41 • Bonus Chapter

Y'all got this book to 12,000 reads and I am very grateful and blessed. Honestly, I didn't think this book was going to be one of my favorites but slowly it became that way because of you guys.

So, I thought, "What on earth can I do to really thank them?"

I remembered y'all wanted another chapter. So I am going to give you all another chapter, this is my thank you and it's going to be a long chapter because I am going to answer all questions left from the last chapter.

Also, every main character gets a POV in this chapter. So you get insight from everyone's point of view. Hope you all enjoy!

Oh, guys this chapter is longgggg, so excuse the errors if y'all can. Cause I was trying to hurry and get this published for y'all.

So let's get into this. ❤️

—

Bethany

Feeling something warm on me, I shifted slightly in my sleep.

I squirmed and when I felt hands grip my thighs, my eyes shot open. My hands went straight to her hair as I pushed her further into me. "JJ— mm. Baby don't stop."

Janet bit down on my nub and I whimpered. I couldn't see her for she was underneath the covers, but it did nothing but make the feeling of her tongue intensify.

She took a hand off of my thigh as she began pumping two fingers into me. My hand gripped her scalp tighter.

The pleasure I was feeling was unbearable. "Daddy don— don't stop!"

I yelped when she hit my G-spot suddenly. I could feel myself tightening around her fingers and when she moaned into my core, it sent vibrations through my body. I couldn't take it anymore.

My hips bucked and my legs tightened around Janet's head as my climax hit hard and all I saw was stars for a moment. Janet rubbed me slowly as I came down.

Finally, she took her fingers out of me and it took her a second to come back up. I knew she was licking her fingers, she had made a habit of doing that. When I thought she was coming back up, I felt her tongue begin to lick on the inside of my thighs.

"Baby it's— it's sensitive."

I heard her chuckle in response and she licked me fully one time. Chills went straight down my body.

She didn't care— nor did she let up. Instead of her hair, I decided to grip the sheets this go round. My body was already sensitive and J was awakening my senses in a way of not only lust but pure love.

17 years being married to this woman and not once have I ever gotten tired. Quite honestly, I didn't plan on getting tired anytime soon.

"Ba- Baby! I'm finna—." My words morphed into those that no one could understand as J's finger hit my G-spot and I squirted.

The covers lifted and I saw and felt as my wife begin to kiss up my body. When she hovered over me, she smiled. "Morning, Mrs.Jackson."

"Morning baby." I greeted back lightly for my nervous system was still trying to recant feeling back into my body. "Now even though, that is one of my most favorite ways to be woken up, what did you do?"

She chuckled nervously. "It's June the 21st."

"Okay?" I looked up at her weirdly and Janet kissed me to buy her some time.

Before she could deepen the kiss, I pulled back. "JJ, whats so special about June the—." I cut myself off as I remembered. "Oh."

Janet straddled my lap and nodded. "Yeah. I just wanted to get some stress off of you. I know I couldn't take all of it away, but I'm taking some of it."

I pulled Janet back down to my lips as I yearned to kiss her again. "Thank you baby. I love you."

"I love you more." Janet mumbled against my lips as they met again.

We heard our alarm system tell us our front door was open.

"GG Janet!"

"Glam-Ma Beth!"

Two little voices shot out from downstairs and we heard their feet getting closer.

My wife shot from off of my waist and towards our dressers. I searched the bed for my panties and couldn't find them. "Woman, where are my underwear?!"

Janet smirked and didn't think I saw her as she threw on some shorts and tossed me my clothes.

I grabbed them and put them on. Miraculously, I pulled my shirt over my head when our bedroom door opened suddenly.

Our eyes met with our grandkids who seemed eager.

"Happy Father's Day!" Aubrey, Kendrick's daughter, yelled out as if we were fathers.

"They aren't fathers, Brey." Nyah corrected her cousin monotoned. "This isn't their holiday."

Nyah is Nadia and Zeek's 11 year old who loves to model and write. Still, I have her too smart for her own good. Now, I don't say that's a problem. Yet, Janet thinks in the future it might be.

