm. As much as I wanted to jerk away from him, I didn't. It would probably cause a scene, and I wasn't here for that.
Jamari found us a seat away from everyone and turned me to face him.
"Wassup with you?" he asked with a frown on his face.
I lifted an eyebrow as I peered at him. "You can't be serious."
He nodded. "I am. You won't talk to me."
I scoffed with a roll of my eyes. "Did you forget the way you looked at me in the car?" If he had, I didn't. I wasn't about to let him get away with it either. "You're always saying I'm a part of the kids' life and have a say, but the minute Rylie wanted to talk to me, you looked at me as if I had betrayed you."
He pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back in the seat. "Nah, that's not true. To know that she's asking about a boy doesn't sit right with me. Then she asked you, so it caught me off guard. I didn't know how to feel. My lil' sister is asking about a boy? Nah, man. I'll kill him."
I reached out and untangled Jamari's arms. He dropped them in his lap. He gave me a look that had me wanting to kiss his lips. I loved it when he wore his dreads down, as he did now.
"You know it's going to happen eventually. Rylie is growing up. Those things are bound to happen. It's something you can't stop."
He grunted. "I bet you I can."
I snorted. "You can't even if you want to. Rylie is growing up to be a beautiful young lady. You raised her right. You didn't even let her finish what she had to say. Then, when you gave me that look, I shut down. It felt as if I had to attempt to say something to her, you'd take it out on me."
Jamari shook his head. "Nah, you don't have to ever think that again. You're with me, and you're a part of my siblings' lives too. If they want to talk to you, it's ’cause they trust you. I'll never take that away from them. I'm sorry if you thought I'd say something. If Rylie wants to talk to you, I'm here for it. You just tell me what she says."
I threw my head back and laughed. "No! If it's private, I won't. Well, it all depends on what it is. If it's harmless, I won't."
Jamari groaned. "I don't know how to feel about her wanting to talk about boys now."
I smiled and squeezed his hands in mine. "It'll be okay. She'll be okay, and so will you."
I stood up, and he did too. He walked into my arms, which were held out for him. We embraced before we pulled apart.
"I'm sorry for overreacting, too," I apologized.
He smirked. "It's all good. I need to use that look more often if it gets that kind of reaction out of you."
I smacked my lips and swatted his arm playfully. "Let's go look for the kids."
With our hands joined, we went to look for the kids. We found them playing a game against each other. For the rest of the time, we chilled at the arcade and had a blast. I pulled Rylie to the side and apologized to her, too. She told me about the boy. He'd been flirting with her a lot. I told her that he might have a crush on her. She scrunched her face up and walked away. I guess that went better than I thought it would. It was a good thing she didn't have her mind on boys right now. Jamari could rest assured that his baby sister would remain his baby.
Three MonthsLater
As I gazed into baby Jaeden's face, I couldn't help the tears that flowed from my eyes. He looked just like his father. The only thing he got from me was my eye color. It made no sense how much father and son looked alike. Jamari was over the moon with happiness. He stayed by my side the entire time when I went into labor. What had me scared was that Jaeden came a few weeks early. I tried not to let it get to me, but when I saw him, and I knew he was healthy, I felt better. I went into labor at my mother's house, where we had a family dinner. It felt good seeing my parents together. They appeared to be happy with each other. I loved that for them.
"He looks just like me," Jamari whispered as he stroked my hair from my face.
I nodded as my lips trembled. "He does. The bad thing about that is I didn't hate you. So, why does he look like you?"