"My bad." Aubrey frowned a bit at the realization. "I was just saying."

Janet shook her head as she smiled. "It's okay, Doodle Bug. Thanks anyways."

Aubrey smiled at her. "Okay, GG Janet. Can we dance or sing today? Pretty please?"

Aubrey is Kendrick's and Cypress 10 year old who loves to dance and sing, and maybe a little modeling here and there if I beg her for shots.

Janet sighed. "I know I promised we would, but I have to go somewhere with Glam-Ma Beth today."

"No you don't." I declined Janet's proposal.

"Yes. I do." I could here it in my wife's tone, that she wasn't up for a debate. "You aren't going by yourself."

"I'll take my mother. Don't worry on it baby." I assured her as I pecked her lips and grabbed some clothes to go take a shower and put on.

"Glam-Ma Beth, can I read something out your library?" Nyah asked me as she shot me her best pout. She knew how much I disliked when her and Aubrey were in my study and book room.

I nodded this time though. "Go ahead Nook, and no playing in there. Whatever book you take out and read, please return it to its rightful place when you finish with it. Oh and if you start reading my new book, please put the pages back in order!"

She jumped. "Okay. Okay! I promise!" Before I could say another word, Nook was already gone from the room.

"Where are y'all parents?" Janet asked Aubrey.

"Oh well, Auntie Nadi dropped Nook off this morning because she said she had something to do and Ny was going to spend the night with us since Uncle Zeek left out of town for business."

"And your parents?" I asked from the frame of our bathroom. "Where are they?"

"Daddy had a studio session so he dropped us off, and mommy hasn't been feeling good. I think mommy is pregnant again."

"What?!" Janet and I yelled out in horror at the same time.

My wife went over and kneeled in front of our grand daughter. "Sweet heart, what makes you think that?"

Aubrey rocked on her heels. "She's been throwing up a lot and eating even more. Daddy said it himself. I want a baby brother. What do y'all want her to have?"

I held my head. "My head hurts."

Our two grandchildren were enough trouble already. Another one would just add on to our world of hassle.

Janet shook her head. "Alright Doodle Bug, go play around in my dance room until I get there. GG Janet has to take a shower."

My face furrowed as I mumbled. "I like your nerve. Inviting yourself into my shower session."

"I heard that, Bethany." She looked back and shot me a look.

Aubrey nodded. "Okay, I'll be there. Hurry up though GG."

Brey shot out of the room and in the opposite direction of Nook.

"We need to change the locks on our house." I muttered. "Love our grandkids but pop ups aren't appreciated."

Janet closed the door and pointed towards the bathroom. "Shower?"

I shook my head as I walked into the restroom and Janet followed. She shut and locked the door behind her.

"Bad grandmother, would rather go down on her wife then spend time with her grandkids. Shame."

She smirked at me. "I'll repent later. Come on before they come banging on the door."

<> <> <> <> <>

"You don't look nervous." My mother told me as we walked through the gates getting closer to the doors.

I smiled to myself as I remembered this morning and the shower. "Janet helped me a lot this morning."

"Mhm. Nasty tails. Where is she? I'm surprised she let you come by yourself."

"Well, I promised her that you would be here and that I wouldn't be alone when I saw him. So, when these gates open, he's just coming with us? He's free?"

She nodded. "Yeah, baby. 11 years and you've finally got it done. He's free."

When she said that a loud sound shot through our ears and the gates opened. The doors to the prison opened and David Hill stepped out with his head held high.

He had a bag attached to him and walked out to us.

Our eyes met and the only thing I wanted to do was embrace my father. 11 years of going back and forth with having his charges dropped, and I had finally won.

His arms wrapped around my frame and I immediately hugged back. Tears fell from my eyes as I mumbled. "Happy Father's Day, daddy."

We let out of the hug and he looked down at me and I saw he was crying himself. "Your heart is one of gold. Don't you ever let someone tell you that you're a bad person, princess. You just made the impossible happen. Thank you."

"It's no need to thank me. I couldn't let you rot in there."

My father looked at my mother. "Judy."

"Nice to see you in something other than orange, David." My mom spoke slyly.

"Same goes for you in them musty ass judge capes."

My momma rolled her eyes. "Whatever boy, how have you been?"

"Well, life is much better now that I'm not in them damn gates."

"Funny, my life just got worse."

My dad smacked his lips and pulled my mother into a hug. "I still missed you Ju. Don't let nobody tell you different."

She smiled slightly and tried to hide it. "Oh you better had missed me. As many times as I took shit from your ass? I better have been missed."

My eyes narrowed at that statement and how they were so quick to embrace each other.

I brushed it off as I spoke. "Okay, well we can head to my house. You have some grandkids and a daughter in law who would love to meet you."

"Oh yeah, Judy was telling me about this Janet Jackson woman. I paid the guard a extra ten dollars and listened to her song on the radio. She can really sing. Oh and here." My father dug in his bag and pulled out a book.

It was my book, and I smiled at him. "How on Earth did you manage to get my book in that cell, daddy?"

My father looked at my mother and Judy smiled as she looked down at the ground. "Your momma helped me with that one."

My journey to my car stopped suddenly as I looked at them. "Okay, no. What the hell is going on here? Y'all have been acting way to nice and friendly. 'Akeekee'ing and 'Akaka'ing. I wanna laugh too!"

They both looked at me and busted out laughing. "Girl, come on here." My parents walked to my car without me and after a moment of two, I followed in pursuit.

"I'm not respected in this damn family, ya know!" I called after her.

|-|

Nadia

I sat at a table with my husband across from me. Zeek smiled evilly at me and I glared back.

"No." I spoke. "He doesn't get shit out of my modeling account. He didn't contribute to none of that shit. He never took my pictures. He never told me what to wear and maybe once was he actually at a damn photo shoot. No. It's not his."

"I contributed." Zeek hit the table harshly and it shook. It caused my lawyer and his lawyer to jump but me? I was used to this hot headed behavior.

"Don't get angry." I told him. "It's not your fault you're sitting here. It's mines. Simply because you couldn't do what she could, right?"

Zeek's nostrils flared. "Shut up, Nadia."

"I mean, she could always make this okay. Unlike you who can't do anything right."

"Nadia!" He snapped as he stood and I shot to my feet when he did.

"You did this shit! You started a fire! You don't deserve anything from me. You cheated on me! Hurt me! Yet now you want to sit in a damn room and demand money from me! Who do you think you are? Everything you touch turns to shit, and that's not on me. You made this a problem!"

It took a lot for Zeek and I to get like this. We had years of holding our tongues and not saying what we had to say.

More years of arguments and toxicity. Keeping it from Nyah was and still is a person struggle for both of us. We try not to let it show, and make excuses to Nyah about it, but I know my baby knows.

She's not dumb, and she picks up on things.

I'm surprised she hasn't relayed the message to my parents yet. I haven't even told them or Kendrick. It's something I've been dealing with within my own personal boundaries.

See, this all started 7 years ago. Nyah was three and Zeek cheated for the first time. I was hurt and broken, so I went out and helped myself.

I fixed myself, and a temporary fix turned into a feen for a daily dose. Without my dose, it seemed as if my depression would worsen for that day. So what turned into a every other month hit, transferred into a every day hit.

Sooner than later, Zeek was the last thing on my mind and he noticed that quickly. How he would come home at 3 am one night, and I wouldn't come home til 8 am the next night.

Our lies became ridiculous until finally— five months ago, we both got fed up. Told each other about our lovers on the side, and decided that we wouldn't fight each other on this anymore.

He threw in the towel, and it hurt him more when he realized I had threw in the towel a few years back.

Zeek looked at me with hatred. "You love her!"

"And you love her!" I shot back. "So we walk away with that prenup in tac! We split our shared account 50/50. We decide on Nyah our own way and not through court, we don't need to do the child support, I am more than capable of making it with or without you. We both dug a grave, so let's both lie in it! Sit down Zeek."

Zeek sat down and I followed after. It was a tense silence and Zeek finally nodded. "Fine. That's fine."

"The house?" His lawyer asked me.

"It's in our name." Zeek responded for me. "But, I'll let her have it. Her parents are close to her and I wouldn't want my daughter to be that far away from her grandparents. The Jacksons have been good to me, I'd never do them like that."

My phone buzzed and I looked down at it.

"Look, I have to go. We have everything settled, we can both make the changes and then meet back again in a few days or weeks. I know how busy you and your girlfriend are."

"Oh and vice versa." He mumbled.

I chuckled as I stood up. "You're really pathetic, Zeek."

Grabbing my things, I left the room and walked out. I heard footsteps behind me. "Nadia wait!"

When I stopped walking and turned around, I was faced with Zeek again.

"What bro?" I asked with a attitude.

"What happened to us, Nadia?"

"Life happened. Temptation and pride got in the way of us."

"I cheated alright?! I messed up, but I can fix this. We can work this out. What about Nyah?" Zeek seemed to get frantic.

"Nyah is gonna be okay, we will communicate for the sake of our baby. As far as us goes, it's simple. It's never going to happen again. You love her and vice versa for me. It's okay that we've fallen out of love with each other, so let's not try to force this marriage. We've done that for long enough. I don't hate you Zeek, I just don't love you anymore."

My feet turned as I went and got into my Range Rover. I started my car and texted someone.

M 💍I'm running late, this meeting kicked my ass, but I'm on my way baby.

<> <> <> <> <>

The door opened before I could knock on it. My happiness stood on the other side.

"Hey baby." I greeted as we hugged.

"Hey babes. Did they stress you bad today?"

I nodded as I pouted. "When do they not?"

Makaela, my girlfriend, shook her head. "Come in, let's talk about it."

I smiled at her as she held her hand out and I took it as she led me into her living room. She always knew how to make my day a little better.

We sat down and I put my head in her lap as I spoke to her. "He wanted money from my modeling account. He really tried it Kae. We won't ever be able to be cool after that. He's doing way too much."

"Baby, you know how he is." Kae ran her fingers through my curls. "He's hurting. So he wants you to hurt."

"But he did this baby. He started this fire, by sleeping with that chick. He chose this path and now he doesn't wanna walk down it. That stresses me out. He even had the nerve to ask for a custody hearing for Nyah. We promised each other that we would never do that to Nook. Why would he even—."

"Baby." Makaela cut me off. "Stop it. You're over thinking. What do I say?"

I sighed. "It'll work out for the better. Give it to God."

She nodded and smiled at me. "Exactly. Give it to him, he'll never steer you wrong. Look, you stressing is making my curls straighten. Come on."

"How the hell does me stressing make your curls straighten?"

Kae popped my forehead lightly. "Don't cuss when we were just talking about God, ShortCakes. Stop before I whoop you."

"Maybe I want to be whooped." I smirked at her.

She chuckled as she lifted my head up and walked off. "Nasty."

I looked over the couch. "Oh I'm nasty but you're walking towards the bedroom."

"Okay and if you aren't in here in 5 seconds, you'll have to handle yourself." She looked back at me as I jumped off the couch and headed into her room.

It was time for my daily dose and quite honest, I was having withdrawals.

|-|

Kendrick

My legs shook in the hospital chair that I was placed in. My nerves were bad.

I couldn't believe that I was in this predicament right now. Cypress would kill me if she found out I was here.

Zeek walked up to me with his head low, he tried to mask it but I saw the look on his face before he got to me. "Man you good?"

I stood up and we dabbed up. "Yeah man. I'm aight. You?"

He sighed. "Don't tell yo sister I told you this."

"You good. Wassup?"

"We just finished negotiating the divorce today."

"Excuse me?" My eyes widened as I looked up at my friend. "Nigga, you hurt my sister?!"

Zeek nodded. "Yeah man. We hurt each other. She ain't want everyone to know, especially not you or your moms. She wanted to handle this on her own accord but I can't. I need someone's support cause I can't support myself. Nyah is in this as well, it's not just a us thing, our daughter is affected as well."

The doctor came out with papers in his hand before I could respond to Zeek. "Mr.Jackson?"

I looked up and nodded. "Yeah. That's me."

He handed me the papers and I read them.

Paternity of Karisma Fahren Jones 0.001 %

A smile traced my lips as I shouted. "Zeek! I ain't the daddy! I'm good bro! I'm straight!"

Zeek seemed down when I said that but tried to fix his face.

Cypress would have left me and took my princess with her if this child was mines. I had messed up, and of course she didn't know. This woman and I had slept together a while back and out of nowhere she came saying that she was pregnant and I was the daddy.

Hoes gone always be hoes.

Zeek chuckled at me softly. "Yeah man, cause ya girl Cypress woulda knocked your ass off of your feet. Then left yo ass for someone more cuter cause yo ass ugly."

I shook my head. "Whatever. Now back to this divorce."

"Oh. Yeah so we left from there today." He mumbled. "Aye I heard Cypress might be pregnant."

"Yeah man." I smiled at the thought of having another child with the woman I loved. "She is. I'm so happy, you know I've always wanted two kids."

Kendrick nodded. "It's yours, right?"

"Da fuck was that supposed to mean?" I asked him as I looked at him crazy. "Hell yes it's mines. Cypress ain't cheated on me. That's my girl. Now come on. We gotta go get some flowers."

<> <> <> <> <>

I stared down at my brothers headstone.

La'Devean Jamal Harris

My legs weakened. It was always hard coming here. Zeek placed the flowers in the object that held a place for the flowers.

I was pronounced innocent after that long court case where they thought I killed Dev. Termite got off as well. Sometimes we see each other because my mother is best friends with his mother.

Other than that, we steer clear. He knows he shot my homeboy, and I don't even know if he feels bad. Never gave the nigga a chance to say that he did. He wasn't worth the energy that conversation would require.

"Man Dev, it still don't seem real." Zeek mumbled to him.

"Especially not to us. We been taking care of your momma, Dev." I told him. "She's good. We make sure that she's good. She misses you. Hell we all do."

"Happy birthday man."

"Yeah. Happy birthday. Drink some holy shots up there in heaven for me."

Zeek chuckled at my comment. "There's your ticket to hell."

"Nah, Dev gone hold me a space in Heaven and God knows my heart."

"True that. True that." Zeek mumbled next to me. "Dev man, we always imagined this shit to be us three making it together. We finna be 30, and it feel like yesterday you left us. I love you bro. Stay high up there. Ain't nobody down here doing bad. We got it covered for you, man."

"Everything's covered." I assured him as if he could hear me. "Man, I married Cypress. You got a niece down here. She's cute. Zeek married my knuckle headed sister. So you really got two nieces down here. We came from the hospital today, that's why we a little later than usual. The baby ain't mine brah. I'm still a free of strings man. I gotta be more careful next time. Can't be slipping up on the woman I love."

Zeek shifted uncomfortably before squatting as well. "And me, well Nadia and I are divorcing. We just aren't for each other anymore. I hope you can forgive me Dev, cause what I did, I know you hated. It was something you would have stopped talking to me over, but I'm trying to make it better. Just keep a look out for us."

What the hell had Zeek done that was so bad?

"Yeah." I nodded in agreement. "Keep a eye on us. We gotta go bro. Happy birthday. We love you."

Zeek and I stood up and headed towards our cars. "Aye, don't bring it up to Nadia that I told you. Please? She'll kill me."

I simply nodded but I was going to bring that shit up anyways. That's my sister and he's lucky I ain't pin his ass up.

|-|

Janet

"Aubrey! Nyah!" I yelled from the kitchen, as I placed lunch on my table for the kids. "Come eat!"

I heard of trail of footsteps but only Aubrey appeared. "Doodle Bug, wheres Nook?"

Brey shrugged. "I think still in the Glam Ma Beth's library. She's been in there for a while with the door shut so I haven't bothered her. You know how she is when she wants to finish reading those books."

"Okay. I'll go get her." I announced as Brey sat at the table. "I'll be right back."

I walked up the steps of my home and to Beth's library. This woman literally took two rooms, gutted out the wall dividing the two, and made a homemade library. I wasn't complaining though, not like I was using the two rooms.

When I made it to the door, I opened it.

"Nook the—." My voice trailed off when I saw that my grand daughter was on the floor crying. "Nyah, what's wrong?"

She shook her head as she tried to wipe her tears like I hadn't seen them. "Nothing. I'm fine. I'm not hungry GG Janet."

I went and sat on the ground next to her. "Nyah, talk."

"No. Mommas gonna be mad."

My face went into a frown. "Why would your momma be mad?"

"Because she doesn't want anyone to know GG. Not even me, but I'm scared."

"Nyah Rene Russell, what's going on?"

My granddaughter looked at me tearfully. "They're divorcing GG. They don't love each other anymore. My dads never home and my mom loves someone else."

"How do you know this, Nyah?" I asked as she crawled into my arms so she could cry on my shoulder.

As she cried she sniffled and spoke. "My mom is always texting someone named M. My dad is always at Uncle Zeek's house. They both argue when they think I'm sleep and a few weeks ago my mom just said that she wanted to divorce."

Bethany had Nyah smart. A little too smart sometimes and it was times like this where I knew Beth would regret the knowledge she placed in this child. She picked up on clues quicker than other could half the time.

"It's okay Nook." I rubbed her back as she cried. "Everything's going to be okay."

"No it's not. Divorce means that everything is split 50/50. Everything. Including me. Child support. Custody hearings. My parents will barely talk. They won't get along like they did a long time ago. Uncle Kendrick is gonna hate my daddy." She mumbled into me.

"Why is he gonna hate your daddy? And it's okay Nyah, they will still love you regardless."

Nyah leaned away and looked at me sadly. "Because, my daddy is sleeping with Aunt Cypress."

My eyes widened as Nyah shifted and wiped her tears. "Nyah, you don't know that."

"Yes I do." She responded. "I heard him on the phone with her one night when mommy was out at a wedding party. He was watching me that night and thought I was sleep. My daddy is a bad man."

"No." I shook my head and disagreed. "Your daddy is just a man. People make mistakes Nyah, all mistakes are forgivable. Now you forgive but you don't have to forget. You remember what they did but don't bring it up every chance you get. That's not healthy. You learn from this and you grow. Wipe those tears, okay?"

She nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Okay, now come on, let's go get something to eat. You got Doodle Bug down there eating alone."

<> <> <> <> <>

Dinner time came around and my grandkids, my kids, and my wife sat around me. I knew what I knew and didn't say anything.

Kendrick and Cypress sat across from Nyah and Aubrey. Nadia was on her way.

Bethany sat next to me and we held hands under the table. I hadn't told her what I knew because I didn't know how.

Was Cypress' child Kendrick's or Zeek's?

"So Momma J, how you been?" Cypress asked me.

"I've been good." I responded to my daughter in law. She smiled at me and I faked one back.

My wife noticed my smile and shot me a worried look as we waited on Nadia. Everyone was already eating so it was pretty quiet. We heard the door open and our daughter walked in with someone else.

Her and the woman sat in between Nyah and I. "Sorry I'm late, I got caught up with some things. Family this is Makaela. Makaela that's my moms Bethany and Janet. And my brother Kendrick. You've met Nyah and that's my niece Aubrey."

I noted that Nadia didn't introduce Cypress.

"Hi everyone. I'm Makaela. It's nice to meet you all." The woman smiled at us.

We smiled back. "It's a pleasure."

"Hey sis." Kendrick greeted his sister.

"Hey." She smiled back at him. "How you been?"

"Oh, I've been fine." Nadia lied to us as she began eating. "You?"

"Alright. So, when were you going to tell us that you were getting a divorce?" Kendrick asked out of nowhere and Nadia choked on a piece of steak.

Makaela patted my daughters back.

Bethany's face was priceless as she looked between Nadia and Kendrick.

Nadia finally shrugged her hand away as she spoke. "You been talking to ya bestie huh?"

"Yeah and he told me!" Kendrick mugged his sister.

She scoffed. "Boy, that ain't yo best friend."

"Not in front of the kids." Bethany warned our kids. "Don't."

Ken looked her up and down. "And why ain't he? He tells me more stuff than you ever will."

"Oh he told you who he was sleeping with that led to this divorce? Did he tell you that?" Nadia's voice rose.

"Why does it matter who he cheated on you with?" Kendrick asked my daughter.

I sunk back into my seat deeper as I waited until someone said it. Cypress face went more depressed than before.

"Because my daddy is sleeping with Aunt Cypress!" Nyah yelled out suddenly.

The room got tense and Kendrick looked over at Cypress before asking slowly. "What? You been sleeping with my brother?"

Aubrey was crying and I spoke. "Kids, go upstairs. Now."

They both got up and walked up the stairs.

"You knew?" Beth asked me and the spotlight turned to me.

"Nyah knew. She told me earlier today. She was crying in the library and ended up telling me. I didn't think she was telling the truth, but I see now that she was." I mumbled.

"Nyah knew what?" Nadia asked me.

"Everything." I responded. "You guys aren't as slick as both of y'all think y'all are. The kids notice things and they hurt more than you think. She knows about the divorce. About the cheating. All of it."

Nadia shook her head as tears began to fall. "Wow."

"Is that my damn baby?" Kendrick asked his wife.

Cypress slowly shook her head and before anyone could fathom a response, Kendrick took his ring off and stood up.

"Kendrick—." Beth tried to speak.

"No! My own brother? He was just in my face!"

Everyone looked at Kendrick as he stormed out of the house and Cypress followed shouting for him to calm down and how she could explain.

Nadia shot some wine down. "Well, while shit is tense and on the table, I'm gay. Makaela's my girlfriend."

We all looked at Makaela who was silent and looking down. "Sweetie, don't be ashamed. We are just that type of family. Nice to meet you, can you do us all a favor and not cheat?"

Beth looked at me and snickered before speaking. "Stop. Nice to meet you Makaela. Sorry you came in at a bad time."

"You knew didn't you?" I asked Nadia.

"Knew what?" Nadia asked me for clarification.

"That Zeek was sleeping with Cypress." I clarified.

"Oh yeah. I knew." Nadia shrugged it off. "He wasn't slick and she wasn't either. Kendrick knew as well. He just decided to give a show. We put it together. When Ken called and asked was Cypress hanging with me and I called to ask was Zeek hanging with him. They just were unorganized."

Bethany and I looked at each other before shaking our heads. I looked at my daughter. "Go upstairs and lets talk to your baby, Dia."

She nodded and stood. "Baby, I'll be back. Mom be nice."

Beth looked hurt. "I'm always nice!" As we walked towards the steps I heard my wife ask. "So, have you always preferred married women or is it just in style right now?"

"Bethany Jackson!" I stopped walking and yelled out.

"It was just a question!" She yelled back and Nadia rolled her eyes.

"She's a handful." She commented to me. "How did y'all even make it this far? Through everything y'all have been through, you all have still fought through it. How?"

"Cause..." I chuckled to myself. "As corny as it might sound, before she was my wife, girlfriend, or love interest. She was someone who I needed to prove innocent. She was always The Innocent Woman. Well... not always but enough for me to love her for the rest of my life."

—

ANDDDDDDD......

I'm out. Guys this has been a great journey. Honestly. Truly. It's been a honor to travel on this journey with you and y'all deserved this bonus chapter.

I love you guys! 💓

Y'all go check out my new books! Cause the ship never stops sailing on my end.

- Regina